Atlas and Ken helped Jelo to the clinic, each supporting one of his sides as they moved through the corridors. Jelo's legs felt weak, his entire body throbbing with pain. Every step sent jolts through his broken ribs, and he had to grit his teeth just to keep from groaning out loud.
When they finally reached the clinic, the head nurse looked up immediately from her desk. She was a woman in her late thirties, with soft brown eyes that held a certain warmth despite the tiredness around them. Her dark hair was pulled back into a loose bun, a few strands escaping to frame her face.
She wore the standard white uniform with a name tag that read "Nurse Caldwell." There was something gentle about her presence.
But even she paused when she saw Jelo's face.
"What happened?" she asked, concern immediately flooding her voice as she stood up and moved toward them.
"Class 2…," Ken wanted to say, but Jelo cut in
"Injury at class" he said.
Nurse Caldwell's expression darkened with worry, and she shook her head slowly. "Come, bring him over here," she said softly, motioning toward one of the beds lined against the wall.
Atlas and Ken guided Jelo over and helped him sit down on the bed. The moment his weight settled onto the mattress, Jelo winced. Even something as simple as sitting down hurt.
"Easy now, lie back," Nurse Caldwell said gently, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Jelo obeyed, slowly lowering himself onto the bed. The ceiling above him was white and sterile, and the bright lights made his head ache even more.
Nurse Caldwell leaned over him, examining his face with careful, tender movements. She checked his nose first, then his ribs, pressing gently. Jelo hissed in pain, and she immediately pulled back slightly, her expression apologetic.
"Broken nose, at least two broken ribs," she murmured to herself, her voice filled with sympathy. "You poor thing. You're lucky it's not worse."
Jelo didn't feel lucky.
She stepped away for a moment, disappearing into a back room. When she returned, she was holding a small tray with a few pills and a glass of water.
"Take these, dear," she said, handing them to him with a reassuring smile. "They'll help with the pain."
Jelo took the pills without asking what they were and swallowed them down with the water. The taste was bitter, but he didn't care. Within moments, he felt the pain begin to numb. It didn't go away completely, but it dulled enough that he could finally breathe without feeling like his chest was being crushed.
He let out a long, slow breath and closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them again, he noticed something else. The bleeding from his nose had stopped. He reached up carefully and touched his face. The blood was still there, dried and crusty, but it wasn't flowing anymore.
"Does the drug work for fast healing?" Jelo asked, his voice still hoarse.
Nurse Caldwell shook her head as she began cleaning the blood off his face with a damp cloth, her touch gentle and careful. "No, sweetheart, only for fast pain relief."
Jelo frowned. If the drug didn't stop the bleeding, then what did?
His mind immediately went to the system, it must have given him some sort of healing ability.
He reasoned that based on how long it had taken, the system's healing must be slow. Not fast enough to fix broken bones in minutes, but fast enough to stop bleeding and close minor wounds quicker than usual.
Still, slow healing was better than no healing. And Jelo found some comfort in knowing he had some sort of regenerative ability, even if it wasn't impressive yet. It was something. Another advantage the system had given him.
As Nurse Caldwell continued to treat him, cleaning his wounds with patient care, wrapping his ribs with bandages, checking his vitals with gentle hands, Ken and Atlas stood nearby, watching with worried, concerned eyes.
Jelo glanced over at them and felt something shift in his chest. It was a strange feeling, one he wasn't used to. They'd only known each other for a few hours, maybe less, and yet here they were, genuinely concerned about him. Atlas had run through the entire academy trying to find him. Ken had offered to use his family's influence to protect him.
It made Jelo feel… something. He wasn't sure what to call it. Gratitude, maybe. Or disbelief. He'd spent so long being alone, being the weak one that no one cared about, that having people actually worry about him felt almost unreal.
He wasn't used to this.
But even as he felt that small flicker of warmth, another thought nagged at him.
Why did Ken care?
He could understand Atlas. Atlas was weak too, just like him. They were equals in that sense, and maybe that made them natural allies. Atlas probably saw Jelo as someone who understood what it was like to be at the bottom. A friend, or at least someone close to it.
But Ken?
Ken was different. Ken was strong. Ken was from a powerful family. Ken had no reason to care about someone like Jelo. And yet, he did. He'd come running to help. He'd offered to stand up for him. He'd even said that Jelo shouldn't have to hide.
It didn't make sense.
Jelo didn't understand why someone like Ken would bother with someone like him. What did Ken gain from it? Was it pity? Some kind of hero complex?
Jelo didn't know. And that uncertainty gnawed at him.
The sound of the door opening and closing suddenly broke into his thoughts.
Jelo turned his head slightly, wincing at the movement, and saw Mira enter the clinic. She was holding a small tablet in her hands, her expression focused as she approached Nurse Caldwell.
"Nurse Caldwell, I have a message for you from…." Mira started, but then she stopped mid-sentence.
Her eyes had landed on Jelo.
She blinked, clearly surprised. "Jelo?" she said, her voice filled with confusion. She took a few steps closer, her gaze sweeping over his bandaged face and bruised body. "What happened to you? How did you get an injury so fast?"