Team 4 had finally emerged victorious, but the aftermath of the battle left a gruesome scene. Goblin blood and bodies were scattered everywhere, creating a foul stench that hung heavy in the air. Despite the carnage, the group felt a profound sense of relief—they were alive.
Min-Soo, who had spent most of the fight perched in the tree, felt a surge of guilt. He hadn't done much during the battle, and now that the goblins were dead, he was eager to make himself useful.
Carefully, he jumped down from the tree, the faint worry of another ambush lingering in the back of his mind. I should at least do my job, he thought, pulling out a small knife to start severing the goblins' chests and extracting the essence stones within. His hands shook slightly as he worked, but he steeled himself, determined to contribute.
Meanwhile, Da-Sol's attention snapped back to Joo-Hee, or rather Jake, who lay collapsed on the ground. Without hesitation, Da-Sol rushed to Joo-Hee's side, his heart racing with concern. As he reached Joo-Hee, he noticed Min-Soo already gathering the essence stones and called out, "Min-Soo! Throw me some mana and healing potions!"
Min-Soo quickly nodded, tossing a few vials on Da-Sol's way, and caught them with ease. He knelt by Joo-Hee's side, gently touching his lips to feed him the potions. A sudden blush crept up Da-Sol's cheeks, surprised at how soft her lips felt despite the traces of blood from earlier. Unnie is really beautiful... and strong too, he thought to himself, a strange mix of admiration and embarrassment washing over him.
After carefully administering the potions, Da-Sol moved Jake to rest beneath a nearby tree, hoping the healer would recover soon. He wiped his hands, beginning to clean his equipment, the exhaustion settling in as he finally had a moment to breathe.
Nearby, Eun-Bi, visibly drained and weak from her earlier efforts, struggled to go down by herself. Da-Sol, seeing her wobble, moved to help. He offered his shoulder, gently guiding her down from the higher ground where she had been perched during the fight. "Take it easy, Eun-Bi, you did great," he said, offering her a small smile of reassurance.
Across the clearing, Yoon-Ji, ever composed, was cleaning her boots and brushing off the dust from her gear. Once finished, she strode over to Jae-Sung with of rising anger, who had just sat down to catch his breath. Without warning, she slapped him across the face.
"You piece of shit!" she snapped, glaring at him. "Do you even have a brain? Look what happened! We almost died! What the hell were you thinking? Just because a B-rank healer is here doesn't mean we can throw all caution to the wind!" Her voice was sharp, laced with frustration.
Jae-Sung flinched, more from the sting of her words. His face was flushed, whether from exhaustion or embarrassment, it was hard to tell.
"You seriously thought we could just charge in, right? That just because she's here, we could do whatever we want? She's a healer, for goodness sake! If she hadn't been able to fend for herself, she'd be goblin food by now—because of you!" Yoon-Ji's tone softened slightly toward the end, but the reprimand was clear.
The weight of guilt was heavy on him. He knew he had messed up, and it gnawed at him, but the anger was still there—festering. He had been slapped twice during the mission, by women no less, and the sting wasn't just physical. It was the humiliation.
As Jae-Sung's temper flared, his face twisted in frustration. "Hey, bitch! I know I screwed up, okay?!" he shouted, his voice rising. "I did my part in this fight too! No one died. So keep your hands to yourself, don't push your luck!" His voice cracked with anger, and he clenched his fists as he glared at Yoon-Ji.
Yoon-Ji's face darkened, her eyes narrowing as she took a step forward, ready to fire back. The tension was palpable, and it seemed like the two were on the verge of a full-blown fight. Both of their faces were flushed, veins bulging from their foreheads as anger threatened to boil over.
Seeing this, Da-Sol quickly stepped between them, raising his hands. "Enough, both of you!" he commanded, his voice firm yet calm. "We don't have time for this." He looked at Jae-Sung, then Yoon-Ji, his gaze steady. "I get it, you're both angry. But this isn't the time or place. We survived, and that's what matters." Da-Sol could only glare at Jae-Sung with annoyance, feeling his own frustration simmering beneath the surface. But he pushed it down, knowing that as the leader, it was his responsibility to keep the team together.
Jae-Sung and Yoon-Ji exchanged heated glares but reluctantly backed down. Yoon-Ji huffed, turning away and walking back toward the others. "Tch...," she muttered, though the anger still lingered in her tone.
The group remained silent for a moment, the air still thick with tension from both the fight and the argument. But, at least for now, things had calmed down.
A few minutes later, Min-Soo approached Da-Sol, wiping his hands on a rag after scavenging through the remains of the goblins. "Leader-nim, only 11 essence stones are intact, 3 of them were shattered or broken." He sounded both exhausted and relieved, glad to have made himself useful despite his earlier inaction.
Da-Sol nodded. "Good work, Min-Soo. We'll make do with what we have. I guess we still need like about... 15 more."
While Da-Sol and Min-Soo discussed the essence stones, Jake began to stir. His eyes fluttered open, and he slowly came to his senses. The effects of the mana recovery potion had helped restore some of his strength, though he was unaware that it was Da-Sol who had fed it to him.
However, it wasn't just the potion that brought him back so quickly—it was the enlarged mana pores he had got as a reward for his training quest. This advantage allowed his mana to recover at a much faster rate than usual, a small but crucial blessing in the midst of the chaos.
Jake lay still for a moment, feeling the faint flow of mana slowly replenishing his depleted reserves. His body still ached from the mana deviation, but the worst of it had passed. As his awareness returned, he muttered quietly under his breath, "Status."
_______________________
[Sage Enlightenment System]
.
Name: Lee Joo-Hee (Jake Garcia)
Class: Sage of Eternal Leaf
Level: 3 (54/200)
HP: 178/190 | MP: 197/575
.
Stats:
- Strength: 20
- Dexterity: 16
- Vitality: 19
- Magic Power: 53
- Intelligence: 33
- Wisdom: 34
.
Skills:
- Healing Touch (Skill Level 3 - 2%)
- Verdant Growth (Skill Level 5 - 2%)
- Nature's Embrace (Skill Level 4 - 41%)
- Basic Swordsmanship (Skill Level 3 - 9%)
- Basic Meditation (Skill Level 3 - 74%)
_______________________
As Jake took a moment to gather himself, he noticed that his status showed he finally had enough mana, feeling a surge of energy within him. "Healing Touch," he whispered while placing his hand on his chest. A warm energy flowed through him, mending the aches and pains that lingered from the recent battle and mana deviation.
He repeated the spell two more times, feeling the mana drain from his reserves, but each wave of healing made him feel more grounded.
After using up a total of 90 mana, he leaned back against the tree. The fatigue was still there, but he could feel his body responding better.
Nearby, Eun-Bi had been watching intently. "Everyone, Miss Joo-Hee's awake now!" she exclaimed, her voice full of joy despite her own exhaustion. The relief on her face was unmistakable, brightening the grim atmosphere that had settled after the battle.
Da-Sol rushed over, a grin spreading across his face as he said. "Great, the potions must have worked!" He looked genuinely pleased, relief evident in his tone.
Still adjusting to his surroundings, Jake furrowed his brow, his thoughts racing. "Potions? What po—" His words trailed off as he abruptly checked his small backpack, his heart pounding in anticipation.
To his relief, he found that his potions were still intact. Recalling the price of the potions, even low-ranked ones cost almost 100k won. This made him even sure he couldn't afford to lose any right now.
Da-Sol continued as he nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, like... some mana recovery potions and healing potions. Four in total, if I remembered it right."
Ruffled, Jake reached out and grabbed Da-Sol's arm, his grip firm. "FOUR?!". The unexpected contact made Da-Sol flustered, his cheeks turning a shade of crimson as he stumbled over his words. "Uh—Unnie?!" he stammered, glancing down at Joo-Hee's hand, his mind racing.
Jake, oblivious to Da-Sol's inner turmoil, focused on the fact that he used a couple of expensive potions. I just used four potions?! This can't be... he thought, his heart sinking at the thought of how much he had consumed without even realizing it. My last savings! Huhu...
Seeing Joo-Hee's reaction, Da-Sol felt a wave of relief wash over him as he tried to shake off his flustered demeanor. "Unnie, you don't need to worry about the potions," he said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "Having a B-rank healer is much more expensive than some potions, you know."
Jake felt touched and nodded, still processing the situation. Then he added, "But I can't just owe a younger guy like you, after all. I'll make sure to pay you back after we're finished with this. That should be okay... right?"
The words hung in the air, and Da-Sol felt an unexpected pang in his chest at the mention of "younger guy". A sense of sadness washed over him, though he couldn't quite place why.
It was as if Jake's comment had struck a chord deep within, reminding him of his own insecurities. "Yeah, sure…" he muttered, forcing a smile, but the dejected emotion lingered.
As the group continued to discuss their next course of action, the atmosphere grew serious again. They all understood that lingering in a place filled with goblin corpses could attract even more danger, and they still needed time to properly recover.
Then, Yoon-Ji suggested, "We should find a safer spot to rest," while glancing disgustingly at the remnants of their battle. "I don't want to be here when more goblins come."
"Agreed," Jake chimed in, rubbing his sore arms. "Let's move now before they get here."
As they gathered their belongings and prepared to set off, they were unaware that someone was watching them from above. Hidden among the dense trees, a figure observed intently, focused especially on Lee Joo-Hee.
The watcher's gaze was filled with curiosity and something deeper—an interest that went beyond mere observation. It was Joo-Hee's ability to control mana that captivated the observer most.
As the team made their plans to move, the hidden figure remained silent, their intentions shrouded in mystery. The forest, thick and quiet, held its breath, and with each step the team took, the watcher's interest only deepened, sensing that this journey was far from over.