"Too... too handsome!"
Aur stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling mirror, staring obsessively at his brand-new self.
He raised a hand, cautiously stroking the "hair" composed of flickering, ghostly blue soul fire.
As his fingertips passed through the flames, there was no sensation of burning. Instead, there was a warm, moist touch, like stroking fine silk.
The flames swayed gently with his movements, casting unpredictable shadows across his polished skull, exuding a punk, death-metal vibe.
"Clack, clack!"
Aur was so excited that his entire skeleton rattled, sounding like a performance of an undead symphony.
"This is... this is my lost youth!"
He turned around. Inside his hollow eye sockets, the two clusters of soul fire that had burned for eight hundred years were now as bright as twin suns.
He looked at Victor with an expression of unspeakable gratitude and adoration.
Bald for eight hundred years!
Only heaven knew how he had endured those eight centuries!
Every time he saw those hairy werewolves or shaggy bugbears, he felt so inferior he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
What did it matter if he was an undead sovereign with immense power?
Without hair, he had no status!
And now.
This human doctor before him—who looked a bit perverted but possessed god-like medical skills—had not only cured his "heart disease" but also given him such a wild, cool, and domineering new look!
"Doctor!!"
Aur lunged forward, his massive hands of white-jade bone slamming onto Victor’s shoulders, shaking him violently.
"You... you’ve given me a new lease on life! No! You're closer to me than my own parents!"
"Cough... calm! Calm down!"
Victor was shaken until he was dizzy, feeling as though his shoulders were about to be crushed.
This old bag of bones really didn't lack for strength.
"Mr. Aur, it's fine as long as you are satisfied with the results."
Victor broke free from the "bear hug," straightened his disheveled lab coat, and forced himself to maintain the dignity of a director.
"However, while we agreed on free treatment earlier, you see... the materials I used for you are quite precious."
Victor pointed to the now-empty cryogenic cooler that had held the 【Soul Spider Silk】, a look of well-timed distress appearing on his face.
"This... it’s called 'Soul Spider Silk.' It's a high-grade import from another plane. A single strand costs several hundred gold coins."
"I just transplanted three thousand strands for you. Add to that my expert surgical fee, equipment depreciation costs..."
He pulled out the bill Elizabeth had prepared in advance. Although the writing on it looked like chicken scratch, the long string of zeros still carried a powerful visual impact.
"You see, maybe... you could show a little sincerity?"
Victor rubbed his fingers together, flashing the smile of a crooked merchant.
Free was impossible.
He’d said it was free earlier just to trick the guy onto the operating table.
Now that the surgery was done, it was time for a different tune.
"This..."
Aur looked at the bill, the soul fire in his eyes visibly dimming.
He scratched his newly styled Mohawk and said awkwardly, "Doctor, to be honest..."
"We undead... we really aren't interested in shiny things like gold coins."
"In my treasury, besides bones, there are only more bones."
"How about... I send you several wagons of the freshest human skulls? Or perhaps some well-preserved dwarf skeletons?"
Victor’s mouth twitched.
'What do I want those for? To use as firewood?'
"Nothing else of value?" Victor asked, unwilling to give up.
This was an S+ rank boss; how could he be poorer than a goblin?
"Valuable..."
Aur tilted his newly styled head, thinking seriously for a moment.
Suddenly, the soul fire in his eyes flared up as if he had remembered something.
"I have it!"
He slapped his thigh (though it was just the pelvis).
"Doctor, wait a moment!"
As he spoke, to Victor’s astonishment, Bone Sovereign Aur performed a shocking act.
He reached out with his white-jade fingers and, without hesitation, plunged them into his own ribcage.
"Crack."
A crisp sound echoed.
He had... forcefully snapped two of his own ribs, opening a gap in his chest.
"What are you doing?!"
Victor was startled, thinking the skeleton was about to self-mutilate on the spot.
"Don't worry, Doctor. I'll show you a treasure."
As Aur spoke, he carefully pulled something out from the depths of his empty chest cavity...
A flame.
It was a cluster of fire only the size of a fist, yet it manifested in an eerie, deep blue color that seemed to swallow the light around it.
It burned quietly, emitting neither heat nor light.
But the moment it appeared, the temperature in the entire operating room plummeted. A frigid chill from the depths of the underworld filled the air.
Even Elizabeth and Alice felt a soul-shivering pressure and subconsciously took a half-step back.
【Warning! High-level divine item detected!】
【Item Name: Netherworld Divine Fire (Fragment)】
【Quality: Legendary】
【Description: Original fire from the Underworld, the core that maintains the immortality of an undead sovereign's soul. It never extinguishes, can burn souls, and... can serve as a top-tier energy source.】
As Victor read the description on the system panel, his breathing quickened.
An energy source!
This was exactly what he needed most right now!
Though the clinic had been upgraded, the defense systems and high-tech equipment all consumed massive amounts of mana. Relying solely on the basic energy provided by the system was like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water.
But the flame before him...
It was practically a mobile nuclear reactor!
"Doctor, this is the 'Netherworld Divine Fire' I snatched from a fallen angel eight hundred years ago."
Aur held the flame, his tone carrying a mix of pride and reluctance.
"It is the core of my soul and the source of my power. Although splitting off a small portion will leave me weakened for several decades, to repay your kindness for giving me a new life..."
"This seed fire shall serve as my medical fee!"
With that, he solemnly held the deep blue flame out to Victor.
"Is it enough?"
"It's enough! More than enough!"
Victor was so excited he nearly lunged for it.
He suppressed his inner wild joy, struggling to maintain a calm expression that suggested, 'This is decent, but I’ve seen the world,' as he accepted the flame.
Cold to the touch, the flame nonetheless contained immense energy.
"Ahem, since Mr. Aur is so sincere, I'll waive the surgical fee this time."
Victor spoke while unceremoniously tucking the divine fire into his pocket.
"Come back often. Our clinic recently launched a 'Full-body Bone Polishing and Waxing' and 'Spinal Realignment' discount package. I'll give you twenty percent off."
"I certainly will!"
Seeing Victor accept the "fee," Aur let out a sigh of relief.
He snapped his ribcage shut again (though with two ribs missing, it looked a bit drafty) and put on his horned helmet.
"Doctor, I won't disturb you further."
"I need to get back quickly and show off my new hairstyle to those old bags of bones who’ve never seen the world!"
He walked to the door, then turned back, performing a solemn, ancient knight's salute to Victor.
"Remember my promise."
Aur’s eyes, burning with blue soul fire, swept over everyone in the clinic before landing on Victor. His tone became incredibly serious.
"From this day forth, within a hundred-mile radius, Benevolent Heart Clinic is the most honored ally of our Weeping Cemetery."
"No undead in this region will ever harass this place again."
"Anyone who dares provoke the doctor..."
Aur cracked a grin, revealing a domineering smile (though it was just bone).
"...is picking a fight with me, Aur!"
With that, he strode out of the clinic and mounted a warhorse made of bone. Surrounded by a group of skeleton musicians playing off-key dirges, he disappeared grandly into the depths of the forest.
The blue Mohawk fluttering in the night wind looked exceptionally flashy.
"Whew..."
It wasn't until the eerie music vanished completely that Elizabeth breathed a long sigh of relief.
She looked at Victor, her gaze as complex as if she were looking at a monster.
"Director, who... exactly are you?" she murmured to herself.
Performing surgery with a chainsaw was one thing.
Pulling a vampire's teeth with an impact drill could be endured.
But now, even an undead sovereign came to him for hair transplants and was willing to hand over his lifeblood—the divine fire—as a medical fee?
This had exceeded the boundaries of her understanding.
"Me? I'm just an ordinary surgeon."
Victor shrugged.
Ignoring Elizabeth’s shattered worldview, he clutched the Netherworld Divine Fire and walked quickly toward the clinic's basement.
That was the clinic's energy core.
A magical furnace shaped like a giant heart.
Victor opened the furnace lid and, without hesitation, tossed the deep blue flame inside.
BOOM—!!!
The moment the fire entered the furnace, the entire castle let out a muffled roar.
The previously dim magical circuits suddenly flared to life. Massive energy surged through the pipes, instantly spreading to every corner of the castle.
The brightness of the lights in the clinic hall tripled, making it as bright as day.
The ghostly green flames in the two skeleton lanterns at the entrance also turned a deep blue, looking even more eerie and terrifying.
【Ding!】
【High-quality energy source injection detected!】
【Clinic energy system fully charged!】
【Magic defense shield strength increased to MAX!】
【All medical equipment activated and ready for use at any time!】
Listening to the system notifications, Victor smiled with satisfaction.
With this mobile "nuclear power plant," he could finally let loose and do big things.
"Who will be the next patient?"
Just as he was thinking, Elizabeth suddenly came downstairs, her expression looking a bit strange.
"Director."
"A weird fellow has arrived at the door."
"He says he isn't here for treatment. He's here to... seek an apprenticeship?"
Rate on N.U.
