chapter 15
chapter 15
The God of Medicine
It felt distant.
Was I still alive?
I couldn’t see anything.
I couldn’t feel anything.
It was as if my body had disappeared—
And only my consciousness floated in empty space.
Then—
A quiet voice.
“Can you hear me? I hope you can. I’ve fixed about half of it. Your arm was shattered, but that wasn’t even the real problem. Your stomach, small intestine, liver, large intestine… all ruptured.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“Honestly, if someone like you came into a normal hospital, we’d open you up… and then just close you back. If someone could fix this, they wouldn’t be human—they’d be a god of medicine. Which means… I’m about halfway there.”
He chuckled softly.
“I was always good at studying. Top of my class. Got into medical school easily. My parents were proud. My father bragged about me, my mother held her head high…”
A pause.
“…I hope they’re doing well.”
“Still… I did achieve my dream in a way. Became a doctor. And now I’m still alive like this. Half a god of medicine.”
Tearing sounds.
“Sorry. I’m rambling. It’s just… it’s been so long since I’ve talked to anyone.”
“You don’t feel pain, right? I shut down your entire nervous system. This isn’t something normal medicine can fix. I’m basically rebuilding your body.”
“…I don’t think you can hear me properly yet. But I’ve finished about 80%.”
“You’ll be confused later. You’ll remember everything clearly, even though you weren’t conscious. I used… a little trick.”
“…This hotel has existed for a very long time. Many challengers came. A few gained unimaginable glory… but most fell into hell.”
“I’m one of them.”
“In other words… I became an NPC.”
“At least I’m not a test subject.”
A pause.
“…I have one request. If you ever reach the Room of Resurrection… or meet the Buddha… please remember me.”
“My name is Kim Sang-hyun.”
“I’m useful. I can heal. I can think. I’ve survived here for a long time.”
“…Ah. It seems I can’t speak anymore. You’re waking up.”
“I hope you find glory.”
“And… please remember my name.”
Kim Sang-hyun.
＊
[User: Han Gain (Wisdom)
Day: 5
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 105 (Rest Room)
Sage’s Advice: 3]
I opened my eyes.
Day 5.
We went to the pool on Day 3.
So—
An entire day had passed while I was unconscious.
But—
Only one day?
I had been on the verge of death.
Yet—
No pain.
No scars.
No bandages.
Nothing.
His words came back to me.
“Half a god of medicine.”
Not an exaggeration.
Kim Sang-hyun.
I wouldn’t forget.
Room of Resurrection.
Buddha.
NPC.
None of it made sense.
But one thing was clear—
He saved me.
I checked the time.
7:40 AM.
Breakfast wasn’t over yet.
I headed to the dining hall.
“…!!!”
“You crazy bastard!”
“Oppa?!”
Everyone reacted instantly.
“You’re already up?! Go lie down!”
“Seriously, go rest!”
“I’m fine,” I said calmly.
Then—
To prove it—
I even did a handstand.
Their expressions changed.
“…How is that even possible?”
“I saw your arm… it was completely destroyed…”
“Tell me what happened after I passed out.”
They explained.
They carried me to Room 105.
Entered together.
And—
I disappeared.
For nearly two days.
Then—
This morning—
I suddenly reappeared.
So—
Kim Sang-hyun treated me for around 40 hours.
I told them everything I heard.
About him.
About resurrection.
About Buddha.
About NPCs.
“Strange… but everything here is strange anyway,” Jincheol said.
“Resurrection… is that even possible?” Elena asked.
“You’ve already seen something similar,” Eun-sol replied.
“…True.”
“Just remember the name,” Jincheol added. “Kim Sang-hyun.”
Then—
Seungyeop spoke.
“The hotel guide updated.”
“What?”
A new message appeared:
“/Welcome to Hotel Pioneer.
The hotel always loves its guests.
Elevators are broken.
Privacy is guaranteed—please attend meals.
Rooms may contain unclean ‘guests.’ Enter together. Even if only one returns, all will survive.
When guests seem bored, special events will increase./”
“…So if we rest too much,” I said, “they’ll throw more monsters at us.”
“Exactly,” Eun-sol said.
“And the pattern matches,” I added. “Monsters appeared on Day 1 and Day 3—days we didn’t enter a cursed room.”
“And Day 4 was quiet because you were dying,” Jincheol said.
“…So now that I’m fine—”
“We move again,” Eun-sol finished.
I checked my status.
[Floor Info]
101 (Cursed Room – Bizarre Family)
102 (???)
103 (???)
104 (???)
105 (Rest Room)
106 (???)
107 (???)
“Sage’s Advice: 3”
“Next is Room 102,” Eun-sol said.
I checked my body again.
Perfect.
Better than before.
“…I’m ready.”
“Then we go after eating,” Jincheol said.
Room 102.
Hopefully—
Less hell than Room 101.