Fortunately, it was not difficult to be dispatched to the first aid station.
It was dirty, it was tough, and it was tiring.
Because it was a position that no one wanted.
There was just a vacancy and he was able to go to the spot.
'Let's do well.'
Standing in front of the first aid station, Raymond inhaled.
'I will be the best healer!'
As mentioned earlier, he had a grand dream.
To become the best healer he could be.
He would enjoy all the honor, wealth, and glory in the world.
He would live his life naming away the sorrows he had suffered as a filthy bastard.
'I'll get it done!'
Determined, Raymond entered the first aid station and bowed.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Raymond, a new member of the first aid station!"
However, the reaction was cold.
"Why is he peeking into the [1]relief center?"
"He doesn't even know the theme. If he comes here, he'll just get in the way."
"I thought it was decided he would be kicked out?"
The healers who worked at the First aid station threw a tantrum, clucking their tongues.
A cold stare pierced his entire body, but Raymond pretended not to know and smiled, listening with one ear and flushing with the other.
He had always been scolded, for 23 years.
There was no blow to a mere pincup like that.
He just tucked it away in his mind like this for posterity.
'Wait and see. I'll pay you back many times over for today's work if I grow to be the best healer later on. I've memorized all of your faces.'
With this "surgeon's" abilities, it was entirely possible.
Maybe later he would be a healer respected by all and give those guys many times more than they deserve!
In order to do this, he had to see as many patients as possible at the First aid station to improve his level of care.
'Alright, I'll do my best!'
However, the opportunity to see a patient did not come easily.
No one would let Raymond see a sick person.
"You're getting in the way, so go away."
"What kind of patient can you see if you're not even F-grade for healing."
They all avoided the dirty filth, and they didn't want Raymond near them.
In particular, it was Lance, the Chief Healer, who was the worst offender to Raymond.
"I wonder if heaven really helped, the infectious patient was cured. It seems like you're really lucky."
Lance didn't think that Raymond had treated the patient with a hip abscess. He just thought it was a coincidence.
"Anyway, a promise is a promise, so I'll give you a few more chances. Instead, this is your last chance."
Lance spoke with a twitch at both ends of his mouth.
"I'm glad you're going to the relief center just in time. 15 days. Prove your talent at the relief center. Otherwise, as I said before, I will deprive you of your apprenticeship, senior."
'If you give me a chance to see a patient, I'll prove my talent!'
Raymond gritted his teeth.
'I have to do something about it.'
At this rate, he wouldn't have a chance to see his patients in a year, let alone half a month.
Instead of sitting by the tree waiting for the persimmons to fall, he had to go and capture them.
"Hanson, aren't you tired?"
"Ah, senior."
Hanson.
He was roughly nineteen years old and had not yet shed his boyishness.
He was one of the better apprentices working at the first aid station.
He was an apprentice of ambiguous ability, neither good nor bad, with a grade C talent.
"What can I do for you?"
Hanson looked at Raymond suspiciously and warily.
He was a good boy, but he reacted like that.
Because Raymond was the kind of filthy filth that no one wanted to mess with.
Was it because his biological father's status was too noble?
Paradoxically, Raymond's lowly status as a bastard was further highlighted.
He was a filth who defiled the preciousness of his perfect biological father.
Combine that with his pathetic talent that was no better than F grade, and he became an existence that no one in the treatment center wanted to deal with.
"It's going to be tough. Are you sure?"
"That's..."
Hanson slurred his words.
He was the youngest in this place, and he was doing all the chores.
"I'd like to help you out if you don't mind if I clean the first aid station?"
"Really?"
Hanson asked back, startled.
Cleaning the aid station!
It was the job that tormented him the most.
"Yeah, you're having a hard time. I'm not doing anything, so I'm sorry. Will it be okay?"
"I appreciate it, but..."
When Hanson's guard was down, Raymond quietly told him his main point.
"Other than that, you've been going through a lot, but when you're having a hard time, can I take care of the patient's mess instead?"
"Pardon? That's..."
Hanson looked troubled.
As an apprentice, he played a role in cleaning up after formal healers finished treatment.
When the official healers were using their heals, they would bandage, apply herbs, and so on.
"If you don't want to do it, I can't help it. You seemed to be having a hard time, so I'm just saying."
Raymond hid his inner thoughts and said, pretending to be concerned about Hanson.
The first principle of negotiation, of course, was to show signs that you were not to be spared.
Then it was Hanson who was fretful.
'What should I do? If the healers find out that senior Raymond cleaned up after me, they'll be very angry.'
That said, the compensation was too lenient to give up.
Cleaning the aid station!
If he didn't have to do that, it would be many times easier.
At that moment, Raymond released a decisive shot as if he were taking the bait.
"There's nothing I can do. I was afraid you'd be burdened, so I would only try to clean up the patients when there were no other healers. Let's just pretend you didn't hear my story now..."
"Y-you can!"
Hanson finally raised the white flag.
"In return, senior will really clean the first aid station right?"
"Of course."
Raymond chuckled inwardly.
'From now on, I'll level up.'
Of course, cleaning was not something Raymond was too happy about.
He decided to think of it as an investment to improve his level.
***
"It's done."
"Oh, thank you very much, healer."
[You've gained more experience!]
"No need to be thankful. Oh, patient. Take these herbs!"
[You've gained more experience!]
[You've gained more experience!]
Maybe because it was so easy to do. There was not much experience to be gained from the cleanup.
It was only one point at most, but it was a lot of points.
[Your level is going up!]
It had been three days since he came to the First aid station.
His level had finally increased to level 4.
'Extra stat. To the senses.'
Raymond added it to his senses with a satisfied look on his face. The higher the sensory stat, the better a 'surgeon' he would be.
'I need more experience.'
Raymond assessed the patient with that in mind.
Fortunately, it was not difficult to avoid the eyes of the other healers, as they were not stationed at the first aid station 24 hours a day.
Rather, they usually stopped by only when a patient came in to use their healings before returning to their own office.
"It's done here. Please be careful next time."
[You've gained more experience!]
It was always a sweet message to hear.
'If I work hard like this, one day I'll become the best healer I can be, and then I'll have a rosy future!'
He was born the son of the noblest of all, but was severely tormented and lived a life poorer than that of the lower classes.
The sadness of envying people in the most splendid places and living poorer than anyone else has to be experienced to be understood.
This was why he had a lingering resentment towards money.
'If I become the best healer, I will be able to enjoy tremendous wealth and honor.'
Incidentally, healers made a lot of money.
Not to mention if you are a senior healer.
If he became the best healer, he would enjoy unimaginable wealth and glory.
A five-story marble-clad mansion, a meaty steak at every meal, even the finest wine before going to sleep...
Raymond had a rosy imagination in his mind.
Someday, he would get it done.
... Of course, it was a solid dream for a 'novice resident' who was still less than level 10.
'Anyway, fighting!'
It was time for Raymond to cheer up and see a patient.
He heard something he never thought he'd hear.
"Oh, that's really kind of you, handsome healer. I've been to a lot of treatment centers in my life, but I've never had such a kind healer as you."
One patient spoke with sincere gratitude.
"It's nothing."
Raymond had an awkward face.
'Not that I've been particularly that nice. Because other healers have been unkind.'
Healers who could use heals were invaluable.
Therefore, the healer was always in the instep position, and very few healers were kind to their patients.
However, Raymond thought a little differently than the other healers.
'If you're a healer, you have to be nice to your patients.'
It was really sad when you came here with a sick body and were treated coldly.
Raymond was reminded of this fact by his mother's illness. So he made an effort to be as kind as possible to his patients.
"Thank you for your help today. Is it Lance? That healer is competent, but he's too unfriendly. I was comforted by the handsome healer."
The old patient's gratitude made Raymond's heart itch.
"It's nothing."
It was the moment when he answered like that. A message popped up in his mind.
[You have been kind to your patients!]
[Achievement: "Kind Healer" achieved!]
[Your fame will increase!]
[Five skill points will be awarded!]
It was a nice message.
He didn't know how to use them yet, but he was sure the skill points would be useful in improving his surgeon abilities.
And that wasn't the only unexpected performance compensation.
Raymond made great achievements in completely unexpected places.
It was the "cleaning" part.
'Well, honestly, I don't want to clean the relief center either. But it's a promise, so there's nothing I can do.'
It was different from a typical cleaning.
As he wiped the floor full of blood, dirt, and bodily fluids, he felt nauseous and exhausted.
'Should I roughly do it?'
For a moment, Raymond was tempted to do just that.
To be honest, Hanson didn't clean up much.
But he soon shook his head.
'Poor hygiene is not good for the patients. This is hard but unavoidable.'
The people of Leifentina did not place much importance on cleanliness. Neither did the healers.
However, Raymond, with his medical knowledge, could not do that.
He knew how badly unhygienic conditions could affect his patients.
He couldn't skimp on the cleaning, no matter how hard it was. It was a matter of conscience.
________________________________
1. Relief center/aid station will be used interchangeably.