The Inner Core (Part 3)

I have learned a hard truth over the course of my life.

The most miserable, sorrowful moments in this world are when you fall sick all alone.

Back after my parents passed away, there was a time when I suffered for days, groaning through a terrible illness. I couldn't even begin to count how many tears I shed back then. If even one of them had still been around, they would have looked after me. A lethal cocktail of burning fever and absolute solitude was the fastest way to hollow out a person's soul.

What I was feeling right now was an exact mirror of that misery. I had finally treated myself to a long-overdue feast, only for a fever to spike immediately and knock me flat on my back.

"Kyuu."

At the very least, having the adorable Wonmo by my side provided some consolation. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Had he not been here, my heart would have ached far worse.

Ppareumbo seemed to possess some situational awareness of his own, detaching himself from my back the exact moment I began to groan in agony.

"……"

"……Just go away, you."

Unfortunately, because of his innate facial expression, the sloth offered zero comfort. While that serene, laid-back smile of his was normally charming, right now it looked as though he was openly mocking me.

No, that can't be it.

I immediately felt guilty for snapping at the innocent creature. This abrupt fever seemed to be clouding my judgment entirely.

I gasped for breath against the blistering heat radiating through my entire frame. Every time I exhaled, a scorching gust escaped my lips. At this rate, I half-expected to start breathing fire like a mythical dragon.

I just don't get it.

Running a scorching fever simply from eating a single fish made no earthly sense. I briefly wondered whether I had contracted some vicious parasite, but that seemed impossible—I had grilled the meat thoroughly until it was crisp, just to be safe.

The next obvious culprit was venom. Could it have possessed deadly toxins, like a pufferfish?

I took the pill right away, but who knows…

Just in case, I had swallowed the medicinal pill Allfather provided earlier. Ordinarily, I ought to have immediately circulated my energy through an Internal Cultivation Art, but given my state, that was virtually impossible. It would probably be fine to wait until the fever cooled down slightly. Before that, let's check the Gallery.

I had uploaded a post right before the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fever peaked, so replies should have piled up by now.

Come to think of it, I have an Elixir!

The sudden fever had made me overlook it entirely. Gritting my teeth against the rising heat, I practically dragged myself across the cave floor. Soon, my fingers found a bottle stored securely inside the chest.

A dazzling golden liquid swirled inside the glass, catching the dim cave light. While different grades bore distinct colors, I was hurting far too much to care about pedigree and snatched the first one within reach.

Just one sip for now…

Even popping the cork took monumental effort. Should I buy some antipyretics from the Auction House next time? With a strained grunt, I pried the stopper loose and took a single swig.

A strangely bitter yet revitalizing sensation washed down my throat.

Now, only the breathing technique remained. But before starting, I checked the forum thread one more time. The last thing I saw before putting the screen down was Heavenly Demon and Sword Master locked in a bitter keyboard brawl.

To be fair, Sword Master's posts were genuinely exceptional. They had managed to bring even a clueless amateur like me up to speed with foundational competence. Perhaps that was why the public sentiment tilted heavily in his favor over Heavenly Demon's. Anyone with less stubborn confidence than her would have suffered a total mental collapse under that pile-on, yet she was still standing her ground.

I needed to step in before this spiraled out of control. Thanks to the Elixir, the dizziness had receded just enough for me to type.

Fortunately, the friction seemed to settle. Had I not intervened, the comment section under my post would have become a battlefield of pure venom. Besides, Sword Master was the one who had instigated things this time around, even if Heavenly Demon's explosive temper hadn't helped.

Time to sit down…

Even the Elixir hadn't completely quelled the fever. It had merely functioned as a potent analgesic, numbing the sharpest edges of the pain. Forcing my sluggish, overheating limbs into motion, I settled into a cross-legged meditative posture and addressed Heavenly Demon.

I had expected a practical, step-by-step instructional guide, yet what appeared before my eyes was outright poetry. It was archaic, grand, and unmistakably wuxia in flavor—which was precisely why it made almost zero rational sense to me. No wonder Sword Master had mocked the Mind Cultivation Method as decorative verse rather than practical technique.

How on earth is this supposed to help?

What was worse, the oral formula wasn't just a brief single line; it stretched out quite far as Heavenly Demon fired off successive comments. Setting aside my skepticism, I burned every single line of the verse into my memory. My head was swimming from the fever, but not so severely that I couldn't memorize a stanza.

"Whew……"

I began to pace my breathing, focusing on drawing the turbulent heat back into order. In my mind, I chanted the rhythmic formula Heavenly Demon had imparted. Just visualize the imagery, I told myself. This wasn't something to be analyzed with rigid logic; it belonged entirely to the realm of instinct and feeling.

Still better than memorizing Gwandongbyeolgok back in school.

Compared to that dreadful classical poem, this was a gentle breeze. Meditating on the imagery evoked by her words, I regulated my breath. Slowly, the searing heat scattered across every limb and vessel felt like it was coiling, condensing tightly toward my lower abdomen.

The Heavens are the supreme zenith that all creation looks up to……

Ruminating on the words, I continued circulating the energy, until—

"Huuuuh……"

Without even realizing it, I drifted off into a deep, heavy sleep.

I had a truly bizarre dream.

I was drifting lazily through a sky so impossibly high it felt boundless. More than merely floating, I was swimming through the clouds with total, weightless abandon. Having never even flown on an airplane back in my past life, I spent what felt like hours soaring through the endless azure expanse.

Yet that intoxicating freedom didn't last forever. Gradually, my body began to feel heavy, drawn relentlessly downward by an inexorable gravitational pull.

I wanted to savor the flight as long as possible. I strained and fought with all my might against the downward tug, but my struggles proved futile. Before I knew it, I was plummeting rapidly toward the ground.

Panicking, I cast my gaze below. A vast, primordial canopy of lush green forest rushed up to meet me.

Whoosh!

"Gah!"

The violent sensation of free-falling wrenched me awake with a violent jolt. It felt exactly like that heart-stopping jerk when you doze off during a lecture and snap awake at your desk—except magnified a hundredfold. The shock instantly burned away every trace of lethargy.

"……"

I blinked against the dimness. What kind of dream had that even been? I recalled soaring freely across the heavens, but everything after that was a complete blur. It was hard to put into words, almost as if my soul had briefly decoupled from my physical flesh. Still, it had been a surprisingly refreshing experience—the first time in ages I had tasted genuine freedom.

"Kyuu……"

As I sat in a mild daze, a pathetic whimper drifted into my ears. Turning my head toward the sound, I was met with the sight of a fluffy, trembling ball of fur staring up at me. It was Wonmo. The owlbear cub gazed at me with wide, pitiful eyes.

Grumble—

Right on cue, an audible alarm rang out from the little cub's belly.

I'm starving. I'm hungry, so give me food. I'm so hungry that I'm sad.

The message could not have been clearer. Feeling an instant wave of embarrassment, I checked the time—or rather, there was no need to check the interface. Looking out the cave entrance was more than enough.

……It's already night?

The world outside had long since plunged into total pitch-black darkness. It had been around noon when I finished the fish and the fever took hold, which meant I had been out cold for at least six full hours. No wonder Wonmo looked so deeply wounded.

"Sorry, Wonmo. I'll get your dinner ready right now."

"Kyu!"

"And speaking of dinner, where did Bbarmbo go—"

The moment I turned my head, there he was. The sloth was watching me with his usual unflappable grin, his jaws rhythmically churning. From the look of it, he had helped himself to some Inedia Pills while I was unconscious.

……He didn't eat through the whole stash, did he?

Bracing for the worst, I quickly counted the remaining pills. Fortunately, the reserve hadn't dwindled by much. With that sigh of relief out of the way, Wonmo took priority. I accessed the Gallery interface. As always, the forum was buzzing with activity, but feeding Wonmo mattered far more than internet chatter.

"Here you go, buddy."

"Kyuuuu!"

The moment I purchased a thick cut of meat and handed it over, the little guy's eyes sparkled with sheer ecstasy. When I fondly patted his head, he leaned into my palm, practically melting with happiness. Seeing how adorable he was, it was impossible not to smile.

The fever's completely gone, and nothing hurts. I feel great.

When you're running a fever, nothing beats a solid, uninterrupted sleep. My clothes, however, were thoroughly soaked with cold sweat. That was unavoidable, but since it was already late, a quick rinse would suffice. Taking a proper soak was out of the question anyway, since the steel drum was currently occupied by live fish.

"Huh?"

The moment I stripped off my damp shirt and stepped outside the cave entrance, a strange sensation stopped me in my tracks. Everything was astonishingly clear. I had always possessed decent night vision, but this went far beyond that; every rock, leaf, and contour of the dark terrain stood out with razor-sharp clarity. While not quite as bright as high noon, it was more than sufficient to move around with zero hindrance.

What's going on with my eyes?

My confusion was brief; I needed to get clean first. A campfire wasn't even necessary when I could see the surroundings this clearly. I would need one to sleep by, of course—my sensitivity to cold hadn't vanished—but not for washing up.

Rustle—

Before stepping into the water, I casually ran a hand over my forearm, only for a dry, flaking sound to echo in the quiet night. Looking down, I was greeted by an utterly bizarre sight.

Sheets of dead skin were peeling right off. Unlike peeling from a nasty sunburn, the fresh skin revealed underneath was astonishingly supple, smooth, and possessed a radiant, lustrous sheen. Seeing that, I furrowed my brow, drawing the only logical conclusion that came to mind.

How on earth did this much grime build up on me?

I had thought I kept myself reasonably clean, but clearly my hygiene standards had been lacking. I made a mental note to scrub down far more thoroughly from now on. A brisk wash would do for tonight, and tomorrow I'd take a proper, long bath to soak off the rest of this dead skin.

And I can eat another fish for breakfast while I'm at it.

Surely I wouldn't spike another random fever after yesterday's ordeal.

When the sun rose the following morning and I took my blade to gut the second catch, my jaw dropped.

"No way, another one?"

Rolling out from between the entrails was a second lustrous Neidan.