Chương 496: B8—Chapter 3: A Fascinating Case

It took us the rest of autumn, the whole winter, and half the spring to cross the first continent. We could have made it faster, but we weren't in any hurry. With a landmass that big, rushing would have meant pushing the horses hard and spending days on the road nonstop, and none of us felt like doing that. Even Mahya slipped into the laid-back mood and started enjoying the peace and quiet. She relaxed, got extra smiley, and didn't have even one temper tantrum.

I'd already noticed that after she vented all that accumulated fire inside her as a flamethrower, she became less fiery. Now, though, she wasn't just less fiery but downright serene. We found an interesting use for the giant lettuce from the bug dungeon. The horses adored it. They liked it so much that the first time I fed them some lettuce, they didn't stop eating, no matter how much I gave them. Not being an expert on horses, I gave them more and more, and they just kept eating.

Only when all four of them started looking heavily pregnant did it occur to me that maybe I should have limited the amount. After dinner, the four of them lay down and promptly fell asleep. I stood there for a long moment, staring down at them and rubbing my neck, completely at a loss. Since the wagon was actually my house on the inside, whenever we didn't stop at an inn, we usually camped by the side of the road, and the horses rested standing up. This was the first time I'd ever seen horses lying down.

Mahya came out of the wagon, took one look, and sucked in an audible breath.

"Did they die? What happened?" I shifted my weight and fidgeted.

"They ate too much." Her head snapped toward me.

"Huh?"

"They really liked the lettuce we got from the dungeon," I said, gesturing helplessly at the four sleeping mounds of horse.

"And they overate." Mahya walked over, nudged one of them with her boot, then reached down to touch its neck. After a second, she looked back at me—and burst out laughing.

"It's not funny," I grouched.

"Yes… it… is," she managed between peals of laughter. I waved at her dismissively and retreated into the wagon, leaving her outside with the unconscious horses and her terrible sense of humor. The following day, the horses were extra perky. Too perky. We actually had to pull hard on the reins to keep them from breaking into a full gallop the moment we got moving. They snorted, tossed their heads, and tried to compete with a sports car.

As far as I was concerned, the only downside of the lettuce experiment was the aftermath. Since each of them had eaten well over twenty kilos of lettuce, they apparently felt obligated to digest and release an equal amount, frequently and enthusiastically. The other travelers on the road didn't appreciate that part either. More than one wagon slowed to a crawl behind us before very deliberately changing lanes, and at least one rider glared at me when he rode past.

I kept my eyes forward, tightened my grip on the reins, and decided that some lessons were best learned once. At first, we stayed on the main roads heading south, moving from town to town and city to city. The roads were well-maintained, wide enough for caravans, and busy without feeling crowded. Some stretches ran through rolling farmland, others through dense forest, and every week or two, we passed a city with a castle rising at its center.

Those castles marked the local regional municipalities, each one different in style and age. I really liked how some of them blended seamlessly into the surrounding cliffs instead of standing apart from them. By early winter, we reached an immense river, wide enough that the opposite bank was often a blur on the horizon. Switching to the boat made sense, and once we did, progress became far more comfortable. I was also glad for the horses.

With the snow piling higher by the day, and them being dwarf horses, their bellies and one other unfortunate part kept getting dragged through it. Every time I looked at them and actually thought about what that meant, I shivered from head to toe, and my balls retreated deeper into my body in sympathetic horror. The river was clearly the spine of the continent.

Towns and cities dotted both shores, some little more than trading posts, others sprawling urban centers with harbors, warehouses, and river traffic going in every direction. We stopped in most of them, sometimes for a day, sometimes for a week. The river eventually carried us past the country's capital, which spanned the entire continent. The city was enormous, built around multiple river branches and islands, with the castle dominating everything from a raised plateau.

Heavy snow set in, so we stayed for three weeks and waited it out. It was fascinating to watch the river freeze along the edges while the center kept flowing, dark and slow under the snow. When the weather eased, we continued downstream toward the next continent. The river widened even further, breaking into deltas and inland seas, and the landscape changed almost daily. Forests gave way to wetlands, then to rocky highlands that pressed close to the water.

In the mornings, mist clung to the surface and made the castles ahead look like they were floating. The next major capital on the second continent was the biggest we'd seen so far, with millions of people packed into layered districts, bridges stacked on bridges, and ships crowding the water as far as the eye could see. That's where I got a surprise. They spoke a completely different language.

Of course, Earth had different languages too, but up until then, I'd only really encountered that kind of sharp linguistic divide in Zindor, which didn't quite count since it had been integrated not that long ago. During all our travels, I offered my services as a Healer, and by the time we crossed to the next continent, I'd reached level 24. I had twenty-seven free points and used them to boost the three lagging traits, raising Strength, Agility, and Constitution to 109.

Another interesting development was the spells themselves. Diagnose was the first to reach level 25, and from the available options, I chose Restore Nerves. RESTORE NERVES A precise healing spell that repairs damaged or disrupted nerve pathways. Restore Nerves restores sensation, coordination, and fine motor control by reconnecting and stabilizing nervous tissue. It is particularly effective against injuries caused by trauma, mana overload, or prolonged compression.

The spell works gradually, prioritizing accuracy over speed to avoid misalignment or false signals. As the spell increases in level, restoration becomes faster and requires less mana for complex nerve networks. Heal Bone followed, and I chose Erase Scar Tissue. ERASE SCAR TISSUE A specialized regenerative spell that removes scar tissue entirely and restores affected areas to their original biological structure.

Erase Scar Tissue rebuilds skin, connective tissue, and underlying layers without leaving visible or tactile traces of prior injury. It improves flexibility, sensation, and structural integrity, making it especially valuable for restoring function in areas restricted by old wounds. Higher levels improve precision and reduce the mana required to treat larger or deeper scars. I was especially happy about this one.

In the past, every time I dealt with scar tissue, I had to cut it out first, regrow the missing parts, and only then heal the open wounds. Now, I just cast the spell on the affected areas and watched everything smooth out on its own. The day I chose the spell, Rue was resting at the inn, since it was snowing outside.

"Your healing would have gone much easier if I'd had this spell back then," I told him. He sent me the feeling of a shrug, yawned, and went back to napping in front of the fire. Yeah. Snow turned him into a terrible conversationalist. The last one was Fortify Life Force, which first climbed to 24 and then reached 25. From the options, I chose Pain Dampening. PAIN DAMPENING A supportive healing spell that suppresses pain signals without inducing unconsciousness.

Pain Dampening reduces pain intensity by limiting the transmission of nerve signals while preserving awareness, mobility, and cognitive function. Commonly used during prolonged treatments or in situations where full anesthesia is unnecessary or unsafe, it allows patients to remain responsive while minimizing distress. As the spell levels up, its effect becomes more targeted and mana-efficient, allowing selective pain reduction without numbing surrounding areas.

Purify, Anesthesia, and Heal Muscle all climbed to 24 but stubbornly refused to take that final step, which made me growl at them to little effect. In Anesthesia's case, at least, there was a good reason. I started using the new Pain Dampening more and more, and it quickly became my favorite of the new spells. It wasn't effective in every situation, since it didn't completely remove pain, but it worked well enough to let me set bones before healing them without the patient screaming to high heaven.

I still used Anesthesia when I had to cut a patient open, but that was the only time I reached for it. In the new capital, I came across an interesting case. It also made me reflect on all the healing I'd done during my travels. A couple brought me a boy of about ten, carried in his father's arms. At first glance, it looked like a severe case of polio disease, only far worse than anything I'd seen before.

His legs were thin and twisted, drawn in at odd angles, and his arms hung limp against his body, barely able to support their own weight. His torso looked misshapen, his shoulders uneven, and his head lolled slightly as if his neck struggled to hold it upright. The muscles across his entire body were wasted and weak, leaving him unable to stand or even sit on his own. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

When I cast Diagnose, the spell showed the boy was healthy, which was highly surprising, since I could see that he was definitely not healthy.

"How did this happen?" I asked.

"He was born this way," the mother said and stroked his head. I cast Diagnose again, slower this time, and even closed my eyes to concentrate. I held the spell longer than usual, feeling the mana settle before letting it resolve. The result didn't change. Healthy as a horse. I frowned and let the spell fade, my gaze drifting back to the boy as I stood there in silence. It didn't make any sense. Even birth defects should have shown up as some kind of disease or damage, but there was nothing.

I couldn't find anything at all, and for the first time in a long while, I was completely and utterly stumped. That was when it hit me. This was the first time I'd had to treat someone with a birth defect since the day I got the Healer class. That realization was almost as surprising as the Diagnose result itself. I hadn't really thought about it before, but it made sense. Birth defects existed, so how had I managed not to encounter a single one until now?

I shook my head to dislodge the unrelated thoughts and brought my attention back to the boy. I really wanted to help him, but didn't know how. After half an hour of sitting there, watching his shallow breaths and turning possibilities over in my head, I still didn't have an answer. Even so, I wasn't ready to give up. I turned to his parents.

"Right now, I don't have a solution, but I'm not giving up yet." I paused, choosing my words carefully.

"I need time to think. Give me two days, and come back on Emberday. I'm hoping I'll have an answer by then." Once they left, I took out all the books I'd gotten from the fat Healer at the outpost and leafed through them between patients. I'd already read every one of them and hadn't come across any mention of birth defects, but I went through them again anyway, hoping something would spark an idea. Sadly, the books didn't yield any results, and I didn't have a single bright idea for the next two days.

Once the parents came back, I almost disappointed them by saying I had no idea how to help. Instead, I tried one last possibility. Rather than casting Diagnose again, I let my mana flow directly into the boy slowly, keeping a close watch so I didn't overdo it and make him explode. Once his body was fully saturated, I closed my eyes and sank into the sensation, focusing entirely on what my mana was showing me. I examined his cells thoroughly. At first glance, everything looked normal.

The cells were alive, stable, and well supplied. There were no signs of decay, inflammation, infection, or damage. His muscles, bones, nerves, and organs were all there. But when I pushed deeper, subtle differences emerged. The cells themselves weren't broken, but the way they were organized felt… off. His muscle cells were underdeveloped, not because they were damaged, but because they had never fully matured.

The nerve cells were present and healthy, yet the connections between them were sparse and uneven, like a network that had never quite finished. Signals traveled, but not well. Supporting tissues showed the same pattern. Everything was there, just… incomplete. This wasn't a disease. It was as if the body had followed the instructions to grow, then stopped partway through, convinced the work was done. Then I noticed the mitochondria.

They were present in every cell and structurally intact, but their activity was uneven. Energy production was enough to keep the cells alive and functioning, but not enough for the demanding work of proper development. Muscles hadn't failed because they were broken; they'd simply never had enough sustained energy to finish maturing. Nerve growth showed the same limitation: thinning or stopping when the effort required exceeded what the system could provide. It wasn't damage.

It was an energy bottleneck that had been there from the very beginning. Still, I couldn't be sure. Some of this might simply be how people of this world were built. I opened my eyes and looked at the father.

"I need your help," I said.

"Please sit down beside me." When he did, I examined him the same way and compared the results. Many of the same differences appeared. His growth was limited in the same way, and his pigmentation followed the same pattern. Those were clean, consistent traits. His mitochondria showed the same underlying weakness, but at a higher baseline. Energy dipped under strain, but never low enough to disrupt development. His nerves were mostly intact, his connective tissues slightly irregular but functional.

The body had compensated. I repeated the process with the mother. The pattern held. She shared the same traits, and the same mild energy shortfall, but again, her body had adjusted during growth. The flaws were there, but muted. It still wasn't conclusive. I turned to the father.

"There's a woman waiting for me downstairs. Please ask her to come up." He went without a word. A minute later, she appeared in the doorway, holding her injured arm close to her body. The break was obvious even from a distance.

"Sit," I said, pulling a chair closer with my foot. She hesitated, then lowered herself into it. I cast Pain Dampening first, easing the tension in her grip, then set the bone back into place. Once it was aligned, I followed with Heal Bone and finished with Healing Touch to close the wound. She stared at her arm, flexed her fingers, then looked up at me with a radiant smile.

"All right," I said.

"Instead of payment, I'd like to ask a favor." She nodded immediately.

"Anything." I examined her as well. She had all the baseline traits common to this world, but none of the developmental issues. Her nerves were fully connected, her muscles properly matured, her connective tissue cleanly aligned. Her mitochondria worked efficiently, supplying steady energy even under strain. No bottlenecks or shortfalls anywhere. That settled it. The traits shared by the parents and the boy were normal for this world. Height, skin color, and basic structure. Those weren't the problem.

What set the boy apart was something else entirely. Both parents carried a mild developmental weakness. On its own, it was subtle enough that their bodies compensated during growth. But when combined in their child, that weakness was fully expressed. His cells were healthy, but the energy needed to finish building the body simply hadn't been there. Muscles never fully matured. Nerve networks never finished wiring themselves. Structural tissues formed without proper guidance. The woman had none of that.

The parents had traces of it. The boy had a full expression. For the first time, the problem was clear. What was not clear was how to solve it. I narrowed my focus and cast Healing Touch, pushing it as deep as I could, zeroing it directly at the mitochondria, willing the spell to recognize the inefficiency and correct it. Nothing changed. The spell flowed through him smoothly, reinforcing what was already there, but the mitochondria stayed exactly the same.

They weren't damaged, and Healing Touch had nothing to latch onto. I tried again, still nothing. Next came Fortify Life Force. If this were an energy problem, then more energy might help. I layered the spell carefully, supporting his system without overwhelming it. For a short while, the effect looked promising. His cells responded, activity picked up, and the sluggishness eased. Then, as soon as I eased off, everything settled back into its old pattern.

I tried variations and even combined spells, feeding Fortify Life Force into Healing Touch and guiding both toward the same cellular clusters. The result was always the same. As long as I was actively pouring mana in, things improved. The moment I stopped, the system reverted. By midday, sweat was running down my back, and my mana reserves were already feeling the strain. I leaned back, rubbed my eyes, and forced myself to slow down. I wasn't supposed to heal this; I was supposed to change it.

But again, I had no idea how. For over an hour, I sat staring at the wall, lost in thought. As the next attempt, I switched to free mana manipulation, threading it carefully between cells instead of through them. I watched how mitochondria behaved when a cell divided, how their structure copied itself forward, faithfully reproducing the same inefficiency every time. That was when I finally understood why nothing I'd done had stuck. The mitochondria weren't weak. They were built that way. That gave me an idea.

In the past, I turned a stone into a stone ball using mana control. Basically, I changed its shape by saturating it with my mana and influencing it through it. It was worth a try. I focused on a single mitochondrion and poured a few units of mana into it, and adjusted its internal structure. I optimized pathways, reduced transfer distances, and stabilized the components involved in energy conversion. It was painstaking work, delicate enough that one wrong nudge could have collapsed the whole thing.

When I withdrew my mana, the change remained. I watched the cell divide. Both daughter cells carried the correction. My heart started beating faster. I repeated the process, this time faster, correcting clusters instead of single units. Each time, the result held. The altered mitochondria behaved normally, efficiently, and when cells divided, the change propagated naturally. But even then, it wasn't enough. Fixing individual cells would take years.

The sun dipped low outside, and his parents slumped into their chairs, dozing fitfully as the hours dragged on. That's when the real solution clicked. It was impossible to fix the mitochondria one by one. I needed to change the rules they formed under. I expanded my awareness outward and began laying down a structural framework using mana control, not touching cells directly, but influencing the environment in which they formed.

A subtle, persistent guide that nudged mitochondrial structure toward the corrected configuration every time a new one was created. I worked slowly, methodically, covering the entire body. Core first, then chest, then limbs. I often stopped to check stability, adjusted as needed, and never rushed. Midnight came and went. At some point, someone brought food and quietly set it aside. I barely noticed. By the time dawn crept in through the window, the framework was complete. Only then did I start healing.

I began with Fortify Life Force, this time not to prop him up, but to support the transition as his cells finally had the energy they'd always needed. His breathing deepened almost immediately. It took tens of casts, but his cells got working in earnest. Next came Restore Nerves. With the energy bottleneck gone, the spell flowed cleanly. Neural pathways thickened, extended, and connected where they'd once stalled. His fingers twitched. Then his toes.

I followed with Heal Muscle, guiding it carefully as the muscle fibers finally matured rather than stalling halfway. I cycled through the spells again. Healing Touch to smooth the strain. Heal Bone where years of poor support had warped growth. Regrow Flesh in places where muscle mass had never properly formed, with additional support to muscles and nerves with spells. Because his body had no fat reserves, the spells had no energy reservoir to draw upon.

Without support, his body would have started consuming itself. I'd run into that problem before while regrowing limbs, so I used the same workaround. After each spell, I cast Fortify Life Force two or three times and fed him the healing potions I'd gotten from Al, the ones that drew all their healing energy from plants. I alternated those with energy potions as needed. With all those supporting measures layered together, I was able to keep going without his body eating itself from the inside.

Hour after hour, I worked, resting only when my hands shook too badly to continue. By the time the sun was fully up, the boy was breathing normally, his limbs no longer twisted, his body finally holding itself together the way it should have from the start. He wasn't strong yet, still looked painfully thin and weak, but structurally, he was whole. I stepped back at last, exhaustion crashing down on me all at once. It had taken an entire day and night. And it had worked.

The boy would still need time and rehabilitation, but the foundation was fixed now. His cells would carry the correction forward on their own, division after division, no longer copying the flaw that had held him back since birth. I dropped into the chair, feeling like a wet rag, my head pounding hard enough to rattle my thoughts, and still, I didn't care. I'd given the boy a future.

It had also been an unexpectedly fascinating case, combining healing magic with my wizard class, using free mana manipulation, and precise mana control in a way I'd never tried before. My red light was blinking, but I didn't have the mental energy to deal with it. Instead, I woke his parents and gave them instructions for the long rehabilitation ahead: daily gentle movement to encourage muscle use without strain, frequent rest, gradual increases in activity, and no skipping meals or sleep.

His body needed time to learn how to use what it finally had. After that, I dragged myself to my room and collapsed onto the bed. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. It wasn't until the next day that I remembered I hadn't taken any payment. By then, it didn't matter. The achievement was payment enough.