Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: The Heroine Saves the World
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“Ahem.”
Seo Yu-baek, who had just shared a secret with me, cleared his throat lightly and suddenly checked his phone.
“Oh, I've been summoned. I'll be going now.”
“Teacher!”
I called out urgently, but Seo Yu-baek had already slipped through the emergency exit door, vanishing without even a glimpse of his white coat trailing behind.
Running off and leaving me alone.
How sneaky. So sneaky.
“Nayeo-ju.”
In the meantime, Kang Han's expression had grown even more serious as he called my name.
“Uh, that is...”
I racked my brain for an excuse, but nothing good came to mind.
Then, an idea flashed.
What if I said I spilled something on my clothes?
“Don't make up any weird excuses.”
“Tch.”
Correction.
Kang Han's instincts were razor-sharp.
“I just spilled something on my clothes.”
It wasn't a total lie.
“So I borrowed some patient clothes in a hurry. That's all—.”
“What did you spill?”
“Why are you prying like that? My clothes just got dirty...”
“So why? What exactly did you spill?”
My evasive attitude seemed to make Kang Han sense something was off instead.
With his hands on his hips, looking down at me, he resembled Na Baek-ho gnawing relentlessly on a toy once he got hold of it.
In the end, I averted my gaze slightly and mumbled my answer as indistinctly as possible.
“Somet'ing ted...”
“Something red?”
“...Ah, blood. Blood!”
Screw it.
I didn't do anything wrong anyway!
Thinking that, I blurted out the truth.
“...Blood?”
Kang Han's face drained of expression in an instant, like a switch flipping off.
Oh, looks like I messed up.
And in the blink of an eye, I was in Kang Han's arms.
“Wh-what!”
“Let's go.”
“Go where?!”
“To get admitted.”
“No, can't you see? I'm fine!”
I want to go home!
I struggled to get back down to the floor, but it was no use.
“Nayeo-ju.”
All I got was a scolding from Kang Han.
I finally gave up, going limp like laundry hanging on a line, and Kang Han headed to the nurses' station.
“This is Justice Guild Hunter Nayeo-ju. Admit her, please.”
“Uh... Ah, yes.”
The nurses were startled by Kang Han's sudden appearance, then stifled laughs at the sight of me cradled in his arms. It was painfully obvious.
Unable to bear watching anymore, I buried my face in Kang Han's shoulder.
Admitted in the end, I curled up in the hospital bed and groaned.
“Aah, it hurts. The pain of betrayal.”
Seo Yu-baek, who had stopped by briefly to check on me, chuckled softly.
“Sorry, Nayeo-ju. But Guild Master Kang Han got mad, and it was scary.”
“No, Teacher. You're S-rank too! How could you sneak off alone like that? Even if our guild master hits you, you can just heal yourself!”
“...Wouldn't that be terrifying in its own way?”
“Well, yeah, but still. How could you spill everything, even about the hemoptysis!”
“I didn't mention the hemoptysis. I just said there was blood on your mouth and asked if you'd vomited it up. I couldn't lie.”
“Sneaky, even after we made a promise.”
“Honestly, I was worried about you too. Forgive me as a friend being nosy out of concern.”
“Hmph.”
What could I say to that?
“Fine. But get me something tasty for meals.”
“Want me to order chicken delivery?”
“Deal.”
Chicken? Forgiven.
The chicken arrived promptly, true to its delivery service, and Seo Yu-baek and I shared it amicably before I was left alone in the room again.
Seo Yu-baek headed home excitedly, saying he'd finally get off after two days.
“I wanna go home tooo. I wanna sleep petting Na Baek-ho... Na Baek-ho!”
“Kyaaang!”
The door slid open quietly, and Na Baek-ho shot in through the gap like an arrow.
He leaped right into my arms with such momentum that his paws thudded audibly.
Then he looked up at me, as if scolding me.
“Kruu, kruuung!”
“Okay, okay. My ears are bleeding!”
“Kyaaao!”
“I went to the guild to pack Nayeo-ju's things, but Baek-ho wouldn't come out of the bag, so I brought him along.”
Kang Han said as he placed a small suitcase on the table.
“But are pets allowed in the hospital?”
“I checked with Director Seo Yu-baek on the way. Familiars are fine.”
Oh, convenient.
“And Baek-ho seemed really worried about you. He wouldn't eat treats and waited by the guild entrance.”
“Hey, you still have to eat your treats.”
“Huu.”
Na Baek-ho, who had been pressing his ear to my chest, glared at me with triangular eyes and let out a small sigh.
“A sigh? You little...”
“Uung.”
He'd barged in and given me an earful of nagging right away, but the moment I said a few words back, he half-closed his eyes like it was a hassle.
Outraged, I gently nibbled his round ears—nothing painful—and Kang Han approached the bed.
“Let's talk for a bit, Nayeo-ju.”
“I think Guild Master is scariest like this.”
“Nothing to fear. Just tell the truth.”
Then what if I lie?
...I don't really want to know.
“Just confirming something.”
“What?”
“Does using your skills always drain your stamina?”
“...Why ask it so straight?”
“I want a straight answer in return.”
“Sigh.”
He'd already figured it out, so I couldn't deny it.
“Yes. Specifically, I use stamina instead of mana to activate skills.”
“...As I thought.”
“But it's not such a bad condition. There are stamina tonics, and stamina-boosting items are common too.”
I'd expected Kang Han to freak out upon learning the truth, but surprisingly, he stayed calm.
His green eyes settled quietly, lost in thought.
For a moment, the room was filled only with Na Baek-ho's soft breathing.
Then Kang Han spoke softly.
“I can see my own status window.”
“...Isn't that a secret?”
“You shared yours, so I'm sharing mine.”
“No, still... Hmm. Well... thanks anyway. For the secret exchange. Your secret's safe with me.”
“I know. I trust you that much.”
“Aww, thanks.”
Kang Han smiled faintly without a sound.
“I'll pick you up tomorrow. Rest well until then.”
He gave Baek-ho's head a final pat and left the room.
I absently stroked the warm, round back of Baek-ho's head, still carrying Kang Han's lingering warmth, lost in thought.
Had Kang Han ever revealed his secret to anyone inside [Sejong Wall]?
Absolutely not.
Not even to comrades he fought alongside, risking life and limb.
“So why tell me?”
The pitch-black night sky was just beginning to lighten.
The Justice Guild's underground training ground was already brightly lit.
“Hoo.”
Thud!
Kang Han, drenched in sweat from an intense workout, stripped off his soaked shirt and chugged water.
He let the sweat dripping down his collarbone run freely as he thought of me, probably sleeping in the hospital room by now.
“Yes. Specifically, I use stamina instead of mana to activate skills.”
His dreaded suspicion was confirmed.
Every time she used a skill, Nayeo-ju was essentially carving away her own vitality to give to others.
His breathing still ragged, Kang Han headed straight to the simulation training area.
With the program's announcement, a female monster in a blood-red dress materialized in the air of the training ground.
Relishia, known for shredding foes with her elongated nails, glared at Kang Han with pitch-black eyes devoid of sclera.
Kang Han gripped the summoned dark spear firmly in one hand and exhaled lowly.
While his skills reawakened and the Justice Guild grew, he'd grown complacent unnoticed.
He needed to grow stronger.
So his guildmates could trust him and enter gates.
So he could protect everyone.
And above all, so Nayeo-ju never had to heal anyone again.
Whoosh!
Kang Han swung the dark spear in a wide arc, thinking.
He never wanted to see her coughing up blood from using her skills again.
Crackle—!
Electricity coiling around his body, his form shot toward Relishia like a bolt.
A few days later.
Fantasia kept its promise.
They announced that the dungeon accident two years ago was due to Hunter Kim Min-jeong's rampage.
I pressed the button to turn off my phone screen, filled with news headlines, and muttered.
“Hmm, looks like the time has come.”