Levi made his way to the academy's library with a desire to study some medical books. His initial thought was to visit Ryan's office, but it was closed at the time. The world they lived in had advanced medical practices due to the presence of mana, making diseases like cancer seem relatively minor.
Mana played a vital role in enhancing people's immunity. So, Levi couldn't help but wonder why the daughter of an S-rank individual was constantly suffering from a simple cold. Something about this situation felt off to him.
Determined to find answers, Levi ventured into the library and delved into the section on medicine and diseases, reading every book he could lay his hands on. Unfortunately, none of the texts contained the information he sought. They focused on common illnesses, such as colds and pneumonia, which affected the respiratory system.
'Her condition... it seems somewhat different,'
Levi pondered, realizing that what was happening to Luna didn't align with the typical cases he'd found in the books.
Levi closed his eyes and instructed the central eye to assign one of the lesser eyes to keep an eye on Luna. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that Irina would be furious if she ever discovered his covert investigations.
Returning to his dormitory, Levi began creating even more of the lesser eyes. At present, he commanded fifty of them, with most scattered throughout the city and some positioned within the academy. As he continued to produce more eyes, the central eye received reports about various occurrences in the city.
[The eyes have been noticing many people, especially children and teenagers, missing in that area].
This concerned Levi because the city had strict security measures in place. Theft and robbery were rare in this world, nearly nonexistent. Even the attack on the academy, a one-in-a-trillion event, was a result of divine fate.
What troubled Levi the most was that these events didn't align with the story he was familiar with. Such occurrences had never happened in any of the established events. Whatever was transpiring in the city could directly or indirectly affect the storyline in ways Levi wished to avoid.
A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts, and to his surprise, it was Ryan standing outside.
"Let's go. Something urgent has come up," Ryan informed him.
******
Eliza and her friends were growing impatient as they waited for Flynn, who was running a couple of minutes late.
"That guy is always so tardy," Eliza complained, watching Harper and Irene shrug in response. The four of them had planned to go shopping and meet at the academy's main gate.
Eliza playfully smacked Flynn's back as he finally arrived, to which Flynn retaliated by doing the same. Their little back-and-forth continued for a few minutes, and the other two friends, Irene and Harper, observed them with mild amusement. Flynn and Eliza had a close friendship, and their teasing had become a customary part of their interactions.
"Where should we go first?" Irene suggested.
"Let's head to a potion shop on X-X-X Street," Irene recommended as she took the lead. They were all noble-born and had the means to purchase potions to enhance their abilities.
Upon entering the alchemy shop, the group was greeted by the distinct aroma of chemicals and herbs. The unique blend of mana in the air made them feel a bit lightheaded, but it was a familiar sensation in such shops.
"This place always makes me a bit dizzy and off," Flynn remarked, his heightened sensitivity to mana occasionally causing discomfort.
As they made their way through the shop, they noticed a familiar face behind the counter.
"Isn't that Professor Ryan and Levi?" Harper pointed out as he recognized the two engaged in selecting potions.
Flynn confirmed Harper's observation. "Yeah, it's unusual to see those two together."
Eliza clenched her fist in frustration, disappointed to encounter Levi. She had hoped for a break from seeing him, questioning whether Jack was slacking off on his duties. Irene, who was privy to Ryan's treatment of Levi after he saved her, surmised that Levi might not be fully healed yet. Nevertheless, she chose to ignore him as per his wishes.
None of them called out to Levi and Ryan, who soon left the store with their selected items.
"Are they your friends?" Irene inquired.
"No," Levi curtly replied.
"But I saw Irene over there as well. Isn't she your friend?" Harper pressed.
"Just classmates," Levi replied, causing Ryan to chuckle.
"I would want a classmate who risked their life to save me too," Ryan remarked, but Levi remained silent. They then headed to the city's hospital.
******
Ryan had been summoned to assist at the city's hospital, and Levi noticed several differences in medical practices compared to Earth. In this world, doctors were known as healers, and their surgical techniques had reached new heights, thanks to the efficient use of mana.
However, despite their expertise, there were cases where even healers couldn't diagnose certain diseases and required the assistance of an expert like Ryan. As Ryan and Levi made their way to one of the examination rooms, the hospital staff couldn't help but admire the distinguished healer. They also noticed Levi, a new face behind Ryan, who raised questions and speculations.
"Is he Professor Ryan's assistant?"
"But the professor never took on any assistants."
"Then this boy must be exceptionally talented for Professor Ryan to take him under his wing."
Levi and Ryan overheard the staff's discussions but were preoccupied with the task at hand. Both of them donned the necessary attire and entered an examination room, where three doctors were tending to a patient. As the doctors turned to acknowledge Ryan's presence, he walked toward the patient, and Levi followed.
The patient had unnaturally pale skin covered in blue veins, and their eyes remained open despite the administration of an anesthetic drug. There was an unsettling look in the patient's eyes, as if they were searching for something beyond human understanding.
Ryan began examining the patient, and Levi utilized his Search skill to navigate the patient's internal body, effectively acting as an X-ray.
'This... Even though I'm not a healer, I can tell something is seriously wrong.'
Levi used the Search skill and observed the body's nerves behaving strangely, with numerous bones present where there shouldn't be. The patient's body was undergoing a perplexing transformation.
"Professor, his body... it's changing," one of the doctors exclaimed in surprise.
"What?" All three doctors spoke in unison, shocked by this unprecedented occurrence. Even Ryan, with thirty years of medical experience, had never encountered such a case. He had a plan in his mind on how to treat the patient.
"Levi, come here and start inserting the healing string through his nose and into his lungs," Ryan instructed.
Levi complied, and the doctors watched in awe as they saw another person, besides Ryan, capable of producing golden strings and using them. What amazed them even more was that he was just a teenager.
Ryan proceeded to the patient's chest and delicately pierced the stomach with his strings. He was concerned for Levi, not because he doubted his abilities, but because witnessing such procedures for the first time could be unsettling.
To everyone's surprise, Levi remained unfazed as he observed Ryan carefully cutting through the patient's stomach and some internal organs. He didn't display any signs of nausea but rather appeared curious.
A golden light emanated from Ryan's body and transformed into tiny strings, which he dispersed throughout the
patient's body. Levi "saw" the strings gradually repairing the nerves to their original state and removing the excess bones.
The substance in the patient's lungs attempted to resist and interfere with Ryan's power, but Levi's strings held it in check. Though Levi couldn't destroy it, he effectively contained it. After thirty minutes, Ryan successfully completed his part of the procedure.
"Begin the healing process," Ryan instructed the three doctors, who moved to cast a healing spell to close the precise incision in the patient's stomach.
Levi's mana was nearly depleted, and Ryan was aware of it. He walked over to Levi and created his own golden string, which he directed toward the patient's lungs. Ryan neutralized the troublesome substance, extracted a sample, and sealed it in a test tube for further analysis. He also placed a protective barrier around the test tube to prevent the unknown substance from escaping.
Ryan turned to Levi, his face beaming with pride. "Good job."
Levi, struggling to catch his breath, responded with a thumbs-up, still unfazed by the unsettling procedures he had just witnessed.