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“Did you notice how different he looks?”

“Did you see? He looked like he'd gained a little weight!”

“Before that, he was walking around by himself!”

“He was even breathing well on his own!”

“I can hear him shouting daily in the training ground, so he must be recovering his health!”

The servants of the Whickers family would gossip about Ethan whenever they met.

Just listening to them talk about how he was able to walk around on their own, like a child walking on all fours and then eventually on two, or how he seemed to breathe more easily.

Some of the servants were happy that he had stopped coughing up blood.

“The Count will be so happy when he gets back.”

Ethan, the man they were talking about, was in his room.

‘Because I'm going to be out for a while, I'll need to grab some real swords and armor.’

However, there was something else he needed to do first.

“I should write a review.”

Since Heo Jun was the reason he was living, he would definitely write a review for him.

Ethan went straight to the training ground to write the review.

“Hmmm. It's definitely better to leave a video review, but how do I do that?”

As soon as Ethan mentioned video reviews, New World opened and a notification popped up.

-Would you like to leave a subscription review?

-You can currently leave a subscription review for [Heo Jun] and [Hercules]. If you want to leave a video review, just say "video review" and proceed.

Apparently, it was simple to leave a video review.

He just had to say "video review" to start the recording and then say "end" and it would stop.

‘It looks like the Hercules subscription review was also edited.’’

He realized that if he cut off the beginning and end, it would look like it was edited.

‘I haven't watched a MeTube video in days.’

He didn't know how to edit, but he knew what to cut and what to keep.

And he wasn't trying to make a great video, he was just trying to make it clean.

"I don’t really need to leave a review on Hercules’ channel right now.”

'Well, it looks like they give you something for leaving a review.'

But he didn't think it was going to be anything spectacular.

Ethan immediately started practicing Heo Jun's Acupuncture and making a decoction and recording himself showing the results.

And he left a long comment.

It was basically about how amazing Heo Jun's acupuncture was. Mixing exaggeration with half-truths, a very convincing review was created.

‘In the past, I've written a review and been selected as an outstanding reviewer.’

Once he started, he didn't want to half-ass it, so he wrote his review from the heart.

He didn't think it would be a good review at first.

Since then, he wrote several more reviews and earned a lot of rewards.

“There.”

A video and a heartfelt review.

It seemed to be enough to convince people who wanted to subscribe to Heo Jun, the eastern physician of all things, to subscribe after seeing his review.

-Your first review of your [New World] subscription!

-Please set a nickname to use in [New World].

-Your subscription review will be posted under the set nickname.

‘Nickname.’

Nicknames were very important.

Ethan used to be so serious about nicknames that he would spend half a day trying to come up with the right one, but now it was just a luxury.

‘There's only so much I can do in half a day.’

For now, every day was precious to Ethan.

He was barely maintaining and improving his practically dead body with Heo’s Acupuncture and Hero’s Breathing, and he had to waste his time thinking about a nickname?

‘Time is a luxury, luxury.’

Ethan immediately set his nickname.

-You've set your nickname to [Only subscribed to the right gods]!

After setting his nickname, Ethan immediately posted a review of his subscription.

* * *

While he practiced for a few more days, Count Whiskers returned.

Count Whickers was quite an imposing figure.

He was a noble with a sturdy build, a long mustache, a sword strapped to his waist, and a robe that gave him the appearance of a typical Magic Swordsman.

“Where is Ethan! Tell Ethan to come at once!”

The count looked quite urgent.

The head butler immediately brought Ethan, who was still training.

“Ethan, how are you? I brought you something really good this time. This time you'll be better for sure!”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Ethan bowed politely, then looked at Count Whiskers.

Though Count Whickers was his father, Ethan had never met him before.

‘Looks like he cared for me a lot.’

The Count looked at Ethan with concern.

He was also holding the item he had brought with him with both hands as if it were precious.

Ethan didn't know what he was holding, but he seemed to believe that if he fed it to Ethan, Ethan's health would improve.

“Haha, listen to how great this is. I'm sure you're wondering why I've been out and about this time. I've been searching for medicine through various sources, and I heard about a panacea made by an alchemist from the Magic Tower, so I went straight to him. I told him about your condition, and he said it would do the trick. Of course, it was expensive, but for you, it's worth every penny!”

Quite excited, the Count handed Ethan the item he was holding.

It was a long story, but one that was filled with love for Ethan. He probably bought it and rode back to the manor at full speed.

Ethan received the item from the Count and immediately unwrapped it.

“Eugh.”

Inside was a foul odor and a thick liquid that made his stomach churn.

“Is this...... really a medicine?”

“Yes, it's a panacea, although it doesn't smell good and it doesn't look good.”

There was a saying that bitter things taste better on the body, so the effect must be good.

But he couldn't help not wanting to eat it, so he stared at it with a frown, and the Count spoke up.

“By the way, you look very different.”

In fact, he hadn't really changed much; he was still the same skinny guy with a little bit of muscle under his clothes.

The very picture of a sickly beautiful boy.

Still, it was different in his father's eyes, and he stepped closer and touched Ethan's cheek.

“I see you've put on some weight! The new cook we've brought in must be quite good!”

The Count studied Ethan closely.

His son, who had always been nothing but bones and struggled to walk and breathe, was strangely upright.

He didn't seem to be struggling to breathe, and there was a hint of muscle in his arms and a hollowed-out cheek that was only slightly filled.

He even had a wooden sword at his waist.

Of course, the eyes were the same, wistful and sickly.

The head butler explained to the count in detail what had happened while he was away.

The count looked at Ethan in astonishment.

“This is unbelievable. You mean you've regained your strength?”

“I think I've regained some of my strength. I think it's because of the cook Father hired. He's quite the cook.”

“Wh-what is this…”

It was lip service, but it was also true that the food was delicious.

Moved by this, the Count began to shed tears.

“Festival. We should have a festival.”

“Father, I'm not all well yet, only a little better.”

Ethan coughed, stopping Count Whiskers in his tracks.

“There's something I really need. Father.”

“Yes, yes. Do you want me to get you some more elixirs or something? What do you need?”

Ethan said proudly.

“I need some money.”

* * *

It was an embarrassing request, but the Count didn't ask why.

Half a million gold was a lot of money. Nevertheless, he readily agreed.

“Don't worry about it. You can make all the money you want. But you can't get your life back.”

Even though the healer had told him it was an incurable disease, he refused to give up.

By this point, he should have given up, but he didn't.

He was the epitome of a good father.

‘This is good. With the Count's wholehearted support, I can do this.’

* * *

Ethan first checked the essence the count had brought with him.

He hadn't been able to get a good look at it earlier, but the aura emanating from the foul smell was distinctly reminiscent of the scent of herbs he knew.

‘I've played as an alchemist before.’

The most important part of playing as an alchemist was identifying herbs.

Not only could they be identified by smell or taste, but they could also be recognized by their unique aura.

It was clear that this sticky liquid contained precious herbs.

After thinking for a while, he realized the identity of this fragrance.

‘Rivellia. It's the scent of a flower that blooms once every hundred years.’

Ethan poured the essence into a wide bowl.

“There are several more herbs in there. It certainly doesn't look like a scam.”

Calling it a panacea was an exaggeration, but there was no doubt that it could make the body considerably stronger or cure just about anything.

‘It's just that my disease is too strong.’

Ethan smiled wryly.

“I got something better than I thought.”

But he couldn't use it right away.

He needed the skills to isolate the herbs and reformulate them.

‘There's a way. I didn't take the money for no reason.’

Ethan prepared to head out.

If he had been healthy enough to walk like this, he would have started the day he entered this body.

In his current state, Ethan was slightly healthier, thanks to Heo’s Acupuncture. Combined with Hercules' Breathing, he was getting stronger.

‘I'm in much better shape than I was before.’

It was definitely better than when he first came into this body. However, neither Heo’s Acupuncture nor the subscription to the [New World] could cure him.

They were only temporary fixes. Eventually, he needed to meet someone who could cure him completely.

In order to meet the Saintess, he would have to go outside of Count Whiskers' family.

‘In fact, it's not normal to be in the family at all.’

Ethan Whickers was now twenty-two years old.

‘You are recognized as an adult at seventeen, after which you must find your own way.’

If you were a member of a prestigious noble family, there were many paths you could take, even if you weren't the heir, but a son of an ordinary family like the Count of Whickers would have to find his own way if he wasn't the heir.

‘Join a knighthood, become a mage, merchant, or administrator.’

But now was not the time to think about such a long-term future.

‘I need to make a name for myself quickly and meet the Saintess.’

Given his talent with the sword, joining the knights was the obvious choice, but it wasn't easy to build a reputation quickly.

Moreover, he doubted that he could become a knight in his current state.

‘Then.’

Ethan tucked the pouch containing the 500,000 gold his father had given him deep into his arms.

“I don't know when I'll die, so I might as well get someone to be my shield.”

He decided to utilize his strongest advantage: knowledge.