Episode 3. Dancing with the Five Viscera (2)
[Your lungs have awakened.]
[Your lungs give you a thumbs-up.]
[Your lungs have sponsored you with 100 HP.]
[Current HP: 100]
"…What?"
Rakiel muttered a word of bafflement without realizing it.
All he had done was stick a needle into Zhongfu by himself.
And yet some bizarre message had popped up before his eyes.
What is this? I didn't take any medicine.
He turned his head to the side.
It was useless.
The message floating before his eyes moved along with his shifting field of vision, just like the scenery you see while experiencing a VR game.
What the hell is this thing?
Rakiel couldn't dwell on the mystery any longer. Before he could finish examining the message, Sir Gardin's anxious voice poked insistently at his cochlea.
"Your Highness? Are you all right?"
Turning around, Rakiel saw that Sir Gardin was already beside himself, his face like that of a mother hen who'd left her chicks by the water's edge.
Was he really that worried?
A small laugh escaped Rakiel.
"I'm fine. I told you, it's nothing serious."
"But, Your Highness. The needle—"
"Shh. Just finish what you were doing."
"..."
Sir Gardin was easily silenced.
Rakiel picked up the second needle.
Just above Zhongfu.
Inside the coracoid process of the shoulder blade.
Found it.
He aimed.
And without hesitation, stabbed.
Tok.
A sharp stimulus pricked Yunmen (LU-2), the second acupoint of the Lung meridian of Hand-Taiyin. At the same time, Rakiel saw another message rise before his eyes.
Ding-dong!
The instant Yunmen was pierced, a clear, beautiful chime echoed through the world. Then, one by one, messages unfurled before him.
[You have correctly needled Yunmen.]
[Your bronchi receive a refreshing stimulus.]
[Your bronchial asthma symptoms are slightly alleviated.]
[The tightness in your chest is slightly relieved.]
[Your lungs gaze at you tenderly.]
[Your lungs have sponsored you with 100 HP.]
[Current HP: 200]
Again.
He'd suspected it.
And sure enough, another message appeared.
"..."
Just what were these messages?
Now, rather than shock, curiosity began to take over.
A part of him even felt intrigued.
Rakiel picked up the third needle.
He aimed.
Next is Tianfu (LU-3).
Tianfu was located on the upper arm.
On the outer border of the biceps brachii, three cun below the anterior axillary fold. He inserted the needle to a depth of five fen.
Tok!
"…Ugh."
Do you know what it feels like to stab your own bare arm while fully conscious? Rakiel's brow knit tightly. Still, his eyes didn't miss the new messages appearing.
Ding-dong!
[Your coughing has slightly subsided.]
[Your lungs exhale and inhale in joy.]
[Your lungs have sponsored you with 100 HP.]
[Current HP: 300]
…Again.
Now it was certain.
The messages before his eyes were neither illusion nor hallucination.
Then they must mean something.
For now, he would keep needling. If he did, he'd eventually understand what these messages really meant—and maybe find a way to use them, to take advantage of them somehow.
That was when it started.
Rakiel focused even more intently on the acupuncture.
Tok!
He decisively pierced Xiaobai (LU-4).
An acupoint commonly used for chest pain, nausea, shortness of breath, and coughing. Sure enough, as stimulation was applied, the ticklish sensation in his throat eased slightly.
But something bothered him.
"Sir Gardin?"
"..."
Rakiel turned to the side.
Sir Gardin was on his knees, fervently muttering something under his breath. Was he praying, by any chance?
…I'll just keep needling.
Tok!
Whether Sir Gardin worried or not.
This time, Rakiel pierced Chize (LU-5).
Located in the hollow between the cubital crease and the tendon of the biceps brachii—simply put, the soft spot on the inner elbow where the arm bends.
"Hiss."
This one really stung. Sir Gardin, watching, twisted his face in pain as well. Dumbfounded, Rakiel asked,
"Huh. I'm the one getting stabbed—why are you the one wincing?"
"Well, th-that is, watching it just sort of makes me feel it too…"
"More importantly, could you sterilize the tips of the needles I picked out with the candle flame?"
"…Pardon?"
"It seemed like that would help me more than praying."
"Ah, understood, Your Highness."
While Gardin awkwardly sterilized the needles,
Rakiel pierced Kongzui (LU-6) this time.
But it didn't end there.
Tok! Tok! Tok!
He inserted the needles one after another.
Lieque (LU-7), where the tendon of the thumb passes along the forearm.
Jingqu (LU-8), near the wrist where the radial artery can be felt.
Taiyuan (LU-9) at the wrist.
And Yuji (LU-10), on the outer side of the base of the thumb.
Not a hair's breadth off.
Only then did a message appear again after quite a while (?).
Ding-dong!
[Your proficient acupuncture is stimulating multiple acupoints evenly.]
[Your lungs have relaxed comfortably.]
[Your lungs are looking for a massage chair.]
What the hell. Why are you looking for a massage chair? And why aren't you giving me HP this time?
Without realizing it, a strange sense of competitiveness flared up.
Rakiel picked up the eleventh needle.
He aimed carefully.
Shaoshang (LU-11).
Located 0.1 cun from the outer side of the base of the thumbnail.
In simpler terms?
The very famous spot grandmothers prick when you've got acute indigestion.
Tok!
That was the moment.
[You have completed proper needling of the Hand–Taiyin Lung meridian on the left side of your body.]
[Your lungs burst into celebratory tap dancing.]
[The rhythm of the tap dance awakens the paired organ of the Lung—the Large Intestine, the "Palace of Conduction."]
[The villi of your large intestine wiggle pleasantly in time with the rhythm.]
[The Large Intestine has sponsored you with 100 HP.]
[Your lungs have sponsored you with 200 HP.]
[Current HP: 600]
Huh?
Not just the lungs, but even the large intestine?
A cascade of messages appeared, saying both organs had awakened and sponsored HP.
And the messages didn't end there.
[Your current HP has reached the threshold required to unlock a skill.]
[You may now choose and unlock your first skill.]
[Unlockable skills are based on the fields of knowledge and abilities you currently possess.]
[Would you like to view the list of unlockable skills?]
[YES / NO]
"..."
Rakiel blinked.
It was absurd—and fascinating.
Getting points sponsored by his own internal organs was already ridiculous enough. Now he was being told he could unlock skills with them.
Still, Rakiel didn't lose his composure.
Well, compared to becoming a character inside a novel, this is already small potatoes.
So let's not be surprised by something this minor.
If there was time to be shocked, it was better spent grabbing the benefits first.
Resolving this, he selected "YES."
[Displaying the list of unlockable skills.]
Fwaaash—!
As if a scroll were unfurling before his eyes,
the message stretched long from top to bottom.
[1. Pulse Diagnosis]
[2. Acupuncture]
[3. Cupping Therapy]
[4. Moxibustion]
[5. Decoction Preparation]
[6. Medicinal Material Identification]
[7. Medicinal Herb Detection]
[8. Medicinal Liquor Brewing]
[9. Medical Fee Billing]
[10. Asrahan Heart Method]
"…Phew."
It was really there.
And there were quite a lot more than he'd expected.
Just looking at them made a smile creep onto his face.
These are all things I used to make a living with back in Korea—except for one.
His gaze drifted to the very bottom of the list, where a skill candidate called "Asrahan Heart Method" sat.
That one… I've seen it in novels.
Suddenly, the settings from the novel Demon Sword Emperor came to mind.
Asrahan Heart Method.
It was a powerful heart method passed down only to direct descendants of the Magentano imperial line. In passing mentions throughout the story, it was said to have been jointly created about three hundred years ago by the legendary Grand Master Habiel Asrahan and the man he served, Lloyd Frontera.
Well, since I'm the crown prince now, this body must have learned the Asrahan Heart Method in childhood.
However, because of his chronic illness, his health had been utterly ruined. That was likely why he hadn't been able to make any use of the heart method at all. Thinking that way, it made sense that the technique appeared on the list.
But now isn't the time to choose that.
Rakiel shook his head.
The Asrahan Heart Method was meant for combat.
But what about him right now?
There was no one he needed to fight.
No—right now, the enemy he had to battle was disease itself.
So I have to choose carefully.
Rakiel stared at the list.
He thought long and hard.
Then he made his decision.
Number 1. Pulse Diagnosis.
All treatment begins with diagnosis. That was the foundation. Only with an accurate diagnosis could accurate prescriptions and proper treatment follow.
[You have selected item 1: Pulse Diagnosis.]
[Skill Unlock (1st time) Cost: 500 HP]
[500 HP will be consumed.]
[Current HP: 100]
A massive amount of HP was consumed.
The messages continued to appear.
Ding-dong!
[Your accumulated knowledge and experience in pulse diagnosis have been unlocked as a skill.]
[Skill Name: Pulse Diagnosis Lv.1]
[By feeling the subject's pulse, you can diagnose their general state of health. The results can be clearly reviewed through the .]
Done.
Or at least, it seemed to be.
Comprehensive examination report, huh.
To check, Rakiel moved his right hand.
He felt the pulse at his left wrist.
And focused.
The skill activated on its own.
Ding-dong.
[Beginning pulse diagnosis.]
[Scanning.]
[3… 2… 1…]
[Pulse diagnosis complete.]
[Please review the below.]
He followed the prompt.
Soon, a simple formatted chart appeared before his eyes.
[Beginner Comprehensive Examination Report]
[Examinee: Rakiel Adria Magentano]
[Race: Human]
[Sex: Male]
[Age: 21]
[Height: 176.2 cm]
[Weight: 53.3 kg]
[Blood Type: Rh+ O]
"..."
This body was way more scrawny than he'd imagined. Rakiel examined the report with an inward sense of shock.
[Due to the low skill level, results for each category are displayed in simplified form.]
[Cardiac Function: F]
[Pulmonary Function: F]
[Liver Function: F]
[Spleen Function: F]
[Renal Function: F]
[Five Viscera Overall Index: F]
[Gastric Function: F]
[Small Intestine Function: F]
[Large Intestine Function: F]
[Gallbladder Function: F]
[Bladder Function: D]
[Meridian Function: F]
[Six Bowels Overall Index: F]
[Overall Assessment: Severe prognosis observed in all categories. Signs of multiple organ failure, acute pneumonia, and myocardial infarction are present. Critically dangerous immune suppression detected. Severe nutritional deficiency. No nutrients are currently being absorbed. Intake of foods that place minimal burden on the stomach is recommended.]
It was an overwhelming result in more ways than one.
But it didn't end there.
As his eyes drifted to the very bottom of the report, his mouth went dry.
[Estimated Remaining Lifespan: 91 days]
"…Damn."
A curse slipped out on its own.
To think he'd die in just three months. Seeing the actual countdown number, rather than fear or despair, what surged up was stubborn defiance.
Like hell I'm going to die that easily. Me? I'm the guy who faced two COVID-positive patients in the clinic and still tested negative afterward.
Rakiel snorted.
He didn't want to die like this.
He'd try everything he could.
Making up his mind, he moved his right hand. From his left collarbone down through his arm to his thumb, he removed the needles embedded in the eleven acupoints of the Hand–Taiyin Lung meridian, one by one.
In order.
Carefully.
Precisely and efficiently.
"Whew."
As he exhaled,
he rotated the needle clockwise in accordance with the tonification method of Twirling Supplementation and Drainage. Following the draining method of Breathing Supplementation and Drainage, he withdrew the needle together with his exhalation.
All the while, Rakiel ground his teeth.
I'm going to live. I will live, no matter what.
And then, he would fully enjoy the sweet, honeyed life that came with being royalty.
He would make it happen—no matter what.
Burning with determination, the moment he finally removed the last of the eleven needles—
Ding-dong.
As if answering his resolve, a message appeared.
[Your estimated remaining lifespan has increased by (+) 1 day.]