Chapter 381: The Demon Realm’s Miracle Doctor (3)

Yoo Ha-Rin felt her heart pounding.

H-he said he looks forward to things too...

What did that mean? It meant that starting today, they entered a new kind of relationship. Her face burned, and she fanned herself with her hand.

"

Oh

, and actually, I’m not a Paladin. I’m a Cleric."

"What?"

"I mean my class. I’m telling you because it’s you, Ha-Rin."

"You’re a Cleric...?"

"Yes."

Yoo Ha-Rin looked surprised for a moment but soon nodded.

It does make sense.

He was such a capable person after all.

At the same time, Yoo Ha-Rin barely held back the smile that tried to show.

So now I’ve become someone important enough for him to share even this kind of secret.

Nothing had really changed much. Only the bond between her and Kai had deepened. But still, she felt like they had grown much closer and more intimate.

"Th-then I’ll go help distribute the poison you made."

"Alright. See you later."

"Yes... Later..."

Yoo Ha-Rin ran off with a bright smile.

***

"

Hmm

."

Kai tilted his head as he watched Yoo Ha-Rin happily running off.

"Was she really that happy just from me telling her my class?"

He wasn’t sure why, but she looked incredibly joyful.

Well, it’s a good thing if she’s happy. I guess it was the right call to tell her.

Wearing a satisfied expression, Kai continued watching the demons being treated for quite a while.

"I made it myself, but man, this stuff works like a charm."

It was a powerful poison that instantly eliminated the vicious flu plaguing the demons. On top of that, it boosted immunity and eased pain. A true all-purpose poison!

It’s a shame it only works on demons.

If a regular human took it, their organs would melt and they would die.

Once the treatment for most patients was complete, Kazura approached and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you so much, Kai."

"I’ve been hearing that a lot today."

"No matter how many times I say it, it won’t feel like enough. That’s how grateful we are."

"So, is the problem that was tormenting the Liberation Army finally over?"

"The biggest one is gone, yes. Close your eyes for a moment," Kazura said as he closed his own eyes.

When Kai closed his, Kazura’s voice echoed near his ear.

"What do you hear?"

"It’s quiet."

The Demon Realm was always a quiet place, so Kai slowly opened his eyes and asked, "Isn’t the Demon Realm always quiet?"

At that, Kazura gave a rare gentle smile that wasn’t often seen from a demon. "Even if all other regions of the Demon Realm are silent, Elision never was. Despite being called the land of dreams and hope, it was a place where all you heard were the groans and screams of patients when you closed your eyes."

"

Ah

..." Kai nodded, remembering how loud and chaotic it had been when he first arrived.

"You changed that. As a member of the Liberation Army, I once again offer you my respect and thanks." Kazura bowed deeply at a full ninety degrees.

The demons passing by saw him, and soon after, they began to bow their heads with soft smiles just as Kazura did. They lowered their horns—symbols of their pride and very being—and expressed respect and gratitude to Kai.

Ah, this feels like...

As Kai scratched the side of his head, a message popped up right on cue.

Ding!

[Great Achievement! You have treated members of the Demon Realm’s Liberation Army.]

[Treating patients with holy power is something any cleric can do. However, a saint is not someone who merely does what anyone can. When holy power does not work, they seek another way to heal. That is the mindset a true saint must have.]

[You treated patients fairly and without discrimination, regardless of their origin or nature.]

[Helik applauds your humanitarian spirit that transcended species.]

[+50 Benevolence stats.]

[Due to the effect of Witness of the Sun, your Benevolence stat has additionally increased by 25.]

[Special title acquired: Demon Realm’s Miracle Doctor]

He gained a total of 75 Benevolence.

This isn’t quite what I expected.

Kai had been prepared to lose reputation and contribution with the Solarian Church for treating demons. He was taken aback as he had prepared himself for punishment but ended up being rewarded.

And what the heck is the Demon Realm’s Miracle Doctor supposed to be?

He opened the title book to check.

[

Demon Realm’s Miracle Doctor

]

Rank: Special

Description: A title given to one who gained fame as an exceptional healer in the Demon Realm.

Effect: All healing skills are boosted by 1.5x (This effect remains even when title is unequipped).

Oh?

An increase in all healing skill effects was as good as it gets for a healer.

***

"

Ahh! Ugh!

"

"I want to go home... I just want to go home..."

Surprisingly, these screams were coming from Pegasus Corporation’s development team headquarters. They were living through hell-like days thanks to Kai and Yoo Ha-Rin’s wild achievements in the Demon Realm.

"Damn it, if Archduke Kinessa is dead, what happens to all the southern quests?"

"There actually weren’t that many quests directly tied to the archduke, so that’s not that big of a problem... The real problem is that the entire southern faction collapsed. That alone wiped out thousands of quests."

"

Ugh

. So even the main quest in the Demon Realm, The Archdukes of Evil, is broken now?"

"That one must’ve been patched already by our super A.I. Ramus."

"

Sigh

... So the four archdukes of the Demon Realm just became three... There’s no way that won’t cause a ripple effect."

"The scary part is we don’t know what crazy thing Kai will do next. If he killed one archduke, it means he could kill another."

"Ugh

..."

They complained to upper management almost every day. Of course, it wasn’t just whining. A whole section of a carefully built scenario had been wiped out, and no developer could possibly be happy about that. Unable to sit back any longer, CEO Marco eventually called an emergency meeting.

"This situation is becoming a real headache."

The team leaders and directors of Pegasus Corp’s development team all nodded.

"Dr. Jim, the Demon Realm content was originally scheduled for two years later, and set to unlock once the average player level passed 700, correct?"

"Yes. We had it designed so the Demon Realm would invade the Middle Realm and the dimensions would merge. The demons would have their power reduced by about 60% while in the Middle Realm."

"

Sigh

. One of the archdukes, who might as well be endgame content, is now dead. Moreover, he didn’t even receive that 60% debuff."

"It’s all our fault..." A deep look of regret appeared on Dr. Jim’s face. "Do you remember when we helped Goliath and Sting with their Mythic job class advancement quest to try to keep Kai in check?"

"Yes, I remember."

"The Demon Realm wouldn’t have opened in the first place if we hadn’t intervened then."

"

Ugh

."

In short, they had reaped exactly what they had sown.

"Let’s skip the depressing stuff and focus on solutions. We need to find a way to persuade Kai."

"In the end, this world runs on money," one director spoke confidently. "I’ve never met a person in my life who doesn’t like money. What if we offer Kai a massive amount of cash?"

CEO Marco gave him a look of disbelief. "Do you even know how much Kai’s wealth amounts to?"

"Pardon...?"

"The gold just sitting in his inventory is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr. Kang from Korea had to beg and negotiate just to put a freeze on his currency exchange. If he wanted, Kai could instantly become a billionaire and also destroy the game’s economic balance. And you want to bribe a guy like that with money? Are you out of your mind?"

"S-sorry, sir."

When the director backed down without defending himself, no one else dared to speak up easily.

After a long silence, Marco finally spoke again, "Damn it, isn’t this all because of that Witness title Kai has?"

"Yes. That title broke the game balance the moment it appeared. Originally, the Solaris Cleric was designed to be a late-game support class with difficulty raising Benevolence stats."

"Is there any way to adjust that part?"

"I’d refuse it too. Even if you handed me a fortune, I wouldn’t accept that change."

"This is driving me nuts."

After a long and exhausting meeting, they came to one simple conclusion.

"We’ll have to speak to him in person. Get someone to interpret."

They were going to beg him directly.

***

"Alright kids, what do you say after a good meal?"

"Thank you for the meal!"

"It was really good!"

The orphanage children politely gave their thanks after playing all day and having a delicious meal.

There was always a feeling that came at the moment of saying goodbye. The kids didn’t say a word and just fiddled with their sleeves. From those small gestures, Jung-Woo and Ha-Rin felt a deep sense of regret. But at such moments, they forced themselves to smile even more brightly.

"We’ll come again, so make sure to listen to the director until then, okay?"

"Will you really come again...?"

"Aww, of course. We’ll call the director first, and if you’ve been behaving, we’ll be back." Yoo Ha-Rin comforted the children who ran into her arms with an angelic smile.

Watching the scene warmly, Jung-Woo had a conversation with the orphanage director.

"Thank you so much for doing something so meaningful and kind."

"No, we’re the ones who enjoy doing this, and nothing compares to the work you do."

Visiting orphanages near Seoul, providing donations, and spending time with the kids. It sounded easy, but it required real dedication to volunteer work to keep it up.

After spending another meaningful day, the two left the orphanage as the sky grew dark.

"

Whew

. It’s really hot this year."

According to the news, it was a record-breaking heatwave.

Jung-Woo glanced back at the orphanage. "I hope the kids don’t get heatstroke."

"They’ll probably have the AC running at full blast with the donation funds. Don’t worry too much."

"That’s a relief."

The two walked down the hill, chatting quietly. There was no set topic for the conversation. They simply said what was on their minds or listened to the other speak like old friends, and strangely enough, just that alone was enjoyable.

"Isn’t it kind of funny?" Ha-Rin asked.

"What is?"

"Just a few hours ago, we were packing up in Elision, and now we’re here in the real world hanging out again."

"

Hmm

. I wouldn’t say it's funny... Perhaps it’s because I’ve been spending so much time with you lately, but being with you just feels natural now. And I think I would feel kind of empty if you weren’t around."

"

Ah

..." Yoo Ha-Rin playfully hit Jung-Woo’s arm as if to scold him for saying something so embarrassing.

I can’t take this!

Was he always someone this good at saying things that made her heart flutter? Ha-Rin fidgeted with her fingers for no reason as she slowly continued walking.

At that moment, a luxurious black sedan came to a stop in front of the two. A man in sunglasses and a suit, who was clearly a bodyguard, stepped out and opened the back door. Then a man dressed in a white suit stepped out with a bright smile.

Yoo Ha-Rin’s eyes widened. "

Huh?

Jung-Woo, this guy is..."

"It’s him, right? Marco Fredrick."

The young CEO who led Pegasus, the leading software company that created

MID Online

.

He gave a polite nod and said, "Annyeonghaseyo. Cheoeum boepgetseumnida[1]."

1. ”Hello. Nice to meet you,” in Korean ☜