Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Experienced Professional (2)
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#004_Experienced Professional (2)
#013
1.
Doctors are an ultra-rare commodity in Necropolis.
Think about it—this city that reigns supreme above all others, is it structured to produce highly educated talent?
The real problem is even worse: the corrupt mega-corp Overnus Pharmaceuticals sweeps up what few doctors there are, hiring them all as researchers.
If you have enough money, you could hire one as your personal physician for checkups. But that luxury was out of reach for most citizens.
Supply that falls woefully short of demand.
Filling the gap are folk remedies, painkillers, and quack doctors.
Quacks.
The word alone doesn't inspire much confidence, but what choice was there?
Official service centers are always pricier than private ones anyway.
With Arbel collapsing half-dead at home just a week later, there was no time to scrape the money together.
“Sis, they say private shops have decent service these days. I got my car's bumper fixed at a private center, no issues.”
I hoisted Arbel, wrapped in a blanket, onto my back and stepped into C Sector.
The moment I did, the smells hit me: oil, spices, and the sickly sweet scent of opium.
C Sector stood out even in this city for its heavy Chinese vibe.
Overnus Pharmaceuticals held massive sway here, and the three families dominating Overnus were steeped in Eastern flair.
Their symbols said it all: crimson dragon, black turtle, golden carp.
Red lanterns dangled everywhere, opium was the top seller, and the clatter of mahjong tiles echoed from all sides.
“Riichi! The game's on now!”
“Uahaha! Let's see... riichi, pinfu, dora... mankan! Uhah, uhahaha!”
“Argh! Fuck, I knew discarding that would screw me!”
Ah, I want to play mahjong too.
That satisfying snap of the tiles is killer.
“Hey, mister, if you're doing her, let me join. I'll pay... Grahk!”
“Where you looking?”
I smashed the noses of any creeps eyeing Arbel as I pushed forward.
My destination: C-19 Block's "Aquarium Street," where all the quack doctors set up shop.
Aquarium Street was noticeably cleaner than the rest of C Sector, greeted by thick iron doors lining both sides.
“What's with these bunker doors?”
Faint lights flickered over the bland iron surfaces.
"Tangping Chiropractic," "Artificial Circuit Clinic," "Incense Acupuncture," "Best Herb Shop"—signs for quacks in every field.
The vibe screamed, "Wake up from appendix surgery missing your corneas and kidneys as a freebie."
No way I was letting them touch Arbel.
Especially not a male doctor.
"Quack? Try Isis Clinic. Highly recommend."
"It's pricier than others, but when I sliced my wrist before, they fixed it clean."
"And best of all, the doc's a woman... and hot. Heh heh."
Akit had recommended one here somewhere.
"Isis, Isis, Isis...."
Found it. Isis Clinic.
*Thump thump thump*
"Customer! A customer!"
After knocking on the iron door a few times, footsteps approached, followed by a voice from the other side.
"Closed for the day."
"Emergency patient. On the brink of death."
Silence for a moment.
*Clank*
A peephole opened in the thick door.
A pair of deep green eyes with heavy lids peered through the grate.
"Show me the patient."
"Yep."
"My place is pricey."
"Brought plenty."
"Show me."
"Here."
I pulled back the hood on Arbel's head to show her condition, then jingled the pouch full of gold coins.
"Step back from the door."
*Clank*
*Clunk clank clank clank*
Locks unfastened one after another, and the door swung open.
"Come in."
After the simple verification, the interior looked less like a clinic and more like an antique shop crammed with junk.
Faint lighting carried a whiff of disinfectant—the only hint of medical use.
Still, this setup put it in Necropolis's top 1%.
The fixtures looked new despite the clutter, and the dim light gave it a cozy feel.
The quack doctor locked the door the moment I entered.
The instant she turned her back—
"Hello...?"
I bowed slightly in greeting.
Dark green curls, sleepy half-lidded eyes that seemed annoyed by everything.
A wrinkled white coat over a turtleneck sweater.
Intellectual yet decadent, the vibe was oddly sensual.
But what really drew my gaze wasn't the maternal swell under her sweater.
When recommending the quack, Akit had warned:
"Oh, and bro, just in case: never mess with Necropolis quacks."
"They've got their own guild. Touch one, and you get a kill order."
"The hitmen won't stop till you're dead."
But this woman wouldn't need any guild—she'd avoid trouble on her own.
That aura, that oppressive presence.
She was probably a mage.
Suddenly, nightmares from the last regression flashed back.
I'd been backstabbed by a mage named Ceres then too.
Why are these rare mages everywhere?
"Payment upfront. 20,000 Bios. Treatment and meds billed separately."
This feels ominous.
2.
She introduced herself as Isis and laid Arbel on the exam table.
The exam room matched no image of a "hospital" or "clinic" I'd ever had.
Around the table where Arbel lay, tanks were stacked like blocks, each filled with gawking goldfish or tropical fish.
As Isis poked and prodded Arbel, she spoke.
"A mage. 1st Rank too. Her mana circuits are wrecked. How'd this happen?"
Logically, Isis was low-risk as a wildcard.
What were the odds of coincidences piling up like this?
But after getting betrayed by a mage last time, showing Arbel to one felt off.
Should I find another skilled female doc now?
I hesitated, and Isis prodded with veiled irritation.
"Speak. I have a precept anyway: 'Never divulge patient info.'"
"Precept...?"
"Someone bringing a mage patient doesn't know precepts?"
"Ah."
I remembered.
Precepts—one of the "deals" 1st Rank+ mages could make with the world.
Mages bind themselves with taboos, rules, oaths.
The world grants power proportional to their weight... right?
"Don't trust me? Then leave."
Isis's face soured, annoyed.
"Hang on."
This was what it was for.
I'm not the type with spare potions after boss fights.
I slipped a hand into my coat, pulling the "Truth Coin Toss" from my inventory.
"Quack doctor Isis has a precept against divulging patient info."
I flipped the coin with my thumb.
Heads for TRUE, tails for FALSE.
*Ting!*
Snatched it into my palm and checked.
TRUE
[Isis Yojora's statement is true.]
[Truth Coin Toss remaining uses (2/3)]
Solid effect!
Pretty useful.
"Truth is, I'm the eldest son of the Montraven count family, and this is my sister. We got ambushed out of nowhere, and she got hurt in the chaos. And..."
I gave Isis a rough rundown.
Good opportunity.
With leaks off the table, I could probe for more info.
I still didn't know who attacked the mansion or why they were after me.
"Any guess who hit our family and why?"
"Montraven counts? First I've heard."
Our family really is total shit.
"Then... know a crazy woman in wooden clogs, katana, Eastern martial robes, and a flashy courtesan hat? Evidence points to her attacking the mansion."
Isis froze mid-poke on Arbel's body.
She stared at me with an unreadable blank expression.
Why that look?
Did I ask something off-limits?
"Won't answer that."
"I'll pay."
"Won't help, even for cash. Could break my precept."
"What do you mean?"
"The person you're asking about might've been my patient. Even if I don't realize it."
Ah, that's how it works?
Precepts have tight scopes.
"So... what happens if you break a precept?"
"......"
Isis raised her thumb.
"Why the thumbs-up all of a sudden...?"
Then pointed firmly at the door behind her.
Get out.
3.
A bit later.
"You can come in now."
Whatever she did, Arbel's complexion looked way better than before.
Though still unconscious.
"Put out the worst of it. Did a transfusion too. Left alone, she'd have died in three days."
Freaky.
Last regression, Arbel died just before day three.
Real skills.
"Now pay up."
Cigarette in mouth, she handed over a scribbled bill.
Behind the blood packs and drugs with unpronounceable names sat an unbelievable sum.
"Ugh, 200,000 Bios? This a rip-off?"
"Told you. Pricey. Includes a week's meds."
I had zero market knowledge.
Worse than used cars or PC parts—a true lemon market.
Trembling, I handed over the gold coins.
200,000 Bios for treatment, 20,000 for consult.
A week's blood-and-sweat savings—minus 10,000—gone in one go.
Was gonna play some mahjong with leftovers!
Nah, fine.
This was the point of earning it.
Charge healthy Arbel interest on every cent later.
"That cover it?"
"Just the urgent stuff. Root cause is untouched."
Bad sign.
"Crack in her mana circuits. Short-circuited, basically. Full cure needs reconstruction. Circuits are a mage's lifeline, like veins."
Isis rattled on with explanations.
I got half of it, but one thing was clear.
Arbel's condition now...
Like getting bit by a rattlesnake in America with no insurance.
Fucked!
"Be straight: this a scam?"
"Go elsewhere. Few around here can fix busted circuits proper. They'll all say the same. Big injuries like this need Universal Currency for full heal."
"No, Universal Currency isn't something alley mutts chew on...."
Arbel, you burden bitch.
Died ambiguously enough now even dumping her feels iffy.
Sigh. Time for the ace.
"How about this instead of treatment fees?"
I undid my shirt buttons with a serious face.
"Human experimentation? Fine by me."
"Changed my mind."
I buttoned up.
Isis tilted her head, then belatedly scowled.
"You weren't gonna wipe off that clown makeup and seduce me?"
"Wipe it, and I'm handsome."
"......"
Disgust flickered in Isis's eyes.
No dice.
"Full cure cost?"
"Lemme see... Bring one Universal Currency, surgery's 500,000. No Universal Currency? I prep it for 12.5 million Bios."
"Huh? Universal Currency's 10 million in Aden."
"Sure there. Good luck buying here for that. Doubt it."
Losing my mind.
Necropolis premium? Not even kimchi?
25% markup?
"And for maintenance, tune-ups weekly. Miss one, she dies."
"What?"
"Next visit, skip consult—200,000 flat."
"......"
"Meds every morning. Take her. Needs rest."
Practically shoved out before I could grovel.
Thick iron door slammed shut behind.
"Okay, recap."
Surgery: min 10.5 mil, max 12.5 mil Bios.
Pre-op: 200,000 weekly?
Vision blurred.
Barely resisted storming back to ask Isis, "You knew she was a half-dead mage?"
Without last regression's guilt from selling her out, I'd have dumped her there cheap.
"Arbel, how much forbidden service you planning for your lil bro to justify this price?"
"......"
No reply.
"Fine. Whatever, let's do it."
At current grind, scraping 200k-ish weekly.
Bare maintenance.
Likely endgame: burnout death or knifed by mutinous Akit/Arong.
Straight path useless.
One way out now.
Pull OP item from "Old World Mall," or snag a game-changing "Joker."
[Held Points: 132pt]
Gacha time.