Kael rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms, testing his body to see how it felt. It was better than he expected.
The stiffness was gone. The dull ache that had clung to him before had completely disappeared. Even when he twisted his waist and flexed his fingers, there was no lingering pain or discomfort.
He let out a quiet breath and glanced at Ezra. "I feel great. Everything’s gone. Not even a scar left."
Ezra smiled at that, a small, satisfied curve of her lips. Her eyes drifted over him for a moment before she spoke. "That’s good to hear. Can’t have this good physique of yours getting ruined, can we?"
Kael rolled his eyes, though there was no real annoyance behind it.
"So you’re a healer," he said, shifting the conversation. "I knew you awakened last year, but I didn’t know it was the legendary healer class."
He wasn’t exaggerating. Healers were rare, the kind of rare that could completely change a team’s value. Even a low-tier healer could match recovery potions in effectiveness, sometimes even surpass them since they could keep healing as long as they had mana. That alone made them worth more than most combat classes.
And higher-level healers were on a completely different scale. There were stories about them restoring limbs in seconds. Kael didn’t know how true those stories were, but after everything he had seen, he wasn’t foolish enough to dismiss them outright.
Ezra didn’t answer immediately.
Something in her expression shifted, subtle but noticeable. The ease she carried a moment ago faded, replaced by something tighter. She took a small step back, as if creating distance.
"I’d rather not talk about it." she said quietly.
Before Kael could respond, she turned toward the door. "I’ll get going."
And just like that, she left.
The door closed behind her, leaving the room strangely quiet.
Kael stared at it for a moment, his brows slowly pulling together. "Was she just shy?"
He shook his head almost immediately. That didn’t make sense. The same girl who had been openly staring at and casually touching his bare chest earlier suddenly acting shy? No way.
Still, that last look on her face... it really did look like she had been shy.
He exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck. A sudden shift like that wasn’t normal. The only explanation that came to mind sounded ridiculous, but it lingered anyway.
"Split personality?" he muttered under his breath.
He clicked his tongue and dismissed the thought. It didn’t feel worth digging into right now.
He turned and made his way to the mirror across the room. It had been covered by his setup before, but now it was out in the open. There was some dust particles clinging to the surface dulling it a bit, but it didn’t matter, it still reflected well enough.
Kael stopped in front of it and flexed slightly, watching how his muscles moved.
A grin spread across his face before he could stop it. "Damn... I’m almost perfect."
He turned slightly, checking himself from another angle. His build wasn’t bulky, just lean and refined, with solid muscle and barely any body fat. Days of intense training, along with the stat boosts from leveling up, had sharpened his physique until it looked almost sculpted.
He ran a hand through his rough brown hair, pushing it back as he studied his reflection. "All I need now is a proper haircut... as long as it’s not one of those mid Chapters Manhwa MC haircuts, I’m good."
His gaze then drifted downward for a second, and his grin widened without restraint. "Yeah... definitely well endowed too."
He stood there a bit longer than necessary, clearly enjoying the moment, before another thought slipped in. The recent rewards, the money, the steady progress he had been making... it all added up in his head in a way that only made his smile grow.
"Good looks, good build, and getting rich," he murmured. "I’m basically the prize."
It was no wonder Ezra had been staring earlier.
The moment that thought settled, his expression stiffened. A faint flush crept up his neck as he looked away from the mirror.
"Alright, that’s too far," he muttered. "She’s your sister’s friend."
He shook his head and stepped back, about to move away when the door suddenly slammed open.
Kael reacted on instinct, grabbing the nearest cloth and covering himself as he turned sharply. "For God’s sake, do you not know how to knock?"
Ezra stood at the doorway, her face noticeably red, her gaze lowered.
"Sorry," she said quickly. "I just came to tell you... you should go check the hospital. I think something’s wrong."
Kael blinked. "What do you—"
But she was already turning away.
The door shut again, and her footsteps faded almost immediately.
Kael remained where he was, staring at the closed door before letting out a slow breath. "Yeah... she definitely has some kind of split personality."
There was no better explanation, at least not one he could come up with right now.
His expression gradually turned serious as her words settled in.
Something wrong at the hospital.
His first thought was money. It had always been tight, and Lyra had been carrying most of the burden alone. Hospital bills could easily become a problem.
But that didn’t quite add up. If it was just about finances, Ezra would have said so directly.
Which meant it had to be something else.
Kael frowned slightly, trying to piece it together, but nothing came to mind.
After a moment, he exhaled. "Guess I’ll find out when I get there."
He took a quick shower, changed, and headed out not long after.
The hospital was about twenty minutes east, a route he knew well enough that he didn’t need to think about it. By the time the transit came to a stop, his attention had already shifted forward.
The building stood out immediately, large and clean, almost too polished compared to everything around it. It dominated the district’s skyline in a quiet way that made its importance obvious.
It made sense. The place was funded by the Hunter Association.
Kael stepped down and walked toward the entrance without hesitation. Inside, the lobby looked exactly as expected. Bright lights, clean floors, clear signs, and a steady flow of people moving through. Some sat near the reception area, waiting to be called, while others spoke quietly among themselves.
He didn’t stop.
He already knew where he was going.
The fifth floor.
His mother’s ward.
He moved straight to the elevator and stepped in. As the doors closed and the lift began to rise, his thoughts drifted, pulled toward something he hadn’t really allowed himself to think about properly.
His mother.
Their relationship had never been distant. If anything, it had always been close. Their father had been gone before either of them could remember, so it had always just been the three of them growing up.
Which was why the question felt uncomfortable.
Why hadn’t he reacted the way he should have?
Why hadn’t he been there more?
The answer came easily, and that only made it worse.
Lyra.
She had been there the whole time, taking on everything without complaint. Without even making it obvious. She had carried the weight so quietly that he hadn’t felt it himself.
It was like being shielded from something you should have faced.
Kael’s jaw tightened slightly.
If Lyra had been the one holding everything together, then who had been there for her?
The thought pressed down on him, and his chest tightened. He had been a terrible son and en even worse brother.
But before he could dwell on it any further, the elevator came to a stop with a soft chime.
The doors opened.
Kael stepped out into the quiet hallway, his focus returning as he moved forward. His mother’s ward was just around the left turn of the L-shaped corridor.
He walked toward it, steady and purposeful.
But just as he was about to turn, a familiar voice reached him from down the hall.
It was Lyra.