Acupuncture (2)

At the Medical Technology Exchange, one could learn skills like Medicine, Acupuncture, or First Aid—skills that those without divine power could use to treat people, unlike holy magic such as Heal which relied on divine power. Naturally, they were less effective than holy magic. However, they had the advantage of being usable even if one lacked divine power, and above all, they could produce a greater effect than magic when the target was in a state where divine power could not reach them.

Thus, I visited the infirmary to join the Medical Technology Exchange. Yuri, who had kindly guided me by offering to show me the way to the infirmary, had headed off to her own club, while Eisel vanished somewhere the moment class ended. It was very typical of Eisel.

Knock, knock. I knocked politely on the infirmary door.

"Come in~"

With her permission granted, I opened the door and stepped inside.

"Where are you hurt...?" She started to ask, but trailed off as she looked at my face. Her eyes drifted upward for a moment, as if searching her memory. Once she recalled, she clapped her hands together and spoke with a bright expression. "Ah! You're that blind student, aren't you?"

"'That blind student'?" I asked as I stepped further into the room. The infirmary felt like a standard school clinic. There were a few beds for patients to lie on, and her desk as the medical officer. Perhaps because it was the beginning of the semester, there were no other patients, leaving just the two of us in the room.

"I heard about you from Reina. She and I have been drinking buddies for ages. She told me there's a blind freshman who managed to pull off a Dispel with a sword... From the way she talked, it sounded like she took quite a liking to you."

"Ah."

"That bracelet of yours—Reina treasures that thing dearly."

"...I see." I already knew it was a bracelet Reina cherished. Since it was Epic-grade, it was only natural. No matter how much of a reward it was, lending it out in the first place was rather unusual.

She stood up from her chair, tracing her finger along the desk as she asked, "So? Our blind gentleman here seems to navigate the paths just fine on his own, and you don't look hurt either. What brings you here?"

"I would like to join your club. The Medical Technology Exchange." Her eyes widened in surprise at my answer. Was the Medical Technology Exchange set to be unpopular in the game? After a brief silence, she spoke.

"...I'm Priscilla."

"I am Zeto."

"Right. Zeto... Zeto..." Priscilla narrowed her eyes slightly, repeating my name. "May I ask why you want to join the exchange?"

"There is a skill I wish to learn."

"What kind of skill?"

"You teach acupuncture, correct?"

"I do teach it, but... acupuncture? How unique. No one has ever joined just to learn acupuncture... though we barely have any members to begin with." Priscilla nodded and sat back down. Unusually, despite possessing divine power, Priscilla also had extensive knowledge of other medical techniques. That was precisely why she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠served as the academy's medical officer.

"Interesting. Very interesting," Priscilla said, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at me.

"As you can see, I have trouble with my sight. Will it be difficult for you to teach me?"

"Not at all. Didn't you know that the person who first created acupuncture was a blind man from the East? By the way, are you from the East too? Since your hair is black."

"I am not entirely sure of my birthplace... My master took me in when I was young, and I never thought to ask where that was."

"Heh... A master, huh." Priscilla seemed to take a liking to me, gesturing for me to sit on the bed next to her desk. After that, she had plenty of questions. How I managed to walk so well, who taught me swordsmanship—the usual questions I had answered countless times before. But since she was a medical officer, I chose my words carefully. She nodded in understanding when I explained my Ki Sense. I was glad it went smoothly.

Ultimately, Priscilla believed me. It didn't seem like she doubted me in the first place; it was purely out of curiosity. Then again, from anyone else's perspective, it would be difficult to even jump to the conclusion that someone wearing a blindfold could actually see. There was no reason to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠suspect such a thing anyway. She didn't even go as far as asking to see my eyes. She mentioned that the causes of blindness were so diverse that she wouldn't be able to tell even if she examined them. She added that once eyes were completely blind, not even the famous Saintess could restore them.

"Hmm... A blind man wanting to learn acupuncture... Since you're blind, I suppose patients receiving acupuncture from you won't feel as self-conscious, which is a plus." Priscilla stopped her questioning and wrapped up the conversation. Soon, she smiled brightly and said, "I like you."

With those words, she stood up and suddenly locked the infirmary door. Click.

"Ah...? What are you doing?" I asked, startled by her sudden action.

"Didn't you say you wanted to learn acupuncture? You have to learn the pressure points first."

"Pressure points... I heard the door lock. Do we need to lock the door to learn that? And we are starting right here, right now?" A barrage of questions poured out of me. I knew Priscilla was a woman of action, but her behavior was highly questionable.

"Why? Are you busy? Since you're blind, you'll have to feel the pressure points directly to know where they are. But we can't exactly practice acupuncture over clothes, can we?" Priscilla said as she began to undress. Layer by layer, the clothes concealing her skin were shed. Rustle. Soon, even her skirt slid down.

"..." Her alluring figure, clad in nothing but her underwear, was fully revealed. Dressed only in her undergarments, Priscilla slowly approached and lay down on the bed where I was sitting.

"Is it alright if we just touch each spot once and move on quickly? You did say you have a good memory when it comes to physical sensations."

"Yes. Once is more than enough."

Upon hearing my reply, she took my hand and placed it on her stomach. In the game, acquiring a skill usually just involved waiting a bit until a message like 'You have acquired a skill!' popped up. Since I was learning it in person now, the process obviously couldn't be skipped. But thinking about it, this did seem like the easiest way to teach acupuncture to a blind person.

Guided by her hand holding mine, my fingers gently brushed against her soft skin. Eventually, my hand came to a stop.

"Here. This is the pressure point related to mana. Just like this, slightly to the right of the navel. It's called the Mana Point. And if you go a little higher..."

Priscilla was teaching diligently without a single change in her expression. The playful woman from earlier was gone, replaced by an incredibly serious Priscilla. Even if I was supposedly blind, I was still very much a 'man.' She could have felt at least a little embarrassed, but she was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠entirely professional. Since she was teaching a life-saving technique, she seemed to be the type who didn't let personal feelings interfere with important matters.

...The problem was that I couldn't focus at all due to the highly stimulating sight before me. Let's just acquire the skill. I just needed to acquire it. Since I had received rewards automatically even when I didn't pay attention in Edward's class, I hoped acquiring this skill would work the same way.

Priscilla's hand continued to guide mine, moving along her body. Due to my Great Senses, my sense of touch was overly sensitive, making the texture of her skin feel incredibly smooth and soft.

"Zeto. Are you paying attention?"

"...Ah, yes."

"It's hard for me to reach your hand to my back. Why don't you move it yourself? I'll help you find the spots."

Priscilla said as she flipped over to lie face down on the bed, promptly unfastening the strap of her brassiere.

"Go ahead, start." She urged me, and I placed my hand on her back.

"A little higher from there." Following her guidance, my hand slid upward along her back.

"Stop. A bit lower. Yes, right there. That is the pressure point effective for someone paralyzed by poison or the like. The Paralysis Point." Priscilla continued her explanation of the pressure points.

This acupuncture was different from the one I knew in the modern world. I wasn't an expert on real-world pressure points, but the locations here seemed entirely different. In the game, acupuncture was effective at clearing status ailments. Status ailments referred to negative conditions like stun, paralysis, and so on. Rather than restoring health, it was used on allies to cleanse their debuffs. It lacked the dramatic effects of holy magic, and using it mid-combat took quite a bit of time, making it a skill that was merely nice to have.

I went on to learn the pressure points for waking someone from a stun, drawing out poison, and more. Only after I had touched almost every accessible part of her body did the lesson on pressure points finally come to an end. Priscilla was now putting her clothes back on.

"Do you remember them all?" Watching her dress while sitting on the bed left me with a bizarre sensation. When I didn't answer right away, she approached and tapped a spot on my back. "Here."

"...The Paralysis Point." Fortunately, it was one of the spots I actually remembered.

She let out a soft "Hmm," stopped testing me, and sat back down in her chair. "That's it for today. I need to head home soon too. Is tomorrow the weekend? Can you come here tomorrow?" Priscilla asked, spinning her pen. Weekends were precious, but this was all for the sake of the 500 gold and the Yodo.

"I have time," I replied to Priscilla, standing up from the bed. I hadn't acquired the skill yet. It seemed I would have to learn how to handle the needles themselves before the acquisition was complete.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow morning. It'll take some time, so maybe we can grab lunch together."

"Yes. Thank you. Ah, right. What about my club registration?"

"Oh, silly me." Priscilla rummaged through her papers and found the registration form. But looking at the blindfold covering my eyes, she picked up a pen herself. "I'll fill this out for you. That works, right?"

"Yes, thank you. I apologize for causing you so much trouble."

"Don't say that. You haven't done anything wrong. There's absolutely no need for you to live your life walking on eggshells."

I offered a bitter smile at Priscilla's warm words, gave a polite bow, and left the infirmary. Hearing things like that always makes me feel a bit guilty.

The next day, I visited the infirmary first thing in the morning to learn how to handle the needles from Priscilla. After explaining the different types of needles, Priscilla handed me several pieces of boar hide and a bundle of needles. She told me to practice inserting them into the hide, as its texture was similar to human skin. She mentioned that after being used a couple of times, the needles would lose their sharpness and fail to penetrate the skin smoothly.

Since I could focus much better than yesterday, I kept my status window open and repeatedly inserted the needles, waiting for the skill acquisition notification to appear. And finally...

Along with the notification that the skill had been acquired, I successfully learned Acupuncture. The moment the skill level appeared on my status window, knowledge of pressure points and the techniques of needle insertion flooded my brain, settling naturally into my mind. I was momentarily ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠startled by the sudden, sharp throb in my head.

"Oh. You're getting pretty good at this now, aren't you?" Priscilla, who had been watching me insert the needles from beside me, praised me.

My initial preparations were complete.