"Alright, let's get serious. Where are the injured? I'll give them some treatment first to ease their pain. Hearing constant groans affects everyone's mood, doesn't it? Especially when this should be a big victory."
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"Just talking about this pisses me off. Damn those mutated poison monsters, damn dungeon. We were almost back to the surface, and then in the 'lower floors' they had to throw this kind of trick at us. It's disgusting." Tiona clenched her fists with gritted teeth, her tone full of anger.
Clearly, she was furious at such a despicable sneak attack.
"Well, that's just the dungeon. The more you fear something happening, the more likely it is to happen. Stop complaining, take me to the wounded first."
"Alright."
After that, the group marched together, finally arriving at a temporary stronghold near a water source.
They chose this place for the injured to rest because of the nearby water, convenient for changing bandages. It was obvious that the Loki Familia had considerable experience in this regard.
The busy healer girl Line had just finished changing the medicine for an injured member, her face weary as she rubbed her delicate shoulders. Hearing the commotion, she turned her head and saw Fron rushing over with Ais, Alicia, Tione, Tiona, Lefiya, and the others.
"Mr. Fron, you're awake?"
"Ah, you've worked hard, Line. Leave the rest to me."
"It's nothing, not hard at all!"
But… an accident happened.
The girl had barely stood up, forcing herself to sound strong, when suddenly her vision blurred with stars. Her eyes went dark, and she collapsed straight to the ground.
"Hey!" Quick as lightning, Fron caught her frail body. Seeing her still murmuring incoherently with trembling lips, he exchanged glances with the others and gave a wry smile.
"This kid pushes herself too much."
"I'll take care of her. Let her rest properly."
"Alright."
Fron handed Line over to Anakitty, who had just arrived, then turned his gaze toward the wounded lying inside the tent, groaning in pain.
"The poison of the mutated monsters affects anyone with an 'abnormal resistance' lower than G-rank. Almost everyone it splashed on is poisoned."
Alicia who had started checking the wounded, spoke up.
"The worst part is, among the Hephaistos Familia, other than Miss Tsubaki, not a single blacksmith avoided it."
Fron's mouth twitched as he looked at the number of injured, almost half the expedition group.
With so many wounded, it was only thanks to the Loki Familias' great strength that they could drag them from the lower floors up to the 18th floor. If it were another familia, their entire operation would have collapsed already.
"The dungeon is the dungeon, always delivering a fatal blow when you're at your weakest."
Shaking his head, Fron exhaled deeply.
"Then, I'll begin." He raised his head slightly, gripping his staff in his left hand, spreading his arms, closing his eyes, and began chanting.
…
In the main command tent at the center of the camp,
"This magical wave… could it be…?"
The three leaders, who were discussing what to do after the 'expedition' returned in such a poor state, saw Riveria suddenly lift her head, looking west.
"A magical fluctuation? Not Line's healing magic, this one is far stronger."
A smile appeared on Finn's face.
"In the whole city, there's only one person capable of wielding healing magic to such a level. I can't think of a second."
"Hahaha, that kid Fron. Already hard at work right after waking up. Truly impressive. I must say, the children nowadays are fortunate to have a comrade like Fron."
Remembering the days of Orario's dark age, the battle against the [Evilus], Finn chuckled and shook his head.
"Ah… if only we'd had a healer like Fron back then, so many of our comrades wouldn't have had to die."
Those familiar yet distant faces that surfaced in their memories silenced the three of them.
"Well, let sorrow remain in the past. Let's focus on the future. As for now, let's leave it to Fron."
…
"[Dia Fratel!]"
A massive, white, sacred, and warm diamond-shaped magic circle filled most of the tent, enveloping Ais, Alicia, and nearly everyone else inside.
"Ohh, those floating things in the air, are those magic elements?"
"Yes, Miss Tiona. These magical particles are gathered by Fron's magic circle and condensed into power, then triggered by chanting."
Watching Fron with closed eyes, continuously healing the wounded, Tione and the others couldn't help but marvel.
They had seen Fron use healing magic before, but never this close, nor with the leisure to observe.
"Ah… the pain is fading."
"It… it really doesn't hurt as much anymore, but…" Sensing the feedback from his magic, Fron suddenly opened his eyes.
"My magic can detoxify, but against a very special venom like that from mutated monsters, it can't be cured in one session. First, I'll ease your pain, halt the poison's spread, and stabilize you. With the next treatment, you'll be fully cured."
"Of course, the specialized antidote made from those mutated monsters works even better than my magic."
Fron had studied alchemy and medicine both in the library and through talks with Airmid. Though he hadn't practiced much, his theoretical knowledge already matched that of a novice pharmacist.
As for countering special dungeon attacks, he had memorized countless methods.
Among them, poisons were one of the most unique, troublesome, and dangerous.
"Even Fron, a Lv.5 healer, can't cure it in one go? As expected… a mutated monsters venom is no joke."
Ais agreed with Tiona.
"I heard Airmid say before, potent poisons are extremely troublesome. Even her magic can cure it, but not instantly. She still needs the antidote's help. For Fron to fully heal this many wounded with just two castings is already incredible!"
Hearing her comforting words, Fron quietly touched his chest.
This time, he didn't act humble, because he had indeed accomplished something no one else could.
Compared to other spells, healing magic required far more precise control of mana. Treating dozens of people at once for venom was an even greater challenge.
Just thinking of that painstakingly precise mana manipulation was enough to make any expert's scalp tingle.
But Fron's mana capacity was huge. Even Airmid wouldn't have been able to heal so many all at once.
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T/N: Second Bonus chapter for crossing 450 power stones; next two bonus chapters at 500 power stones~