Chapter 53 - 34: Partner (3)

Even though Superpower Users were physically superior to ordinary people, they were still human. If a fever like this was left to rage on, their bodies wouldn’t be able to take it.

Everyone fell silent.

The only thing they could do was hurry back to the city and find a doctor. Until then, there were no other options.

As everyone packed up to leave, Levi Young hesitated before approaching Paige Summers. "I have some topical medicine here, but I don’t know if..."

Seeing her stand up straight, he pulled a small vial of ointment from an inner pocket. "I think it might be useful, but... I’m not sure..."

Paige Summers looked at him intently. His gaze faltered for a moment, but he mustered the courage to meet hers, his eyes holding a silent plea. She took the ointment noncommittally and said lightly, "I’ll take it over."

To be on the safe side, Martin Warren, who had plenty of experience with injuries, decided to test some on a small wound of his own first. Paige Summers scooped up some of the ointment with her fingers, paused for a moment, then applied it for him.

"It feels cool and soothing. Should be fine."

Marcus Monroe inspected the medicine, then glanced at the unconscious Isaiah Langley, whose brow was still tightly furrowed. "Let’s give it a try," he said in a low voice.

With an injured person in tow, their pace was bound to be slower than before. It would be the next morning at the earliest before they reached the camp, and after that, there was still the car ride... The jostling could very well worsen Isaiah Langley’s injuries.

With his approval, Paige Summers selected one of Isaiah Langley’s more severe wounds and applied the ointment.

They didn’t notice much while on the move, but when they stopped to rest at noon, everyone could clearly see that Isaiah Langley’s breathing had become much lighter and his body was no longer so hot. By the time they changed his dressing that evening, his fever had completely broken, and he was sleeping peacefully.

The medicine was surprisingly effective!

During the night watch, Levi Young insisted on keeping Paige Summers company. The two sat on either side of the campfire. She asked softly, "Did you make this medicine yourself, too?"

In the firelight, Levi Young’s face was bright and calm.

It was only then that she noticed he hadn’t even grown a proper beard yet. There was just some soft fuzz on his upper lip. He was still just a boy!

"Yeah. When I was a kid, my dad would get hurt from time to time when he went hunting. He always complained about how expensive medicine was, so he’d refuse to get his less serious injuries treated. A few times, I saw him at night, unable to sleep because of the pain. So I thought, if I understood this stuff and could heal him, he wouldn’t have to suffer so much. But... before I could learn how, he was gone. I just kept learning out of habit, though..."

His soft, nostalgic voice echoed in the silent night forest, like a little hook tugging at the heart, making it ache with a touch of sorrow.

Paige Summers propped her head on her hand, her eyes not on him but on the dense trees in the distance. "I see..."

Levi Young bit his lip and continued, "I once gave some wound medicine to someone. No, not just someone—he was a friend of my dad’s, a man I’d always called ’uncle.’ As it turned out, he took my formula and sold it for a good price. Then he locked me in a room and coaxed me into continuing my research. But he forbade me from going out or seeing anyone... I thought I was going to die of old age in that little room. Luckily, the experience awakened my superpower, and I escaped."

Hearing this, Paige Summers finally turned back to him, her expression unreadable. "Are you telling me that because of what you went through, you didn’t believe I’d come back for you, and that’s why you poisoned me?"

Levi Young mumbled dejectedly, "So you knew."

A smile touched Paige Summers’s lips. ’I was surprised about that, too. I originally thought I was only immune to my own Poisonous Liquid. I never expected that when I was exposed to an external poison powder, I would feel it almost immediately. And without me having to do anything, my body had already started to reject it. In other words, the poison Levi Young used on me had no effect at all.’

’Going back for him wasn’t about picking him up—it was to kill him!’

’But in the end, I didn’t make a move. Because the moment he saw me, he had secretly administered the antidote.’

’Realizing this, Paige Summers’s feelings were anything but simple.’

"Since you knew, why did you let them use my ointment? Weren’t you afraid of getting your friends killed?"

"You were pleading with me, weren’t you? Besides, there was no poison in it."

Levi Young lowered his head. "So you’re an expert in this... I overestimated myself. So, what are you going to do with me?"

Paige Summers didn’t answer, asking instead, "What kind of poison did you use on me?"

Levi Young was taken aback for a moment, then confessed, "It’s one that causes weakness and makes it difficult to walk."

’I believe that,’ she thought, ’because the dose was indeed very small. So his goal was just to make sure I’d take him with me. To be honest, I’m quite interested in the skills he possesses. And using a few tricks for self-preservation... that’s not entirely incomprehensible.’

’Maybe I can keep him under observation?’

’But first, I need to clarify a few things.’

"You must have thought about it. Gordon Howell will most likely try to find you, so you’re not in a good position. However, you’re a Superpower User who knows how to make both medicine and poison. It shouldn’t be hard for you to find someone who can protect you."

"I know."

Paige Summers spread her hands. "Then I’m not the one you should be pledging your loyalty to. You should have been able to tell that I’m just a temporary member of this Hunting Party."

But Levi Young shook his head. "I’m not looking for protection." He frowned, as if searching for the right words. "I’ll get stronger. I don’t need to look up to anyone else. And... the way you look at me is different from them."

’That kind of reason...’ Paige Summers mulled it over for a long moment before she felt she understood what he meant.

’Because of his deep-seated pride, he isn’t looking for a protector, but a partner! He needs someone who will treat him as an equal, not someone who will look down on him.’

She smiled. In that respect, they thought alike.

"Alright then. Let’s give it a try... and see if we can become partners!"