READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 326: Thank You for Loving Me Until Now
Oh my gosh.
I finally regained my strength, and yet I’m wrapping up this disaster with a scene like this.
“Bring me a potion!”
“No. But people’s prayers are being blocked…”
“119!”
The road of this planet feels unusually warm against my back today.
“Hmm.”
Of all the times, my precious lungs are injured, and I can’t do anything. At this rate, I’ll likely faint within 5 seconds.
“I’m worried now.”
Still, I had prepared various countermeasures in advance. Honestly, getting carried away to Earth’s Aerospace Agency wouldn’t make that much of a difference.
I soon lost consciousness.
.
.
.
…When I opened my eyes again, a familiar white ceiling welcomed me.
“It’s a hospital.”
Damn.
Of course, a patient who narrowly escaped death should be transported here.
But that magical power felt next to me since a while ago… it seems rather concerning…
“Huh!”
“Mr. Gi-ryeo!”
“You’re awake.”
“Get the nurse here!”
“Bring the doctor!”
Suddenly, my eyelids shot up, and I confirmed the scene.
This was an unfamiliar, bright-white hospital room, and beside my bed were people I recognized quite well.
If I were to list them by Hunter rank: Jeong Ha-seong, Seo Esther, Ahn Yoon-seung.
‘It seems that even though they’re all high-ranking personnel, they’ve been keeping their spots for no reason.’
It’s impossible to have all the Hunters there since the scene was hectic.
Ultimately, it appeared that only a few familiar high-ranks were pulled in for a hospital visit.
I grasped the situation and maneuvered my upper body to sit up lightly.
But as soon as I did this, the Hunters beside me began to shout.
“Whoa! Don’t get up!”
“Are you back to your senses?”
“Mr. Kim Hunter, please calm down. We’ve tidied up to a certain extent, and this is a medical facility from the religious foundation that Esther supports. You’re completely safe now.”
If that’s the case, then they must have confirmed my consciousness recovery and are following the usual sequence of events.
‘It’s a predictable flow.’
The guardians who had been keeping their places go into a frenzy.
Medical personnel rush in as if it were an emergency.
They borrow all sorts of cursed equipment to check an Awakened’s blood pressure (but seriously, why do they check this so frequently?).
And all the other things.
‘What a nuisance.’
The doctor came in to assess my condition.
In the meantime, the other three Hunters quietly huddled on the long fabric sofa in the corner.
“Hmm.”
Of course, the ongoing expert opinions were as follows.
“Well, for now, there doesn’t seem to be any major issues…”
“That seems obvious.”
“Other injuries like your leg and head seem to be completely healed now, without any discharge, and there’s nothing we need to prescribe related to trauma.”
That’s what they claim.
A little strange, though.
The doctor just verified the patient’s well-being, yet the Hunters on the sofa were sweating bullets and grinding their teeth nervously.
‘What’s going on?’
I couldn’t hold back my curiosity and asked.
“By the way, why are they acting like that?”
“Uh?”
“Is it possible they have some kind of trauma? Because to me, it seems like those people should be in the consultation room right now too.”
Just as I floated that sentence, an unusual response was observed.
“Oh, umm…”
The doctor attempted to speak but awkwardly closed their mouth.
They hurriedly adjusted their glasses, which were sliding down their nose due to sweat, and rushed to finish the conversation.
“Uh, well. Anyway, it seems the regeneration of the patient’s trauma has gone well. Please take a moment to stabilize, and I’ll return around the time your visiting hours are up to give you various instructions.”
“Huh?”
Thud!
I watched the doctor’s retreating figure, pondering why they acted that way.
“Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo…”
“Ahaha. It’s a relief that the potion worked.”
“Hyung, I was super worried…!”
But the source of this puzzlement was surprisingly simple to uncover.
“Oh! But I can’t just ignore this any longer! After all, this is something the person involved must know!”
Bam!
With their hands clasped tightly, the head of the Korean Magic Tower Guild exploded in speech.
What followed from this person with purple hair was even more powerful than their deeds.
“Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter. Don’t be surprised, but once you feel you’ve recovered a bit, you need to get a detailed examination right away.”
“Uh?”
“Y-you… your lungs. It’s suspected to be non-small cell lung cancer. So, when the doctor comes back, they’ll probably recommend a biopsy…”
No, how does that punk know this?
“Calm down and explain in detail.”
After attempting to calm myself, I gathered their testimonies.
When I suddenly began to cough up blood and collapsed, the Hunters hurriedly took me to a premium medical exam, fearing there might be a significant issue.
Without my consent, no less.
And this hospital’s so-called premium examination included a full-body CT scan, leveraging the fact that Awakened don’t usually suffer from radiation damage to thoroughly check organs…
‘…Thus, it’s obvious my tumor was discovered in the lung X-rays!’
Then Esther explained that they had obtained this information because the doctor who was analyzing the images said, “Huh? Isn’t this cancer?”
In summary, this was also an incident where the doctor who rushed out mistakenly leaked the patient’s private information.
‘No, you punk! Medical ethics!’
But considering they came from a planet where ethics are scarce, it’s a bit ridiculous to nitpick over such things.
“It’s okay.”
I nonchalantly explained the truth.
“There’s no need to spend extra money on further examinations. It is a tumor, and I already know about it. However, this is actually….”
Let me correct myself. I was originally going to explain it.
“What is it?”
“It is a tumor….”
“Wait a minute.”
“Uh?”
But just as I prepared to reveal this soul’s incredible abilities, the casual remarks I just made became the fuses to all the bombs and exploded.
“Ahhhhh!”
Boom.
One of the party members screamed.
Seo Esther started trembling, pale as if she realized something.
It was her scream that opened the floodgates, but the first words came from me.
“There was a reason it happened….”
Jeong Ha-seong.
The young man with white streaks in his hair gasped in horror.
“Was the reason you’ve been oddly avoiding forming a regular team with me all this time because of this!?”
“What?”
“If an Awakened has autoimmune diseases or cancer, do you think we don’t know what situation they might be in, with it being mentioned repeatedly in the news? Right here among us?”
“Wait a minute, there’s something-.”
“From the very beginning, you even hinted at retiring because your condition was worsening while you were eating 부대찌개 recently!”
“That… is. No, that’s….”
This doesn’t feel good.
Something is definitely off.
“Since you’ve been this sick… Were you always so okay even when severely injured during work because of that…?!”
Mumbling.
I was trying to assemble words to persuade these earthlings, but Ha-seong couldn’t wait and shot out his shock.
“If you were regularly taking painkillers, you wouldn’t feel much even if you got scratched… That’s right. They say people suffering from chronic pain are prescribed opioid painkillers. I can’t believe you’d do the same, Hunter…!”
“That doesn’t even explain anything!”
“I didn’t realize how oblivious I was. Oh my gosh. Speaking of which, Mr. Kim Hunter would always take a water bottle into his room after eating meals with me at home.”
By the way, the last time I mentioned was just that the bottled water stocked in Jeong Ha-seong’s refrigerator was particularly tasty, so I grabbed one to wash it down.
It’s a misunderstanding.
I have NEVER searched for water for meds.
‘What the heck!’
But before I could explain myself properly, another issue arose.
“Well.”
Suddenly, as if luck turned sour, the purple-haired woman standing next to the hero trembled her vocal cords like a goat and spoke.
She added fuel to the fire.
“Indeed… That’s how it was.”
“What’s wrong with you, Esther Hunter?”
“You had vaguely mentioned to me how your condition worsened while working, and I thought it was some dungeon curse, but this common illness was hidden! Were you sick due to overwork or stress?”
Quiver.
As a Curse Mage, Esther’s mental flexibility stood out.
Yet she began to tremble and tear up unexpectedly.
“I understand everything now. In fact, I couldn’t believe it, so I searched by myself on my phone earlier. The symptoms of lung cancer include coughing up blood and a hoarse voice.”
To that earthling, it must seem like the current situation fits exactly with past events.
“Voice might be fine, but Mr. Gi-ryeo, you cough up blood, don’t you?”
The group fell back into shock.
“So that’s why you were adamant about not needing any means, even the Holy Water! Each time, the state of Kim Gi-ryeo, who has fully Awakened, was just unimaginable!”
“Esther Hunter, can I ask something? Did Kim Hunter cough up blood regularly?”
“It’s not that-.”
“Yes. That’s right. I saw everything. It’s obvious that when Mr. Gi-ryeo and I went to the dungeon alone, you coughed up bloody phlegm… Ugh. Please don’t keep this hidden!”
Oh my gosh. There’s no one here listening to my words.
Then Esther distorts the information to Jeong Ha-seong.
I was overwhelmed with a desire to magically seal the Curse Mage’s mouth.
But I couldn’t do that.
Just moments ago, my lungs had nearly torn into thirty pieces, so even a Great Mage must also ensure absolute stability today.
Hence.
The situation rapidly spiraled into disaster.
“My brother. You were in that state all this time….”
For now, unlike the two S-Class Hunters, Ahn Yoon-seung had never witnessed any of this evidence, so he was taken aback several times more.
“…Honestly, it’s the first time I’m witnessing a scene of someone sweeping through the dungeon with their sheer presence. But the fact that such a strong psychic used their skills properly until now means… ”
“It’s irrefutable proof that there were issues with the condition of the Awakened.”
“So the exploits achieved during that time were done while you were actually a patient…?!”
In disbelief, I fell silent as doubts began to grow overwhelmingly.
If left unchecked, Ahn Yoon-seung would soon pale to the point of fainting from fear.
So, I attempted to shout loudly, tell them not to panic and settle down.
-Drreeeek, Bang!
It was then.
Someone burst through the door of the hospital room, panting heavily.
“Gi-ryeo!”
I immediately sensed the familiar frequency in my ear.
It was none other than the voice of Asia’s first Enchanter.
Gu Seo-hyeong had come to the hospital.
‘What’s this about?’
For a moment, I was engulfed in this ridiculous thought, but as I beheld Seo-hyeong, sweating profusely and rushing in, I could determine the right judgment.
‘Ah. Right. What’s this about? Of course, I must be the cause.’
Tentatively.
This hospital room was filled with three Association-recognized S-Class Hunters, not to mention the A-Class on the side, causing the new entrant to take a deep breath.
Having made a firm decision, the D-Class Awakened stepped forward and spoke confidently.
Typically, when reports of Hunter injuries are broadcast on TV, it usually takes hours or even days after incidents happen.
“Hey, Kim Gi-ryeo! Earlier, the announcer said you collapsed while spewing blood, and I really debated whether or not you’d be okay! In the end, I came thinking it wouldn’t hurt to check it out! But what on Earth is going on? Has the surgery finished?!”
“How did you know about this?!”
“I’ve been making connections through the Association, so I asked around and came here.”
Glancing over.
The round-glasses-wearing young girl continued.
“And I heard your consciousness returned, but seeing it with my own eyes would ease my worries, but….”
Did I annoy her?
Seo-hyeong’s voice nearly shrunk under the pressure from the S-Class Hunters’ aura.
At that moment, the surrounding Awakened quickly suppressed their levels or donned their gear to accommodate a weaker presence.
“O-oh. Th-thank you.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Excuse me, but how do you know him?”
“Ah! I’m a classmate of Kim Gi-ryeo. We both graduated from the same middle school.”
“Ahh. That’s why you seem familiar; I thought you were a Hunter for a moment…”
“Haha. You probably saw me in an old commercial.”
With that, having finished introductions somewhat among folks who didn’t know each other, Gu Seo-hyeong turned his attention back to Ahn Yoon-seung and whispered.
“But the atmosphere feels strange. Should I come back later?”
Seo Esther was covering her mouth, sniffling softly; Jeong Ha-seong looked pale, and Ahn Yoon-seung was sitting with his head in his hands, considering the recent circumstances.
So, I quickly tidied up the sentence.
“No, it’s nothing serious. Those people just happened to learn about the diagnosis I received from the doctor, so they misunderstood that I’m in terrible pain. In reality, it’s actually no big deal for me.”
“Really?”
To that, Gu Seo-hyeong continued the conversation in a carefree tone, without the slightest thought.
But the words that the man with the surname Gu uttered next were filled with words I had never imagined.
“Oh, I see. It seems like the fact that you suffered from amnesia recently was also revealed to these folks, causing them some worry.”
“Huh?”
“…What? Were you not talking about that? Kim Gi-ryeo, you got hurt at work and briefly had that, didn’t you…?”
And thus began the colossal cycle of cause and effect.