A Hospital in Another World?

Garrett stood by the earthen hut’s doorway, his gaze blank, hair disheveled by the wind.

Following a wave of imaginative and witchcraft-like maneuvers, the pregnant woman inside the hut actually started giving birth. And in just a few hours, she delivered a hefty baby boy weighing about ten pounds.

The process went smoothly, and both mother and child were safe.

It’s fair to say that barbarians have a different constitution, more resilient. Garrett shuddered to think of the mortality rates if it had been a human woman.

However, Garrett’s daze was interpreted by the Elder with a feathered crown as awe of medical skills. Consequently, Garrett was exposed to more of the barbarians’ unique healing practices:

Taking the patient into a steam room, letting them breathe in steam and smoke from smoldering medicinal herbs;

(Garrett: No! Vaporization isn’t supposed to be done like this! Herbal vaporization is ineffective!)

Boiling the inner bark of a certain tree and using the cooled liquid for enemas;

(Garrett: Be careful of disrupting the intestinal flora!)

Whipping the patient or piercing their skin with thorns while offering animal sacrifices to the totem spirits;

(Garrett: This would only backfire, wouldn’t it?)

Stringing a foul-smelling resin with garlic into a necklace for the patient, supposedly to drive away evil spirits;

(Garrett: Are you sure you’re not trying to repel vampires?)

Indeed, barbarian constitution must have been selected this way, right?

After a whole day of such treatments, Garrett returned to his room, pale and shaky, his mind in a daze. He opened his notebook and began updating medical records:

Edar, male, 18 years old, beginner warrior, heart rate 52 bpm;

Iomon, male, 31 years old, intermediate warrior, heart rate 49 bpm;

Yocul, male, 27 years old, beginner (low-level) warrior, heart rate 55 bpm…

According to the ECG results, the heartbeats and waveforms of barbarians weren’t much different from humans.

But their heartbeats were stronger and slower, likely related to their harsh living conditions and robust health.

Ah, the rational, professional world suited him better. Speaking of which, he had also learned ECG magic and obtained the Totem Spirit. Maybe it was time to head back to Nevis City?

Or should he delay a bit? It had been over half a year, and his mage level hadn’t yet risen to five. Archmage Carlisle and the others would probably be furious…

Thinking about it, Garrett felt a bit guilty. No matter how much he overestimated his friendship with the dwarves, he knew:

His mission to the Dwarf Kingdom wasn’t indispensable. Archmage Carlisle sent him probably because he was stuck at the same level too long, needing a change of environment to broaden his horizons.

This journey involved a lot of favors to ensure his safety...

Cough, for the sake of the Archmage’s health, he should probably wander around a bit more and reach level five before returning.

Garrett sighed and continued to write. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to level up; he just hadn’t found the right opportunity. How could he be blamed?

He had been working hard all this time. Laboring by day, meditating by night, developing new spells, treating patients—never a day off.

Whether in the Silver Dragon Cave, on the road, or hunting with the barbarians, he wouldn’t touch his pillow until he completed his nightly meditations.

Even the luminous human form in his meditation core’s brain had been fully modeled!

He ensured the brain cortex was intricately folded, not smooth, with thousands of nerve fibers and clear cerebrospinal fluid flowing smoothly...

Why then, no progress at all?

Maybe he was too tense? The path of learning needed both tension and relaxation. Having been busy all this time, perhaps it was time to relax?

He put down his pen, adjusted his mood, and slowly entered meditation. My priest level is sufficient, and I’ve accomplished all my tasks on the Black Gate Peninsula...

I’ve learned what I needed to learn. Next, I should return... The new spells require sufficient data on patients, new ideas need basic research for validation...

I already have a Mage Tower, friends, apprentices, acquaintance with powerful figures, enough influence to protect my territory. Once back, I could consider starting my own hospital...

This time, the hospital would be mine. I wouldn’t leave or hand it over to anyone else...

His thoughts slowly spiraled as Garrett sprawled out on the bed, his body relaxed, almost asleep.

Unaware, a warm, gentle power began to suffuse him, enveloping his entire body.

Wha...

t...

is...

happening...

Am... I... finally... about to... advance...

Garrett mused groggily. With excessive

relaxation, his mind nearly shut down, simply allowing this power to permeate every cell.

Muscles, bones, organs, blood vessels, nerves... In the meditation world, that psychic form made of light...

Inch by inch, minute by minute, was baptized and saturated by the world’s consciousness. Then, resonance—

!!!

Garrett suddenly sprung up. Or rather, his drowsy, languid consciousness, lying inert in the meditation environment, suddenly sprung up!

The psychic human form, resonating wildly with the external body under the world’s will—muscles, bones, cells, energy all vibrating from macro to micro, every inch crackling—

It’s said that advancing from level four to five is a fundamental leap; could the change really be this intense?

During his priest level advancement, Garrett had passed out, or rather, the experience stored in the oak staff by a level 15 predecessor had safeguarded him. But now, he had to face it alone—

Stars swirled across the sky. In his meditation, Garrett spread his arms, looked up, and faced the meteor shower descending from the heavens. Amidst this, a voice seemed to inquire:

"As a mage, what is your goal?"

"To discover the truths of this world," Garrett responded promptly. "Only truth is the firm ground beneath our feet, the foundation of our progress."

"And how do you perceive this world?"

"…I’m not sure." This time, Garrett remained silent for a long while before quietly responding in his mind:

"The world is vast, and I am but a traveler who has just started. I dare not claim to know what this world is like. I can only be certain of what I have explored and proven to exist. Breathing, heartbeat, blood circulation, nerve functions, elements, electrophysiological responses—"

The cosmos fell silent, the world speechless. Unbeknownst to Garrett, the meditation world he defined, devoid of anything but magical constructs, subtly transformed:

Electric currents surged, magnetic fields spiraled.

Sound waves rippled in rings, light split into seven colors with invisible infrared and ultraviolet rays at the spectrum’s ends. Powerful rays emanated from all magical elements, penetrating the human body, revealing bones and internal organs.

Microorganisms silently grew, waging wars in the microscopic realm.

With every heartbeat, with every movement, tiny electrical currents reached every limb...

So subtle, so beautiful. Worth every person, every researcher on this path, spending their life in pursuit.

Garrett didn’t know that every mage undergoing orthodox training, at the threshold from level four to five, had already solidified their understanding of the world. Training, research, knowledge, and learning stimulated each other, essentially defining the world as outlined by their school.

And the world, in turn, responded based on the mage’s understanding. Advancing from level four to five was about choosing and solidifying one’s path. To turn back now would cost a great deal.

And few mages dared to confront their inner selves at this threshold, admitting their uncertainty about the world’s true nature.

A world of shaky beliefs struggled to enrich a mage’s feedback; even if it did, the fragmented and potentially contradictory responses could tear apart a mage’s meditation realm.

"So, what is your ultimate purpose? Which school of magic do you lean towards? If the world’s truth isn’t as you believed, what then?"

In the ethereal silence, a voice continued to inquire. Garrett didn’t hesitate:

"I dedicate this body to medicine. The eight major schools, even magics not covered by these schools, as long as they benefit medical science, I welcome them. As for the world’s truth—"

He chuckled lightly:

"The deeper the research, the stranger the truths of this world appear. Regardless, the people I heal, the people I help, their existence is real and does not shift with my perceptions."

More power flowed into his meditation realm. Garrett even felt an illusion that his meditation world, particularly the parts between the core and the outer shell, was beginning to materialize.

Of course, that was impossible; materialization of a meditation realm required level ten or higher. However, amid a howling sound, a snake spirit arose, tumbling in the air, swiftly growing with power drawn from the void. Half a foot, one foot, two feet, three feet—

Hey, don’t turn into a dragon!

I don’t have enough power to sustain your transformation into a dragon!

Garrett simply let go of his control, absorbing all the power from the void. Opportunities driven by the world’s will were rare, coming once in a blue moon; he had to seize it fully!

And his recently completed meditation core, especially the new brain and central nervous system, strengthened just like the earlier “bones” and “muscles.” Then, following the ethereal connections, directly nourished his physical body.

Garrett suddenly realized his memory and cognitive abilities had significantly improved. Memorizing eighteen hundred digits of pi, calculating calculus in his head—those were nothing!

So this is the confidence high-level mages have when manipulating complex spells? Enhanced mental capacity greatly leaps in thinking and calculating abilities? Garrett pondered silently, guiding the power for this final step of advancement:

In the meditation environment, he carved a unique spell model!

As for which one to choose, did he even need to think about it?

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