The humid air in the small clinic felt like lead.
"Get out, Austin! You've broken the most expensive medicinal vial in the shop. You're useless!"
Austin stood frozen, his fingers trembling as he looked at the shattered glass on the floor. It wasn't his fault—the manager's son had pushed him—but in this world, the poor were always the scapegoats.
"I... I can fix it, sir," Austin stammered, his voice cracking.
"Fix it? With what? Your empty pockets?" The manager sneered, kicking Austin's small bag of belongings toward the street. "You're a failure. You'll never be a doctor."
Austin walked out into the pouring rain. As he crossed the road, a blinding flash of lightning struck a nearby transformer. A strange blue spark leapt into his forehead.
[BEEP... INITIALIZING...]
[WELCOME, HOST. THE DIVINE MEDICAL SYSTEM HAS BEEN ACTIVATED.]
Austin gasped. When he looked at his own hand, a translucent screen appeared:
Status: Austin
Current Task: Heal a living being to earn your first "Golden Needle."
A few feet away, a stray dog lay with a twisted leg. Austin didn't just see a dog; he saw a 3D anatomical map of its bones glowing in gold. "I can actually see the injury," he whispered. He reached out his hand, and for the first time, he felt like a god.