Chapter 31: Tony

"Who is that?"

Looking at the man covered in bandages, Kai felt it was a little over the top. Who in their right mind covers a person from head to toe in bandages?

"That's Uncle Tony," Yara whispered softly in Kai's ear.

"That's Tony? No way. What happened to him?"

Knowing the man in the wheelchair was Tony, Kai had a hard time believing it. Tony had a sharp mind, and many times, party members had survived because of his quick thinking. After Thomas' death, Tony had taken over the Candy Complex flock, and he was doing great the last time Kai saw him.

"Two week's ago, while hunting Goblins, we encountered a group of Trolls. All of Tony's injuries are from a Troll charging at him," Eric explained.

Around two weeks ago, while hunting Goblins, they had unexpectedly run into a group of five Trolls.

Although Trolls are Elite Monsters, aside from their rapid regeneration, they don't have much in their arsenal.

As they were about to finish off the group of Trolls, the monsters unexpectedly used their innate skill [Fury] and entered Rage Mode.

This caught Tony off guard, and he was forced to take the full brunt of an attack from a Troll in Rage Mode.

Tony almost lost his life. Fortunately, his E-Rank Gift [Tremendous Vitality] kept him alive.

When they returned to town, they thought a high-level healing potion would be enough for him to recover.

Unfortunately, almost all the bones in his body were broken, and the only reason his internal organs remained intact was due to the E-Rank Gift [Tremendous Vitality]. Otherwise, he would have died the moment the Troll attacked him.

Knowing his condition, the doctor covered him in Self-Healing Bandages and told him to rest for at least a month.

"I will ask the owner to refine a Grade 4 Pill, [Rebirth]—maybe that can help him," Kai said, expressing his worry and wondering aloud.

According to the description of the Rebirth Pill he had read in books, it should be enough for Tony to recover completely.

"That won't be necessary. Those are Self-Healing Bandages—in less then a month, he'll be as good as new," Oliver said, intervening when he heard Kai was planning to buy a Grade 4 pill.

Even after emptying all their pockets, a Grade 4 Pill wasn't something they could afford. The Self-Healing Bandages alone had already cost a fortune.

"It's good you're back. Otherwise, I was planning to drag you back myself once I recovered."

Seeing Kai, Tony knew what was going on, and he slowly moved his wheelchair toward him.

In the past nine days, he had recovered significantly and could now eat solid food and move his wheelchair.

"Tony, how many times do we have to tell you not to wander around by yourself?"

Orion got hold of Tony's wheelchair and began dragging him back inside the complex.

"How many times do I have to tell you I won't spend the entire day holed up in my room? Can't I just come out to get some fresh air?"

As Orion dragged him back inside, Tony protested—after all, who would want to stay cooped up in a room with nothing to do?

"Why don't you let him stay?" Kai asked, a little worried about Tony.

"Don't worry about him. Self-Healing Bandages work by using one's own energy to speed up the recovery process. The less he moves and talks, the quicker he'll recover."

Seeing Kai's worried look, Eric explained.

"If you say so."

Listening to Eric's explanation, Kai didn't dwell on Tony's condition too much.

From what he had read in books, the best option for recovering from bone injuries was the Rebirth Pill—even a Level 9 Powerhouses can use it to recover from bone-related injuries.

The second-best option after the Rebirth Pill was actually Self-Healing Bandages.

However, Kai didn't have much knowledge about Self-Healing Bandages—after all, he was an Alchemist, not a doctor.

Although all doctors in this world were Alchemists, not all Alchemists were doctors.

The same was true for Kai—he studied Alchemy, not anatomy.

After dumping Tony back in his room, Orion returned and started helping Sophia prepare the food.

While Sophia, Orion, Aisha, and Yara were getting the food ready, Eric, Oliver, Omar, Henry, and Kai caught up with each other.

"So, Kai, how's work at the Honey Pill shop? From what I heard, the shop is tricking people into signing slave contracts."

Eric was the first to ask—after all, the way Kai left had felt a little uncalled for.

Kai wasn't the only one who had suffered; they had all experienced the loss of their companions.

Kai had only heard the news of their deaths. Eric had seen them killed right before his eyes.

It's true that everyone was shaken by the deaths of their comrades, but deep inside, they were angry at themselves for not being able to help.

So, in their eyes, there was no reason for Kai to just up and leave—instead of training hard like everyone else and hoping to avenge their fallen companions one day.

Eric had always felt there was something more to Kai's departure.

This is why, when he heard rumors that Honey Pill was tricking people into signing slave contracts, he felt certain it had something to do with Kai's decision.

"Sigh... Unfortunately, it's true. When I signed the contract, I just thought it was a little over the top and nothing more. But around a month and a half ago, I noticed something strange—no one was teaching me the core skill of Alchemy: [Herb Weaving].

Later, I found out that to perform [Herb Weaving], one needs Soul Power, which I obviously don't have."

Kai answered Eric without going into too much detail about how much time he had spent trying to figure out a way to perform [Herb Weaving] with Ki.

"Is there any way to redeem yourself?" Eric asked again. From Kai's words, he felt it wouldn't be long before Kai was forced to become a slave.

"Not that I'm aware of. However, I don't have to worry about it any longer. Now, I just need to complete the next nine months of employment, and then I'll be a free man."

Even if there was a way to redeem himself after becoming a slave, Kai no longer had to worry about it. After all, the sword of slavery that had been hanging over his head was about to disappear—once and for all.

Meanwhile, when Eric, Oliver, and Omar heard Kai's words, they misunderstood.

They thought there was no way to redeem oneself after becoming a slave—and that Kai simply didn't want to burden them with his problems.

About this, Eric, Oliver, and Omar chose to remain silent.

They knew that, with their current strength, it was impossible to help Kai.

However, deep down, they each vowed to train twice as hard.