“Section Chief Jung, you really shouldn’t take this case.”
“Do you think the press would just stand by?”
Section Chief Jung Hee-jae of Seoul Hospital’s Orthopedics Department traced the corner of his mouth, gazing at the screen displaying CT and MRI scans.
The General Affairs section chief, terrified by the hospital’s potential risks if the case failed, had tried to dissuade him, insisting it was too difficult.
‘Every media outlet is already fixated on this case.’
****
The patient was linked to a Healer, known by the public as the ‘Saintess’.
Kim Ha-yeon, a seven-year-old girl.
She had been admitted with multiple complex fractures, yet according to the initial accident site photos, it would not have been unusual for her to be declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.
This was an awakened ability that completely defied modern common sense.
Among these, those called Healers were considered anomalies.
Judging solely from the photos taken at the time, one could discern every symptom of external trauma: at least organ rupture, intra-abdominal hemorrhage, crush injuries, and various other wounds.
Yet, when Kim Ha-yeon arrived at the hospital after news of the accident, she was remarkably normal, save for her lower body.
‘Is this truly the power of a Healer…?’
Normally, their domain differed from that of doctors, so he never had the occasion to directly confront and feel their true capabilities.
Healers were dedicated to fellow Hunters, specifically high-ranked ones, while hospitals typically only saw civilians or low-ranked Hunters.
Regardless, a patient who had been treated by such a Healer arriving at the hospital was a highly sensitive matter for the institution.
At a time when public trust in doctors was gradually eroding.
If he could successfully complete the treatment that the Healer, dubbed the Saintess, had left unfinished, it would re-establish the standing of doctors.
****
‘But this is…’
Thirty years of living as a doctor.
He had encountered countless patient cases, but none where bones were shattered to this extent.
No, even if there had been, the declaration of death would have been swifter.
The X-rays, showing bones fragmented into hundreds of pieces as if deliberately crushed in a mortar, affirmed the grim reality no matter how many times he looked.
How on earth was he supposed to treat this?
Using metal plates, screws, and pins was impossible from the outset.
If he were to insert screws, even the remaining bone would crumble.
Furthermore, the surgery itself would require an incision extending from the patient’s groin all the way to their toes, making it highly probable that the patient would not survive the ordeal.
“Section Chief, it’s time for Kim Ha-yeon’s rounds.”
“…Let’s go.”
Numerous orthopedic surgeons followed in Jung Hee-jae’s wake.
This was a unique case in the world.
They had trailed after him like chicks following their mother, hoping to gain something, but Jung Hee-jae himself was at a loss.
‘Even I don’t know.’
He needed to stabilize the patient and allow her to regain strength before planning the surgery, making the path to the patient, who was undergoing isolated treatment in a separate annex, feel incredibly long.
****
“H-huh— Thank you… Oh God… Thank you…”
As he drew closer to the patient’s room, the sound of sobbing grew clearer.
Kim Ha-yeon’s guardian.
He had been hearing those cries since yesterday, but today, they sounded subtly different.
Yes, this was… joy.
It was the sound of uncontrollable, overflowing joy.
Wondering what on earth had happened, Jung Hee-jae quickened his pace and entered the room.
“Oh, it’s the doctor. Mom, the doctor’s here! Stop crying—”
“H-huh, you’ve… arrived. H-huh— Doctor, our Ha-yeon… the Saintess came… so she’s alright now, isn’t she…?”
“…This is…”
Kim Ha-yeon, who should have been lying almost asleep for days due to the IV drip laden with even narcotic painkillers, was standing.
Standing, of all things.
Next to her daughter, Kim Ha-yeon’s guardian was weeping uncontrollably, gently stroking her daughter’s fragile legs.
“Section Chief! What’s… Oh.”
Some who had followed him in late were startled by the scene inside the room, while many others who couldn’t enter murmured outside.
****
“…Haha, do you… believe in miracles?”
****
A plump face, as straight and streamlined as its body.
A visibly endearing, somewhat goofy expression (TL Note: ‘meongcheongmi’ refers to an endearing clumsiness or a charmingly foolish look).
Short limbs.
A round, flat tail.
“(ง˙∇˙)ว”
“Looks excited, doesn’t it…?”
Creation, Sea Otter (Spirit), completed. Creations 2/2.
The sea otter, which I had half-heartedly drawn as an experiment, was wiggling its body before me.
Why a sea otter?
Because they’re ridiculously cute.
And I couldn’t really think of any other water-related animals.
Fish felt a bit lame, maybe a dolphin or a whale?
But the sea otter’s ‘meongcheongmi’ (TL Note: An endearing clumsiness or a charmingly foolish look.)? How could I resist?
As an aside, I briefly considered an otter (TL Note: distinct from a sea otter, which is ‘haedal’ in Korean, while ‘sudal’ is a river otter), but the occasionally vicious appearance of Amazonian otters seemed likely to trigger PTSD, so I gave up on that idea.
In any case, my first spirit, and the first creation I actually put to good use, was indeed a spirit, just as I wished.
And it was naturally endowed with water attributes.
Why choose water attributes?
Well, because I already have one fire-attribute skill.
A single-attribute deck might sound romantic, but it’s not practical.
If I encountered an enemy immune to fire, I’d be helpless.
At first, the sea otter played around, suddenly creating water out of thin air.
Thanks to that, the floor flooded, and I had a hard time cleaning it up.
Fortunately, the creature understood me to some extent.
Apparently thrilled by its summoning, the sea otter thereafter scurried around the room, exploring everything chaotically.
I anxiously followed it, worried it might use water on the bed or computer, but after being told off once, it seemed to exercise restraint.
‘Should I make it a mini pool later?’
Still, it’s a sea otter; it can’t live without water.
Oh, there’s a bathtub in the bathroom.
I should tell it to use that as much as it wants.
“But I need to name it… Hmm, what would be good?”
After pondering various options, I ultimately decided to simply take the ‘dal’ from ‘haedal’ and call it Dal.
“From now on, your name is Dal. Got it, Dal?”
“ദ്ദി(៸៸›ᴗ‹៸ )”
“Looks like you like it. That’s a relief.”
Naming things is always so difficult, isn’t it?
The naming confirmation passed immediately, along with an enthusiastic thumbs-up (TL Note: ‘gae-chu’ is internet slang, short for ‘gaechujeon’, meaning ‘super recommendation’ or ‘enthusiastic thumbs-up’).
I picked up the excited Dal and went to the window.
To increase my abysmal mana capacity, the only way was still the Tower.
I needed to expand my mana capacity enough to at least protect myself, whether in the Tower or outside.
It was fortunate that the Cheonhwa Guild protected me; otherwise, collapsing randomly like this would put my life in grave danger.
****
“But now I have insurance. Ready, Dal?”
That very spirit was the one to fulfill my dream of automatic hunting.
“(૭ ο ◡ο )૭”
“Excellent, I love that confident look.”
I burst out laughing at Dal’s adorable gesture of raising its two little arms, then warped to the Tower.
The plain room I had returned to once again.
“Hmm… Should I put something in here?”
Since my phone was still there from last time, it seemed this space was allocated to me… If I was going to frequent the Tower, it felt alright to leave various things here.
For example, a sofa, or a video game console.
The lack of internet was a major drawback, but thankfully, there was the Tower Gallery (TL Note: ‘Tapgael’ refers to a community forum or ‘gallery’ dedicated to the Tower, similar to a subreddit or specific board on a larger forum.).
While I was thinking about it, I might as well check the gallery first.
****
[Is the government crazy? We should strike, shouldn’t we? +3]
[This mess is their fault from the start. +4]
[Damn, these trolls are so persistent, I’m pissed. +3]
[Government, what can you do if you don’t cooperate with the gates? +1]
I saw a lot of unfamiliar usernames…
What’s this, political drama (TL Note: ‘Jeongtteok’ is slang referring to political talk or controversy, often used dismissively.)?
It seemed they were roughly protesting government directives regarding gates, but a newbie who had just taken their first step into the Tower wouldn’t know anything about that.
[Title: Another newbie’s here!]
[Author: Pikkeosot]
[Looking for older sisters and brothers to tell me about the 3rd floor.]
[Spring Breeze Scattering: Ah, that kind of concept?]
[Ruinous Hunter: Are newbies even allowed to post?]
[One-Second Swordsaint: Hey, hey, stop.]
[Pikkeosot: ?]
[Ruinous Hunter: Where are these under-20th-floor scrubs doing gallery posts? We need to set some discipline, don’t we? Why isn’t there a mod (TL Note: ‘judak’ or ‘judaek’ is slang for a community manager or moderator, often used in online forums.) here?]
[Mint Chocolate Kimchi: Lololol.]
Doesn’t it smell like old farts (TL Note: ‘gaeteullak’ is a derogatory slang term for an old person, often implying stubbornness or being out of touch.) somewhere?
Since when did the average age of Hunters get so high?
[Pikkeosot: After all that climbing, all they do is control the gallery (TL Note: ‘gael-tongje’ means ‘gallery control’, referring to attempts to dictate or censor discussions in an online forum.), lololol. Why don’t they control a sunny plot for their graves too, lololol.]
[Ruinous Hunter: What did you say? Look at the way this B-rank-wannabe is talking. What guild are you in?]
[Spring Breeze Scattering: Doxxing (TL Note: ‘sinsangjosa’ means ‘personal information investigation’ or ‘doxxing’), lololol. Who’d dare post in this gallery now, lololol. Who are you?]
[Ruinous Hunter: Third parties, stay out.]
[Spring Breeze Scattering: Sigh, gallery control is indeed an A-rank thing (TL Note: ‘A-ttak’ is slang referring to someone who is A-rank, often used with a sarcastic or dismissive nuance.). So much effort put into gates, tower climbing, and gallery control.]
[One-Second Swordsaint: Tsk tsk, have some shame. But when did the newbie climb to the 3rd floor again? So diligent;;]
[Pikkeosot: Hi. Anything special on the 3rd floor?]
[One-Second Swordsaint: Just one more monster than the 2nd floor.]
One-Second Swordsaint, always reliable (TL Note: ‘Ilcho-rapper’ is a playful nickname combining ‘Ilcho’ (One-Second) with ‘rapper’, implying someone who quickly and efficiently provides information, similar to a rap.).
Thanks to his broad meddling, always poking his nose into this and that, I could easily get information.
If possible, I hoped Valhalla To Me and One-Second Swordsaint would always be active in the gallery.
That way, I could use them when needed.
“Three goblins… Nothing much, then.”
For now, I’ll try to clear it using only Dal.
I needed to see how it fought and how helpful it was in combat.
What would a water spirit’s combat style be like?
Would it shoot water cannons or trap them in bubbles to drown them?
If it was as strong as I hoped, I even imagined a sweet automatic hunting scenario where I wouldn’t have to lift a finger, and it would clear the floor by itself.
It might not meet my expectations, but if it looked truly dangerous, I could just shoot a fireball and help.
After scratching the belly of Dal, who was proudly floating on its back in the air, I entered the 3rd floor.
[Goblins annihilated. (Reward: Experience)]
The 3rd floor’s background was a canyon with a blocked rear.
It seemed I was supposed to enter the small forest ahead, so I cautiously moved forward, looking for goblins.
“Huh?”
As I slowly advanced, Dal picked up a large stone from the ground and clutched it protectively to its chest.
Oh, a sea otter, right?
Just as I felt like I should throw it a clam or something, the forest rustled violently, and the goblins’ shrieks echoed.
“Kerrr-lurk—”
“Kakkat! Kakkat!”
“Karak-kararak!”
“Kakkat!”
…That’s a lot of sounds, isn’t it?
There were already three goblins approaching from the forest, their eyes burning red.
But the forest behind them was still rustling violently.
Just as I was about to unleash Hellfire as a preemptive strike, sensing an ominous atmosphere.
“‾͟͟͞(((ꎤ′⁻ ′)—̳͟͞͞o”
Dal instantly shot forward, grabbing the head of the leading goblin with one hand.
Then, it slammed the goblin’s head *smack* against the stone it had been holding to its chest.
“…Dal?”
