Public interest in Seong-jun grew more heated by the day, eventually leading to televised debates about his recent actions.
“Hello. I’m Kwak Cheong-do from *Weekly Hunter*, the show that covers the week’s biggest issues. Today, we’ll be discussing Healer Kim Seong-jun, who has been the center of attention lately. Joining us for this discussion are Healer Choe Seon-il, a B-rank healer from Changcheon, and Healer Guk Chan-jung, a B-rank healer from Genesis. Welcome, gentlemen.”
“Yes, it’s a pleasure to be here. I’m Choe Seon-il of Changcheon.”
“Hello. I’m Guk Chan-jung of Genesis.”
Choe Seon-il was someone who had participated in the A-rank dungeon raid alongside Seong-jun, so he knew a fair amount about him, even if he didn’t know every detail.
Guk Chan-jung was invited because Genesis was one of the two top guilds in the country, constantly competing for the number one spot with Changcheon.
“The entire nation is currently buzzing with news about Healer Kim Seong-jun. In particular, it’s been revealed that he visits a certain hospital once a week to cast Cure for free, giving a new lease on life to many who were on the verge of death. Some people are even calling him a Saint. What are your thoughts on this?”
In response to the host’s question, Choe Seon-il was the first to speak.
“Actually, I was waiting for that question. It’s true that only high-ranking healers can cast a Cure with disease-alleviating effects. However, the problem is that typical heals don’t have anywhere near the level of effectiveness that Healer Kim Seong-jun’s Cure does. People are criticizing other high-ranking healers, asking why we don’t do the same, but the truth is that we can’t, not that we won’t.”
Guk Chan-jung of Genesis nodded in agreement with Choe Seon-il’s words.
“I agree with Healer Choe. The disease-alleviating effect of a standard Cure is extremely minimal. It can mitigate simple ailments, but it doesn’t affect serious illnesses. Healer Kim Seong-jun’s Cure is special. It’s unreasonable to apply that special standard to other ordinary healers and criticize them for not meeting it. The degree of relief provided by the Cure we cast is something that can already be treated sufficiently at a hospital. If a disease is so severe that a hospital can’t handle it, we can’t handle it either.”
As Guk Chan-jung finished his explanation, the host asked with a puzzled expression.
“Pardon? You’re saying the disease-alleviating effect of Cure isn’t enough to affect serious illnesses? But Healer Kim Seong-jun has actually cast Cure on terminal cancer patients and mitigated their condition to the point where surgery was possible. Are you saying this is all because his Cure is unique?”
Guk Chan-jung spoke again.
“Exactly. Of course, an S-rank healer’s Cure might have some impact, but even then, it wouldn’t be enough to recover a patient on the brink of death to a state where they are salvageable. If that were possible, no one in the world would die of disease.”
Guk Chan-jung asserted that a typical Cure couldn’t do what Seong-jun’s did. This was true even for an S-rank healer.
“I think so too,” Choe Seon-il added.
“There are occasionally high-ranking healers who use Cure on sick people, but most of them don’t see any significant results. It only goes as far as relieving things like the common cold or allergies; it has no effect on most serious conditions.”
As Guk Chan-jung and Choe Seon-il shared their opinions, the host’s eyes sparkled as he asked another question.
“Some say that if high-ranking healers took just a little bit of time out of their schedules to cast Cure like Healer Kim Seong-jun, far more lives would be saved. Are you saying that’s incorrect?”
Choe Seon-il and Guk Chan-jung nodded simultaneously.
“That’s right. The primary function of Cure is to dispel status ailments; alleviating disease is merely a secondary ability. As such, all that’s possible with the disease-alleviating side of Cure is making patients with minor symptoms a bit more comfortable. One shouldn’t expect us to be able to treat serious patients like Healer Kim Seong-jun does.”
“We wish we could recover serious patients with our Cure. Not only would the guild’s reputation improve, but our personal reputations would also soar. The reason we don’t do it isn’t out of laziness or a lack of desire, but simply because it’s impossible. We’d love to be called Saints like Healer Kim Seong-jun. If it were possible, there would have been healers doing exactly that long before he even appeared.”
Choe Seon-il and Guk Chan-jung emphasized that Seong-jun’s Cure was fundamentally different from that of other healers.
Healers weren’t all just money-obsessed monsters; if it were possible, someone would have done it by now.
The fact that it hadn’t happened meant it was a matter of capability, not willingness.
The effectiveness of a standard Cure’s disease alleviation was vastly inferior to Seong-jun’s version.
Therefore, the argument that more lives would be saved if high-ranking healers simply spared some time was invalid from the start.
“Wow! I see. Most people believe that the disease-alleviating effect of Cure works on all illnesses, regardless of whether they’re minor or severe, but that’s actually misinformation.”
“It’s not exactly misinformation. As I mentioned before, an S-rank healer might have some influence on serious cases. However, even then, it wouldn’t be to the same extent as Healer Kim Seong-jun. And healers below that rank naturally won’t have any effect on serious conditions at all.”
“Understood. Moving on to the next topic — during the recent B-rank Dungeon Break, a decisive scene was captured by a drone that led people to call Healer Kim Seong-jun a Saint. It was when he treated Hunters whose limbs had been torn off by the Crimson Tiger. Is that even possible?”
As expected, that incident was eventually brought up.
“Hmm, I actually saw that footage, and it was quite shocking to me as well. They weren’t just simple lacerations or deep wounds; he literally regenerated severed limbs. No, strictly speaking, it should be called reconstruction rather than regeneration. It’s on the level of creating something from nothing. As far as I know, there isn’t a healer anywhere in the world with such an ability.”
“Regenerating severed body parts? No matter how many common-sense rules have been broken since the appearance of Dungeons and Hunters, new standards eventually took their place. Healer Kim Seong-jun’s ability is a miracle that destroys even those new standards.”
The Divine Miracle that Seong-jun had cast had shocked not only Choe Seon-il and Guk Chan-jung but countless other healers as well.
Even in a world where old common sense had crumbled and been replaced by the supernatural, the skill known as Divine Miracle was so groundbreaking that it was hard to accept.
No, it was more than groundbreaking; it was a miracle.
“A while ago, Healer Kim Seong-jun told the guardians of patients camping in front of his house that he would treat them through a specific hospital. He stated the reason was that it might violate medical laws. Is this true? Are healers also restricted by medical laws?”
“A healer’s healing ability is essentially a supernatural power that falls outside the general category of medicine. Therefore, it shouldn’t have anything to do with medical laws. However, since I’m not an expert, I don’t know the specifics of that part. But his statement makes sense in another way. A healer’s power isn’t omnipotent, and since we don’t know what side effects there might be, casting skills in a hospital where professional medical staff are present is a way to respond quickly to any potential emergencies.”
In reality, while Seong-jun had mentioned medical laws, a healer’s skill was a special ability that couldn’t be easily regulated by such laws.
However, the panelists believed it was a wise decision, as professional medical staff could handle any unforeseen circumstances that a healing skill might not be able to address.
“That sounds logical. Now, moving on, we must talk about Changcheon’s recent solo raid of an A-rank Dungeon. Healer Choe Seon-il, you participated in that raid as well, didn’t you?”
“Haha, yes. I was there, of course…”
The topic naturally shifted to the A-rank Dungeon raid.
Choe Seon-il, who had been part of the team, shared his experiences, and the heated discussion continued.
Eventually, the program reached its conclusion.
“Today, we talked about Healer Kim Seong-jun, who is making waves both domestically and abroad. Thank you both for your time. Would you like to say one final word?”
When asked for a final comment, Guk Chan-jung of Genesis spoke first.
“I’d like to say something to Healer Kim Seong-jun. Healer Kim, we at Genesis are also preparing for an A-rank Dungeon raid, just like Changcheon. We will offer you much better conditions than they did, so please, lend your strength to our A-rank raid.”
Genesis was currently in a state of crisis after Changcheon successfully completed a solo A-rank raid.
At the moment, Changcheon was the only guild in the country to have achieved such a feat, and if things continued this way, Genesis would have to surrender its position as the top guild in South Korea.
Therefore, Genesis had to succeed in its own solo A-rank raid at all costs, and Seong-jun’s help was essential for that.
Even though they had offered better terms than Changcheon, he continued to refuse, so they were trying everything they could to change his mind.
***
Meanwhile, Seong-jun’s group visited Ahyeon-dong, Mapo-gu, to look at a property recommended by Choe Gyu-taek.
“It’s not a brand-new building, but it isn’t old either, so you shouldn’t have any problems using it. I heard all three of you are Hunters, but what exactly do you plan on using it for…?”
“It’s nothing special. We just plan to use it as a resting area, for physical training, and as a space for meetings or leisure. To do that, we would need to have all the current tenants move out. Would there be any problem with that?”
Since their main goal was to find a place to secretly open a Dungeon, it was better if there were no outsiders in the building.
Someone might find it strange if Seong-jun’s group was constantly heading down to the basement.
Therefore, he first asked if it was possible to clear out the existing tenants.
“Don’t worry about that. Most of it is vacant anyway, and the remaining people are staying on the condition that they’ll leave whenever I ask. If you decide to purchase this building, I’ll make sure everything is cleared out cleanly.”
When the owner promised to handle the current tenants, Seong-jun looked intrigued.
“Hmm, wait a moment. We’ll talk among ourselves for a bit.”
“Haha, of course.”
After asking Choe Gyu-taek and the owner for a moment of privacy, Seong-jun’s group stepped outside.
“What do you think? It doesn’t look bad to me,” Seong-jun asked first.
Gwang-taek replied immediately.
“I liked it too. The elevator only goes down to the first basement level, so it’s perfect for hiding the existence of the second basement level. Above all, the price is reasonable.”
“As long as we can definitely get the businesses currently operating to leave, I think this would be a good choice,” Yuseon added.
“The remodeling will take some time, but we’d have to do that no matter where we go. By the way, how should we handle the payment? Should the three of us split it?”
When Yuseon asked about splitting the cost, Seong-jun shook his head.
“No, I’ll just buy it myself. We’ll use this as our hideout for now, and later, when we’ve made more money and move to a better place, I’m thinking of letting my uncle use the whole thing.”
Seong-jun decided to purchase it with his own money.
Not only did he have overwhelmingly more money than the others, but he also planned to either give the building to his uncle or lease it to him for free when they eventually moved to a better location.
“Oh! Now that I think about it, the location isn’t bad for a fried chicken shop.”
“If you’re willing to pay for it, we’re not going to say no! You’re the richest among us anyway. Hahaha.”
It wasn’t like Seong-jun was the type of person to abuse his power as a landlord; the building was only going to be used by the three of them.
There was no reason to refuse if he wanted to pay for it all.
For Seong-jun, it was also easier to have it under his own name rather than going through the trouble of joint ownership.
“Then let’s decide on this place.”
Ultimately, Seong-jun made his choice right then and there without looking at other properties.
While there might be buildings with better conditions if they kept searching, that would take too much time.
For them, it was far more profitable to generate a Dungeon as soon as possible and keep it all to themselves.
“Ah! That’s right! By the way, did you see this?”
Yuseon asked, suddenly remembering something as she held up her phone.
“Huh? What is it?”
“It’s *Weekly Hunter*. The topic this time was you. They had healers from Changcheon and Genesis as guests. Some people are calling you a Saint!”
The video Yuseon was showing was from the *Weekly Hunter* episode that had just ended.
“A Saint? Me? Haha, that’s the first I’ve heard of it, but it doesn’t feel bad.”
“Look at this. At the very end, the Genesis panelist basically gave you an open invitation.”
She then showed the final scene where Healer Guk Chan-jung made his public appeal to Seong-jun.
“Hmm, Genesis must be getting desperate. They’ve already called me several times today.”
Even though he had already refused, Genesis was constantly reaching out.
They had no choice; since Changcheon had successfully cleared an A-rank Dungeon, they felt pressured to do the same, and Seong-jun’s help was crucial for that success.
“If we still had that Debuff Potion, I might have pretended to give in and accepted. Who knows what kind of Artifacts might come out of there?”
Gwang-taek shook his head at Yuseon’s remark.
“I doubt anything as good as what we got would come out this time. In Changcheon’s case, it was before the First Entry Benefit disappeared. The Dungeon Genesis wants to raid is a place where that benefit ended a long time ago. At best, they’d get an S-rank.”
To be fair, an S-rank was still an incredible grade for an Artifact.
Even if it wasn’t as good as an SS-rank, S-ranks were extremely rare.
However, having seen an SS-rank Artifact personally, they didn’t feel that an S-rank was all that impressive.
Regardless, they had no intention of jumping into an A-rank Dungeon raid right now.
“Since we don’t have the Debuff Potion anymore, I don’t think we should push ourselves. I know they’re in a hurry, but that’s their problem, not ours. There’s no reason to risk our lives just to help them out. No means no.”
If they still had a Debuff Potion, there might have been room for consideration, but given the current situation, it wasn’t even worth thinking about.
Both of them nodded in agreement with Seong-jun’s words.
“That’s true.”
“Genesis is a bit ridiculous. They’ve been sitting still all this time, and then as soon as Changcheon succeeds, they suddenly announce they’re resuming A-rank raids. If they’re going to do that, they should handle it themselves or form an alliance with other guilds. Why do they have to keep pestering you?”
“Enough. Anyway, let’s head back inside. The others must be waiting.”
Discussing Genesis any further was pointless.
Unless they luckily obtained another Debuff Potion, they wouldn’t be raiding an A-rank Dungeon anytime soon.
The group quickly headed back into the building.
***
Just as Seong-jun finalized the purchase of the building, Karl Buckman of Holy Emperor quietly entered South Korea.
However, he didn’t enter illegally; he followed official procedures, which meant his arrival was naturally reported to the Association.
“What? Karl Buckman, the Vice Guild Master of Holy Emperor, has arrived? Without any prior notice?”
“It seems he entered for personal reasons rather than an official Holy Emperor schedule. According to the report, he arrived alone without any other team members.”
If it were an official guild visit, it was a common courtesy to inform the host nation’s Association beforehand.
However, there was no obligation to report a visit for personal reasons, so his lack of prior notice wasn’t a problem.
“So? Have you figured out the purpose of his visit?”
In response to Association President Jung Tae-hoon’s question, Park Se-jin, the Director of the Awakener Management Bureau, replied with a hesitant expression.
“Not yet. However, I have one suspicion.”
“A suspicion?”
“Yes. Two years ago, during Holy Emperor’s A-rank Dungeon raid, Karl Buckman lost his left arm to a boss monster. He stayed out of the public eye for a while after that. He successfully completed his rehabilitation and resumed his activities, but he’s evaluated as being unable to show the full capability of an S-rank. What other reason would someone like him have for suddenly coming to Korea?”
Following Park Se-jin’s words, the Association President finally understood.
“Ah! I see! He came to see Healer Kim Seong-jun!”
“Most likely. The video of Healer Kim Seong-jun treating Hunters with torn-off limbs has spread across social media.”
There was no other reason for Karl Buckman to suddenly fly to Korea just as that video was going viral.
He had arrived with a sliver of hope that his own arm could be healed.
“But hasn’t it been two years since he lost his arm? Even for Healer Kim Seong-jun, would something that old be possible?”
It was certain that Seong-jun could reconstruct severed body parts.
The question was whether he could treat a limb that had been gone for so long.
“Only Healer Kim Seong-jun himself would know that.”
Since it was a completely new skill that had never appeared before, there was virtually no information available regarding its limits.
“Hmm… Has it been confirmed where Karl Buckman is heading now?”
Park Se-jin answered immediately.
“He’s heading here. Since he arrived in such a hurry, he hasn’t been able to gather detailed information on Healer Kim Seong-jun, so it seems he’s trying to make contact through the Association.”
Karl Buckman had flown to Korea the moment he saw the video.
He hadn’t had the time to gather detailed intel on Seong-jun.
While he could find out where he lived if he tried, it wasn’t a situation where just showing up unannounced would solve anything.
Thus, he intended to use the Association as a bridge.
“He’s heading here? That might actually be for the better. Director Park, please focus on hosting Karl Buckman. Make sure there isn’t a single oversight.”
“Yes, I understand. But what should we do about Healer Kim Seong-jun? If Karl Buckman really came to see him, wouldn’t it be better to contact the healer in advance and arrange a meeting?”
Although the exact purpose of Karl Buckman’s visit wasn’t confirmed, the circumstances made it highly likely he was there for Seong-jun.
Thus, the Director asked if they should arrange a meeting.
The Association President shook his head.
“No, as you know, the press conference is tomorrow. And tomorrow’s press conference is extremely important to us. That means nothing must be allowed to interfere with it, not even in the slightest. We don’t know what kind of impact a meeting with Karl Buckman might have on Healer Kim Seong-jun, so it’s better to schedule their meeting after the press conference is over.”
For the sake of tomorrow’s single press conference, the Association President had made many concessions to Seong-jun and prepared extensively.
It would be a huge disaster if a single person like Karl Buckman caused any complications.
Even if Karl Buckman was a key executive of Holy Emperor, one of the top ten guilds in the world, they couldn’t allow him to jeopardize the press conference.