The Tone-Deaf Healer Kills with a Song - Episode 9

“Yes?”

He spoke to me casually without any greeting. His tone was similar to how he’d spoken this morning.

His demeanor was so natural that for a moment, I wondered if I’d been talking to him all along. I blinked and quickly looked around.

There was no way I could bring him into my home.

“Wait, please wait a moment!”

I hurriedly changed clothes and ran outside with my coat draped over my arm. Though it hadn’t been long, the rustling sounds must have been annoying, but he waited patiently without saying a word.

He’s a Ranker. Which means he can’t appear where everyone can see him. So we need somewhere private where we can be alone.

I slipped into an abandoned construction site that had been halted years ago when the construction company went bankrupt.

“This is the construction site that Myeong-ung Construction abandoned. Would it be possible for you to track my location and move here? Or would that be inappropriate?”

“It’s not impossible, but wouldn’t that be a violation of personal privacy?”

“Since I’m giving permission, how about we call it authorized access to personal information? Will you be monitoring my location from now on?”

“…No.”

“Then it’s fine!”

Having lived here my whole life, trying to explain locations was incredibly difficult.

He still seemed uncomfortable with the idea of arbitrarily accessing my personal information, falling silent before saying okay and hanging up.

As I felt the cold wind against my body, I put on my coat and waited. Just like before, a black rift appeared before my eyes. Jung Hwan-jae’s face emerged from that gap.

“Ah.”

“Oh, h-hello. You came quickly!”

“Well, when you don’t need to use transportation…”

He met my eyes before awkwardly turning away. I quickly checked if I was wearing something embarrassing but couldn’t find anything unusual.

Jung Hwan-jae naturally stepped over the threshold and stood before me.

“Shall we enter the dungeon then?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Wait a moment.”

His tone was as casual as asking what someone wanted for breakfast. That’s why I answered like an idiot.

Though I knew we were going for training, entering a dungeon like this… It felt like being thrown into a marathon before learning to walk.

He made a short “Ah” sound and straightened up.

“Ms. Yeom Ye-ah’s abilities have several fundamental issues. I’ve checked the healing skills in the Valkyrie Network, but without sufficient proficiency, it’s difficult to achieve meaningful results outside of dungeons.”

“Ah, that’s…”

“I don’t know exactly which skills you searched for and used, but do you have any class-specific skills higher than your stats?”

I hadn’t even thought about it.

The various skills I’d used would make people faint if they heard them outside.

Not only were the skills themselves low-level, but my proficiency was terrible, and if you could call it synergy, there was also my horrific singing ability.

“Could you at least tell me which dungeon we’re entering? It’s safe for me, right?”

‘Isn’t this a violation of the employment contract from the start? There wasn’t anything about potentially risking my life in dangerous dungeons right from the beginning.’

Whether he read my thoughts or not, he shrugged.

“It’s a D-rank dungeon that once belonged to the guild. It produces unique potion ingredients that serve as one of the guild’s secondary income sources. The difficulty itself is laughable.”

“Ah, in that case…”

“Let’s move this way. I could bring a car, but this method only takes a few seconds.”

He gestured toward the still-open spatial rift while waving his hand lightly.

As I nodded solemnly, I noticed he wore an even more serious expression than I did.

While I was wondering if I wasn’t supposed to enter the spatial rift, he carefully extended his hand. He even bent at the waist to meet my eye level, palm facing upward.

“May I hold your hand? Only I can find the way in this space, so you could get lost if we’re not careful.”

“Ah… Yes!”

Though I wanted to ask where we were going and if it was safe, I knew it wasn’t the right timing or relationship for such questions yet, so I remained silent.

He waited with excessive politeness.

“If holding hands makes you uncomfortable, I could carry you, or we could try another form of contact, or I could bring a car…”

Before he could continue, I took his hand. His body temperature felt slightly warmer than mine.

There was no time to worry about such things. I wanted to become a useful hunter as quickly as possible.

His eyes seemed to widen slightly before he pulled me into the spatial rift.

“I can’t see anything.”

“Nobody with magic stats below A+ can see here. We’re going to enter the dungeon directly by connecting this space’s door to the gate.”

“Is that possible?”

“Under certain conditions.”

Speaking calmly, he firmly held my hand and kicked off the ground. My body felt weightless, as if floating, and I could see what looked like a black hole gate in the distance.

Just as I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut, my feet touched the ground and a strong scent of grass assaulted my nose.

“We’ve arrived.”

Before us stretched a vast field, and all around were floating pieces of cloth. They were walking around, swaying without bodies.

Formless Cloth Pieces (D)

“These monsters can be killed with just light attacks. Their attacks are simple too, just trying to cut with sharpened cloth.”

“Ah, I think I’ve seen something about these while channel surfing on some variety show.”

It was about clothes that became monsters because no one would wear them.

I think I saw it on some ghost-themed entertainment show.

Jung Hwan-jae nodded slightly and began walking with long strides. He stopped roughly in the middle of the field and turned to look at me.

All the monsters stared at him at once. As if sensing the overwhelming difference in power, they flailed about without daring to charge. Do monsters have survival instincts too?

“Stay where you are. These creatures won’t leave their territory beyond a certain distance. Though with your strength, they wouldn’t really hurt you anyway.”

“Hmm…”

He suddenly began removing his coat and accessories.

They must all be equipment.

I suppressed the urge to run and pick them up, waiting for his words instead. Unnecessary meddling could cost me my life. At the end of the wait, his voice reached me.

“Right now, I’m not receiving any buffs from any equipment. And all these monsters will be targeting me.”

“Ah, right?”

“And until at least one of your stats increases, I won’t fight back against these monsters at all.”

I swallowed the “Are you crazy?” that had risen to my throat.

I know who he is. A hunter ranked first under the name Reaper, neither Jung Hwan-jae nor Jung Hwan.

He’s not someone who would get hurt by monsters from such a low-level dungeon. This must be showmanship to instill some kind of determination in me.

But even knowing all that, when dozens or hundreds of cloth pieces enveloped him until I could no longer see his form, my heart began racing.

“Guild Master!”

“…”

“Mr. Jung Hwan-jae!”

Though likely intentional, he gave no response. Except for the occasional movement in the pile of clothes, I couldn’t even tell if he was still there.

Right now, he’s continuously being attacked. I don’t know if all people are like this, but I can’t ignore someone in trouble, even if I’ve just met them.

Even if that person intended it.

I needed to sing. That was clear. But how could I when no songs were coming to mind?

‘Random Music Box.’

I don’t know why it occurred to me at this moment. But suddenly, the random box I’d received as a reward hit me like a revelation. As if now was the only time to use it.

[Would you like to use Random Music Box (S ~ D)? Remaining quantity: (2)]

When I selected to use it once, an effect of a wildly shaking box appeared before my eyes.

What had looked like an ordinary box suddenly stopped, then burst with a pop.

[Hope’s Starting P**nt (D)]

‘…Surely this must mean something else.’