Episode 97. Overheating (2)

“Ah, ugh.”

My whole body feels like it’s on fire.

It’s as if molten metal is flowing through my veins instead of blood.

The excruciating pain jolts me awake.

“B-bro! Are you awake?”

“Dale! Are you okay?!”

An unfamiliar ceiling.

The pale faces of Berald and Yuren.

I suppress the burning pain and open my mouth.

“Where…?”

“The school Treatment Center! We brought you here right after you collapsed!”

“…How long was I out?”

“About two hours.”

Two hours.

Not that long.

“Kuh…!”

I try to sit up, but the terrible pain from the Holy Mark forces me back down.

My whole body feels like it’s submerged in boiling lava.

“D-Dale! Are you okay?”

“……”

I can’t even lie to Yuren and say I’m fine.

“I’ll call the healer right now!”

“…No.”

I grab Yuren’s hand as he reaches for the call button and shake my head.

I don’t know why my body is like this, but I know a healer can’t fix it.

“I’ll be fine after some rest.”

“…Dale.”

Yuren looks like he’s about to burst into tears.

“Can I have some water?”

“Y-yeah!”

I gulp down the water Yuren gives me.

The cold water helps clear my head a bit.

“Phew.”

“Are you okay?”

“Better than before.”

My whole body still feels like it’s in a pit of fire, but it’s much better than when I first woke up.

‘…What the hell happened?’

The last thing I remember is passing out mid-conversation with Yuren.

‘Did I overdo it with training like Berald said?’

No.

That can’t be.

It’s only been a few days.

In my past life, I pushed my body harder than this for over a month.

And if it was just exhaustion, my body wouldn’t feel like it’s in a pit of fire.

‘Then why?’

I furrow my brows and close my eyes.

I steady my breathing and focus inward.

As my consciousness sinks deeper, the world of my mindscape unfolds before me.

Whoosh!

The flames of the Primordial Flame rage fiercely, as if trying to consume the world.

As always, the Primordial Flame burns wildly in my mindscape.

‘Huh?’

Wait.

Scratch that ‘as always.’

‘Something feels more intense than usual.’

The Primordial Flame is burning much more violently than usual.

Yeah.

It’s like it’s ‘struggling to survive.’

‘What the…’

I furrow my brows and shift my gaze.

There, something is stretching out, trying to swallow the flames.

‘Ugh.’

As I try to get a closer look at the thing devouring the flames, a terrible headache blurs my vision.

‘Is that another power inside me?’

I recall Professor Elisha’s words and frown.

I still don’t know what that ‘something’ is, but I can vaguely understand why my body is like this.

‘The Primordial Flame is raging, causing my energy to overheat.’

This has never happened before while using the Primordial Flame.

‘Something that’s never happened before just happened, huh.’

There’s only one possibility that comes to mind.

‘Is it because of the Ash Fire…?’

Professor Elisha’s words flash through my mind.

‘She said the balance of power was off.’

Using unstable power repeatedly.

If that’s the cause of this ‘overheating,’ it makes sense.

‘So, if I use Ash Fire for too long, I’ll suddenly pass out like this?’

And it’s not just passing out—my entire energy system overheats, leaving me unable to move properly for a while.

“Sigh.”

As I let out a deep sigh at this unexpected drawback, Berald crosses his arms and speaks with a stern expression.

“No wonder you’ve been holed up in the Training Grounds day and night lately… Didn’t I tell you earlier that overtraining ruins your body, bro?”

“Ugh.”

Well, it’s not exactly overtraining—it’s more like a flaw inherent in the Ash Fire itself.

But it’s true that overusing ‘Ash Fire’ led to this state.

“Dale, does anything else hurt?”

“I’m fine for now.”

My head still feels hot, like I have a fever, but it’s much better compared to the excruciating pain I felt when I first woke up.

“Let me check your forehead.”

Yuren pushes my hair back and presses his forehead against mine.

Our faces are so close that our noses almost touch.

His faint breath tickles my cheek.

‘No, please don’t do this.’

If you keep this up, I might… fall for a blonde pretty boy?

‘Ah, no!’

Anything but the golden sun corruption ending…!

“Dale?”

Yuren frowns as he watches me writhe, clutching my head.

“You’re still in pain, huh. You have a high fever too.”

Yuren grabs my shoulders and forces me back onto the bed.

“Just lie down quietly today.”

“Ugh. Got it.”

It’s not like I can do much in this state anyway.

“Hmm. Bro, your clothes are soaked with sweat.”

“Ah, right.”

I noticed my body felt damp earlier—my training clothes are drenched in sweat.

“Let’s get you changed first! I’ll help!”

“Huh? Hey, hey! W-wait! Stop, you idiot!”

I try to push Berald away, but I have no strength left.

“Hehe. What’s the big deal? We’re both guys, right?”

Berald grabs my clothes and starts stripping them off.

Including the bottom.

“Whoa!”

Yuren’s eyes widen in shock.

“Yuren bro. Can you grab the patient gown over there?”

“W-wow, it’s huge…”

“Bro?”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“The patient gown, the patient gown.”

“O-oh!”

Yuren quickly runs to grab the gown.

Berald pins me down with brute force and signals to Yuren.

“I’ll hold him down, so you help him put it on.”

“M-me?”

“Ugh! S-stop! I’ll do it myself, please!”

“Hahaha. Just stay still, bro.”

“Ugh!”

Why is this guy so strong?!

“O-okay… I’ll help.”

Yuren blushes as he helps me into the gown.

I bite my lip and close my eyes tightly.

‘Damn it.’

I won’t forget this humiliation, Berald…!

“Let’s see, now that you’re changed…”

Berald looks around, scanning the room.

I glare at him with sharp eyes.

“What now?”

“Bro. Aren’t you a bit hungry?”

“Hmm… now that you mention it, I am.”

I haven’t been eating well lately due to training, so I’m pretty hungry.

“Hehe. I can’t just sit by while my bro is hungry! I’ll make you a meal myself!”

“Can’t we just get the patient food from the Treatment Center?”

“Tsk! What are you talking about, bro? Rumor has it the patient food here is worse than dog food! I can’t let you eat that!”

“I thought it was okay when I tried it before…”

“Hehe. Enough of that. Just stay put. I’ll make you the special nourishing dish passed down in the ‘Ryu’ family!”

Berald grins confidently and thumps his chest.

“Just wait a bit!”

Berald runs out of the treatment room with loud footsteps.

About 30 minutes later.

As I lie in bed, eating fruit Yuren peeled for me, a pungent smell wafts into my nose.

‘What’s that smell?’

I frown at the sharp odor.

Bam!

“Hahaha! Bro! Dinner’s ready!”

Berald, wearing a pink apron (which looks painfully ridiculous), enters the room carrying a pot the size of a washbasin.

“…What’s that?”

“The nourishing dish I mentioned earlier!”

Berald grins and places the pot on the bedside table.

“Take a look!”

When he opens the lid, I see a bubbling red liquid that looks like lava scooped from hell.

“Wait.”

The color is off.

“What the hell did you put in there?”

“Hoho. Don’t be shocked.”

Berald puffs out his chest proudly.

“It’s kimchi stew with green chili peppers, ginseng, ginger, jujube, cinnamon, onion, garlic, and a ton of chili oil—the special ‘Ryu’ family kimchi stew!”

“Hey, you crazy bastard.”

What the hell are you trying to feed someone who’s already overheating?

“Hahaha! You fight fire with fire! Haven’t you heard of ‘fighting poison with poison’?”

“That’s ‘fighting fire with fire.'”

Right.

Even if I give you the benefit of the doubt about the kimchi stew.

How the hell am I supposed to eat a washbasin-sized pot filled to the brim with ingredients (green chili peppers, ginseng, ginger, etc.)?

‘And there’s no meat in the kimchi stew?’

Has this guy lost his identity as a citizen of the Republic?

According to some law in the Republic, making kimchi stew without any meat is a capital offense.

“Come on! Just try it!”

“No way, man!”

My entire energy system is already overheated, and my body is burning up—I don’t want to eat this abomination that would make even a demon cry and run away.

“Hmm. If you’re that against it, I guess I have no choice.”

Berald crosses his arms and nods.

Just when I thought this guy might be reasonable.

“Yuren bro!”

“Huh?”

“Hold him down tight so he can’t move!”

“Well… but he really doesn’t want to eat it…”

Yuren hesitates, glancing at me.

“This is all for bro’s quick recovery! Do you want Dale bro to stay in the treatment room forever?”

“Well…”

“If you help, I’ll send you the photos from last year when we took that supplementary class together.”

“Huh? R-really? What photos?”

“Hehe. The ones I secretly took of you dozing off during class.”

Photos of Dale sleeping!

Yuren’s eyes light up with excitement as he grabs me tightly.

“Sorry, Dale.”

“W-wait! No! Ahh!”

“Just stay still, bro.”

Berald shoves a spoonful of the bubbling kimchi stew (no meat) into my mouth.

“Ugh! Our base… is in the northern mountains…!”

“Hahaha! Good medicine is always bitter!”

Berald laughs heartily as he watches me struggle.