Chapter 108: Gift

Kyle looked at the young woman, and it would have been a lie to say that he wasn’t stunned by her beauty.

For several moments, he simply stared at her, momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to say something. Her delicate features, fair complexion, and those unusual black eyes with pale pupils made her appearance almost otherworldly. She possessed a different kind of beauty from Lira, whose appearance he had grown accustomed to, yet the two were on par in his eyes.

If Lira’s beauty belonged to the world he knew, this woman possessed the charm of someone who had stepped straight out of a cultivation manhua.

’She... she saved me in the middle of the night?’

Kyle found it difficult to believe. Such a beautiful woman had ventured near a dangerous forest at night and gone out of her way to save a complete stranger like him.

He couldn’t help wondering what kind of person she was. More importantly, how the hell had he gotten so lucky?

"Thank you for saving me, kind lady."

Realizing that he had been staring for far too long, Kyle quickly composed himself and performed another respectful kowtow, carefully avoiding any movements that might aggravate his wounds.

’I swear to God, I’m going to win her over!’

His gaze flickered toward the woman before he quickly lowered his head again.

’This is my protagonist moment! Thank you for giving me this opportunity, you bastard wolf!’

He couldn’t help feeling that surviving the forest and waking up in front of such a beauty was some kind of divine arrangement. After everything he had endured, surely the heavens owed him a little compensation and if that compensation happened to be a beautiful woman, who was he to refuse?

’I’m not going to waste this opportunity. At the very least, I’ll try to hit on her.’

Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to believe that she would immediately fall for him simply because he wanted her to. He would have to get to know her, build a relationship, and see where things went.

Still, there was no harm in having ambitions.

"There’s no need to be so grateful," the young woman replied.

She raised one of her sleeves to cover the lower half of her face, her voice gentle and composed. Her mannerisms were graceful, and even the smallest movement seemed to carry a certain elegance. However, her sharp eyes remained fixed on Kyle, as though she were quietly assessing the unfamiliar man who had appeared near the forest.

"I merely brought you here. The real work was done by the doctor who worked all night patching up the wounds you had sustained."

"I had just merely watched over you."

Her words were modest, without the slightest hint of boasting.

’Damn. Even her manners are good.’

Kyle had to admit that she was making an excellent first impression.

’Since they’ve saved my life, I should at least give them something in return.’

His thoughts shifted toward the two people standing before him.

He owed them a great deal. The doctor had treated his wounds, while the young woman had apparently found him after he collapsed outside the forest and brought him somewhere safe.

Considering the severity of his injuries, he might easily have died without their help.

If he had been forced to purchase a Medium-Grade Healing Potion to recover from his condition, it would have cost him several thousand System Points. Even then, there was no guarantee that he would have reached safety in time.

Compared to that, giving away a few spoils from his fight with the Bloodfang Wolf seemed like a small price to pay.

"You are too kind," Kyle said sincerely. "You went through so much trouble to save a complete stranger, someone whose name you didn’t even know, and yet you say it was simply what needed to be done."

He straightened his back and opened his System inventory.

A moment later, a large, reddish-brown pelt materialized directly in his hands.

It was the Bloodfang Wolf Pelt he had collected after killing the beast.

Kyle had initially intended to keep his inventory a secret. However, he had assumed that dimensional storage was relatively common in this world, especially among people who possessed some degree of wealth or martial prowess.

Besides, he had already revealed it.

There was little point in pretending otherwise now.

Holding the pelt carefully in both hands, he extended it toward the doctor and the young woman.

"Please accept this as a token of my gratitude. It may not be worth much compared to what you’ve done for me, but I hope you’ll accept my humble gift."

He bowed slightly, presenting the pelt with genuine sincerity.

However, before either of them could respond, he noticed something strange.

Both the elderly doctor and the young woman’s expressions had changed. Their eyes had widened, and they were staring at his hands rather than the pelt itself.

The doctor even took an involuntary step forward, his attention fixed on the spot where the pelt had appeared out of thin air.

"Do you possess a dimensional pocket?"

The elderly man asked the question abruptly, his previous composure giving way to unmistakable surprise.

He moved closer, examining Kyle with renewed interest.

It was clear that he hadn’t expected someone who looked as battered and impoverished as Kyle to possess such an item.

’Dimensional pocket?’

Kyle blinked.

’Is that what they call it here?’

He glanced at the pelt in his hands before looking back at the doctor.

The young woman was equally surprised. She, too, had recognized what she had witnessed. She had seen martial artists produce weapons and other objects from seemingly empty space, and she understood that such abilities were associated with special storage treasures.

Yet seeing one in the possession of this severely injured stranger was unexpected.

’Who exactly is this man?’ she wondered.

Kyle, meanwhile, was busy trying to understand their reaction.

’Dimensional pocket? So that’s what they use instead of an inventory?’

He had assumed that such storage methods would be commonplace in a world like this. After all, martial arts novels frequently featured spatial rings, storage pouches, and other treasures that allowed their owners to carry enormous quantities of items.

Why, then, were these two looking at him as though he had just performed some incredible feat?

’Wait. Is it actually rare here?’

He suddenly realized that he might have made a mistake by revealing it so casually.

Unfortunately, the deed was done.

"Yes," Kyle answered, adopting what he hoped was a suitably humble expression. "I possess a dimensional pocket."

He deliberately avoided elaborating on the matter.

The doctor stroked his long grey beard, studying Kyle with a thoughtful expression.

’This young man... where did he come from?’

The man’s clothing was strange, his injuries severe, and his overall appearance hardly suggested someone of considerable wealth or status. Yet he possessed a dimensional pocket, an item generally associated with nobles, wealthy merchants, powerful martial artists, or individuals with influential backgrounds.

More puzzling still, the doctor couldn’t sense even the slightest trace of qi from him.

Was Kyle an ordinary person who had somehow acquired such a treasure? Was he concealing his cultivation? Or did he belong to some powerful family whose circumstances the doctor simply didn’t understand?

For the moment, he couldn’t reach a conclusion.

"I see," the old man finally said, stroking his beard once more.

Kyle, who had no idea what sort of assumptions were forming in the doctor’s mind, simply held the pelt out again.

"I hope you’ll accept my thanks."

"There is no need to offer us anything," the doctor replied. "Saving an injured person is simply what needed to be done."

The young woman nodded in agreement.

Kyle stared at them.

’Why are you making this so damn difficult? Just accept it already!’

He had nearly died obtaining this thing, and now the people who had saved his life were refusing to take it. He understood that they were being modest, but there was a limit to how much humility a man could endure.

’I can’t keep acting humble forever! My wounds are killing me, and now I have to negotiate a gift?’

"Please," he insisted. "You’ve both gone to considerable trouble for someone you didn’t even know. I would feel terrible if you refused to accept something from me."

He paused before adding, "I would be grateful if you accepted it, not only for my sake but also as a small acknowledgment of the kindness you’ve shown to others."

Kyle carefully pushed himself up from the bed, ignoring the dull ache that spread through his body. He held the pelt out with both hands and bowed respectfully.

The elderly doctor watched him for a moment.

’What a humble young man.’

Impressed by Kyle’s insistence on repaying their kindness despite his injuries, the doctor exchanged a glance with the young woman.

At last, his expression softened.

"Very well, young man. Since you insist, we shall accept your gift."