I felt John’s hand fall heavily on my shoulder, stopping . He shook his head, clearly warning this was a bad idea, but I brushed him off, insulted. My pride as a doctor was being trampled here. I didn’t spend years studying, saving more lives than any of them ever could, just to be looked down on.
Behind , the old woman let out a strange, excited giggle and slipped inside after .
"Please, close the door," I said in a gentle yet commanding tone. She obeyed, slamming it shut right in John’s face as he tried to follow. Her lips curled into a smile.
"Take a seat, senior," I gestured toward the chair, sitting opposite her at the table.
She glanced around, eyes sharp, inspecting every corner of the room before speaking.
"Thank you, young blood."
"Doctor Beatrice," I corrected her, my voice firm, laced with annoyance. I had to assert myself now, or this witch would trample at every step.
Her eyes narrowed, displeased, but she sat down nonetheless, struggling as her bad leg made even that motion look painful.
Instantly, I saw the signs.
Swollen calf. Discolored skin tinged purple. That mottled look spoke volus. I needed to inspect more closely, but her skirt made it hard to see. For now, I’d let her talk.
"So, what exactly brings you here, Miss... Mrs... Diana?" I asked, nodding toward her leg.
"Ohohoho. I’m widowed, dear." Her laughter rasped through the room, eerie, like the witches in those old movies. Her whole presence carried that sa stereotype, only darker.
"Doctor Beatrice, my bones are no longer young, and my leg... ohhh, my leg. It throbs day and night, tornting for years. And since our so-called saint can’t be bothered to treat , I’ve no choice but to ask you."
"I see... may I inspect it by hand?" I asked.
"Ohohoho... but of course, dear. Anything you want." Her tone made stiffen. I’d have to be on guard.
"Please lift your skirt," I said calmly, kneeling before her.
Up close, the sight was worse than expected. My fingers pressed gently against her skin; purple and blue veins bulged like rivers beneath the surface. When I pressed down, the indentation lingered far too long. Edema. Poor circulation. Could it be a clot? I wondered.
Inspect! I shouted in my mind. The system screen flared to life.
[Main Condition: Severe Circulatory Blockage; Multiple Blood Clots detected in the lower limb]
[Secondary Condition: Tissue Oxygenation Critically Low; Risk of necrosis if untreated]
The system cleared away every question I had. For a mont, it almost felt like all those years of studying had been a waste. If I’d had sothing like this in my past world, I could have saved countless more lives. But I regret nothing. In this world, I’ll make sure there isn’t a single person I cannot save.
I deliberately took a little longer examining her leg, asking simple questions about her dical history. She gave vague answers, clearly caught off guard. I suppose dicine here isn’t nearly as advanced. My thods alone might seem strange enough to surprise everyone else.
A {Blood Cleanse} should do it.I hope, at least.Without proper dication, I wouldn’t be able to save her, but... this is a different world. I don’t need to hold back here, do I? Magic exists everywhere. Using so won’t raise suspicion.
I activated the ability, a wave of dizziness brushing over . Only then did I notice the cost: five mana drained from my body.
Crimson light wrapped around her swollen leg, pulsing faintly. And then, like a miracle, the purple and blue veins began to fade, color returning to sothing closer to healthy. The blood grew richer, more crimson, carrying oxygen with renewed strength.
But sothing felt off. I might have overdone it. I still didn’t know how strong this skill truly was. Her blood now didn’t just flow better, no, it almost looked too fresh, too vigorous. As if this ability didn’t only cleanse the blood... but also restored it, revitalizing the very plasma itself.
[Treatnt Successful; Reward: { 5 Skill Points}, {10 System Store Coins}]
The system flashed before my eyes, but I ignored it, too dazzled by how fast the leg was recovering. Sothing like this would never be possible in my old world. I felt like a kid again, excited, maybe a little too much.
"God gracious... the pain... it’s gone?" The old woman’s voice carried a new vigor. She pushed aside and shot to her feet, stomping in place like soone desperate for a bathroom. The look on her face was priceless.
I guess the pain had been so unbearable that when it finally vanished, she couldn’t hold back her joy. I found myself smiling at the sight.
And it also reminded why I had beco a doctor in the first place. That look... it was all it took to make addicted to saving more.
I cleared my throat, forcing her attention back, while leaning on the desk to steady myself. The dizziness still clung stubbornly to .
She didn’t pay any attention, and that left a sour taste in my mouth. My vision began to blur, shadows seeping at the edges.
"Kill her..." A soft whisper slid into my ears, intoxicating, soothing, almost hypnotic. Sothing was terribly wrong. And that scared to death.
No... I fought against it, grinding my teeth.
"She looked down on you. She didn’t even thank you. Kill her... make her suffer... Beatrice..."
The voice ca again, from every direction at once, until the world itself swirled in crimson. I knew that voice. It wasn’t mine. It was... Lysandra’s.
Get out! Leave alone! I scread in my head, fighting with everything I had to resist the temptation laced into her words. But she was my master, even if I wish she were not. I didn’t know why she had dropped near the forest when she carried away, but now it was clear, she had been tracking , watching, toying with , just as she did with so many others in the book.
"Kill..."
No!
"KILL!"
"NOOOO!" My shriek tore from my throat as sothing inside my head cracked—BOOM—a high-pitched explosion rattled my skull.
The world snapped back to normal, but agony clawed through . My eyes burned, turning crimson, and black patches floated across my vision.
I knew exactly what it ant.
And I knew... I was likely going to die soon.
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