Nel’s next destination was a hospital. He had been suppressing the pain because warning the girl took priority. All this time, he was using mana to dull his pain. Now, it was running low.

Before it completely dries out, he had to get himself treated.

Vedan had many hospitals, but only three out of them all had the right equipment to treat the wounds of hunters. The best one in the town belongs to Tri-Cross Guild, a guild made solely of support-type hunters.

Their influence on Vedan was second to none. Even the town’s mayor didn't have as much authority as the guild master, Von Siv.

Clover Hospitals was owned by the Tri-Cross guild. Due to having the best doctors and equipment in the town, they had a stellar reputation. Nel went to the one located a little far away from the south side dungeon.

“Oh! If it isn’t Nel!?” As soon as he entered the premises, someone called his name, attracting Nel’s attention. It was a man around his age in a white male nurse uniform. He and his group often visited the branches of Clover Hospitals to get themselves patched up. It was not weird that the staff would recognize them.

“Sean!? What are you doing here?” Nel asked, surprised. He hadn’t expected to see someone who is treated as a treasure by Tri-Cross Guild would come to work in this shabby place. Especially in these dangerous times.

Sean walked over with a small smile. However, Nel noticed signs of exhaustion on his tanned face. Not to mention, he looked a little weary. “I was called over because there was an urgent case that needed a professional’s help. Anyway, why are you here?” He looked Nel from top to bottom and narrowed his eyes, “you look okay to me.”

“I wish!” Nel grunted. “I wouldn’t have come to this place where even breathing costs money if I was really okay.”

“Haha! Stop exaggerating. We don’t even charge that much. Have you seen the prices of other hospitals?” Sean shook his head. “So, why are you here? To hit on Rie?”

“Fuck off!” Nel snapped, flipping Sean off. He glared daggers at the laughing man who was teasing him. “I blocked a few water bullets with my hands. They are hurting like a bitch,” Nel said, showing Sean his hands. They were gradually turning purple.

“Uff! Show me that hand,” Sean carefully held Nel’s left hand pressed his index and middle finger against one of the purple spots. A faint blue light glowed under his fingers as a warm feeling spread across Nel’s hand.

Sean knitted his brows as he concentrated. He gently rubbed his fingers along the spot. The pain gradually diminished as the purple color faded from Nel’s skin.

All this while, Nel kept silent, allowing Sean to do his work. After a few minutes, the light under Sean’s fingers dulled as he breathed out heavily. “Give me the other one.”

Nel obediently did as he was asked. Sean repeated the process, and in ten minutes, he finished healing. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he dragged his feet to a nearby chair and sat down. “Those are just minor internal injuries. Your fee is 900 crystals. Pay up!”

“Deduct it from my membership card.” Nel carefully put his spear aside and sat down on a chair next to Sean. Rolling his wrists to see if there were any lingering pain. He closed his eyes and circulated mana around his hands.

Just now, when Sean was healing his hands, he made a unique discovery. When Sean’s mana entered his body, Nel somehow understood the exact process behind it. He felt like he could also do the same.

But that’s not all. Nel also discovered he could ‘physically’ interact with the foreign mana entering his body. If he wanted, he could have snapped the strand of mana from Sean.

Nel didn't understand the implication of it. But, he had a hunch that it was an incredible thing. ‘Is this a unique effect of [Mana Wave] Skill? Or is it because of my absolute mana control?’

Nel was more inclined to believe the former. He always had excellent mana control, but such a thing had never happened. There were still many things he didn't know about mana control Skills. All he knew was that they improve control and facilitate other skills.

‘I’ll ask Chen about it later,’ Nel made up his mind. Chen’s expertise was more towards mana manipulation. Due to his unique crowd-controlling Skill, he had a vast knowledge of various types of mana usages.

“You okay?” Nel asked, seeing Sean has yet to recover from his condition. He knew Sean for a long time and had never seen him this exhausted. Nel wondered what kind of patient he was dealing with that made him like this.

“Do I look okay to you?” Sean grumbled. “Even though my Skill has gained a level recently, I still couldn’t help this patient.”

“Ohh!” Nel made a surprised hum. “Even you can’t help him!? Wait! Your skill has gained a level? When?”

“Last week.” Sean rose his chin up with a smirk. “Surprised, right? Me too! I was performing surgery on one of my guild members inside the dungeon. Suddenly, it went up a level out of the blue.” Sean laughed, leaning against the backrest of the chair. “Cool, huh? I was lucky, I guess.”

“That just wow!” Nel exclaimed, patting Sean’s shoulders. He gave him a thumbs-up with a smile. “Congratulations, man. When is the party?”

“There will be none!” Sean sighed. “Aunt Von forbid me from making a scene. She even warned me from making this matter public.”

“Well, Mrs. Von is the most influential person in our town. I’m sure she knows what she is doing.” Nel patted Sean’s shoulders. “In fact, I can somewhat guess her intent—”

Nel stopped mid-sentence as his eyes slowly widened. Across him, in the busy hallway of the hospital, stood an all too familiar man. His eyes were also wide while looking at Nel.

Plop!

The cup in his hand slipped down, spilling milk everywhere. The people around jumped in fright, and a few even grumbled at him.

It was none other than Swan.

Although he was wearing a pair of glasses and had a thick mustache, Nel was still able to recognize him.

Nel pushed Sean back and grabbed the spear from his side. He pointed it at the man and shot him a withering stare.

“Hey! Nel! What the fuck are you doing in our hospital? Put that thing away.” Sean recovered from his surprise and pulled Nel’s arms with a look of displeasure on his face. The people inside were already panicking, kicking up a commotion. Hospital security staff came rushing and surrounded Nel.

Nel didn't move, and Swan was also the same.

“Nel! Put that thing away, now!!” Sean hissed. His face was red, and veins throbbed on his forehead. It was the prestigious Clover Hospital, known for its maximum safety. Nel’s actions were tantamount to challenging their best point. Even if they were friends, Nel knew Sean wasn’t be going to tolerate it.

With his eyes still narrowed, Nel put away the spear. Now that Nel had calmed down, the crowd turned their attention to the man standing opposite. The one whom the speartip was facing. Sean also did the same and gasped lightly.