Chapter 26 - Access Request
Translator: Roshi
I stared blankly at the scene before me.
I had clearly opened the hospital door and walked inside.
But the hospital was over there.
What does that even mean?
I had no idea either.
'Is this a bug?'
But no matter how hard I looked, what stood ahead of me beyond the door was unmistakably my hospital building.
Kkiing?!
Cer blinked in surprise too.
I stepped back for a moment, raised my head to look at our hospital building from outside.
Then lowered my gaze back to the open doorway and what lay beyond it.
'There are two hospitals?'
To be precise, the outside still looked like the same old hospital.
But inside, instead of the treatment waiting room, a vast green field stretched out.
And right in the middle of that field, another hospital building sat all by itself.
I went inside for now.
'Wow....'
The scenery within came into full view.
A plain of soft green grass.
Look up, and there was a clear blue sky with fluffy clouds drifting lazily by.
A cool breeze blowing gently.
A sight like this unfolding inside a hospital was completely surreal, but.
People were waiting outside, so getting a clear grasp of the situation came first.
I turned around, and a door the exact same size as the one I'd entered through stood perfectly intact in the middle of the field.
It looked like the kind of door that could lead anywhere.
It also looked like the kind of door that needed to be kept securely shut.
Anyway, I cracked open the door I'd closed behind me upon entering, and peeked out. The outside looked exactly the same as when I'd come in.
Which meant the inside and outside were properly connected.
For now, I closed the door again.
Then crossed the field and entered the hospital.
Click.
This time, opening the door actually led into the real treatment waiting room.
I turned on the lights and went into the examination room.
Everything was exactly as I knew it.
It was as if the entire hospital building had been picked up and dropped right in the middle of a field.
I looked out the window from inside the building.
I'd thought maybe looking outside from in here would show the real world or something, but all I saw was the plain.
It seemed like the only connection to the outside was that entrance door over there.
In other words.
That entrance door was functioning as a kind of Gate.
'Wait, a Gate?'
The wish I'd accidentally made yesterday suddenly came to mind.
The wish that the treatment waiting room could be a bit more spacious.
'Don't tell me it was granted like this...?'
It had been such a sudden situation to walk into on the way to work, and yesterday I'd set aside all my worries, enjoyed a delicious plate of rib-eye, and gone to sleep.
So I'd completely forgotten about it in the meantime.
'On top of that, the weather here is absolutely perfect.'
Not too hot, not too cold, just right.
The wind was neither too strong nor nonexistent, blowing at just the right gentle breeze.
It was the kind of perfect environment where if I lay down spread-eagle on that grass right now, I'd be asleep within three minutes.
'So that's how it came true.'
I looked down at my left arm.
The Black Dragon Hereos's dimensional ability.
So it wasn't only for summoning someone from another dimension after all.
Of course, not every question had been fully answered yet.
But right now, treatment hours were approaching.
'Well, since it turned out this way, might as well make good use of it as a waiting room.'
I steeled my resolve and left the hospital, heading for the entrance door.
How was I supposed to explain this to people?
Should I start with "Everyone, please don't be alarmed"?
I was mulling it over as I arrived at the entrance door.
The door flew open.
"Ssaem, I'm sorry! You must have been waiting so lo...."
I was met with a frozen Park Ji-yeon, her eyes round as saucers.
I'd never realized Park Ji-yeon's eyes could get that big.
*
There was one truly astonishing fact.
The internet worked inside the hospital sitting in the middle of a field.
How, you ask?
No clue. It just did.
"Does card payment work?"
"Yes, it works fine. No idea why, but it does."
We'd tested it by swiping a random card and then processing a refund, and everything went through without a hitch.
Phone calls connected without any issues too.
Water ran just fine.
With this level of technology, maybe even a Bluetooth showerhead wasn't just a pipe dream.
'Well, if that's the case, there's absolutely no problem running the hospital.'
I explained to Park Ji-yeon that this was a new dimension-related skill I'd acquired.
I told her that the treatment waiting room had been too small, and rather than having people lined up all along the sidewalk, I'd decided to create a spacious area where they could come inside and wait.
"Ahh...."
Park Ji-yeon didn't quite understand, but she accepted it.
"It really hits home that you're an EX-rank Awakener, ssaem."
"Tell me about it."
We wrote up a notice on a large sheet of paper with a marker.
So that the guardians who came wouldn't panic.
Of course, reading a notice and then walking through the door probably wouldn't stop them from panicking, but still.
<The treatment waiting room has been expanded using the abilities of EX-rank Awakener Jeong Shin-hu. Guardians, please do not be alarmed and proceed to the hospital inside to register.>
Posting this next to the door should do the trick.
"Um, what exactly is going on here?"
As we came outside and taped up the notice, the guardian who had been waiting at the front of the line asked.
The guardian was looking back and forth between us and the field visible through the door with an expression that said, what on earth is going on?
I explained as calmly as I could.
"It's exactly as the notice says. You're aware that I'm the world's only EX-rank healer, right?"
"Yes, of course. They said you can cure anything, so I took the first flight out of Jeju Island this morning."
"That's right. And Hunters with EX-rank skills have a high probability of awakening lower-ranked skills as well. I recently awakened an SS-rank skill, and it happens to be an ability that manipulates space. I figured this would be better than having everyone wait outside."
"Oh...!"
The guardian looked at me with an expression of genuine admiration.
Then they peered through the doorway and stepped inside.
"Ooh. The weather inside is wonderful, isn't it? And the scenery is beautiful too."
"Right?"
A look of reverence settled over the guardian's face.
The kind of look that said, as expected of an EX-rank Awakener.
It was a bit much to bear, but.
That was just how significant the title of EX-rank Awakener was.
'Well, honestly, they say even an A-rank Hunter can live large without envying anyone.'
Hunters did have to fight dangerous battles in Gates, but the money they earned was equally staggering.
B-rank was enough to receive excellent treatment, A-rank meant people would come courting you, and S-rank meant you could head a guild.
On top of that, in this era of Hunters, high-ranked ones were often treated practically like celebrities.
So from an ordinary person's perspective, even A-rank or S-rank was impossibly out of reach.
Let alone the world's one and only EX-rank.
Of course, I'd been quietly forgotten over time as a healer who couldn't treat humans.
But if, building on the tremendous weight class of EX-rank, I awakened a new skill even one tier, no, two tiers below.
Then any ability would be perfectly believable.
Anyway.
The point was, for regular people, a single "I'm an EX-rank Awakener" worked far better than a hundred long-winded explanations.
Just like with the guardian standing before me right now.
"Then let's get your treatment started right away. Please, come on in."
"Yes, thank you!"
*
Ding!
[Your EXP has increased by 1.]
[Due to the effect of Restoration Lv.9 (Stage 2), EXP gain is slightly increased.]
[You have gained an additional 0.14 EXP.]
After treating the puppy named Merry that the guardian had brought in.
Woof! Woof woof!
Merry, who could barely even bark properly before, was now full of life and barking with vigor.
"Wow.... Really.... The university hospital said it was liver failure and there was nothing they could do except symptom management to keep her going as long as possible.... Hic."
The guardian held the newly healthy Merry and let a few tears fall.
Woof woof?!
Merry had no idea why her owner was crying and looked slightly confused, licking the guardian's face.
The guardian hugged Merry tightly, then bowed to me over and over again.
"Thank you so much, Doctor. I came all the way from Jeju Island thinking this was my last hope...."
"Haha, don't mention it. During the treatment, I actually found that there was a slight issue with her heart as well, not just the liver failure."
"Oh no, really?"
"Yes. But the health problems were most likely accelerated by the liver failure, so you don't need to worry too much. And if any issues come up, don't hesitate to come back anytime."
At my words, the guardian let out a deep sigh of relief, clearly reassured.
"Thank you.... Um, you're not planning to close the hospital or anything, right...?"
Being an EX-rank Awakener and awakening other skills one after another.
For a Hunter, clearing high-rank Gates would be a much faster way to make money than treating patients like this.
The concern was understandable.
But.
"That's not going to happen, so please don't worry. If I were going to quit, why would I have created a space like this here?"
I cast my gaze out the window.
The guardian looked outside as well.
Kkiing! Kking!
Cer, who had been running around out on the field, somehow sensed my gaze right away and bounced up from the grass.
Bless his heart, Cer had taken it upon himself to guide the guardians who came in after reading the notice, leading the way as if to tell them there was nothing to worry about.
By now, hardly anyone who visited our hospital didn't know Cer.
So even people who were startled by this completely unprecedented sight would calm down and come inside once Cer let out a reassuring Kking and pointed toward the hospital building.
Kkiing!
Right now, too, Cer had spotted a guardian hesitating outside the entrance door, dashed over in a flash, and was guiding them in as if to say there was nothing to be afraid of.
He was such a good boy.
The guardian of Merry, who had been watching the scene with me, nodded.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Seeing you use such an incredible ability for the hospital.... Anyway, thank you. Oh, but does card payment work in there?"
I smiled and nodded.
"Of course. Everything works."
*
"It's quitting time!"
After treating the last patient and sending them off.
I stretched and announced it, but the storeroom was quiet.
Because Cer was currently outside running around the field with gusto.
I'd actually been worrying that just a brief morning and evening walk to the park wasn't nearly enough activity for Cer's stamina.
That concern had been wiped clean away.
Of course, I still planned to keep up the regular walks too.
The neighborhood folks would be disappointed if we stopped, and I needed to periodically check on the plants I'd been caring for.
Kkiing! Kking!
Cer, with his uncanny ability to notice my gaze through the window, came bounding toward the storeroom's back door and let himself in.
There was a back door in the storeroom, which Cer had been using as his own room, that led out to the field, making it really convenient for him to come and go.
He'd play outside, guide some guardians along the way.
Then when he got tired, he'd come back in, pull his Comfort Toy close, and fall asleep. It was impossibly cute.
'During the busy afternoon hours, Cer doesn't even need to guide anyone since people just come in on their own.'
When the door first opened in the morning and the inside was empty, Cer's guidance was needed.
But later on, the indoor waiting room would fill up and there'd be so many people that some would register and then wait outside.
And once newcomers saw people casually waiting beyond the entrance door, playing with their animals on the grass, they'd figure it must be fine and just walk right in.
"Cer, did you have fun playing?"
Kkiing! Yesh!
Even as Cer answered, he kept licking my hand and nuzzling his face against me.
Apparently he'd had a great time playing, but since he couldn't play with me, he needed a little extra affection.
"Cer, since we're already here, want to play on the grass for a little while before we go?"
At that, Cer's eyes went wide. He'd felt too guilty to openly ask for more playtime right after I'd finished work.
Kkiing!!
What a cute little guy. His eyes were honest, at least.
"Ssaem, are you going to stay and play with Cer some more?"
"Yeah. Go ahead and head home first, Ji-yeon ssi!"
After sending Park Ji-yeon off.
I grabbed a few toys and headed out onto the field with Cer.
"Alright, Cer! You have to catch this before it hits the ground, got it?"
I pulled the plastic disc back toward my chest.
Whoosh!
I flung it, and Cer went trotting off, leaped up, and snatched it right out of the air with his mouth.
"Nice, that's our Cer!"
Kkiing!
I gave Cer, who'd brought the disc back, a thorough round of pets.
Before I knew it, playing like that, the sun had begun to set.
"Wait, the sun sets in here too?"
Was this synced with the outside?
Well, it was about that time, to be fair.
Yom would be returning soon too.
Most importantly, today was a day when Serintia was likely to visit.
Just as I was thinking about what delicious dinner to make for Serintia and getting ready to head inside.
Ding-ding!! Ding-ding!!
"Hm?"
Suddenly, the Status Window blared loudly and a warning message appeared.
[Sub-dimension intrusion prevention system activated!]
[An entity is attempting to access this Sub-dimension!]
[Access has been temporarily blocked.]
[Gathering information on the intruding entity....]
What, an intrusion attempt? Blocked?
This thing had a feature like that?
Was a Gate about to open here or something?
Just as the sudden emergency alert had put me on high alert.
Ding-ding!
[Identification complete.]
[True Progenitor Vampire, 'Serintia du Lanortas Veloche' is sending an access request.]
[Do you accept?]
Vwoooom!
Along with the message, the Pendant on my chest began vibrating furiously.
And from it, Serintia's voice soon came flowing out.
-Appa, what is this? Open the door!! It's me, Serintia! Your daughter! Hiiing!
*****
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