Chapter 33: Enough Sleep
Machi washed her hands in the bathroom and came back with her hair tied in a ponytail. She sat down on the sofa next to Germain.
She crossed her right leg over her left, purple socks folded neatly, and looked at him scrutinizingly.
"What is it?" Machi asked, her tone still cold.
Germain had just stitched her wounds perfectly. Even though it was a business deal, he felt uncomfortable dismissing her right away. So he offered a symbolic reply:
"I fought an unexpected enemy, but in the end, I won."
He said nothing more.
Seeing his reluctance to speak, Machi shrugged and didn't press further. "So? Do you need 'Mind Thread Stitching' again in the next few days?"
"Probably not yet," Germain replied.
Machi nodded and extended her palm toward him. "Then pay up. Twenty million Jenny after discount."
"Twenty million Jenny…"
Germain recalled that Machi had once charged seventy million to sew Hisoka's amputated arms back on.
Repairing a broken arm wasn't as difficult as stitching up wounds, and considering the discount, twenty million seemed reasonable.
However, after spending twenty million Jenny on several major expenses over the past two months, Germain's bank account was almost empty.
Thinking about this, he stood up, his expression cool. "Send me your account number. I'll transfer the money tomorrow."
Machi nodded, indifferent as long as she got paid.
"I'm leaving."
Germain rose, picked up his hunter's coat from the floor, draped it over his shoulders, and walked to the door.
As he reached it, he suddenly stopped and turned back.
Machi looked at him, puzzled. "What did you forget?"
"Oh, right." Germain pointed to the red-stained sofa and floor. "Sorry for the mess."
"Huh?" Machi frowned, slightly confused.
Germain gave a small nod, turned, and this time actually left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Huh?"
After saying 'sorry', he just left like that?
In the hallway, now silent again, Machi's muttering could still be heard for a while.
"Hypocrite… If you were really sorry, you'd help me clean before leaving. Forget it I'll just call room service tomorrow. It's their job anyway."
Germain returned to his room and sank into the bathtub. Finally, he had time to summarize his progress.
He wasn't worried about the hot water affecting his wound. Machi's Mind Thread Stitch had turned it into nothing more than a light skin injury.
In the bathroom's steam, the Hunter's Badge appeared before him, displaying words only he could see.
First were the attribute points.
By hunting the Lord of Crows, he had earned an unprecedented five points in one go. Counting the beasts he had defeated before, that totaled seven attribute points.
He increased his Endurance from 20 to 26 and his Capacity from 19 to 20, prioritizing physical condition over energy control.
Then came his Stress.
The Lord of Crows' gaze had raised his stress level, while critical hits reduced it. Hunting beasts and returning from the Dark Continent increased it further.
After all those fluctuations, his stress reached 60 points a number that worried him.
The "critical hit stress relief" mechanic was too unreliable; it had triggered only once in over two months. Germain needed to find another way to reduce stress consistently and significantly.
By now, Germain had realized that the Hunter's Badge was a telekinetic ability blending elements from Bloodborne and Darkest Dungeon.
He already had a rough idea of the methods he could try next.
He had also gained a new positive trait: Genius, which allowed faster recovery after treatment.
Combined with Machi's Telepathic Stitching, Germain's Constitution now stood at 26 points, granting him an astounding healing rate.
This time, he had no negative traits but he did acquire a new condition: Disease: Narcolepsy. As the name implied, his need for sleep would increase.
Finally, there was the Gift of Resentment.
He received a new Lantern and the Shield of the Lord of Crows.
With the new Lantern, Germain could continue his exploration of the Dark Continent.
As for the Shield, it was black, durable, heavy, and feathered a piece of equipment he could summon at will.
After evaluating all his gains and losses, Germain stepped out of the now-cold bath and dried himself with a soft towel.
As his fingers brushed over his wounds old and new alike he could almost see the moments he had received them.
After three in the morning, his injuries no longer turned into nightmares, allowing him to sleep properly at last. Perhaps the narcolepsy helped.
He slept from midnight until 11:40, waking up groggy; not even the alarm had managed to wake him.
He smoothed his messy black hair, shook off the drowsiness, got out of bed, and stretched under the sunlight on the balcony.
Bathed in warmth, he rolled his shoulders and straightened his posture; his wounds no longer restricted his movements.
"It seems your wounds are healing fast," came Machi's cold voice from the next balcony.
Germain turned and saw her lying on a recliner, sunbathing. A thick book was open in her hands she was reading intently, legs crossed, wearing bubbly-patterned socks.
"Mmm," Germain thought for a moment before adding, "Have you eaten yet?"
Machi finally looked up from her medical book, slightly surprised.
"Not yet…"
Germain nodded, mildly scolding her. "Nen users have much better health than ordinary people, but you still need to eat regularly and maintain good habits."
With those concerned words, he turned and left the balcony.
Machi watched the young man disappear from sight, her expression distant before her brow furrowed in irritation. She lowered her head to resume reading.
After a while, she grew restless, tapping the book against her knees, then sipped orange juice through a straw from a nearby glass.
Germain, meanwhile, returned to the hallway, ordered room service, and after a pleasant lunch, tidied up his things and left his room.
He arrived at the Opera House Hotel, found a local postal company that specialized in serving hunters, and mailed the color-shifting red insect stone.
The delivery address, as expected, was the one Biscuit had given him earlier.
It was already past two in the afternoon when Germain returned to the Opera House Hotel.
The receptionist cheerfully informed him that Machi had already checked out and left, earlier than planned.
Germain took out his phone and saw a message from her, sent twenty minutes ago:
"I'm leaving. My account number is XXXXXX. Contact me if you need anything."
"Alright," Germain replied with a single word.
After putting his phone away, he asked the receptionist for Machi's room bill. Studying the service list and final total, he fell silent.
(End of Chapter)