Chapter 122: Line Up (2)

Ding-dong!

[Shadow Knight—Heo Jun]

-Grade: A+

-Title: White Horse Daoist

Heo Jun.

He was a physician from the mid-Joseon period who compiled the Donguibogam, and he is an indispensable figure when discussing the medical field in the history of the Korean Peninsula.

One of the items purchased from the overseas direct trading site Temu last time was an “old acupuncture needle case.”

It was precisely the item Heo Jun had used during his lifetime.

Being able to turn Heo Jun into a shadow knight was an incredible stroke of luck.

The shadow knights draw their power from the caster’s mental strength.

In particular, the greatest consumption of mental strength occurs when recovering the damage sustained by the shadow knights.

In that situation, having an existence that can recover the shadow knights without consuming my mental strength… That’s Heo Jun, after all.

He has no combat ability, but just considering his role in recovering the other shadow knights, he’s in an S-rank noble position.

It’s a shame he doesn’t have the ability to treat real humans directly.

That’s why Heo Jun is trying to perform acupuncture through me.

[Heh heh heh. As a physician, how could I ignore a suffering patient?]

Heo Jun’s voice echoes in my head.

When dwelling in my shadow, the shadow knight’s voice isn’t transmitted externally but directly into my head.

The reverse is also true.

I can communicate with the shadow knights just by thinking.

But I don’t have a medical license. 

The extent of my acupuncture knowledge is just pricking my hand when I have indigestion.

[What does that matter? I am Heo Jun himself. I’ll personally teach you the acupoints, so don’t worry.]

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

The grandfather with the sore back is staring right at me.

“You said you’d give me acupuncture?”

“Yes, it will definitely be effective.”

“Alright. You seem like a straightforward young man, so I’ll trust you this once.”

I brought a blanket, spread it on the floor, and made a spot for the grandfather to lie down.

The grandfather lifted his shirt and lay face down.

Holding the acupuncture needles, I said,

“Grandfather, could you tell me where it mainly feels uncomfortable?”

“Hmm… It’s the lower back that’s stabbing me. Like being poked with an iron skewer.”

At that moment, I felt the shadow slowly climbing up my body.

The sensation of how to move my hands, how much force to apply, is transmitted through my senses.

This is amazing. It’s like that Go AI, AlphaGo.

Heo Jun’s voice echoed in my head.

[On both sides of the lumbar vertebrae, about two finger-widths apart. Insert the needles into those two spots.]

At that time, two black dots appeared on the grandfather’s back.

Blink— Blink blink~

Black dots lighting up like a navigation system guiding to the target.

I took a deep breath and inserted the needles.

Tap tap—

Position, depth, speed.

All three elements meshed perfectly.

It felt as familiar as something I’d been doing for a long time.

The acupuncture needles were precisely inserted into the points.

[Next, the concave area at the very bottom of the spine, and the indented spot where the tailbone meets the spine. Insert needles into these two places.]

My hands moved fluidly, as if riding a current.

Tap— Tap—

Again, the acupuncture needles were inserted precisely.

At that moment.

“Huh!?”

The grandfather took a deep breath.

“This can’t be! My, my back… It’s refreshed! It doesn’t hurt at all!”

The grandfathers and grandmothers watching from around started murmuring.

“Oh my, he’s skilled.”

“You’re right. Cheolhyun’s back couldn’t be fixed even after years at the hospital.”

“He’s totally like Heo Jun. Heo Jun himself.”

Kim Yerim, standing nearby, suddenly chimed in.

“Sunbae, you can do acupuncture too? Wow… You’re really talented, huh?”

Soon after, another grandfather spoke to me.

“Can you take a look at me too? Lately, every time I eat, my stomach feels bloated, like something’s stuck.”

“Yes, I’ll spread a blanket right here for you. Lie down.”

As the second grandfather lifted his shirt, Heo Jun’s voice echoed again.

[Poke the Jungwan acupoint about half a handspan above the navel.]

As the acupuncture needle pierced the spot.

“Urp, urp!”

The grandfather let out a refreshing burp.

“Oh dear, this is suddenly embarrassing. But it just went right down! Heh heh heh heh—!”

The grandfather who had complained of bloating jumped up from his spot, laughing.

Soon, Heo Jun’s voice flowed into my head.

[If the body is the earth, then the meridians are the underground water veins. If you properly manage the disrupted meridians, the body will regain its peace. You’re doing very well, warehouse keeper.]

People who had been skeptical at first began gathering around me.

“My headache is throbbing nonstop—can acupuncture fix that?”

“Could you check my back too?”

“My shoulder hurts a bit…”

I ended up completely surrounded by grandmothers and grandfathers.

At that moment, Kim Yerim raised her hand high and shouted.

“L-line up! Please line up one by one in an orderly fashion—!”

Kim Yerim shouted the awkward slogan while directing traffic.

Thanks to that, the grandmothers and grandfathers lined up and began receiving treatment one by one.

[The spot 0.5 cun to the right of the concave area below the cervical vertebrae, the Jeongcheon acupoint.]

[The Gyeonu acupoint is misaligned. It’s the concave area in front of the peak at the edge of the shoulder.]

[The concave spot on the inside when stroking the shoulder blade, the Gokwon acupoint.]

[Three cun to the right of the middle thoracic vertebrae, the Gohwang acupoint.]

Tok—tok—tok—tok—tok— tok—

My hands moved relentlessly like a machine.

The acupuncture needles were precisely inserted into the acupoints Heo Jun indicated.

Each time.

“Oh my!”

“Goodness!”

“Ugh, refreshing!”

The exclamations from the grandmothers and grandfathers didn’t stop.

Kim Yerim repeatedly brought clean towels and disinfected the acupuncture needles with alcohol.

Even so, the line showed no sign of shortening.

At that moment.

“I’ll help too, Hasang-ssi.”

Yun Yeobaek sat next to me and began assisting with the treatments.

My side with Eastern medicine, Yun Yeobaek with Western medicine.

The treatment of the grandfathers and grandmothers began with two different medical practices.

Yun Yeobaek moved her hands and said,

“I didn’t know you could handle acupuncture too. Hasang-ssi, how should I put it… Just when I think I know a bit about you, I discover an unknown side.”

Her voice sounded oddly pleased.

Soon, Yun Yeobaek looked at me and opened her mouth.

“Hasang-ssi, how about a bet?”

“What kind of bet?”

“We’ll count how many elders receive treatment from me versus you in one hour, and the one with more wins.”

“What’s at stake?”

“Something like a drink bet is too modest, so, hmm…”

Yun Yeobaek smiled faintly and said,

“How about a wish bet? The loser grants one wish to the winner.”

It was a sudden and out-of-the-blue proposal.

But.

“Sure, why not. Let’s do it.”

I have no confidence.

…That I’ll lose.

Then, Yun Yeobaek’s eyes changed.

“You’re overflowing with confidence. For your information, I’m quite competitive.”

It was the moment the showdown between Eastern and Western medicine began.

That evening, joyful voices echoed for a long time from the elementary school, or so they say.

***

One hour later.

Beep beep beep beep! Beep beep beep beep!

The stopwatch started ringing.

Soon after, Kim Yerim shouted loudly.

“One hour is up!”

Only then did I set down the acupuncture needles.

Yun Yeobaek also wiped the sweat from her forehead and caught her breath.

Shortly, Kim Yerim announced the tally results.

“The doctor treated a total of twenty-two people! And Hasang sunbae…”

Kim Yerim’s lips curled up.

“Twenty-five! Sunbae treated three more! You won, sunbae!”

Kim Yerim grabbed my hand and jumped up and down.

She was as happy as if she had won herself.

Yun Yeobaek wore a refreshed expression and cleanly conceded.

“I lost. Impressive skills, Hasang-ssi.”

The result was my (and Heo Jun’s) victory.

But the process was close to barely shaking off Yun Yeobaek’s terrifying pursuit.

Even though I started with nearly ten treatments ahead, she narrowed it to a three-person difference.

Yun Yeobaek looked at me and said,

“A promise is a promise. Tell me one wish.”

A+ rank 8, White Mage Tower Lord Yun Yeobaek.

She’s a figure who can exert tremendous influence not only in the Hunter Association but also in the medical field.

But I said without hesitation,

“I’ll keep it. A wish voucher.”

“…Pardon?”

Yun Yeobaek wore a blank expression.

But only for a moment.

Yun Yeobaek chuckled and said,

“I feel like I’ve been had again. Fine. If you need something later, feel free to tell me anytime. Here’s my business card.”

I reached out to take the business card.

At that moment, Yun Yeobaek came close and whispered in my ear.

“Hasang-ssi. You probably don’t have a medical license, right? I’ll handle today’s matter properly so there are no issues. You shouldn’t suffer disadvantages for helping others.”

Yun Yeobaek stepped back a couple of paces and continued.

“In return, let’s do volunteer work together again sometime.”

For some reason I don’t exactly know, her favorability toward me seems to have risen considerably.

At that moment, Yun Yeobaek’s smartwatch started ringing fiercely.

Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep—

After checking her smartwatch, Yun Yeobaek gave an awkward smile.

“I should head back now. The guild elders are looking for me. Anyway… Hasang-ssi, contact me!”

With those words, Yun Yeobaek left.

***

That night.

“Sunbae, you’re really not coming with us?”

Kim Yerim boarded the bus but turned back to look at me.

I lightly waved my hand.

“Go ahead. I have somewhere to stop by.”

“Aww… That’s too bad. See you in next week’s lecture, sunbae! Today was fun!”

The bus carrying Kim Yerim quickly sped away.

Vroom—

The association mission was safely completed, and Heo Jun’s desire to treat patients(?) was sufficiently satisfied.

Now it’s time to explore the magical warehouse again.

I plan to search for traces of Ravianglily somewhere in the third stratum’s Unrest Zone.

At that moment, a boulder embedded in the mid-slope of Sokri Mountain far away caught my eye.

A trace of a dungeon break.

Yun Yeobaek said it was a material so tough that even A-rank hunters couldn’t scratch it.

…Shall I test it out?

I gestured toward the boulder.

Then.

Swoosh—!

Something flew at high speed, producing a rough whooshing sound.

A beat later, a whirlwind whipped up.

Soon after.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-bang!

The massive boulder embedded in the mountainside split in half.

Then in half again, and half of that half, and half of that half’s half.

The boulder chunks were sliced up like cube steak.

Watching that scene, I nodded.

Not bad.

A shadow with two pairs of wings spread wide was flying up through the rock fragments.