3:37 AM.
That was the time Seong-jun returned home after clearing the dungeon.
“Ha! I really thought I was going to die. It felt like my whole body was being torn apart.”
When he had first consumed the essence, Seong-jun had to endure an extreme level of pain unlike anything he had ever felt before.
It was a natural phenomenon occurring as Ermia’s essence settled into Seong-jun’s body, but for Seong-jun himself, it was truly horrific agony.
Fortunately, Ermia’s essence had settled successfully.
Furthermore, a change had occurred within Seong-jun.
Name: Kim Seong-jun
Class: [D-Grade] Battle Priest [1/10]
Title: [Successor of Ermia Jayrin]
Strength: 95 / Agility: 101 / Stamina: 135
Divine Power: 1,500+[3,000] / Health: 1,350
Skills
Passive: Holy Heart [1/10]
Active: Dark Attribute Imbuement [1/10], Holy Arrow [1/10], Divine Healing [1/10], Light of Healing [1/10], Holy Weapon Enchant [1/10], Holy Armor Enchant [1/10], Walker on the Wind [1/10], Body of Steel [1/10], Elemental Blessing [1/10], Strength of Steel [1/10], Stamina of Steel [1/10]
Seong-jun, who had been an F-grade buffer, rose to D-grade the moment he absorbed Ermia’s essence, and crucially, his class shifted from buffer to healer.
Additionally, perhaps due to the essence, his original buff skills had also undergone changes.
Wind Walk became Walker on the Wind, Blessing of Defense became Body of Steel, Blessing of Resistance became Elemental Blessing, Blessing of Strength became Strength of Steel, and Blessing of Stamina became Stamina of Steel.
The effectiveness of the buffs had also increased significantly.
“A healer, of all things. And a D-grade healer at that. Ha! This is what it means to turn your life around.”
Healers, along with tankers, were referred to as nobles.
While they were an essential class responsible for the lives of party members, their numbers were so small that even an F-grade healer would be sought after by everyone.
Furthermore, Divine Healing, a single-target heal skill, and Light of Healing, a continuous heal skill, were far too efficient to be called mere D-grade skills.
In short, Seong-jun’s life had flipped 180 degrees, from a bottom-dwelling commoner to the highest level of nobility.
“Besides, unlike other people, my grade rises as my level goes up, right? And the end of that road is a guaranteed EX-grade. Hehehe, this is seriously amazing.”
For most awakened individuals, their grade is determined the moment they awaken, and that grade never changes.
Of course, there were cases where a grade increased through re-awakening, but those were extremely rare; for most, the grade they first received stayed with them until the end.
At most, they could only improve their abilities by raising their level.
However, for Seong-jun, as his level rose, his grade rose as well.
And when a grade increased, it resulted in a massive surge in ability that couldn’t even be compared to a simple level-up.
Truly, Seong-jun was the only person in the world who could increase his grade through leveling.
“Now that it’s come to this, do I even need to cling to the Taeseong Guild party anymore? With this much ability, it feels like entering a dungeon with just Yu-seon and Gwang-taek would be enough.”
Despite being a healer, he possessed a healer-specific attack skill called Holy Arrow.
Combined with his newly acquired buffs and his significantly stronger existing ones, it seemed like a three-person party consisting of Yu-seon, Gwang-taek, and Seong-jun could easily conquer an F-grade dungeon.
Provided, of course, that they took it slow and didn’t overextend themselves.
And if that were possible, there was no longer a need to linger in his current party.
“No. Even if I leave, I have to give that bastard Kang Jae-jun a proper taste of his own medicine before I go.”
There was no longer a need to stay in the current party while receiving a measly pittance, but he intended to at least screw Kang Jae-jun over properly on his way out.
“Regardless, I have to go out for the morning raid, so I should get some sleep.”
Unless it was an unavoidable situation, Seong-jun was the type to always keep his promises.
Therefore, even if he were to leave the party immediately, he intended to follow through with the already scheduled plans.
***
8:30 AM.
Seong-jun arrived in front of the Goblin Logistics Base, an F-grade dungeon and their designated meeting spot.
About ten minutes after Seong-jun arrived, Yu-seon and Gwang-taek arrived one after the other.
“Seong-jun! You’re first again today, as expected.”
“Seriously. I thought I came out early, but I’m still last. Haha.”
Out of the party members, only the fixed mercenaries—Seong-jun, Yu-seon, and Gwang-taek—had arrived.
The rest would likely arrive right around 9:00 AM.
To even keep their spots as fixed mercenaries, they had to arrive and wait before the main party members, so arriving 20 to 30 minutes early had become a way of life for them.
“Did you have a good time with your mother yesterday?”
At Seong-jun’s question, Yu-seon spoke with a smile.
“Yeah. Thanks to you, we had a great time. My mom told me to say thank you. She also said you have to come over sometime so she can treat you to a meal.”
“Haha, I know your mother’s cooking skills all too well. I’m already looking forward to it. Tell her I’ll definitely set a date and visit. Oh! And Yu-seon, Gwang-taek. Are you two looking for other fixed mercenary positions?”
At Seong-jun’s question, Gwang-taek let out a sigh.
“Haa, I’m looking, but no spots are opening up. Daily gigs pop up once in a while, but fixed positions just aren’t appearing.”
“Same for me. I’ve been looking continuously, but no fixed spots.”
In a way, it was only natural.
F-grade damage dealers were dime a dozen, so those who managed to snag a fixed spot held onto it by any means necessary.
Even if they faced unfair treatment, they would accept it with a smile to protect their position.
Because of this situation, while daily sub-ins were one thing, finding a fixed position was like plucking a star from the sky.
“Then stop looking for fixed positions for a while. You too, Yu-seon.”
When he told them to stop looking, Yu-seon and Gwang-taek asked with puzzled expressions.
“Huh? What do you mean? Did you find us a spot somewhere?”
“Exactly. Did you really find a fixed position somewhere like Yu-seon said?”
As they asked with high expectations, Seong-jun shook his head.
“It’s not that, but it feels like a way will open up even if we don’t look for fixed spots. And I’m going to quit this party soon anyway.”
When he said he was quitting the party, everyone looked at Seong-jun with shocked faces.
“Huh? You’re quitting the party?”
“Does that mean you want us to quit with you when you leave? And you have a separate plan for after we quit?”
Seong-jun smiled at Gwang-taek’s question.
“Yes. There are still a few things I need to check, but unless there’s a major variable, I expect things to go as planned. However, I’m planning to hold out here until the Taeseong Guild’s internal evaluation.”
When he said he would endure and stay in the party until the Taeseong Guild’s internal evaluation, Gwang-taek looked at Seong-jun with wide eyes.
“Internal evaluation? Are you… are you planning to screw over Kang Jae-jun during the evaluation interview?”
“Hehehe, wouldn’t it be unfair just to leave quietly? During the last evaluation, they interviewed us mercenaries about the guild members, so there’s a high probability they’ll do it again this time. Even if it doesn’t get Kang Jae-jun kicked out of the guild, the way people view him within the guild will surely turn sour.”
Even if what Kang Jae-jun did to the mercenaries was revealed, it probably wouldn’t be enough to get him fired.
However, at the very least, the number of people looking at him with distaste within the guild would increase.
He wanted to backstab him even harder if he could, but the revenge an ordinary F-grade mercenary could enact was limited to about that much.
“But will they believe us? Sure, we have the records of the bank transfers, but that alone might be insufficient as evidence.”
They had the transfer records where Kang Jae-jun gave them their pay after deducting 50,000 won, so they could submit that as evidence, but it was difficult to prove what Kang Jae-jun had done with just a transfer history.
To put it bluntly, if he wanted to make up a lie and create a justification, he could do so indefinitely, and it was certain the guild would side with their own member,
Kang Jae-jun, rather than the words of mere mercenaries.
In response, Seong-jun pulled something from his pocket with a confident smile.
“That’s why I prepared something else.”
“Huh? Is that a pen recorder? Don’t tell me everything is recorded on that?”
“Of course. Everything from him trying to cut our daily pay to all the power trips he’s pulled is recorded. If we submit this along with the transfer records, he’ll receive the lowest possible score for his personality evaluation. Of course, if that happens, it’ll be difficult for us to work in this party anymore. No, it might even become difficult to join any Taeseong Guild party as mercenaries in the future.”
Regardless of the truth, simply for backstabbing a party that accepted them as fixed mercenaries, it would be hard to enter any other Taeseong Guild party.
Well, even if that happened, it wouldn’t be a particular threat to Seong-jun, who had inherited Ermia’s abilities.
“It’s not like the Taeseong Guild is the only place with parties, so I don’t care. Besides, you said you already have a plan, right? I was planning to quit soon anyway because he’s so dirty and petty, so let’s give him a proper taste of his own medicine before we go.”
“I agree with them. I didn’t plan on staying long anyway, so let’s give that trash Kang Jae-jun a real blow before we leave.”
When Yu-seon agreed following Gwang-taek, Seong-jun spoke with a smile.
“Then I’ll take that as a yes. Until the internal evaluation interview, please act subservient toward Kang Jae-jun. Especially you, Yu-seon, even if it’s disgusting and offensive, please endure it.”
There was nothing to worry about with Gwang-taek, but Yu-seon had a personality where her emotions showed plainly on her face, so he gave her a special warning.
At least until they backstabbed him and left the party, Kang Jae-jun needed to feel secure.
“I got it. The internal evaluation is next Wednesday anyway, so the interview will happen before then. Tomorrow and the day after are the weekend so there’s no hunting, so I only have to endure a couple of times at most. You think I can’t even handle that?”
Generally, hunting occurred five days a week, excluding Saturday and Sunday.
Today was Friday, and since the Taeseong Guild evaluation was on Wednesday, the interview would take place as early as Monday or as late as Tuesday.
They only had to endure two or three more times before saying goodbye to this party.
Seong-jun flashed a smile toward Yu-seon as she answered confidently.
“Right. Then let’s do our best today too.”
Watching Seong-jun cheer them on, Yu-seon and Gwang-taek showed bright smiles.
***
The F-grade dungeon, Goblin Logistics Base, which they had been consistently raiding for the past week.
The party, having entered the Goblin Logistics Base today without fail, was doing their final preparations before the full-scale battle.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Is there really anything to prepare for when we’re just hunting goblins? We just go in and slice them up.”
“Hey, still, you never know when or where an unexpected situation might occur, so let’s not lose our tension. I’ve seen several parties fail by underestimating F-grade dungeons.”
Even though this was an F-grade dungeon and the party consisted of five E-grade members excluding the fixed mercenaries, a dungeon was a place where one could face the risk of annihilation if things went wrong.
Since it was a dungeon where life and death hung in the balance, it meant they should never let their guard down regardless of the grade.
“I’m just saying. Have you ever seen me slack off? Anyway, let’s go. Tomorrow is the weekend so we’ll be resting for two days, so let’s push ourselves a bit hard today.”
“Let’s do that. Buffer. Cast your buffs.”
When the party leader ordered him to buff, Seong-jun quickly cast the spells.
“Yes!”
‘Walker on the Wind, Body of Steel, Strength of Steel, Stamina of Steel, Elemental Blessing.’
Seong-jun cast the evolved buffs onto the party members one by one.
Of course, excluding the newly acquired ones.
Anyway, as he cast the buffs.
“Whoa! Wh-what! Why did my stats go up so much?”
“Huh? You too? The buffs themselves are completely different from yesterday.”
The party leader also had a surprised expression after receiving Seong-jun’s buffs.
“Hmm? What is this? Hey, buffer. The buff power itself is different from yesterday. What happened?”
At his question, Seong-jun spoke with a smile.
“At the end of yesterday’s hunt, my class level and skill levels rose almost simultaneously.”
Although there are limits based on grade, it was a basic truth that one grew stronger within that grade as their level rose.
On top of that, hadn’t he said that not only his class level but also his skill levels had increased?
Even so, this insane efficiency didn’t make sense.
“Even if your class and skill levels rose at the same time, this efficiency makes no sense. This is almost comparable to a C-grade buffer. No. Just looking at the increase, it’s actually superior to a C-grade buffer.”
No matter how much a level rises, the limits of a grade cannot be surpassed.
Yet, an F-grade buffer’s spells were showing an increase high enough to surpass a C-grade buffer’s buffs just because his level rose?
“Haha, is that so?”
“What did you say your name was?”
From the beginning, these people hadn’t cared much about mere mercenaries.
Since they were like disposable items that could be discarded at any time, there had been no reason to care.
But now, their leader was asking for Seong-jun’s name.
“It’s Kim Seong-jun.”
“Kim Seong-jun? I’ll remember that. Depending on the situation, I might even recommend you to the guild, so do your best.”
He wanted to recommend him to the guild right away, but recommending an F-grade was no easy task unless they were a tanker, healer, or possessed similar exceptional qualities.
Therefore, he intended to watch Seong-jun a bit longer.
“Whoa! R-really? Thank you! I will work hard!”
As if he were honored, Seong-jun hurriedly bowed his head, but internally, he was scoffing.
‘Recommendation, my foot. Do you think I, whose EX-grade is guaranteed, would enter a place like Taeseong that doesn’t even make it into the top 10 domestically? Since I won’t have to see you after a few days anyway, go ahead and keep counting your chickens.’
He didn’t know exactly when it would be, but in the end, Seong-jun was certain to reach EX-grade.
And as a healer, who was called a noble along with tankers.
Would Taeseong, which wasn’t even in the world’s top 10 or even the domestic top 10, even catch Seong-jun’s eye?
“Anyway, hunting will be much easier today thanks to the buffs. Alright! Let’s use this momentum and hunt hard! Let’s go!”
The party set out to hunt goblins with high spirits, and Gwang-taek and Yu-seon, along with Seong-jun, quickly followed behind them.
***
The goblin hunt, which began around 9:30 AM, finally ended a little after 7:00 PM.
Normally, the hunt would have ended before 6:00 PM, but because the hunt had become much easier thanks to Seong-jun’s buffs, their tension had risen, and they had hunted longer than usual.
As a result of hunting for nearly 10 hours, they were able to hunt far more goblins than usual.
“Wow! Today was a total jackpot. At this rate, the net profit after taxes will easily exceed 15 million won.”
“Seriously. But to be blunt, the buffs were responsible for half of this hunt. Until now, I really looked down on buffers, but my mind has completely changed after today.”
Strictly speaking, it was like a D-grade buffer entering an F-grade dungeon, so its efficiency went without saying.
If they had entered an E-grade or D-grade dungeon, they probably wouldn’t have seen such dramatic results.
As the party members rejoiced over making much more profit than usual, the party leader called for Jae-jun.
“Jae-jun.”
Then Kang Jae-jun answered hurriedly.
“Yes!”
“Settle with the mercenaries as usual, and give that buffer, Kim Seong-jun, something extra. His daily pay was 300,000 won, right? Double it and wire him exactly 600,000 won.”
The party leader told him to pay Seong-jun double the contracted daily rate.
“Huh? Do we really need to… Ah, I understand. I’ll do that.”
Kang Jae-jun, who was about to ask if that was really necessary, hurriedly agreed.
The leader he knew did not like it when people talked back to him.