(If you get confused, read at the endnote. It explains some key elements)
The week had been hell with nothing but practicing magic and cramming the spells. Even sleep had not been safe since the system had utilized that time to make Michael familiarize himself with magic.
The only good thing that had come out of it was the increase in healing level that had hit max and the access to Iris's memories of casting and spells.
He should be able to cast as well as she had since he had all her experience inside his mind now. But experience with his body was a different thing altogether and something he would have to learn himself.
It was still difficult for him to be able to think of himself as her but her magic conveyed her emotions to him.
Well, the emotions she would have felt had she been here. There was a disconnect there for him but he was working on it.
Her soul had, unfortunately, perished before he had signed the contract and he had been forced to take her role instead.
The reason behind it was not clear.
No, it was better to say that the system was not telling it to him at this time.
But anyway, the endpoint was the same, he was now a healer in his own right but somehow it did not feel like his calling in life.
'User 'doctor' has cleared all the trial stages of learning.
Opening the world to Users now.
Would the user like to change his name and title now? The name and title could not be changed once fixed'
Michael stared at the screen.
This was it, his chance to change his name back to his own. The Mina was mocking him as it looked over from the screen.
He quickly changed it to 'Michael' but it felt hollow to him. He was not really fully Michael now.
Not with Iris's experience inside him but he knew he could not forsake his true identity either.
Still, to name it Michael felt like he was betraying the identity of the real owner of this body so he would have to compromise somewhere.
Before he could think back on it, the name Iris replaced Michael and he hit 'OK' without changing the title.
'Opening the whole system.
Welcome, Doctor Iris to this new world.
Hopefully, this will be a journey you will enjoy.'
He was already regretting this but there was nothing to be done. He had resolved himself and there was no going back now.
Once he stepped out of this room, he would no longer be Michael in this world but Iris.
Only when he was alone and confined would he be his real self again.
He was in his monologue but then it was broken by rapid knocking on the door. Someone was here for him.
No, for Iris.
"Master I-Iris, are you inside? W-We need your help. You said you were a h-healer, right? P-Please help us" the female opened the door…
…only to come face to face with an older woman and the irritated owner of the establishment.
"What is wrong?" Michael-no-Iris asked as she took in the view in front of her. The freaked-out face of the elder made something inside her jump.
"You can't just barge in like that old lady. You are disturbing my guests here. Besides, do you even have money to pay her?" the owner was not happy with this lady.
So naturally, Micha-Iris felt her curiosity peak at that.
"What is wrong here? Can I help?" it occurred to her too late that she should not have asked that. It was not in Iris's character to help someone unknown like that.
But it was done and she had already offered so she could not take it back.
"Please help my partner. She'll die otherwise. I will find some way to pay you back somehow" the woman was clearly aged, maybe in her 40s and would be a MILF in the gaming community's eyes.
But standing in front of her, all Iris could see was a pitiful old soul who needed help.
"Are you mad woman? The commission's doctor already checked and your wife is already too far gone with the position. Her one fault for not staying where it was safe and to fight the monsters. You even lost everything you had by having to pay the commission for the medical fee"
The woman looked worried at those words. She clearly did not think that the healer would help her after hearing that she could not pay her.
But Michael was not that kind of person and he was weak for an older woman who reminded him of his mother.
Where Iris might have rejected this person, Michael could not bring himself to abandon her.
Especially as he caught the ending phase of the owner.
"Besides, this person is obviously a scam. No respected healer would live here when a commission office exists just a few blocks away."
That was it. She was done with this place now.
"Mam, I will have a look at your partner. Unlike some people here, I have morals as well as knowledge to back my claim. Now lead the way for me" her words seemed to have breathed a new life into the female.
All at once she stood up straight and looked at Iris like she was her last hope.
And she might as well be for her partner.
The owner looked a little green in the face at being attacked indirectly but she did not say anything to Iris.
She had clearly lost a lot of face today and did not want to face her. Not when Iris was still her customer.
God, it was weird to think of herself as Iris and not Michael but she was getting used to it the more she thought.
"P-Please follow me. I swear I will pay you back up somehow" the older lady sounded on the verge of a breakdown and Iris decided it was better to get her out of the building as fast as she could.
The owner just gave them a polite but disinterested nod as they left and Iris decided she was not coming back.
A week was up anyway and she already had everything stored in her system anyway.
There was no need to go back there.
"Mam, can you give me a little background check about what happened? I need to know what I am dealing with here. I don't want to give you false hope" the older lady's look dropped at her words but she did not stop walking.
"We, my partner and I, were not really well off but we really wanted the council to give us a baby. They would not agree till we had a stable source of income and the commission was coming to check up on us anyway now" the lady looked too unstable to say more.
But this was something that needed to be said so Iris did not stop her.
"S-So my partner decided she would take part in monster hunting expeditions posted by the commission to earn us money. It was going so well till it was not and n-now she is on the verge of death"
That sounded serious overall and there was no real way to say what was wrong with her till Iris see the other with her own eyes.
"I will take a look and do what I can to help. Please be prepared for any outcome" there was no point in giving the other false hope anyway.
Not when the matter was that delicate.