DEB 20

Lately, I seemed to be fainting a lot; was it the system’s fault?

[It must be just your imagination!]

Hmm… that must be it.

Relieved by the system window that popped up, Huiyun opened his eyes. 

The first thing he saw was the hospital room ceiling. Fainting and waking up here had become too frequent recently.

It must have been tough for Huigang, who frets like a scared bird whenever something happened to him.

“Ugh!”

Huiyun groaned as he lifted himself up. His body was sore and aching, not just muscle pain, but as if every muscle in his body had been shredded and had just started to heal, screaming in agony.

No matter how much he used his powers, this is the first time it’s been like this, he thought as he clung to the blanket in pain. The door to the hospital room opened, and someone came in. It was Hong Juan, unexpectedly.

“What’s the matter? Why are you like that?”

Seeing Huiyun curled up, sweating cold and groaning in pain, he came closer. He tried to pull the blanket off, and as he did, his arm was dragged down painfully, making him grit his teeth.

What’s wrong with my body?

As he fumed wondering what crazy thing the system did while he fainted, the golden system window rang with a tingling notification, claiming its innocence.

[Why do you blame me? It’s all your own doing! Overusing your powers with that body is bound to break it down at some point! In that sense, if you awaken now, your body will heal, and you’ll have a 100% chance of freely using your powers!]

Stop with the sales pitch and step aside.

Unfazed by the system, Huiyun gestured with his eyes to dismiss the window and looked back at Juan.

“Doc… cough!”

He started to speak but clutched his throat, coughing. It was as if a giant nail had been hammered into his throat, the pain was no joke, making it hard for him to speak. He looked at him, his eyes darting left and right, causing a flustered Hong Juan to say, “Uh, doctor? Doctor?” before he ran out of the room.

There’s a bell on your right!

Frustrated that he chose the harder way instead of the easy one, Huiyun lay back down, releasing all tension in his body.

I’m really dying…

Though he could be called a fainting expert by now, having fainted numerous times and experienced multiple bodily harm, he’d never felt pain like today. 

Experiencing firsthand that the system’s ability to aid recovery wasn’t infinite, he groaned in distress. Soon, a doctor arrived to check on Huiyun. Juan, acting as if he were his guardian, stood right beside him, listening to the explanation.

“Overall, your body’s balance is severely disrupted. Your digestive system is also weak. If you expose yourself to mana in this condition, you could really die, so please, don’t go anywhere and stay still. This happened because you went out before you were fully recovered from continuous seizures.”

Luckily, nothing was broken, and no ligaments or muscles were injured, but his body condition was far from normal. 

Huiyun nodded to the continuous nagging, resolving to stick to the hospital for a while.

He refused to go through this pain a second time.

“It seems you are in pain, so I’ll administer some painkillers and keep an eye on the situation. If you feel any abnormalities or seizure symptoms, please press the call bell immediately.”

Nod.

“You must not go out.” 

Nod.

“You really mustn’t. If you keep moving around like this, my own safety is jeopardized.”

It seemed that every time he disappeared, all Huigang could do was clutch at doctors and nurses and plead. Of course, given Huigang’s nature, he wouldn’t harshly press them, but even a hunter begging those powerless civilians must be chilling.

Understanding the implication, Huiyun nodded again, and the doctor, having reiterated his earnest plea, administered the painkillers and left.

Is he not leaving?

Looking at Juan who remained still, he unexpectedly pulled out a chair and sat down.

“I’ve taken care of everything that happened in the park. About two people died, and the rest only suffered minor to major injuries but are otherwise fine. The gate has also been handled well.”

Two people.

As Huiyun’s expression darkened, Juan added that it was a miracle that only that many died given how many people were in the park that day. He then stared fixedly at Huiyun’s face.

It was somewhat awkward, very fixedly. Did he realize something?

“But Huigang’s lil bro…” 

“…”

“Could it be that using your powers causes you to vomit blood?” 

“That’s not -! Huh! Cough, cough!”

Surprised by the words that inadvertently popped out, Huiyun coughed while grabbing his throat for a while. The person who had advised him not to overexert himself tapped his back reassuringly and walked to the fridge to fetch some water.

“Drink and calm down a bit.” 

“…”

“Nothing strange happened.”

He handed him the water, telling him not to harbor unnecessary doubts, but Huiyun couldn’t help but doubt the overly kind person before him.

There must be a limit to how much someone’s attitude can change like flipping a hand over, so what does his attitude mean?

He seemed much milder and more polite than before. Huiyun couldn’t believe that this person was the same as the one he first met. With widened eyes and caution, he looked at him, and as he did, the man took Huiyun’s hand, handed him the water, and sat down beside him.

“Or not. It just seemed strange. Even if the gate was opened, it’s weird to vomit blood and collapse like that, isn’t it?”

“Well…”

“Wait. Instead of speaking, write it down here.”

Juan, who had learned from the doctor’s remarks that Huiyun’s throat condition was worse than he thought, brought a pen and notebook. Huiyun scribbled on it.

–That’s because I have mana hypersensitivity. Other patients with mana hypersensitivity also collapse when the gate opens and there are monsters nearby.

“But there were no monsters near you?” 

Damn. He made a mistake.

Realizing that Hong Juan only talked about recovering the gate and didn’t mention anything about the gate out, Huiyun quickly moved the pen to cover up his mistake.

— That was an example. The point is, if you have mana hypersensitivity, anyone can collapse in situations like when the gate opens. Because the concentration of mana in the air suddenly changes.

“Hmm… Is that so?” 

Nod.

“Even so, don’t other patients with mana hypersensitivity usually collapse due to heart strain, rather than vomiting blood like this?”

— It varies depending on the person’s constitution. Some vomit blood, some just collapse, and some faint from feeling pain all over their body. I’m someone who experiences both the first and third cases simultaneously.

Neat handwriting quickly filled the paper. Juan read the contents with a skeptical glance and shrugged his shoulders.

“I, on the other hand, heard that the gate out happened shortly after the gate opened. There was a rift on the other side due to distortion. So, everyone rushed to help people at those side. But according to the witnesses testimonies, all the monsters stopped moving and retreated as if they were being controlled by someone. But in the midst of that, you were vomiting blood and collapsing, so I just wanted to ask just in case.”

He’s surprisingly quick witted. It’s a relief that he used domination instead of summoning spears at that time. Feeling relieved, Huiyun decided to let the matter slide for now and closed the notebook.

Then, looking at Juan, who seemed puzzled, he tapped the notebook urging him to speak.

‘Then he should just ask without beating around the bush’.

 So Huiyun wrote down his question without hesitation.

— Is it important that I use my ability? The guild master of Blue Flame and that one other guy keep asking that, and it doesn’t seem like they’re just trying to find an unregistered hunter.

For Huiyun, who was being doubted by them, this was very important information. He needed to know why they were looking for him so desperately to gauge how much more he needed to hide.

Regardless of the answer, he would do his best to tell them more, but there was a difference in mindset.

The man who seemed to have caught on from the previous question chuckled when he read the question, raising the corner of his mouth.

“We’re looking for someone, and we thought it might be you.” 

‘They’re looking for someone…’

The word made Huiyun’s eyes widen.

Sure enough, it was clear that he was being suspected as that person. 

Who could it be to search for him together with Jiwook and Nameless? Out of frustration, he moved the pen.

— Who is that person?

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you.”

— I need to know who it is to provide evidence that it’s not me. How long do I have to be monitored and detained? I want to resolve this unfairness quickly.

“Just because I say it doesn’t mean you’ll know.” 

“…”

It was clearly a boundary-setting remark. Huiyun, who put down the pen and looked at him, felt a chill run down his spine for a moment. It was because the gaze of Juan in front of him felt colder than Jiwook’s.

However, he soon returned to his usual playful expression and smiled again, saying that he might find out. Huiyun thought it wouldn’t be wise to continue this topic further, so he slightly adjusted the direction of his question.

— What will you do if you find that person?”

“If I find them….”

As if surprised by the unexpected question, he leaned in closer, his face suddenly serious. Huiyun widened his eyes, feeling his body tense as he moved away. Smiling mischievously, the man took Huiyun’s notebook, closed it, and covered it.

“I’ll have to lock them up. To make sure they never disappear again.”

 “…”

An awkward silence settled as the atmosphere suddenly became solemn.

Huiyun felt that he shouldn’t break this silence, so he quietly returned the pen.