The Labyrinth (5)
"Acupuncture... you've practiced it a lot, right?" Priscilla asked, tilting her head.
"Of course. Don't worry." I sent Priscilla a reassuring smile.
As I answered, her gaze drifted down to my waist. I suppose even she can sense it to some degree.
But Priscilla didn't dwell on it further. Treating the wounded came first right now.
This Medical Exchange quest, which was linked to the Lycanthrope episode, was a sort of benefit granted to those who chose the medical exchange option. Having learned acupuncture during the exchange, my job was simply to clear the 'Confusion' status effect afflicting the cadets.
I followed Priscilla into the infirmary.
"It seems there was some kind of venom on the monster's claws. The injured cadets are suffering from confusion."
As Priscilla explained, groans of pain echoed from the cadets.
"Ugh... Ahhh..."
I saw the wounded writhing on their beds.
"Well, because of that, it's difficult to cast Heal on them. I could apply the needles myself or use Divine Clear, but that would take too long. So, Zeto... do you remember the location of the 'Confusion Pressure Point'?"
"...It's this spot on the left wrist." I replied, pointing to the pressure point on my own arm.
"Correct. But since they're thrashing around so much from the confusion, it won't be easy to insert the needles. If you think it's too difficult, tell me now." Priscilla asked.
In the game, if your Acupuncture skill wasn't at least level 2 at this point, you had no choice but to select the option saying you couldn't do it. But my Acupuncture was already level 3, and I was confident I could treat them.
Nodding to Priscilla, I set my backpack down in a corner of the infirmary and said, "I can do it."
And so, my role was to clear the 'Confusion' with acupuncture before Priscilla cast her healing magic. It was really just a way to save some time, though.
"Ugh..." Sitting beside Priscilla, I grabbed the left arm of a violently thrashing cadet. I had to wait for the moment his strength faltered. In the game, this had been a rhythm-game-like mini-game.
At that moment, I felt his left arm go limp as his strength ebbed. In a flash, I drove the needle into the precise spot.
A few seconds passed. Soon, the cadet's grimacing face relaxed, and his violent thrashing subsided.
"Hmm. Your skills have improved quite a bit...?" Priscilla, who was casting Heal on the cadet I had just treated, offered praise mixed with curiosity.
"Ahaha... I've been practicing a lot." I scratched my head and moved on to the next cadet. Priscilla gave me a sidelong glance before refocusing on her healing magic.
[This Lady's disciple is indeed full of talents. Acupuncture, is it...] Meanwhile, Sierra floated beside me, watching my acupuncture with an intrigued expression.
After that, it was a repetitive process. Grab the cadet's arm, wait for their strength to ebb, and insert the needle. I could feel fatigue creeping into my body. Having spent thirty hours in the Labyrinth, I definitely needed some rest.
Just a little more. As I steadily cleared the 'Confusion' from the injured cadets, Priscilla's healing process sped up significantly.
"These are the last of the injured!" Butler, the senior cadet who had brought me here, entered the infirmary while supporting a wounded student. Behind him was Yuri.
"Oh, Zeto?!" Yuri cried out upon spotting me. She was also supporting an injured cadet.
"Haha, we meet again." But Yuri and I had no time for a leisurely chat. Following Priscilla's instructions, Butler moved the wounded cadets to their beds and began checking their bleeding. Yuri stepped back out of the infirmary and joined the crowd of cadets watching the situation from a distance.
After some time, the urgent cases inside the infirmary were fully treated. The rest was left to Butler and Priscilla. It seemed Butler could also use a bit of Heal.
Looking outside the infirmary, cadets with minor injuries were leaning against the wall. They were mostly conscious. I approached the female cadet closest to me.
"Is there anywhere else that feels uncomfortable?"
"Uh, a... a slight headache..."
"Could you relax your arm for me?" Now it was time to gather information. As I inserted the needle, I asked naturally in a gentle voice.
"What kind of creature was it?"
"Well, it was so fast that I couldn't see it clearly... B-but its build was much larger than a human's..."
"...That must have been a terrifying experience. Do you remember which floor it was on?"
"The fifth floor... It was the fifth floor..." The female cadet looked up, pondering deeply before answering. I inserted the needle as she sat there, her lips trembling slightly, and spoke after a brief moment.
"...Has the headache subsided a bit?"
"Yes, yes...! My head feels so clear now..."
"I'm glad."
"You're amazing, especially since your eyes are... Thank you so much."
"It's nothing. I'm just glad I could help."
Leaving behind the blushing female cadet, I moved on to the others and extracted information in the same manner.
[Disciple, must you caress their arms in such a manner...? Though, This Lady supposes you have no other choice since you cannot see...]
Leaving behind a pouting Sierra's grumbling, I sat down in a corner against the outer wall of the infirmary and pieced together the information I had gathered.
Large build. Dark gray fur. Extremely long and sharp claws. It felt like a wild beast. It was definitely a Lycanthrope. The beast was on the fifth floor.
Should I call this a relief...? Since we finished on the third floor today, my level would probably rise a bit more by the time I reached the fifth floor.
Most of the cadets crowding around the infirmary seemed to be waiting for their friends or had just gathered out of curiosity. Among them, the female cadets seemed particularly busy whispering to one another. I caught a glimpse of Yuri among them, but perhaps because she was tired, her expression didn't look very good.
[...As expected, This Lady's disciple is far too kind for his own good. Especially to women.]
Sierra, who had been drifting around the crowd of cadets, floated over to me and muttered those incomprehensible words. She then narrowed her eyes and flashed a chilling smile toward them.
She does that from time to time...
Afterward, as several treated cadets left the infirmary, the crowd gradually dispersed. Soon, Yuri walked over and tapped my shoulder.
"Zeto, looks like you're almost done?"
"It seems so. I can't believe this happened the moment we stepped out of the Labyrinth, haha... What a hectic day."
Yuri said she had also assessed the situation as soon as she exited the Labyrinth and immediately helped Butler.
"She just jumped right in to help without saying a word... You'd think a Clementine would be all magic, but she's got the strength of an ox!" Butler shouted from inside the infirmary upon seeing Yuri.
Yuri muttered, "I wouldn't say an ox..." and turned her head away from him.
"Is it very late?" I asked Yuri. I was hoping we could grab a bite together once everything was wrapped up.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to head back now."
"I should probably stay and help finish up here before I go."
"Alright. I'll see you next time, then. You really worked hard today."
I said goodbye to Yuri as she offered a bright smile. Seeing her smile again, I figured she had just been tired earlier.
Not long after Yuri left, Priscilla stepped out of the infirmary. "Whew... Finally done." Standing by the door, Priscilla stretched her arms and turned her gaze toward me. To be precise, her eyes were fixed on my sword.
The quest completion reward hadn't popped up yet. For some reason, the quest wasn't over.
"Zeto, do you have a moment? There's something I'd like to talk about." Priscilla asked.
Here it comes... It seemed Priscilla was about to bring up the Demonic Sword.
"Sure." I quietly followed her.
Where Priscilla led me was the academy's rooftop. Perhaps because it was late at night, the rooftop was completely deserted. Cool air flowed freely into my lungs.
"You did great today," Priscilla said, leaning against the railing. She didn't jump straight to the main point.
"Haha, you worked much harder, Doctor."
"Sometimes things like this happen when a monster that's hard to deal with wanders into the lower floors... Your acupuncture skills have improved remarkably. You must have practiced hard. Good job." Priscilla smiled gently as she praised me. I smiled back, but that wasn't what mattered.
Priscilla's eyes had been fixed on my Demonic Sword for a while now. Judging by the fact that she didn't look at Sierra, who was hovering right next to me, she couldn't see the massive clump of demonic energy like Deidros could. Yet, she wasn't bringing it up.
"How did you practice your acupuncture?"
"Just like last time, on the skin of a boar..."
"Hmm... There's no way your skills would improve that much just from that." Priscilla hummed at my excuse. Her eyes shone a vivid emerald, reflecting the moonlight.
"...I don't dislike people with secrets. I have quite a few of my own... so I guess I feel a sense of kinship." Priscilla said, leaning back against the railing.
Secrets... Priscilla indeed had secrets. They were tied to her past. In the game, if you interacted with Priscilla frequently, you could dig into her past. Her current role as an infirmary doctor treating cadets was nothing more than 'atonement' for her.
The catch was that uncovering her past led to a bad ending. Once Priscilla realized you had pried into her history, she would imprison the player. It was an unavoidable event. The player couldn't do anything to resist and would immediately trigger the confinement ending. Therefore, it was best to keep a reasonable distance from Priscilla.
After staring at the moon in silence for a long while, Priscilla finally lowered her head. "...Anyway, thanks to you, the treatment went smoothly. Take this."
With that, Priscilla tossed a clinking pouch to me. I caught it naturally and asked her, "What is this?"
"It's the money the cadets left as thanks earlier. I already gave Butler his share. Think of it as a reward."
"Ah..." As I slipped the pouch into my pocket, I felt a sudden surge of energy coursing through my entire body. A level up. The quest was officially complete.
With those final words, Priscilla leisurely walked away from the rooftop. In the end, she never asked about my sword. I thought she brought me to the rooftop to ask something... Did this just resolve itself without any trouble?
Left alone on the rooftop, I looked around to find the day had already ended, leaving only darkness. A round full moon hung silently in the sky, shedding its pale light.
[...There are quite a few suspicious characters in this academy. Instructors, cadets, and now even the doctor...?]
Sierra's remark pierced right through one of the biggest characteristics of this game, causing a chuckle to escape my lips. "Ha... Tell me about it." I completely agreed with her.
After getting plenty of rest, I returned to the Labyrinth early the next morning. I had just sliced through the orcs on the fourth floor and was on my way down to the fifth. It was to find the Lycanthrope that should be on the fifth floor. I had finally found the descending stairs.
As I slowly walked down the steps, I opened my status window.
I had gained two levels from yesterday's Medical Exchange quest. After quickly sweeping through the third and fourth floors, I gained another level, bringing me to level 23.
I invested all my points into Ghost Swordsmanship, leaving three points remaining. Thanks to that, the level of Reverse Heaven had increased... but I still couldn't use the 'Second Form' yet. Judging by my rough estimates, I would probably be able to use the Second Form if I raised the skill level once more.
With every step down the stairs, the metallic scent of blood grew thicker. The beast was definitely on the fifth floor. It was likely tearing apart everything in its sight, whether they were cadets or monsters.
As I reached the bottom of the stairs and took my first step onto the fifth floor, I spotted a heavily built man. He wasn't someone I knew intimately, but his face was familiar.
"You..." The moment he spotted me, his voice dropped to a low growl, like a vicious dog.
Amon Caligus? He was glaring at me, his arms armed with his usual stone gauntlets.
"The 'prey' on the fifth floor is mine. Don't even think about touching it, and get lost." Amon spat at me. It seemed he had also heard the rumors and come down to the fifth floor to hunt the Lycanthrope.
Just then, a brilliant idea struck me.
"...Ah, then I suppose I have no choice but to let you have it." I replied, offering Amon a smile.
Thanks to the kind Amon, I would be able to gauge exactly how powerful the Lycanthrope was.