The 5 vs 5 team battle, called the highlight of the IHL. The final victory condition was to destroy the opponent’s core, and healers didn’t have much to do in earnest before the so-called “all-in teamfight” unfolded.

“Their base seems to be in the volcanic crater as expected, right?”

“Well, we’ll need to scout more to be sure.”

The healers gathered in the space in front of the room where the core was hidden, inside the defense facility located on the mountainside, looking at a translucent hologram map. It was information shared from allied search-type hunters.

“What do you think, Seo-ha? I heard your situation assessment was amazing during the combat test…”

“Right, that’s true! They say you predicted all the crisis situations alone?”

Expectant gazes poured in all at once.

“It was just basic stuff.”

“Come on, I heard from your classmates that you were really incredible!”

“I was just lucky.”

“You’re so modest.”

As he evaded the answer with a faint smile, a C-rank healer wearing robe-type defensive equipment showed curiosity in another direction.

“The coat, shirt, pants, and shoes you’re wearing now, they’re all S-grade items, right?”

While scanning the clothing-type equipment he was wearing with envious eyes.

“Yes.”

“How much do those cost roughly? They must be really expensive, right?”

Basically, medical staff conversations are not broadcast externally unless related to strategy. Knowing this, they can have such leisurely chatter during the match.

“Hmm, I’m not sure of the exact price. They were provided by my guild.”

All combatants could only purchase or upgrade equipment and consumables registered on the designated list for each position using league points obtained through monster hunting in the artificial dungeon. This was to minimize the impact of personal and organizational economic power on game performance.

Only the healers of each team could exceptionally enter with their own equipment. It was a measure prioritizing safety.

“As a rental? As a gift?”

“…For now, I received them as gifts in the name of a contract deposit.”

It was just a pretext Choi Gang-hu had belatedly attached to give him things he had bought after IHL participation was confirmed. Unlike the contract deposit that was paid immediately after the oath, I only received these yesterday.

“Wow! All of that? S-grade armor would easily exceed the price of a decent building, to think that much… Oh, I’m so envious.”

“I’m always grateful.”

The healer’s exaggerated voice was slightly burdensome. Though no malice was felt, the chosen topic itself was like that. It was already weighing on my mind that I was always just receiving.

“Of course, you can receive such treatment because it’s you, Seo-ha, but Guild Master Choi Gang-hu seems really generous too. Not all rich people are that open-handed, right?”

“Yes. He’s a special and wonderful person.”

“I heard rumors that he even issued a black card in his name?”

Another healer wearing armor-type defensive gear suddenly chimed in. It seems rumors about the credit card my older sister received had spread by word of mouth.

“Gasp, that card that only the top 0.001% super-rich can get invitations for? They say the Promhell Guild Master’s wealth is endless…”

“But how is that possible for someone who was missing for 10 years? Logically, he can’t be richer than Guild Master Gangseong, right?”

“There were rumors going around that it doesn’t seem to be inherited wealth. If it’s personal assets, it’s even more questionable. What on earth…”

“Come on, let’s focus on the game for now. We don’t know when we’ll clash with the other side even during hunting.”

The healers who had been chattering away like people discussing the latest hot celebrity gossip at a cafe stopped their chatter with embarrassed expressions at the temporary team leader’s restraint.

Their gazes shifted back to the hologram map. Dots representing allies could be seen moving along routes they had practiced in advance. It was according to the general strategy focusing on initial scouting and monster hunting.

“Oh right, the day you went out separately with Kwon Se-jeong…”

Just as a new topic was about to come up after a brief silence, Ryu Seo-ha’s foot took a very quick evasive step. Reacting instantly to an attack from behind that he hadn’t even detected.

Crash─!

Something swept past his feet as the wooden plank floor was overturned in a mess. So fast it couldn’t be seen. Only after regaining his balance from the recoil could Ryu Seo-ha realize. The fact that a man clutching a shovel handle had burst out of the ground covered in dirt.

He had features that could be called a “soy sauce face,” which Japanese people themselves describe as most “Japanese-like.” Surprise and bewilderment spread across his face with typical Japanese actor-like features.

“I can’t believe it. A healer noticing my attack.”

It was Ogawa Taiki, an elemental-type hunter handling the earth attribute. Ryu Seo-ha was just as perplexed as his opponent, unable to even guess why his feet had moved on their own, let alone notice the attack, but

“Whoa!”

Regardless of such emotions, his body reacted again to a second attack that rose from below the hole in the floor. An arm made of earth slammed down where Ryu Seo-ha had just been.

“What?”

He leaped high into the air, kicking off a pillar to evade the earth hand that immediately followed. He could feel the soles of his feet getting warm. It was a trace left by the rapid flow of mana.

It seemed there was some secret hidden in the walker-type defensive item Choi Gang-hu had gifted him. It was burdensome to control his upper body from swaying wildly as it followed the movement that automatically made him take evasive steps.

‘Did he dig a tunnel?’

He changed his train of thought while flexibly bending his waist backward to avoid flying fragments of broken wooden planks. Responding to the situation before him was more urgent than figuring out the reason for the evasive maneuvers.

To handle the problem appropriately, it was necessary to first grasp the Japanese team’s strategy that created this situation. The fortunate point was that no enemy combatants other than the earth attribute-handling hunter were visible.

Of course, even that one opponent was difficult for the medical staff to handle. Healers couldn’t bring in offensive items, so they were bare-handed, and applying debuffs to an S-rank hunter would consume an enormous amount of mana.

“Argh!”

An earth spike that jutted out from the floor instantly pierced through the armor-type defensive gear of the healer next to him. Red numbers floating above their head, the temporarily assigned HP, could be seen rapidly decreasing as they took damage.

Instinctive fear clouded the healer’s expression. If the inner defensive equipment worn under the armor as recommended was also exposed to the risk of destruction, they would be immediately disqualified and bounced back to the entrance, but…

The characteristic ‘Sanctification’ is activated.

Ryu Seo-ha deployed [Sanctification] first as he lightly landed on top of a decorative statue.

The buff ‘Basic Barrier’ is applied to the designated targets (C-rank Awakened and 3 others).

He applied buffs to the healers who had scattered in all directions following the manual even in their surprise at the sudden attack, reducing the risk of all being swept up in an area-of-effect skill. So that they wouldn’t be immediately disqualified even if they took another attack or two.

Then he observed Taiki’s complexion as he created a large mud golem by clumping together mud. Though he pretended to be relaxed, given the circumstances, he likely didn’t have much mana left.

‘The consumables he used up in the beginning… probably one-time stat potions or stealth items.’

A basic barrier was installed in the base facility. Moreover, they had even done repair work with one-time enhancement items in the beginning. Yet he neutralized the barrier and carried out an attack? And stealthily at that?

Presumably, he had dug down stupidly deep underground where the hemispherical basic barrier couldn’t reach, crossing the boundary. While the other hunters kept the attention of our combatants outside.

‘Remaining mana is probably around 10%.’

It was a fresh and ingenious strategy that exploited a weakness in the artificial dungeon’s defense system. But the power consumed would be that much greater. After brief consideration, he expanded the range of his characteristic to bring the mud golem into the barrier.

The debuff ‘Structural Destruction’ is applied to the designated target (1 B-rank Mud Golem).

With the sensation of mana draining out in one breath, the large golem before his eyes crumbled.

“This can’t be! Impossible!”

Ogawa Taiki let out an exclamation resembling a scream at the sight of the mud doll he had poured his heart and soul into collapsing.

‘I think I can use this one more time?’

Was it because the mud golem’s body structure was very simple and its rank was relatively low? Or thanks to steadily increasing his mana stat through constant skinship with Choi Gang-hu? It was much more manageable than expected.

Though he felt a bit dizzy from the sudden mana drain, it seemed he wouldn’t have to worry about fainting from mana depletion like before even if he cast the debuff again.

“I can’t accept this!”

The pile of mud on the floor began to clump together again. Taiki’s appearance, glaring this way with blazing eyes, seemed to have half lost rational judgment.

He’d be much harder to block if he used a different skill, like firing seismic waves. Of course, that’s probably also because he doesn’t have enough mana left for an area-of-effect skill.

“Your doll looks cute. You should have made it a maneki-neko while you’re at it.”

He smiled slightly and provoked him without meaning it. In case Ogawa Taiki might still change his target and directly aim for the door where the core was hidden.

“Go! Doningyo! Show your power!”

Stimulated by this, Taiki shouted a cry that made listeners even more embarrassed.

Boom!

The mud golem that charged straight ahead following the order slammed its body into the boundary of [Sanctification]. He could feel the amount of mana needed to maintain the barrier increasing in real-time as impacts continued to be applied.

‘…This is doable?’

Yet he felt it was rather effortless. Unless facing an S-rank hunter head-on, just holding out until allied combatants returned to the base seemed entirely possible.