WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Plague Doctor in a Peaceful World ◈
Chapter 6: You Saved on Hospital Bills Thanks to Me
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People often say cats are the natural enemies of rats. Was that why they were set as bonus experience targets?
That was very welcome news to me.
Honestly, treating people was liable to draw suspicion from all directions, like with Happy Quokka.
“Thanks, cat. Want me to buy you some Churu?”
“Gomdol!”
Mraow.
At someone’s call, the cat sprinted away.
So it had an owner.
I got to my feet regretfully. Looking at the cat’s owner, who was staring at me oddly, I thought to myself.
You should know you saved on vet bills thanks to me.
Before going home, I stopped by a mart and bought a whole pile of cat treats.
Aside from the car break-in thief, everyone I had treated so far had been fine even after several days.
So now I could treat cats with infectious diseases to my heart’s content, build up experience, and raise my level.
“Heh heh.”
The thought of leveling up in peace made me smile.
* * *
Easy leveling, my ass.
When I actually tried to find cats marked [Contagious Disease Patient], I couldn’t spot any. Even when I did, they would dart away or hide somewhere I couldn’t possibly reach. They wouldn’t approach even when I held out treats.
Myaow.
Meow, meow.
Only the sociable neighborhood strays gathered around me in droves.
“I need to change hunting grounds.”
After shaking the cat hair off my clothes, I went home.
My sister stared at me in shock.
“You want to volunteer at an animal shelter? You?”
“Yeah. So could you recommend somewhere that’d be okay for a beginner like me...?”
My sister suddenly clenched both fists.
“Who the hell are you, punk? Where did you hide the real Kang Bongsik?”
“...”
“Bongsik, why don’t you at least get a part-time job when you’re bored? You’ve been out of the military for a month already.”
“I saved up some money in the military...”
“Don’t you want to move out?”
“Why are you trying to throw me out, Father? I’ll sponge off you two until I graduate and get a job.”
Mom sighed.
“I hear other people’s children never stop talking about moving out. Why don’t my daughter and son ever want to leave?”
“Mom, you know how brutal housing prices and living costs are these days. Moving out costs money, money. Wouldn’t it be better to save that money for marriage?”
“Why are you saving up marriage money?”
“Well, if I’m going to get married someday... Die, Kang Bongsik!”
My sister finally realized I had been making fun of her and started hitting me.
“Ow! You said I wasn’t Kang Bongsik! Who are you to hit me?”
“No? You are Kang Bongsik. Die!”
Thinking we were playing, Arong started bouncing around too.
Woof! Woof!
“You’re kicking up dust, you idiots! Go take Arong for a walk!”
My sister and I were thrown out together.
“Ah, it’s nice to be out at night for once.”
“You could just come out anytime.”
“This punk has no idea how dangerous it is for a woman to walk alone at night.”
“You used to wander around just fine after drinking until dawn when you were in school. And you could come out with Arong.”
“Yeah, like Arong would protect me. Maybe the other way around.”
At the mention of his name, Arong, who had been happily leading the way, turned back toward us, panting.
Small and cute.
“That’s true.”
“So what got into you? Why do you suddenly want to volunteer?”
“Just because.”
As I followed Arong, we came across a convenience store. I happened to turn my head and met the eyes of the part-time worker.
It was the worker who had been there when the drunk caused a scene last time. The one who had called me mister.
The worker openly turned away and ignored me.
“...?”
“Join this.”
I turned to my sister.
“What is it?”
“An online community. Go to the volunteer board for animal shelters on there.”
“I want to see cats.”
“They usually won’t entrust cats to you unless you’re a cat owner. Cats have different habits from dogs, and a lot of them are sensitive.”
“I want to see cats.”
“...Then check the websites or social media pages for local shelters.”
“Can’t you put it all together in a document and tell me?”
My sister smacked my back.
Thwack.
“Ow.”
“I’m trying to help, and you still complain. Figure it out yourself, asshole.”
Two days later.
I carefully drove to the location I had entered into my navigation. Residential areas with narrow alleys and lots of cars parked around corners were a little scary because you never knew what might jump out.
[You have arrived at your destination. Navigation will now end.]
In front of the address my sister had given me, her friend Lim Hyanggi waved.
“Hello, noona. Get in.”
“Bongsik, it’s been a while. Did you buy a car?”
“It used to be my mom’s.”
I had arranged to go to an animal shelter with Lim Hyanggi today. My sister had asked her to bring me along, saying she volunteered whenever she had free time.
“Please fasten your seat belt.”
I set the shelter I had entered beforehand as our destination.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay. But you’ve really grown up. The last time I saw you, you were in high school. Your sister said you went to the military?”
“Yes. You look exactly the same, noona.”
“Didn’t I get prettier?”
“You and my sister really are exactly alike. Hahaha.”
“...”
Lim Hyanggi bared her teeth and twitched her lips like an angry puppy.
“I’m telling your sister.”
“If you keep talking to me, we’ll get into an accident. I’m a beginner driver.”
“...”
After arriving at the shelter, I put on the protective coveralls and boots I had prepared, along with gloves and a mask. We listened briefly to the safety instructions with the other volunteers before entering the dog kennels.
“Wow...”
The moment I stepped inside, I couldn’t help sighing.
There were a great many [Contagious Disease Patient] labels. None of the dogs looked seriously ill on the surface, though.
What drew my attention was the very back.
It was a completely separated area, and beyond the wall, I could see a yellow [Contagious Disease Patient] label.
I asked a shelter staff member.
“It looks like there’s a sick dog over there.”
“Yes. It’s been quarantined after catching an infectious virus.”
“What about a hospital?”
“The hospital bills have piled up too much, so we can’t admit it. We’re giving it medicine and caring for it here.”
“I see...”
The kennel cleaning began.
I helped diligently, then gradually made my way near the room with the yellow [Contagious Disease Patient] label.
Just in case.
I was curious whether the estimated MP cost would appear through the wall, or whether my skill would work.
[This is a Contagious Disease Patient. Would you like to treat them?]
[(Expected MP Cost: 180)]
180?
There was a reason the label was yellow.
Even with the Plague Doctor Mask’s effect, I would need 144 MP.
My maximum MP had only risen to 110 when I reached Level 5.
How many levels did I need to gain?
“Mr. Kang Bongsik, why are you slacking off?”
Lim Hyanggi scolded me.
“Yes, I’m coming.”
Sorry, doggie.
I couldn’t heal you as I was now.
Instead, I treated two dogs that required 50 and 60 MP. Since they didn’t look sick and ate well, they seemed to have mild illnesses.
After the kennel cleaning was finished, we had a short break.
As I drank the sweet instant coffee mix the shelter director had made, I muttered to myself.
“Skill window.”
[Kang Bongsik (Plague Doctor Lv.5) Skills]
[Passive Skills]
-Immunity Lv.1
[Active Skills]
-Plague Treatment Lv.1 (26/100)
-Bloodletting Lv.1 (0/100)
In most games, skills became more powerful as their levels rose. In that case, their MP cost would probably decrease too, but my proficiency was only 26.
“How long is this going to take...?”
“Bongsik, once you’re done with your coffee, come hammer some nails over there.”
“Okay.”
I returned home late in the afternoon.
After washing up, I flopped down on my bed.
Sniff sniff.
Even though I had washed, Arong relentlessly sniffed my head, hands, and feet, as if I still smelled like the shelter kennels. Then he brought over the leash.
Woof!
“Hey, let your big brother rest...”
Woof!
“Fine...”
I took Arong out for a walk.
Walk, stop. Walk, stop.
We reached the animal hospital Arong regularly visited. Arong didn’t even look at the hospital, instead scratching at the door of the bakery right beside it.
“No, Arong. Don’t scratch other people’s property.”
I had just barely pulled on the leash and moved away when I heard something from the alley between the bakery and the animal hospital.
Sniff.
Someone was sobbing.
The owner of the cat with the yellow [Contagious Disease Patient] label I had seen at the animal hospital a few days ago was crouched there.
“Fuck, what do I do...? They said there’s no guarantee it’ll fully recover even with treatment... Its body has gotten too weak... Hey, do you know anywhere I could get a loan? Maybe it could recover if I moved it to a bigger hospital?”
The cat must have been in very bad condition.
Some people might think, It’s just an animal, not a human. Why make such a fuss?
But perhaps because I kept an animal too, I felt deeply sorry for them.
“Hey, Arong.”
Just then, Arong approached the cat’s owner.
Wagging his tail like he knew them, Arong tilted his head from side to side.
Perhaps the cat’s owner understood that a strange dog was trying to comfort them. They sniffled as they petted Arong.
“...I’ll call you later.”
“Sorry. Arong, you shouldn’t act so friendly with strangers.”
“No, it’s okay.”
The cat’s owner bowed their head, then left the alley.
Whine.
Arong watched them go, whining, then headed in the opposite direction.
I followed Arong with a sigh.
The label had been yellow, so that cat must have been beyond what I could heal right now too...
[Contagious Disease Patient]
“Huh?”
At some point, a yellow label appeared beyond the wall.
When I moved a few steps closer:
[This is a Contagious Disease Patient. Would you like to treat them?]
[(Expected MP Cost: 190)]
Ah.
This was the wall of the animal hospital’s inpatient ward.
Besides, the estimated MP cost was 190.
It was ten higher than the number I had seen at the shelter today.
I checked my MP gauge.
[MP 30/110]
Even after recovering some MP, it was nowhere near enough.
“...”
Still, should I try treating it with the MP I had?
Who knew?
Maybe its condition would improve even a little.
I placed my hand on the wall.
I didn’t even know whether I could treat something through a wall.
“Treatment, yes.”
A warm haze flowed from my hand and slipped through the wall.
[System]
-‘Plague Treatment’ has been used.
-‘Plague Treatment’ Proficiency +0.5
-Experience +2.74%
-Cat Treatment Bonus Experience +0.27%
[MP 0/110]
So it worked even through a wall.
[This is a Contagious Disease Patient. Would you like to treat them?]
[(Expected MP Cost: 167)]
I had poured in 30 MP, but the estimated MP cost was now 167.
Since it was a living creature, recovery apparently couldn’t be measured by a simple number.
Unless I treated it all at once.
“Let’s go, Arong.”
The next day, before dawn broke, I returned to the animal hospital with the Plague Doctor Mask.
[Contagious Disease Patient]
It was still yellow.
[This is a Contagious Disease Patient. Would you like to treat them?]
[(Expected MP Cost: 165)]
Huh.
The estimated MP cost had fallen by two.
Had its condition improved just a little?
“Yeah, get better.”
[System]
-‘Plague Doctor Mask’ equipped effect: Skill MP Cost -20%
The MP I had recovered in the meantime was 70.
I couldn’t heal it all at once at my current level anyway, so I would at least help it improve.
And it would give me bonus experience.
“Treatment, yes.”
[System]
-‘Plague Treatment’ has been used.
-‘Plague Treatment’ Proficiency +1
-Experience +7.98%
-Cat Treatment Bonus Experience +0.8%
[MP 0/110]
Beyond the wall, the [Contagious Disease Patient] label turned green.
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