The Labyrinth (5)

"Acupuncture… you must have practiced a lot, right?"

Priscilla asks, tilting her head.

"Of course, don't worry."

I give Priscilla a reassuring smile and in response her eyes land on my waistline.

'I'm sure she feels it, too, to some extent.'

But Priscilla couldn't care less. For now, the care of the wounded came first.

This quest, a tie-in to the Lycanthrope episode, is a perk of choosing the Medical Technology Club.

Having learned acupuncture in the Club, I was able to clear the "confusion" of their ailments.

I followed Priscilla into the infirmary.

"The monster's claws were poisonous, and the injured cadets are experiencing confusion."

As Priscilla continues to explain, I hear groans from the cadets.

"Ugh… Mmm…"

I look over at the wounded lying in their beds and see them struggling.

"Well, that makes it difficult to infuse them with Heal. I can do it myself with acupuncture needles or Divine Clear, but it takes a long time. Speaking of which, Zetto… do you remember the location of the 'Confused Blood'?"

…This spot on the wrist of my left arm."

I replied, pointing Priscilla to the Confused Blood on my arm.

"Exactly, but it's not always easy to place needles when the wounded are struggling with confusion, so if you think it might be difficult, can you tell me now?"

Priscilla asked.

At this point in the game, unless you're at least level 2 in acupuncture, you have to choose the option of not being able to do it.

I was already level 3 in acupuncture, and I was confident that I could handle it so I nodded to Priscilla and set my backpack down in the corner of the infirmary.

"I think I can do it."

And so it fell to me to clear the 'confusion' by placing acupuncture needles on the wounded before Priscilla healed them.

At least that would cut down on the time.

"Ugh..."

I sat down next to Priscilla and grabbed the struggling cadet's left arm.

I needed to capitalize on the moment of weakness.

It was a mini-game in the game, like a rhythm game. At that moment, I felt her left arm slacken and lose strength so in a split second I placed the needle in the right place.

A few seconds passed and the cadet's grimace relaxes as the violent struggle subsides.

"Hmmm. You've improved quite a bit..?"

Priscilla, who was heeling the cadet where I left the acupuncture needle, compliments and questions at the same time.

"Ahaha… I've been practicing a lot."

I scratched my head and moved on to another cadet. Priscilla glances at me, then focuses on healing the cadet.

[My student is quite the handyman. Acupuncture…]

Meanwhile, Sierra floats by, watching my acupuncture with interest.

From then on, it's repetition.

I hold the injured person's arm, wait for the moment of weakness, and place the needle.

I can feel the fatigue creeping into my body and after spending 30 hours in the labyrinth, I could use a break.

'Just a little more.'

Soon enough, the 'confusion' of the wounded cadets was being cleared away, and Priscilla's healing was speeding up.

"The last of the wounded!"

Butler, the senior cadet who had told me the news, entered the infirmary, carrying the wounded and behind him was Yuri.

"Whoa, Zetto!"

Yuri exclaimed when she spotted me.

She, too, was helping the wounded.

"Haha, we meet again."

But Yuri and I didn't have time for a leisurely chat.

Butler moved the wounded cadets under Priscilla's guidance, checking the injured cadets' condition.

Yuri stepped away from the infirmary for a moment, blending in with the group of cadets who had been watching from afar.

After a while, the urgent cases in the infirmary were taken care of and the others were left to Butler and Priscilla.

Butler could use a little 'heal' too.

A look outside the infirmary revealed a few cadets with minor injuries leaning against the wall. They were the ones who remained moderately conscious.

I walked over to the nearest female cadet.

"Are you in any discomfort?"

"Uh, uh…I have a little headache…"

"Can you ease the tension in your arm?"

Now it was my turn to get information.

I let go of the acupuncture needles and ask questions in a friendly, natural voice.

"What was he like?"

"Well, he was so fast, I didn't get a good look…I think he was much bigger than a man…"

"…That must have been a terrifying experience, do you remember which floor it was?"

"The fifth floor… It was the fifth floor…"

The female cadet replied, looking up and trying to remember.

I let go of the needle as she remained still, smacking her lips, and after a moment she opened her mouth.

"…Do you think your headache has cleared up a bit?"

"Yes, yes…! My head is clear…"

"That's good."

"That's great, considering your eyes must be bothering you…Thank you."

"It's no big deal, I'm glad I could help."

With those words, I walked past the blushing female cadet and pried information out of the others.

[Disciple, did you really have to touch her arm like that…? I guess it's the only way since you can't see…]

When I was done, I ignored Sierra's pouty-faced grumblings and sat down on a corner of the wall outside the infirmary to gather the information in my head.

A big guy with dark gray fur and very long and sharp claws. It felt like a beast of prey.

This was a lycanthrope that was for sure.

He was on the fifth floor.

'I should be thankful…'

Today was over on the third floor, so by the time I got to the fifth floor I'd gain a few more levels.

The group of cadets in the infirmary seemed to be mostly waiting for their friends or out of curiosity.

Among the group, the female cadets seem to be the busiest.

Yuri's face was also visible among them, but she was tired and her expression was not very happy.

[…It seems that my disciple is overly affectionate, especially with the girls.]

Sierra, who had been wandering back and forth among the group of cadets, approached me and muttered something unintelligible.

Then she turns to them, eyes narrowed, a murderous grin on her face.

'She's like that sometimes…'

After that, the group of cadets gradually thinned out as a few cadets who had finished their treatment made their way out of the infirmary.

Yuri slowly approaches me and taps me on the shoulder.

"Zetto, I assume you're almost done?"

"I guess so. As soon as we got out of the Labyrinth, I realized what was going on, haha…It's been a crazy day."

Yuri also realized what was going on as soon as she came out of the labyrinth and immediately helped Butler.

"She didn't say anything, she just helped… She's a wizard from the Clementine clan, so she's a good person!"

Butler in the infirmary exclaims when he sees Yuri.

Yuri mumbles, "I'm not a good person"…and turns away from Butler.

"Are you done?"

I ask Yuri.

I was hoping to grab a bite to eat when she was done.

"Yeah, I'm heading back now."

"I think I'll finish up and head back."

"Okay. I'll see you later. I've had a long day."

With that, I said goodbye to Yuri, who was smiling brightly.

She was smiling again, but I realized she was just tired.

Not long after Yuri left, Priscilla came out of the infirmary.

"Hah… Finally, it's over."

Priscilla stands in the doorway of the infirmary, stretches, and turns to look at me, my sword, to be exact.

The quest reward hasn't arrived yet so that means the quest isn't over.

"Zetto, do you have a moment? I need to talk to you about something."

Priscilla asked me.

'It's coming…'

Priscilla looks like she's about to mention the Spectral Sword.

"I see."

I followed her to the rooftop of the academy. It was late at night, so there was no one else on the roof.

The cool air rushed into my lungs.

"You've had a long day."

Priscilla, leaning against the railing, spoke up.

She didn't cut to the chase.

"Haha, you had a hard time today."

"Sometimes it happens when there's a monster on a lower level that's hard to defeat, so… Your acupuncture skills have improved quite a bit, you must have been practicing hard, I'm proud of you."

Priscilla laughs softly, praising me.

I laugh along with her, but that's not the point.

Priscilla's eyes had been on the Spectral Sword from earlier. Judging by the fact that she wasn't looking at Sierra, who was hovering by my side, she didn't seem to see the spirit energy that Deidros mentioned earlier but she didn't bring it up.

"How did you practice your acupuncture?"

"On the skin of the bore, in moderation, like last time…"

"Hmm… You're not that good, are you?"

Hearing my excuse, Priscilla snorted and her eyes were a vivid emerald in the moonlight.

"…I don't dislike a guy with a lot of secrets since I have quite a few of my own… I guess I can relate."

Priscilla said, leaning back against the railing.

'Secrets…'

Priscilla had secrets, too. It was tied to her past.

In the game, if you interacted with Priscilla often enough, you could delve into her past.

The fact that she was now treating cadets as a medic was her 'penance'.

Usually, learning about her past is a bad ending.

When Priscilla realizes you've dug into her past, she locks you away. The player can't do anything about it, and it's a lockdown ending.

As a result, it's best to keep your distance from Priscilla.

Priscilla stares at the moon in silence for a while, then lowers her head.

"…Anyway, thanks for making the treatment easier. Here, take this."

With that, Priscilla tossed me a squeaky pouch. I naturally snatch it up and turn to her.

"What is this?"

"It's the money the cadets gave me earlier as a thank you and I already gave Butler his part. Consider it an honorarium."

"Aha…"

I slipped the pouch into my arms, feeling a surge of energy through my body.

'Level up.'

The quest was complete.

With those words, Priscilla strolled off the rooftop.

She never asked me about the sword.

'I thought you were going to ask me something when you brought me up here. Is this how it ends?'

I stayed on the roof and looked around, but it was already dark and a full, round moon stood high in the sky, casting a glow.

[…There are quite a few shady characters in this academy, instructors, cadets, and even medics…?]

I can't help but chuckle at Sierra's next statement, as it hits the nail on the head.

"Ha… yeah."

I couldn't agree more.

***

I got a good night's rest and returned to the Labyrinth early in the morning.

I split the orcs on the fourth floor and made my way down to the fifth since I wanted to meet Lycanthrope.

I finally found the stairs leading down and as I slowly descended the stairs I checked my status.

<Zetto> Lv.23

Skills

-Ghost Slayer Technique Lv.12

– Sierra Reverse Heaven (Incomplete) Lv.3 – [Ghost Slayer Technique] in effect

-Superior Senses Lv.7

-Weakness Detection Lv.MAX – [Blindfold That is Beyond Reason] in effect

-Acupuncture Lv.3

Skill Points remaining: 3

Equipped Items

– Blindfold That is Beyond Reason. [Legendary]

– Bracelet of Origin [Epic]

-Spectral Sword Sierra [Inheritance]

-The Hero's Favor Necklace [Epic]

Yesterday's Medical Technology Club quest gave me two levels.

I also quickly skimmed through floors 3 and 4, gained another level, and am now level 23.

I had 3 points left and invested them all in Ghost Slayer Technique.

I've leveled up the skill quite a bit but I can't use Chapter 2 yet.

At a rough guess, I'll need to level up the skill once more before I can use Chapter 2.

The scent of blood thickens as I descend the staircase. I'm pretty sure he's on the fifth floor.

He would be tearing apart everything in sight, cadets and monsters alike.

I made it all the way down the stairs, and when I first stepped onto the fifth floor, I saw a large man.

It was a recognizable face, if not a very familiar one.

"You…"

As soon as he spotted me, he lowered his voice like a ferocious dog growling.

'Amon Caligus?'

He glared at me, his arms armed with his usual stone gauntlets.

"The 'prey' on the fifth floor is mine. Get the hell out of my way."

Amon snarled at me. He had heard the rumors and had come to the fifth floor to capture Lycanthrope.

Just then, I had an idea.

"…Oh, well, I guess I'll have to give in."

I smiled at Amon and replied.

Thanks to Amon's kindness, I can get a good idea of the power of the Lycanthrope.