My days continue in a monotonous routine. I wake up, clean myself, eat breakfast, read with breaks in between to clean up the house, eat lunch, help prepare dinner, and socialize with the family. This routine repeats itself for about a week before an exciting change happens.
I'm eating breakfast like normal when there's a knock on the door. Curious about who it could be I open the door to find Sarah patiently waiting. She smiles and greets, "Hello Alea, how have you been doing." I respond, "I've been doing fine. And you?" Thinking of something, Sarah's smile widens as if she trying to keep some exciting gossip to herself. Sarah starts, "Actually, I'm doing really well, and I have something to tell you."
Curious to hear the news, I invite Sarah in. The house is humble, but still has comfortable seating for her. We sit down and Sarah gets straight to the point. She exclaims, "Sedrick said that he would be happy to take you on as an apprentice. I'm sorry I couldn't get back to you with an answer earlier. It's just been very busy this week with all the injuries from the hunters."
Her exclamation brings forth memories of Monday's dinner conversation. Apparently, the monster appearances are getting worse lately which led to the hunters being caught off guard by a tough monster that normally doesn't show itself around these parts. In truth, I was a little nervous about Sarah never sending me news about our prior conversation, but I didn't want to bring up the conversation in case I had been rejected. Also, I noticed that she said Sedrick. That must be her husband's name.
With enthusiasm I reply, "Oh wow, that's great. When can I start?" Sarah answers, "Tomorow if you'd like. Just show up in the morning, and Sedrick will take care of you?" Her answers partially relives me my anxiety. We chat a bit more about before I send her out. Right as Sarah is about to leave, I remember something important. Quickly I grab Sarah's attention shouting, "Wait. I forgot to return a book." I quickly scrambled to find the book called "Fundamentals of Magic" before handing it to her. After doing so I make sure to mention that I've almost finished with the other book and will hopefully be able to return it withing the next few days.
The book called "Basics of Medicine" has been difficult. It's contains virtually no pictures, has tiny font, and is as thick as my hand is long. The only reason I had made so much progress so far was due to my abundance of free time. I feel lucky to be able to read such a book here. It must be incredibly valuable. That makes me wonder what the system rewards will look like.
The rest of the day went as usual. I made sure to tell the family that I had been accepted as an apprentice. They were extremely happy for me and told me not worry about dinner and cleaning as much anymore. I feel like I'm part of the family.
The next morning, I rush through my morning routine in anticipation. I wonder what Sedrick will be like. If his house is anything to go by, he'd be like a reclusive wizard or alchemist from the stories I've read. He certainly has a wizard-like name.
Before I know it, I'm standing in front of their door. I take a second before knocking, imaging what the doctor will look like. Will he have a long gray beard or wear a pointed hat. No, I can't assume too much.
The door opens and I see the face of a normal looking man. He's average. That's truly the best way to describe him. Average Height. Average Face. No prominent features. He would blend into a background perfect. Besides that, he has black hair, black eyes, slightly tanned skin, and gives off a kind impression.
Wanting to make a good first impression I introduce myself saying, "Hello there Sir. My name's Alea. I'm grateful that you gave me this opportunity. " Seemly amused he responds, "Ah, there's no need to be formal. Come in. Come in." Taking another look around the house, I notice that it's a bit cleaner than last time. Maybe it's because they were expecting company this time.
Sedrick quickly goes to pick up some items before handing some of them to me and grabbing more. He proceeds to leave the house making a motion for me to follow him. A bit puzzled I follow him. To answer my confusion, he tells me that we're heading to his clinic. Sarah had decided to tell me to head to her house first, since she knew I could easily find it. I think Sedrick may have agreed to it to have an extra pair of hands to transport stuff.
The walk is peaceful but slightly difficult with all the items I'm carrying. We seriously need a wagon for all this stuff. I'm relieved when we arrive at the clinic. After setting the stuff down and shaking out my arms I feel a better. We make small talk as he directs me where to put items. Sarah told him about my interest in books which leads him inquire about my progress. He already seems to know I've finished the first book, so I focus on telling him about the second book.
I try to be as modest as possible when talking about the second book, since I know I'm talking to a medical professional. Even so, he seems impressed. He even starts asking me questions to test my knowledge. I seem to pass with flying colors based on his reaction.
In the middle of the conversation, he makes a statement that makes my mind go blank from excitement when he casually comments, "Well, since you like books so much, I would like you to feel free to borrow books from me. Learning is important, and you seem to have a remarkable talent for it. If you had started preparing earlier, you might've even qualified for the academy. You're already 18 though, so it'd be a bit difficult....." BOOKS, the academy me, BOOKS. My adrenaline is rushing from all the excitement of future prospects.
I repeatedly thank the doctor. He then starts telling me some important things about the clinic such as things not to do. In the middle of his teaching session, a customer walks in. Seeing the patient, Sedrick seems to switch to work mode as he greets them before asking what the problem is.
From there on out that day, I was able to see Sedrick at work. The clinic was quite busy, maybe because it's the only one in town. Luckily there were no serious emergencies. Even while busy, Sedrick didn't forget about me. I worked as an assistant, grabbing whatever he needed and learning along the way. The experience is like shadowing a normal doctor, but with less restrictions and more involvement.
At the end of the day, I helped clean up and we agreed that I'd show up at the clinic every morning. Happily heading home I enjoy my dinner and make sure to share my experiences with everyone.
The next few days follow a new pattern. Now, I clean up, eat breakfast, rush to the clinic, work, eat dinner, and read. Speaking of reading, I finally finished the book! Let's just say the rewards are well worth it. The screens I saw after finishing the book were as follows. [For finishing rare level book user gains 1000 Reader Points.] [User gains the Basic Medical Knowledge skill] [User gains 200 exp].
I'm pretty proud of my status now.
Level: 2
Exp (160/400)
Name: Alea Wix
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Titles: Otherworlder
Talents:
Skills: Immortality, Mapping, Mana Control, Basic Medical Knowledge
Elements: Water
STR: 7
CON: 8
INT: 10
WIS: 9
AGI: 8
Skill Points: 0
Free Points: 5
Reading Points: 500