The nurse stumbled toward the doorway, calling for help through her interface. Emma was trying to push herself upright near the wall, one arm held against her ribs.
Luke caught a glimpse of her reaching toward him before another flash swallowed everything. He wanted to get out of the chair.
That was the only thought he could hold on to as mana forced its way through his body, burning along paths he had never felt before. He tried to move his legs, but they only jerked helplessly beneath him.
Something gave way inside his chest.
Just as the mana threatened to tear through something else inside him, a warm, gentle wave of energy spread through his chest. Luke clung to the sensation. It moved through the places where the pain was worst, easing the burning enough for him to drag air into his lungs.
"Goddess Ivy! Thank the gods you’re here."
Dr. Venn’s voice sounded distant, but the relief in it reached Luke even through the pain. Someone stepped beside the ruined chair and rested a hand against his chest. The warmth deepened beneath that touch.
Luke tried to look up, but he could barely make out a figure through the glare. He wanted to ask whether Emma was all right. His lips moved without producing a sound, and before he could try again, his eyes slipped shut, and he lost consciousness.
When Luke opened his eyes again, he was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. For a few seconds, he lay perfectly still, waiting for the pain to return, but all he felt now was a dull ache in his chest.
He lifted one hand. His fingers moved when he wanted them to, which was a considerable improvement, and the cuts left by the exploding crystals were gone. Someone had changed him into a loose shirt and tucked a blanket around his legs.
"Young master?"
Emma rose from a chair beside the bed so quickly that it scraped across the floor. She leaned toward him, then stopped with her hands hovering over the blanket, apparently unsure where she could touch him.
"Are you in pain? Should I call the healer?"
"Healer?"
"Yes, young master. Thank the gods, we were very lucky. The famous healer, Goddess Ivy, was visiting the guild branch when the accident happened. She came as soon as she heard the alarm."
Luke knew her. Everybody knew her. She was the most famous healer in their city, A rank holy healer priestess Ivy, also nicknamed as Goddess Ivy. On top of being a very powerful healer, she was also extremely beautiful. Whenever she came online to stream, her viewer count alone would be in millions.
The thing was... what were the chances she happened to be in the same guild branch at the exact time he was visiting?
"She healed you too?" Luke asked, glancing at her arm.
Emma nodded and lifted it to reassure him. "The doctor and the nurse as well. Everyone is all right thanks to Goddess Ivy. Luckily she was there. Otherwise... young master... I don’t even want to think about what might have happened."
"Lucky... huh..." Luke let his head sink into the pillow.
He wasn’t shocked that they got lucky. That was expected. But what the fuck was that freak accident?
Thankfully, everything was sorted out. He opened his status to make sure that there were no new injuries or some sort of disease, but everything looked just the same as before. It looked like he was healed pretty well.
And his class was still Unawakened, of course. Apparently, nearly getting cooked alive didn’t count as an alternative awakening method.
Just as he closed his system interface, the door opened and the doctor and the nurse walked in. "You are awake, already?" The doctor smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"My chest hurts a little. Otherwise, I seem to be in one piece." Luke answered as he eyed the man.
"That soreness should fade. Lady Ivy repaired the damage, but your body still needs rest." The doctor stopped beside the bed while the nurse checked the monitoring display. "With your permission, I’d like to check your pulse and breathing."
Luke nodded. "What happened in there?"
"We’re still investigating. The mana output rose far beyond the level I had selected, and the emergency cutoff didn’t stop the discharge." The doctor tried to explain.
"Yes, I noticed that part." Luke waited.
"I’m sorry, Mr. Ashford. You came here for a routine assessment. This should never have happened."
There it was. Luke was waiting for this. He was correct. Some sort of malfunction had occurred. He had almost fucking died. If he had awakened as a result, it was one thing but how could he let this incident go without getting nothing in return?
The old man Ashford was a shrewd guy. He needed to learn from him. Compensation was the name of the game.
Luke glanced at Emma before looking back at the doctor. She had been hurt too, and a refund wasn’t going to make up for either of them being thrown around an examination room. He wasn’t sure how compensation worked here, but he intended to find out before anyone handed him a complimentary drink and sent him home.
"What is the guild going to do about it?" Luke probed.
Dr. Venn hesitated. "Your treatment will be covered in full, naturally."
"I assumed you weren’t going to charge me for repairing the damage your equipment caused."
"No, certainly not. Your examination fee will also be refunded."
"That’s a start." Luke shifted against the pillows and immediately regretted it when his chest ached. "I nearly died. My good friend Emma was injured, and she wasn’t even taking the test." Emma immediately blushed but did not say anything.
"Who should we speak to about compensation?" Luke continued.
"The branch manager," Dr. Venn replied. "I can notify her that you’re awake."
"Please do. And I’d like Emma’s injuries included when you explain what happened."
"Of course."
The doctor sent a message through his interface, then finished checking Luke’s breathing. Once the examination was over, Dr. Venn excused himself, leaving the nurse to fetch them some water.
Emma waited until the door closed before leaning toward him. "Young master, you don’t need to ask for anything on my behalf."
"Why not?"
"Goddess Ivy already healed me."
"She healed me too. That doesn’t mean either of us enjoyed needing it." Luke accepted the glass the nurse brought back and took a sip before continuing. "Whatever they offer you is yours. You were hurt, Emma. You’re allowed to be upset about it."
She looked down at her hands, still seeming unsure, but nodded. Luke decided to leave it there. He could barely believe he was having to encourage someone else to complain when, in his previous life, he had once apologized to a waiter for being served the wrong meal.
They waited only a few minutes before another knock came. A tall woman in a charcoal suit entered, her short dark hair tucked behind one ear. She introduced herself as Helena Ward, the branch manager, and asked permission before taking the chair beside Luke’s bed.
"Dr. Venn has explained your concerns," she said. "First, I want to apologize to both of you. We’re treating this as a serious incident, and the examination unit has been sealed for inspection."
"Do you know what went wrong?"
"Not yet. I won’t give you an explanation until our technicians can support it." She glanced at Emma before returning her attention to Luke. "But you don’t need to wait for their findings before we address your injuries."
A notification appeared on his interface. Helena sent a separate one to Emma, who looked at Luke uncertainly before opening it.
"This is our initial compensation offer," Helena said. "Your treatment, follow-up examinations, and any related expenses will be covered separately. Please take your time reviewing it."
Luke opened the offer, and he had to stop himself from immediately sitting upright.
1000 credits!
1000 credits was a huge number. He had only paid 10 credit for the examination. In fact he only had about 5000 credits in his account in total. This included what his family gave him to survive for the next few months and the compensation from the Blackthorn family.
Luke was more than satisfied with this amount. But... if they were willing to shell out this much, then maybe they would give some more?
"What? Only 1000 credits? And I almost died here?! Maybe I should tell my family about this. They would be very interested to know the worth of my life!" Luke snorted arrogantly and opened his system interface.
The corner of Helena’s mouth twitched as she watched him. She had caught that brief flash of excitement when he opened the offer, and now he was threatening to call his family? Still, her smile warmed as she leaned forward and gently took his hand between hers. "Then please tell me, young master. What would make you happy?"
Her thumb brushed lightly across the back of his hand as she held his gaze. She had dealt with his type before, and a little attention from a beautiful woman usually made these conversations much easier. Given another minute, he might even forget the compensation entirely.
Luke raised an eyebrow, though his eyes did briefly wander to the neckline of her dress before returning to her face.
He knew this trick, and the fact that he had fallen for it several times in the past did not mean he was going to keep falling for it forever. Her hand was soft, her smile was lovely, and neither of those things would pay for his groceries.
"More credits would make me very happy," he said, giving her a sincere smile. "How many more can you add?"