STC chapter 18

I touched my forehead myself. Was it a fever?

It did feel warmer than usual… but since my palms were hot too, I couldn’t tell much difference.

“Shouldn’t you cancel tomorrow morning’s sparring? You always catch a cold every season change. It seems like that’s happening now too.”

Oh, is that so?

I nodded absentmindedly.

In my previous life, I was so healthy that I rarely caught colds, except when I was very young. But it seemed different with this body.

Catching a cold every season change. And it was early spring, so it made sense. Plus, I was under quite a bit of stress from avoiding the supporting characters.

Still, I didn’t want to complain to Ye Ilhu about just having a fever.

Ever since I unconsciously avoided his touch, he had become even colder. I didn’t want to whine about my personal issues to his frosty face. Just thinking about it made me tired.

I shook my head. I’d go to the infirmary, get some cold medicine, and sleep well. That’s how all illnesses are. Rest and they’ll get better.

“It’s only three minutes of sparring anyway.”

“Well, if you put it that way, it’s not wrong… but don’t overdo it, Kang Baram.”

Indeed, the only ones in this world who cared about me were Heo Taekgyun and Jeong Yeonji. I smiled and put a cooked carrot on his plate.

Heo Taekgyun frowned, disliking carrots, but I just giggled.

* * *

The next morning, I dragged my heavy body to the sparring room. Despite eating dinner and taking medicine right away, my condition had worsened.

‘Do I need more rest?’

I was practically a salary thief who rarely went to the gate, so no one would mind if I took a break. Except for Ye Ilhu, my morning sparring partner.

Fortunately, Idea had good welfare suited to its size. I had received several days’ worth of cold medicine, so staying in the infirmary for the day sounded good.

Deciding on the day’s plan, I trudged to the sparring room.

‘I’ll finish sparring with Ye Ilhu first.’

Ah, what sin did I commit in my past life to endure this every morning?

Ever since I caught Ye Ilhu’s eye that day at the gate… Feeling unwell brought all sorts of negative thoughts.

My fever hadn’t gone down and kept rising for days. My body felt like it was at its limit, my head was fuzzy, and my vision blurred.

Naturally, my steps grew unsteady. As I stumbled, hunters who came to watch me started murmuring.

“What’s up with him today?”

“His face looks bad…”

Thankfully, I had no close hunters, so no one talked to me directly.

Even to strangers, I must have looked pretty bad. That was really a problem.

I had to finish sparring with Ye Ilhu and go straight to the infirmary.

If necessary, I could get an IV drip. I just had to hold out for three more minutes.

In a rush to get it over with, I entered the training room before Ye Ilhu even came down.

My body wasn’t in good shape, and today I was especially sensitive to the stares of the other hunters.

First, I made the front glass opaque and slowly put on my protective gear.

“Ugh…”

Moving my body made me groan involuntarily.

My whole body felt sluggish, and the muscle pain spreading through me indicated I had a pretty severe flu.

After fumbling a few times, I picked up the protective gear. Usually, it felt light, but today it was particularly heavy and suffocating. My fever seemed to have gone up even more.

‘Can I really last three minutes?’

Even though I could use an SS-rank ability like him, my opponent was Ye Ilhu.

An A-rank like Ryu Min had to give his all, and Ye Ilhu was the strongest hunter in Ideia.

Yet, I still didn’t want to complain to Ye Ilhu.

The scene played out predictably in my mind. Even if I told him I wasn’t feeling well, he’d just raise an eyebrow and give me a look that said, ‘So what?’

‘Yeah, endure it. It’s only three minutes.’

Not in this body, but in my previous life, I’d been through all sorts of things.

Given my field of study, getting beaten up was a common occurrence.

Since it was the path I’d chosen, I didn’t want to blame anyone else or show any signs of regret.

So, even when I was cornered, I often forced myself to endure and pretend it wasn’t hard.

Enduring was my specialty. Sometimes my sister called me stubborn, but it usually worked out better for me.

That didn’t mean I always endured unjust situations.

Lost in old memories, I suddenly sensed a presence.

Holding my goggles, I looked up to see Ye Ilhu standing by the training room door, watching me.

His raised eyebrow indicated he was in a particularly bad mood.

His gaze scanned my half-worn protective gear.

If he’d come in, he should’ve put on his gear quickly too, but just standing there watching made me uncomfortable. Already feeling unwell, I got a bit irritated.

Waving my hand to signal him to come in quickly, I fastened the hook on my shoulder as Ye Ilhu approached with a displeased expression.

“Hey, Kang Balbal.”

Too exhausted to reply, I just glanced at him, and he took another step closer. Sensing his unusual irritation, I finally responded.

“What?”

At my short reply, Ye Ilhu took a deep breath. He let out a cold, hissing sound and irritably ran his hand through his hair.

“I get that you don’t like being around me, but do you have to make it so obvious?”

Startled by his unexpected comment, I stopped putting on my goggles and looked at him.

Had my dislike been that obvious?

Sure, we’d had a meal together once, but after that, I avoided him…

Even an idiot would notice. Besides, Ye Ilhu didn’t seem like someone with a dull personality.

Despite usually being a jerk, he looked genuinely hurt for a moment.

‘What? Why are you making that face?’

While I was flustered, Ye Ilhu’s system window popped up above his head.

[Ye Ilhu/SS-rank Hunter (Elemental Attack Type)

♥ Affection Level ♥: 15/??

System: Ye Ilhu is very upset. He even calls you an idiot in his mind-!｡･ﾟ･(ﾉД`)･ﾟ･｡]

Despite the distance, his affection level had nearly doubled.

Feeling dizzy, I was overwhelmed with guilt.

‘Ye Ilhu is upset…’

Before categorizing these three as ‘side characters,’ they were people living in this world. They were individuals who could be hurt by my words and actions, something I subconsciously denied.

Why hadn’t I realized this? I was now part of ‘Love War’ too.

Ye Ilhu, always confident and annoying, now showed a mix of irritation and sadness. Thinking back, Ye Ilhu didn’t have many friends either.

Even if it had only been a few days, maybe he unconsciously thought of me as a friend through our training sessions.

Forgetting my feverish state, I hurriedly grabbed Ye Ilhu’s arm. Coolness seeped into my palm. My fever had definitely risen since earlier.

Suddenly, I wondered if I’d already built too many bonds to simply cut ties with the side characters.

“It’s not like that.”

Ye Ilhu seemed surprised that I grabbed him. His deeply furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

“It’s not that…”

As I tried to step towards him, my knees buckled, and I collapsed forward. My vision darkened, and a ringing filled my ears.

Despite his aversion to contact, Ye Ilhu caught me without hesitation. His warm grip held me firmly.

“Kang Baram!”

His loud voice calling my name revealed his alarm.

In my fading consciousness, I absurdly thought:

What the heck, you do know my name properly.

So why do you keep calling me Kang Balbal? Geez.