"Ugh... My head..."
Lily opened her eyes, clutching her head as she looked around.
Next to her was Kanna, sleeping peacefully.
"...Huh, how long was I out?"
"Almost 3 hours. That guy hit you pretty hard on the head."
"Oh, it's Kai—oh my god, why did you suddenly change your outfit and become way more handsome??"
"What do you mean?"
Kai walked over, pulled out an iron shield, and started punching it hard, gradually denting and reshaping it.
"...What are you doing?"
"Cooking."
He then took some strange monsters he'd killed, extracted their magic cores, and focused them into one spot.
Next, he used the War God's belt as a strap to tie the now-deformed shield into a pot.
He lightly struck his sword against his gauntlet to create sparks. The sparks fell onto the monster core, and before even a second passed, Kai slammed his sword down on the core.
Mana burst out from inside, coming into contact with the sparks and turning into a fierce flame.
Immediately, he stabbed the sword into the ground, tied it together with the belt and pot, and tossed the monster meat into the pot.
"...Where did you learn that trick?"
"Just figured it out."
She raised an eyebrow at Kai, who had suddenly become way more mature than usual.
"Do you have anything to hold it in?" Kai looked at Lily.
"Hold it? Oh, you mean a bowl? No."
"...In that case..."
He then used his bare hand like a bowl, scooping the food into it.
"?!!"
Kai's hand started burning, but his expression didn't show the slightest bit of concern. He walked over to Lily and held it out to her.
"Here, eat slowly so you don't burn your mouth."
"..."
THIS GUY DEFINITELY HAS A PROBLEM!
Who offers food to a doctor like this?! Does he think being a doctor is a joke??
"Did you get hit on the head or something??"
"What are you talking about, Lily? Just eat."
"WHY ARE YOU SUDDENLY ACTING LIKE YOU'RE TAKING CARE OF ME??"
Kai tilted his head to the side, as if Lily's words were completely incomprehensible to him.
"Isn't that obvious? As the big brother of you and Kanna, I have to take care of both of you, right?"
...Huh?
Lily's eyes widened in confusion, as if she'd just heard something that left her utterly speechless.
This guy is over ten years younger than me, and he's calling himself my big brother? Did he really get hit on the head?
"...Give me a second, Kai."
She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a stone.
A Check Stone—an item that checks the attributes of living beings.
Unlike the ones at school, hers was specialized for more detailed medical health checks.
"Kai, pour the food out for a bit. I need you to channel mana—"
"Lily."
She stopped and looked into Kai's serious eyes.
"Don't be a picky eater."
"...But that food isn't even clean—"
"Clean or not, we'll worry about that later. I don't want to see you hungry, especially when I'm right here."
"..."
He's kinda scary when he acts like this...
Reluctantly, she set the stone aside and looked at Kai's hand holding the food.
No need to say it—I know for sure that eating this will come with a free combo of stomachache, food poisoning, or something worse. I'm a doctor, after all.
Still, she hesitantly opened her mouth so Kai could pour it in.
"Kuh! Blegh! Ugh!!"
"Lily, take it slow. Calm down and swallow..."
"It tastes absolutely horrible!"
"Sorry. Next time, big brother will make it up to you with something tastier."
"You promise... Wait, why am I starting to act like your little sister??"
Furious, she grabbed Kai's hand and placed it on her Check Stone.
"Channel mana into it!"
Kai did as told, and a bunch of information immediately appeared.
[Name]: Kai
[Age]: 15
[Stats]:
Strength: 4
Energy (Mana): 0.5
Intelligence: 4
Spirit: -15
[Status]: Delusional. He is treating people he knows as his younger siblings.
[Treatment]: Unknown. His spirit stat has dropped to negative levels—it's unclear why he hasn't committed suicide yet, as no normal person could endure a spirit stat this low.
[Additional Info]: In this state, he may protect you with his life, though his behavior will be far from normal.
"..."
The Check Stone has never given this much information before. This is the first time I've seen it describe someone's condition so clearly and in detail.
"How is it?" Kai asked.
"...Ugh, once we get out of here, I'll treat you."
Seeing Lily sigh so exhaustedly, Kai reached out and gently patted her head.
"Don't push yourself too hard, okay? You're still young—enjoy the things you like." He smiled softly.
...It would be nicer if his hand didn't smell like monster meat!
Then she went over to check on Kanna. Thankfully, her physical condition was perfectly fine.
"So, where are the two guys who attacked us?" She looked at Kai.
"Dead."
"...Did you kill them?"
"One of them I did. The other one, I don't know."
'...I'm pretty surprised. He's not even that strong normally. Is it because of his Gear?'
Suddenly, Kai stood up, his eyes going blank as he stared into a dark corner.
"W-What's wrong?"
She looked in that direction too, suddenly hearing rapid footsteps coming from there.
Kai drew his sword, causing the pot to spill, then re-equipped the War God's belt and got into a fighting stance.
Gradually, they appeared.
No surprise—they were the same pack of monsters that had chased Kai's group before he and Kanna got separated.
"They're here already?"
They had incredible adaptability; whenever one took damage from a certain attack, the whole pack would learn to counter it.
Extremely annoying.
"Lily, take Kanna and fall back. I'll hold them off."
"You really think you can fight those monsters?"
"Yeah. Go."
Kai spun his sword, and three needles shot out from it.
He punched the needles hard, sending them flying straight into the monsters.
All three needles hit their marks—three monsters dropped dead instantly.
Three critical strikes that pierced straight through their souls, and the entire pack froze.
While they were adapting to the attack, Kai charged forward at blinding speed.
"...Whoa, he's buffed that much?" Lily watched Kai slaughtering the monsters like a madman.
He was just like a Berserker.
***
"..."
Aura looked at the unrecognizable corpse, then scanned the surroundings.
"There was a fight here."
She followed the blood trails.
"If I'm not mistaken... There were 4 or 5 people here, and chances are high that 4 are still alive... Or not."
Then, she sped off at high velocity.
Let me know if you'd like me to refine any parts, make it more natural, or continue the story!