Chapter 186

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 26, 2025

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I don’t know how many times I fainted and woke up again.

My body felt like it was on fire, and it was as heavy as a wet cotton ball.

Plus, every time I woke up, I would cough or spit out blood. It was just chaotic.

It seems like doctors and nurses rushed in to take action, but whether it was of any use is questionable.

Anyway, while enduring pain that felt like one second stretched into an hour, I did my best to not die.

My consciousness kept flickering, but somehow I managed to open my eyes again.

After a long time, I felt the boundary between life and death. I believed I would rise again.

Hasn’t it always been said that the will to survive is crucial?

In the forest, that willpower kept me alive until the end. Being sick is no different.

“··· ···”

I don’t know how long I held on like that. I blinked and looked up at the ceiling.

My body was still heavy, but unlike before, it wasn’t hot. It just felt like I was out of shape.

That meant my fever had almost gone down. Although moving was tough, my mind could stay alert.

“······Ah.”

My throat was scratchy and dry. I was sweating profusely and hadn’t drunk much water.

I wasn’t dehydrated yet, but I wanted to drink something. I turned my head to look beside me.

“··· ···”

Kara was sitting in a chair, leaning against the wall.

Her breathing was faint, and with her eyes closed, she seemed to be sleeping.

Next to her, on the bed, Eli was sound asleep alongside Luna.

It seemed the three of them were taking turns caring for me. That meant my condition must have been serious.

‘My body… It’s hard to move.’

Maybe my magic power was depleted, but my regeneration felt ridiculously slow.

No, it felt like regeneration wasn’t happening at all. I took a deep breath and let it out.

Doing that seemed to help my regeneration a bit. But still, I needed some food.

‘Other than that, I don’t think there’s anything uncomfortable.’

Usually, prolonged high fever leads to permanent disabilities.

However, my senses were vivid. My limbs felt a bit tingly but moving them wasn’t uncomfortable.

I blinked, checking around, then turned my head. First, I’d like to wake Kara to get some water.

“Kara… Kek.”

I coughed while trying to speak. My throat was too dry.

Moreover, I wasn’t fully recovered yet. I was still running a fever and couldn’t move.

“Uhm… Sivar?”

Thanks to that, Kara woke up. It seemed she was just barely aware enough to react to small sounds.

She looked at me with a drowsy expression, then shook her head quickly.

After staring at me intently from the darkness, she spoke with a shocked voice.

“Are you okay? How’s your condition? How’re you feeling?”

“Wa… Water…”

“Water? Got it. Just wait a moment.”

When I asked for water, Kara busily moved around.

After a moment, she carefully poured water into a cup and brought it to my lips.

I really wanted to sit up, but my body was heavy, making even that difficult.

Glug… Glug…

“Whew.”

I felt like I was coming back to life. That lukewarm water felt as refreshing as cold water.

Meanwhile, Kara had been feeling my face with the back and palm of her hand. It seemed she was checking for a fever.

“The fever’s really gone down. Thank goodness. I’m so relieved.”

Kara, confirming the fever had dropped, spoke with a slight quiver in her voice. Hearing that, I stared right at her face.

She wore a smile close to relief. Her eyes were slightly reddened, showing she really was worried.

Considering I had felt like throwing up at times, it was normal for her to be worried. I felt a bit guilty.

“Are you okay?”

“Isn’t that something I should be saying? You’re not fully healed yet, so get some more rest.”

Kara gently caressed my face. That was a loving pat filled with affection.

Her rough but kind touch made me blink and then say to Kara.

“You should sleep too.”

“If you sleep first.”

“Then I won’t sleep either.”

“Hah. Look at this guy.”

Kara chuckled and pinched my cheek. But I stood firm.

It seemed she hadn’t slept all night while taking care of me, so she needed rest too.

Plus, I could confirm it while drinking water. My body was slowly but surely recovering.

I could guarantee that there would be no more pain, as long as I didn’t eat something strange.

Wriggle… Wriggle…

I shifted my bottom and upper body as much as I could to create some space.

On the adjacent bed, Eli and Luna were sleeping together, so there was no room left.

However, I didn’t want to lie down on the opposite bed. Being alone while sick truly felt lonely.

“Lie down.”

“Nope.”

“Then I won’t sleep.”

“Fine. I give in.”

It was Kara who surrendered first. She turned around, checking on Eloi and Luna who were deeply asleep.

Then, she moved cautiously, trying not to make a sound, and slipped into the space I had created.

Despite having sweated enough to smell, it didn’t seem like she had, meaning she must have changed the sheets in between.

“Now we’re sleeping. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Were you really lonely?”

“I felt miserable.”

Rather than lonely, I felt miserable. I was in agony, yet no one was beside me.

It had been a long time since I craved human warmth so desperately. I’d been so accustomed that I’d forgotten its value.

Would I be able to spend the coming days alone in the dormitory? I really wanted to be with someone else.

‘Is there no regulation against that in the dorm?’

I couldn’t remember the details so I wasn’t sure. It might have been stricter, but it shouldn’t be too severe.

I turned to look at Kara. She was gazing at me with a gentle smile.

I stared back at her, then closed my eyes and slowly leaned into her.

Maybe because of the fever, Kara felt cold against me.

Tap… Tap…

As soon as I lay down, Kara started to pat my back. Was this a natural gesture?

Thanks to that, I felt at ease, and sleep started to come over me. I relaxed my body and surrendered to sleep.

“Sleep well. See you in the morning.”

“Yeah…”

With that farewell from Kara, I drifted off into a deep sleep.

I didn’t dream or even feel a hint of alertness. It was a true deep slumber.

A deep sleep that took away all fatigue and pain. When was the last time I had slept this deeply?

‘This feels nice…’

I burrowed deeper into Kara’s embrace.

Kara seemed to want to indulge my clinginess, slowly tightening her grip on me.

*****

It truly felt like ages since I’d had a deep sleep. And I suddenly realized how precious sleep is.

This refreshing feeling was beyond expression. My body felt languid, but free of pain, it was a delight.

Even though I sweated profusely due to the fever, I was okay with that. Since I no longer felt heat, it seemed it had completely subsided.

“It looks like your fever is completely gone. Thank goodness. You can relax now.”

“Really? Is it okay?”

“You’ve passed the crisis; however, we need to check for any aftereffects. After all, you had high fever for four whole days.”

After that, the doctor tested each of my senses. He checked if I could hear well, see well, and even if I could speak properly, and so on.

Hearing and vision had no particular issues, but my speech remained the same. It was always poor, so I could brush that off.

However, the real problem was something else. I pulled my now lighter body off the bed.

Naturally, I had to be supported by someone just in case.

Stumble—

“Whoa there!”

“Be careful!”

When I tried to put strength in my legs, it didn’t work well. According to the doctor, it seemed my muscles had been damaged due to the prolonged high fever.

They claimed I would need about a week of rehabilitation, then they’d assess my condition before discharge.

It was disappointing, but this was the best outcome. Following the doctor’s orders seemed the best move for now.

Boom!

“Ugh…”

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Doctor!”

But I couldn’t hold back this pain. I couldn’t stop myself from collapsing onto the floor.

Voices of alarm filled the air as shocked reactions enveloped the room. Everyone was in a panic.

“Where does it hurt?”

“My… stomach…”

“Stomach? If it’s the stomach…”

Grrrroooooowwwwwwwl!

Right as the doctor was about to reply seriously, a colossal sound erupted from my belly.

That booming noise was almost like a thunderous alarm. The previously frantic hospital room fell silent.

In that hushed atmosphere, clutching my stomach, I muttered softly.

“I’m so hungry…”

“··· ···”

“Feed me…”

In the end, before rehabilitation or anything else, I just needed to tackle my hunger first. Since I hadn’t eaten anything in a while, I had no choice but to start with porridge.

Normally, I’d insist on feeding myself, but Eli ended up spoon-feeding me directly. At first, I resisted.

“Are you just going to scarf it down and choke? Want to lay in bed again?”

“··· ···”

With words I couldn’t argue against, I quietly accepted. It felt as if I were a chick being fed by a mother bird.

Of course, given my appetite, even on an empty stomach, I managed to wolf down three servings.

The doctor tried to stop me, claiming I was eating too much, but I threw a tantrum, and he eventually relented.

Moreover, the more I ate, the quicker I felt myself recovering, so calories were essential.

“Hmm… But that’s strange.”

“What is?”

It was after I finished my meal. Eli, who had been feeding me the porridge, finally spoke up.

She scrutinized my face, touching it around, unconcerned about anyone else nearby.

Starting from my cheeks to my chin and nose. She meticulously assessed every part of my face.

“Doesn’t Sivar’s face look a bit different?”

“Different?”

“Yeah. Before you got sick, you genuinely looked like a kid. But now it feels like you’ve grown a little?”

“Hmm… It does seem like that. I used to look like a total kid.”

Kara agreed, meaning my face must have changed. I asked Eli for a mirror.

Then, as Eli handed me a small hand mirror, I took a good look at my face. I was curious how I’d changed.

‘······ I’ve changed quite a bit, huh?’

Before, my face was pretty much close to being girlish. Not handsome, but rather pretty.

But now, it had morphed quite a bit. It was like I’d hit puberty, slowly showing more maturity.

I was at the awkward stage between a boy and a young man. My jawline sharpened, and my nose grew higher, reinforcing the masculine traits.

The so-called T-zone was becoming more pronounced. While I liked my previous look, to be honest, I preferred this one much better.

‘My body and face don’t match now.’

But why was it like I’d grown suddenly, like a bug? I wondered if I’d have to endure this pain the next time I grew.

If that was the case, it felt a little bleak.

Anyway, now that I had checked my face, what remained was the reason behind my illness. I needed to figure out why I had been so sick to be careful in the future.

“Patient, do you remember what you’ve eaten recently?”

“Beetles?”

“······ Beetles?”

“Some of them were poisonous. My mouth felt like popping.”

“··· ···”

The doctor looked at me with an exasperated expression. It’s a miracle I survived, really.

But this alone wasn’t enough to destroy my body. How many bugs and poisons had I consumed by now?

There had to be some solid trigger. While half-listening to the doctor, I pondered.

‘If there is one…’

I turned my head. The moment I did, I locked eyes with Luna.

It was that candy she’d given me as an excuse last time. After eating that, this was the state I ended up in.

Maybe Luna was thinking similar thoughts because as our eyes met, she subtly looked away. I’d need to talk to her about this later.

Right now, the priority was rehabilitation. The doctor’s words about damage to my muscles due to the high fever didn’t seem to be false; even walking felt tough.

Was this how a newborn calf felt? In the end, I had no choice but to walk with assistance.

“Careful. Careful. Let’s go wash up first.”

“Okay.”

With Kara’s assistance, I headed to the bathroom. I planned to at least wash my face.

When we reached the bathroom door, I said to Kara.

“I’ll walk now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

I could feel strength slowly returning to my legs. It seemed I could manage to walk by myself.

However, Kara looked skeptical as she cautiously loosened her support. I put as much strength as I could into my legs and stood straight.

Luckily, I maintained my balance; I didn’t topple over embarrassingly. All I needed to do now was walk forward.

‘Slowly…’

I sensed worried stares from behind as if they were watching a toddler taking its first steps.

I took careful steps and confidently stood before the bathroom door. Now, all that was left was to open the door and go in.

Just as I gripped the doorknob firmly, something strange happened. Perhaps I was applying too much force, or maybe it was for another reason.

*Crack!*

“Huh?”

As soon as I grabbed the knob, it bent. Let me remind you, it didn’t break, it bent.

It seemed it was made of wood or something. I shrugged it off and opened the door.

Wobble—

“Ah.”

I must have let my guard down. As soon as I opened the door, my legs weakened, and I lost my balance.

Kara, startled from behind, rushed towards me, but it was already too late. I grabbed onto whatever I could to stop myself from falling.

Eventually, what I grabbed was the fully opened bathroom door. I tried to hold it with all my strength to prevent falling, but…

CRACK!

The door was pulled completely off its hinges. Why was my strength so weak?

Anyway, getting the door ripped off meant I would have to fall. I had no choice but to land on my butt. The torn door coming along was just a bonus.

“Are you okay? I told you to be careful.”

“Sorry.”

Kara brushed off the dust from my body and helped me back up. She cleaned up the fallen door haphazardly.

She seemed to think that the door was weak, which is why this happened. I had a similar thought.

Crash!

“Ow.”

But after that, when I slightly put pressure on the sink, it broke into pieces.

Crumple!

“Sivar, don’t mess around with the cutlery.”

“I wasn’t fooling around…”

Even when I was eating alone, the utensils got bent.

“Luna.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Shake hands for a second.”

“Why shake hands… Aahhhh!!”

When I shook her hand just a bit firmly, Luna winced in pain.

Overall, my strength had become unnaturally strong. I was supposed to be weaker, but it was the opposite.

I stared at my hand, watching Luna in pain from our handshake. There was something strange going on.

‘What the heck is happening?’

I figured it might be good to check my status screen. Surely, there had been changes.

[**Sivar**]

[**Traits**]

• Wilderness Instinct (???)

• Rampage (Ex)

• Tenacity (SSS)

• Steel King (SS)

• Poison Resistance (SS)

• Digestion (S+)

• Dexterity (A)

[**Skills**]

• Ambush (Ex)

• Throwing (Ex)

• Combat (B+)

• Unarmed (B)

[**Abilities**]

• Red Magic (Ex)

• Regeneration (SSS)

• Thunder (S)

What is this? Why does my status screen look like this?

All the attributes related to my physical abilities have vanished.

It’s not even marked as ???, but just vanished altogether. As if they never existed in the first place.

What on earth happened to make my physical abilities turn so bizarre? I couldn’t understand.

“Ugh…”

“Luna? Do you feel pain?”

“My eyes… They’re suddenly stinging.”

In that moment, a weird issue arose with Luna. She pressed on her eyes, complaining of pain.

Since I shook hands a little hard, maybe, but I never touched her eyes.

“Wait, wait. Are your eyes hurting too much?”