Arknightcraft Modpack (Steve in Terra) (Minecraft x Arknight)

"Can you feel anything?"

After confirming that these Originium crystals wouldn't explode on contact or emit radiation like Specter's did, Steven finally lifted his gaze and asked the girl in front of him.

Her face was tinged with pink, but she quickly regained her composure.

"No. Infected Originium crystals are usually very stable. As long as you don't press them against an open wound or something like that, there's no risk of infection."

Seeing that Steven was finally taking things seriously instead of spouting nonsense, Gavial suppressed the last traces of embarrassment and shook her head in response.

"So… doesn't that make this just a really big kidney stone?"

Steven scratched his head, trying to make sense of things with his limited medical knowledge. 

No matter how he looked at it, this seemed awfully similar to a condition that middle-aged men dreaded.

The only difference was that kidney stones were internal and not contagious.

"…Can you not describe it in such an uncomfortable way?"

The corner of Gavial's eye twitched.

She had just started thinking that Steven might actually be serious for once—but he barely lasted three sentences before he started talking nonsense again.

"Anyway, that's basically the idea, right? If these things don't have any sensation, then in theory, they should be removable through surgery, right?"

After removing his hand from the Originium crystal, Steven rubbed his chin, voicing a question.

For any kind of abnormal growth, the first step in treatment should be removal, right?

"Do you think we haven't tried?"

Gavial let out a sigh.

"These crystals might look like ordinary rocks when they're inactive, but in reality, they behave more like unawakened fungi. They exist as a physical manifestation of the Originium inside an infected person's body. If you forcibly remove them, the Originium within the patient's bloodstream will quickly destabilize."

"At that point, the infected individual will enter the final stage of infection, effectively turning into a walking Originium bomb that could explode at any moment. Worse yet, once active, the Originium becomes even more contagious."

Calmly, Gavial recited the Rhodes Island research findings regarding Oripathy.

As a specialist in the field, she understood all too well the dangers of reckless removal.

Her explanation sounded simple, but the knowledge behind it came at the cost of countless lives—those who had died testing these theories.

"Tch. So basically, unless you can completely cure it, you can't touch these things at all?"

Steven scratched his head again.

Gavial's comparison to a parasitic organism is surprisingly apt. And, considering the effects of his milk, it pretty much confirmed his theory.

In essence, the milk worked by brutally flushing out the infected Originium and removing all affected areas. That explained why people suffered extreme pain after drinking it—it was essentially forcibly erasing parts of their body.

So in theory, as long as he could remove the infected parts while ensuring that new tissue regenerated fast enough to replace them, he could solve the problem entirely.

Of course, that idea sounded completely unrealistic.

After all, what kind of human could regenerate lost body parts so quickly?

—But for Steven, that was actually the easiest part of the problem.

If recovery is the issue, then wouldn't a Regeneration Potion fix everything?

Worst case scenario, just eat a Golden Apple—that should be more than enough, right?

But that brings up another problem.

Milk doesn't just remove negative status effects—it also wipes out positive ones. That means it's impossible to use both together.

'So that means I need to use instant recovery potions instead? But if I do that, the amount I'll need will be hard to control…'

The treatment had to ensure that the patient didn't die from the milk's purge effect while also restoring their health fast enough to prevent secondary Originium infection. That meant multiple doses of healing potions would be required.

Which also meant a massive increase in potion consumption.

Steven nodded slightly, finalizing the treatment plan in his mind. 

Other than the huge amount of instant healing potions he'd need, there didn't seem to be any glaring issues.

As for the cost, if he couldn't lower expenses, then he'd just increase the price—simple as that. No way he was gonna take a loss on this.

"Wait, you already have a plan?"

Gavial had been watching his expressions closely—first troubled, then confident—and finally couldn't hold back her curiosity.

She quickly used her tail to cover up her exposed stomach and asked impatiently.

"I guess you could say I have a rough idea. But I still need to test it first… And even if it works, most people probably won't be able to accept it."

Steven nodded.

The cost of healing potions wasn't actually that high. Nether wart and melons could be farmed easily, and blaze powder and gold nuggets weren't exactly rare.

But value wasn't just based on materials—it was also about effort.

Brewing potions was a pain in the ass, and if he relied on equivalent exchange, it would be too expensive. No matter how he looked at it, it felt annoying.

And aside from that, there was one more issue that worried him.

"What do you mean people won't be able to accept it?"

Gavial tilted her head.

"If it's about the price, I can understand. Your medicines definitely don't look cheap."

She knew all about supply and demand—rare goods command high prices.

"It's not just the price. The real issue is something… most people simply won't be able to handle."

"Then just tell me! As a doctor, maybe I can offer some suggestions."

Gavial's eyes sparkled. If Steven was willing to explain, she might actually learn something new.

"Oh, it's nothing much."

Steven shrugged casually before smiling and demonstrating with his hands.

"Basically, to heal someone, I just need to take a bladed tool, slice open their flesh, and dig out the Originium, which would cause blood to gush out everywhere—"

"The patient, upon seeing this, will naturally be terrified beyond belief."

As he spoke, he even mimed the cutting motions, looking dangerously close to performing a live demonstration on Gavial herself.

"Just say you need to surgically remove the Originium crystals."

Gavial facepalmed, her voice dropping to a whisper.

It was just a surgery—why the hell did he have to describe it like a crime scene?

"No, surgery is too slow. It has to be quick and efficient—and we can't use anesthesia, since the patient still needs to drink the potions during the process."

Steven shook his head, rejecting Gavial's idea outright.

Come on—if they took their time with an actual surgery, who knew if the patient would even survive?

Not to mention, they'd probably burn through several bottles of healing potion before they were even halfway done.

No, treatment had to be fast, precise, and ruthless.

A few swift strikes to cut open the infected areas, then force-feed the patient a healing potion to instantly recover.

After that, just alternated between cutting the patient's now-healed flesh, digging out the remaining crystal, giving them milk and healing potions, and kept on repeating it over and over again until the disease was completely purged.

As for whether this method might leave the patient with psychological trauma... Well, that wasn't his problem.

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