We returo the wilderness and, after an hour of walking, found a serene clearing to set up camp. As I begaing the tent, my hands shook while tying one pole.

  I killed somebody today!

  All my life, I worked to save people, not kill them. So, now I didn't know how to deal with that fact.

  I killed somebody today! And helped the guard dispatch the other two!

  I sat there, trembling, trying to process it all. Stretch came over aed his head on my p. I started petting him, finding so the rhythmic motion. Whenever my thoughts overwhelmed me, I would pause, but Stretudged my hand, urgio tinue.

  Smart wolf.

  Eventually, I regained enough posure to prepare dinner, atled in for the night. Despite my expectations, nightmares didn't hauhe following m, my mind was clearer, and I could refle the events more calmly. The arrow that narrowly missed my ear meant I was the intearget, and the archer almost killed the an. I doubted it was their first criminal act, and even if it were, they likely would have tinued as bandits. So, with the archer, it was self-defense, and the guard had potentially saved many lives by eliminating the other threats.

  Some of these thoughts felt like attempts to rationalize and ease my sce, but they were also facts. Still, we remained in that clearing for two days until I found my equilibrium again. Stretch took advantage of the break, catg up on sleep and enjoying belly rubs and ear scratches. Since I "harvested" the bison, he was less enthused about the goat meat or any other meat I gave him, but he couldn't get enough of the bison.

  Spoiled wolf.

  After two days, I decided that if I let that nasty noble make me ge my pns, he would win. So, after pag the camp, we headed back to the road.

  Whe to the road, I didn't feel like walking again and summoned a bicycle. I cluded that I always had a Luck stat; it was simply hidden. When I bought my first bike and all the equipment for its upkeep, the salesperson insisted I buy a trailer for all the equipment. Initially, I refused, but then I decided that I could always use the trailer to haul my shopping to a discreet location before st it. Now I wao send him a thank you h flowers and chocote. The minute I ected the trailer, Stretch hopped in and sat down, wagging his tail.

  sulting the Map, I saw it was an endless road in both dires, with occasional towns on the way, and both ends arrived at a capital, or at least a rger city with a ark on the Map. I tinued north and started pedaling.

  We traveled like that for about three hours until I saw a caravan ahead. I thought of st the bike but then decided to see their rea to it and, based on that, a the future.

  As I approached, the size of the caravan impressed me. It was a BIG caravan! Over fifty carts of all shapes and sizes. Some carts were giant, at least three meters wide and five meters long with six wheels, and four of the mini-bison I had entered pulled them. Some were much smaller and pulled by this world's version of a horse; it had the tail, mane, and equine face but was shorter, stockier, and had two small bull horns curving forward. There were also many people and kids. They looked Middle Eastern, with light brown skin, bck hair, and dark eyes. The kids waved to me when I passed, and I waved back. Judging by their excmations, Stretch was a hit. He also seemed to like the admiration; his tail thumped the trailer like ahusiastic drummer.

  Arriving at the head of the caravan, a man riding a horse steered towards me. I halted, waiting for him to approach. Dismounting, he extended his hand iing.

  "A healer! Bless the ** **! How much are you asking for? eople that need help." His voice carried a mixture of relief and awe.

  "No … [shit! How do you say money or charge] o give anything," I responded hastily, my brow furrowing in frustration as I searched for the right words in this unfamiliar nguage. With a wave, I motiooward the caravan behind him, eager to move past the awkward moment ao work.

  How did he know?

  Suddenly, it dawned on me, and I facepalmed. I was an idiot. When I got the Identify ability, I used it for an hour oh, was totally unimpressed, and fot all about it. I even read about MCs using this ability, but it never crossed my mind to use it myself.

  Without asking, he looked at me with a perplexed look. The caravan slowed after he yelled something I didn't catch. He led me to one cart, where a man y on a b, his body torted in disfort. As I approached, the stench of sweat and siess mingled in the air, a telltale sign of the severe dition he was in. Suspeg tetanus iion, I cast diagnosis, firming my suspi. His muscles were rigid, his jaw ched—a cssic presentation.

  It took castiralize Poison three times to take care of all the toxins and five casts of Healing Touch to fix all the damage to his body. He began to look emaciated, so I told the woman sitting beside him, "A lot food and water. When he feel better, tell me, I heal again."

  "Thank you a lot," she murmured fervently. "And thank you to the gods of old for sending you our way."

  I nodded in aowledgment and turo the guide. "Take me another person."

  The patient looked like a guard, with armor and a sword and everything, and had an ied cut on his upper arm.

  "What happened?" I inquired, iing the wound.

  "Training act," he replied tersely, wing as I probed gently.

  This was a straightforward fix pared to tetanus. With practiced ease, I applied two Healing Touches, the warmth of mana seeping into his injured flesh. Almost immediately, the iion subsided, and his disfort eased.

  "Eat, drink, rest," I instructed him in a firm tone, satisfied with the oute.

  "Thank you," he aowledged gratefully, flexing his arm tentatively.

  I turo the guide once more, eager to tiake me to the person."

  My nguage is improving! Yay!

  in line was a child, pgued by a persistent cough that racked his slight frame. I administered a Healing Touch with a geouch, easing his respiratory distress. To lift his spirits, I offered him a lollipop, his eyes lighting up with delight as he accepted the treat.

  " person?" I prompted, ready for the challenge.

  An elderly woman awaited me, her face etched with pain. Her broken leg had begun to heal incorrectly, a misalighat threatened her mobility.

  "I need open the leg, break the bone a sed time, and then heal it correct," I expined patiently, hoping to reassure her.

  Her response was adamant. "No cutting, no breaking. I will wait for it to heal naturally," she insisted, fear evident in her eyes.

  Sensing her apprehension, the guide intervened, speaking to her in soothing tones. Despite his efforts, she remained resolute, shaking her head.

  " you wait a moment?" the guide asked me quietly. "I'll speak tain."

  I nodded in agreement, watg as he versed with her early. He rejoined me after a few minutes, his expression grave.

  "She's afraid of the pain from cutting and breaking the bone again," he expined, his voice tinged with for the woman's welfare.

  Of course, as a doctor from Earth, it was obvious to me that the procedure would be doh ahesia, but she had no way of knowing it. Today was my day of feeling like an idiot.

  "I will speak with her and expin," I told him.

  "You won't feel pain," I expio her. "I will put you to sleep with magic, fix y, and you wake up with good leg." It was even easier to expin; it felt like I was almost done learning the nguage. I evehe words I was missing before in both enters.

  She hesitantly asked, "You promise I won't feel the pain?"

  "I promise you go to sleep and wake up with good leg," I assured her with a smile.

  She nodded, and I set up the "operating table," aka my sturdy folding camping table with a pstic sheet and a smaller table for my instruments.

  I gnced around, searg for Stretch, but couldn't spot him. Turning to my guide, I asked, "Do you know where my wolf is?"

  He looked puzzled. "What wolf?"

  "The wolf I had with me. You saw him," I crified, feeling a bit ed.

  "I apologize, but that is not a wolf; it's a bushnd dog," he replied, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

  I bliaken aback. "Huh? What do you mean a dog? I found him in the forest."

  "Yes, those are wild dogs, but if you befriend one or raise it from a puppy, it's a loyal friend for life. They are also very smart," he expined, his expression calm.

  I rubbed my , digesting this new information. "Huh, you learn something new every day. And I noticed the smart part." He gave me another puzzled look but didn't ent further.

  "So, do you know where my dog is?" I asked, refog on my inal question.

  "Pying with the children," he said, pointing towards a group of kids nearby.

  I rexed and smiled. "Oh, no problem then."

  He helped me guide the dy to the operating table, her face pale and teh ay. I cast and Purify ohing, ensuring a sterile enviro. The first time I partitioned my mind, it wasn't easy, but it became easier after doing it a few times. Maybe I could create another partition: one for ahesia, one for trolling the blood, and one for healing.

  I put the dy to sleep with a gentle spell, watg her features rex as she drifted unscious. I then made a precise incision along the improperly healed bone, carefully opening her leg. Blood welled up, but I was ready, immediately grabbing and trolling it with a focused spell.

  , I gripped the misaligned bone, feeling the rough edges under my fingers. With a steady hand, I broke the bone again, the crack eg through the quiet space. I wi the sound, knowing it would have been agonizing without the ahesia.

  My mind strained as I attempted to create the third partition. I failed the first five times, each attempt causing intense pressure in my head, diaphragm, and abdomen. On the sixth try, I succeeded. It was hard; it was very hard; it was very, very, very hard. My entire mana system felt like it was shaking uhe strain, but I persisted.

  I worked as quickly and accurately as possible, using the healing partition to mend the freshly broken bone and e aligned perfectly. The tissue kogether seamlessly under my guidahe skin closing without a trace of the incision.

  After healing and waking the dy, I helped her off the table. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked at me with fusion and relief. "Dri, a," I instructed her, ensuring she was steady before ing the equipment thhly.

  My guide watched the entire procedure with wide-eyed admiration. As I finished, he began calling me Grand Master Healer. Despite my attempts to tell him I wasn't a Grand Master, he refused to believe it. His eyes filled with resped gratitude.

  Feeling drained, I checked my mana: 180/4200.

  I wiped the sweat from my brow and took a deep breath, feeling the weight of exhaustioling in. "I 't heal anybody else right now; my mana is too low."

  He smiled warmly, pg a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "That was the st perso and regee. Thank you again, Grand Master Healer."

  I managed a tired smile, nodding slightly. "You are wele. I will check the first patient ter."

  With that, I slowly lowered myself onto a nearby rock, closing my eyes for a moment to gather my strength ahe remnants of my mana pool start to replenish.

  It occurred to me I didn't think twice about st my bike and summoning equipment in front of my guide. Although he gave me strange looks a couple of times during our versation, when I stored or summohings, he didn't react at all. That's good; it meant the ability was on.

  I looked for Stretd found him lying on his bad getting belly rubs from three little girls. He looked in heaven. When the kids saw me, they asked the boy I healed if I was the one who gave him dy, and when he answered in the affirmative, they all surrounded me, asking for dy. I was gd I bought so much. It was a lot of fun making children happy. Whether their parents would be happy about the sugar rush or not, wasn't my problem.

  "So you're a dog?" I asked Stretch, looking at him. He looked at me and wagged his tail. I identified him, yay me, and got a BIG surprise.

  STRETCH

  Adult Bushnd Dress to awakening 27%

  ?!?!?!?!?!?!

  My mind was pletely bnk—I didn't even know what to think.

  As my guide approached me, I suddenly realized that I hadn't asked for his name or introduced myself. I fot my manners during my time in the wilderness.

  Oops.

  I held my hand and said, "Sorry, I fot to introduce myself; my name is John. What's your name?"

  He gave me a puzzled look again.

  What am I missing? What's se about an introdu?

  I raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued, and asked instead of letting my mind try to e up with the answer. "Why did you look at me like that when I told you my name and asked yours?"

  The caravan leader's expression softened slightly, though his eyes still held a hint of wariness. "I know your name. When the Guiding Spirits showed me you are a healer, they also showed me your name. Do you not know how to get answers from the Guiding Spirits?"

  I felt a flush of embarrassment, but kept my faeutral. "I didn't think to ask; my mistake."

  He shook his head, a small smile pying on his lips. "That was not a mistake. It is not polite to ask about every person you meet, but I am the caravan leader, so it is my responsibility to make sure you have good iions. I thought that healers asked the Guiding Spirits about every person who asked for their help, no?"

  I bluffed, hoping my face didn't betray my uainty. "Yes, but I was not healing you, so I didn't ask about you, only about the people who needed my help."

  His nod was slow, deliberate. "I uand. We will tinue on the road now. It will be a great honor if you join us at camp tonight so we express ratitude."

  A smile tugged at my lips, and I shrugged nontly. "You don't have to thank me. I'm a healer; that's what I do."

  He looked at me strangely again.

  Oh, well, I'm an alien. What did you expect?

  I was on the verge of ughing out loud—I was an alien. I had to excuse myself; it was hard to hold it in and not burst into ughter. I went to Stretch, hugged him, and hid my ughter in his fur. The song by Sting pyed in my mind: "I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien, I'm an Englishman in New York …"

  Life is se sometimes.