Ramon felt devastated.
"Help him!" He yelled as soon as Hazard Tempest, the only Specialist among the 3rd years finally left the combat ring.
Whoosh!
An instructor appeared beside him the next moment, an unfamiliar face.
The instructor faced the 10-year-old boy with a calm look on his face. "You're no longer a fresher, healing by the academy from the 2nd year upwards requires payment through contribution points".
"Treat him!" Ramon yelled. "I'll pay!"
"Sorry, your academy account is empty".
"…!" Ramon looked up at the instructor, reality struck.
He didn't just lose a duel. With that loss, he lost everything.
All the contribution points that he had before coming to the combat arena, and all those that he won here, including all the ones that Aegon won, they all disappeared like smoke, all due to one loss.
Ramon could deal with the loss alone but it didn't end at that.
Aegon lost a leg!
"Ugh…!" Aegon could not speak; he could only clutch his right leg with both hands while groaning in immense pain as his face scrunched up.
The surrounding spectators and 3rd years looked at the two 2nd years.
Some felt pity and sympathized for them, others grinned at their defeat, others felt that it was karma and that they deserved it.
The important fact though was that no one came to help.
"Ugh!" Aegon groaned, his face was already turning pale due to blood loss.
By the time Ramon knew it, tears were already running down his face.
"Treat him!" He roared. "Treat him!"
"I'm sorry but the academy has a set of principles that we follow". The instructor remained stone-faced even as Aegon slowly lost consciousness due to the blood loss.
Panicking, Ramon clutched his head, then he remembered.
The desperation of the moment made him remember as Ramon clutched the instructor's legs. "Please save him!"
"There's a borrowing system in the academy, right? I'll borrow and I will pay, just treat him".
The instructor nodded. "It's advisable you know that once you borrow contribution points and it lasts more than a day without paying, there'll be interest".
"I don't care!" Ramon yelled. "I'll pay! Just save him!"
"Ok," The instructor finally nodded.
In one smooth movement, this instructor carried the injured Aegon. Green astral energy erupted the next moment with wind being induced as like a ghost, this instructor disappeared from the combat arena with the patient.
With tears still running down his eyes, Ramon looked round this combat arena, he clenched his fists then he stood up and ran to the academy clinic.
He ran all the way towards the big Eastern gate where the clinic was.
On arriving, he was directed to the room where his roommate was kept. Entering inside, Ramon saw Aegon who was already fast asleep.
His face was still pale but he looked better.
His right leg was wrapped by white leather wraps like bandages.
As soon as he arrived, the nurse who attended to the sleeping patient turned to look at him. "Are you the patient's friend who insisted on his treatment?"
Ramon wiped his tears. "Yes".
"Take, this is your bill".
Ramon took the paper and read through it.
[Patient Name: Aegon Winsmoke]
[Patient's Attorney: Ramon Brenden]
[Injury Evaluation: Fatal]
[Price Quotation for basic treatment: 230 contribution points.]
[Treatment Options: Automail; Regeneration Treatment]
[Automail Price: 1,000 contribution points.]
[Regeneration Treatment Price: 2,000 contribution points.]
[Treatment Duration: Normal automail implantation recovery time is 8 to 9 days, and normal regeneration treatment recovery time is 2 weeks.]
[NOTE: Recovery time can be slashed to half if a Head Healer is placed in charge of the patient, but this will inflate the price to double the original price.]
"So, what do you choose?" The nurse asked.
Ramon raised his head to look at her. "I want him to recover his leg back to normal if possible, that's want I want". Desperation showed in his face.
The nurse smiled. "That's the regeneration treatment".
Ramon looked at the paper again, he gritted his teeth. "If I pay double, will Aegon be able to recover within one week?"
The nurse smiled. "Trust our service, our Head Healers are all veterans".
He clenched his fists. "Then do it!"
The nurse's smile widened. "That'll be 4,230 contribution points to your tab".
That figure could almost cause a normal newly promoted fresher a heart attack but Ramon didn't even hear it, his head was filled with worry and concern.
After setting other things in order, the nurse finally left but on getting to the room's door, she paused. "Oh! I almost forgot. The instructor said I should tell you that every additional day your debt lasts, you'll pay 1% interest to the academy".
She did the math in her head. "That's approximately 42 contribution points per day, so you better work hard".
"Goodluck!" She finally left.
Ramon nodded absentmindedly.
As soon as the nurse left, Ramon sat on a chair beside Aegon's bed, looking down as a lot of things went through his mind.
'It's all my fault!'
'I dragged him to the combat arena; I made him compete'.
'I caused this pain,' He clenched his fists tightly.
'Because of me, he'll be bedridden for a week'.
'Because of me, for a week, he won't be able to train to increase his realm'. Ramon felt immense regret.
Thinking back to the sequence of the battle, Ramon's brain instinctively started analyzing Tempest's battle style and he got angry, slapping his head.
"Aegon is bedridden and I'm thinking of how to get stronger?!" He berated himself angrily in a muffled tone, feeling an urge to spank himself.
This was when he felt movement from the bed.
Shocked, Ramon looked only to see Aegon's eyes opened.
Aegon scrunched up his face in pain but he still forced a smile. "Thanks for rushing me to the clinic to save me, it's not your fault Ramon".
"I lost my leg because I was too weak".
"No! It's me!" Ramon clenched his fists even tighter.
"No, it's not".
"No! It's me!"
Aegon's eyes darkened. "Are you challenging me?!"
"Ah…!" Ramon was stunned as Aegon's aura suddenly changed.
"How dare you challenge me when I'm the one suffering?!" Aegon's face showed genuine anger. "You fool! When I say it's my fault, it's my fault!"
"…"
For a few seconds, Ramon was caught off-guard, but he recovered.
He erupted. "No! It's my fault!"
Aegon was stunned even more. "Are you challenging me?!"
"Yes!"
"What?!"
"Yes!" Ramon clenched his fist, raising it and almost unleashing a punch already when Aegon finally yelped and flinched in shock.
Aegon was shocked as he looked at his roommate. 'F*ck! This fool!'
He gave up. 'What an unreasonable bastard!'
After their heated argument, an awkward silence followed as they both kept quiet for seconds, then Aegon finally spoke.
"Next time, let's kick his ass".
Ramon looked at Aegon, surprised at first, then he grinned. "Yes!"
Ramon stayed with him for over an hour till Aegon felt sleepy again, as he stood up to leave, Aegon chuckled. "You're in great debt now, how do you intend to get thousands of contribution points in a short time?"
"…"
Ramon froze, finally coming to a realization.
He slapped his head. "F*ck! I'm in debt!"
Aegon laughed.
With that, Ramon finally left back to his room, it was late.
Entering the room, Elmas looked at him, having noticed the absence of someone. He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, he kept his silence.
Without a word, both students focused on cultivating.
…
The next day, Ramon resumed his normal schedule, training and attending classes. The only difference was an added thought, how to get contribution points!
Ramon brainstormed till his head brought smoke but no ideas came.
In the end, defeated, he cheered himself up by visiting Aegon in the clinic.
"Hey!" He roared, loudly announcing his arrival to the clinic.
Aegon's eyes twitched. "You're so noisy".
"Hehe," Ramon grinned like a fool. "I brought food!"
Aegon closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm down. "I already ate".
"Huh?" Ramon's eyes widened. "Never! You must eat my food!"
Aegon was speechless. "No!"
"You lost your leg due to me and therefore, you must eat my food!"
"No!"
Ramon unleashed his deadly weapon again, his fist and Aegon succumbed. This mage ate with tears running down his face. "I'll report you for abuse".
Ramon grinned. "Hehe".
Leaving that day, he randomly dropped a bomb. "2 days later is my birthday".
"Huh? Wait!" Aegon was stunned. "Come back!"
Ramon was gone.
His face twitched. "That motherf*cking fool!"
"Just wait till I get my leg back!"
…
Day 2 after Aegon lost his leg…
"Heyyyy! I brought food!"
"Shut up!" Aegon roared with tears streaming down his face.
"At this rate, your noise alone will increase my recovery time". Aegon cried.
Previously this morning, the Head Healer finally worked on him. His leg was already growing back slowly.
"Hehe," Ramon grinned. "I also brought alcohol, let's drink to your recovery".
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No…," Aegon paused on seeing the fist, tears streaming down his face. "Yes, ok". He sniffed.
…
Day 3 after Aegon lost his leg…
"Heyyy! I'm back!"
By now, Aegon already gave up on refuting, he took the clinic as a prison now. The day he fully recovered was when he would break out and make his comeback.
'It's your time Ramon, enjoy it'.
"Hehe," Ramon entered the room with a grin. "Guess what!" He roared.
"It's my birthday! February 1st! I'm 11 now!"
"Woohoo! Let's celebrate!"
Aegon was still recovering but fearful of Ramon's punch, he joined in on his roommates' wild celebrations.
The patients in the next rooms complained but once they learned that the 2 noisy students in the other room were 2 Specialists, they cowered.
Ramon celebrated wildly, dragging Aegon into it.
He spent a record 5 hours in the clinic today, only leaving after it was late. While leaving though, Ramon grimaced as he remembered something.
'That's 84 contribution points in interest already, and I'm yet to find a way to earn more contribution points'. He felt like crying.
'I'm a year older now, I can't afford to do things sluggishly again'.
'I need to take the initiative'.
That night, Ramon went to Shaggy's hostel to seek him out. "Brother Shaggy!" He called. "I need your help".
The noisy call alone told Shaggy the identity of his seeker. "Ramon, this late? I was already sleeping, what do you want?"
"I need to get contribution points faster, tell me how".
Sleep left Shaggy's eyes as he looked at the boy suspiciously. "Tell me what happened, what did you do?"
"Nothing happened". Ramon blinked innocently.
Bonk!
"Ouch…!" With tears in his eyes, Ramon told the truth.
Shaggy scratched his head. "Unfortunately, I have no contribution points to lend to you, but there's a way for you to earn lots of contribution points in a short time".
Ramon's eyes gleamed. "Tell me! Tell me!"
"From next week, your first wilderness expedition will start".
"Bingo! There's a great way to earn contribution points".
Ramon scratched his head, confused.
Ramon laughed. "Don't worry, next week, you'll understand".
From then on, Ramon lived every day with next week on his mind even as Aegon kept on recovering amid his daily noise and food delivery.
Like this, time moved like it was accelerated and the D-day came.
Finally, the second wildlife class of the new week was here.
Ramon went to class only seeing mountains of contribution points piled up in his imagination. "Hehe," He kept chuckling.