CHAPTER 154: EXTRA TOURNAMENT
Walking through the large room of a big hospital, Aurora looked at Vanessa.
“Nervous?” Aurora asked curiously.
In this large hospital, a section was taken for the main healing tournament.
Having to diagnose a patient using their knowledge and healing magic was going to be a challenge.
Aurora could not comprehend the difficulty of such a task.
The farthest she had gotten was performing first aid care or trying to soothe someone else’s wounds, but diagnosing someone was off-limits to her.
“No, despite the time to diagnose and the judges who are in charge of judging my entire procedure. I’m not nervous,” Vanessa replied, and seeing Aurora look at her with a smile, she pointed out. “We are in a hospital. I’m not the end line to save a life and this is not a life-threatening situation.”
The healing tournament had different volunteers brought in to be diagnosed by the twenty healing teams from each academy.
Still, this was not a war zone where she had to take any action on her own if she wanted to save someone, and neither was it an emergency situation where she had to move.
The tournament was important, and she wanted to put pressure on the students, but someone like Vanessa, who literally was in Africa going through emergencies, would not let herself be put under such pressure.
“That’s nice to hear. We need all the confidence we can get.” Aurora said in a serious tone.
Vanessa couldn’t help but laugh at her words.
In this kind of tournament, it took confidence to go in and diagnose their patients, checking everything and performing the different procedures, so Aurora didn’t understand Vanessa’s laughter.
“You’re funny. Now acting like an extra when in Africa you literally commanded two major missions,” Vanessa explained, and giving an animated smile, she pointed out. “If I ever get nervous about this situation, I’ll feel like I’m letting down those who supported me during my time in Africa.”
Aurora’s manner at the academy was that of an ordinary student, in a very literal sense.
She distanced herself from the academic tournament, the international tournament, and did not draw attention to herself in any class.
She went unnoticed in many ways and for someone who knew that professional and serious side that took command of groups with S-Ranks and important authorities; it was shocking to see this side of her.
So encouraging her by taking a supportive role with seriousness made Vanessa amused.
Aurora scratched her cheek at those words and only smiled in response.
“You won’t disappoint anyone even if you lose. I think as a healer you’ve proven your worth.” Aurora stated sincerely.
It was true that no one died during the combat with the horde and the subsequent ambush during the ‘Ark’ mission, but that was because of individuals like Vanessa.
There were very troublesome wounds and loss of limbs, but it wasn’t to the point where it became fatal thanks to the healers present.
“Well, it only remains for me to prove my ‘worth’ as a student, right?” joked Vanessa with a smile.
Aurora nodded, and they both arrived at the small room where Vanessa would attend to her patient.
After a little conversation, Aurora left after helping Vanessa arrange everything to her liking.
The tournament was about to start and this was not like the other tournaments, where they had dozens of spectators directly.
Here there were millions, however, everything was through the cameras installed in that room.
What it was all about was giving the healers privacy with their patients so they could take all the measurements they needed.
Heading to the private room that was given to the companions, Aurora set out to watch and wait for their development.
After all, Vanessa had to participate in the healing and alchemy tournament.
******
Looking at the twenty holographic screens on which the twenty students from all the academies were on, Emperor Victor tapped his armrest.
“Turning this into an interesting modality for the public is difficult.” Elder Harris muttered.
“However, if it is accomplished, the students can attract many interested parties to this profession,” Director Vincent said, nodding gently.
Individuals who could sense magical energy and had an affinity for some element were quite common.
Water, fire, air, and earth were the ‘basic’ and common elements, but then had other derivative elements such as ‘ice’ or ‘lightning’ and rare elements such as ‘space’, ‘darkness’ or ‘time’.
But within the high number of individuals who could use magic, those who could choose the path they wished to take were even rarer.
As well as those who had a talent inclined to one type of magic, either through something innate to them or for external reasons, other individuals were inclined to rarer magics.
Choosing a unique path than the common one among the many sets of different magics.
For example, spiritual magicians who could perform different spells focused on the ‘spirit’ and deeper among them on the ‘soul’ or ‘illusion’ magicians who could manage to confuse the senses and deceive people, but also at more advanced levels lead them to death.
Mental magic, summoning magic, curse magic, and other types of ‘magics’ were extremely rare.
Not only for those who had the talent or natural inclination to learn them, but for the available knowledge.
Not everyone could learn spirit magic because of the dangerous spells that were studied as one advanced in their study and it was the same with dangerous magics such as curse magic.
Having the ability sometimes did not matter when one did not have the knowledge and these were restricted.
This was this way for any magic, as each ‘particular’ magic encompassed a set of both abstract and complex theories on the use of each magic.
From spell formation to how it would affect its surroundings... Each magic was a complex system of spells that would numb the mind of the most studious.
Having the talent for healing magic and for other more ‘flashy’ magic happened and at the time some would choose that more ‘flashy’ magic.
Now, this could change if healing magicians were shown to be ‘interesting’.
Maybe earthlings are not like Terra nova individuals who could learn any kind of magic and use magical energy normally, despite that, some earthlings had freedom of choice.
If anyone among the millions of people looked at this tournament and saw the healing profession as fascinating, it would be great.
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Just like in the old days, where young people chose as a vocational profession to be a doctor.
“There are some pretty interesting academies for this tournament,” Victor murmured, and pointing to a few academies he listed. “The Priestly Academy, the Paladin Academy, and Merlin’s Mage Academy.”
The Priestly Academy was a renowned academy that trained its students to serve the Gods of Earth.
Maintaining the religions before the ‘Great Cataclysm’ and worshipping the gods that protected the land for thousands of years.
Very different from the Paladin Academy, where many students learned to use the powers of the different gods they worshipped and as it was known, there were many foreign gods to worship and borrow their ‘power’ from.
Not only were paladins trained in that academy, but any individual who could use the power of their god.
Both were religious academies where they taught discipline and worship of their respective gods.
It was normal to think that they would have very capable individuals in healing.
“Even so, ‘faith’ and using the power to the god they serve won’t be useful if they don’t know their patient’s problem,” Ersin remarked, who was looking on as an assistant.
Using a ‘purification’ spell by praying to the Goddess of Order would not help a patient whose problem did not fall under the ‘concept’ of purifying.
What if there was a disease that seemed benign and innate to the body?
A disease that did not seem malicious, but was actually fatal?
Praying to use the power of a god on their patient would not be of much help if that patient was still suffering from the disease.
“Well, even in Terra nova, the typical method of being religious or casting healing spells believing that everything will be solved with a ‘Cure Sickness’ spell has been abandoned,” Director Vincent commented in an indifferent tone.
Learning about the human body, seeing what was ailing it, and then at that point finding or creating a spell to take care of the ailment... That was the standard method of healing archmages.
They were on a terrifying level, as an archmage could stimulate a body’s innate regeneration, as well as overload it with stimuli.
However, right now would not see that level of feat and the students had to keep moving through the countless spells they had learned or the various arts they knew.
“Psionic healing, druids using the power of nature, beast tamers with a beast focused on healing, using technology, magic or psionic energy... Now we will see what mankind has advanced,” Emperor Victor said with glowing eyes.
Healers used healing magic, but the tournament was about ‘healing’ in general.
Psionics had their abilities to heal their fellows, druids had their natural knowledge to achieve a similar effect, a beast tamer had their beasts aimed at healing humans, and mechanics using technology.
In this tournament, unlike the other tournaments, they were asked to ‘diagnose’ their patients using all the tools they had available.
It doesn’t matter if a mechanic used drones to analyze, diagnose and cure their patient... As long as they accomplished their goal, they would win the 5 points.
While the second and third place would earn 3 and 1 point, respectively.
But best of all was...
“Each patient was selected to hinder the students,” Ersin reported and looking at the projections as each patient entered, announced. “From natural and rare diseases, poisons, insects, magic spells, curses, magical diseases. We have replicated the symptoms and consequences of different ailments to make this tournament fun.”
At this level, the tournaments had been prepared and although they called it an ‘extra’ tournament, for the Emperor, there was nothing ‘extra’.
Each patient had a special type of disease with the symptoms to detect it if they were careful enough.
While all the patients were safe because the organizers replicated the symptoms and non-lethal consequences, the students would not know they were fake diseases.
“To the students, every patient is a volunteer with real diseases,” murmured the Emperor with an amused chuckle as the students began their respective procedures.
Some students started by engaging in conversation, others were more direct and used their spells or started with their own procedures.
“By the way, who are the judges for this tournament?” Elder Harris asked curiously.
Emperor Victor gave a smile.
The three individuals present had different professions from each other and although one was a Grand Archmage of space magic and another a Grand Archmage of air, none were professionals in this area.
“About ten healing professionals from around the world will be the ones to vote for their preferred student and those with the most votes will win,” Emperor Victor reported, and with a shrug, he noted. “As for if they come to a tie, Ersin will be the one to award the final vote.”
The indifference with which he was handling the tournament caused him to receive a stinging look from the white-haired elf.
******
In a private room, Cardinal Brousseau watched the various screens intently.
“Curse, poison, a magical disease... Oh, they’ve got it tough.” Cardinal Brousseau muttered, looking at the twenty students who were attending to their patients.
They chose her as one of the professionals who would vote for the best students.
The twenty screens were projected in front of her as each patient’s condition was revealed.
Fiona Brousseau, recognized as the Cardinal of the Church of Time and Space, in charge of the administration and affairs of the church in Zerzura City, was one of the most powerful authorities in the city.
Although she appeared to be a woman in her forties, she was approaching seventy years of age.
She went through the ‘Great Cataclysm’ and during the time ‘Terra nova’ was a game she also entered that world as a ‘player’ becoming a healing archmage.
As someone with a doctorate in medicine, she always found the realism of that world and the application of magic in medical acts curious.
She may not have risen through the ranks for a while, but both professionally and in magical knowledge, she was an expert and, without a doubt, someone worthy of being a judge in this tournament.
Her gaze swept past all those students and focused on Vanessa.
Like a sparse number of students, Vanessa was polite and took her time to engage her patient in conversation.
Asking about her studies, her symptoms, and checking the basics of the basics, not getting carried away with time or because this was a tournament.
Vanessa took her job with professionalism and performed the exact checks all while her voice carried and from time to time she would calmly explain to her patient about the situation.
Each patient had a ‘story’ that led them to be in that situation, along with a corresponding medical history.
They had all the tests at hand and when they needed a study, the patient would hand it over to them, all so that the students could make the diagnosis without having to perform the previous tests.
Some students cured the symptoms and dismissed their patients cheerfully, believing they won.
A fatal flaw.
Cardinal Brousseau had diagnosed all twenty patients, as had all the judges, and they knew the procedure to follow to reach the correct conclusion.
This tournament was not about proving to the students that they could come in and cast a spell-like it was nothing.
Nor was it about ‘curing’ their patients.
It was about ‘diagnosing’ them.
Getting carried away because this was a tournament and believing that speed of action was something in their favor was just a ridiculous joke.
They could not cure cases, only diagnosed.
It was not about incurable diseases; it was about the students not having the ability to cure them.
Those who felt they ‘cured’ their patients and walked away with victorious smiles were only being easily fooled in the face of this complex tournament.
One example was Vanessa; she had a patient who suffered from rather rare lung disease.
Theoretically, if that patient was in areas with high quantities of magical energy, just breathing was like breathing fire.
Finding his symptoms, asking where it happened or when that feeling of breathing fire happened, and then performing a check through her magic, would lead her to find that lung disease.
But some symptoms were not typical of that disease and if she let herself get carried away by the tournament, then she would think it was a trap that pushed her away from the conclusion that it was lung disease.
However, that disease, although rare, had means to be treated and cured, but in the end, only the ‘symptoms’ would be cured and Vanessa would lose.
Only by analyzing all the other symptoms would she find something rare and discover that it was not really a naturally caused disease, but something more troublesome, and indeed that was what it was.
The patient was suffering from a curse that pointed to rare lung disease, to hide the true source of the ‘evil’.
All patients suffered from something that could be found with the naked eye while hiding a more terrifying disease that could be found if one stood back and thought and analyzed.
Vanessa was at that point.
She found the lung disease and ‘cured’ it, but it still did not go away.
Only very few students got to this point either because of their instincts, rationalizing the tournament, or because they felt something was wrong with their patient.
Up to this point, it was a ‘difficult’, albeit passable, tournament.
“Will she stay or will she go?” Cardinal Brousseau hesitated curiously.
Aurora sent Vanessa and Cardinal Brousseau herself took it upon herself to keep an eye on her and try to teach her during her time in Africa.
Leaving her with High Priestess Xaali to teach, Vanessa was ‘cultivated’ at close quarters.
While her relationship began with Aurora, Vanessa herself earned the dedication she was given during her time here.
Watching her as she responded to the patient by delaying time to give her conclusion, Cardinal Brousseau couldn’t help but give a smile.
The Abyssal Portals were getting closer, and no one knew what it was all about.
Where would it go or that it would arrive?
These were questions that had not only those who would be fighting in the front row on edge, but other professionals.
What if they connected with something terrifying that would bring disease, viruses, or curses?
Terra nova had a great deal of knowledge about dealing with interdimensional travel and also knew of the consequences of not treating it with caution.
Powerful individuals had powerful bodies and some unknown strangeness could affect even them.
That is why this mode of the tournament was conducted.
Would they carefully check and analyze their patients to find out what was hidden, or would they just retire thinking they were geniuses?
Looking at the pair of students at that juncture, Cardinal Brousseau lamented that they could not deliver more points.
However, that regret turned into her smile when she saw Vanessa continue to ask questions.
The other students also continued tensely, judging that they were losing the tournament because of their time.
Not realizing that the real tournament for them had just begun.