Samuel was pacing outside of a door. He was very anxious and concerned.
"He just woke up Sir, please come in."
Samuel's pacing stopped as he rapidly processed what the nurse had just said. His mood was instantly elated, he thanked the nurse profusely before finally entering the room.
The door closed and Samuel's gaze was met by that of a young man who quickly looked away. The flamboyant looks of the "Flame prodigy" were nowhere to be seen as the bandaged burn marks and shallow cuts were much more apparent.
"I am glad you are awake" Samuel said as he grabbed a seat next to the young man's bed.
The young man couldn't look him in the eyes. He looked down and nodded perhaps acknowledging Samuel's kind words.
Felix was never at risk of dying but his exhaustion was quite severe. He exhausted his entire mana supply and ran outside of the dungeon all while being poisoned and covered in cuts, he actually woke up surprisingly quick.
After a short bout of silence, Samuel asked what he wanted to know.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
Samuel had been quite worried the entire time. Especially when the kid came up to him and said he alone was enough. He was logically opposed to the idea but Felix had threatened to not go at all. Under normal circumstances he would have suggested Felix didn't participate at all if he started being difficult but the prowess of a B-class adventurer was nothing to scoff at.
As Samuel needed someone that could survive any ordeal and bring back information, they ultimately had to come to a compromise in which Samuel lessened the number of members in the party.
That decision weighed on him heavily, he wondered if he was too hasty. After hearing that only Felix had made it out of the dungeon his heart sunk.
He had to resist the urge to launch himself into the dungeon and wait for Felix to wake up. He needed the information no matter how powerful he was. The scariest thing is the unknown.
Felix opened his mouth before quickly closing it. He really didn't know how to phrase it. How could he tell Samuel that he got his members killed while minimizing his fault? He couldn't. Perhaps it was due to all of his successful expeditions but Felix had never become accustomed to death. Most adventurers have the looming threat of death hanging over their heads but for Felix it was all like a playground.
Now that he thought about his missions always had minimal risk, perhaps his father the count was keeping him safe from behind the scenes.
Felix once more opened his mouth, driven by the guilt he confessed his crimes. He confessed that he was incapable of leading and that he had become too arrogant. He confessed that to him, it was all a game. He never knew the true value of human lives.
Samuel could only let out a wry smile. That Felix learned this lesson was certainly great but for it to come at the cost of his party members was nothing to celebrate.
"I was asking more about the enemies, I wasn't blaming you" Samuel could condemn his actions some other time, he needed information.
"Oh! Right...." Felix felt even more awkward but proceeded to tell Samuel the information.
After a couple of minutes Felix had finished his retelling of the events. Samuel sat next to him pensively. Although he could be impulsive he was also methodical, he was prone to follow logic when dealing with issues.
"I will have to set out in a timely manner..." Samuel said under his breath.
It was barely audible but Felix was still able to hear him as clear as day.
"What?! You are heading out yourself?" Felix became flustered.
He had little regard for people's standing but he was still well aware of how to act towards those stronger than himself, he had no intention to die an early death after all.
"You don't need to worry about that, just try to recuperate" He let out a friendly smile as he motioned Felix to stay in bed.
Samuel had no intention to delay the matter. The casualties the dungeon had brought had already crossed his bottom line.
"...I see" Felix was extremely disappointed as he would have to forego the chance to pay back his humiliation.
Samuel noticed his disappointment but had no intention to bring him along, he had done enough, in both meanings. Samuel said a couple of kind words in farewell before promptly leaving. To his surprise, he found his secretary Jasmine waiting outside the door.
"Did something come up?" Samuel calmly asked.
"I was just here to inform you that the adventurers are ready to set out as early as tomorrow"
Samuel was confused before quickly understanding what Jasmine had just said. It seemed she never dismissed the other adventurers that were forcefully removed from the team. It was a gamble since if the expedition was successful from the start they would have paid the adventurers to stay for nothing. That would naturally irk the Union who wouldn't mind taking him down another notch.
Samuel showed a wide smile that expressed his sincere gratitude. It reminded Jasmine of his charm causing her to blush ever so slightly. Samuel took no notice, whether it was willful ignorance nobody could really tell. Samuel could rest easy knowing that he would be able to take care of the problem himself soon enough.
***
Ed had finished worked hard for half a day. His mana rose greatly during that short period of time. The spells consumed a great amount of mana meaning he only really needed to wait for his mana to recuperate, it saved him some time when earning attribute points.
Ed dusted his white bones of any residual dirt as he got up from his cultivation corner. He wanted to check out his status.
[Name: Ed$#&!]
Type: Skeleton
Health: 556/600
Strength: 2
Agility: 1
Constitution: 5
Dexterity: 2
Mana: 130
~Skills:~
[Adept Throwing lvl. 4] -Show info-
[Swordsmanship lvl. -1] -Show info-
[Hoarding lvl. 6] -Show info-
[Mental Fortitude lvl. 3] -Show info-
[Transmission Lvl. 1] -Show info-
[Minor Explosion Resistance lvl. 0] -Show info-
[Deduction lvl. 7] -Show info-
[Assimilation lvl. 2] -Show info-
[Thought Manifestation lvl. 0] -Show info-
[Language lvl. 1] -Show info-
[Earth Manipulation lvl. 3]
The basis for most of the earth element spells
~Achievements~
[First Kill] -Show info-
[Apprentice Magician]
Your experience in gathering over 100 points in mana attribute, mildly boosts the rate of mana recovery.
Ed managed to get a new achievement and an Earth Manipulation skill from his first session. He couldn't be in any way dissatisfied with the results. So why did he stop? Although the achievement boosted his recovery, it was nowhere near enough. He decided to gather skeletons while waiting for his mana to recover.
'Maybe I should just train while gathering spells'
Although the locations may not be optimal for gathering mana it would still save him a lot of time. His dirty corner didn't give him that great a boost anyways.
Ed gathered his books and placed them on his desk.. He needed to go gather skeletons so he quickly headed out.