While the rain was falling, Samuel was walking slowly towards the mansion. The mud sucked at his boots. Every step sent a sharp pain through his ankle.
"Looks like my ankle got damaged during the fight," Samuel thought. "And due to the adrenaline rush, I didn't feel any pain till now."
His leg dragged slightly on the ground. Like that, he came to the mansion walls. He waited in the shadows until the guards left on patrol. Their footsteps faded into the distance. Only then did he move.
He sneaked into the mansion through the servant's entrance. The door was locked, but he had an extra key. He had taken it from the Butler, Ray. It was not easy. Ray never let the key out of his sight. But somehow, Samuel had managed to borrow it for some hours . He would return it before anyone noticed.
Lights were turned off. Only oil lamps were the only source of light in the hallway. They flickered against the stone walls.
Looks like I can't visit a healer with these injuries. How could I explain how I got them? Or why I was wandering the forest at the dead of night? They would suspect something immediately.
"Even though this world is set in medieval times, they have some advanced levels of technology," Samuel thought as he passed a wall socket. "Bulbs which operate on mana. Vehicles and flying arcs which use mana stones as fuel. But the mansion stays traditional."
While Samuel was heading towards his room, he felt like someone was watching him. His eyes turned right to left, left to right. He scanned the shadows. But he didn't see anyone.
"I felt like someone was watching me," Samuel whispered. He shook his head, dismissing the thought.
"Who could it have been? Maybe I'm just imagining things. The aftereffects of the battle are still messing with my mind.
He summoned his spirit, the Fire Imp. It floated beside him, glowing faintly. It was also tired after its spirit magic was used by Samuel. It was half-asleep now, yawning silently.
"Looks like you worked really hard, little guy. Sleep well." He sent the Fire Imp back to his spiritual sea.
He opened the door. His room was the same as ever. Clean. A table and chairs. A single bed. A flower pot.Some more furniture. And a window from which he could see the garden. The rain streaked the glass.
He fell on his bed and slept instantly.
In the next morning, he woke and changed his clothes. He burned the bloodied clothes from the hunt. Now he had one less attire to wear. He wrapped fresh bandages around his arm and ankle. He headed toward the dining hall.
"Looks like I won't be able to train in the forest for the next 4 days," Samuel thought. "My body is still not recovered."
In the dining table, only his father and both sisters were there today. His mother and brother were missing. The room was quiet. The sound of cutlery against plates echoed.
He sat next to Aria and started to eat breakfast. Aria looked at Samuel. Her eyes were sharp.
"Today also you look tired. And even your one arm looks injured," Aria said. The bandage wrapped around the arm was visible under his clothes.
"It was just an accident. I fell from the ladder yesterday while I was in the library," Samuel told her without even changing his expression. His voice was steady.
Cris didn't lift his head from the table. "Eat your breakfast quietly," he said in a calm but firm voice. "No noise".
"You were not in the library. And even in the night you were missing. I saw no entry of you entering into the library," Aria said in a lower voice. She leaned closer. "And I even knew that you were training in the forest the entire night. You need to be careful. Guards heard some explosion noise yesterday from the forest. Patrols became even tighter than before."
"They suspect there might be a spy lurking in the forest."
Saying that, she gave him a bottle with painkillers. She forced it into his hand without giving him a chance to speak.
"Take it. Don't be stupid."
"I was in the library, but not for the whole day. She might have found out from another way," Samuel thought. He pocketed the bottle. He didn't argue. He headed towards the library.
As Samuel turned to leave, Elena watched his back. A sharp glint flashed in her eyes. Moments later, she rose and left the dining hall as well
"Looks like I need to rely on passive training while learning. I am not in a condition to fight or train physically."
He entered the library. Upon entering, he smelled the scent of old books. Sunlight came from the window. The old lady on the counter was missing. It was quiet.
He spent three days without any physical training. Only reading books and meditation in his room all day. He studied mana theory. He learned about circuits. He learned about limits.
His progress had jumped slowly.
[55%... 57%... 59%]
"I am just one percent from becoming F-Rank High Rank," Samuel whispered. The passive training skill was working. But it was slow.
He came to his room and locked the door. He took out the black beast core. It pulsed with dark energy.
"System, what is the use of beast cores and skill points?"
[Host Can Use Beast Core To Increase Rank Progression]
[Skill Points Can Increase The Rank Of Spirits Skills, With The Increase In Rank Of Spirits, Skills Can Also Be Upgraded To Next Rank]
[Note: Overuse Of Beast Cores Will Cause User To Go Mad. Strength Gain Without Effort Is Not Own Strength]
"Okay System. I won't use many beast cores. And I only have one beast core," Samuel said.
He held the beast core in his hand and tried to absorb it. The veins in his hands swelled. His body temperature rose. His face went red with blood pressure. He clenched his fist and loosened them. He breathed through the pain. It felt like fire in his veins.
[59%....60%]
"It took me 3 hours just to absorb it. And I won't try to use beast cores to increase my strength anytime soon." The pain was not worth the small gain. Hard work was safer.
"System, status."
A blue screen appeared in front of Samuel.
[Status]
[Name: Samuel Crimson]
[Human Rank: None]
[Spirit Rank: F (60% - High)]
[Spirits: One (Fire Imp)]
[Spirit Skills: Fireball, Fire Dash, Fire Immunity (F)]
Seeing his status, Samuel closed his eyes. He had reached High Rank. Just in time.
[Have A Nice Rest, Host. Tomorrow Is Going To Be Big For You]
Samuel lay back on the bed. The rain had stopped. The sun was setting. Tomorrow was the pre-exam. Officer Kane would be watching.
"Let them all watch," Samuel thought. "I'm ready."
He drifted to sleep. The house was silent. But the storm was coming.