Michael Showed Off His Skills in Front of A Kid

"What happened here?" 

Flames devoured the wooden houses as thick black smoke rose high into the sky. Dozens of men and women lay scattered on the ground, soaked in their own blood. 

I didn't see any signs of a battle here. No signs of resistance. Just a pure massacre. 

Whoever did this was brutal. Women and children, no one was spared. 

While I stood frozen by the sight, I heard a cry. If there was one survivor, there could be others. They needed help. 

Without thinking twice, I ran toward the sound. 

I found a boy sobbing, clutching tightly to the clothes of a man lying in front of him. The man was still breathing—he was alive. 

"Hey, boy." 

The boy noticed me and immediately grabbed an axe and shield lying next to him. He struggled to lift both weapons, but I could see the determination in his eyes. 

Naturally, I stopped. He saw me as a threat. 

"Relax. I'm not your enemy. I'm here to help!" 

"You're not with Erke?" the boy stammered, shaking. 

"Erke? I don't even know who that is. First time I've heard the name." 

Whoever this Erke was, he was probably the one behind all this. I could hear the fear and trauma in his voice when he said the name. 

"I saw the black smoke in the sky and rushed over. Figured you might need some help," I continued. 

But the boy still didn't trust me. I glanced at the man lying next to him. 

"Is that your father?" I asked. 

The boy nodded. 

"Let me take a look." 

"You can help him?" the boy asked, desperate, his eyes filled with fear. 

"I'll try." 

He lowered the axe and shield, finally trusting that I wasn't a threat. 

I quickly checked the man's condition. 

His breathing was rough. His face and lips were pale. Blood was seeping through his clothes. 

Pulling aside his shirt, I saw a huge gash across his abdomen. The wound was so deep that his guts were practically spilling out. 

"Will my dad make it?" the boy asked, standing beside me. 

"Yeah," I said, nodding. 

Even though I said that, I wasn't entirely sure. 

If I were in a hospital, I'd just follow the procedure, give him anesthesia, and treat him based on his vital signs. 

But here? It was 865 AD—there were no proper medical tools. 

Honestly, I was scared, but I couldn't just stand by while someone was dying right in front of me. 

"What's your name, boy?" 

"Birna. And I'm not a boy." 

Turns out he was a girl. Her short hair and clothes had me assuming otherwise.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. 

"Listen, Birna. I need you to find me some clean clothes, as much clean water as you can, and salt. Also, I need a needle and thread." 

"I know where to get them," she answered, sounding confident. 

Birna quickly ran off to find the things I asked for. 

"Alright, let's see what we've got here." 

His breathing was ragged. I worried that the blood might be blocking his airway. I needed to check the abdominal cavity. 

No latex gloves. No retractors. Not even an assistant. I really shouldn't be doing this with my bare hands. 

"Damn it… this is so hard! If only I could see this more clearly!" 

Suddenly, a blue screen appeared in front of me. 

[Activating ability: "Spatial Visualization"!] 

A 3D hologram of the abdominal organs popped up in front of me. I could see every part of the internal organs in detail. Way clearer than what I'd see with a laparoscopy or an endoscope. 

"Whoa... so this is Spatial Visualization. Pretty cool." 

But I didn't have time to be impressed. There was a patient I needed to save. 

As I examined him through the hologram, I found a tear in his colon. 

"Damn. His large intestine is ruptured. Feces are spreading and filling his abdominal cavity." 

I needed to drain the pool of blood inside his belly. If I had suction, this would be so much easier. I needed a sponge or something absorbent. 

Just then, Birna returned with the things I'd requested. She was carrying them all by herself with her tiny hands. 

"Sorry, this is all I could find." 

All the clean clothes she brought were cotton. Cotton absorbs liquid well, especially blood, which would save me time. 

"No, it's fine. Where are the needle and thread?" 

"Here!" 

I wasn't expecting surgical needles, but the ones Birna gave me were way too big and thick. And the thread? It was rough and twisted. It was huge. This was driving me nuts. 

"Alright, thanks, Birna. Go get more water. I'll need it." 

She nodded and ran off again to gather more of what I needed. 

In the meantime, I began the surgery. 

First, I used the cloth to soak up the blood from the abdominal cavity and clear out the waste. Then I sutured the torn intestine. To be honest, it was more like a messy stitch job than proper suturing. 

After that, I cleaned the stomach with the saltwater mixture. No saline solution in this period, so I had to use what I had. I didn't even have time to boil the water to sterilize the needle. 

Once the intestine was clean and I stopped oozing, I put it back inside the abdomen. Finally, I stitched up the skin to close the wound. 

"Phew... finally done. The stitches don't look too bad either." 

I checked on the patient. His breathing had stabilized, and his lips were regaining color. I was worried he might go into shock since I performed the surgery without anesthesia. 

"Is he going to live?" Birna asked. 

I had been so focused on the surgery that I forgot she was right there watching me dissect her dad. 

"Yeah. He'll. But he won't be able to move for a while." 

Tears welled up in her eyes as Birna hugged me. 

No matter how many times I experience it, it always feels good when a patient's family thanks me. 

"I still don't know your name. What is your name?" she asked. 

"You can call me Michael." 

"Thank you, Maikal." 

That is not my name. But never mind. I don't want to disturb this moment. 

DING! 

[You have just saved a life. You've earned 10 virtue points!] 

Raising an eyebrow, the system suddenly popped up and notified me. 

"I got 10 points, huh?" 

Even though my second life's goal was to gather virtue points, I still wanted to save lives. I would've saved Birna's father no matter what. 

But my work wasn't over yet. 

"Birna, I know you're really worried about your dad. But he's going to be fine. Besides, he needs time to rest." I then gestured to the bodies lying around. "There are still others who need help. I can't do this alone. I need your help to save them." 

Wiping her tears, Birna stood up. "Alright, I'll help." 

Then, Birna and I went around helping the other survivors. Their wounds were just as gruesome as Birna's dad. Some made it, but some took their last breaths. 

Out of the twenty-one injured people, I managed to save only eight, including Birna's father. 

For a doctor like me, seeing lives slip away was normal. But for Birna, it was different. These were people she knew; people close to her. 

Without realizing it, the sun had started to set by the time we finished treating everyone. 

"It's almost night. We need shelter for the patients," I said. 

"Dad has a cave we use as food storage. I think we can take them there. It's not far." 

"Alright, let's go before it gets dark." 

There were eight patients, and none of them could move on their own. I would have to carry them one by one to the cave Birna mentioned. 

But before we could head out, uninvited guests arrived. 

A group of rough-looking people appeared from the forest. All of them were armed with swords or axes. Some were women, and they looked just as dangerous as the rest. 

"Hey, you. Stop right there." 

My gut told me something bad was about to happen.