I woke up in a hospital.
It was different from the one in my "old" world.
A fracture would have cost you your life there.
Healers here worked cheaply.
I didn't need to pay. My mother owns this place.
"Son!" she shouted, running toward me.
"Are you alright? I heard you were stabbed… with a knife!" Her voice cracked.
"I'm fine… that's the consequence of trying to be a hero, I guess…" I sighed.
"Well, I'm proud of you, son. You'll get well soon. I'll be right back!" She left the room.
"Also, there's someone who wants to meet you," she added.
"The woman who was being mugged."
"She healed you."
"You should thank her."
"Really?! I should?"
I tried to push myself up from the bed.
But… my left hand.
It was frozen, as if it didn't even belong to my body.
Ding~
Punishment for losing a left hand during Judgment:
Hand Paralysis
Duration: Until second Judgment
"..Gr-great," I muttered. My voice cracked, shoulders shivering.
I managed to push myself up with my right hand, almost falling to the ground.
I saw the woman praying in the hallway, just outside my room.
"Excuse me!" I called.
She rushed toward me.
"Thank goodness you're alright!" she exclaimed, bursting into tears.
"H-hey, it's alright… I'm fine," I said.
"It's thanks to you that I'm still alive."
"Oh, no need to thank me." She wiped her tears.
"By the way, I work as a part-time healer here."
"That's wonderful."
"Honestly, I have never obtained even a fragment of mana," I admitted.
"I've never used magic in my entire life."
"It's.. actually common—my father had his first channeling in his thirties," she said.
"I see."
"Well, I've got to go—gotta take care of new patients."
"Alright."
I need to judge someone now. I can't stand not having my left arm functional.
I'm… left-handed.
But… the memories.
I gulped.
Will I see another one of those?
What does the system even want from me?
I need to find answers.