Chapter 122: Foreign Healer (5)

Part 14

Inside the crumbling mansion, drenched in blood, the madman clung to his spear, even as his broken body slumped. The mansion lay in ruins from the battle, moonlight seeping through the cracks. His unfocused eyes stared blankly at it.

“It’s over, you foolish puppet,” said the white-haired girl, stepping forward. Her role as a spectator had held until now. The madman’s clouded eyes reflected only the pale moonlight, his head creaking toward her voice.

“Hmph, even as a corpse, you still raise your head?” she sneered.

As she moved to kick his body, the challengers restrained her. Her narrowed eyes flicked to the swordsman holding her shoulder.

“Buzzkills. Isn’t this much havoc a victor’s right?”

“C’mon, let’s go. Unnie’s this way,” one said. The girl passed the madman’s corpse with reluctant steps, his hand still gripping the spear tightly.

Paying silent respect to the fallen foe and quietly celebrating their victory, the challengers followed her, one by one.

Part 15

[First Raid Finally Cleared] – Anonymous

—BeefRibs’ party did it… The saintess reunion scene hits hard… The modeling and direction are legendary…

└ Anonymous: They said two healers couldn’t cut it due to DPS loss—how’d they do it?

└ Anonymous: Took maybe two weeks longer? Devs must be crying; they probably planned for a month lolol.

└ Anonymous (OP): Feels like they crushed it with one healer and pure skill. That healer was nuts—watch the video, go!

└ Anonymous: ? Never seen that name.

└ Anonymous: What’s Cumulonimbus mean?

└ Anonymous: Storm cloud.

└ Anonymous (OP): Idk either.

└ Anonymous: Storm cloud? Streamer?

└ Anonymous: Who’s that?

└ Anonymous: You don’t know LayeredCloud’s Noona?

└ Moderator: Keep LOH discussions to LOH. Mentioning individuals leads to unannounced bans.

└ Anonymous: To the streaming board!

└ Anonymous: They were hyped to gossip, then bam, cut off lol.

└ Anonymous: Does LayeredCloud still play this game?

Part 16

“…Haaah…”

The blaring phone woke Yoonseo. She’d gone to bed early, but her body felt heavy, exhaustion clinging like damp fog.

Maybe from sitting too long or the constant tension—her arms and back ached like she’d done manual labor. Even sleep was restless, leaving her more tired than groggy.

Students got breaks, but her family didn’t. Picturing them skipping breakfast to rush to work, she dragged her creaking body up.

Grabbing the noisy phone, she briefly considered slacking off after such a battle. Shaking off the temptation, she tapped to silence the alarm.

Or tried to.

“…?”

Her head tilted. Dozens of messages had piled up overnight, and she couldn’t fathom why. Bonfire-nim, 4Gang—contacts from Legacy of Horizon’s promo shoot. The head of marketing, maybe?

“Why’d Sanghyun text when we’re in the same house?” she muttered. He could’ve just woken her for urgent stuff. Scanning the new message notifications, she opened 4Gang’s first.

—Jooyoung: No matter how I hear it, that’s your voice, Yoonseo. Is that really you?

“…Oh?”

A chill ran down her spine. Last night’s long journey, ending with her using the mic to break the gimmick—she’d forgotten in the clear’s euphoria. Everyone was too busy celebrating to care who she was then.

“They… uploaded the video,” she realized.

—Dongsaeng: Noona

—Dongsaeng: The boards are going wild

—Dongsaeng: Saintess saved the saintess

—Dongsaeng: LOLOLOL

She’d thought someone might recognize her but wanted to enjoy the game quietly, avoiding drama. She’d stayed silent to prevent this.

“…Ughhh…!”

Scrolling through messages—some teasing like Sanghyun’s, others linking forum posts—all confirmed she was the healer in the monumental first raid clear.

Embarrassment, like her first stream, surged. The sudden attention made her chest tighten, tickling with unease.

“How do I stream now?” she mumbled, burying her face in the blankets. After the promo shoot and ads, the “saintess” label had twisted her insides. This felt like its encore, her head already spinning.

“Haa…”

Reluctantly, she opened the last message from the marketing head. He wasn’t cold but wasn’t the playful type like the others texting her at dawn.

—Kim Hojin (Marketing Head): Sorry to contact you while you’re likely sleeping.

—Kim Hojin: Checked server logs and the video—account info points to you, Yoonseo.

—Kim Hojin: Planning to reach out to Flying Rabbit, but…

—Kim Hojin: Are you interested in voice acting?

—Kim Hojin: The director knows, but nothing’s set yet.

—Kim Hojin: Just a casual chat idea.

—Kim Hojin: Could you spare time this weekend?

What was this? Her blinking eyes reread the message.

It didn’t change.

Part 17

Seongchan, aka IWannaEatBeefRibs, stared dazedly at the coffee cup before him.

TripleWhite, Tombstone, Softie—real-life acquaintances—along with other raid members who’d achieved the historic first clear a week ago sat around a rectangular table, mirroring his expression. Seven men total. The missing member was obvious.

“…So,” TripleWhite broke the awkward silence after minutes of no one speaking. Seongchan’s head snapped toward the familiar voice.

“Everyone’s here for the same reason, right?” TripleWhite asked.

“That special interview video thing?” Seongchan said.

“Yeah, raid leader.”

“Here, I’m just Seongchan-hyung, punk.”

“Haha… it’s stuck in my mouth lately…”

A sigh, then sheepish laughter. Tension lingered, but the voices, attitudes, and banter were the same as online. Seongchan’s gaze scanned the group, exhaling deeply.

Not quite a harem party with only two male characters, but these were raid mates they’d bickered with endlessly.

“C’mon, drink. It’s not a ritual,” Seongchan said.

“Start from round what, raid leader?” someone joked.

“Need orders here too?”

Giggles rose, paper cups lifted, and the stiff air loosened. They were strangers in person but old comrades in spirit.

Feeling the room breathe, Seongchan downed his lukewarm coffee. Small talk flowed naturally among the familiar group.

How long had they chatted? Seongchan, closest to the door, caught the knock first. At his gesture, the lively voices quieted. No sudden door swings followed the brief knock.

“Sorry, the meeting ran long,” a man said, slipping in as the room stilled. Seongchan and the others knew him—the expected face.

“Honored to meet you, challengers. I’m Park Doyoon, lead director of Legacy of Horizon.”

Brief, half-joking applause followed. As Doyoon took the head seat, crew members bustled in, setting up cameras and mics. “We’re starting soon,” Seongchan figured.

“Dev team’s been so busy we thought we’d die. Sorry for not prepping better,” Doyoon said.

“No, no, arranging this is an honor. We’re the ones sorry for the trouble,” Seongchan replied.

“Haha, glad you say that. I was worried you’d roast me for serving instant coffee and no prep.”

The conversation flowed, centered on Doyoon and Seongchan—the latter not just raid leader but the most seasoned in social settings among the younger group.

Before filming, brief intros and small talk passed, but Seongchan and Doyoon dominated.

“Your party’s got a great mix of melee and ranged DPS—lots to talk about,” Doyoon said.

“Ranged was OP early on,” Seongchan noted.

“First week? Hotfix after hotfix… Your creativity was a headache,” Doyoon laughed.

The noise stopped. Seongchan caught Doyoon’s subtle nod.

“We’ve got tons to discuss, including that. First raid clear—monumental. You’re not every player’s voice, but you’ve played hardest, so expectations are high.”

“Haha, go easy on us,” Seongchan said.

“As explained, we’ll follow the planned order. Be honest—no script, ‘cause we want real feedback.”

Part 18

Melee DPS classes feel too skewed—less return for more stability would help.

The tutorial’s weak. It needs a guide covering basic systems—common boss patterns, counter timings, back attacks—and overall gameplay.

Add more cosmetic items. Even for a new game, it’s too bare.

Buff early-game support class hunting. Supports are already scarce, and new support players are rare.

Give more ways to boost character stats pre-raid. For the first raid, the difficulty feels overtuned.

Serious at times, joking at others, the 30-minute talk flowed. Mostly prompted by Doyoon’s questions, but players occasionally asked too. As filming’s awkwardness faded, “That’s a wrap” came, with some disappointed murmurs.

“…But, just between us, there’s something I’d like your input on,” Doyoon said, as the group basked in their contribution.

“Huh?”

“Filming’s done?”

“As I said, it’s not public yet—a surprise gift we’re planning. Wanted your thoughts.”

Despite his middle age, Doyoon’s smile carried a boyish mischief. After 30 minutes of fun, the players felt anticipation over worry.

“Nothing grand, not direct benefits, but something you’d enjoy,” Doyoon said.

His fingers hurriedly tapped his phone. What non-patch, non-event plan would excite players? Seongchan’s gaze followed Doyoon’s hands.

“You all read the story scripts?” Doyoon asked.

“Our raid leader uploads that stuff,” someone said.

“Didn’t read every subquest, but main quests? Yeah, diligently,” Seongchan added.

“The world’s captivating—transcendent beings, some worshipped like gods, others reclusive.”

“And characters like that silver-haired kid challenging gods?”

“Haha, Fenellen was a labor of love, from design to modeling. Debated making her a mature type, but glad you like her.”

Doyoon’s fingers stopped. His phone, placed centrally, showed a paused audio file labeled simply Voice01.

Everyone’s heads tilted in curiosity, except Doyoon’s.

“You all did the tutorial?” he asked.

“…Well,” someone mumbled.

“It’s standard RPG stuff…” another trailed off

.

“Haha, knew it. As you said during filming, it’s barebones. We admit it.”

Doyoon’s finger tapped the play button. The voice wasn’t familiar but unforgettable to the seven—a girl’s voice, etched in their memory.

—Welcome, challenger traveling the stars. A heartfelt welcome to Ellenion.

“…This is—”

“Know who it is?” Doyoon asked.

Echoed and effect-laden, it was unmistakably her—Cumulonimbus, the revolutionary priest who saved their raid, and, as it turned out, a bigger celebrity than expected.

“That’s… RainCloud. Yoonseo-nim’s…” Seongchan said.

“Yes. Thanks to her, a problem-riddled game still has server queues this early,” Doyoon said.

His finger stopped the looping audio. All eyes locked on his smiling face.

“Exactly. Great marketing, direction, and characters made our game loved beyond expectations. So, we thought pushing that further would benefit everyone.”

His phone screen flicked to an image—not the blonde, golden-eyed saintess, but a doe-eyed girl with arms raised in a cross, angelic with wings and a glowing halo.

“A transcendent guide for lost souls, with a beautiful look and a voice you’d all love as the tutorial NPC. Wouldn’t you enjoy that?”

“…You mean, her as the voice actor?”

“She’s firmly against going public, but most will probably figure it out.”

With a radiant smile, Doyoon continued.

“With her giving a robust guide, wouldn’t players have fun?”