Getting to the slums was a maze in and of itself. He needed to hop over a few fences since the few main roads leading to the slums were either blocked off or looked like they would collapse at any moment.
As for the fences, he simply hopped over his own and went straight ahead until he reached the fence leading into the slums.
It was just as he expected.
It was a total shitshow.
The smell was horrible, and the amount of litter covering the ground made it seem as though hygiene didn’t exist here at all.
The homes were made from rotten wood and rusted metal. Windows seemed optional, and the people whose houses did have windows coincidentally also had rock-shaped holes going through them.
It reminded him of the favelas, in a way.
Some people walked around in relatively normal clothes, but they had pus-covered faces, and some even had obvious rashes, scratches, and infections. In general, they all looked sickly and malnourished.
He felt bad for them, but aside from healing them, he wasn’t planning to do anything more.
At least, for now.
After walking around for a bit, he found a spot where the smell wasn’t quite as terrible. It wasn’t in the middle of nowhere, either, as he was right outside some kind of gadget shop.
He glanced inside through the holes in the wall and saw a man sitting inside, fixing cellphones.
No alleys, no obvious ways for someone to stab me from behind. I think this area should be fine.
Arthur waited patiently.
It was nighttime, so not many people were coming and going through here. It took nearly ten minutes before he finally saw someone.
It was a man who was missing his left arm. He had a limp, too, along with some sort of infection around his stump.
Arthur was a bit intimidated by the man, but he knew that the most intimidating people brought in the most customers.
That was why he coughed and said:
"Sir, if you don’t mind, could you come here? I can cast a healing spell on you."
The man paused, turned toward Arthur, and cocked his head.
"A healing~ spell? What are you, the tooth fairy?"
"Why? Do you have a cavity?"
"Tsk... You crazy bastard. Are you trying to get yourself killed?" The man narrowed his eyes. "Claiming to be a healer in this place is like putting a sign on your forehead asking people to kill you. Go scam in a better neighborhood."
Arthur sighed.
"I’m not a scammer. Besides, what do you have to lose? Look, if I’m actually not a healer, then you can beat the shit out of me."
From the look in the man’s eyes, it was obvious he was tired beyond belief. He was probably on his way to have his last drink and lie down in a grave to await his death.
At least, that was the only explanation Arthur could come up with for why the man walked over and sat down beside him.
"Fine. Heal me."
"No problem. Also, you might experience some pain, I think. Though it should be a little sting at most."
"Why should I care about a sting? Just get on with it."
Arthur shrugged.
"Suit yourself."
He took a deep breath and placed a hand on the man’s shoulder, right below his stump.
Then, he activated his skill.
[-25 MP | 115 / 140 MP (x1 Healing Touch)]
[Healing Touch successful!]
[Target recovered 25 HP.]
[Target HP: 122 / 1,000]
[Warning!]
[Target is suffering from Advanced Mana Poisoning.]
[Target is suffering from Necrotic Infection.]
[Target is suffering from Severe Malnutrition.]
[Target has sustained Permanent Limb Loss.]
[Healing HP will not remove the underlying conditions.]
Well, aren’t you a fucking Pandora’s box of illnesses?
[Target HP: 121 / 1,000]
[Target HP: 120 / 1,000]
[Target HP: 119 / 1,000]
...Huh? Why is he dying?
His HP kept decreasing.
The man’s complexion looked a bit better for a moment, but within just a few seconds, he was back to the same condition he had been in before.
He probably only felt a small amount of relief.
So, Arthur tried again.
[-25 MP | 90 / 140 MP (x1 Healing Touch)]
[Healing Touch successful!]
[Target recovered 25 HP.]
[Target HP: 130 / 1,000]
But his HP kept decreasing.
Arthur was starting to think that his class was bullshit.
It said he could cure injuries like these, so what was the deal here? Was it all just flavor text?
If this was how it worked, he was better off becoming a normal doctor!
"Sigh... I did feel something, but I don’t think it’s working. You’re a legitimate healer. It’s hard to come by one of those nowadays, so I’m glad I at least got to meet one who tried to save me before my death."
The man tried to stand up, but Arthur grabbed his wrist, stopping him.
"Wait a second. I’m not done yet."
"..."
Arthur nodded.
"Sit back down. Tell me what happened that led to you getting this kind of injury."
The man seemed hesitant, but seeing as he was already on his last legs, he humored Arthur.
"Fine. Where do I even start? I—"
"I don’t really care about the details. Just tell me what caused it and where you got hit," Arthur retorted.
The man’s brow twitched.
"Haa? It was a Horned Bear. It bit my arm off, and the venom in its teeth spread all the way to my Mana Core. Since mana travels throughout my entire body, every time I breathe, my Mana Core is killing me. Pathetic, right? Dying to a lowly Level 12 damn monster."
"A bear is a bear," Arthur said, quickly gathering his thoughts.
He had mentioned that the venom in its teeth had reached his Mana Core. That was pretty much where his injuries originated. It was also the reason they weren’t healing.
So, Arthur had a thought.
What if he focused the healing on one specific area first, rather than trying to heal the entire body?
While he didn’t have much theoretical knowledge, he guessed that narrowing the target would increase the strength of the heal.
I need to try it.
"Let me try one last time. Where’s your Mana Core?"
"Same place as it is for everyone?"
"Yeah, no shit. I skimmed over it when I was reading earlier. Where exactly is it?"
The man stared at him for a moment before chuckling.
"You’re a strange one. But it’s here."
The man pointed toward his heart.
"Everyone’s Mana Core forms inside their heart. Didn’t think I’d be teaching someone before my death, hehe."
"Shush."
Arthur placed his hand over the man’s back again, only this time, over the area where his heart was.
He had no idea how precise control worked, but he did know that he could activate Healing Touch simply by thinking about it.
What if he thought about how he wanted to direct the Healing Touch, or which areas he wanted it to target?
Right...
Instead of waiting for this guy to die, Arthur decided to go ahead and try it.