They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System

Chapter 565: It Can't Wait! The sound echoed in the grand room. She froze, mortified. She had just thrown a tantrum like a child.

"Fine, fine, I'm the silly one," Carl rasped, his lips twitching into the faintest smile. “But seriously... get over here and helpup." Nnenna blinked, frowning. Help him up? Her heart lurched. "What's going on?” she asked, worry spiking as she jogged to his side.

"I'm sick, silly girl," Carl replied with a short laugh, only to immediately wince and clutch his side.

Nnenna's chest tightened. "It's this serious? You should lie back down, don't sit up," she scolded, already guiding him back against the pillows with more strength than her slim arms seemed to have.

"I can sit up, don't worry-" "I'm not asking," Nnenna cut in sharply, pressing his shoulder down with surprising authority. She tucked the blankets around him like a stubborn nurse. "You'll rest properly." Carl huffed, both amused and a little touched.

"What happened?" she demanded, eyes darting to the door. "I'll go ask someone to call a doctor-" "I am a doctor, silly. Or did you forget?" Carl said, his voice dry but warm, even as pain shadowed his features. "And you're a fourth year medical student yourself." Nnenna froze mid step, cheeks heating. "Oh." Carl chuckled again, then immediately hissed in pain. "You've got to stop makinglaugh," he muttered, but there was no bite in his words, only the faintest trace of fondness.

"Sorry," Nnenna murmured, guilt heavy in her chest. Her eyes softened as she leaned closer. "...So? What's the diagnosis?" "It's alright," Carl laughed it off, amused that she hadn't realized he wasn't serious.

But the laugh snapped in half, breaking into a sharp cough. His body jolted, shuddering as if every breath carved pain into his chest. His hand pressed against his ribs, knuckles white.

"Carl!" Nnenna's heart lurched. She bent toward him, but he caught her wrist before she could panic further. "Don't... panic," he said, voice strained yet deliberate. “This isn't new." But Nnenna couldn't ignore what she was seeing. His skin was unnaturally pale, his lips faintly bluish. Beads of cold sweat rolled down his temple despite the room's normal temperature. His breathing wasn't shallow, but uneven, jagged, like his lungs were fighting against something invisible.

Her mind raced. Cyanosis... hypoxia... ssort of toxin? "You're poisoned," she whispered, the words slipping out before she could hold them back.

Carl gave a short, humorless chuckle that ended with another wince. "Smart girl. But you're not quite there yet." Even now, his tone wasn't dismissive, it carried a faint pride, though buried beneath pain. He forced himself to sit straighter, his movements steady despite his trembling hands.

"What is it then?" Nnenna pressed, her voice betraying her fear.

Carl's eyes narrowed as he studied his own condition, like a surgeon examining a patient. His gaze was sharp, detached, but the furrow in his brow betrayed that even he hadn't solved this puzzle.

"Symptoms align with poisoning... but it doesn't match anything I've ever classified. Cyanosis without pulmonary obstruction. Paralysis creeping faster than a neurotoxin, yet not as direct. The pain—” he paused as his hand shook, “—is localized, then migrates. Whatever this is, it mimics known toxins, but doesn't behave like them.” Nnenna's mind worked furiously. Ricin? Botulinum? Tetrodotoxin? None fit perfectly. She bit her lip, frustrated. Carl noticed. "You're sharp, but still rushing the connections,” he murmured, voice softer now. "That's the difference between textbook brilliance and experience in the field. Don't be impatient. You'll get there." Nnenna clenched her fists, torn between pride at his words and terror for his condition. "Then... how do we treat it?" "There isn't a treatment,” Carl admitted calmly, as though he were discussing a difficult case instead of his own failing body. "Not yet. But I've found ways to slow it down. Intervals of deep oxygen therapy, precise hydration control, and a mixture I designed myself." He nodded toward a small vial on the table, filled with a dark amber liquid. "It doesn't cure me. But it keeps tfrom running out... too quickly." His eyes met hers, steady even in weakness. "Remember this, Nnenna. If even I can't nit, then whoever created it meant for it to stay hidden." A chill ran down her spine.

"What do you needto do? I can—" Nnenna started, but before she could finish, a familiar chrang in her head.

"Nnenna." Her stomach dropped. Not now. Not now! she rebuked mentally, though her face didn't give away a thing. "It can't wait," the Love System pressed.

Her jaw clenched. What could possibly be more important than Carl being poisoned? "Remember when we talked about you doing assigned missions aside from your personal ones?" "Yes, I remember,” she answered stiffly in her mind.

"There's a mission you need to take up."

"I don't want any missions now. I'm busy," Nnenna snapped inwardly "How is this more important than Carl's life? I can reject side missions. And I already have plenty of good points, I don't need more right now." "This one isn't a choice. The penalty for refusing is something you can't afford." Her pulse quickened. "What do you mean?" "It's the sas your mission on Arthur."

Her chest tightened. "That one wasn't compulsory. I only accepted because I peeded the points. Don't twist it." A chill suddenly slid down her spine, dread crawling into her gut as a bad feeling took hold.

"Actually, it was compulsory," the Love System replied, its tone flat, unbothered. "I didn't see the point in m explaining because you were too! Ve eager to grab the points. Over the past year, you've already completed most of what was left unfinished back in the hospital. But I suppose | need to explain now, though I doubt you'll need much convincing, plus you don't have a choice." Nnenna's frown deepened. "What's the mission?" she asked, her bad feeling sharpening into dread.

A clear ding! echoed in her head.

The pictures of ssupporting characters (Nnenna's family in Lionara) is officially uploaded! Enjoy!