[News: "Who Was the Hunter Behind the Rain of Light?"]
A large-scale dungeon break that occurred earlier today has drawn massive attention after an unidentified healing skill covered the battlefield that took place in Jeju island during a dungeon break.
According to hunters present at the scene, a wide-range skill resembling a "rain of light" restored injuries at an abnormal rate. Witnesses claim that even severe wounds were healed within seconds.
Despite multiple testimonies, no hunter has stepped forward to claim responsibility.
KHA (Korea Hunter Association) are currently investigating whether this was the work of an unregistered high-rank healer.
[Attached Clip: Shaky footage of the battlefield, faint light falling from the sky]
[Top Comments]
- Cocomimi: Holy sh*t. That's at least A-rank, maybe higher.
- Kimkim: No way this is A-rank, that's literally mass regeneration??
- DungeonFan88: A-rank? That's definitely an S-rank or higher!
- Gochugang: Come to think of it, even James Curtis, the S-rank hunter in UK, can only heal up to five people at once?
- Kimkim: Then isn't this secret hunter stronger? She could be an SS-rank hunter?
- Cocomimi: Maybe the Korea Hunter Association will announce a new S-rank hunter soon.
- Jeonguwu: I was there! There was this really pretty hunter on top of a hill. She looked like an angel...
- Paekyu: lolll, if you were there then my mom was there. Too much attention seeker these days!
Korean news outlets, hunter forums, and even video platforms were flooded with discussions about what had happened that day. The incident spread faster than anyone expected, drawing attention not only from ordinary civilians but also from high rank hunters and major guilds.
No one could ignore it.
Who was the hunter capable of such a wide range healing ability?
Not only that, it was a skill that could restore even severed limbs in a matter of minutes. Even among S-rank healers, something like that was unheard of, let alone performed on such a large scale.
Speculation grew more intense by the hour.
Some believed it was a hidden S-rank, others insisted it had to be someone beyond that level entirely, while a few questioned whether it was even a human ability to begin with.
And yet, despite all the attention, Seo Elena knew nothing about it.
·•—–٠✤٠—–•·
A familiar white ceiling came into view as her eyes slowly opened.
It took her a few seconds to fully regain consciousness, her thoughts sluggish as fragments of memory began to piece themselves together. The battle, the light, the overwhelming exhaustion, everything came rushing back all at once.
"Ugh..."
Her head throbbed slightly as she shifted.
"Elena?"
She turned her head.
Jinhyuk was sitting beside her, his usual composed appearance nowhere to be seen. His hair was slightly disheveled, his expression tired, almost like someone who hadn't slept properly in days.
What is he doing here?
"Here, drink this," he said, handing her a glass of water.
Elena pushed herself up slowly, wincing a little as she adjusted before taking the glass from him.
"...Thanks," she muttered, her voice still rough as she took a small sip.
The cool water helped clear her mind slightly.
As she lowered the glass, she glanced at him again.
"Is something on my face? You're staring at me a little too hard..." I trailed off, trying to sound casual even though my thoughts were anything but.
He's definitely going to ask about it.
I haven't explained anything yet, so of course it would look strange from his perspective. I'm only a low rank hunter, there's no way someone like me should be able to use a skill like that.
"Yena."
My shoulders stiffened at the sound of my name.
"Y-yeah?"
"About that day..."
My fingers tightened slightly around the blanket.
"W-what about that day?"
"You..." he paused, letting out a quiet sigh as if choosing his words carefully. "How did you do that?"
As he spoke, Jinhyuk's gaze remained fixed on me, but I could tell he wasn't just looking. With his skill, he was definitely checking my status again.
Even so, something didn't add up.
He could see it clearly.
And yet, it didn't make sense.
That was probably all thanks to the system.
"You're not a D-rank healer, are you?" he asked.
My throat went dry.
"W-what?" I forced a laugh, though it came out weak. "I am a D-rank healer..."
He didn't respond right away.
For a moment, he simply watched me, as if trying to confirm something on his own before continuing.
"Then what kind of skill was that?"
I lowered my gaze, fidgeting with my fingers as my thoughts scrambled for an answer.
"I—"
"Elena Noona!"
The door burst open.
Hyein's voice rang out, loud and energetic as she rushed inside without hesitation.
The tension snapped instantly.
It felt like something that had been stuck in my throat finally cleared, and I let out a quiet breath without realizing it.
I could finally breathe.
"Oh, you're here? How are you doing?" I smiled and pulled her into a hug, patting her back as she clung to me and mumbled about how worried she had been.
Jiyeon and Chiyeon followed in right after, with Minwoo trailing behind them, all of them looking far too alert for this to be a casual visit.
Something's off...
"But Elena," Jiyeon spoke, her gaze settling on me with quiet certainty, "that was you, wasn't it? The healing."
I froze.
For a split second, I genuinely didn't know how to react.
I thought I only had to worry about Jinhyuk finding out, so what is this...?
"No?" I let out a small laugh, forcing it to sound natural even though my voice felt stiff. "Haha, what are you talking about, Jiyeon?"
She didn't reply immediately.
Instead, she just smiled.
It wasn't a normal smile.
It was the kind that said she already knew the answer and was simply waiting for me to admit it myself.
'Don't lie to me.'
That's what it felt like.
My fingers curled slightly as I glanced at the others, hoping someone would interrupt or change the topic, but no one did. If anything, they all looked even more curious, their attention fully focused on me.
Why is everyone looking at me like that...?
The familiar blue screens appeared in front of my eyes.
『 Under The Oak Tree 』
What is it that you fear?
『 Above The Broken World 』
You must tell the truth so they bow before you, human. Speak quickly.
I let out a quiet sigh.
It's not that I was afraid of spilling the truth. Honestly, I don't have any grand wishes to be known publicly and get all the attention. All I want was to run a small cafe and live out my days peacefully.
"Fine. But please don't tell anyone. I don't want attention," I finally gave in.
Everyone nodded, their expressions filled with anticipation as they waited for me to continue.
"After that monster appeared and my café was destroyed, I received a reward."
I hesitated for a brief moment before continuing.
"It's an S-rank skill that heals anyone the rain touches. But the rank is too high for my body right now, so I... I don't think it's something I can use carelessly. My body still feels drained."
My fingers tightened slightly as I spoke.
"I barely managed to use it once. If I try again without preparing properly, I might not be able to handle it."
"An S-rank skill...?" Chiyeon murmured, her brows knitting slightly.
"It's not unheard of," Jiyeon said calmly. "Low-ranked hunters sometimes awaken with high-rank skills. I've seen a few cases where C-rankers possessed S-rank abilities, but most of them were impractical or too taxing to use."
Her eyes flickered toward me briefly.
"I-I don't know either," I said quickly, forcing a small laugh. "I guess I just got lucky?"
Lucky.
Yeah, right. It's all that stupid system's fault!
I glanced at Jiyeon, feeling a bit uneasy under her gaze.
What are they even trying to figure out...?
If they realize I can actually grow stronger, that I'm not stuck at this level, things are going to get complicated fast.
"Well, it's fine," Jiyeon said after a moment, leaning back slightly. "You already said you don't want attention, so we'll drop it for now."
I let out a quiet breath of relief.
"But..."
My shoulders stiffened again.
"Hm?"
"The media's already digging into the incident," she continued. "They're trying to figure out who was behind that skill. The government won't ignore something like that either. They'll search thoroughly until they find an answer."
"Don't worry. They won't be able to recognize her."
Jinhyuk, who had been standing silently the whole time, finally spoke.
Everyone turned toward him.
"She looked different anyway," he added calmly. "They won't suspect her."
"What do you mean?" Minwoo asked, frowning slightly.
Jinhyuk didn't elaborate.
"Exactly what I said." His gaze shifted briefly toward me before he looked away. "So stop overthinking it."
There was a quiet pause.
Then he spoke again, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Let the patient rest. Her mana is completely drained."
For once, no one protested.
Jiyeon sighed softly and stood up. "He's right. We can talk about this later."
Hyein gave me one last worried look before following after her, while Chiyeon simply nodded and turned to leave.
Minwoo lingered for a second longer, glancing between me and Jinhyuk with a curious expression, but eventually shrugged and walked out as well.
The room eventually fell quiet. Only then did I let out a small breath, sinking slightly into the bed.
Different...?
What exactly did he mean by that?