SSS-Ranked Surgeon In Another World: The Healer Is Actually OP! - Chapter 244: Beyond The Fifth!

Chapter 244: Beyond The Fifth!

The outline of her first Mana Ring began to take shape.

And through it all, Sophie remained perfectly calm as she guided it into existence. Whatever came next, she stepped into it without hesitation.

The first Mana Ring stabilized fully, its structure clean and flawless, rotating gently at the center of her being. Sophie did not pause. Her breathing remained steady, her mind clear, as she guided the flow onward. The second ring followed soon after, mana gathered, compressed, and solidified with smooth precision. There was resistance, as there always was, but it was light, almost negligible. She absorbed, refined, and condensed without disruption, her breathing technique anchoring her thoughts into a single, unwavering line.

Then came the third. The pressure increased slightly this time, the surrounding mana surging more aggressively, rushing through her pores and flooding her meridians as fast as it was consumed. Still, Sophie remained calm. Her heart did not race. Her mind did not waver. The fourth followed, then the fifth, each ring forming with quiet inevitability.

As the fifth Mana Ring began to take shape, something strange happened. The resistance she had been bracing for never came. There was no wall, no sudden backlash, no oppressive force crashing down to crush her core. It shocked her greatly since she expected this to be her limit, legend has it that no one has exceed 5 rings.

For a split second, Sophie’s concentration trembled. ’Why isn’t it here?’

And that moment, so brief it would have gone unnoticed by anyone else, was enough to threaten everything.

Then Bruce’s voice reached her.

“Focus.”

It wasn’t loud or sharp. It was calm, strangely so. Instead of distracting her, the sound soothed her, settling the ripples in her heart and grounding her mind instantly. Sophie didn’t realise it, but this wasn’t accidental. It was Bruce’s Life Glance, his Aura of Serenity, willed into effect.

The calming influence wrapped around her gently, reinforcing her breathing technique instead of interfering with it. The near-slip vanished. Her heart steadied.

’He’s helping me.’

Remembering his earlier warning, Sophie hardened her resolve. She did not allow herself to dwell on it. She returned her focus inward, breathing evenly as she absorbed mana and refined her core at the same time. In truth, she was doing three things at once, absorbing mana, condensing it, stabilizing her core, each requiring intense concentration. Yet Sophie handled all three seamlessly. Perhaps it was her breathing technique. Perhaps it was her upbringing. Or perhaps, when it came to pure focus, she truly surpassed even Bruce.

Mana swirled violently above her, drawn in through her pores in luminous streams, racing through her meridians to replenish what she expended. The cycle was perfect, continuous, unbroken. Time passed, measured only by the steady rhythm of her breath.

Then the sixth ring formed, locking into place with a soft internal pulse.

Bruce’s lips curved upward. ’Nice… it worked.’

With this he concluded that it was actually possible to fool the system the past few days.

He continued cycling the mana in the region, steadily replacing the ambient essence with his own heal-aligned signature, maintaining the delicate balance he’d constructed.

Meanwhile, Vaelith was silent. For several long seconds. Then its voice rang out, filled with raw disbelief.

[How did you do it, Bruce?]

“Later,” Bruce replied calmly. “Just watch for now. And, treat her properly.” After a brief pause, he added, almost casually, “After all, She’s my wife.”

If Vaelith had eyes, they would have rolled. [You are not married yet.]

Bruce chuckled softly, not even bothering to reply. Vaelith’s attention, however, was no longer on semantics. What it was witnessing defied the laws governing this world. Sophie was an inhabitant of this realm, bound by its restrictions. SSS-class allowed a maximum of five Mana Rings. That was absolute. And yet she had already passed it, and she was still going.

[Don’t tell me…] Vaelith’s voice wavered, disbelief bordering on panic. [You’re not suggesting she’ll reach ten rings like you? That’s impossible!]

If Vaelith possessed a heart, it would have stopped beating, he would’ve died of heart attack from pure shock alone.

He didn’t know how Bruce did it but this was bordering on the divine!

Bruce said nothing. He simply watched.

Sophie moved onward. The seventh ring began to form, and this time strain surfaced clearly on her face. Her brows knit slightly, a faint tension appearing at the corners of her mouth as the resistance finally asserted itself, heavy, oppressive, layered with the will of the world itself. Her body trembled, but her breathing never broke. She endured.

Vaelith’s voice returned, quieter now, reverent. [This… this should not be happening.]

“She’s not breaking the rules,” Bruce replied softly. “She’s… being carried around them.”

Sophie heard none of it. She pressed on. The eighth ring began to take shape, and the pressure multiplied. It wasn’t just her core anymore, it was her entire being. The world pressed down on her, urging her to stop. Her body screamed for rest. Her instincts warned her of danger.

Then Bruce spoke again. “You’re doing great,” he said gently. “I’m right here.”

His voice, wrapped in serenity, reached her heart. Strength surged. Sophie felt as though she could face anything with him standing behind her. She clenched down on the resistance and forced the mana to obey, and the eighth ring solidified.

She paused. Something felt strange. The pressure was immense, her body telling her she should stop, yet deep within her heart she knew this wasn’t her limit. She decided to change tactics after all calm alone would not carry her further.

So she changed.

Sophie roared inwardly, tearing into her reserves, squeezing out every last drop of strength and every ounce of will, abandoning perfect calm for raw determination. The ninth ring began to form. Mana surged violently, her aura flaring uncontrollably, and with a final push it locked into place.

A wave of power exploded outward from her body, rippling through the core of Velmora like a shockwave.

Then it stopped.

Inside, Sophie felt it clearly, a wall, a true one. No matter how she pushed, the mana refused to move further. The path ahead was sealed completely.

She had reached it.

Her limit.

And Sophie remained standing, breathing hard, nine Mana Rings rotating brilliantly at her core.