Chapter 28: The prejudice that healers are weak is a no-no-no

Due to the guild leader’s absence, Manwol Guild’s elite members and the chief secretary, Ha Doyeon, had long been shouldering all operations.

‘I’m at my limit… I’m so tired I could die…’

Sleeping less than three hours a day, buried in work, Doyeon had developed chronic fatigue and sleep disorders. Her overloaded mind couldn’t find deep sleep, leaving her even more exhausted the next day.

This moment was no different.

Crushed by overwhelming fatigue, Doyeon quietly sipped the Harnella tea.

She closed her eyes.

‘It’s nice. Like all my fatigue is melting away…’

Savoring the warmth sliding down her throat, she opened her eyes.

The sensation wasn’t an illusion.

“…Huh?”

The heavy pain pressing the back of her head vanished instantly. Her foggy mind cleared, sharp and organized. Her stiff shoulders and back felt unbelievably light and refreshed.

For a single sip of tea to cause such a drastic change… it was absurd.

“Healer-nim, what is this…?”

The question slipped out, and the small girl before her raised the corners of her mouth in a playful smile.

“It’s not your average tea—it’s got a fatigue recovery effect. Did you feel it?”

At those words, Doyeon downed the rest of the tea without hesitation.

Warmth spread through her body,
and just like that, her crushing fatigue vanished completely.

The effect was faster and more certain than any supplement or energy drink.

‘Not only did she cultivate Lumina flowers single-handedly…’

To create a fatigue recovery item with this kind of potency…

The small girl before her suddenly felt extraordinary.

“The effect… it’s unreal. If you sell this at the café…”

Doyeon paused, imagining the aftermath.

Manwol’s elites, the chief secretary,
overworked guild masters,
alchemists buried in research,
even non-awakeners grinding for civil service exams…

If everyone drained by fatigue learned of this tea…

“It’ll be a massive hit. I guarantee it.”

—

At the Awakener Agency, the female staff had a lunchtime routine of strolling around the workplace.

Today, while walking after lunch, they crossed paths with a group of awakeners fresh from a gate, looking grim as they discussed their failed clear.

The staff shared the same thought.

Sigh… when will I awaken?

Clearing a gate could earn hundreds, thousands.
Then they could escape this tedious paperwork…

Whatever, let’s hit a café.

Wasting precious lunch time on such thoughts was a luxury.

Better to be content with a steady paycheck and sip an iced americano.

Chatting idly, the youngest staffer suddenly pointed at a sign, excited.

“Hold on, sunbaes! It says a café opened inside a gate!”

[Gate Café] [Now Open]
[New Menu: Fatigue Recovery Flower Tea]

‘Who opens a café inside a gate?’

Never imagining such a thing, they stared at the sign in disbelief.

Then, the most senior staffer clapped her hands.

“Wait. Isn’t that gate the infamous… trash gate?”

“Oh! I remember! Everyone was talking about who’d buy that thing…”

It was that gate—the one filled with pollutants and trash, auctioned off for 80 million won.

“Selling fatigue recovery tea?”

“How much could tea help? Iced americano’s the way to go.”

“True, but… sunbaes! We were heading to a café anyway, so why not check it out?”

Hesitating briefly, the staff stepped into the gate.

“Wonder how that dump transformed.”

“Maybe it’s got an apocalyptic Instagram vibe?”

“You’re crazy.”

Chuckling, they cautiously entered.

The moment they did, they gasped instinctively.

Before them stretched a breathtaking landscape, leaving them frozen, jaws dropped.

A clear, sparkling lake shimmered under sunlight,
surrounded by trees swaying gently, adorned with small, delicate flowers.

“This… is the trash gate…?”

It was a world apart from the city.

“Crazy, a photo here would be an instant masterpiece!”

“Eek! Perfect timing—I needed a new post!”

The staff called to each other, snapping photos.

They’d come to see the café, but the scenery had them entranced, clicking away.

Then, the youngest recalled the ‘café’ sign and spoke up.

“Sunbaes, didn’t it say there’s a café here?”

“Oh, right. That’s why we came.”

[Café This Way!]
Following a carefully placed sign,
they found a charming outdoor café nestled among fluttering petals and soft sunlight.

Pastel tables and wooden chairs were neatly arranged,
each table adorned with a small vase holding mystical wildflowers.

Their eyes naturally turned to the gate’s owner behind the counter.

“Who’s that? I thought it’d be a ranker, but doesn’t seem like one.”

“Yeah, never seen her before…”

Tied-back hair, a gray t-shirt, an apron.
The petite woman had a plain appearance.

But her plump cheeks and kind demeanor vaguely reminded them of someone.

‘She kinda looks like that cute healer…’

Spotting the staff at a table, the owner flashed a bright smile.

“Welcome! Ready to order?”

—

Three cups of the owner-recommended Harnella tea sat on the table.

“She pushed it so hard, I ordered it… but maybe I should’ve gotten an americano.”

“Right? We’ve got overtime tonight—how’s this gonna keep us going?”

“She smiled so sweetly, how could we say no…”

Diehard ‘iced americano’ fans—aka ‘ice-or-nothing’ crew—stared at the hot tea with hollow eyes.

“Let’s chug it and hit another café.”

Then, the youngest grabbed her cup and downed the scalding tea in one go.

“…Huh? …What?”

Tilting her head curiously, she started acting odd.

“Sunbaes, try it. Now.”

She leaned in, whispering urgently.

“What’s with the fuss?”

“Leave her be, she’s always like this.”

“No, seriously… trust me and try it. Something’s weird.”

Pushed by her insistence, the other two reluctantly sipped the tea.

“…”

“…What?”

They set down their cups and locked eyes.

Moments ago, their eyes were half-closed with exhaustion. Now, they sparkled with life.

Strange.

One sip, and the stress from dealing with rude awakeners melted away.

Their leaden bodies felt impossibly light.

Overtime? They felt like they could pull three all-nighters and still be fine.

They all thought the same thing:

‘I gotta tell my coworkers…!’

This café was too good to keep to themselves.

—

Maybe I didn’t promote enough,
or maybe that massive new gate was blocking the entrance.

Aside from the lunchtime staff, not a single customer came after.

‘Focus on the main job first.’

Running the café was great, but tending the Lumina flowerbed came first.

Bringing the Lumina spirit into the gate, I gently held its tiny hand and spoke.

“Like last time, can you sprinkle your blessing on the flowers?”

The spirit held up five fingers.

-Pii.

Sneaking glances, it seemed to think five bottles was a bit much.

I had no intention of exploiting it for free, so I was happy to give that much,
but I decided to play along.

“What?! Five bottles?! That’s too many… I’ll go bankrupt…!”

-Pii…?

Panicking, the spirit folded two fingers.

-Pii.

“Three’s still a lot… Can’t you cut it down more? I’m really gonna go broke…”

Muttering complaints, the spirit, looking ready to cry, folded another finger.

“Heh heh heh…”

So adorable.

I stopped teasing and handed over five bottles of purified water.

-Piii…!?

Beaming with satisfaction, the spirit flew over the flowerbed, singing an odd tune.

-Pippi-ru, pippu-pi~♪
-Pippu, pippu-pi~♬

“Amazing! How are you so pretty, cute, and talented?! The best spirit ever!”

-Piiiit! Ppu-pi! Pippi-ru-pi-ru-pi~♪♬♪

Egged on by praise, it twirled through the flowers.

Then—plop.
It collapsed on a petal, panting, and chugged a bottle.

Blessing must take a lot of energy.

“Good job.”

Patting its head gently, I picked shimmering flowers to make mana potions.

Thirteen bottles in total.
I drank one, but no message appeared.

My mana was too full to feel the effect.

‘There’s nothing left to purify here…’

Where could I burn through mana quickly?

Then, the new gate popped into my mind.

This gate was in a prime Seoul spot with heavy foot traffic,
but the new massive gate blocked it, making it less visible.

‘Maybe that’s why I’ve had so few customers.’

To burn mana and test the potion,
clearing that eyesore gate didn’t seem like a bad idea.

—

Before the massive gate, heavily armed awakeners discussed with grim faces.

“No clue, damn it. I’m out—figure it out yourselves. You can’t even clear without me, yet you yap so much.”

A disagreement, maybe.
One stormed off.

Seizing the chance, I approached.

“Um, any room for one more?”

They shot up, faces like they’d seen a ghost, and bowed.

“Y-Yes! There’s room! Plenty!”

“An honor to meet you, Healer-nim…!”

Their starry-eyed stares were a bonus.

“We’ll protect you with our lives, not a scratch on you!”

But—contrary to their words—their skills were abysmal.

Even with shields, they cowered.
With attack buffs, they used defensive skills.

Compared to Manwol’s aggressive members, they were overly cautious and defensive.

Well, it let me spam skills freely, so that was nice.

[Permanent Mana +20]

Smiling at my growing mana pool, I heard voices rise.

“Hyung, can’t you hold the front line properly?”

“You want me to trust you when you can’t even deal damage?”

“You need a solid front line for stable DPS…”

“What, you talking back? Wanna go?”

The party bickered mid-raid.

Rumble—

A heavy tremor echoed from deep below,
hinting at something ominous.

But the arguing party didn’t notice.

Rumble—
Rumble-rumble—

As the tremors continued—

BOOM—!

A deafening explosion split the ground, and something massive erupted.

A creature like a giant centipede made my heart sink.

‘What… is that…?’

Dozens of legs stabbed the ground like rebar, shaking and cratering it.

I glanced at the party, but they were frozen in panic, faces pale.

I tried Cleanse, but it had no effect—likely because the monster wasn’t afflicted with a status condition.

‘Get it together.’

In this moment, I had to stay sharp.

It was the only way to avoid a total party wipe.

Facing the writhing centipede, I thrust out my palm.

‘Good thing I drank that potion…’

When my mana rose by 10, I purified an entire tree.

Now, with double that, my skill should be stronger.

Focusing mana between my hands,
I took a shaky breath and unleashed my only attack skill, Holy Light, at the beast.

FLASH—!

A blinding light filled the gate,
and an unimaginable sight unfolded before me and the party.