NOVEL NEXT Chapter 176: Strong Body
Imagine someone you had only known for a short while telling you that there was a cure to a disease you were born with.
Would you believe them?
That was the dilemma hammering against Alani's chest.
For years — no, for his entire life, he had lived with the knowledge that his body was frail. He had grown up with the shame of being unable to follow in the footsteps of his family.
All of them had died hunters, but they had died doing what they loved.
And then there was him.
Alani.
The one with weak lungs, brittle bones, and a body that seemed to rebel against itself.
A man who had spent his youth dreaming of hunting the great beasts of the forest, only to wake up each morning knowing he could never even keep up with the simplest trial.
So when Azel sat across from him by the fire and spoke of a solution, Alani's first instinct was disbelief.
His second was anger.
And his third buried under everything was hope.
He clenched his jaw, staring into the young prince's calm eyes.
"And how would you heal me, for example?" Alani asked at last. His voice trembled slightly. Not because he was afraid of Azel, but because part of him feared the answer.
If this was just a cruel joke, he wasn't sure he could handle it.
Azel, however, didn't laugh.
Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small glass vial.
The liquid inside glimmered with a violet sheen, pulsing faintly like it contained a heartbeat of its own.
"Here," Azel said simply. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it toward Alani.
The fisherman fumbled, scrambling like a child to catch it before it shattered.
It bounced once, twice, nearly slipping through his fingers before he clutched it tightly to his chest.
He looked down at it with wide eyes.
"What is this?" he asked.
"It's for your body," Azel said. "If you want to grow strong, you'll need to ta—"
He didn't finish, because Alani had already popped the cork with his teeth and thrown back the contents in one reckless gulp.
The liquid seared down his throat like molten iron, freezing and burning at the same time.
"You should at least listen to me first," Azel muttered with a sigh. He leaned back, as if resigned to watching the show unfold.
Alani dropped the empty vial and clutched his stomach. Heat surged through him, spreading like wildfire in his veins.
His chest heaved violently, air bursting in ragged gasps.
His body convulsed, fighting against the sudden invasion.
It hurt.
It hurt in ways he couldn't describe. His bones groaned, cracking as if being reshaped from within.
His ribs expanded against his chest, each breath dragging agony and relief together. His muscles tightened, then tore, then reformed stronger than before.
He fell to one knee, gasping.
"What… did… you… give me?" he choked out, every word a struggle.
"It's called a Body Reconstruction Potion," Azel explained casually, as though he were describing a new kind of seasoning for fish. "Picked it up from a shop. It was on promo — cheap enough, so I grabbed a few. Thought it might come in handy."
Of course, it was the System shop.
Alani barely heard him.
His vision blurred as another surge of heat exploded in his chest. His second knee buckled, slamming into the dirt. His fingers clawed at the snow, leaving streaks of blood where his nails split.
A guttural growl tore out of his throat.
And then darkness swallowed him whole.
…
He woke to the sound of crackling fire.
The scent of grilled fish drifted through the air, warm and familiar.
His body felt heavy, yet strangely light at the same time. He coughed, rolling onto his side, and blinked against the glow of the flames.
Azel sat nearby, crouched by the fire with a skewer in hand. He looked over as Alani stirred, his lips curling into a faint smile.
"Welcome back to the world of the living," Azel said. He held out a stick with a steaming fish skewered through it. "Hungry?"
Alani's stomach growled loudly in response. He grabbed the fish and bit into it hungrily, savoring the smoky flavor.
Only after a few bites did he notice something strange.
His hand.
It wasn't the hand he remembered.
His fingers were thicker and steadier.
The veins on the back of his hand stood out, not weak and shallow but pulsing with life. He flexed them, and the strength behind the motion startled him.
His eyes dropped lower. His legs… they weren't the same either.
They were solid, steady, carved with lean muscle where there had once been fragile bone.
He inhaled sharply.
For the first time in his life, his chest filled easily, deeply.
There was no rasp or wheeze… the air was just refreshing.
Slowly, he rose to his feet. Snow crunched beneath his boots, and the world seemed different from this height.
He had grown taller.
He turned toward Azel, eyes wide with disbelief.
The young prince didn't say anything at first, just leaned back on one hand and chewed his own fish skewer.
"Try and get used to your new body," Azel said finally. "It'll take some time."
Alani didn't know what came over him.
Before he could stop himself, he crossed the fire in two quick strides and threw his arms around Azel in a crushing embrace.
"Oi! Don't hug too tight — you've got a wife, man!" Azel barked, though there was laughter in his voice.
Realizing what he was doing, Alani stumbled back, his face red. He dropped to one knee, bowing his head deeply.
"My Prince," he said, voice raw but steady. "Even if I must follow you to the ends of time, please… give me the honor of dedicating myself to you."
The words spilled out, he hadn't planned them, but it was truer than anything he had ever spoken.
Azel studied him for a moment, then reached out and patted his shoulder. His expression softened.
"Well," he said, "how about we make some more fish and go home to your wife?"
Alani let out a laugh, half-choked, half-joyful. He wiped at his eyes before the tears could fall, then nodded.
"Yes, my prince."