TN: Please read my translations only on my website nyx-translation.com since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi, and join our Patreon to read up to 12 chapters ahead for this novel!
Enjoy~
TL: ALT
Chapter 49 – A True Doctor
Slurp!
The old man slurps down his cup of noodles. Anyone watching would think he hadn’t eaten in days.
It was nice to see him eating so heartily, though.
Then, something about the old man caught my eye.
“You’re quite skilled with chopsticks, aren’t you?”
“My hobby is traveling to many countries. Thanks to that, I learned how to use them.”
Not only Korean, but chopstick skills too.
Despite his age, he showed no hesitation in learning new things.
That aspect struck me as refreshingly new.
“Your Korean is impressive, as is this. You’re truly remarkable.”
“It’s only natural when you travel to many countries.”
“But why come all this way just to eat fast food?”
“I prefer familiar food like this to fancy cuisine. And above all…”
The old man smiled and formed a circle with his fingers.
“It’s cheap, isn’t it?”
“Haha! That’s true!”
“When traveling, it’s important to try different foods. Thanks to that, I’ve been able to meet precious people like you.”
Seeing the old man smile so warmly made my heart ache. Would it have felt like this if I’d had a grandfather?
Come to think of it, I never had a grandfather.
When I was little, it seemed normal, so I never questioned it.
“It definitely feels a bit strange.”
Father had told me.
Mother passed away long ago from an illness.
There was absolutely no information about my grandparents.
If I get the chance later, I’ll ask my brothers.
“What are you thinking about?”
The old man asked me. I was lost in thought.
I shook my head at him.
“Nothing at all.”
“By the way, I owe you one. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have gotten to eat these delicious foods.”
“It’s nothing, really. Besides, even if it hadn’t been me, the part-timer would have helped.”
“No, that employee seemed to find me difficult.”
That’s true.
When a foreign customer is struggling, it’s hard to approach them rashly.
Especially if you don’t speak their language.
That must be why the part-timer was so nervous earlier.
“So, I want to repay you.”
“Repay me?”
“Actually, I’m a healer. If you’d like, I could heal you.”
“Oh, you’re a healer?”
That made me think of the Pope.
He was scheduled to give a speech in Korea tomorrow.
Looking at the old man before me, I saw an overlap with that image of the Pope.
“But surely it can’t be the same person.”
The Pope wouldn’t be struggling in a convenience store while wearing such ordinary clothes, would he?
By now, the pope would be slicing meat in a fancy restaurant.
I dismissed it as just my imagination.
“Actually, I’ve been physically weak since birth.”
“Huh, then let me take a look.”
The old man said this and placed his hand on my shoulder.
Then…
“Huh. Despite your young age, your body is in serious condition.”
“Haha, right?”
“This is beyond my ability to heal. You’ll likely need the power of a higher-level healer.”
“I was expecting that.”
The old man before me was, at best, a C- or D-rank healer.
There was no way a healer of that level could treat my body.
Healers especially specialize in treating external injuries.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help.”
“Not at all. Besides, I plan to heal this body myself.”
“Are you a healer, too?”
“Not a healer, but a doctor. A Korean medicine doctor.”
“Oh! This is my first time meeting a Korean medicine doctor in person!”
Korean medicine doctors are rare even in Korea.
Seeing one abroad?
That’s harder than finding a needle in a haystack.
But the old man’s gaze felt too intense.
“A Korean medicine doctor is still a doctor. It’s not the same as a healer.”
“Still, could you examine me? I’ve been suffering from headaches and back pain for a long time.”
“Headaches and back pain… Well, let me take a look.”
I took the old man’s wrist.
Then, I activated my skill.
[Skill: Spiritual Eyes activated.]
My vision changed.
I began to see through the old man’s body.
Dark energy truly filled his back and head.
Quite severely, at that.
“This seems severe enough to make daily life difficult…”
“That’s exactly right. It’s tormenting me even at this very moment. I’m barely holding on with healing.”
He’s countering the pain with healing.
“Have you been to the hospital?”
“I’ve been taking medicine consistently, but I haven’t seen much improvement.”
“What about elixirs?”
“No one uses miracle cures to treat back pain and headaches.
That’s true.
But I remembered Nak-yong’s case, which is why I mentioned it.
His hands were completely healed thanks to the Five-Colored Root.
“If a miracle cure could heal me, I’d sell everything I own to buy it.”
The old man said this with genuine sincerity.
“He must be in real pain.”
After all, what does it mean to suffer from both back pain and headaches?
It must feel like torture.
Having seen many patients with similar conditions, I wanted to help the old man.
Then,
“I happen to have just the right medicine. Would you like to try it?”
“Medicine?”
My own medicines flashed through my mind.
The backache pills and headache pills sleeping in my inventory.
Both were perfect for this old man.
“Of course. But handing them out recklessly feels a bit…”
Was I holding back the medicine out of fear that my true identity would be revealed?
That’s impossible.
Besides, the old man in front of me was a foreigner.
Even if I treated him, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
“Here, these are the back pain medicine and the headache medicine.”
“Hoo, these pills are very round, aren’t they?”
“I made them myself.”
“Hoo, how interesting! How much should I pay?”
The old man said this and opened his wallet.
I stopped him.
“Money is unnecessary.”
“Eh? But…”
“If my medicine cures your ailment, what could be better? That alone is enough satisfaction for me.”
My words made the old man’s eyes sparkle.
He seemed genuinely moved.
“You’re truly an exceptional person.”
“It’s only natural for a doctor.”
“No! I’ve met many doctors, but never one like you. I’ve learned a thing or two from you.”
My words must have made quite an impression.
I waved him off.
“You say I taught you something?”
Right in the middle of saying that,
Riiing!
A ringtone sounded from my pocket.
Moreover, this ringtone wasn’t from a regular cell phone.
It was the dimensional communicator!
I asked the old man for his understanding.
“Would it be okay if I took this call?”
“Go ahead. Don’t worry about it. Hehe.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
I bowed my head and immediately pressed the communication button on the dimensional communicator.
At that moment—
“Young Master, where on earth did you go?”
Nureongi’s voice came through.
“Huh? Nureongi, how did you call me?”
“I bought one on installments from Nero last time!”
“On installments?”
“Yes, young master. Haven’t you been saving up points for me, little by little? I used those to pay for it!”
That’s right.
Nureongi is family, but he can’t work for free.
That’s why I set aside some of my points for him.
Nureongi must have saved up those points to buy the dimensional communicator.
“Young Master, I miss you! Come back quickly!”
“That’s right! I’m hungry too, ppi!”
The way Nureongi and Hyangdan whined made me laugh.
It was like children saying they wanted to see their daddy soon.
Before I knew it, I was already standing up.
“I suppose I should be going now.”
“Are they your children?”
“Similar. They’re a very precious part of my family.”
“Then, though it’s a pity, it’s time to part.”
The old man shook my hand and asked,
“May I hear your name one last time?”
His words made me pause.
“Is it because I gave him the Headache Pill and the Backache Pill?”
I hesitated to reveal my real name.
Was it instinctive intuition?
Without thinking, my old habit slipped out.
“My name is Hua Tuo.”
“Hua Tuo… I will remember your name.”
I left the old man behind and returned to the hotel.
I was armed with a bunch of snacks I had bought at the convenience store.
* * *
After Heo Jin left,
Pope Francis sat motionless in his seat.
Then, he recalled the young man he had met.
“A true doctor—the first I’ve seen in a long time.”
Francesco had lived as a healer for a very long time.
Therefore, he had inevitably encountered many healers and doctors.
But someone like Heo Jin?
He had never seen a single one.
“The ones I knew were always scrambling to squeeze out every last penny.”
But Heo Jin was different.
He was kind to a stranger he’d just met.
He even gave him two precious medicines for free.
Then he showed such humility.
To Francesco, Heo Jin was a shock of a different kind.
Hehe!
He smiled as he looked at the two pills in his hand.
“I’ve met someone very special.”
Francesco vowed never to forget his encounter with Heo Jin.
Heo Jin’s words had struck a chord deep within him.
After finishing his meal, Francesco let his food settle.
Then…
“Well, then. Let’s try this medicine from a real doctor.”
Francesco immediately popped the pill into his mouth.
But…
“Gulp!”
It tasted bitter, so he couldn’t help but grimace.
Good medicine is bitter.
He forced himself to chew and swallow.
“Phew!”
Francesco sighed with relief after finally getting it down.
Still, he didn’t have high hopes.
After all, not even the most skilled herbalist can make medicine work instantly.
“I’ll just think of the medicine I just took as a nutritional supplement.”
The moment he thought that,
Francesco felt something strange.
And no wonder.
“My…my headache?”
The constant headache that had tormented him was gone! His headache stemmed from his powerful divine power. It was an illness that couldn’t easily be cured. But the moment he swallowed the pill, the headache vanished completely.
“Impossible! Then… could my back pain be gone too?”
Francesco immediately stood up.
Then, he was shocked once more.
“Good heavens! My back pain is gone, too!”
The chronic back pain caused by his age had also vanished.
No doctor had ever been able to cure it.
And no wonder—it was an illness born of aging.
In short, his headaches and back pain should have been lifelong conditions.
“Truly…a marvelous thing!”
These were ailments he had spent a fortune trying to cure his entire life.
Having failed to cure them until now, he had resigned himself to despair. But who would have thought that, thanks to a Korean medicine doctor he met by chance, the ailments would be completely gone?
“I can’t believe it!”
Francesco marveled as he touched his now-clear head and fully recovered back. Then he shook his head.
“This isn’t the time! That young man earlier… just who was he…?“
Francesco hurriedly tried to find the traditional Korean doctor he had just met.
But the doctor had left long ago.
Francesco soon sat down on a convenience store chair and let out a wry smile.
Then he muttered to himself,
“Does this mean the world is still full of unknown powers beyond my understanding?”
Francesco was an SS-rank healer who believed he had grasped most of a healer’s abilities.
But he was wrong.
In this small country,
He discovered an immense ability that surpassed his own.
“Was his name Hua Tuo?”
Francesco thought again about the traditional doctor he had just met.
He had such outstanding abilities, yet a heart free of arrogance.
He valued patients above money.
He was a truly remarkable person, lacking nothing.
That’s why Francesco murmured.
“This connection is too precious to sever here. Indeed it is.”
That’s why he pondered alone how to maintain this connection.
If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read up to 12 chapters ahead for this novel!