Chapter 57

The plague was spreading and the streets had fallen silent.

Trash overflowed in every abandoned alley.

Monsters created by the Black Plague slithered out.

While you could physically kill the monsters, the plague could do no such thing.

With their bodies tainted black and dying in agony, the Gallery trembled in fear before the disease.

“Kyaek!”

“Senpai, there’s one here too.”

“There’s quite a lot, isn’t there?”

That was before the Gallery Doctor, or rather, the plague doctor, made his entrance.

-Squash!

The ghoul rummaging through the trash in the alley fell silent after getting hit by a mace.

Although tainted blood and plague oozed out, the Gallery doctors remained unscathed.

With 0% of their skin exposed, they were completely wrapped in thick protective gear.

“This is quite remarkable. Not getting infected at all!”

Typically, Gallery doctors work in pairs of two.

One of them, while cleaning the streets of Kellierhton, said this as the senior-looking man burned the ghoul.

“Isn’t that why we call them a Head of the Gallery?”

Their black uniform was such that neither blood nor viscera could seep through.

As it was a one-piece suit from neck to leg, nothing could get inside through the cracks.

The pneumonia-like plague that contacts the patient’s saliva and secretions was blocked by this “gas mask.”

With its beak-like appearance and entirely dark attire, the monsters would now first feel tension and wariness upon seeing them.

“I used to regret just growing my body uselessly.”

“But it looks like it’s better to live long and see. I never thought I’d become a doctor making this kind of money.”

The massive body became less of an asset for survival after the downfall.

But who would have thought that it would become an advantage and lead to being chosen as a Gallery Doctor?

“Didn’t you say you were originally the leader of the Adrian knights?”

“Much better than being a knight.”

“Indeed, I agree.”

Besides, job satisfaction was high.

As I walked through the streets, I could feel eyes peeking at me through the curtains.

Gazes filled with envy, anticipation, and hope were not displeasing.

Compared to the knights who eyed them like tax thieves, it was almost a prestigious position.

“And they pay a lot too.”

“The base salary is 2,500 Mana Pills.”

The two of them produced the most results and received an additional 1,500 for a total of 4,000 Mana Pills.

It didn’t end there.

“Stop! Who goes there!”

When encountering the royal soldiers guarding the urban area, there was no need for lengthy explanations.

“You crazy fool, I’m a Gallery Doctor!”

“Oh, sorry! My bad.”

The massive figures, clad in crow-like attire, made everyone step aside.

Wealth, honor, and a sense of power.

“Here, take this.”

He pulled something out of his bag and handed it to the soldier guarding the area.

The bewildered soldier’s eyes quickly widened.

“This, this is…”

“A mask and disinfectant spray. Make sure to read the caution note included.”

“Thank you, sir!”

The soldier gave a sincere 90-degree bow that he wouldn’t even give to a noble.

The Gallery Doctor waved his hand and set off for the next area to clean.

Sometimes it could be a little tough, but…

[4,000 Mana Pills have been delivered!]

“Damn, this is it.”

“Feels like I want to kiss the Head of the Gallery.”

Financial healing was always the answer.

*

– Sharing my experience with the Gallery Doctor.jpg

– Mask ← Chew goat

– What the hell is this soap? It’s insane.

– Gallery doctors are really scary in appearance, but their actions are angelic.

A few weeks after the Gallery Doctor began his work.

It had become strange not to know the Gallery Doctor, as he had become a celebrity within the Gallery.

So far, around 100 had been employed, and the efficiency was remarkable.

Would it really be alright to work them hard at such a low price? The effectiveness was beyond incredible.

[Title: Recent Update on the Gallery Doctor…jpg]

(A meme of the Gallery Doctor beating a monster in the alley at night)

(An image of a crow silhouetted in the night)

They looked scarier than the monsters themselves.

I ran into him while out on urgent business at night, and it nearly made my heart drop.

But he was also incredibly kind.

He gave me a mask and disinfectant, carefully explaining prevention methods one by one.

Since the arrival of the doctors, all the monsters that had sprung up in the streets had vanished cleanly, haha.

Power goat

Healing goat

Stamina goat

“Is that you again, Gallery Doctor?”

[Recommended 9999+] [Not Recommended 91]

– Really reassuring.

– Heal, deal, tank, such a broken character, please nerf;

– It’s really nice that he tells us prevention methods.

Even if the same words are said, people tend to listen better when experienced firsthand.

Among those who suffered and recovered from the plague, no one ignored the Gallery Doctor.

When he explained the prevention methods for the Black Plague, it seemed for some reason that people even started coming out just to follow them.

“Moreover, the transmission rate is lower than expected.”

Usually, when the Black Plague spreads inside a city, that’s the end.

As seen in the examples of medieval cities, over half had to die for it to come to an end.

However, people here ate only marketplace foods.

With worn-out masks and even antibiotics around, there was no way for the Black Plague to go far.

With the influence of religion waning, there weren’t many gatherings or meetings either.

[Title: Should I give a thumbs up if I love the Head of the Gallery?]

(Animation of getting an antibiotic shot)

If I survived a near-death experience, let’s manipulate those likes, shall we?

First, me.

[Recommended 9999+] [Not Recommended 101]

– I really didn’t want to live when I was sick.

– But I recovered, right?

– Even if the Head of the Gallery is a man, I could love him.

– Head of the Gallery*) Damn, no way, no way, no way!

– Season 43241 swearing, lol.

– When my wife and son were sick, I genuinely felt like dying, haha;

– So what happened then?

– (Thumbs up for the Gallery Doctor)

– Yeah~

– Now that I’m healed, let’s go smash the church~

Almost everyone survived.

The Black Plague, which seemed like the end of the medieval period, was fading away like an ordinary epidemic.

“Thank goodness.”

Could the introduction of performance-based rewards have helped?

The Gallery Doctors were former knights, mercenary leaders, and soldiers.

They had extensive knowledge of the human body, saw a lot of blood, and were highly capable.

They worked late into the night, walking the streets to earn extra income.

Thanks to that, while my money was flowing out considerably, income sources were more than sufficient to cover it.

[10,342 points received in the last 24 hours.]

Converting points from cleaning up disruptions as well as saving Gallum and curing the plague had resulted in a significant gain.

In the end, I had achieved more profit than ever before.

But there were still casualties.

“After all, many people died.”

Those who were too late for the Gallery check.

Those whose conditions were too grave for the Gallery Doctor to help.

Or those who had survived the Black Plague but died from exhaustion.

The numbers easily exceeded three digits.

For those unfortunate souls, the only thing we could do was give them strong painkillers.

[Concept Post: Ultimately, my mother passed away.]

This was a friend from the gallery that I had helped before.

The Gallery doctors came to treat her, but in the end, she passed away.

She was already rather old.

She had also lacked strength generally.

Well, it can’t be helped, damn, it’s tough.

However, thanks to the painkillers at the end, she was able to leave a final wish and passed away with a smile.

[Recommended 5121] [Not Recommended 0]

– May she rest in peace.

– Sigh, stay strong, Gallum.

– She must be in a better place.

– My faith diminishes every time I see a post like this…

– For real, doesn’t this seem like a case of God abandoning humans?

– Please conduct yourself properly. You might go to hell.

– Oh, I’m already in hell, you idiot.

– If this isn’t hell, then where is?

“Oh dear.”

There are often many regrettable posts.

After offering a moment of silence for her, I closed the Gallery while hitting the thumbs up.

Things had stabilized quite a bit now.

I warmed up vegetable soup bought from the shop, then entered my room with the bowl.

In what used to be my room, a girl was lying in bed, completely engrossed in a fairy tale book.

“Malfight, you’re back!”

“Did you rest well? How’s your health?”

“Thanks to you, I’ve gotten healthier. Thank you.”

The book Penny was reading was “The Little Prince.”

For some reason, it seemed like Penny couldn’t access the Gallery, so I gifted her a fairy tale book, and she loved it.

She had probably read that book about twenty times already.

As I approached, Penny put away the fairy tale book and eagerly received the tray, her eyes sparkling.

“Vegetable soup!”

“You’ve been eating soup for over a week. Aren’t you getting tired of it?”

“It’s warm and delicious. That’s enough for me.”

Of course, I still struggled to adjust every time I heard her mature speech.

According to her, her appearance had changed while she was losing strength, but anyway…

The self-proclaimed lustful girl had nearly recovered from her illness.

Therefore, I inevitably began to think about what to do with Penny going forward.

“I can’t just chase her away.”

While life became more manageable after the founding of Kellierhton, the rifts still had monsters wandering around.

Even if they would soon be hunted by hunters and Gallery Doctors, the danger remained the same.

The markets weren’t fully activated either, so there were no proper job openings.

As I gazed at her intently, Penny suddenly noticed my gaze and flashed a wide smile.

Gone was the wariness and fear from when we first met, replaced by eyes that completely trusted me.

“Are you not scared of me?”

Caught off guard by my curiosity, she giggled as if it were a funny joke.

“There aren’t many kind humans like you, Malfight.”

“Who did you meet to say something like that?”

“Um… a mad dictator who was ultimately chased to the outskirts?”

“What?”

My fairy tales didn’t contain any adult fantasy stories.

“And it’s Malfight, right? It sounds like a sturdy and simple name.”

“That part is true.”

Penny finished her soup while I watched and exited the room with the empty bowl.

Should I just wait for the Black Plague to quiet down and disappear?

The Gallery Doctors now had enough leeway to focus on hunting street monsters and conducting simple medical exams rather than dealing with the Black Plague.

It was about time I felt a bit lighter in heart.

-Ding.

The system’s notification sound echoed.

Curious, I opened the Gallery, and there was a message from Lloyd, now a knight of the Kellierhton Kingdom.

Head of the Gallery*: ㅇㅇ what’s going on?

Lloyd: Head of the Gallery!!!!! Help!!!!!

Head of the Gallery*: ??‍♂️

Lloyd: (image of Evelyn collapsed and coughing up blood)

Lloyd: The Queen is in critical condition; please help!

“Oh, what the hell.”

There was an image of the pale queen lying on the floor of the office.

My once charming friend, who had changed her nickname from the Fallen Noble Young Lady to Tuna Can Queen, was on the verge of death.