At least I didn’t have to wrap a bandage around my head.

Thanks to the doctor, I woke up to a surprisingly refreshing morning.

I never did figure out why he showed up at my place...
But there’s no need to sweat the small stuff.
Just enjoy the present—if you can.

I inserted the needle into my arm.
At this point, there were so many needle marks on my arm, it was starting to get scary.
I don’t think syringes were designed for this much use on a human body.

Before fear could fully take hold, I administered the medication.

[8 hours 32 minutes]

Of course, once the meds kicked in, all those trivial worries melted away.
I only felt a bit dazed.

“I’m hungry.”

I muttered to myself, staring blankly into the air.

It had been a while since I last ate.
That’s the one downside of the meds.

They made me forget hunger, so I often missed meals.

I guess it’s a little late, but it’s time to eat.

I could cook something with the food I had in the house.

Han Si-Hoo was probably enjoying a nice academy breakfast by now.
The doctor was likely dining at some fancy restaurant—he had the money for it.
And...

There wasn’t really anyone left for Yoo Seo-Ah to compare herself to.
Listing all the characters from the novel would be endless, but one thing was for sure:
Hardly anyone was living as pitifully as I was when it came to meals.

“Nothing left, huh.”

I had stashed some snacks on the shelf, but they were long gone.
I had even eaten the expired ones.

There’s no refrigerator here.
No rice cooker either.
No way I could cook anything.

Ironically, the protagonist, who’s always out and about, has a fully equipped kitchen in his dorm room.
He even has a fridge.

And here I am.
Always cooped up at home, yet I don’t have a single cooking appliance.
No ingredients either.

Is it my fault for being poor?

“Oh, found something.”

I spotted a can of tuna tucked away on the shelf.
Guess I’ll be eating this today.

I opened the can and scooped some out with a spoon.

Sure, I could go out and buy something to eat with the money Han Si-Hoo gave me,
but honestly, I didn’t feel like it.
Going out would make the meds wear off faster.

“I’m not some stray cat, eating just a can of tuna...”

I was still hungry.
If my hunger could be satisfied with just one can, I wouldn’t have felt hungry in the first place.

Should I go out after all?

Withdraw the money from my account, go to a convenience store or a supermarket to buy groceries...
It sounded exhausting.

I’ve never really liked going out.
Maybe Yoo Seo-Ah used to enjoy outdoor activities, but I’d rather just stay in my room these days.
Staying still feels more satisfying.

[8 hours 1 minute]

I could go out since I still had meds, but something about going out like this didn’t sit right.
I hadn’t even washed up since getting home.

If only Han Si-Hoo had given me some money for transportation, I might’ve stopped by the store on my way back.
This is all the protagonist’s fault.

Seriously, just because his childhood friend pushed him away, he had to get all pissy.
He could’ve acted like a tsundere heroine or something.
Of course, Yoo Seo-Ah’s personality was far from being a tsundere.
I’m sure Han Si-Hoo knew that.

“There’s not much medicine left, either.”

I only had enough for three or four more doses.
Not that I was worried.
The doctor said he’d come by soon, so I could get more meds then.

I decided to get ready to go out and buy something to eat.
I couldn’t starve to death, after all.

It felt like I was going to die, not from starvation, but from something else.
I was curled up on the side of the road.

The problem started when I decided to take a look at the academy students.
I hadn’t expected to see them so close to the slums.
There weren’t many people around either.

A male and a female student, both wearing academy uniforms, were walking toward me from the other side.

They were probably heading somewhere to complete an academy assignment.
Judging by their weapons, they were likely off to hunt monsters.

Come to think of it, I had heard that a dungeon had appeared nearby. Maybe that’s what they were after?

I slowed my pace to watch them, but the bulky male student suddenly changed direction, walking toward me.
Startled, I tried to slip away, but it was too late.

“Hey.”

“Huh? Me?”

He was talking to me.

“Yeah, you. You really thought we wouldn’t notice you sneaking looks at us?”

His tone was intimidating.

“Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb.”

Thud.

“Ugh!”

A dull thud was followed by a sharp pain in my abdomen.
Did he just punch me?

The tuna I ate for breakfast felt like it was about to come back up.

Even though I had taken meds, the pain was excruciating.
My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the ground.

“Ugh...”

I gasped for breath.
I almost died.
What kind of person punches someone without warning?
Is this really a country with laws?

“Wait, was that an actual person?”

He had the audacity to say that after hitting me.

“Ethan! What the hell are you doing?”

The girl in the academy uniform rushed over as well.

“They told us to watch out for spies! Didn’t you say there’d be some around?”

“That doesn’t mean you go around hitting random people! You should’ve checked first!”

“Yeah, but I didn’t hit them that hard. They’ll be fine.”

I heard the girl scolding him, while the guy’s voice wavered.

“A civilian...!”

“Who told us to watch out for human-looking spies?”

While they bickered, I tried to get back up from the ground.
The pain wouldn’t subside.

“Are you okay?”

“...Haha.”

[4 hours 32 minutes]

The impact had drained a significant amount of time.

[4 hours 27 minutes]

And the time was still ticking down quickly.
There was no way I was okay.
Did I look okay?

“Hey, I asked if you were—”

“Ethan, shut up for a second.”

Something was wrong.
I wasn’t feeling good anymore.
I wasn’t happy.

Still, I had planned for situations like this.
That’s why I carried emergency meds.
If I just reached into my pocket like this—

“Oh... I didn’t bring any pills.”

“What?”

Lying on the ground, I fumbled in my pocket but found nothing.

It hadn’t even been that long since I left the house, and I was already in a life-threatening situation.
This is why I hate going out.

“Hehe, haha.”

I laughed because of how pathetic I must’ve looked.
How did things get so bad?
I still didn’t know why I got punched.
This is why I hate going outside.

“Celia, I think this person’s lost it.”

“This is all your fault! What are we going to do?”

“I mean...”

In the end, I couldn’t get up.
But at least I learned their names:
The girl was Celia, and the guy was Ethan.

They were characters from the novel.

But so what?
That didn’t mean anything.

I decided to just stay on the ground.

It felt like I had been thrown from my bed into a freezing lake.
I wanted to get back to my bed, but that wasn’t possible.
I needed the pills.
At least I could still think because I had some meds left in my system.

[3 hours 43 minutes]

But even that time was quickly running out.

“What should we do? Should we call an ambulance?”

“Just leave them. They look like they’re from the slums anyway.”

“What? You can’t just say—”

The girl’s words were interrupted by a new voice cutting into the conversation.

“That’s enough.”

It was a familiar voice.

“Who are you?”

“I’m this girl’s guardian. As for you academy students committing assault... well. I’ll let it slide this time. Now be on your way. I’ll handle this.”

The doctor boldly claimed to be my guardian.

“Oh... yes, sorry. Ethan, apologize.”

“S-sorry.”

Celia and Ethan quickly apologized and left.
They seemed relieved to dump the problem on someone else.
Now, it was just me and the doctor left on the street.

“...Why are you here?”

Had he been following me?
In situations like this, it’s usually the protagonist who shows up to save the day, but instead, it was the doctor.

“I was heading to your house, Yoo Seo-Ah. Didn’t I say I’d be stopping by soon? I didn’t expect to find you collapsed on the ground, though.”

“Then... if you have some medicine, could you give me one?”

“Here.”

The doctor pulled a pill from his bag and handed it to me.
I swallowed it as soon as I got it down my throat.
Slowly, I started to feel better.
It was like I hadn’t been punched at all.

“It’s probably because it’s academy graduation season. Students are desperate to score well on their tests.”

The doctor explained.

“Haha...”

Well, that makes sense.
When Yoo Seo-Ah died, it was around the time Han Si-Hoo was promoted to high school.
They must be taking their middle school graduation exams now.

“Can you stand?”

“Yes.”

I stood up.
Thanks to the meds, I felt a little better, though my stomach was still unsettled.

“Getting hit by a punch laced with mana... Yes, I’d say you could probably file a report with the academy for some compensation.”

“Compensation?”

“Though I wouldn’t recommend it. As a resident of the slums, your complaint would likely be ignored.”

“Ah...”

The gap between rich and poor, the invisible class system.
It’s an unfair world.
Some people are on the verge of death without their meds, while others can use violence freely.

“Well, for now, let’s head back to your place, Yoo Seo-Ah. I picked up some food from that store on the way, so we can eat together.”

“Wow.”

The doctor had never been this kind before.
It was odd, but if he was offering food, maybe he was a good person after all.

“And you’ll be seeing more academy students like those two soon enough.”

“Huh?”

“I figured you’d want revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“Yes. Don’t you feel any anger? You got punched for no reason.”

I wasn’t angry?
Honestly, I didn’t care that much.
Besides, I was in a good mood now because of the meds.

Well, thinking about getting punched in the stomach... I guess I was a little angry.
The meds wore off quicker because of it.

[3 hours 56 minutes]

Even though the doctor gave me something to recover, losing so much time wasn’t ideal.
Thinking about it made me a bit mad.

“Even if I wanted revenge... I don’t have any power. I’m not an awakened being, I’m just...”

“If it’s power you want, I can give it to you.”

“What?”

“There are meds that can give you the strength of an awakened. The only downside is the high addiction risk, but with your self-control, I’m sure you’ll manage.”

“Meds like that exist?”

A drug that could grant the strength of an awakened.
I’d definitely want to try it.
I was curious what it would feel like to be as powerful as Han Si-Hoo.

“I’ll give you some soon. Maybe you’ll even gain enough strength to rival Han Si-Hoo himself. Everyone will see how incredible you really are.”

“Wow.”

I didn’t fully understand what he meant, but it sounded exciting.