Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Special Training (8)
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Geon-ju, who had been burning with fever straight through until dawn, opened his eyes. The first thing that came into view was white skin.
"...?"
His vision was blurry from just waking up, reflecting bare, pale flesh. Geon-ju blinked curiously a couple of times, rubbing his eyes open and shut. Finally, his sight cleared, and his dark eyes widened as he took in the details.
Unable to grasp the situation, he froze stiff, then sharply inhaled.
It was a familiar scent. In an instant, his face twisted in a scowl, and he bolted upright.
Now he fully recognized what—or who—was right in front of him.
"What the...?"
As he propped himself up, dozens of layers of clothes piled on top of him tumbled off with a rustle. Geon-ju wiped his face in embarrassment at the sight of himself practically snuggled into Sa-yoon, fast asleep. His mind was a mess.
The last thing he remembered before the excruciating pain was feeling off and going to find Sa-yoon. His memory cut off there, and the next thing he knew, it was daylight and this situation.
Did I cling to him?
Or did he pull me in...
Geon-ju's gaze filled with suspicion. Sa-yoon had a track record that made it easy to imagine him groping around without permission, but oddly, nothing hurt.
His body, riddled with holes like a skewer, was fine now. The fever that had scorched his head had subsided, and the pain was gone. It felt similar to when he'd first entered the field—maybe even better.
He didn't just patch me up... he actually healed me?
Half-doubting, half-curious, he turned a mixed look toward Sa-yoon.
That's when Sa-yoon, ever sensitive to the slightest presence, stirred at Geon-ju's fidgeting and lifted his eyelids. His lashes, glossier than usual in the sunlight, fluttered, revealing deep navy eyes. Sa-yoon winced briefly at the light, then propped himself up slightly to look at Geon-ju.
"Oh..."
"Oh?"
Geon-ju's head tilted at the sudden exclamation. Sa-yoon stretched out his stiff body languidly, shrugging off the coat that had covered them both.
"Your face looks a lot better, so I guess the pain's all gone. How's the body feeling?"
"Did you nurse me?"
"Who else? A monster?"
Sa-yoon shot back teasingly, glancing up at the sky. The sun was already high in the midday heavens. He'd meant to stay awake and keep watch, but apparently he'd dozed off without realizing.
No wonder his arm felt numb. Grimacing, Sa-yoon flexed his left arm, where the blood hadn't circulated.
"Slept weird or something. My arm's killing me."
"... "
"What? Why're you the one flinching, pretty boy?"
It was Sa-yoon's arm that ached, but Geon-ju was the one twitching. Sa-yoon gave him an odd look, and Geon-ju averted his eyes, clearing his throat with a hem.
He does look better than yesterday, for sure.
His complexion, his expression—everything was worlds apart from last night. Sa-yoon rotated his sore arm, satisfied with his all-night nursing efforts.
"So, how's the body? Anything off?"
Just because he looked good didn't mean he was fully recovered. Poison could sometimes paralyze unexpected parts of the body.
People had woken up feeling refreshed only to find their lower half numb.
Worriedly, Sa-yoon noted that Geon-ju had only sat up from the waist. When he repeated the unanswered question from moments ago, Geon-ju tested his arms, twisted his neck, stretched his legs, then shook his head.
"I'm fine."
"Good, then."
Lower-body paralysis must've been a stretch.
Yeah, with all those potions he'd blown through yesterday, they had to pay off somehow.
He'd spent well over a thousand units on Geon-ju overnight. If the kid knew, he'd probably be shocked and tiptoe around him all day, but Sa-yoon saw no need to complain about his own or his wallet's suffering.
It was already day two in the field, and there was plenty to do. No point scaring the pretty one with unnecessary talk.
He'd learned from yesterday: when Geon-ju's spirit was down and self-esteem low, his performance tanked. To max out efficiency, even if he beat him half to death, Sa-yoon had to praise him.
And feed him, too.
Ah, food.
As his thoughts wandered, he suddenly remembered the monster meat he'd set aside last night. The leftovers from their late meal were wrapped neatly in clean leaves. Sa-yoon scooped it up and tossed it to Geon-ju, who—his stamina restored as the poisoning faded—caught the unannounced throw with ease.
"Eat that first, then we'll talk."
"What's this?"
"Food."
"Food?"
Here?
His eyes said it all. Geon-ju carefully peeled back the leaves Sa-yoon had handed him. Instead of fluffy rice grains, there was properly cooked meat.
"Where'd you get this...?"
"You were out cold, so I got bored staying up alone. Eat it even if it's not great. From now on, eat properly, pretty boy. What're you gonna do with a body that weak?"
"I'm not that weak."
"A weakling like you drops from one dose of poison?"
"Anyone would collapse from poison."
"Not my kids."
And you're one of my kids now.
Sa-yoon chewed on his half-dried jerky, scanning Geon-ju up and down. The kid seemed fine even if they moved right now, especially after sneaking bites of food.
"No pain anywhere, right? For real."
"Yeah."
"Don't pull that 'I'm fine' like yesterday. Speak up now if anything's weird."
"There's really nothing. Why're you so worried?"
"How could I not be? You were out for a full twelve hours."
"...That long?"
"Yeah. You know who fed you, clothed you, and put you back to sleep all that time? And here you are sassing me already. Gotta know how to repay a favor."
"...Sorry. Or wait, aren't you the one who pushed me so hard I couldn't rest in the first place?"
"Enough. Take these."
Knowing Geon-ju's stubborn streak in arguments, Sa-yoon cut it off before it escalated, pulling five or six potions from his inventory.
Geon-ju, clutching twice his usual amount, looked puzzled. As he stored the variously colored vials away, his gaze drifted to empty air, then he picked one up and shook it, making the liquid slosh.
His eyes narrowed slightly at the rippling contents.
"What's this?"
"Antidote. A-grade, so it'll work on anything A-grade or lower. You've never built tolerance, so one poisoning turns into a headache. Keep 'em. Without resistance or immunity, you're the most vulnerable to poison."
"Isn't everyone vulnerable to poison?"
"Kids with tolerance aren't."
"How do you build that?"
"How? You get poisoned a few times and build it up. What, want me to train you on that too?"
Sa-yoon had planned to mix small doses into his meals once he hit A-grade anyway. At A-grade, he'd withstand poison without whining like this.
A bit early for it now, but when Geon-ju furrowed his brow thoughtfully instead of yelling "Are you insane? That's a crime!", Sa-yoon was surprised.
The twelve-hour collapse must've hit him hard.
He'd forgotten amid the recent whining, but Geon-ju had some real grit.
Like during that trust fall test.
Of course, without grit or interest in growth, he'd have quit yesterday's training outright. Sa-yoon poked Geon-ju's furrowed brow with a fingertip.
"What're you agonizing over? We'll build tolerance after you level up. Just watch out for poison this field."
As Sa-yoon advised lightly, Geon-ju snapped out of it and looked at him. Feeling those eyes scan him thoroughly—with a hint of confusion—Sa-yoon paused his packing and turned.
"What're you staring at now?"
"Why do you suddenly seem... nice?"
"What?"
It was more mumble than reply, but Sa-yoon didn't miss it. After all the feeding, clothing, and tucking in, the ingratitude irked him, and he raised a brow. Geon-ju shrugged slightly and added, "Just feels that way."
"Sudden? I've always been nice to you, pretty boy."
"This is nice?"
"Ask the other guild members if you don't get it. Looks like you're done eating, so let's restart."
"Restart what?"
"You know what. Gonna slack off just 'cause you were sick one day?"
It wasn't a scold—more genuine surprise. Geon-ju's guarded look softened a bit, but his eyes narrowed again. Ignoring it, Sa-yoon stuffed the piled clothes into his inventory with a sigh of exasperation.
"Get poisoned by A-grade toxin, lie there a day, and think 'I'm so weak'—then train harder. Kids these days got no grit."
Back in my day, I'd get so pissed at poison I'd train tolerance sleepless for ten days straight. Poisoning wasn't an excuse to lie down—it was training time. These days...
Sa-yoon's rant went on endlessly. Geon-ju sighed, clearly tired of it, and muttered, "Nice, my ass."
Sa-yoon's S-grade hearing caught it easily. Mid-passionate lecture on the hunter world from a decade ago—like the Warring States era—he fully turned to Geon-ju.
"You little—"
"Just do it already. Let's do the special training again."
Unable to roll a fresh convalescent like a total newbie, Sa-yoon was about to nag when Geon-ju cut him off wearily, waving it away. He looked fed up with the "back in my day" spiel.
Cheeky as ever, but it was a first for Geon-ju to volunteer for training. Sa-yoon's lips quirked up as he scuffed out their campsite traces in the dirt and slung an arm over Geon-ju's shoulder.
Seemed the bonding plan was going smoothly.
"Should've said that sooner."
Hyung'll make you S-grade somehow, so just say 'Yes, hyung' and follow orders. Yeah?
His college-returnee mutter got a curt "As if."
Sa-yoon chuckled.
Soon after, a short scream echoed from the forest—Geon-ju's.