.
.
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—--------
/Silence…/
Zaw couldn't wait anymore, the suspense was killing him, so he asked slowly:
"How... How is he?..."
'Hopefully, his hand wasn't that heavy...' He thought silently as he he locked his gaze on Yumi
"Hm? Oh, he's fine… For the most part." Yumi replied as her thoughts were interrupted
/Gulp.../
Zaw swallowed dry, thinking the worst.
"For the most part?... Is there some kind of permanent damage?"
Zaw didn't mind if Fray got a few scars, those were very hard to prevent even in normal sparring sessions…
But mishaps are often inevitable, as even a small hit on the wrong place, let's say, the back, could be enough to destroy one's life as a warrior.
He didn't want Fray to retire before his life even began… To subject him to the despair of losing one's way...
The kid did a lot of bad things, but he can still redeem himself, or so he believed.
If he is indeed worthy of redemption, how is he supposed to do so if he can't even do the sole thing he knows well?
"Well… Let's go from top to bottom… Oh!"
Yumi pulled her hair back, tying it up with a straight face.
"Just to be clear, I'm not a Pharmacist, much less a Doctor, I'm more of an Alchemist that brews things here and there…"
"So my judgment could be wrong, some parts are likely wrong, so I don't want any complaints later…"
"..."
Zaw wanted to say something, but he stopped, everything that needed to be said had already been said.
Yumi pointed at her legs as a demonstration.
"So, first… His legs are fine, a few bruises here and there, likely when he was thrown out of the window by a certain someone..."
"..."
(Image)
"... But they aren't really anything worrying, they are shallower than the scratches children would get from falling on the ground."
"His waist is fine as well, just like before, a few scratches here and there, nothing worrisome."
'She pointed at her belly, her expression a bit darker.'
"His stomach had a few deep bruises, he received quite the impact, but I determined it to be superficial, a few vessels likely burst but he'll recover from that within a week of resting as they aren't anything serious, if he receives additional medication, this may shorten."
"Though he may have difficulty sitting down and his stomach will likely be blue for a while..."
"Things get serious from his chest and up…"
"At least 3 ribs were broken, and perhaps more have fractured, it didn't reach the point they pierced his skin, but it was still serious as some of his muscles were likely partially damaged."
"He'll have to remain in bed for a month for all of that to heal, if he receives medication, that may reduce as well but not by much, there's a limit for their effectiveness."
'Since one month of recovery is already incredibly speedy for the degree of his injuries.'
"His arms are also in a bad state, fractured fingers… Bruises and internal injuries, likely from overtaxing his own muscles… Cuts, likely from the sword bits after it was broken…"
"His arm bones are surprisingly intact, but I would recommend if he didn't use them often just in case…"
"We should also secure them in place, also just in case..."
That was mostly her being petty, Yumi wanted Fray to be completely immobile just so he wouldn't bother her again.
If she could she would also have his legs bandaged, but that may end up being too much.
Since, if Fray was unable of taking care of himself on a fundamental level, wouldn't someone have to go take care of him?
Urg, just thinking of the faint possibility of being said person made Yumi dizzy.
"... Just by all of this, taking his rate of healing in mind, he would be fine by himself within a month as long as he was given enough nutrition."
"He'll likely not have any sequelae and will be fine in no time…"
"For everyone's misfortune…"
She pretty much whispered her last line… Speaking so softly it was even hard to discern what she said.
Dale did hear it, but Misgurd and Zaw didn't.
"What did you say, Miss Yumi?" Zaw asked as he didn't quite hear her
"Nothing."
"Anyway…"
"Everything was fine… Until we reach his face."
"Wh-What happened to his face?..."
"Well… His nose is… Completely broken… And I… I don't quite know how to describe it…"
"His nose will likely heal, we do have potions to help that, but it may not be as…"
"Normal… What I want to say is that it may get crooked."
"..."
"..."
"..."
'Can I go now?'
Misgurd shook his head, perhaps this was a light punishment for his misdeeds, a boy so confident now reduced to this... A lesson to never hold your nose too high, especially in places where you can't stand if someone were to punch it...
Zaw frowned, a misaligned nose may interfere with his breathing exercises, but nothing that can't be fixed or circumvented, regardless, it's only a possibility.
Albeit he understood that Fray may have an identity crisis as his facial features were something he was very proud of.
While Dale simply wished to leave, he did his job, didn't he? So why wasn't his Quest updating?
Then... Perhaps listening to his thoughts...
[Ding]
[Description:
...
Requirements:
Beat Zaw's student to a pulp, showing your capabilities to the inspection team 1/1
*Optional* Thoroughly trash Zaw's student, showing your overwhelming superiority 1/1
]
'All requirements are done, is something missing?'
While he pondered the meaning of this, Zaw stuttered:
"W-Well… A broken nose is not that bad…"
"I'm not done yet." Yumi said coldly
"..."
'N-Not done... Was it... That bad?...'
'I'm starting to regret this.' Zaw thought as he face palmed, massaging his eyebrows
"Bruises are the standard at this point, and there are also some cuts, a few that require the use of potions."
"So once I'm done here, bring him back inside and I'll try to heal him as best as I can."
I'll only do it once anyway, so better do it in a way I never see his face again.
At least until he changes and understands what he did today, only then may I accept his apologies.
"Thank you lady Yukamia…"
"Just pay me up later, these materials… Weren't easy to get." She said as she turned to Dale
He winked at her as he raised his hand to do a thumbs-up.
She wanted to chuckle, but right now, she was posing as a strict person... One that was very upset.
And she was indeed extremely so.
"That is obvious, I have no intention of freelancing through the troubles my own student caused... As always..." He said as he whispered the last part, letting it out with a sigh, frustration contained within his breath
Zaw as always ended up cleaning up after the mistakes of his student, perhaps this time... No, he would make sure this was the last time such a thing happened, even if he had to chain Fray up like a dog.
Such brutal measures rarely have the desired effect, but he also came to understand that his soft approach hadn't worked very well, even after he had increased the severity of his scolding and punishments.
If a small increase didn't work, it was time to increase it by several levels at once.
/Cough.../
Yumi let out a fake cough so everyone would focus on her again.
"Lastly… I would say he had quite the concussion, and some of his skull bones may have fractured, but it's recoverable…"
Hopefully.
"The head is one of the areas I know least about, so I can't give you a proper diagnosis…"
"No, thank you for the hard work, I'll… I'll go fetch that boy up."
Zaw didn't say much more, nor did he apologize, he was warned once, and that was enough for him to understand.
Also, he was already feeling very uncomfortable...
Waiting for her to finish talking as his student remained there on the ground was slowly digging at his patience, now that she was done, he took this opportunity to move.
"Sigh… You really did it now boy." Misgurd said as he turned to look at Dale, his arms crossed
Dale's expression did not change, he had a slight frown and an overall tired expression.
"I held back."
"Is that everything you have to say? His face almost caved in!"
"It could've gone worse." Dale replied plainly
"That's… That's not the point here kid…"
Misgurd scratched his bald head as he heard Dale's cold replies, feeling that there was no way to put some sense into that skull of his.
In a sense, he was glad, it was good to see the kid being angry for Yumi's sake, but it also wouldn't be good if the kid were to kill someone for her too.
Because that would mean a whole lot of other heaps of troubles...
"Fine then, you did as you were tasked, perhaps a bit more than I expected…"
As he said, it could've gone worse, Dale did not use any of his weapons, only his fists.
What are a few broken bones in comparison to what could've happened had Fray's sword broken the moment it clashed with Dale's?
The problem isn't his body's state though... But his mental.
What will that child do once he wakes up?
Well... By the time he recovers, they'll likely be leaving already, so the chance of anything going wrong is minimal.
As Dale would say, "That's a problem for the Zaw of the future to deal with."...
"In any case, you gave me and the others quite the show..."
"Hopefully, those mothers won't come to bother me later on due to what you showed their kids, if they do, it's on you!"
"Wh...?"
Only now that his head had cooled down a little more did Dale realize the scope of the crowd surrounding Yumi's house.
'Oh shit... That won't change their impression of me too much will it?'
/Turn around.../
With these words, Misgurd left to help his friend.
"... Also."
But before he left, he said once more:
"I was discussing this with Zaw before meeting you, but it's time for you to get a new rank…"
"Normally you would need to do something, not to prove your strength but merely for the documentation… But since you defeated Fray, the story changes."
"Wait for a while, and I'll give you a new Rank… You deserve it. Even if you lack experience."
[DING]
[Your Quest has updated]
[Head over the shoulders has been completed]
[Fray will remember your actions today]
[Fray's Intimacy has abysmally decreased]
[Fray's Intimacy -> 3 Black Hearts]
[Due to being the first one to unlock the Intimacy option, all intimacy increases, and decreases are doubled]
[Fray's Intimacy -> 4 Black Hearts]
[Your standing with the Mercenary Guild has improved]
[Mercenary Guild Reputation +5]
[Your current ranking has increased]
[From Novice to Agate]
[+11.3% Level XP]
[You have achieved the requirements to advance to an Elite Mercenary]
[Would you like to change your Class?]
"..."
Dale obviously chose not to, only a dumbass would change his Class given his current circumstances.
Even if he is not exactly clear in regards to the standing of each Class in this world, he could at least see that Elite Mercenary was a direct advancement to Mercenary, that in counterpart, was a direct evolution of many other basic warrior Classes.
Given how… "Accessible" this Class is, it is obvious his Class is more special.
So he refused without batting an eye, thinking about his current rewards instead.
'A bit of XP… It's surprising how little that is… Is this because this Quest was actually meant for my Level?'
'Fray would've likely felt like a Boss character were I actually Level 43, considering the Skills I have and my fighting experience.'
'I still think I would've won...'
Ever since Dale had come to this Village, the amount of experience he would receive for most actions would normally be beyond half a Level, unless he was doing some menial task as he did at the start to gather Reputation.
But this was his first time doing a real Quest without being Level boosted into oblivion…
'It makes more sense now how Fray was defeated.'
'If Fray was supposed to be a Boss for this rather simple quest, given my current Level being 43, he is likely at most 35 in Stats… Perhaps 50 if we account for his full-powered move as Stats aren't the sole thing that defines someone's strength.'
'But that was merely one move and not his entire constant power.'
This Quest was indeed simple, but what Dale didn't know is that this Quest was actually pretty exclusive for him.
Because of his age, high reputation, and strength, all variables fell into place at the right time so he could get this opportunity…
That was how most Quests ended up being created, who knew just how many possible Quests vanished into oblivion due to the actions of the people?
But it didn't matter anymore.
'His intimacy?... So he hates me now?'
'Four black hearts and a little bit more... Huh... Now I know what happens if someone hates me.' Dale thought with a small smile as he looked at the fallen Fray
'Oh well... This can be said to be my first true enemy in this world... If we disregard the creature sealed in the catacombs...'
'I don't mind, hate me all you wish... But if he tries anything...'
Dale looked behind him, seeing Zaw carrying the unconscious Fray to them.
For now, it was time to help Yumi heal a certain dumbass.
…
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Notes
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