He leaned back against the wall and opened the system menu again.
[System Menu]
Skills
Missions
Status
Inventory
Settings
He hovered mentally over Status.
Edan Wood
Role: Medical Student – Novice
EXP: 25/100
Level: 1
Title: [None]
Passive Ability: VitalSight
Active Skills: None
Clinical Perks: Clinical Awareness I
System Sync: 12%
Next Milestone Unlock: Level 2 (New Skill Tree)
Only 12% synced…? Edan frowned. Does that mean there’s more functionality locked away?
He switched to Skills. Only two were listed, but each had a brief description and usage notes.
VitalSight (Passive)
Visualizes patients’ current health status using an HP bar. Accessible during physical examination or within 3 meters of target.
HP represents aggregate physiological stability (not a literal blood volume count).
Color Coding:
Green (Healthy)
Yellow (At Risk)
Orange (Unstable)
Red (Critical)
Black (Terminal)
HP updates dynamically in real-time.
Skill Upgrade: VitalSight II (Unlocks at Level 3)
Clinical Awareness I (Perk)
Increases perception of early warning signs in deteriorating patients.
Occasionally highlights subtle signs that may be missed by untrained observation.
Passive Bonus: +10% diagnostic clarity in ambiguous cases
Upgrade Option Available
Edan blinked. So it’s not just gimmicky visuals. This could actually help catch things early—stuff even residents might miss.
The menu shimmered and a prompt appeared:
Upgrade Available: Clinical Awareness I → Clinical Awareness II
Cost: 1 Skill Point
Confirm Upgrade?
Wait—I have a skill point?
He toggled to Missions and found a log of completed and available missions:
[COMPLETED] First Impression Matters (+10 EXP)
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
[COMPLETED] Diagnosis Confirmed: Appendicitis (+5 EXP)
[ACTIVE] Pre-Surgical Briefing – Assist with consent and documentation. (Reward: 15 EXP + Skill Point)
So I didn’t get a skill point yet, he realized. It’s part of the next mission.
The timing couldn’t be better.
His phone buzzed—an alert from the hospital’s EMR system.
Patient Bellamy, Frank – Surgery scheduled for 18:00. Surgeon assigned: Dr. Karen Roth. Status: Awaiting pre-op consent.
Edan exited the stairwell, pushing the door to the surgical floor. The hospital shifted again—not visually, but atmospherically. Cleaner walls, higher staff-to-patient ratio, and the subtle tension of controlled chaos. Everything here was prepped for action.
Outside Frank’s room, Edan tapped the system icon again.
[Mission Objective: Pre-Surgical Briefing]
Tasks:
Assist attending or resident with consent discussion
Ensure patient understanding
Verify no contraindications
Accurately document encounter in EMR
Location: General Surgery Wing – St. Mercy General Hospital (Teaching Hospital)
Dr. Roth, tall and brisk in a navy scrub cap, emerged from the room just as he approached.
“You’re with Internal Med, right?” she asked, glancing at his badge.
“Edan Wood, medical student. I interviewed Mr. Bellamy earlier.”
“Perfect timing. Want to sit in for consent?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
Inside, Frank was in a gown, IV drip in place, looking marginally better. His HP bar still hovered at 58%, flickering faintly.
“Mr. Bellamy,” Dr. Roth began, “we’ve reviewed your scans. You’ve got appendicitis, and the safest course of action is laparoscopic appendectomy. That means we remove your appendix using small incisions with a camera and surgical tools.”
“Sounds straightforward enough,” Frank said. “Any risks I should know about?”
Roth nodded. “As with any surgery—risks include bleeding, infection, injury to nearby organs like the intestines or bladder, or reactions to anesthesia. But overall, this is one of the most common emergency surgeries in the world, with a very high success rate.”
As Frank asked questions, the system pinged.
[Clinical Awareness Triggered]
Observation: Mild wheeze detected during patient’s exhalation.
Suggestion: Inquire about asthma history or recent respiratory symptoms.
Edan narrowed his eyes. He’d missed that earlier.
“Frank, do you have any history of asthma or recent colds? I noticed a bit of wheezing.”
Frank blinked. “I… yeah, actually. Got bronchitis a couple weeks ago. Been using an inhaler now and then.”
Dr. Roth’s brow furrowed. “Thanks for catching that. We’ll notify anesthesia to take precautions—possibly use a different induction protocol.”
[Bonus Objective Complete]
Hidden Risk Identified. +5 EXP
Frank gave Edan a grateful look. “Good ear, doc.”
“Still a student,” Edan replied, trying not to smile too hard. “But thanks.”
They finished the briefing, and Edan entered the documentation in the EMR under supervision. As he hit ‘Submit,’ the system chimed.
[Mission Complete: Pre-Surgical Briefing]
+15 EXP
+1 Skill Point
Level Up!
Edan Wood is now Level 2
New Feature Unlocked: Skill Tree – Diagnostic Pathways
Choose Your First Branch:
Internal Medicine (Diagnosis-Focused, High Complexity)
Emergency Medicine (Speed & Crisis-Focused)
Surgery (Anatomy-Based, Procedural Mastery)
Edan felt a pulse in his vision as the interface reshaped itself. A branching diagram unfolded—some nodes locked, others glowing faint blue. Each path shimmered with promise, offering different future strengths.
I should pick the one that plays to my strength—but also prepares me for what’s ahead.
He thought back to how he caught that subtle wheeze. Diagnosis was where he thrived—piecing clues together, pattern recognition, precision.
“I choose Internal Medicine,” he whispered.
Path Selected: Internal Medicine
New Passive Skill: Pattern Recognition I – Enhances ability to match patient presentations to rare or atypical diseases.
Skill Points Required for Next Node: 2
Next Mission: Unknown Patient – Assess undiagnosed walk-in case with vague symptoms.
Edan’s phone buzzed again.
New Walk-In Patient Assigned: Exam Room 2B – Name: Jordan Miller, 24, Complaints: “Feeling off, general fatigue, mild chest tightness.”
Vague symptoms, young adult… this could be anything, Edan thought. Time to see what this system can really do.
He pushed open the exam room door—and froze.
Jordan Miller sat slouched in the chair, pale and clammy, one hand on his chest.
And above his head, the HP bar was glowing yellow and ticking downward.
HP: 72% → 71%