Chapter 13: Unintentional team kill

While demonstrating to my “disciple” what trolling truly means…

[Account banned for one week]

I got slapped with another week-long ban.

Once again, I’m doomed to a dopamine-starved life for a whole week.

“Haaa…”

Sighing deeply, I placed five Lumina Bells on the table.

With so much time until the ban lifts,
I figured I’d try making mana potions using the Lumina flowers.

[Uses]
Mana Recovery Potion: A potion made by mixing flower sap with purified water

But there was one hurdle to overcome.

‘What’s purified water?’

Just… clean water or something?

After some thought, I tried casting Cleanse on tap water.

…Nothing happened.

I tried bottled water.
I tried boiling water and casting Cleanse.
Same result.

I had no clue how to make purified water.

On a whim, I searched “purified water” on the marketplace app.

[Purified Water, 10 Bottles for Sale]
– Direct transactions only.

Luckily, I found a listing at a dirt-cheap price.

I immediately contacted the seller, and within a minute, they replied.

[I’m tied up now, but I’m free after 7 PM. Is that okay?]
[Sure ^^ Where should I go around 7 PM?]

Checking the meetup location, I realized it was close to Firebloom Guild’s building, which I’d visited before.

‘Hmm. That’s far…’

Last time, the promise of ten million won made the trip a no-brainer.
But as a buyer now, trekking that far didn’t appeal.

Should I skip the deal and find someone else? As I hesitated—

Ding-dong

The doorbell rang.

‘Not again…?’

Firebloom Guild must’ve sent another pile of boxes.

My place was already overflowing with their unopened packages.

I don’t care if Firebloom turns hostile—I might have to return these.

‘Such a hassle.’

Grumbling, I trudged to the door and flung it open.

“Hello.”

Instead of boxes, a woman I’d never seen stood there.
Dressed in a sharp black suit, hair neatly tied back, she bowed politely.

“Ryu Seyeon, Chief Secretary of Manwol Guild.”

Her tone was courteous, her demeanor refined, but she exuded an inexplicable aura of authority.

‘Why is someone from Manwol Guild here…?’

Manwol was a name anyone even slightly active in the awakener community would know.
Famous for accepting outcasts—criminals, dark mages, heretics—
as long as they proved their strength, no questions asked.

I vaguely recalled they were Korea’s top-ranked guild.

“I sincerely apologize for visiting your home unannounced and without permission.”

The chief secretary of that guild was bowing to me?

What could she possibly want…?

‘Wait, that’s not the issue.’

First Firebloom, now Manwol.
How do they keep finding my address?

After a brief silence, the secretary explained her visit in her polite tone.

“We’re seeking your help with a gate on the verge of an outbreak. Would you be willing to join our party?”

As she awaited my response, she added,
“The team will consist solely of our guild’s elite members, and we’ll ensure your safety. We’ll also compensate you generously.”

I couldn’t answer easily.

Honestly, I wanted to flat-out refuse.

Joining a gate run with Manwol’s members—rumored to include criminals, dark mages, and heretics? No thanks.
And a gate about to outbreak? Hard pass!

But with the top-ranked guild’s secretary bowing so earnestly…
I couldn’t just say no.

A question naturally arose.

Even in a world where healers are rare, does Korea’s top guild really not have a single one?

Unable to hold back, I asked,
“Sorry, but doesn’t Manwol have any healers?”

A flicker of discomfort crossed the secretary’s face.

“We do have one dedicated healer, but… they’ve recently become obsessed with this strange hobby called ‘the community’ and are completely unreachable.”

Oh, I see.
That makes sense.

If they’re new to the community, of course they’d neglect their job.
I don’t know who Manwol’s healer is, but I felt a strange kinship.

“Where’s the gate located?”
“It’s in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul.”

Surprisingly, it was only a few meters from the purified water seller’s meetup spot.

“…Will you provide transportation?”
“Of course. You won’t need to worry about travel.”

Might as well buy the water and fill in for my fellow community addict.

“Alright…”

As I reluctantly agreed,
the secretary smiled faintly, spotting someone.

“Fancy seeing you here.”
“What are you doing here…?”

A familiar voice rang out.

“Hi, Healer-nim! About those gifts I sent…”

Song Yoohwa, Firebloom’s guild master, stepped inside, arms full of a huge box.

She froze, shocked, seeing the unopened boxes piled in my house.

“Haha, you’ve been so busy, Healer-nim… You haven’t even opened my gifts…”

Her awkward smile faded as she shot a sharp glare at the secretary.

“What are you doing here? Up to some shady tricks?”
“Shady tricks? That’s harsh. I’m simply here to request Healer-nim’s assistance.”

Despite Yoohwa’s hostility, the secretary maintained her calm smile.

“We’re short on time, so we’ll take our leave.”
“‘We’? Why’s it ‘we’ with you and Healer-nim?”

Yoohwa’s desperate gaze turned to me.

“Shall we go?”

But I could only avoid her eyes…

Before a gate shimmering with red light,
three figures stood at a distance from each other.

A woman wrapped in bandages.
A woman clutching a skull-topped staff as big as a human head.
A figure in a black hood, their gender indiscernible.

‘…Please don’t let those be the ones.’

No sooner had I thought that than the secretary shattered my hopes.

“These are Manwol Guild’s elite members.”

“…”

It’s not too late.
Should I say I’m leaving?

But… I came all this way. Backing out now feels wrong.

“We’ve arrived. You can step out.”

Feeling like a cow led to slaughter, I got out of the car.

Instantly, three pairs of eyes locked onto me.

Like predators spotting prey—intense, piercing gazes.

“This is the healer here to assist with the gate.”
“H-Hi.”

I tried to greet them, steadying my nerves, but got no response.

Just those relentless stares.

It’s better than them fawning over a healer, but…
I wish they’d stop staring.

“I-I look forward to working with—”

As I mustered courage for another greeting,
my eyes met the woman with the skull staff.

Long, grayish-blue hair, sharp eyes framed by dark circles,
she exuded a strangely somber vibe.

‘Belladonna…?’

She looked exactly like my favorite plant, Belladonna.

I couldn’t help but feel an instant fondness.

“…Ugh…”

But the moment our eyes met, she started sweating profusely.

Her complexion looked worse by the second.

With those dark circles and low energy, she must not be feeling well today.

Is there anything I can do to help?

Inside the gate, the raid began in earnest.

Determined not to be a burden, I spammed my skills,
and soon, the party members turned to me with satisfied expressions.

“This healer’s quick and solid. I like it!”
“…Not bad.”

Their initial hostility had vanished.

Well, except for one person.

The Belladonna-like woman avoided eye contact from the start, keeping her distance.

‘Why does she keep avoiding me?’

Feeling a bit hurt, I edged closer.

“…C-Could you stay back a bit…?”

Drenched in sweat, she looked seriously unwell.

‘Maybe a Heal will help…?’

Cautiously, I cast Heal on her.

The moment it hit, she collapsed, vomiting bright red blood.

“Gah…! Cough!”

All eyes turned to us.

“…”

A brief silence.

The party members glanced between me and her, then burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! Team kill… Oh, my stomach!”
“Pfft… Snort…”

I couldn’t comprehend the situation.

All I did was cast Heal.
Why is she vomiting blood, and why are they laughing without checking on her?