The Divine Physician
The otherworldly god of medicine delivered a thunderous BOOM—CRASH—BOOM—BOOM—!! Namgung Myung was sent flying, smashing through every nearby stall in his path. "No! My medicine!"
Chasing after him through the rising cloud of dust, I found Namgung Myung lying unconscious, limbs twisted like taffy, foam bubbling at his mouth. Rifling through his robes, I pulled out a small wooden box. Thankfully, it was only lightly dusted and otherwise intact.
Click. When I opened it, a clear, refreshing fragrance burst outward from the blue pill inside. It wasn't quite on the level of the Great Return Pill I'd smelled before, but it was still impressive. "Phew."
After confirming the medicine was safe, I finally noticed every eye in the area had turned toward me. Dragging the unconscious Namgung Myung toward the non-combat zone, the crowd parted to make way.
"Th-the, uh... anyway, that whatever-pill is mine now! If any young hero wants it..."
"Ahem!" Even in the middle of all this, Daesoo gave me a pointed look. When had he even gotten here? His speed was ridiculous.
"Young lady, please climb up quickly!"
The crowd's gazes locked onto the medicine box in my right hand. I didn't know exactly what it was, but the greedy hunger in their eyes was obvious.
"Is no one going to step up? If you don't climb now, I'll crush your wrists so you can't even crawl down later! Really, no one?"
This was a world that ran on the logic of power—Daesoo had warned me about that constantly. Seeing the thick desire in everyone's eyes, I knew that if I let this slide, blood would definitely be spilled.
"This is your last chance. Really, no one?"
The crowd's eyes darted between the crumpled Namgung Myung at my feet and the medicine box. Time passed, yet no challenger climbed onto the platform. Then I spotted someone in the crowd who had been seriously considering it, their hand twitching upward.
"I gave you a chance. If any bastard or bitch tries to climb up later, I'll rip out their eyeballs and stuff them into the Wind Forest Three Brothers' assholes. Ah! That uncle over there with his hand up—you volunteering?"
"Ah... are you talking about me?"
"Neng. You. Your hand's up."
"I was just... curious who the Wind Forest Three Brothers were..."
"Three guys who picked a fight with me right at the entrance. Those were the Wind Forest Three Brothers. I already broke their arms and legs."
The man who had started to raise his hand slowly lowered it again. That seemed to settle things for now.
"Baek Seol, I got Grandpa's medicine."
"Good!"
"Hehe, I'm happy too."
While I was showing off the medicine to Baek Seol, Daesoo, who had been keeping his distance, approached.
"Miss Han. You weren't planning to take the Cheonsim Yongyeondan yourself, were you?"
"Neng. I'm giving it to my grandfather. He's not feeling well."
Daesoo stroked his short beard after hearing my answer.
"Could it be... your grandfather is a martial artist?"
"No. Just a regular person."
"Then this won't work. The Cheonsim Yongyeondan is the Namgung family's proud elixir. If an ordinary person takes something like that, the medicinal energy is too strong—their body will melt."
"Ah..."
Click. I opened the box again, and the fragrance spread once more. My thinking had been too shallow. Even regular ginseng can cause serious side effects in people whose bodies don't agree with it. This wasn't just any medicine—it was what they called an elixir in this world.
"Miss Han, what do you intend to do with Namgung Myung?"
—Chik, chik.
"Huuu—" Namgung Myung's chest rose and fell even though his entire body was smashed. Seeing him still breathing in that state, I figured we should call him a zombie instead of a martial artist.
"Why is this guy so flimsy? Even when I deliberately held back, it wasn't this bad with you, Uncle."
"It's not that Namgung Myung is weak—it's that your strength is abnormal..."
"What?"
When I snapped my thumb and middle finger together, Daesoo's expression changed instantly.
"I'd say it's as beautiful as a Vajra warrior."
The people around here were basically glass cannons. No defense at all, everything invested in attack power. Since they figured they could kill each other with just a graze, they didn't bother with armor. A fantasy resident seeing this would probably have their blood pressure spike.
"So what will you do?"
"Huuu— I'll save him, I guess."
"Good thinking. There's nothing to gain from making an enemy of the Namgung family."
He'd been the one glaring at me creepily, but it was a look I was used to. I couldn't judge everything from a brief encounter, but if Daesoo was saying this much, it should be fine to keep him alive.
"But are you sure you can? He barely looks human anymore."
Even right before my low kick landed, he'd just been standing there dazed, so I'd clearly pulled my strength at the last second. And yet this was the result.
"I've never saved someone this broken before either. I'll give it a try anyway."
His broken shin dangled loosely, bone tearing through flesh with blood pooling everywhere. Every bone in his body was shattered.
"He's just a lump of meat now."
Crack! The spine-chilling sound of bones made the surrounding spectators hunch their shoulders.
"Phew. Done."
Even after quite some time had passed, the spectators who had stayed to watch cheered loudly.
"A divine physician!"
"Divine doctor! Please look at my child's illness!"
"My wife is very sick! Please examine her, I beg you!"
Flutter! As the crowd screamed, the startled birds all took flight at once.
—Chik, chik.
"Huuu—" This was a world without even basic plumbing. You could call it nature-friendly if you were being generous, or primitive and uncivilized if you weren't. Even back in the Joseon era, the biggest killer wasn't incurable diseases but the common cold they called goppul. People considered living to fifty a long life, and even kings who lived in comfort only averaged sixty years. This place probably wasn't much different.
"Divine doctor, please save my child!"
"You crazy bastard, I asked first!"
"You ungrateful scoundrel! I even lent you money!"
The bickering was nonstop. After watching a lump of meat turn back into a person right in front of them, their reaction made sense.
Clap clap!
"Attention!"
When I clapped my hands, the noisy crowd instantly fell silent.
"Right now my kid is barely breathing, damn it!"
"M-my kid is barely breathing too!"
The moment I finished speaking, a man pushed through the crowd.
"Oh, divine doctor! My son went to gather firewood, fell down a slope, and is on the verge of death."
"Can you bring him here?"
"Of course!"
The man disappeared like his rear was on fire. The injury wasn't bad enough to kill him—probably internal damage. Moving him was risky, but as long as he didn't die, it would be fine.
"Divine doctor, please save my sister too. She's in a lot of pain!"
This time it was a snot-nosed kid.
"Where does it hurt?"
"Her whole body is bright red."
"What does your sister do?"
"That..."
The kid who had been answering quickly suddenly stopped and lowered his head.
『Miss Han, that child's sister is probably working as a prostitute in a brothel.』
The voice suddenly echoed in my head. When I looked to the side, Daesoo was giving me a meaningful look.
"Bring her. I can do it, right?"
"Yes! Thank you! Thank you!"
The snotty kid ran off quickly too. If Daesoo was right, it was probably a sexually transmitted disease. In this era, STDs were considered incurable, but back in my original world, treatment was simple. If organs or nerves were damaged, I'd just use healing. If toxins had reached the cerebrospinal fluid, purification would handle it.
Tick. The cigarette felt short.
—Chik, chik.
"Huuu— Stop standing around and bring anyone who's sick at home. If you're not sick, at least lay out some straw mats."
"R-right! Everyone, move quickly!"
While the crowd was bustling around, the first man who'd left—the one whose son fell down the slope—returned carrying his son, who was much larger than him. That had to be bad for his back.
"Divine doctor, I brought the straw mat!"
"Please spread it here. Lay the patient on it."
Once the mat was laid out, the father carefully placed his son down.
"Huuu—" Looking at the deeply sunken wound, it seemed the broken bone had pierced an internal organ. Thanks to my bone-setting skill, I could see exactly where the fracture was.
Crack. Setting the bone and boosting regeneration with healing was simple. Light from my hand seeped into the woodcutter, and even the wounds on his skin disappeared smoothly.
"Oh my, thank you so much, divine doctor. Oh my."
When his son's previously pained expression turned peaceful, the father bowed with tears in his eyes.
"What do you mean, divine doctor? Are there fake ones too?"
"Sob. I almost lost my son after wasting money on some quack doctor. Thank you. Thank you."
"Neng. Treatment's done. Fifty nyang, please."
"What?"
The man who had been crying his eyes out suddenly looked dumbfounded.
"Is that too expensive?"
"What? N-no. You saved his life, so fifty nyang feels too cheap..."
"It's fine. Just give me fifty nyang."
"Divine doctor, even the local quacks charge more than fifty nyang..."
"Damn, this town doesn't have health insurance. It's fine, just fifty nyang."
While the man was reaching into his pocket for coins, Daesoo brought over a large basket.
"Miss Han, as that man said, even village doctors receive silver coins."
"Uncle, there's something called progressive taxation in this world. Charge more to the fat cats and less to the struggling folks."
"Is there such a law in this world?"
"Our country's Great Ultimate King Sejong established the tax framework. Next!"
Clink. When the woodcutter's father dropped the money into the basket, the little kid arrived next, bringing his sister.
"I told you I'm fine. And we don't even have enough money for food, so what doctor?"
"It's okay, sis. The divine doctor said she'd treat you."
"Still, the money..."
"Huuu— Enough chit-chat, come here quickly."
When the kid's sister met my eyes, she approached with a reluctant expression.
"I'm busy, so sit down quickly."
The woman who reluctantly sat down had red rashes rising on her neck. It was probably all over her body.
"Butt..."
There were way too many people gathered around.
"...is not what I meant. Roll up your sleeve."
The woman, who had been glancing around nervously, rolled up her sleeve to reveal her forearm covered in red rashes. The spectators who saw it recoiled in shock, stepping back one by one.
"This might sting a bit."
"......Divine doctor. I have syphilis. Who can cure an incurable disease with acupuncture?"
"Hey, one shot and it's done, so don't worry."
It was the military penicillin injection my grandfather had given me before. The solution in the syringe quickly disappeared into her arm. Even STDs considered incurable in this world were finished with one muscular antibiotic shot.
"Take two of these pills a day. One in the morning, one at night."
The woman who had been looking reluctant accepted the amoxicillin tablets. That would cleanly take care of everything from staph to salmonella causing trouble in dirty places. Especially useful in this world where people drank contaminated water without proper plumbing. I never expected the toxicology knowledge I'd studied for the Hongmun and tutorial clear to come in handy here.
"Close your eyes."
The woman who couldn't keep up with the situation closed her eyes.
'Purification.'
When the light from my hand seeped into her, the rashes on her skin disappeared in an instant.
"Done."
The woman slowly opened her eyes, touched her arm, and dropped tears one by one.
"......Thank you, divine doctor. Sob...... Thank you. Thank you."
She bowed so deeply it looked like her neck would break.
"It's fine. Fifty nyang, please."
"......What?"
The woman froze mid-bow.
"Ah, come on. The treatment fee is fifty nyang. There are patients waiting behind you, so put it in the basket and go quickly."
After the woman put the money in the basket and stepped back, a man with a thick double chin and belly pushed the watching kid aside and approached. He looked like he was having trouble breathing. His maintenance costs must have been high.
"You're the gold badge."
"......?"
"If you don't want to die, hand over the money, you bastard."
Rattle! A man burst through the door in a hurry. Inside, an old man sipping tea turned his gaze.
"M-Master!"
"Huu. Even the strategist famous for having a heavy rear is rushing in without manners."
"This isn't the time to worry about that! They say a divine physician has appeared in Hapbi!"
Despite the strategist's urgent words, the white-bearded old man called the Master remained indifferent.
"Which divine physician are we talking about? Anyone who picks up a needle these days gets called a divine physician."
"Oh, for heaven's sake! A beggar sent a messenger hawk!"
The Master was so startled he spilled the tea he was holding.
"And they say it's an emergency level! They're healing external injuries, internal injuries, syphilis—everything that comes their way!"
"Wh-what!?"
The beggar group that gathered and delivered information spread throughout the entire Murim. Also known as the Beggar's Guild. In Murim, even if there were no ants, there were beggars. The Beggar's Guild used birds to quickly transmit information, categorized by color and species. From messenger pigeons carrying light information to messenger hawks with a base value of gold that almost no one operated. Messenger pigeons were cheaper than hawks. In contrast, hawks at the top of the food chain were difficult even to train. They tied colored cloths to the hawks' legs to indicate urgency levels. The messenger hawk the Murim Alliance strategist received was red—the color used in wartime.
"Strategist! What are you doing here in this urgent situation!"
'I'm here because it's urgent. Have you ever seen such a senile old woman?'
The strategist was dumbfounded seeing the Murim Alliance Master suddenly scolding him after jumping to his feet.
"However, they say his personality is quite eccentric."
"Geniuses are originally eccentrics. Can't you tell just by looking at this Alliance Master? Before someone else takes him, we need to snatch up this divine physician as quickly as possible, so hurry!"
The strategist resolved that if this divine physician came, he would have his high blood pressure treated first.
"Ah, I want to retire."
'I'll hurry, Master!'
"......Strategist?"
"The Grand Elder intends to move personally?"
"Of course."
"Huu, if the Blood Demon moves directly, a storm will sweep through Murim."
"Kekeke, the child has already moved and caused chaos."
"It's called a carrot."
"Carrot!"
"Our little one, eat a lot."
"Shake it!"