Chapter 28 - This Is Going to Be Way Faster, Isn't It?
Translator: Roshi
Finally, Level 10.
[Skill 'Restoration' effect and proficiency have slightly increased.]
[Skill 'Restoration' restoration speed and EXP gain have slightly increased.]
First, the basics that always went up with a level-up went up as expected.
Now, what new Trait had appeared?
Thump thump.
I checked the message with an excited heart.
[Trait 'Remote Restoration' has been unlocked.]
[Remote Restoration: Allows restoration of targets without direct contact.]
'Ohhh!'
The ranged heal I'd wanted so badly!
It was finally unlocked!
So did that mean I could now just extend my hand and freely use ranged heals like other healers?
[Current Remote Restoration range: 10cm]
[Remote Restoration range increases by 10cm per Restoration (EX) Skill level-up.]
Huh?
The excitement was short-lived.
Something was off about the range.
'Wait, 10cm? Not 10m?'
Was this a typo on the unit?
10cm was barely a hand span.
What good was that to anyone?
'Well, it's still better than not having it at all, I suppose.'
And if it kept increasing by 10cm with every level-up going forward, eventually it would reach 1m, no, even further than that, so things would get more and more convenient.
Maybe at Level 15 or 20, the distance gained per level-up might even increase.
'Let's not be too disappointed.'
The fact that something that was impossible was now possible, that alone was something to be grateful for.
This much would already make examinations a little easier.
With Absolute Shield, there was no longer any risk of me getting hurt, but.
When I had to forcibly restrain animals that were absolutely terrified of being touched by a stranger, I'd always felt a little sorry.
Now, without needing to touch them, if they were inside their carrier, I might be able to heal them from 10cm away.
'I wonder if it works when something's blocking the way, though.'
Well, I could always test it out later for the details.
If I didn't know, I'd just try it.
If it didn't work, then so be it.
That was how I'd always done things.
No need to overthink it. How great was that?
"Appa, what's wrong? You suddenly look like you're worrying about something."
Ah, so what I was doing right now was worrying.
"Mm. I just leveled up while curing Serintia's Bloodlust Precursor, and a new Trait got unlocked."
"A new Trait? What is it?"
"A Trait that lets me heal without touching. The range is still short, but it'll increase as I keep leveling up."
"You can.... heal without touching?"
Serintia looked a little shocked.
Huh.
That wasn't the reaction I'd expected.
"...So does that mean you won't pet my head anymore when you heal me?"
Ah, so that's what it was about.
Kkiing.... You won't pet us?
Cer also looked somewhat disappointed.
【.......】
Hey, why are you disappointed too?
Yesterday he'd said he'd gone and cleared a Gate, so I'd recharged his depleted Power of Thunder once.... Had he already gotten a taste for it?
In any case, I opened my mouth to reassure them.
"That's not it. I'm just saying I can do it that way now, not that I have to. It's not like it's mandatory."
"Right? That's how it is, right?"
At that, Serintia's expression brightened again.
Kkiing! Thank goodness!
【.......】
I could have sworn the Blue Lion's lips just twitched upward.
"And when appa pets me, that, um, endorphin? That thing combines with the healing and, and...."
"Synergy?"
"Yeah! The synergy makes it more effective. Right?"
Kkiing! That's right!
【.......】
The Blue Lion gave a subtle nod as well.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll always pet you, so don't worry. And just because, anytime too."
I stroked Serintia's head.
"Hehe."
Kkiing! Me too!
"Yeah, yeah."
I simply sat down on the sofa with Serintia and Cer on either side of me and turned on Netflex.
"Serintia, are you okay with action movies?"
"Yeah! I like anything!"
"Then let's watch one from each genre for now. If you find a genre you like later, we can watch more of that."
Since Cer seemed to like action movies, a light action film to start.
"Wooow...!"
Serintia marveled at the spectacular action sequences right from the opening.
"Cool, right?"
"Yeah! Do people actually fight like that for real?"
"No, they use something called CG while filming to make it look more dynamic. On top of that, they use all sorts of equipment on set to make it look realistic."
Especially with action movies coming out these days, it was fairly common for Hunters to appear as actors, so they'd adjust the intensity of their abilities on set to make only the visual effects look flashy, and film that way.
Not just fight scenes, but even superhero-style power usage could be performed live by Awakeners using magic, so of course it looked realistic.
'And with CG layered on top of that, the quality jumps up another level....'
There was a huge difference between adding effects over nothing and adding them over a real base.
There was a reason the film industry was booming.
I petted Serintia and Cer as they gradually scooted closer to me during every lull between action scenes.
"Hehe."
Kkiing!
【...I suppose I should be heading back soon.】
"Oh, Jickan-nim, I guess you're not a fan of action movies."
It seemed like there was still some time before he needed to go back.
【No, I've already seen this one.】
"Ah, I see."
Well, if he'd already seen it, nothing could be done about that.
*
"Ahhh, that was fun!"
"I had fun too!"
Kkiing!! So much fun!
I'd originally planned to stop partway through, but it was so gripping that we ended up watching the whole thing.
Serintia said this much was fine and wouldn't cause any problems with the Barrier.
"And lately, since I've been getting stronger, the Butler doesn't have to secretly help me anymore, so he's gotten a lot healthier."
"Secretly help you?"
"Yeah. While I couldn't grow because of the Bloodlust Precursor, it seemed like he'd sneak out while I was sleeping to repair the Barrier and kill Demonic Creatures. That's why he looked unwell, but whenever I asked, he'd just say he was fine. Like, he was obviously not fine, and he thought I wouldn't notice?"
Serintia pouted.
"So I always felt bad for the Butler, but now, thanks to appa, he's gotten a lot healthier. Thank you, appa! Hehe."
Serintia clung to my arm and leaned against me.
'As expected of the True Progenitor who leads the Bloodline Clan.'
Perhaps because she carried that responsibility, she seemed to have matured beyond her years.
"I'm glad I could help."
I smiled and stood up from the sofa.
"Then, before you head back, shall we break out some of the chocolate our Serintia loves?"
"Chocolate! Oh right, our Butler likes chocolate too. Could I maybe have a little more than usual?"
Even as she asked, Serintia was glancing at me cautiously.
She still seemed to think the standard amount was two packets of mini chocolates.
I chuckled at the sight.
"Of course. There are all kinds of chocolates today, so take as much as you want."
*
The next day.
"Mmng, slept great!"
Kkiing!
"Did you sleep well, Cer?"
The moment I woke up, I petted Cer enthusiastically.
From the very morning, Cer's tail was wagging away busily.
"Hup."
I stretched and got out of bed, when an empty bathtub filled only with water caught my eye.
'So Yom didn't come back yesterday after all.'
I'd filled the tub with water just in case he might come while we were asleep.
I'd even left a note on the dining table saying there was seafood in the fridge in case he was hungry.
'...He's really okay, right?'
It hadn't been long since we'd met, yet I'd apparently already gotten attached.
Sigh.
I couldn't help but open the photo gallery on my phone and look at the pictures I'd taken of Yom.
The one where he had both paws on his cheeks, overwhelmed with emotion.
The one where he was floating on his back in the tub, covering his eyes snugly with both paws.
The corners of my lips rose on their own.
Good thing I'd taken those. Heh heh.
Since he was a Dimensional Explorer, there was no telling when he might leave, so I should take as many photos as possible while he was still around.
"Cer, let's eat breakfast!"
Whoosh!
Chomp chomp chomp chomp!!
Kkiiing!!!
"Today's breakfast comes with nutritional kibble too."
Nom nom nom!
Kkiing!
I made sure to supplement his nutrition here and there like this.
I also had a healthy breakfast myself, with the side dishes I'd bought at the market yesterday, plus chicken breast sausage drizzled with low-calorie sauce.
These days, there were so many great low-calorie products using sugar alternatives.
Chicken breast wasn't the same chicken breast it used to be, either.
It came in sausage form, steak form, even dumpling form.
Anyway, after breakfast, it was time for the C-course walk.
"Oh my, hi Cer!"
"Good morning, Hunter Jeong Shin-hu-nim! Could I take just one photo of Cer today too?"
"Haha, good morning. Of course."
Kkiing! Kking!
Cer struck poses for the passersby.
Once we turned onto the C-course, I happened to spot some wilting grass nearby.
The time had finally come to test out Remote Restoration.
I held my hand close to the grass.
'Restoration.'
Flash!
Swoosh!
'Ooh, it works!'
Ding!
But the window that appeared was slightly different.
[Remote Restoration successful.]
[Restoration Rate: 100%]
[1 EXP gained.]
[Restoration Lv.10 (Tier 3) effect slightly increases EXP gain.]
[0.15 additional EXP gained.]
'Restoration Rate?'
In all the time I'd been using the Restoration skill, it had never once failed to restore something completely.
So I'd never had a reason to see a Restoration Rate message.
'So does that mean the Restoration Rate can be lower?'
The moment I had that question.
Ding!
[During Remote Restoration, maximum Restoration Rate may decrease depending on the target.]
[For high-tier targets, direct contact Restoration is recommended.]
An explanation appeared immediately.
In other words, for targets that gave a lot of EXP, like Cer, Serintia, or Jickan, Remote Restoration might be less effective.
But for ordinary targets, it worked at a full 100%. That was what it meant.
Well, it made sense. It'd be hard for wireless to have absolutely zero performance difference compared to wired.
Simple stuff might be fine, but trying to fix something like a Dragon Heart remotely, how difficult would that be?
[Remote Restoration's effectiveness is influenced by 'Restoration effect increase,' 'Restoration proficiency increase,' and 'Restoration speed increase' gained upon level-up.]
Still, the effects that went up with level-ups apparently influenced Remote Restoration too.
So eventually, it seemed like I'd be able to cleanly heal even fairly high-tier companions remotely.
Just not right now.
'Serintia and Cer prefer direct Restoration anyway. There's no real need to use Remote Restoration on them.'
All I had to do was keep a relaxed mindset, continue treating patients, and enjoy the satisfaction of leveling up.
Then gradually, both the effectiveness and convenience would improve.
'For now, Remote Restoration already works at 100% on plants that give 1 EXP and on regular patients, right?'
Just the other day, when there was a single wilted flower in the middle of an otherwise pristine garden, I'd had to twist my whole body around trying not to step on anything else, heal it, then moonwalk my way out while restoring the plants I'd damaged in the process.
Right now, 10cm might not help much, but as I leveled up, I'd need to contort myself less and less.
And maybe because I didn't need to make direct contact anymore and could just roughly extend my hand nearby?
'Restoration. Restoration. Restoration.'
Flash! Flash! Flash!
The speed at which I restored plants during walks had gotten noticeably faster.
'Just a few more level-ups and this is going to be way faster, isn't it?'
Heh heh heh. So this is what ranged healing is all about!
"Heh heh. Nice, nice. I'll fix you all up."
I twisted up the corners of my mouth into a grin and restored the surrounding plants one after another.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[1 EXP gained.]
[Restoration Lv.10 (Tier 3) effect slightly increases EXP gain.]
[0.15 additional EXP gained.]
...
[Bonus EXP of 300 gained for 10 successful Restorations.]
[Restoration Lv.10 (Tier 3) effect slightly increases EXP gain.]
[45 additional EXP gained.]
'Hm? Did the EXP go up more than usual?'
I'd been about to skim past it, assuming it was the same message as always.
But then I noticed: the 10-Restoration bonus had gone from 100 to 300.
'Did it change when I hit Level 10?'
The EXP gain had tripled, no less.
It was essentially a threefold increase in efficiency, whether I was seeing patients at the hospital or restoring plants.
Was there ever a windfall like this?
"Ahh yeah. Everything's dea, no, everything's alive!"
I put even more energy into restoring the plants to their lush and healthy state.
Kkiing!
Cer bounced along, cheering me on.
And so, I wrapped up a quick walk.
"Ssaem, you're here early today? Hi, Cer!"
"Good morning, Ji-yeon-ssi."
Kkiing!
Between leaving a bit early and the faster plant restoration speed, I'd arrived at work with plenty of time to spare.
Cer cuddled up with his Comfort Toy and rested until consultation hours began.
I, too, enjoyed the luxury of a morning coffee for the first time in a while as I took my seat.
And then, a message appeared before my eyes.
[Sub-dimension Tutorial - 1-Day Trial has been completed.]
[Sub-dimension Management System is now open.]
*****
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