EPISODE 17

In this moment of urgency, seeing him spout out something that seemed familiar from a book, Tillen concluded that this guy was undoubtedly someone who liked to show off, as his colleague had mentioned earlier.

Thinking that way, Tillen scolded Marcus, saying, "Be quiet. What does a freshman like you know to act so arrogantly?"

"Is that important? Can't you see that the Cohorde are gasping for breath?" Marcus replied with an angry expression.

"There was a Crocuta attack last night." shouted the driver who had descended from the carriage and transferred the cohordes.

"Crocuta?"

"Yes, it was a striped Crocuta."

"Damn it!"

With the mention of Crocuta, the atmosphere among the healers became even more frantic.

Crocuta is a monster that resembles a hyena and is known for its ferocity. Once it bites, it never lets go. Among them, the striped Crocuta weighing over 150kg has the strongest biting force.

This means that the condition of the cohordes who were fighting against them is not good.

"We administered emergency potions as quickly as possible... but please, the atmosphere among the cohorde members is intense right now."

While the driver was responding, someone shouted from behind, "The cohordes are gasping for breath. Their breathing is labored."

"What about Professor Schmidt? Is Healer Felin here?"

"Professor Schmidt is here."

"Before that, we need to secure the airway first. Hurry!"

Amidst the desperate conversation among the healers, Marcus shouted and ran somewhere.

---

In this wasteful moment, why am I just standing here?

I need to take some action!

Feeling frustrated, I rushed into the emergency room. I scanned the treatment table and preparation table, searching for instruments.

Where is the tracheostomy tube?

No matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find the tracheostomy tube.

"There must be something. Something suitable... I can't help it. I'll have to use this as a temporary solution."

I grabbed the pen on the table, emptied its contents, and left only the tube. Then I sprayed the alcohol-like disinfectant next to it until the tube was wet.

When treating Terry, I didn't know that there was a similar disinfectant here too. This was it.

Okay.

Holding the disinfected tube, I rushed back to the entrance.

The Cohordes were still lying motionless. Nothing had changed from when I left.

I immediately ran to the brown cohorde and examined the wound. As I suspected, the windpipe was torn.

"Damn it!"

Quickly, I inserted the tube into the torn windpipe and blew air into it.

"Hiiik!"

"That's insane!"

I could hear various voices, but the sound of the cohorde's breathing, "Hoo-hoo," was the loudest in my ears.

Thank goodness.

Finally, I let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey, what the hell is this crazy guy doing?"

"Can't you just take him away right now?"

People in white coats were in chaos. I turned my head towards them and shouted.

"Why are you just standing there? We need to save him! Hurry, take him away for emergency treatment...!"

Before I could finish my sentence, someone came running and grabbed me by the collar.

"You crazy bastard! Do you know what you're doing? We need the professor to treat these guys."

"If you want to die, go ahead. Don't make us all die."

"Ugh!"

Damn it! This time, someone punched me in the throat.

After I save these guys, you're all dead!

Still, it feels good seeing that guy breathe.

That's when it happened.

[You have performed an action that goes against criticism and become a role model for healers.]

[Reward: Achieved 'Brave Healer'.]

[Experience points +5.]

[Successfully treated Cocard and saved a life, mana accumulated: 3.]

Vigor: 18/50

Mana Accumulation: 8/∞

Phew, that's a lot.

I thought to myself and was about to lower my head when the golden text shimmered again.

[Reward for passing the Healing Tower entrance exam is given.]

Vigor: 33/50

[Alberburg entrance grants double experience points.]

Vigor: 53/50

...[Level up.]

Superhuman Stamina: 3/500

[Hidden reward for entrance granted: 'Persuasive Conversation Lv.1'.]

[With Persuasive Conversation, you can persuade others. As the level increases, the range of persuasion expands.]

"Huh!"

Experience points increased by a whopping 45 in an instant. And I leveled up too!

This alone is already an incredible reward, but Persuasive Conversation? Huh! Am I going to conquer the continent at this rate?

I clenched my teeth, suppressing the laughter that threatened to burst out from feeling like I won the lottery, but then I heard an angry voice from behind.

"What is this nonsense?"

"Professor!"

"You're here?"

The emergency room instantly fell silent.

Red eyes met mine.

"What have you been doing?"

"I secured the airway. Isn't that important? We need to treat these guys right away."

I don't know when, but the assistant bowed to the person called the professor.

"I'm sorry. He is a freshman who doesn't know anything. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

The professor passed by the assistant and approached the Cohordes.

"The black one has a broken rib. Check the lungs and heart. The brown one, hmm... the windpipe has been torn. Put them in the oxygen booth immediately. And this one, check his leg. He needs to take a strengthening potion for ligaments."

"...."

"Do something! Move quickly! As long as I'm here, there's no need to worry about the Cohordes hurting you. Got it?"

"Yes, understood."

Suddenly, the healers became busy.

"The black one, move to treatment room 1."

"The brown one, move to the balloon treatment room."

"The spotted one, to the bone and muscle potion room!"

So, were the healers unable to do anything because they were afraid of the Cohordes?

I watched the healers running around in confusion, pushing things aside, and the professor turned his gaze towards me.

"You."

"Yes."

"If this guy survives, it'll be thanks to you."

Ha! This professor seems to be crazy too.

The professor left after saying that. Judging from his actions, it seems like we don't have to worry about those Cohordes.

Applause and chaos filled the surroundings.

* * *

"Wow!"

"Hail Marcus Ulysses!"

"Marcus Ulysses, hurray!"

The atmosphere suddenly changed. The freshmen who were previously being scolded by the seniors for getting involved with the crazy guy seemed to have disappeared, and they were now cheering for Marcus.

"The rumors were true, as expected of a genius."

"He invented the Terry therapy at such a young age. They said it has an amazing effect."

"We tried it at our house. The horses that were lying down suddenly got up."

"Is that all? Marcus also made the Ulysses pills."

"What! That potion that was said to be effective for heart disease?"

"Yes."

"Wow! He's a real genius."

Marcus became the most popular person in the Healing Tower after this incident.

Regardless of their year or seniority, everyone gathered to talk about Marcus and enjoyed themselves.

However, not everyone was impressed by Marcus.

"Hmph, just a guy with a lot of pretense."

Decom twisted one corner of his mouth while sitting in the restaurant.

Decom, the second son of the prestigious healer family Torredo, was confident until he entered the Healing Tower.

Even though he was slightly overshadowed by the highly praised genius Rialli, he believed he was better than most healers.

Naturally, when he entered the Healing Tower, he had a plan.

To combine healing and treatment techniques and become a great figure. With that, he could gain recognition from his family.

To Decom, the Healing Tower was just a means to promote his reputation.

Healing Tower is a place where studying and practical experience go hand in hand. I am sure I will be able to stand out before graduation. I will graduate as the top student and enter the palace.

And then I will be recognized confidently by my family.

Decom didn't doubt for a second that he was the best among his classmates.

However, on the first day of the field trip, a fellow student named Marcus stood out and caught people's attention.

Decom thought it was his chance to point out the guy's arrogant behavior and show his own abilities to his classmates and instructors. But his actions only ended up making the guy shine even more.

"Let's see if you can still smile next week, punk."

Decom gritted his teeth as he watched Marcus, who was happily boasting in front of his classmates.

* * *

A day at the clinic began with a tour of the ward.

Of course, it wasn't just about looking with your eyes and being done. We had to clean up after the animals who were admitted in groups of 10.

After that, we followed senior healers and assisted with simple treatments. It was a great process to develop our skills in therapy.

"Oh, today they finished all their food without leaving any."

"I think this one vomited, Marcus!"

"Marcus, this one has diarrhea. What do we do?"

The problem was that there were hardly any people in my group who could handle the cleaning.

Well, they were probably the ones who left everything to the seniors.

"Wait. Let me feed this one and I'll be right back."

I am currently feeding a brown creature, which was brought in last week after being attacked by a Crocuta.

- Right, you're doing well.

I petted Stein, the brown creature's head.

- Stein, that's how you get stronger.

[Gurgle. I know. My throat hurts.]

Gurgle!

A noise came from Stein's throat.

-I know. So you have to eat harder. That way, you can join your comrades as soon as possible.

Stein looked at me and plunged his head into the bowl.

"Thank you. I'm really relieved these days because of you. It was hard with the Healers being so busy."

Cohorde healer, Felin, smiled happily.

"Just call me anytime."

"Hahaha, just hearing you say that gives me strength. You must come to our aid with all your might."

"If I can make it."

"You will definitely be able to come. No, the professor will expect that. It's rare to have a student who can handle a Cohorde after all. "

This was what frustrated me on the first day.

There were so many healers, yet they were all idle.

The reason was this.

There was an absolute shortage of Cohorde healers.

But now, things will change.

The reason is that Cohordes is kind to friends and allies.

- Stein, thank you for not revealing this to my classmates.

[I listen well to what my friend says.]

Perhaps from now on, there will be no more suffocating moments where Cohordes is desperately waiting for healers

"What? It's because Stein has been so patient with me. Well then, I'll go. Oh, and it seems like Longa can go for a walk today. He said he's not in pain anymore, and it looks like he's completely recovered."

As we made our way to where our classmates were gathered, I added another comment.

"That potion! Its effects were amazing, weren't they?"

"What a guy!"

Seeing Jordan raise the corner of his mouth, I rushed towards my classmates.

Jordan had fixed Longa's leg, which was injured, with a potion he had made.

The potion and mana infusion had restored the torn cruciate ligament.

"Potion-making is my top priority for course registration."

After the visit to the infirmary was over, I was already excited for the upcoming lecture.

"You can put the organic matter in this container. And throw away the rest. The same goes for any feces or urine."

I explained while putting the animal's feces and other samples into containers.

"Ugh! How can you... Marcus, you're really amazing."

"You have to be able to do this. There's so much information in here. Julie, take these to the analysis room."

"Okay."

Julie is the eldest daughter of the Curzwiel family, which is known for its recognition in potions.

Perhaps because of that, she has a considerable knowledge of herbs and potions.

I envy her for that.

After finishing the morning tasks, Professor Schmidt called us over.

"Thank you for following the apprenticeship so well. Finally, there's one more session left for the apprenticeship at the clinic."

Professor Schmidt looked around at us.

"Starting tomorrow, you will be directly assigned to the field. Of course, I don't expect much from all of you. I want you to have the courage to save lives and remain calm even in situations where blood is shed and monsters' roars echo. That's all!"

Finally, it's time for real practice.

When I returned to the dormitory, I saw Seigan humming while stuffing something into his bag.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm preparing to go to Dashta Mountain."

"How did you know?"

"There's a way to know everything."

"But your bag seems a bit heavy, doesn't it?"

"It is. I packed the minimum."

"Why?"

"I have to follow Master."

"I mean, why? I'm not going for fun. It's a class, remember?"

"That's just what they say. It's like a field trip. Since the freshmen have worked hard so far, the seniors are going to show them a few animal treatment procedures and have fun."

"Who's going?"

"The Healing Tower's Acolyte Club. They're probably all packing too."

"No, I mean, it's not like that. It's a real class. Field class. That's what the professor said."

[No way! Are you going alone to such a nice place? We're going too.]

-We?

I turned my gaze to Spica. She also seemed more energetic than usual.

[Hehehe.]

-You too?

[Yes, I want to go.]

-I already told you what's over there. The Crocuta guys are acting suspiciously and it's dangerous.

[Are those guys a problem? We have Roykan.]

Tinger gave a smug expression.

[Hehehe, Marcus. Tinger is actually worried about you and wants to protect you...]

[No need for protection. We're just going on a picnic in the mountains. Anyway, let that Seigan guy know to bring lots of delicious food!]

Tinger interrupted Bella.

"Oh, I don't know. Do whatever you guys want."

It seemed like this wasn't just happening in our room. As the day brightened and we gathered at the meeting point, everyone seemed to be in a picnic mood.

Except for one guy.

Decom Torredo. He's the guy who always picks fights with me.

The reason is simple. Because of the attention from classmates, seniors, and even professors, he doesn't like it.

Narrow-minded guy. Whenever he has the chance, he does whatever it takes to stand out.

Please, he should behave properly on-site.

* * *

Fortunately, nothing happened for two hours after entering the mountains.

A mountain deer, a creature that looked like a deer, got caught in a trap and senior students treated its injured leg, and that was all.

"We'll rest here for a moment. You can look around the area. Just don't go beyond that tree and the rock behind it!"

Assistant Tillen shouted.

"Is this just a simple picnic as Seigan said?"

Leaning against a tree, I looked around. I saw red and blue in the treetops. It was Tinger and Bella.

And although I couldn't see them, I could hear Roykan's voice. Surely Spica and Seigan were with him too.

"You guys said you were going to have fun, but do you have to circle around me?"

After resting for a while, we went back into the mountains. That's when it happened.

Crunch, crunch.

I could hear the sound of a pig's snout.

"A pig?"

Just as I was thinking why there would be a pig in the mountains...

[Hey, something big is happening. One of your group members is facing off against a Cormorant Hawk!]

Tinger shouted.

"Who is missing from this group right now? And what is a Cormorant Hawk?"

I asked Tillen, who was leading the way.

"Cormorant Hawk? Damn it! Who's missing right now?"

Tillen's voice became urgent.

"Decom, Decom Torredo is missing."

One of my classmates shouted.