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TL: ALT
Chapter 51 – An SS-rank Gate Has Opened
The Pope delivered his speech at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
The entrance was teeming with all kinds of people.
Healers in white robes were the most numerous among them.
“Those without tickets cannot enter!”
The Awakeners guarding the entrance said.
The Awakeners caught people trying to sneak in.
Every time someone was caught, the healers clicked their tongues.
“Anyway, they’re unqualified scum.”
“That guy’s not even a B-rank healer, so what gives him the nerve to try to join?”
“If you want benefits, earn your merits first.”
“Who does that commoner think he is?”
Conversations dripping with elitism.
That was generally how healers felt.
After all, healers were treated like nobility in society.
Conversely, those unable to enter voiced their regret.
“If only we could hear the Pope’s speech, we could learn new skills!”
“The haves get everything!”
“Only B-rank or higher Awakeners can buy tickets. Seriously? Is that even fair?”
“Even if it’s for the Pope’s safety, that’s excessive!”
“I heard other countries don’t have such restrictions!”
I know that, too.
Korea is the only country with ticket purchase restrictions.
From what I heard, the Korean Healer Association pulled some strings.
It’s exactly the kind of thing I despise.
“Young Master, there are so many people!”
“I’m excited, ppi!”
Nureongi and Hyangdan are in their transparent state.
That’s thanks to Hyangdan’s “Transparency” skill!
Because of that, they clung tightly to my body to watch the people.
“Both of you, be careful not to fall off.”
“Of course! But more importantly, isn’t it heavy?”
“…Honestly, it is heavy.”
My body is already frail.
Now I’m also carrying Nureongi and Hyangdan.
It’s absolutely unbearable!
Thankfully, at least they’re not too heavy.
“May I assist you with ticket verification?”
An employee politely offered their hand.
I handed my phone to the employee.
I displayed the ticket screen.
After completing a few checks, the employee nodded.
“Your ticket has been verified.”
“Thank you.”
“As you were informed beforehand, you must wear a mask inside. Is that acceptable?”
Just as he said.
That notification that had popped up before was about the mask.
“Everyone watching the speech must wear a mask.”
It was a bizarre rule, to say the least.
“Of course, but why on earth must we wear masks?”
“It’s a rule that the Healer Association suddenly added.”
“I see.”
“We’re just following orders from above.”
The staff member explained.
Honestly, they probably didn’t know why masks were required either.
If anything, they probably wanted to know more than I did.
Understanding this, I took the mask and held it.
And then…
Swish!
I immediately flipped the mask over my head.
“Please proceed inside and take your assigned seat. Under no circumstances should you remove your mask.”
“Thank you.”
I entered, the mask still flipped over my head.
Stepping inside, I was stunned.
No wonder.
“Everyone’s taken off their masks.”
There was a rule demanding that masks be worn.
But only a few had followed it.
* * *
I found my seat and headed forward.
Sure enough, it was right at the very front.
It felt daunting, but there was nothing I could do about it.
After I sat down, I told Nureongi and Hyangdan,
“You two need to stay put.”
“Of course! We’ll sit quietly up front!”
“Can I eat the carrot, ppi?”
“…Let’s save that for later.”
You can’t cause trouble for others.
Whether or not they understood my feelings, Nureongi and Hyangdan stayed quiet.
Then, one by one, the seats began to fill.
I also spotted a few people who looked like journalists.
“Well, the Pope’s speech is big news in itself.”
Just as I was looking around, a man seated next to me spoke up.
“You’re wearing a mask, huh?”
He spoke in a condescending tone.
I turned my head. There was a man with his mask half-removed, asking me.
I tilted my head at him.
“Yes, I heard we were supposed to wear them.”
“Hmm. Judging by your reaction, you’re not a healer, are you?”
“How did you know that?”
“Well, the masks are a way to distinguish the lower classes from us healers!”
Masks are for distinguishing healers from commoners?
“How often do healers gather like this?”
“Almost never. That’s why we healers created this rule to interact among ourselves. To distinguish ourselves from commoners like you!”
Ah, I get it.
In short, the mask is for distinction.
Those who remove their masks are healers, and those who keep theirs on are not.
That’s how they distinguish themselves.
Openly separating healers from the rest would be too obvious, so they chose this method instead.
“So, what’s your profession?”
“I’m a Korean medicine doctor.”
“A Korean medicine doctor? How on earth did you get here?”
“I came with a transferred ticket.”
“A transferred ticket?”
He reacted with even more disgust, as if it made him want to vomit.
“Anyway! What are they thinking, letting a Korean medicine doctor into such an important place? It’s a disgrace!”
He turned his back on me.
As if that weren’t enough, he twisted his body completely away.
It was as if he couldn’t bear to look at me.
“How dare you disrespect the young master! Unforgivable!”
“I agree, ppi!”
The enraged Nureongi and Hyangdan tried to lunge at the man.
I struggled to restrain them.
What if they hit him?
“Of course, I’d be the one suspected.”
Besides, I wasn’t even angry.
Jin Youngseok had done far worse than that man had just now.
If anything, it felt almost comforting.
“Tsk, what a mood killer!”
The man who said that crossed his legs.
I paid no attention to him.
Why waste emotion on someone who dislikes me?
It’s just a hassle.
Just then, the sound of a loudspeaker came through.
“The speech by His Holiness Pope Francis will now begin.”
The long-awaited speech had finally begun.
“Looks like it’s finally starting.”
Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations.
I was just watching because my older brother gave me a ticket.
I didn’t expect to learn anything.
And then—
“His Holiness Pope Francis is entering.”
The main speaker of the speech appeared on the podium.
He was an elderly man with hair as white as snow.
But he was very neat.
He wore a white, embroidered robe.
It looked expensive at first glance.
However, that wasn’t the most surprising thing.
“Uh…?”
The most astonishing thing was…
It was the Pope’s face.
“Young Master, what’s wrong?”
“Your heart rate just spiked, ppi!”
Nureongi and Hyangdan asked.
I couldn’t answer them.
No wonder—I couldn’t believe this unbelievable reality.
Tap, tap!
The Pope tapped the microphone with his finger.
Then, despite being a foreigner, he began speaking fluent Korean.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I am Francesco, bearing the title of Pope.”
The Pope, Francesco.
He was the old man from the convenience store whom I had helped.
* * *
Then, the Pope began his speech.
The gist of it was this:
Healers must help others and not covet wealth.
Above all, human life comes first, and one must never abandon people for money.
This was the ethical principle he was talking about.
“It’s definitely beneficial.”
Even though I’m not a healer, I could tell.
The Pope’s speech was incredibly helpful.
I especially liked the part at the beginning about helping others and not coveting wealth.
The part about human life being the top priority really resonated with me.
“The Pope seems similar to the young master.”
“Right! Not quite as good as the divine doctor, but a pretty decent fellow, ppi!”
I felt the same way.
I saw my father in the Pope.
What he was saying now was exactly what my father always used to say.
“So great healers and great doctors are fundamentally the same, huh?”
Throughout the speech, I couldn’t help but be impressed.
But it seemed I was the only one.
“Ah, what the hell. Why is he talking about this useless stuff?”
“People are important, but money is more important.”
“Is there any point in saving people who get weeded out because they lack ability?”
“Just get to the point already.”
The healers murmured their discontent quietly.
Especially……
“I didn’t pay all this money to listen to this kind of talk.”
The man sitting next to me clicked his tongue in apparent dissatisfaction.
“After hearing this splendid speech, why is the reaction like this?”
“Are they all really healers, ppi?”
Nureongi and Hyangdan were bewildered by the healers’ reactions.
The Pope’s words made them reflect once again on the immense pressure inherent in the healer profession.
But the other healers had long since cast off that pressure.
All they pursued was money and fame.
“They’re pathetic. They don’t even deserve to be called healers.”
“I agree! Except for the Divine Doctor, they’re all trash, ppi!”
I silently agreed with Nureongi and Hyangdan.
Those who lack this basic mindset?
Couldn’t be called healers.
Then—
[Beginning to gain enlightenment from another's teachings.][Current enlightenment received: 13%]
A message appeared before my eyes!
“Oh, Young Master! Could this be that skill?”
“Amazing! You’ve already received enlightenment, ppi!”
Startled, I looked around.
But no one else seemed surprised.
Seeing that, it seemed…
“Did it only appear for me?”
It seemed that only those who listened intently to the Pope’s speech had seen the message.
Then again, it was the same overseas.
Only a very small number gained enlightenment from the Pope.
Thanks to that, I even gained a new skill.
“Indeed, this is why he is the Pope.”
Moreover, I share the same values as the Pope. Is that why?
[Due to high concentration, the Enlightenment value increases.][Due to high concentration, the Enlightenment value increases.][Due to high concentration, the Enlightenment value increases.][Due to high concentration, the Enlightenment value increases.]
The Enlightenment values began to rise rapidly.
In fact, it rose so much that the message itself was blinding!
“If this keeps up, you might gain a new skill!”
“I wonder what kind of skill you’ll get. Can’t wait, ppi!”
I was excited, too.
What skill would I get?
How many people could I save with it?
“What’s with that creepy grin? Why are you smirking to yourself?”
I guess my grin was obvious.
The man next to me muttered, clearly displeased.
If my grin was noticeable even with a mask on, I definitely needed to be careful.
With this, I gained a new skill.
It seemed to be the condition for gaining this new skill.
It was to fully understand the Pope’s ethical principles.
This meant that healers who acted according to the Pope’s ethics had already emerged.
“All right, then. Let’s get to the main event, shall we? We’ll have a question period for about 30 minutes.”
At that moment—
Pop!
People who appeared to be journalists instantly pulled out microphones and raised them toward the podium.
* * *
The journalists were even more energetic than during the speech.
It was as if they felt that the moment they had been waiting for had finally arrived.
And the healers were no different.
They began pulling out notebooks where they had jotted down questions beforehand.
“This is ridiculous! If this is what they’re going to do, why did they come to hear the speech in the first place?”
“Exactly! Hardly anyone here listened to the speech properly, ppi!”
Nureongi and Hyangdan muttered in disbelief.
Of course, Heo Jin felt the same way, but what could he do?
He was gaining the know-how of an SS-rank healer.
For a healer, that might be more valuable than any speech.
“All right then. The reporter wearing the mask, please ask your question.”
The Pope pointed to a reporter who had raised their hand.
The woman answered as if she had been waiting for this moment.
“Is there a healer here today that you’re particularly keeping an eye on?”
The question made everyone tense.
They had heard that someone of the Pope’s stature could gauge skill levels just by looking. The Pope nodded as if he’d been waiting for this.
“Good question. Actually, I’ve been wanting to share this story with you all.”
The healers focused intently on his words.
They were all tense, thinking they might be the chosen one.
The Pope slowly continued.
“You all know I suffer from headaches and back pain.”
The healers nodded.
After all, his headaches and back pain were legendary.
Then, in front of everyone, the Pope performed an astonishing feat.
Thump! Thump!
He jumped up and down as if it were nothing.
It was an action utterly impossible for anyone suffering from back pain.
The healers were stunned.
“C-could it be… your back pain is gone?”
“Not just the back pain. The headaches that tormented me have vanished, too.”
The crowd murmured.
After all, age-related headaches and back pain were considered incurable.
It was a fact that not even an SSS-rank healer could change.
Yet, they had been cured!
“How on earth did you overcome the back pain and headaches?”
“It was all thanks to a Korean medicine doctor.”
“A Korean medicine doctor?”
“Something’s off here. Everyone, get your cameras ready.”
“Treating the Pope’s illness? Interesting.”
The reporters immediately straightened up and focused intently on the Pope’s words.
“That doctor was truly remarkable. He cured my back pain and headaches with just medicine; no other treatments were necessary.”
The Pope’s words shocked everyone.
And no wonder—curing headaches and back pain with just medicine?
It was nearly impossible.
So, naturally, the reaction was…
“Come on, you’re lying, right?”
“How could you cure back pain and headaches with just medicine?”
Skepticism. But soon, people realized it was true.
The Pope had already been completely cured of his back pain and headaches.
What he was saying now wasn’t a lie. However, the Pope’s words didn’t end there.
“He was an extraordinary Korean medicine doctor. Even after providing such remarkable medicine, he didn’t ask for anything in return.”
A warmth shone in the Pope’s eyes.
“I suspect that Korean doctor might be the true medical professional with the ethical principles I mentioned earlier.”
The journalists were frustrated by the Pope’s continued praise.
Who exactly was this Korean medicine doctor?
What kind of medicine did he use?
Unable to hold back any longer, a reporter stepped forward.
“So who exactly is this traditional doctor?”
The moment the question was asked, the Pope let out a faint smile.
It was as if he had been waiting for it.
He immediately opened his mouth.
“Hua Tuo.”
“…Excuse me?”
“He was a brilliant traditional doctor named Hua Tuo.”
The moment the Pope uttered the name, Hua Tuo.
“Hua Tuo? You mean that Hua Tuo? The Hua Tuo who broke the tower record?”
“Plus, he’s an Awakener who sells crops with insane performance!”
“Wait, wasn’t Hua Tuo a farmer who sold crops?”
“Is Hua Tuo a farmer or a doctor? This is driving me crazy!”
“I don’t know the details, but this is a scoop!”
The journalists, looking like they’d hit the jackpot, started dialing phones.
Then, the man sitting next to Heo Jin’s expression grew subtle.
He turned his head toward Heo Jin and sank into thought.
“The one who treated the Pope was a traditional doctor? This commoner sitting next to me also calls himself a traditional doctor. That means…this commoner could be Hua Tuo!”
The man slowly opened his mouth.
“Uh, hey! You…?”
Just as he was about to question Heo Jin.
Clang!
An ominous sound echoed.
And that wasn’t all.
The surrounding ground began to rumble.
“Wh-what the hell just happened?”
“Is this some kind of event?”
“Who the hell sets up an event like this? You fool!”
“W-we gotta get out of here!”
People were panicking because of the sudden situation.
And before those people…
[SS-rank Gate — Extreme Poison Dragon, Noxion's Revelry, activated.]
A despairing message appeared.
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