The needle Yuseong held up glinted sharply.
The Baihui Acupoint is a pressure point located at the very center of the crown of the head, a place that could lead to death if mishandled.
Not long ago, a Rising Star, hailed as a once-in-a-century talent, had been ambushed by an assassin disguised as a servant.
Since it was Zhuge Yeong-yeong who had personally drafted the official notice to tighten the security for the major Rising Stars of the orthodox factions after that incident, she wondered if she really had to get a needle placed in a spot that could kill her with the slightest mistake.
"Does it have to be the Baihui Acupoint?"
"I know what you're worried about, but in the current situation, there's no other way. It might not be effective, but I promise I will perform the acupuncture safely."
At Yuseong's assurance, Zhuge Yeong-yeong recalled the man she had witnessed just a moment ago.
The sight of him bravely stepping forward to save the girl despite the risk of being misunderstood in a tense situation, and of him unsparingly revealing the secret technique to revive someone thought to be dead from a stopped heart.
'Alright, let's trust him. At the very least, there's no way this man is an assassin. If a man like this isn't a doctor, then who could be called a true doctor?'
"Okay. I'll trust you."
Seeing Yuseong's bright smile, Zhuge Yeong-yeong's heart wavered once more.
'Don't tell me I've fallen for a pretty face...? A doctor who looks like this? No. That's too narrow-minded. Looking back, it's a rational decision. Let's trust him.'
Having received Zhuge Yeong-yeong's permission, Yuseong had her lie down on the patient's bed.
He parted Zhuge Yeong-yeong's black hair as she lay with her hands neatly folded and brought the needle to her Baihui Acupoint.
'Zhuge Yeong-yeong must have mastered considerable martial arts. I wonder if she can feel the Divinity like I can.'
Finally, the needle pierced the Baihui Acupoint, and Yuseong scraped together all his remaining Divinity and infused it through the needle.
He confirmed that the Divinity, having penetrated through the Baihui Acupoint, circulated through her head along the meridians before naturally seeping into her brain, and then retrieved the needle.
Zhuge Yeong-yeong had been inwardly tense from the chilling sensation of the needle piercing her Baihui Acupoint. She had been so wary of the feeling of the needle penetrating her that she had even forgotten the throbbing pain in her head.
"Ah...!"
A gasp escaped her lips unknowingly.
Hadn't a refreshing sensation suddenly washed over her, sweeping away the headache as if it had never been there?
She felt more refreshed than ever, as if the fact that her head had been hurting was a lie.
A sense of confidence even surged within her, as if she could sit at her desk and instantly process all the headache-inducing reports.
The frown she had unknowingly been wearing smoothed out, and her expression turned serene.
At the same time, a wave of gratitude for Baek Yuseong washed over her.
'This man deserves to be called a divine doctor. No matter which physician I saw for this headache, they only prescribed medicine that merely alleviated the pain, but he has surprised me again!'
Once the acupuncture was finished, Zhuge Yeong-yeong had to work hard to control the corners of her mouth, which were about to break into a wide grin.
"How is it, Chief Strategist? Does the pain still remain?"
"No, my head feels so clear, as if a fog has lifted. How on earth did you solve it with just one needle?"
"I'm glad it was effective. I was able to treat you because you trusted and entrusted yourself to me."
"It's truly amazing. But by any chance, how long will this effect last? It would be troublesome if it's too short."
"For now, the headache is completely cured, so as long as you get enough sleep, it won't return. However, if you maintain your current lifestyle, the headache might come back in about a week."
"A week!"
Forgetting her decorum, Zhuge Yeong-yeong couldn't hide her joy as she exclaimed loudly.
Did that not mean she could be free from this dreadful headache for a whole week?
Then, she asked a question that stealthily arose.
"If the headache returns, can I be cured like today if I get acupuncture again?"
"Of course. Please come by anytime."
After Zhuge Yeong-yeong left, Yuseong hurriedly checked his body.
'The absolute amount of Divinity has increased!'
It was a faint increase, but it had definitely grown. This was the first time he had ever experienced an increase in the absolute amount without offering a prayer to the goddess, even throughout the previous game.
Every result has a cause.
Yuseong soon came up with a plausible hypothesis.
'When I cured her headache, Zhuge Yeong-yeong felt grateful towards me. Could it be that this feeling was transmitted to me and increased my Divinity? Then that would also explain why there was no reaction when I prayed to the Goddess Gaia. In this world, the source of divinity is not the Goddess Gaia, but me.'
A thrill washed over him. It was still a long way off, but he had discovered a way to increase his Divinity.
'I should continue seeing patients. I need to check if patients I heal without using Divinity can also increase my Divinity.'
Excited, Yuseong quickly resumed his consultations.
Zhuge Yeong-yeong returned to the Murim Alliance.
"Chief Strategist, welcome back."
"Yes, a cup of tea, please."
"I'll prepare it right away. You look well, by the way."
"Oh, do I? Thank you."
When she looked at her reflection, the dark circles under her eyes had faded to a noticeable degree.
"It's truly strange."
After briefly touching the area under her eyes, Zhuge Yeong-yeong sat down again at the Chief Strategist's desk.
The report that she had read three times in the morning without coming up with a clear solution was spread out on the desk.
After skimming the report once, Zhuge Yeong-yeong thought.
"I was agonizing over this easy problem all this time? Now that the headache that tormented me is gone, I feel like I could fly."
Her hand, writing the document with a single stroke of the brush, was like a feather.
Swish- swish-
The reports were processed at a rapid pace.
Due to the complex political situation of the Murim, there were many issues for which an immediate solution was hard to find, but she could now avoid the situation of having to read things multiple times to understand them.
"It's as if I've returned to when I first became the Chief Strategist. Maybe I can even catch up on my studies today?"
Zhuge Yeong-yeong took a short break not because her head hurt, but because her arm was getting sore.
As she took a sip of tea, her eyes held not coldness, but curiosity and gratitude for someone.
The subordinate who had delivered the reports to the Chief Strategist's office in the morning couldn't hide his apologetic feelings as he saw Zhuge Yeong-yeong emerging from her office only as the sun was setting.
"Chief Strategist, shall I have dinner sent in soon?"
"No, I'll go home and eat today. You've worked hard."
"I see. That's a very good idea. You need days like this; how can a person work overtime until dawn every day? Shall I convey your apologies to the other strategists?"
The subordinate naturally thought that Zhuge Yeong-yeong was putting off her work to go rest early.
"I've finished all my work."
"What? But the volume was much larger than usual?"
"Hmph, I met a benefactor."
The subordinate thought Zhuge Yeong-yeong's steps were as light as a feather.
"It increased again...!"
Yuseong was thrilled. He could confirm that his Divinity increased, albeit faintly, even when treating ordinary patients, and just now, it had increased even when he wasn't in the middle of a consultation.
It meant that it would increase as long as patients felt gratitude towards Yuseong.
There was something else he found out.
The amount of Divinity that increased varied depending on the degree of gratitude each person felt.
Even if it was a minuscule amount, his Divinity had increased more when he treated Zhuge Yeong-yeong, and just now, for some reason, a significant amount had increased in a lump.
Yuseong, who had fallen asleep late due to excitement, was able to find out the reason the next day.
"I greet my benefactor."
Seeing the girl, Jin Eun-seon, bowing politely, a thought flashed through his mind.
'Wouldn't this child be the one most grateful to me? It must be Eun-seon who became the catalyst for my seed of Divinity to sprout.'
As Yuseong stared intently at her face, Jin Eun-seon's face flushed slightly.
"Why are you looking at my face for so long?"
"Ah, my apologies. Ahem, by any chance..."
Sensing that something important was about to be said, Jin Eun-seon neatly brought her legs together and demurely placed her hands on her knees.
And she imagined what her life's savior, Yuseong, would say next. For some reason, her heart pounded.
'This is different from the throbbing chest pain I've had lately. What is this feeling?'
Unknowingly fanning the flames of the girl's unguarded heart, Yuseong asked a question to grasp the cause and effect of his increased Divinity.
"By any chance, what were you doing around the hour of Hai (around 10 PM)?"
Yuseong waited for Jin Eun-seon, who for some reason had turned red and was flustered, to calm down.
She glanced outside the consultation room where her father was waiting, then lowered her voice.
"That time is fine."
"Hm?"
"Where should I go? Should I come out in front of the Medical Ward?"
"What are you suddenly talking about?"
As Yuseong became bewildered by the incomprehensible flow of the conversation, Jin Eun-seon snapped back to her senses.
"I-I'm sorry. I forgot what you asked, Doctor. To be honest, I've been a little out of it since my treatment yesterday. Ah! That's not to say I'm sick anywhere, the treatment seems to have been perfect!"
Yuseong let it slide, figuring she could be talking nonsense since she had just come back from the dead.
"Ah, I see. You've been through a lot, so that's understandable. My question was what you were doing around the hour of Hai. Yesterday, that is."
"Ah!"
Jin Eun-seon, letting out a gasp, looked into the air and answered after pondering for a moment.
"I think I was just about to lie down to sleep. Why do you ask?"
"Well, you weren't doing anything else?"
"Before falling asleep... it's embarrassing, but I offered a small prayer for you, Doctor. I hope you're not offended?"
Just as I thought!
Yuseong cheered inwardly.
The hour of Hai was when his Divinity had increased in a lump.
Jin Eun-seon, who had prayed for him like a believer, looked lovely.
"Offended? Not at all! I would be grateful if you would offer a prayer for me every day from now on."
Jin Eun-seon, who had been anxiously watching his reaction, smiled brightly at his words.
"Yes, I promise, sir. In fact, praying for you, Doctor, made me feel a sense of fulfillment, so I was planning to do it again today."
'A sense of fulfillment after prayer? I'll need to keep an eye on this.'
After the consultation and confirming that there was nothing wrong with her body, Yuseong sent Jin Eun-seon back and, burning with motivation, began seeing patients.
By focusing on his life as a doctor and treating patients, he could recover his Divinity.
Though fewer than yesterday, right after the major incident, a considerably long waiting line showed his changed status.
He treated patients who could be fully cured with general medicine as such, and for patients who were difficult to handle with general medicine, he treated them by placing a needle in the affected area and using a healing skill.
After all the consultations were over, Doctor Jo, who had been off yesterday and not at the Medical Ward, came to see him.
The old man in his 60s with a long white beard occupied the second consultation room.
"Doctor Baek, I heard you saw the Murim Alliance's Chief Strategist in my stead yesterday?"
"Yes, that's right."
"You went through the trouble since I wasn't here. Tell me what prescription you gave her."
Abruptly asking about the prescription for a patient Yuseong had treated, as if dealing with a subordinate, was a breach of etiquette.
"I prescribed what I saw fit. Please don't worry about it."
"Hmph! The Chief Strategist is my patient, how can you hide it from me? Besides, the prescription is obvious anyway!"
Doctor Jo shouted.
Yuseong was dumbfounded. Why was Zhuge Yeong-yeong his patient?