The Renowned Third Hospital!

In the Blood-red Domain.

Lina gazed at the Rose Count with confusion.

The count's once rosy complexion had now paled slightly.

"Why? Why, Rose Count, after all this time, would you choose him as your first embrace?" she asked.

Even she wasn't sure why the question slipped out.

But as she spoke, a strange feeling stirred in her chest.

"You can think of it as an investment... or perhaps, this is the reward I promised to Dr. Luca," the Rose Count replied, her voice slightly weaker from the consumption of her first embrace.

Her face, however, still wore a satisfied smile as her eyes lingered on Luca, filled with contentment.

"Investment?" Lina could understand the latter part of the statement.

But the first part left her baffled.

With the Rose Count's immense power, why would she need to invest in a mere human?

Despite Luca's impressive medical skills, solving even the Count's mysterious condition, to Lina, he was still a fragile human.

To think that the Count, whose blood was as pure and rare as it could be, would invest her first embrace on a human... it was beyond Lina's comprehension.

"Just consider it my intuition," the Rose Count said with a playful smile, "I feel that this adorable little one might grow into a towering tree in the future! And perhaps, one day, I'll be able to rest in the shade of that tree. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

She gently traced a small, blood-tinged magical circle in the air with her slender fingers, which flew toward Luca's arm. The sigil embedded itself into his skin, forming a small, distinct mark.

Once done, the Rose Count turned to Lina, her expression serious now.

"When he wakes up, tell him that anything he sends through the sigil on his arm will be delivered to me."

"As a noble, I will gladly follow the doctor's instructions. Ensure that the treatment plan for him is set accordingly."

"And remember," she added with a soft laugh, "Don't tell anyone what happened today."

"Ah, and one last thing... If a single dose of the treatment doesn't seem sufficient for me..."

She giggled again, the blood-red field vanishing as she vanished with a flutter of her elegant figure.

Lina stood stunned for a moment, unsure of what had just transpired.

She never imagined that the Rose Count, feared by countless monsters and who had killed several doctors at the Third Hospital, would reveal such a vulnerable side.

Inside the Consultation Room.

The glasses-wearing director of the Third Hospital, who looked no different from any other human, suddenly flickered with an intense gleam in his eyes.

The dozen or so doctors around him seemed to collectively relax, sighing in relief. They were glad that Lina had brought in a specialist doctor—one who could save someone from the mess they had almost become.

But curing the Rose Count's illness? That was never part of their considerations.

"Hm?" The director suddenly paused, his expression darkening. "Did anyone else hear... the Rose Count's laugh?"

"Huh?" The rugged werewolf doctor was taken aback, his expression stiffening. "I think I heard it, but..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the door exploded outward with a resounding crash, shattered into countless pieces by a surge of blood-red energy.

Shhh! Shhh!

The director, face pale, watched in disbelief as every doctor scrambled to hide behind him, leaving him to face the terrifying Rose Count alone.

"A very fine new doctor," the Rose Count remarked, her voice like silk. "I truly appreciate him."

With that, she turned and disappeared, leaving behind stunned silence.

Moments later, in the consultation room, the doctors could hardly believe what had just occurred.

The Rose Count, who was known for her cruelty, had actually praised the human doctor?

"Unbelievable! The Rose Count didn't kill that human doctor?"

"Impossible! Her mysterious illness... it was actually cured by a human?!"

"Oh, crap! I lost everything to the Dice Ghost's bet! Damn it! I'm gonna rip that human apart!"

"Ha! Another one of those gamblers about to jump off a building...?"

"Ha, laughable! You think just a compliment from the Rose Count means she's satisfied? That's not it, you fools."

"No way... That human doctor really cured her condition... Does that mean he's truly a genius?"

"Watson, you've cracked the case!"

The doctors exchanged stunned glances, some with joy, others with dread.

For most of the monsters, the Rose Count's actions were just part of the spectacle. But for the ones with unresolved issues, the atmosphere was entirely different.

Lina's treatment, or rather Luca's medical genius, was now the talk of the hospital.

Outside the Third Hospital.

The ominous clouds parted as the graceful lady departed, but what had happened in the consultation room—observed by a crowd of monsters—shook the entire hospital to its core.

"Unbelievable! The Rose Count actually let that human doctor live?"

"No way! That mysterious illness... actually cured by a human?"

"Dammit! I lost all my money on that bet with the Dice Ghost!"

"What's this? Another gambler's jump-off-the-building moment?"

Laughter and chaos filled the air as a strange shift in atmosphere took hold of the Third Hospital.

Luca, once a mere human, was now an icon—his skills had saved the life of a terrifying monster. Even the most dangerous creatures were now lining up for their chance to be treated by him.

Inside the Third Hospital.

In the far corner, a few trembling human female players, missing limbs, stared in shock at the scene. Their mouths hung open in disbelief.

In the face of such overwhelming contrast, they couldn't help but feel a mix of jealousy and curiosity.

As the tension settled back into the Third Hospital, everyone could feel that the rules had changed. The monsters now treated Luca as an invaluable asset.

The previous chaos was nothing compared to the unspoken shift that had just taken place. For the first time, Luca's name would be whispered not in fear, but in awe.