Chapter 137: Awakening (Patreon)

Three days later, with the sun past its zenith, Hughes gradually drifted awake.

His groggy eyes fluttered open, and the all-too-familiar wooden ceiling greeted him. Hughes smiled wryly and shook his head. Just how many times had he ended up at Granny Porlyusica's place now?

Was he somehow fated to this place?

Unfortunately, he didn't have the money for this. He'd better not end up here so often.

Lying on the hospital bed with his hands behind his head, his mind was filled with images of Makarov's devastating giant fist.

"Tsk, the old man's punch was no joke," Hughes muttered.

His body had been enhanced multiple times by the system, making it extraordinarily tough. On top of that, he had activated Perfected Tekkai and Armament Haki simultaneously, turning his body into something as tough as refined steel and diamond.

In other words, he was harder than the Third Calabash Brother.

Yet that formidable body had been like it was made of paper before Makarov's final blow, not to mention resisting it, he couldn't even keep himself steady.

He had overestimated himself and underestimated those renowned powerhouses of the magical world.

With that thought, Hughes felt for the small pouch at his waist. His Blood Dagger and Warm Stone were still safely inside.

It looked like he'd have to dip into his emergency stash...

Just then, a rustling sound came from outside the room. Hughes extended his Observation Haki ever so slightly.

It was Mira. She was heading toward his room. So, she had been the one taking care of him again?

Hughes shook his head with a sigh, his fingers pressing more firmly against the small pouch at his waist.

CREAK~

The door to the room was gently pushed open, revealing Mira's small figure. Seeing Hughes awake, a radiant smile blossomed across her face.

"Granny Porlyusica said you'd be waking up around now, so I came to check."

"She's amazing. She can even predict that."

"Here, you must be hungry. Drink this Nutrient Potion first. I'll cook you a proper meal later."

As she spoke, Mira handed over a single-serving Nutrient Potion with a smile. "Granny Porlyusica only has this serving size left for now. You already finished all the others over the past three days."

Hughes didn't hesitate. He took it and poured it straight into his mouth, then shrugged with a wry smile. "Mira, don't say such terrifying things. All I'm hearing is that our debt just keeps growing."

Mira's eyes curved into crescents as she playfully held up her fair little index finger.

"One million Jewel?"

Hughes immediately relaxed, his heart settling back into place. One million Jewel was nothing to him now. A single mission would earn him more than that.

Seeing Hughes's relieved expression, Mira shook her head gently and said softly, "It's ten million Jewel. Granny Porlyusica even gave us a two million Jewel discount!"

Standing by the bed, she completely ignored Hughes's stunned, wide-eyed expression as she counted on her fingers, tallying up the cost of each type of Nutrient Potion.

"The ten-serving Nutrient Potions cost one million Jewel each. Over the past three days, you used five of those."

"The five-serving Nutrient Potions cost about seven hundred thousand Jewel each. You used five of those too."

"As for the three-serving and single-serving ones, there were simply too many of them. Granny Porlyusica only charged us a total of two million Jewel for those."

"Oh, and to make sure you didn't suffer any mental side effects from taking so many Nutrient Potions, Granny Porlyusica had me give you two doses of Mental Stabilizer as well."

Watching Mira rattle off the numbers, Hughes felt his heart sink. This wasn't saving him. They were bleeding him dry.

Suddenly, the brain he hadn't used in ages finally had a flash of inspiration.

"Wait, Mira, are you sure you didn't miscalculate? How could I have consumed that many Nutrient Potions in three days? Do you think I'm a dragon or Lisanna?"

Nutrient Potions, just from the name, you could guess their purpose. He had been unconscious for three days, not dead for three years. Why would he need that many?

Was Granny Porlyusica using him to balance her books?

Meeting Hughes's skeptical gaze, Mira nodded confidently. "I didn't miscalculate. I personally fed you every dose. I kept track of everything."

"Granny Porlyusica said your body has a self-healing ability, but the process consumes a massive amount of energy."

"The energy stored in your body at the time wasn't enough to fully heal you. To prevent the recovery process from draining the necessary energy your body needed and causing other problems, Granny Porlyusica had me administer Nutrient Potions every three to four hours."

Hearing this, Hughes suddenly interrupted. He knew Mira was referring to Life Return. Activating it did consume energy, and he was well aware of that.

But still, there was no way it should require this many Nutrient Potions... If he remembered correctly, in the pirate world, just a few meals were enough to replenish the energy his body had lost.

Mira gently patted Hughes, signaling him not to interrupt. "Granny Porlyusica said you actually benefited from this. It was a blessing in disguise."

"The Nutrient Potions are made from rare ingredients, either Beast King materials or medicinal herbs that are hundreds of years old. They're all premium-grade materials that greatly enhance the body's vitality."

"During your self-healing process, your body absorbed the high-grade energy from the Nutrient Potions. As it repaired and nourished itself, by the time your injuries fully healed, your body would have grown even stronger."

"Moreover, with an excess of Nutrient Potions still in your body, your self-healing would automatically circulate that surplus energy throughout your body, repairing old injuries and chronic illnesses as well."

After relaying everything she knew, Mira looked at Hughes with wide, expectant eyes.

"Let me check first, then I'll tell you," Hughes said. He closed his eyes and focused inward, even using his Advanced Observation Haki to envelop his entire body.

He wanted to see if it was really as exaggerated as Mira had described.

A moment later, Hughes opened his eyes with a strange expression.

"So, was Granny Porlyusica telling the truth?" Mira asked curiously.

Hughes blinked at her and shook his head. "Not really. I just feel really comfortable..."

He wasn't trying to hide anything. He had tried three or four times but couldn't sense anything specific. All he felt was a vague sense of comfort.

Mira: '...'

"We'll know after putting it to the test. How about I go pick another fight with the old man?"

"No thanks. I don't want to see you lying here again. You're still a long way from the guild master's level," Mira said with a pout.

Feeling a bit stung, Hughes immediately sat up and defended himself. "Hey, let me tell you. I just let my guard down. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been the one lying here!"

"Speaking of which, why did you fight the guild master in the first place? I asked him, but he wouldn't tell me anything."

"Laxus and the others came to see you yesterday. I asked them too, but they had no idea either. The guild master wouldn't tell them anything."

Looking into Mira's sparkling, curious blue eyes, Hughes suddenly reached out and lightly tapped her little head.