Doctor Player

Chapter 5

I have no choice. I can’t gamble with the patients’ health so I can take the easy way out. I just need to take strength from picturing all the money and fame I’ll earn down the line. Raymond thought about all the things on his bucket list as he diligently cleaned. Time passed quickly when he was lost in such happy thoughts.

He polished the floor until it shone, massaging his waist with a deep sigh when he was done. Ah, I’m wiped. When I make it, I’ll definitely hire a dedicated cleaner for my infirmary. The rigorous cleaning had left him sore all over.

Would it be less tiring if I increased my health stat? Just as he was pondering this, a message appeared with a ding.

[You cleaned the almshouse thoroughly.]

[Achievement <Hygiene Improvement> complete.]

[10 skill points gained!]

[Bonus points awarded for excellence.]

[10 skill points gained!]

[Bonus level up!]

[Your level increases to 5!]

[Perk awarded! You can now clean slightly better!]

He’d leveled up! He’d also earned a perk, although he wasn’t particularly thrilled about being a better cleaner now. But the good news didn’t end there.

[You have earned 40 skill points!]

[You can now purchase skills from the market!]

The ability to purchase skills was a fantastic new feature. He could finally use his points to learn new skills! Which one should I choose first?

[You can buy both general and attribute skills.]

[First-purchase perk awarded!]

[One unique-rank skill available for 40 points.]

Just as promised, an astonishing list of skills appeared before him.

[Skills Available for Special Purchase]

<Ironman’s Stamina> (Unique)

<Surgeon’s Finesse> (Unique)

<Sage’s Eye> (Unique)

There were no detailed explanations given, but Raymond could make a rough guess as to what they did just based on their names. So they each help with health, attunement, and intelligence. They were all essential skills for treating patients. He wished he could take them all, but unfortunately, a warning message popped up.

[Caution: Be sure to choose carefully! Perks are rare opportunities.]

Raymond swallowed hard. These were skills of “unique” rank, which must mean that they were very high up on the ladder of skill rankings. He didn’t know when he would get another chance to buy one, so he needed to choose the most critically important of the three. What should I do?

Night crept up on the almshouse as he turned the options over and over in his mind.

***

When Raymond was contemplating which unique skill to pick from the list, a dark cloud was looming over the almshouse: a patient had just been wheeled in coughing up blood.

This patient was in critical condition, unable to be saved without the aid of tremendous healing power.

***

“Damn, we’ve got a patient with hematemesis! Use healing now!”

“Quick!”

The almshouse descended into chaos at the sudden arrival of the emergency patient. Hanson, the apprentice on duty, desperately used his healing ability to no effect. “Oh no!”

Beside him, Raymond’s expression tightened. This is a severe case of hematemesis. To treat with healing, we’ll need at least grade-A healing!

Healing wasn’t a miracle that closed wounds with a single touch, but a power that boosted vitality. This made it less useful in cases of acute bleeding, since if blood was pouring from ruptured vessels, boosting vitality wouldn’t help to stem the bleeding. Of course, it would speed up the rate of coagulation, so it wasn’t entirely ineffective, but it was so inefficient that bleeding this severe might even require grade-A healing.

Grade-A healing? Where could we find a healer like that right this moment? That level of healing required top-tier healers. Bellund hardly even had any grade-B healers, and Bucks, the director of the infirmary, was the only one with grade-A healing power.

Medicine... could treat this patient, but... He swallowed hard once more. There did exist a way to save the patient—medicine. Raymond’s amazing new ability could cure him for sure. According to my knowledge from <Surgery>, there’s an operation that could fix this. But the problem was that Raymond didn’t have the skills to perform that kind of surgery yet. Unless I somehow level up to Skilled Resident at minimum, it’s beyond me right now.

Hematemesis surgery wasn’t a difficult procedure, and even a resident could perform it. The problem was that Raymond was still only at the level of Novice Resident, the lowest rank among surgical residents. It was out of the question. What should I do?

At that moment, Lance came down from his office. “A patient with hematemesis?”

“Yes, Master Lance. But Director Bucks is currently away treating a noble in the countryside...”

Lance frowned at the sight of the patient coughing up blood. He’d realized the gravity of the situation as well. “It can’t be helped. There’s nothing we can do, so send him away.”

Raymond was shocked by this response. Send him away? If they did that, this patient would die. “Shouldn’t we at least try healing?”

“Healing? Look at all the blood he’s spitting up. This is beyond even healing now.”

“But...”

Of course, Raymond knew that grade-A healing was needed. But to just give up on the patient without even trying?

“But maybe he’ll get better...”

“Senior Raymond,” Lance cut him off coldly. “Are you trying to lecture me right now? You dare? You, the pathetic failure who hasn’t graduated from his apprenticeship even after five years?”

Raymond shrank from Lance’s snarling despite himself.

“If you’re so worried for this patient, why don’t you treat him yourself? Hmm?”

Raymond clenched his fists. He wasn’t skilled enough to step in. What should I do?

In fact, it wasn’t really a matter that was up for debate. If even the master healer of the infirmary had given up, what could an apprentice like him hope to do? If he took the initiative, his chances of failure were high, and if something were to go wrong, he was sure to be left with the blame. He might even end up losing his apprentice status.

Lose my apprenticeship? Hell no! After I’ve held on for so long? It’s wiser for me to just stay put. If he butted in without knowing his place and ended up expelled from his apprenticeship, it would all be over for him. So he had to step back for now.

This isn’t cowardice. Jumping in would do nothing to save the patient anyway… He gnawed anxiously at his lip as the patient’s blood-soaked face caught his eye. If no one stepped up, that patient would die. Damn it!

At that moment, a message popped up before his eyes.

[Surprise Quest!]

<Become a Passionate Healer!>

[Medical Quest]

Rank: One and a Half Scalpels

Difficulty: High

Clear Conditions: Save a patient beyond your skill level through pure strength of will.

Reward: Bonus level-up x2, 30 skill points

Many thoughts swam through his mind. In terms of self-interest, it would undoubtedly be best to do nothing. So he’d thought, but... Is it right to just stand by while a patient is dying? Even if my future is on the line? Damn it! I don’t know what to do! He clenched his eyes shut, cursing to himself.

[<Heart of Steel> skill activated!]

[You gain an iron will and steadfast courage.]

Hearing this message, Raymond took action. “Can I really treat him?”

Lance’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What… did you just say?”

“If you’ll allow me, I will try treating this patient.”

Everyone gaped at Raymond, stunned. He himself couldn’t even really believe what he’d just said. Ahhh! Have I lost my mind?! This is a hematemesis patient! Damn it! There’s no way I can treat him! His heart was racing. Should he take his words back? But I can’t just stand by and watch a patient die in front of me!

Again, he didn’t have any sort of grand sense of duty driving him onward. He’d only chosen the path of a healer for the sake of success, so one might call him selfish.

—I solemnly pledge to dedicate my life to the service of humanity.

Even so, no matter how self-interested he was… Just as this line from <General Medicine> said, as a healer, he at the very least had a duty not to abandon a patient dying in front of him.

“Ha, you seem to have lost your mind. Go ahead, do as you wish!” Lance chuckled sarcastically, then growled, “Just remember this. If your foolish meddling leads to things going wrong, you’ll be held responsible for the results.”

Raymond’s heart sank at this threat, but he’d already reached the point of no return. He nodded stiffly and replied, “Understood. Then I’ll proceed to the treatment right away.”

***

Lance entrusted the patient to Raymond and quickly disappeared with the other healers, leaving behind only a mocking comment: “May that great stroke of luck find you once again.”

Can I really do this? Raymond looked gravely at the patient. At this point, it wasn’t about whether he could or couldn’t—all he could do now was his best.

Just then, an unexpected voice called out to him. “S-Senior Raymond, is there anything I can help you with?”

It was Hanson! Raymond stared at him in surprise.

“W-well, I... I don’t want to see this patient die either.” Hanson blushed, trailing off with embarrassment.

Raymond was relieved. Performing the surgery alone would have been impossible, but now he had an assistant. “Thanks. Then can you get some things ready for me?”

“Yes, I will. But how are we going to treat the patient?” Hanson asked with concern. “Our healing skills won’t be enough to save him.”

“We’re going to save him in a different way, not healing.”

“What? A different way that isn’t healing?” Hanson repeated in shock, as if he’d never even considered that treatment methods other than healing might exist. That was only natural, since healing was considered the end-all and be-all of treatment.

How should I put this? Raymond mulled it over, finding himself short on words. “I’m going to cure the patient using a secret art passed down in ancient times.”

He continued, “It’s an ability ancient healers called... medical science.”