I'm Living as a Healer in Nord World - Chapter 8

As Hern attempted to cast his initial Archer skill, Arrow Shot, he found it unresponsive, prompting him to shout in alarm. After a moment of contemplation, Lydia recalled something and quickly looked above his head.

 

Just as she suspected. An icon representing the [Seal] status—one of the debuffs that obstructed player actions—was blinking.

 

‘Ah, the Ghost of the Seal monster must have used it!’

 

Recalling the monster’s ability to lock spells and skills from her gaming days, Lydia swiftly cast Divine Blessing, a cure-type spell.

 

For good measure, she also checked Uraegwi’s status bar, but thankfully, Uraegwi remained unaffected. The distinctive glow of Divine Blessing flashed, and Hern swiftly resumed his movements.

 

This time, he was able to use Arrow Shot again, immediately following up with the even more powerful Strike Shot. A critical hit landed perfectly, causing the Ghost of the Seal to emit a tortured groan before vanishing.

 

“Phew, we survived that one.”

 

But they couldn’t relax yet. All the monsters in the Forest of Vigilance were capable of inflicting status effects—often spells and skill seals, as well as frequent stuns and confusion.

 

They had lost count of the times they were startled by Uraegwi suddenly wandering off in a daze. The effects were disturbingly realistic.

 

Thankfully, with Lydia and Uraegwi’s high levels, they had managed to avoid a complete party wipe, though they had faced a few close calls.

 

They proceeded cautiously, engaging only a manageable number of monsters, and a few hours passed.

 

Though the unfamiliar monsters initially seemed intimidating, the party grew accustomed to them. They were now far less startled by the status effects.

 

Even Uraegwi, who had initially been terrified of taking hits, gradually grew used to being surrounded by monsters.

 

In fact, due to the system, higher defense stats lessened the pain sensation. As a Guardian from the warrior class, Uraegwi’s health and defense were naturally high, and with Lydia’s spell enhancements, he cheerfully noted he didn’t feel much pain at all.

 

Of course, Hern and Lydia, whose defenses were lower, still found taking hits from monsters to be agonizingly painful.

 

Feeling a bit emboldened, Hern suggested they try their luck at the next level—level 50. However, with Hern still at level 43, they lacked the necessary damage output.

 

Hern agreed, so the party decided to recruit an additional damage dealer.

 

“Hello, everyone~!”

 

Player Information

 

Name: Kenny / Guild: Delphine Market

 

Level: 60 / Class: Knight / Subclass: Carpenter

 

HP: 2030 / MP: 870

 

Joining them in the waiting area of the Jotunheim hunting ground was a cheerful young man around Lydian’s age. Kenny’s bright personality lightened the party’s mood.

 

The Knight was part of the same warrior class as the Guardian. Known for its balanced attributes and straightforward growth, the Knight was often considered one of the most reliable classes in Nord World. Some even joked, “If you’re jealous, roll a Knight.” With high base attack power as a damage dealer, a Knight could excel if adequately supported with buffs.

 

Lydian, however, regretted the lack of a Bard in the party.

 

In most games, healers often handled attack buffs as well, but Nord World assigned this role to the Bard class. Besides boosting attack power, Bards also offered continuous MP recovery spells, which made them extremely useful for hunting sessions.

 

That said, during her gaming days, Bards weren’t that essential due to potion use. Their attack boosts weren’t dramatic, and with no updates to the Bard class, their spells showed minimal improvements regardless of level, which had both advantages and drawbacks.

 

As a result, Bard players frequently petitioned the developers for enhancements.

 

Despite being disparaged as an inefficient class since the game’s early days, Bards were beginning to find new relevance as “mana batteries” for mana-hungry Mages and Elemental Summoners. 

 

With MP becoming crucial for survival, the Bard was gradually emerging as a high-demand, prestigious class.

 

[You have entered the Dying Swamp Area B.]

 

[Movement magic and item usage are restricted in the hunting area.]

 

[Dying Swamp Area B – 2 / Recommended Level: 50+]

 

[Monsters: Mud Golem / Stone Golem / Poisonous Toad]

 

[Field Boss Monster: Giant Poisonous Toad / Respawn Time: 03:45:24]

 

As they passed through the gate, they were met with a gloomy, murky swamp. 

 

The place had an eerie appearance, as though coated in a green mold, plunging the party into stunned silence. The realism was impressive, but perhaps a bit too convincing.

 

The swamp’s ghastly atmosphere made it hard to proceed, so Lydian gave Hern a little push. Hern grunted and took cautious steps, wearing a disgusted expression. Despite his large frame, the tank Uraegwi went pale and clung close to Hern.

 

“It’s like being on a horror movie set,” Kenny said, laughing uneasily as they walked. Suddenly, the short shrubs rustled ominously.

 

Rustle, rustle. The sound of something slithering along the ground set everyone on edge, and they froze. “Should we… run now?” Uraegwi muttered, terrified.

 

At last, a Mud Golem appeared, looking exactly as it had in the game. Hern grimaced with disgust.

 

“Ugh, it’s hideous. It’s not like it’s covered in filth, but it looks grotesque.”

 

Everyone was momentarily unnerved by the Mud Golem’s massive size—nearly two meters tall.

 

Its slow, oozing body dripped with chocolate-colored mud, making everyone cringe. It looked as if contact with it might rot their skin.

 

Lydian quickly began chanting buffs.

 

“Divine Protection, Holy Grace, Shield of Light.”

 

With these essential buffs, Uraegwi, Kenny, and Hern glowed faintly blue. The tank Uraegwi braced himself as he approached the creature, albeit with a miserable look.

 

Fortunately, Mud Golems moved slowly. As Uraegwi neared, the creature swung its massive arms.

 

Uraegwi yelped as he shielded himself, but the pounding impact was enough to unsettle even the onlookers.

 

Hern and Kenny both scowled as they launched their attacks.

 

An Archer’s Strike Shot and a Knight’s swift sword strike hit simultaneously. Although it seemed the Mud Golem’s body had split apart, it quickly reassembled.

 

Despite their attacks, the Golem’s HP still sat at 70%.

 

“Hm, maybe they’re not too dangerous, considering how slow they are?”

 

“Yeah, but their HP is ridiculously high.”

 

Hern and Kenny continued their assault. But Lydian noticed how Uraegwi’s HP plummeted each time he took a hit. The Mud Golem’s attacks were stronger than expected.

 

“Hand of Mercy.”

 

Since the Dying Swamp had only melee monsters, Lydian could conserve her MP by using Hand of Mercy, a single-target healing spell, as Kenny and Hern’s HP stayed relatively stable.

 

Thanks to the coordination between Hern and Kenny, the Golem was quickly dealt with. Lydia looked at her teammates’ HP and MP, feeling optimistic that they could manage the area.

 

Slowly but surely, they kept a steady pace, engaging monsters one by one.

 

About an hour into the hunt, piercing screams sounded from somewhere nearby.

 

“Aaah! Help us!”

 

“Somebody, help!”

 

“Please, save us!”

 

In the face of these desperate pleas, Hern scowled.

 

“What? Did someone else enter?”

 

Here’s the translation:

 

“Don’t they know the unwritten rule in hunting grounds over level 50 — ‘first come, first served’? Even guildmates argue over this, and yet these guys are utterly lacking in manners…”

 

Kenny clicked his tongue in annoyance as he muttered. The field had been empty when they’d arrived, meaning those screaming players must have known there were already people here when they entered.

 

“Should we say something?” Hern, visibly fuming, was about to step forward, but Lydian held him back with a sigh. While she was generally kind to others, there was no reason to be polite to those who disregarded basic etiquette.

 

“They’re probably not expecting hunting ground manners out here. Let’s just ignore them and avoid getting worked up. If we go on hunting and act like they’re not here, they’ll leave soon enough.”

 

Although it was inconvenient not having access to a mini-map like in the game, as long as they had the stamina to run, this open field map allowed them to escape to the waiting room entrance anytime.

 

So, they all continued with little concern… until the voices drew nearer.

 

As Hern grew increasingly frustrated with the stone golem’s resilience, a series of louder screams coming nearer, making him furrow his brows.

 

“Does it sound like it’s getting closer?”

 

Lydian, knowing that this area was far from the entrance, glanced around in confusion. 

 

‘Could they be looking for us?‘

 

Just as this unsettling thought crossed her mind, a faint tremor rippled through the ground. Moments later, three players burst out from behind the swamp on the opposite side, sprinting and shouting.

 

Everyone turned to look, frowning at the disturbance, but their expressions quickly paled in horrification as a horde of golems thundered after the newcomers. 

 

As there was no time to check the strangers’ profiles. The party reacted in unison, shouting.

 

“What the hell is that?!”

 

“Are they mob-pulling?”

 

“You’ve gotta be f—!”

 

Among the lumbering golems, a few creatures were leaping forward with alarming speed—venomous toads. 

 

In the Death Swamp map, these were some of the strongest, named mobs. Lydian’s heart sank as she watched three toads bound toward them, realizing they had no chance of handling them in their current state.

 

“Aaah! Help us!”

 

The sprinting players screamed as they approached, but despite the urgency in their cries, they seemed oddly thrilled. Lydian sensed the intentional mischief in their actions, but there was no time to dwell on her irritation.

 

There were about twenty of them.

 

Uraegwi, Hern, and Kenny, taken aback by the sheer number of monsters, shouted in alarm and prepared to flee.

 

“Run to the waiting room!”

 

A ridiculous yet tense scene ensued.

 

Three massive toads leapt forward, followed by a clanking crowd of golems. And at the forefront, seven people scrambled away in a mad dash, with the party trailing behind them.

 

The map they were in was set at a medium difficulty, which meant teleportation spells or items couldn’t be used. They had to walk—or run—to the entrance of the waiting room. If they were unlucky enough to be burdened with high fatigue, they wouldn’t be able to sprint, practically ensuring their death. This thought fueled Hern’s anger as he snarled at the newcomers.

 

“Are you out of your minds?!”

 

The three players continued to shriek and laugh, making Hern even angrier. Just as he was about to shout a string of expletives, the three disappeared.

 

Lydian gasped. 

 

It was the Stealth skill of the Shadow Hunter class. Not only had they deliberately pulled a mob, but they’d vanished into stealth to escape! The whole setup had been executed with practiced expertise.

 

Naturally, the monster’s aggro remained squarely fixed on Lydian’s party.

 

“You’ve gotta be f—!”

 

Even Kenny, who seemed to have a calm disposition, let loose a string of curses. Lydian bit her lip, struggling to keep her own frustration in check.

 

In that moment, cursing would only waste precious time; running was wiser. Since the Dying Swamp map was vast, the four had a long way to sprint.

 

Finally, the waiting room’s entrance came into view. Relief softened their expressions, but suddenly, Uraegwi stumbled with a strangled cry, falling to the ground. Not like a child tripping over, but at the worst possible moment, he’d stumbled over a loose stone.

 

Due to the weight of his tank guardian gear, Uraegwi’s movements were already sluggish, and now he struggled to get up. Lydian cursed herself for not casting a speed buff on him earlier.

 

As they nervously looked on, the mob swarm drew closer, their aggro entirely focused on them. Hern and Kenny shouted for Uraegwi, but he was frozen, teeth chattering as he shut his eyes.

 

“Uraegwi!”

 

Not fully understanding why, Lydian suddenly dashed toward him, her own thoughts a blur. Standing by his side, she immediately activated the Sacred Barrier.

 

It was a Saint’s invincibility protection spell.