The Assassin King Reincarnated in a Weak Student

Chapter 005

The room returned to silence after the door closed. Kieran remained lying down, staring blankly at the window with its curtains half open. His aunt sat not far from him, occasionally checking her phone, occasionally looking at him with a gaze that still did not fully believe he was awake.

But Kieran’s thoughts were not there. He slowly closed his eyes, trying to “feel” the existence of the spatial space again.  He needed a test. Something small at first and inconspicuous.

The water bottle on the bedside table? Or the plastic spoon from the meal tray?

He could not recklessly experiment with trivial items like that. What if, after testing one object, the spatial space required a long recovery time? Wouldn’t he just be wasting it?

Kieran drew a slow breath.

Besides the storage function, what mattered more was the ability to double an object’s value. That meant whatever he put inside, if it worked according to the system’s explanation, would become an asset.

He did not like uncertainty, so he needed an experiment.

Footsteps sounded from outside. The door opened and his mother entered. Her face was different from before. Still tired, still pale, but now there was a clear light in her eyes.

“Kieran,” she called softly as she approached. “The doctor said if your condition stays stable like this, you can go home in two or three days. After the hospitalization and observation are finished.”

There was a smile she could not quite hide.

His aunt let out a relieved sigh and gently patted her sister’s shoulder.

“Thank goodness. That’s really good news. At least there’s no need for further surgery for now.”

Those words lingered for a few seconds. Then, like adults accustomed to living by calculations, his aunt added in a lower voice, “What about the hospitalization costs? Have they calculated the total?”

The smile on his mother’s face did not disappear immediately, but it thinned.

“It’s… not too much,” she replied quickly, turning her face slightly as she pretended to tidy her bag. But the movement was too deliberate and awkward.

“Some of it has already been covered. I’ll think about the rest later,” she continued lightly, as if it were not something that needed a long discussion.

His aunt looked at her, as if wanting to say more, but in the end only nodded slowly.

Of course, everything was within Kieran’s notice. He had met many kinds of people with various personalities; it was not difficult for him to read someone’s expression. And he knew his mother’s expression. The expression of someone saying “it’s fine” when clearly something was not.

Yet there was nothing he could do at the moment except quietly sigh in his heart.

After the atmosphere calmed slightly, his mother approached his bed again.

“I have to work the night shift. I’ve already taken a few days off. If I don’t go back, someone else will replace me.”

Her tone sounded normal, but Kieran could catch the exhaustion hidden within it.

He nodded slowly.

When she lifted her hand to adjust his blanket, something caught Kieran’s attention. A thin gold bracelet on her wrist. Simple. Not flashy. Not a new model. But gold was still gold.

“Mom…” he called softly.

She immediately responded, bending down to be closer.

“I… want to hold your bracelet.”

The request was simple, almost childlike. His mother looked confused for a moment. Her hand reflexively touched the thin bracelet. Perhaps it was the only piece of jewelry she owned. Perhaps the only valuable item she had left. Or perhaps something she kept because it held certain memories.

But in the end, she gave in and asked softly, “You want to hold it?”

Kieran gave a small nod.

She opened the small clasp and removed it. She placed it carefully into Kieran’s hand. The gold felt warm from her body temperature.

“Don’t drop it,” she said gently, half joking.

Kieran held it slowly.

His aunt said nothing, only stood there.

“I have to go home too. I’ll come again tomorrow morning.”

His mother seemed reluctant to leave the room. Her gaze repeatedly returned to Kieran’s face.

“Are you really okay being left alone?” she asked softly.

Kieran nodded again. 

She stroked Kieran’s hair once more, longer than before.

“I’ll go now. Rest well.”

After that, she truly left with his aunt. The door closed, leaving the room in a deeper silence than before.

Kieran looked at the thin gold bracelet in his hand, recalling the warmth of his mother’s presence. Inevitably, it made him remember his previous life. 

He drew a slow breath.

“Enter,” he said inwardly. The bracelet disappeared from his palm. At the same time, he could feel its presence inside the spatial space.

The system’s voice echoed.

[Object detected: Gold bracelet, weight 3.8 grams.]

[Current market value identified.]

[Value enhancement process initiated.]

[Estimated time: 4 hours 12 minutes.]

[Time inside the space is static. The enhancement process does not affect the object’s physical condition.]

The system fell silent again.

Kieran stared at his now empty hand. Four hours was not a short time. He glanced toward the window. The sky began to change color. A calm afternoon.

There was nothing he could do. His body was still weak, his movements limited, and the room felt increasingly narrow.

The door opened slowly and a nurse entered, carrying medical notes. Her face looked familiar, the one who had helped the doctor examine him earlier.

“How are you? Dizzy or nauseous?” she asked lightly.

“No,” Kieran answered softly.

The nurse glanced around the room.

“Alone again?”

Kieran nodded, then turned toward the window.

“Can I take a short walk outside?”

The nurse gave a small smile but shook her head. “Not this afternoon. Your condition is improving, but you still need observation. Maybe tomorrow you can sit in a wheelchair and go around the corridor.”

Kieran did not insist.

Seeing his flat expression, the nurse said, “If you’re bored, you can watch TV.”

She walked to the wall and turned on the small television hanging in the corner of the room. The screen lit up, showing a local news broadcast.

“Dinner will be delivered shortly. If you feel anything, just call,” she added before leaving.

The door closed again, and the news anchor’s voice clearly filled the room.

“…the investigation is still ongoing regarding the incident of a man who jumped from the rooftop of Harsen Central Hospital…”

Kieran, who had been watching without interest, slowly focused his gaze. An image of the hospital building appeared on the screen.

That was the place he had been… before.

“…the man was identified as Kiki, aged 27. Based on preliminary information, he was suspected of experiencing mental pressure following his mother’s death some time ago…”

That name made the corner of Kieran’s lips move.

Kiki.

Not his real name.

“…the police stated that no signs of third-party involvement were found. The preliminary conclusion points to suicide.”

Kieran stared at the screen without blinking.

Ironic.