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Chapter 27 – Dimensional Gate Upgrade
A black cat emerged from the dimensional gate.
Apparently, his name was Nero.
Then,
“Tenant! What are you doing, meow! Quickly pay five hundred points, meow!”
He stood before me, holding out his small hand.
At that sight, I froze.
“Mwahaha! Lord Nero, it’s been a while!”
“Puppy! What brings you here looking so bold?”
“I am no longer a puppy! Call me Nureongi now!”
“Who in the world came up with such a strange name, meow?”
Hearing his name, Nero narrowed his eyes.
Flustered, I quickly changed the subject.
“So, you two know each other?”
“Indeed! Lord Nero is the collector who collects the rent!”
“Puppy…no, Nureongi! Have you finally opened the dimensional gate, meow?”
“Of course! My portal is operational now!”
“You were too scared of the rent to open it before. What happened, meow?
“All thanks to this young master!”
Nureongi grabbed my sleeve proudly.
Then, Nero turned his gaze to me.
“Isn’t he just an ordinary human, meow?”
“No! Young Master is a very special person!”
“What makes him special, meow?”
“He grills meat exceptionally well!”
“Is that what makes him special, meow?
I chuckled at Nureongi’s words.
But to Nureongi, this must be a matter of great importance.
He loves meat more than anyone.
“And that’s not all! Young Master is an exceptionally skilled doctor!”
“Hoo, so that’s why you opened the patient’s dimensional gate, meow?”
“Yes! Thanks to that, we’re receiving tons of patients!”
“How admirable, meow.”
Nero approached me.
Then he stared intently at me.
After a moment, he tilted his head.
“He doesn’t seem like such an amazing human, meow.”
“That’s precisely the young master’s charm! He looks frail on the outside, but he’s incredibly capable!”
“A twist of charm, meow?”
“Enough of that. How about you get examined, too, Lord Nero?”
“Examined? Well, my stomach has been bothering me lately, meow.”
And just like that, the examination was arranged.
I had no reason to refuse.
All patients are welcome.
“Right, you said your name was Nero? Your stomach’s bothering you?”
“Yes, meow!”
“How exactly does it feel uncomfortable?”
“It feels like my insides are burning up, meow!”
“Hmmm… Then excuse me for a moment.”
I leaned my face close to Nero’s.
Then, I grabbed his face.
“Try exhaling.”
“Huuu, meow.”
Nero’s breath smelled a bit foul.
But his mouth wasn’t dirty.
It would be strange for a usually clean cat to be dirty.
After that, I did a few more examinations.
“Do you often feel nauseous?”
“Not often, but sometimes, meow.”
“Is anything stressful happening lately?”
“The tenant who won’t pay rent is the problem! It’s really stressful, meow!”
“That must be tough.”
“And that’s not even the end of it! The higher-ups don’t know the actual conditions of the site, yet they’re just nagging me, meow!”
Nero complained as if he had a lot bottled up.
I listened silently to his complaints.
Then, I slowly finished the diagnosis.
“Nero, it seems you have stress-induced gastritis.”
“Stress-induced gastritis, meow?”
“Gastritis usually causes heartburn and bad breath. Plus, you said you sometimes feel nauseous. Then it’s definitely gastritis.”
“Amazing! How did you know right away, meow?”
“It’s not that hard.”
Stress-induced gastritis is a disease that most working adults live with.
You can spot it right away.
But I never imagined a cat could get it.
“So, what should I do, meow?”
“First and foremost, the most important thing is to avoid stress.”
“That’s impossible! The tenants torment me, meow!”
“Changing your eating habits is important, too.”
I asked Nero.
“What kind of food do you usually eat?”
“I like Churu! I eat it more often than rice, meow!”
“Then let’s cut back on the Churu for a while.”
“Meow! But that’s…”
“Churu is a snack. From now on, limit yourself to one per day.”
Nero looked dejected at my words.
There was no other way, though.
It was for his treatment.
“And the saliva… I suppose I don’t need to collect it.”
“Is that so? Can’t I just spit it out like usual, meow?
“Instead, I’ll prescribe medicine. Just wait a moment.”
With that, I immediately began preparing the medicine.
“Combine (6g) of Moutan bark, (6g) of White Atractylodes, (4g) of Angelica root, and (6g) of Red Peony root…”
It’s a formula I’ve made countless times.
Actually, it’s not that difficult to make.
In no time, I finished preparing the medicine.
“Oh ho, this medicine isn’t a single-ingredient recipe, is it, meow?”
“Yes, this is Gamisoyosan, a herbal remedy that eases liver tension caused by stress and promotes digestion.”
“Is it really that amazing, meow?”
“Indeed! Lord Nero, please try it!”
Nero was half-believing and half-doubting.
I handed him the Gamisoyosan and a glass of water.
He promptly poured the Gamisoyosan into his mouth.
“Bitter, bitter, meow!”
“Wash it down with water!”
“Got it, meow!”
Nero swiftly downed the water in one gulp.
Then, he burped with a relieved look on his face.
At that moment,
[The Master of the Herb Garden effect is activated.]
[The effect of Gamisoyosan increased by 200%.]
[Nero's gastritis will not recur for one month.]A message appeared.
“Ooh! My stomach feels so much better!”
“That is the power of the young master!”
“Honestly, it was hard to even eat before. Thank you so much, meow!”
“You’re welcome. Helping patients is what doctors do.”
I smiled warmly as I watched Nero dance with joy. Nureongi joined him. Seeing those cute creatures together was a feast for the eyes. Then, suddenly, Nureongi’s gaze shifted.
“Then, Lord Nero, I shall begin the settlement.”
“Um, settlement, meow?”
“The consultation fee should be around 500 P.”
“Ah, you devil, meow!”
At that moment, I felt like Nero’s stress-induced gastritis was about to flare up again.
* * *
“That’s too much, meow!”
Nothing in this world comes for free!”
“Still, since you saved my life, I’ll let it slide, meow.”
Nero was heartbroken that he hadn’t received the rent again this month.
That bothered me.
So, I made a huge batch of Gamisoyosan and gave some to Nero.
“Carry this around, and take some whenever your stomach hurts.”
“You’re giving me this much, meow?”
“I feel bad, and I like seeing you work hard.”
“You’re different from the other tenants, meow!”
Nero hugged me, tears streaming down his face.
I stroked his back and gave a wry smile.
“By the way, what should I call you, meow?”
“Everyone calls me Divine Doctor.”
“Then I’ll call you Divine Doctor from now on, meow!”
“Alright, you can count on me. Nero.”
Nero and I shook hands.
I realized that Nero’s paw was incredibly soft. Regardless, Nero placed Gamisoyosan into a pocket dimension-like space.
“So, are you leaving now?”
“I was just about to leave, but… I have a proposal for the Divine Doctor, meow.”
“A proposal?”
“You’re earning points very well, aren’t you, meow?”
I nodded.
“I treat every patient who comes.”
“I knew it! For a doctor this capable, it’s only natural, meow!”
Nero approached me excitedly.
Then he pulled something out of his pocket.
It was a pamphlet.
The front page read: Dimensional Gate Pamphlet.
“How about upgrading to a better dimensional gate, meow?”
“A better dimensional gate?”
The current one only connects to the Arasia Continent and the Martial Arts World, meow.”
“So it can connect to other places, too?”
“That’s right, meow!”
Nero confidently showed me the pamphlet.
It listed a vast array of dimensional gate types.
“So there are equipment crafting request gates and monster extermination request gates, too?”
“That’s right! You accept requests like that and collect points, meow!”
“So I’m using this one, the patient-receiving dimensional gate?”
“That’s right! The next tier up from the one you’re using now is this one, meow!”
I looked at the dimensional gate that Nero pointed out.
[Intermediate Dimensional Gate, 2,000 points.]
[A dimensional gate connected to a total of five dimensions.]Its name was the Intermediate Dimensional Gate.
It seemed the portal was currently at a lower tier.
Plus, the monthly rent was four times higher.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
“Connected to five different dimensions?”
“That’s right, meow! Isn’t that amazing, meow?”
“It certainly is intriguing.”
Patients do come now, but not very often.
At first, three came consecutively from the Arasia continent.
But lately, news has been scarce.
Something must have happened.
“So I waited for new patients…”
It seemed like I’d finally gotten a good chance.
“I’ll upgrade it to intermediate.”
“Um, really? Can you decide that so easily, meow?
“If more patients come, that’s actually good.”
“What a splendid mindset, meow!”
“Plus, upgrading the dimensional gate means you earn points more easily, right?”
“That’s right, meow! The difficulty increases, but you earn points more easily in return, meow!”
“Then there’s no reason not to do it.”
I made my decision.
I would upgrade the dimensional gate.
Beside me, Nureongi wore a look of surprise.
“Truly, young master! Your capacity is immense!”
“Is it too much for you, Nureongi?”
“This is too much for me. I can’t even spare five hundred points.”
“…Let’s just pay that much.”
So, I proceeded with the dimensional gate upgrade.
“All right, I’ll upgrade it, meow.”
As Nero reached out, the dimensional gate began to shake.
[Upgrading the Low-Tier Dimensional Gate.]
[The dimensional gate has been upgraded to intermediate tier.]
[Three additional dimensions will now connect.]
[Connected Dimensions List!]
[▶ Spirit Realm]
[▶Monster World]
[▶Divine Beast's Paradise]Then, the appearance of the dimensional gate changed.
It had looked a bit shabby before, but now… should I say it glowed slightly?
It definitely looked upgraded.
But that wasn’t the important part.
“The Spirit Realm and Monster World? And Divine Beast’s Paradise…”
Each name sparked my curiosity.
“More demanding patients are coming from now on, meow! Will you be okay, meow?”
“Of course! Young Master is invincible, after all!”
“There’s nothing you can’t do with hard work.”
I’ll work diligently on securing food.
Increasing the number of pages in Yakseon’s notebook will definitely help.
“Then, thank you for helping me out, meow!”
“I’m grateful, too.”
“I’ll collect next month’s rent next month, meow!”
With that, Nero returned to the dimensional gate.
Then…
“A new dimension… Are you excited?”
“Indeed.”
Nureongi and I smiled contentedly as we gazed at the upgraded dimensional gate.
* * *
The upgraded dimensional gate.
Nureongi paced back and forth in front of it.
“Nureongi, what are you doing there?”
“Young Master, it’s strange that no patients are coming.”
“They won’t come right away.”
Would patients come immediately just because it’s upgraded?
Besides, fewer patients is a good thing.
It means fewer people are suffering.
“You don’t have to wait there so long.”
“Hehe! Understood!”
Nureongi scratched the back of his head and laughed.
Just then, Nak-yong approached me.
“Divine Doctor, I’d like to take a walk by myself.”
“Ah, shall we go together then? You haven’t been out recently, have you?”
“This place is the Divine Doctor’s residence. One cannot leave without the Divine Doctor’s permission, after all.”
“You don’t have to be so formal.”
Nak-yong respected me too much.
It felt burdensome, but I was also grateful.
After all, Nak-yong was quite a bit older than me.
“Then let’s go together for Nureongi’s walk, too.”
So, we all set out for a walk.
Though calling it a walk was a bit of a stretch—it was just strolling along the rice paddy banks.
Then, I noticed something strange.
“What are they building?”
There was a building under construction near our house.
Was it being built by the Awakeners? It was going up incredibly fast.
In fact, it was nearly complete in just one day.
This piqued my curiosity, so I walked closer.
Then…
“Could this possibly be a hospital?”
Just as Jin Yeongseok had said.
I could see that the hospital I had been assigned to was being built.
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