Rayven stepped closer to the bed… It was silent and he could hear his boots against the floor, and it was nerve-wracking.

The Baroness didn't speak, but her grip on the girl's hand tightened slightly.

Just by looking at her, she didn't really look good. The girl herself lay motionless, her breathing was shallow and uneven. Her skin was pale but not the kind of paleness from fever or blood loss, but something deeper, as if her body had forgotten how to circulate warmth.

Rayven didn't speak either. He simply focused.

"Detect Mana Source I."

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. ]

A faint ripple pulsed outward from his body, invisible to everyone else. The system registered the surrounding mana signatures, highlighting ambient flows and concentrations.

The result was underwhelming. The strongest mana detection was from the Baron himself with his plenty of magic tools around his body…

Anyway, he focused only on his patient…

There was weak mana presence in the room, almost residual traces from the other mages who had tried their spells, and a faint natural aura from the girl herself. But nothing abnormal.

As expected, there were no curses, no foreign mana, or any invasive spellwork that was holding her back…

Rayven frowned slightly and continued.

"Appraisal I."

[ 1 Gold Coin deducted. ]

The system activated again, this time focusing on the girl's physical and magical profile. A translucent interface appeared in his vision, listing basic attributes and conditions.

Of course, since he was appraising a human this time, there was no Market Value included…

[ Target: Human Female - Age: 12 ]

[ Name: Lady Elvira Fumiya ]

[ Race: Human ]

[ Physical Status: Stable - No external injuries detected ]

[ Vital Signs: Suppressed - Breathing shallow, pulse irregular ]

[ Mana Circulation: Inactive ]

[ Meridians: Severely Blocked - All primary channels show signs of internal obstruction. No flow detected. ]

[ Magical Affinity: Dormant - No active elemental alignment. Latent affinity unknown. ]

[ Curse Status: None Detected ]

[ Poison Status: None Detected ]

[ Disease Status: None Detected - No known pathogens present. ]

[ System Note: Subject's condition is not caused by external magic, curse, or disease. Internal mana pathways are obstructed, possibly congenital or trauma-induced. ]

[ Recommended Action: Internal restoration required. Stabilization may assist temporarily, but full recovery requires targeted Meridian Cleansing or equivalent Tier 3+ restoration. ]

"This… How did the others fail to find this out?" Rayven muttered to himself.

Well, Rayven was simply unaware that after he became a Tier 2 Mage, his Tier 1 Skills had improved significantly.

Still, since the others only tried finding poison, curse, disease, and other injuries, it was no wonder the others couldn't detect anything.

The girl wasn't cursed, poisoned, or diseased. Her meridians, the invisible channels that carried mana through the body, were blocked almost completely. It was like trying to diagnose a river by looking at the surface when the dam was buried underground.

He glanced at the Baron, who was watching him with a mixture of impatience and skepticism.

Rayven didn't explain. Not yet.

"Stabilize."

[ 2 Gold Coins deducted. ]

This ability's special effect was the fact that it 'slows deterioration'.

It was not a cure, but it was enough to assist with almost any patient…

A soft glow enveloped his hands as the system activated the spell. It was designed to reinforce a target's internal balance, calming unstable conditions, and supporting recovery.

He placed his hand gently on the girl's forehead and the glow transferred.

For a moment, her breathing steadied. Her pulse grew stronger, but the effect was temporary. The blocked meridians resisted the flow, and the spell faded without fully taking hold.

Rayven withdrew his hand.

The Baron stepped forward. "Well?"

Everyone actually noticed what had happened and how colors appeared on her face but it was just temporary…

Rayven looked at the girl again, then at the system interface still hovering in his vision.

"She's not cursed or poisoned. Her meridians are blocked. That's why no one can detect anything. Her mana isn't circulating at all."

The Baron frowned. "Blocked? By what?"

It seemed that the concept of blocked meridians was something new to them.

"I don't know yet…" Rayven admitted. "But it's not something a potion or basic healing spell can fix. It's internal and it's been there for a while."

The Baroness finally spoke. "Can you fix it?"

Rayven didn't answer immediately.

"I need time… I'm not an expert in terms of meridians… At the very least, we're now aware of the cause of this problem. If there are other physicians specializing in this field, then that would be better.

The Baron looked at him for a long moment, then nodded once.

It was indeed better now that they knew the cause…

The Baron stayed silent for a while a he considered what to do. He looked at his daughter, then at Rayven, then back again. His expression remained stern, but something had shifted.

"You've done more than the others," he said. "You didn't cure her, but you found the cause. That's worth something."

He reached into his coat and pulled out a small pouch. The weight was unmistakable.

"Fifty gold," he said, handing it over. "If you find a solution, I'll pay more. Much more."

Rayven accepted the pouch with a nod. "Thank you, my lord."

He didn't count the coins. He didn't need to. The pouch was heavy, and the gesture was clear. More importantly, he now had a foothold in the Fumiya household. If he could solve this, he wouldn't just earn coin, he'd earn trust.

It was something he could use to help him investigate the count further…

Once he stepped out of the room, he found a quiet corner in the hallway and opened his system interface.

[ Skill Market ]

Thread Snare (Common) - 500 Gold

Silent Step (Common) - 550 Gold

Minor Barrier (Common) - 650 Gold

Minor Cleanse (Uncommon) - 990 Gold

Shadow Veil (Uncommon) - 950 Gold

Mark Trace (Uncommon) - 980 Gold

Gravity Bind (Rare) - 1,600 Gold

Phase Cloak (Rare) - 1,800 Gold

Unfortunately, the Scout's Recall's replacement wasn't a healing-type rare spell.

But still, it looks quite good since it actually creates a small gravitational field that anchors a single target in place for up to 6 seconds.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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