UHNA 10

Chapter 10

 Surviving as an F-Rank Healer

For the seal to be completely lifted, just like Yuhanseong did in the original story, the contractor has to steadily feed it low-grade potions or mana, and use this earring-type magic tool that’s confining it to convert all HP and lifespan into mana.

Of course, I had no intention of obediently doing any of that.

Right now, I was trying to let this kid know that indirectly.

“I’m a healer. An F-rank healer!”

[……E, F-rk, hee…….]

At the words you won’t even be able to drink potions properly, and you won’t have any mana to eat, Erich made a choking, gagging sound.

“Erich?”

When I pulled out the earring and shook it hard, telling him to snap out of it, the gurgling sound stopped.

[Stop! Stop it!]

“Mm.”

A despairing voice came through. Thank goodness. I continued cheerfully.

“But you know, that thing I mentioned earlier—converting things into mana. I was trying to practice making potions. Could you help me with that?”

Erich stayed silent for a moment, hissing softly, then let out a long sigh.

[…I’ll help, gladly.]

At the word F-rank, he was probably assuming that even if I succeeded in making a low-grade potion, there’d be no one else to take it, so I’d end up giving it to him.

“Thanks. Then let’s go out now, Erich.”

After that, a few more strained groans followed.

Only after I’d spent quite a while staring up at the sky did a lukewarm voice come back.

[Open the golden box among the remaining ones. Drink the potion inside.]

That wasn’t a lie.

He cursed Yuhanseong out, but he’s gentler than I expected?

Of course, the contract Yuhanseong made added a few more lines to what I did and turned it into a complete slave contract that totally dominated him.

The moment he saw it, he gave up on handing it over to the freshman representative and, thinking it might be useful, went straight for the slave contract.

The protagonist, seriously.

Erich, you should be grateful you ended up with me.

Thinking that to myself, I jumped to my feet.

“Thanks!”

And without a moment’s hesitation, I gulped down the gray potion inside the golden box.

[You really have no sense of caution at all.]

“Huh? Do you have eyes too, Erich?”

[…….]

Oh, right.

I was planning to keep acting like a slightly dumb human in front of him. Erich needed to realize the despair of having contracted with the weakest, dumbest person alive.

“If you have eyes, you could watch when I mess up while making things and tell me, right? I’m counting on you from now on, Erich!”

After grinning and saying that to the silent Erich, I put on the earring he was sealed in.

At that moment, overlapping with the sound of Erich muttering something, I heard the roar of waves.

The soft rustle of sand scattering, too.

And when I opened my eyes—

“…Huh?”

“You….”

The first thing I saw was a handsome man scowling, with a dust-covered workshop behind him.

…Wait, Yuhanseong?

Why is he already here?

“Uh. Hi?”

I awkwardly greeted him, waving my hand lightly like I was meeting a stranger for the first time.

For now, I was in a situation where I’d snatched one of the magic tools he’d been planning to take.

That was probably why he looked so angry.

If so, I had to make all of this seem like an accident.

At the very least, I had to prove that I didn’t intentionally take Erich.

“We’ve met before, right? Yu… Hanseong. Hanseong, right? Nice to see you. But, um, could you let go of this?”

When I spoke awkwardly, as if I’d just noticed his name tag, his gaze dropped to his own hands gripping my shoulders—the ones that had grabbed me the moment we came out of the dungeon.

Then he flinched.

“…Sorry.”

Please say sorry casually, not I apologize. Please.

I laughed weakly, my eyes going hazy at the protagonist’s distinctive way of speaking.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Did I suddenly appear or something?”

“…Yeah.”

“So you were surprised. Hmm, how should I put this… Erich, what just happened to me?”

Normally, I shouldn’t know about dungeons yet.

But maybe because I was wearing the earring? Before Erich could even answer, I felt him react in shock.

[Don’t talk to me!]

“…Huh?”

Come on, I’m supposed to be an extra who knows nothing and just stumbled upon a lucky opportunity.

Hang in there.

“But if I can’t talk to you, I can’t do that mana conversion.”

When I muttered gloomily, Erich started screaming as if he were about to burst.

So cute.

“…Did you make a contract?”

“Oh, right. How did you know? I did end up talking to Erich without realizing it… That surprised you, didn’t it?”

“No. More importantly—did you know the incantation for the contract?”

“Yeah.”

“How?”

You told me in the original story.

“Was it about a week ago? I saw someone talking in a dream, from far away. I just tried it on a whim, and Erich accepted.”

[Accepted?! Accepted?! You damn—! Who was it?! Who told this dense idiot something like that?!]

Erich’s shrill whining rang in my ears, but I ignored it.

“A dream….”

And from a week ago—that meant right after he’d regressed.

In the original story, along with Yuhanseong’s regression, there were several people—main and supporting characters alike—who vaguely remembered things from before the regression, so this much should be fine.

I’d need to be more careful about keeping my distance, though.

The hostility drained from Yuhanseong’s eyes.

His pitch-black eyes, like they were full of stars, trembled slightly, then quickly disappeared beneath his lids.

When he opened his eyes again, there was no trace of the agitation from just moments ago.

“Uh… are you okay? You don’t look so good. Did you suddenly feel sick or something…?”

“No.”

“Well, that can happen. If anything feels even a little off, it’d be better to leave quickly. The teacher said the mana here is unstable.”

“…I’m fine—”

“Come on. Let’s go.”

I took his hand decisively, full of concern, and led him out of the workshop.

Then, pretending to check his complexion, I read his expression and quickened my steps as we left the old school building.

“You remember what we learned in mana class the day before yesterday, right? That if you stay in an unstable mana area, sometimes you can feel dizzy or even experience severe pain. And the more mana you have, the worse it can be.”

“…….”

“Hanseong, you must have a lot of mana. That’s amazing. So getting sick here isn’t anything to be embarrassed about, okay?”

I could feel Yuhanseong staring at me with a look of disbelief.

Whatever.

I started being aggressively nosy—helpful enough that I was doing what I had to, but not getting too close.

In the original story, Yuhanseong didn’t really like overly kind people from the start.

Especially skinship on a first meeting.

Well, that’s understandable. But you grabbed my shoulders earlier too, didn’t you?

You dug this grave yourself….

“So, how is it? Still dizzy? Your stomach okay?”

The moment we stepped out through the main entrance of the old school building, I turned back to him with hopeful eyes. Yuhanseong was staring straight at me with a very subtle expression.

This shouldn’t be enough to make him outright dislike me.

As a devoted reader who knew his personality well, I confidently waited for his reaction.

“Hanseong?”

Yuhanseong glanced back at the old school building.

Then he looked at me again, carefully let go of my hand, and lightly tapped my forehead with his finger, making me step back.

…Wait. Carefully?

“I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Still, just in case, go to the infirmary. You might be sensitive to mana.”

“Got it.”

Between that careful behavior earlier and how strangely compliant he was now, something felt off.

After briefly gauging his mood, I spoke to him as he tilted his head slightly, as if asking what was wrong.

“Oh, I didn’t say this earlier, but the reason I was there was because I borrowed the workshop to practice. I got permission…! If me hanging around places like the workshop bothered you—”

“Practice?”

Yuhanseong cut me off.

I hesitated, then answered.

“Yeah. Potion-making practice. If you practice, you improve at least a little.”

“…….”

Yuhanseong’s expression stiffened slightly.

Then something flashed through my mind.

Ah, he might not like the idea of an F-rank even practicing.

Early in the original story, right after his regression, Yuhanseong didn’t even consider anyone who didn’t have S-rank potential.

He didn’t openly look down on them, but he didn’t bother hiding an attitude like, You’re useless, so don’t do pointless things.

Was he going to be like that now too?