The Dungeon's Trial

Mo Bei took a deep breath as he stood before the newly unlocked System Dungeon Portal. The translucent, shimmering gateway pulsed with energy, a sign that it had finally become accessible. His system had granted him entry into Basic-Level System Dungeons, a crucial stepping stone in his journey as a healer.

He tapped the system interface to read the dungeon details:

[System Dungeon: Trial of the First Path]

Type: Survival and Combat Objective: Clear the dungeon by eliminating all threats. Enemies: Undead Variants (Slow Zombies) Rewards: Skills, Items, Equipment, and Random Loot

Mo Bei exhaled sharply. This wasn't going to be just a healing test—this was combat. And while he had fought diseases, dealing with physical threats was a different challenge. The Gamer's Body would protect him to an extent, but he couldn't rely on that alone.

[System Notification: Enter Dungeon?]

Mo Bei cracked his knuckles. "Let's do this."

As soon as he stepped through the portal, the world around him shifted. A deserted village materialized, filled with broken-down wooden houses, flickering lanterns, and eerie silence. The air carried a pungent stench—rot and decay.

[System Notification: Dungeon has been locked. You cannot exit until cleared.]

"Yeah, yeah, I figured," Mo Bei muttered. He scanned the surroundings with Observe Skill.

A shuffling sound came from ahead. His vision focused, and immediately, the system highlighted three zombies staggering toward him. Their stats appeared:

[Slow Zombie]

Health: 80/80 Strength: 5 Speed: 2 Weakness: Head

One zombie had half a rotting face, another dragged a broken leg, and the third was missing several fingers.

"Alright, let's test something..." Mo Bei pulled a rusty scalpel from his system inventory. It was one of his weaker tools, but this wasn't surgery—it was survival.

He lunged forward and slashed at the nearest zombie's throat. The cut was deep, but instead of falling, the zombie gurgled, wheezed, and kept moving.

"...Right. Aim for the head." Mo Bei raised the scalpel higher and drove it through the zombie's skull.

[Critical Hit! Slow Zombie Eliminated.]

The remaining two groaned and lunged at him. Mo Bei side-stepped, slashing one across the face while stomping on the other's knee. The creatures were sluggish but relentless.

After a few more well-placed stabs, both fell.

[Slow Zombie Eliminated.]

[Slow Zombie Eliminated.]

[System Notification: Basic-Level Dungeon Kill Count: 3/15.]

Mo Bei sighed in relief. That was just the start.

He watched as black smoke rose from the zombie corpses before the system displayed their loot:

[Rotting Cloth Belt] (Common) – Useless but can be sold. [Dull Surgical Scalpel] (Uncommon) – A slightly better scalpel for combat. [Torn Medical Journal] (Rare) – Contains partial medical knowledge. Can be studied.

Mo Bei grabbed the journal, flipping through the torn pages. Despite its condition, it provided snippets of advanced herbal techniques and anatomical insights.

[System Drain Activated: Processing Loot.]

The items shimmered, breaking down into System Points and Research Progress.

[You have gained 40 System Points.]

[Medical Research Progress: +5%.]

Mo Bei grinned. "I like this system drain thing."

Moving deeper into the village, he took out his system map. It showed a blinking red marker ahead—enemy hotspot.

As he turned a corner, his body tensed.

A horde of 12 zombies groaned in unison, crawling out from behind buildings and dark alleyways.

"Oh, come on!" Mo Bei groaned, gripping his scalpel tightly. He needed something more than just stabbing.

[System Notification: New Skill Unlocked!]

[Skill: Medical Dissection (Basic)]

Effect: Attacks aimed at anatomical weak points deal +20% damage. Bonus: Increased effectiveness with bladed medical tools.

Mo Bei's eyes lit up. "Now that's useful."

The zombies came closer, some faster than others. One was missing its lower jaw, another had an exposed ribcage.

Mo Bei inhaled deeply. "Alright, time to put my knowledge to the test."

He dashed forward, dodging a swinging arm and slashing directly at the cervical spine of the first zombie. With the added bonus from his skill, the blade cut clean through, and the zombie dropped instantly.

"Nice!" He spun, slicing through tendons and joints, disabling zombies efficiently rather than just hacking wildly.

One particularly large zombie charged at him, its bulk nearly knocking him over. Mo Bei barely dodged and stabbed it straight through the eye socket.

[Critical Hit!]

The zombie collapsed, but another lunged at his back. He turned, only for his foot to catch on a broken floorboard.

"Oh shi—"

He fell.

Rare Drop: The Surgeon's Blade

The last zombie loomed over him. Mo Bei gritted his teeth, rolling out of the way as it tried to grab him.

[System Notification: Emergency Loot Granted!]

A new item materialized in his inventory.

[Surgeon's Blade (Rare)]

A masterfully crafted scalpel with enhanced sharpness. Bonus: Causes wounds that slow enemy movement.

Mo Bei grabbed it instantly, slashing upward in a clean arc.

The zombie froze before its head slid off its body.

[Slow Zombie Eliminated.]

Mo Bei panted. "Alright... that was too close."

[System Notification: Basic-Level Dungeon Cleared!]

[Rewards Processing...]

Dungeon Rewards

As the dungeon dissolved around him, the system displayed his final loot:

[Skill: Medical Dissection (Basic) - Obtained] [Item: Surgeon's Blade (Rare) - Obtained] [Skill: Rapid Stitching (Uncommon) - Allows quick wound closure even in combat.] [Research Papers on Traditional Healing Methods - Stored in System Pharmacy]

Mo Bei grinned. "Not bad for a first dungeon."

As he stepped out of the portal, the city awaited him. He had new tools, new knowledge, and new ideas for how to revolutionize medicine in this era.

And this was just the beginning.