"Mr. Aur, please take a seat."
Victor motioned for Bone Sovereign Aur to sit on the dental treatment chair that had just hosted the vampire queen.
Although the model wasn't quite the right fit, it was already the sturdiest chair in the clinic with the strongest restraint functions.
"Doctor, is my situation... very serious?"
Aur sat down somewhat apprehensively, his tall skeleton making the chair creak and groan under the weight.
He looked at Victor’s serious face, and the soul fire in his eye sockets flickered nervously.
"Serious. Very serious."
Victor looked at Aur’s skull, which was so smooth it could be used as a mirror. Suppressing a smile, he spoke in an extremely professional tone.
"According to my diagnosis, you suffer from a classic case of 'permanent follicle necrosis.'"
"Simply put, the follicles on your head... are all dead. Not a single one remains."
Even though a skeleton didn't have follicles to begin with.
This didn't stop Victor from spouting nonsense with a straight face.
"All... all dead?"
Aur felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
Although he didn't understand what a "follicle" was, just hearing the name filled him with despair.
"Then... is there still hope?"
He used his bony, distinct fingers to subconsciously touch his bare forehead, his voice carrying a trace of an undetectable sob.
In his past life, he was the "Golden Lion King," famous throughout the world for his thick, flowing golden hair!
It was one thing to become an undead, but how could even his last bit of hope be shattered?
"With conventional treatment methods, it is indeed hopeless."
Victor first dealt him a heavy blow.
Then, his tone shifted.
"However."
He pushed up his non-existent glasses, his face displaying that confident and mysterious smile unique to charlatans.
"I have an unconventional treatment plan here."
"And that is—a hair transplant."
"Hair... transplant?"
The soul fire in Aur’s eyes jumped violently.
He understood this term.
"Exactly."
Victor snapped his fingers.
"Since your own follicles have already undergone necrosis, we will transplant some new, tougher, and cooler 'follicle replacements' for you."
"Not only will it let you bid farewell to the troubles of baldness, but it will also help you rediscover your youthful confidence!"
Victor spoke with impassioned fervor, like he was marketing some era-defining product.
Aur was completely dazed by his smooth-talking.
"Then... how much will it cost?"
He asked cautiously, fearing he would hear an astronomical figure.
"Money?"
Victor laughed.
"Talking about money hurts our friendship."
"As a healer of my generation, I save the world to help people. How could I be stained by the stench of copper?"
He patted Aur’s shoulder and said righteously:
"As long as you agree to one small condition, I will perform today's surgery for free!"
"What condition?"
"It's very simple."
Victor pointed outside the clinic.
"In the future, tell your subordinates not to wander around near here. Especially, don't let them scare my timid patients."
"That's it?"
Aur was stunned.
He thought it would be some harsh condition, but he hadn't expected it to be such a trivial matter.
"That's it."
Victor nodded.
His goal was simple. Aur was the undead overlord of this region. As long as he settled things with him, it was equivalent to settling more than half of the potential "medical disturbance" risks. In the future, when he went out on a house call, he wouldn't have to worry about being ganged up on by a group of brainless zombies.
"Deal!"
Aur agreed without hesitation.
He even felt that this doctor was practically a living saint!
Not only was his medical skill superb, but his heart was also kind and benevolent. He was simply a blessing to the undead world!
"Very well, let's begin."
Victor revealed a fox-like smile.
"Alice, Elizabeth, prepare for surgery."
"Patient: Bone Sovereign. Procedure: 【Soul Hair Transplant】."
...
Half an hour later, in the Sterile Operating Room.
Aur lay flat on the cold operating table, feeling his heart—which had been silent for eight hundred years (and was long gone)—thumping wildly.
This was the first time in his life... or rather, in his death, that he had ever lain on such a thing.
"Don't be nervous, just relax."
Victor wore a mask and goggles, revealing only a pair of terrifyingly calm eyes.
What he held in his hand was not a scalpel, nor was it a chainsaw.
Instead, it was a miniature high-speed drill that looked like something used by a dentist. However, the drill bit was thinner than an embroidery needle.
"What is this for?"
Aur watched the drill bit gesturing toward his forehead, the soul fire in his eyes flickering.
"Drilling holes."
Victor answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"The first step of a hair transplant is to drill enough micro-holes in your scalp... ah, I mean your skull, to secure the new 'follicles.'"
"I'll probably... need to drill about three thousand."
Aur: "..."
Drilling three thousand holes in his skull?
Are you sure this is a hair transplant and not a craniotomy?
"It might vibrate a bit. Bear with it."
Victor didn't give him a chance to regret it.
He started the drill.
Zzzzz—
A sharp, piercing sound rang out.
Victor's hand was as steady as a rock as he precisely pressed the hair-thin drill bit against Aur’s smooth cranium.
Zzz zzz zzz—
Sparks flew.
The Bone Sovereign’s bone density far exceeded that of a normal human, but before this specialized drill bit designed for boring through diamonds, it was still easily pierced like tofu.
"Ugh..."
Aur’s body instinctively trembled.
Although the undead had no sense of pain, the vibration of his skull being penetrated by a high-speed drill still caused his soul fire to feel a wave of discomfort.
"Don't move!"
Victor scolded sharply.
"If it's drilled crooked, it won't be symmetrical! When the time comes and you have hair on one side but not the other, it'll be even uglier!"
Upon hearing the word "ugly," Aur immediately froze. He lay flat obediently, allowing Victor to operate frantically on his head.
Zzz zzz zzz... zzz zzz zzz...
Victor's movements were so fast he looked like he was operating a sewing machine.
In just over ten minutes, Aur’s originally smooth and rounded skull had become riddled with thousands of holes. The dense clusters of tiny holes looked like a lotus pod, enough to make anyone with trypophobia pass out on the spot.
"Very good, the drilling is complete."
Victor blew the bone dust off the drill bit and nodded with satisfaction.
"Next is the second step: implanting the 'follicles.'"
From a specialized low-temperature cooling box, he took out a clump of cobweb-like substance that emitted a faint blue glow.
【Soul Spider Silk】
【Quality: Epic】
【Source: The product of a certain high-level spiritual plane spider.】
【Characteristics: Never decays, carries its own soul energy, can perfectly fuse with undead creatures.】
This was a top-tier material Victor had spent a huge amount of points to exchange from the system mall, specifically to deal with a "mental patient" like Aur.
"This is..."
Aur looked at the glowing spider silk, feeling a yearning that came from his very soul.
"Your new hair."
Victor picked up a specialized hair transplant needle and hooked a strand of 【Soul Spider Silk】.
He precisely inserted one end of the silk into a tiny hole on the skull.
Then, he knotted and secured it.
Hum—
A magical scene occurred.
The moment the 【Soul Spider Silk】 was implanted, it seemed to be activated, suddenly lighting up.
A wisp of deep blue, flame-like "hair" grew out of that small hole, floating slightly in the air.
"Do you feel anything?" Victor asked.
"I... I do!"
Aur's voice trembled with excitement.
Although he had no scalp, he could clearly feel that the "hair" was like a part of his own body, creating a wonderful resonance with his soul.
That feeling of his "crown being chilly" had disappeared!
In its place was a warm, fulfilling sensation!
"Then let's continue."
Victor stopped wasting words and began the long and delicate implantation work.
One strand, two strands, three thousand strands...
The entire surgical process was less like treating a disease and more like creating an evil work of art.
The blue 【Soul Spider Silk】 was implanted strand by strand, and the angle and length of every single one were meticulously designed by Victor.
Time passed minute by minute.
When the final strand of silk was successfully implanted, Victor took a step back and let out a long breath.
"Task complete."
He looked at his masterpiece, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
On the operating table, Bone Sovereign Aur slowly sat up.
His originally bare skull had now undergone a massive transformation.
A head of "long hair" composed of blue soul flames was currently burning fiercely, emitting an eerie light in the dim operating room.
That hairstyle...
It was extremely aggressive, extremely punk.
The middle was brushed high, like a burning sword piercing the heavens. The sides were shaved completely clean, leaving only the bare bone. It was clearly a death-metal style—
Mohawk.
"How does it... feel?"
Victor looked at the Bone Sovereign whose art style had suddenly shifted, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.
Aur didn't speak.
He slowly raised his hand and touched his "beautiful hair" with disbelief.
His fingertips passed through the burning flames, yet there was no sensation of burning; instead, there was a warm touch, like stroking silk.
He stood up and walked to the large floor-to-ceiling mirror in the operating room.
When he saw himself in the mirror—sporting a blue punk hairstyle, looking cool and tough, radiating an aura of rebellion—the two clumps of soul fire that had burned for eight hundred years in his empty eye sockets suddenly flared up.
"ROAR—!!!"
A roar that had been suppressed for centuries, filled with joy and confidence, instantly echoed through the entire clinic.
He was back!
The once high-spirited "Golden Lion King" was back, in an even more wild, arrogant, and domineering posture!
"Doctor!!"
Aur turned around abruptly and grabbed Victor’s shoulders through his lab coat, shaking him vigorously.
"You... you are practically my second father!"
"You're welcome."
Victor was shaken until he was dizzy.
"Just remember our agreement."
"Agreement? What agreement?"
Aur paused for a moment, then slapped his own forehead (even though it was just bone).
"Oh, right! I remember!"
He released Victor and roared at the group of skeleton guards who had been waiting outside for a long time:
"Listen up, all of you!"
"From this day forward, within a hundred-mile radius, the Benevolent Heart Clinic is the most distinguished ally of our Weeping Cemetery!"
"Whoever dares to cause trouble here is making an enemy of me, Aur!"
"Do you understand?!"
"Roar! (We understand!)"
The skeleton guards outside simultaneously struck the ground with their spears, creating a synchronized rumble.
"Very good."
Aur nodded with satisfaction, then turned back to Victor, the soul fire in his eyes full of gratitude.
"Doctor, I will remember this kindness. If you ever need my help in the future, just ask!"
After saying that, he put on his horned helmet—which now looked more like some kind of rock band ornament—and strode out of the clinic.
His walking posture was majestic, filled with unprecedented confidence.
Victor watched his flashy back and that blue flame Mohawk fluttering in the night wind, finally unable to stop himself from laughing.
"System, do you think... I should open a barbershop?"
【Ding!】
【S+ Rank Surgery "Soul Hair Transplant" Completed!】
【Surgery Evaluation: S-Rank (Perfect Creativity)】
【Congratulations on obtaining: 800 Points.】
【Patient Satisfaction: 200% (Overwhelmed with gratitude, willing to go through fire and water for you).】
【New Achievement Unlocked: The Undead's Tony.】
Victor looked at the soaring points and that ridiculous achievement title, his mood greatly improved.
"Who will the next patient be?"
As he was thinking, Elizabeth suddenly walked in from outside, her expression looking a bit strange.
"Director."
"A strange fellow has arrived at the door."
"He said he isn't here for treatment. He's here... to seek apprenticeship?"
Rate on N.U.
