I’m Not a Saint, Not a Priest, Just a Healer.

Chapter 3 - The Underground Dungeon



As the sun set, the ground was dyed a deep red. Watching the sun disappear beyond the western mountains, Yona loudly smacked the back of Alec’s head standing next to her.

“Why this crazy bitch, again?!”

“It’s because you were running your mouth about having a bad feeling and whatnot, that led to this.”

Alec furtively averted his gaze from the growling Yona glaring at him. Of all the times, they were assigned to the vanguard party. The lizardman warrior Kairoc, constantly shifting and making cracking joint noises, was in the same party.

“How is it Alec’s fault, Yona?”

Kairoc let out a chuckle as he noisily slammed his hammer down. Currently the highest ranked among the adventurers at silver-rank, and already a seasoned 3-year veteran warrior – Kairoc was a natural-born fighter, and as a lizardman especially renowned for his battle frenzy, he was already trembling with the excitement of combat.

“It’s because you’re in it that makes it the vanguard party.”

“No, why me-?!”

Yona raised her voice in protest, but immediately flushed as she realized all the surrounding eyes were now on her.

“Why me, why? What did I do?”

Kairoc let out a derisive snort.

“Look around. Is there any other healer around your rank here?”

“…Ah, so wherever I am automatically becomes the vanguard party?”

“Exactly.”

At that moment, Alec smacked the back of Yona’s head. With the loud thwack and tears welling up from the stinging pain, Yona glared daggers at Alec.

“It’s not me, it’s because of you, you damn bitch.”

“You damn bastard!”

“Dammit, crazy bitch.”

“You little-!”

“Alright, enough.”

The two who looked ready to come to blows at any moment immediately settled down at Kairoc’s words. It’s not like they were actually going to fight anyway.

“You know copper-ranked healers are rare, right? So wherever a healer like that is, that becomes the vanguard party. Get it?”

“Damn it, fine. I got it.”

“Good. It’s starting to get dark. Get your gear ready.”

Kairoc looked around as he spoke. At those words, the other party members who had been casually sitting quickly donned their equipment.

Vanguard Alec: A copper-ranked human tank wielding a one-handed axe and tower shield.
Healer Yona: A copper-ranked human healer wearing an unranked holy cloth.
Warrior Kairoc: A silver-ranked lizardman warrior using a two-handed axe.
Archer Emmerson: A copper-ranked kobold archer with a shortbow.
Mage Prickery: A copper-ranked goblin mage with a stubby wand.

This five-person party would be at the vanguard entering the Catacombs.

“Hey Alec, give me your shield.”

“I told you to carry your own, you damn bitch.”

“Just shut up and hand it over.”

Grumbling, Alec unclipped the platter-sized round shield from his tower shield and passed it to Yona. Only after strapping the shield to her left arm was Yona fully prepared.

“Alright, I’m ready.”

“It would’ve been nice if we had Alepri.”

“Ah…that buffer girl?”

Alepri, the rare buffer class. While not directly participating in combat, buffers provided tremendous assistance by casting advantageous effects on allies from the backlines. Having one made a significant difference.

“Yeah, but she died.”

Alepri had her waist bisected and died in a recent orc subjugation battle not long ago.

As they chatted, darkness had completely fallen. Their faces were barely visible in the dimness, but once they neared the underground dungeon entrance, there would be pitch blackness.

Torches flickered up amidst the darkness. From now on, they would need to minimize all noise.

Yona slowly circulated her holy power from deep in her lower abdomen, concentrating it into her right arm. A sort of preparatory warm-up that she had never once skipped doing. Feeling the holy power flowing smoothly into her arm, Yona followed Kairoc’s silent signal to advance cautiously.

“Oh man, gonna see some brutal shit.”

Yona nearly laughed at Alec’s quiet whisper. But she could understand why he said that – even from here, an ominous miasma seemed to be seeping out from the entrance to the underground catacombs.

While she did possess holy power, it was only of the healing variety. Even Yona could sense this was no ordinary magic aura.

‘Was it always this intense here?’

It hadn’t been like this before. This wasn’t Yona’s first time at these underground catacombs. She had come multiple times before – when the extermination first began, while it was ongoing, after it finished, for the clean-up process.

She had visited many times, but never before had the holy cloth on her arm itched with this much miasma just from being near the entrance.

‘Is it because the path to the lower levels opened up?’

If an evil presence like a demon dwelling below had been disturbed, then this leaking miasma must be emanating from it.

Thinking that, Yona gulped heavily. Glancing over, even Alec looked quite tense with his face rigidly set.

“Hey, Alec.”

“What?”

Alec’s sharp hearing easily picked up Yona’s faint whisper.

“Are you nervous?”

“Ridiculous, the great Alec getting nervous?”

But he certainly looked nervous.

“Alec.”

“What is it, you damn bitch?”

“I was going to let you grope my tits if you admitted being nervous.”

“Oh, I’m nervous. Deathly nervous. Feels like I’m gonna die.”

“You goddamn mutt.”

Yona let out a curse as she turned back towards the front. Five women in pristine priest robes were slowly advancing towards the underground entrance.

The priests. Unlike healers like Yona who wielded healing holy power, these priests wielded purification powers. The so-called “sacrosanct ones.”

Their holy powers were essential for exorcising demons, which is why they were arrayed at the entrance like this.

More torches flared up – the signal to enter.

As the vanguard party, they had been promised an additional five silver as compensation. It wasn’t too bad, but thinking of it as their life’s worth left a foul taste.

“Be careful, Alec.”

Walking directly behind Alec and matching his pace, Yona urged him to be cautious. Alec simply nodded ahead without turning, shield raised.

Yona looked around. The moss-covered stone bricks were still piled up in layers, and some unknown liquid coated the hallway, making squelching sounds underfoot with each step.

It was quiet. The adventurers had stopped all talk after entering the dungeon. There was no need for communication now, no point making unnecessary noise to attract the demon’s attention.

‘Ah, what terrible luck I have.’

No matter how many internal sighs, nothing changed. No matter how hard she blinked, this world was vastly different from Yona’s original one. Even if poor before, at least she didn’t have to worry about her life. But in this current world, she was poor and also had to risk her life.

She never imagined she’d end up walking the halls of an underground tomb like this. Yet Yona continued following behind Alec, matching his pace.

Shrrrrk!

A rapid scurrying sound came from somewhere. Alec swiftly raised his right arm, and seeing that signal, Yona also raised her right arm. Those behind picked up on the stop signal and relayed it by raising their own right arms.

Once the whole party had stopped, Alec gestured towards his sling bag with his fingers, then made a squeezing and flashing motion. Yona nodded in understanding.

As Alec turned slightly to give her access while gripping his shield and hammer, Yona opened his sling bag and took out a light emitter. Normally just a small orb, but if crushed forcefully to break the internal core, it would provide about a minute of bright illumination.

“Throw it?”

When Yona asked, Alec nodded and gestured with his chin towards the front.

“One, two, three.”

Simultaneously, Yona flung the light emitter forward with a sweeping motion. The orb rolled away into the darkness before erupting in a brilliant glow, and-

-Kkeeeeeek!

“Oh, this is…”

What looked like at least ten dog-sized monstrosities scattered with screeches, startled by the sudden light. Something was clearly wrong.

Both Alec and Yona realized it. No matter how small, these were monsters with fangs and claws. In fact, such little beasts could be more dangerous in this darkness.

Not just Alec, but even Kairoc judged it was time to retreat for now.

“Re-retreat…”

Alec tried to say, but at that very moment:

-RRRRROOOOOOAAAAARRRR!!!!

A thunderous roar echoed from the pitch-black depths. And simultaneously, a chill biting through the air.

The entrance – it had vanished.

The adventurers had entered first before the subjugation knights and priests could follow, but the entrance had completely disappeared behind them.

-Thud, thud, thud, thud…

Alec gripped his shield more tightly. Yona’s holy cloth-wrapped hand gently brushed Alec’s shoulder.

“…I’m scared.”

“Hey, I said I was counting on you. What am I supposed to do if you’re scared too, you damn bitch?”

The faces of the forty-odd adventurers who had entered were growing increasingly pale. And at the very front, Alec and Yona looked even more ashen.

-Thud, thud, thud, thud…

A rhythmic pounding began to reverberate through the catacombs hallway.

It’s coming.
Something is approaching.


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