[Ding! Skill [Beastial Instinct] has ended]
[Side effects will now take place]
"Aaahhhhh!!" Noah's anguished scream echoed through the air as his body began to convulse in agony. He felt his internal organs twisting and churning, as if his very insides were being torn apart. Desperately, he tried to calm his body down, but his efforts were met with miserable failure. His body rebelled, violently expelling mouthfuls of blood as he vomited uncontrollably.
He felt as though he was trapped in an eternal torment, with no escape from the agony that wracked his body. Exhausted and weak, Noah collapsed to the floor, his mind teetering on the brink of unconsciousness.
'S-shit...' Noah mentally cursed, his thoughts growing hazy as his vision began to darken. The pain, which had been a searing fire just moments before, slowly numbed, and Noah's world went black as he slipped into unconsciousness.
...
Beep!
Beep!
Beep!
The steady beeping of the medical device pierced Noah's eardrums, slowly rousing him from his unconscious state. Weakly, he opened his eyes, his vision blurry.
"W-where... am I? Hospital?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to clear his haze.
Before he could gather his bearings, a tiny figure leapt onto his bed, embracing him tightly. "Brother!" Lily exclaimed, tears of relief streaming down her face.
Noah winced, his injuries protesting the sudden jolt. Lily, however, didn't seem to notice, or care, about his condition. "Why do you keep doing these dangerous jobs?" she sobbed, weakly pounding her fists against his chest. "Can't you just resume the academy with me?"
Noah felt a pang of guilt at his sister's words, his heart heavy with the weight of his responsibilities.
"L-Lily, you know I have no other choice," Noah explained, wincing in pain as he tried to reason with his sister. He gently petted her head, attempting to comfort her. "I'm doing these jobs to take care of not only your tuition money but also our house rent and living expenses. If I went back to the academy, it would be an unnecessary drain on our funds..."
Lily's sobbing intensified as she countered, her voice trembling. "You're lying! I know you left because you knew how much I hated you back then... and because you didn't have an ability." Her voice dropped to a whisper, filled with regret. "But I was wrong, Noah. You're the best family I could ever ask for. Please, don't leave me again. I don't care about the money or the academy. I just want you to be safe and with me."
As he listened to his sister's words, Noah's eyes welled up with tears, but he quickly suppressed them, staying strong for both himself and Lily.
"I would never leave you, Lily," he whispered, his voice filled with conviction. "I'll always be by your side, even if you hate me or want to get rid of me. I won't ever leave until my last breath. So, please, don't say things like that again. It makes me feel sad."
He gently stroked Lily's hair as she sobbed, eventually nodding her head slowly before drifting off to sleep in his chest. Noah let her rest, lost in thought as he gazed up at the ceiling.
'What was that Goblin king talking about? Revenge? Why did he think I'm doing this for revenge?' Noah wondered, but he wasn't expecting any answers. He doubted the system would leak such information, but he asked anyway.
"System, what was the Goblin king talking about? Revenge? And what did he mean by 'I'm not strong enough to face the others'?"
[Noah, I have no data or inputted information about what you just asked me. I apologize for being unable to answer your question, but my Creator would surely have an answer to that.]
"As I thought... Well, it can't be helped," Noah sighed softly, careful not to disturb his sleeping sister.
Just then, the door creaked open, and Eva's voice filled the room. "Uh, did I come at a wrong time or?" She hesitated, taking in the sight of Lily sleeping on Noah's chest.
Noah chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Help me lay her on the bed," he said softly.
Eva gently lifted Lily, allowing Noah to slide out from under her. Together, they laid her back on the bed.
Eva's brow furrowed in concern as she turned to Noah. "Are you sure you should be up right now?" She eyed him warily, taking in his exhausted appearance. Although he didn't have any visible injuries, his eyes had dark circles under them, and he looked like he was running on fumes.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little bit tired," Noah replied, removing the IV drip and other equipment attached to his body.
"So, what brings you here, Eva? How did you know I was in the hospital?" Noah asked calmly, leading her outside the room to avoid disturbing Lily.
Eva gave him an obvious stare. "Oh, that? I'm the one who brought you here, silly!"
Noah's face flushed red as he stared at her. "You were the one who...?"
Eva nodded. "I skipped the academy today to go dungeon hunting, and as luck would have it, I found you lying on the floor with everyone staring at you."
Noah raised an eyebrow, eyeing her suspiciously. "Hmm, I have a feeling you skipped the academy because you were busy stalking me."
Eva's face turned bright red as she looked away, embarrassed.
"That... anyway," Eva said, her eyes fluttering with interest. "I didn't mean to intrude on your privacy, but I found out you're attending the same academy as me - same year and class, to be exact. But I heard you suddenly stopped coming."
Noah nodded, recalling his conversation with Lily. "Oh, yeah. I used to attend the academy, but due to some financial issues, I stopped and started working as a hunter..."
Eva's eyes widened, and Noah's eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute, did you go as far as to check my details?"
Eva's face turned bright red as she hastily excused herself. "Ahem! I guess I should get going now. I've taken care of your bill, and anything you need, just ask the nurse, and she'll take care of it!"
With an awkward smile and a wave, Eva dashed towards the elevator. "Oh, yeah! Maya said she'd stop by too!" she called out before the elevator doors closed, leaving Noah alone.
Noah shook his head, chuckling. "Tsk, that girl is just so stubborn and nosy. I guess I do have to thank her, though - she's helped me a ton."
He made his way back to his ward, where Lily was still sleeping peacefully. Noah sat down in a chair beside the window, gazing outside.
[Ding! You have yet to receive your reward from your mission and last hunt.]
Noah's eyes lit up. "Oh? Open now!"
[Ding! You have opened the rewards pack!]