Chapter 21: Hospital time
Finn sat on the sick bed of the academy’s hospital, his back reclined against the bedrest and his gaze fixed directly on his bandaged hand.
It was amazing how they had managed to reset every bone.
The process had been excruciating.
Finn had screamed more than a few times as the pain permeated his entire being, every movement sending fresh waves of agony through him.
Right after that, they had given him a pill.
A strange one.
The moment he swallowed it, a soothing warmth spread through his body. The pain dulled considerably, and he could even feel some of the damage in his arm repairing itself.
It still hurt.
But nothing that wasn’t manageable.
As he continued staring at his wounds, he suddenly heard a familiar voice ring inside his head.
"Oh my, Finn. What have you gotten yourself into?"
It was Estes.
Her voice sounded genuinely worried.
Finn glanced around the room to see if she was anywhere nearby.
She wasn’t.
Then he chuckled to himself.
"You should have seen the other guy."
Estes seemed to stifle a groan at his carefree reply.
"Just a few hours of me missing and you’ve already gotten yourself into so much trouble."
Finn simply shrugged before letting out a sharp exhale.
"What happened last night?"
Estes fell silent after he asked.
Several moments passed.
Long enough that Finn started doubting he would ever get a response.
Then—
Estes spoke again.
"Well, as you’ve noticed, my physical form isn’t here. I only managed to send my consciousness here, by the way. Courtesy of being centuries old."
She let out a small chuckle.
Silence followed.
Then she continued.
"After you got sent out of the library all of a sudden, I was trapped. I mean..." she corrected herself, "I am still trapped there. At least for a few more hours."
Finn rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Just as he suspected.
This had something to do with the punishment he had somehow incurred.
Curiosity burned within him.
"Do you have any idea why all this is happening?"
Estes went silent again.
This time, perhaps for good.
No reply came no matter how long Finn waited.
Eventually, he sighed.
That left him with only one option.
Wait.
Wait for the punishment to pass and reunite with Estes.
Or maybe, if she contacted him again before then, he would skip the small talk entirely and go straight to the important questions.
Finn facepalmed.
"Oh no... ugh. So many questions."
There was no use staying frustrated for too long.
Not when he had so many other things to worry about.
His gaze drifted toward the metallic doors at the far end of the clinic.
That was where Antonio and the nurse had taken Edmund.
Several hours had already passed.
Yet no news had come whatsoever.
That made Finn recall Terrence’s warning.
Not to kill anyone.
Come to think of it...
How had he gotten strong enough to crack open a human skull?
In haste, Finn raised his hand and summoned the runes exactly as Estes had taught him.
A translucent screen materialized before him.
[Spirit Will: 4/10]
Finn’s eyes widened.
His throat suddenly felt dry.
Right there before him—
Was the increase in his stats.
’Not by one point...’
’Not by two...’
’Three.’
Finn had gained three entire points in Spirit Will.
That alone explained far too much.
Dodging Clara’s attack without relying on his sword’s augmentation.
His body feeling faster.
His reactions becoming sharper.
Even his sword strikes carrying far more force than before.
Strong enough to crack the cranium of a boy whose skin felt like armor.
All of that.
All of it.
Achieved from gaining merely three points.
Finn could only imagine what reaching ten Spirit Will would grant him.
Or what kind of evolution Estes had promised awaited him.
The thought alone made his heartbeat quicken.
He wanted answers.
He wanted all of them.
Another moment passed.
Finn shifted slightly on the bed, trying to find a more comfortable position.
Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
’If just one book on Spirit Will gave me this much progress... what would another do?’
’Or ten?’
’Or a hundred?’
Magic power increased through knowledge.
That was the rule.
And Finn had access to an entire library.
A vast ocean of knowledge that seemed almost endless.
Greed welled up inside his chest.
Dangerous.
Exciting.
Tempting.
A mischievous chuckle escaped his lips.
Then, cutting through his introspective moment, the metallic doors swung open.
Clang.
In stepped Antonio and the nurse.
She was a short woman wearing a white lab coat.
Long brown hair was tied neatly into a ponytail behind her head.
Stress lines were visible on her face.
Yet somehow, they did little to diminish her beauty.
She let out a tired sigh before shooting Finn a judgmental look.
"You should be proud of yourself."
Finn raised an eyebrow.
"For what?"
The woman rolled her eyes.
"You almost broke the record for earliest kill in Academy history."
Finn groaned and pressed a hand against his temple.
She was congratulating him for attempted murder.
’How motivating.’
Meanwhile, Antonio sat on the bed beside Finn.
"I believe you did very well in the duel," Antonio said.
"I wish it had dragged on longer. However, I would advise using the training rooms for now. You need time to get accustomed to your strength."
He handed Finn a blue card.
Then, without another word, he rose to his feet and left the infirmary.
Just like that.
Leaving behind a thoroughly confused Finn and the exhausted nurse.
The woman released another low sigh before turning toward him.
"You can leave now. Your wounds should finish healing before morning."
She paused.
Then added,
"If they don’t, you’re free to come back and see me."
Another pause.
"Please don’t come back."
Finn arched a brow but simply nodded.
He rose from the bed and walked toward the exit.
As he stepped outside, the nurse’s voice followed after him.
"No more fighting!"
Her voice echoed through the hallway.
"Or the injury will come undone!"
With that, Finn began retracing his steps back toward the Combat Class Hall.
The corridors were mostly silent.
The occasional footstep echoed through the academy.
Everything felt calm.
Peaceful.
Until—
Finn turned into another hallway.
Immediately, he noticed them.
Five students lingered there.
Some leaned against the walls.
Others sat casually on the floor.
At first glance, they appeared relaxed.
Then they noticed him.
Every single head turned.
Every single pair of eyes locked onto him.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
As though they had been waiting for him all along.
’Awwww... please don’t be what I think this is.’
To Finn’s dismay, one of the recruits slowly rose from the floor.
Then he walked toward the center of the hallway.
Blocking the path.
Finn stopped in his tracks.
The others followed.
One by one.
They stood up.
Converging beside their apparent leader until they formed a loose wall across the corridor.
This did not bode well.
Not at all.
Finn grumbled internally.
’Here goes nothing.’
"If you’re looking for my autograph..."
Finn raised his heavily bandaged hand for them to see.
"As you can see, my hand is really occupied."
The crowd stared at him.
Unmoved.
Unimpressed.
Not a single laugh.
The leader of the group let out a hiss through his teeth before slowly sizing Finn up.
"We’re Edmund’s friends."
The boy’s lips curled upward into a smile that carried absolutely no warmth.
"How about we go have a cup of coffee outside?"
His grin widened.
"Just you and us."
The other recruits began cracking their knuckles.
Some rolled their shoulders.
Others simply smiled.
"It’ll be fun."
Finn clenched his teeth.
His injured hand throbbed.
His entire body was still sore from the duel.
And now this.
’I don’t have a choice...’
His eye twitched.
’I’m about to get beat up.’
