Damned Healer-Chapter 80: The Debt (2)

Darian always carried in his memories a vivid, painful image he would never forget for the rest of his life.

It was of a beautiful, kind woman with an incredibly strong and determined gaze... but sometimes, her eyes would go distant and lonely... other times, she'd cry silently, missing someone deeply, when she thought she was alone.

Even though Darian could see the darkness in her past, she still held onto her kindness and purity.

She was his mother. But... that image of her — especially that last one — was something Darian avoided remembering at all costs.

It all happened on the day she never came home again.

A few days later, she was found... and then, the image of his once beautiful mother, now almost completely unrecognizable, appeared before him. It was the cruelest thing a son could ever witness, but he was forced to confirm it was her.

They found her in a forest near the house of the young man she worked for. There were clear signs of a brutal struggle, and the visible marks of the violence she suffered before dying were all over her disfigured body.

Was that young man even questioned? Of course not. It was like no one wanted to dig any deeper into the case.

Back then, Darian didn't understand much. But when he finally decided to act and started looking into the powerful people doing awful things in the city, he came across a memory — a conversation between that Young Master and someone else.

The guy laughed as he told how he tried to "discipline" one of his maids, but said she was like a furious lioness. She fought back with everything she had—was so stubborn that he lost control... and she died.

Darian never knew the guy's name. But from the disgusting way he described her, he knew exactly who he was talking about. It was his mother. That bastard was the one responsible for everything.

And now...

He was standing right there, in front of him...

"WAIT!"

As Darian's loud roar echoed out, everyone in the stands — even those on the central stage — turned to look at him.

Leander, noticing Darian and Zeal only now, narrowed his eyes immediately.

Raon scoffed: "Huh? Who the hell is this idiot?" He said exactly what everyone else — including Leander's team — was thinking.

"I'm this group's support," Darian said without a care. "Isn't this fight unfair without me?"

Leander replied coldly, "What? Darian, you're a rookie doing temporary training in our clan. Stay quiet—"

"Rookie or not, I'm already part of the group for the next mission. So that means I'm one of you." Darian didn't even look at him — his eyes were locked on Raon. "You guys are betting money, right? How about I bet what I've got?"

"Who brought this moron here? Why the hell would I want anything from a rookie?" Raon spat.

But Darian was already moving, making his way down from the stands toward the stage.

"Wait! They've already confirmed the deal," Zeal tried to stop him. But Raon's group just watched silently, finding it amusing.

Darian stopped at the edge of the barrier, pulled out his golden card, and channeled some of his ring's power into it. The card lit up, glowing with a dazzling, multicolored light.

Everyone froze.

Darian had seen this light before when he paid for his place in the city. Back then, Rhea had explained that the light was a way to show how much you had without displaying the exact number.

Once you passed 100 million, a color appeared. Each extra color meant another 100 million.

"Five... six... seven... WHAT THE HELL?! You've got 700 million?!" Raon shouted, shocked.

Darian snorted coldly. "Yeah. You're betting only a hundred, counting everything they have. That doesn't even reach 200 million. I alone bring in 700 million. So? You gonna let me join or not?"

No one said a word.

Even the judge stood frozen. That amount was absolutely insane — maybe only Raon's father could afford to throw that around easily. A rookie? They didn't want to believe it... but the card couldn't lie.

"That's the rookie Rhea talked about?" the red-haired woman from Leander's group asked seriously.

Leander nodded, still a bit stunned. He knew the guy had made a lot... but why the hell was he betting it all for no reason?

"Great, great. I accept." Raon's mocking voice echoed out. "My pride was already kinda hurt with this battle — wasn't exactly fair, I admit — but this clan's so arrogant thinking they can win. Anyway, you came at the perfect time. Come on down!"

He turned to the judge at the back, who just let out a heavy sigh.

"Wait, I didn't agree to this. Our bet has nothing to do with him," Leander finally spoke, then glared at Darian. "You idiot, get back here. You're just a temporary member who never even trained with us. This is a private matter for my group."

"Who cares? I wanna help," Darian replied dryly. "Whether you like it or not, I'm already in the group. Don't be so stubborn. I'm a support, and you're missing one, right? I might be a newbie who hasn't even trained with you guys yet, but I'll still be useful."

The three standing behind Leander looked thoughtful. They had heard of Darian before, knew he was a rare healer. The fact he hadn't trained with them didn't matter much if he just stayed back and got protected. His healing could easily be a game-changer in this fight.

"Since when does your clan care about those kinds of details? That dumbass... can't remember his name, but he was a newbie support, right? Joined less than a year ago?" Raon teased with a grin.

All of his opponents immediately glared at him with fury, like they'd been holding back for a long time and were finally at their limit.

Raon chuckled and waved a hand. "Alright, let's spice it up a bit. If my group loses, I'll give you back that egg that idiot was holding onto. My dad's got it now, but I'll bring it back to you myself."

The four of them stared at him coldly, fists clenched tight.

The three looked at Leander seriously. Just one look between them was enough—he understood exactly what they wanted. He was the leader and didn't want to drag Darian into this, but the will of the group outweighed his own.

"Darian," Leander said, turning to him. "I know this isn't fair to you. Even if we win, we can't properly repay you. But still, I'm asking for your help."

"I might be temporary, but I'm part of the group. There's no debt. I'm willing to fight—so let's go all the way." Darian answered, his red eyes glowing with a faint, bloody light.

Everyone stared at him and nodded without hesitation.

"I like the newbie. Name's Matteo, I'm the tank," said the pale, skinny man with a faint smile.

The red-haired woman drew her sword, her gaze sharp. "Call me Harper. I'm the fighter. After we beat the hell out of these bastards, let's get to know each other properly."

The pretty girl stepped forward a bit shyly. "Nice to meet you, I'm Veyle. I'm the mage. Thanks for helping."

They all introduced themselves quickly, and then Leander took a deep breath and turned to the judge, who was just watching.

"We accept him into the fight. If we lose, he'll hand over his points like the rest of us. But if they lose, Raon will return the S-rank egg to our group."

The judge nodded and looked at Raon, who said, "Fine by me."

"Everything's recorded. You've wasted enough time. Begin," the judge announced.

Darian stepped up to the barrier, which opened to let him through. He walked into the middle of a group he barely knew.

What were their blessings? How did they fight?

Only now did Darian stop to wonder about that. But his gaze was locked on Raon in the distance, his killing intent growing by the second.

None of that mattered.

All he could think about was how he was going to make that bastard pay.