The journey to the forest was uneventful. Even if there were bandits and wild animals around, the muscle heads would be sure to scare them away.
Bang would feel secure if not for the fact that the muscle heads were a threat to him.
If the fight gets tough and they had to retreat, Bang was sure they would leave him behind. If by chance they win the fight, they would probably kill him to silence him.
It was a no-win situation for him. He didn't know what the system would do to protect him.
'You'll protect me, right system?'
'........'
Why does the system always shut up whenever he asks for something? It's really weird. When he wants to shut up, the system would then command him to do something ridiculous.
Bang looked at Ligi and saw that he wasn't better off than himself.
Ligi kept taking glances on his father. There were mixed feelings of curiosity, anger, and frustration that Ligi could not understand. Speechless, he could only frown at his father.
The worst part of it was that his father wasn't noticing him. Deep in his heart, he wanted his father to at least feel something when he is clearly mad at him. He wanted his father's acknowledgement.
At least when his father was scolding him, his father's attention was on him.
That moment of weakness and vulnerability made Ligi even more miserable. He couldn't even be useful to someone who vents their anger. He couldn't even be a punching bag.
The muscle heads became serious as they stepped into the forest. Any carelessness could lead to their deaths.
"Lead the way."
Tarim said that as he gestured to Bang.
Bang noticed that Tarim was different than before. His muscles were the same size but they looked more defined.
It looked like every nook and cranny of his body was sculpted with sharp edges.
He looked even prouder of himself. Any more and he will probably worship himself.
Bang and Ligi were now placed at the front. They are at the most dangerous position to be in when they reach the Limaw.
With the system taking over, Bang traversed through the forest. The muscle heads followed a few steps behind and looked around the vicinity.
As they walked, Bang felt that this part of the forest was familiar. He remembered running through here. Why was he running? He was escaping......From what? Right, the crab.
He remembered the bald spot in the forest. A mess of broken trees and vines. How did he even escape the crab? Right, the crab backed off.....why?
He remembered that the crab suddenly stopped chasing him. Because of the adrenaline, he didn't pay any mind to the reason the crab walked away.
Now he realized it must be because of the bald spot in the forest. It was like an invisible barrier that the Limaw couldn't get through. Or wouldn't go through?
'Is that where the Limaw's nest is?'
As he thought this, he felt a chill on his back. If he were unlucky or that he stayed in that place longer, he could have met the Limaw. He could have died.
The thought scared Bang out of his wits.
In the distance, he could now see the bright spot in the forest. A place devoid of crowns that blocked the sunlight.
Bang slowed down and gestured to the muscle heads. They stopped and readied themselves.
Flexing and stretching their muscles, they finally felt they were prepared.
They inched closer into the bald area and entered. The blazing sun entered their sights. They had to readjust their eyes.
In the distance, they could see a big lump. This lump was like a big rock. It was heaving up and down. Wait, that's not a rock. That's a monster.
Seeing their target in their sights, all of them felt nervous.
The Limaw was sleeping. It had balled up into a ball and it's eyes were closed. Looking closely, it looked like a lizard.
It looked like it's skin was slimy and wet. It looked very vulnerable without scales protecting it's skin. The only protection it had was the shell on it's back.
6 muscle heads surrounded the Limaw, making sure to not make a sound. 1 muscle head stayed behind to make sure the captives doesn't escape.
Unfortunately, the one on guard duty was Tubo, Ligi's father. It was extremely awkward for Bang to even speak. He just looked away, giving them their space.
The two family members kept quiet. Tubo kept his eyes on the fight and kept ready in case of an emergency. Ligi was still stealing glances at his father.
Looking around the area, the muscle heads didn't see any eggs. They looked at the Limaw and saw broken trees and branches where the creature laid.
This must be where the Limaw kept it's eggs.
Seeing they had no clear way to get the eggs stealthily, they got ready for a fight.
Tarim signaled his subordinates to gather around on the creature's face. He pointed at the Limaw's eyes and closed his fists in a forceful manner.
They all got ready and contracted their muscles as if loading a cannon. They closed their fists and punched the creature's eyes.
The combined power of 6 muscle heads was enough to damage and dent the Limaw's eyes.
Surprised at the sudden pain on it's eyes, the creature flinched awake. It roared loudly in pain and anger. It was ambushed while sleeping, of course it would be angry.
The guttural roar sent shockwaves throughout the forest. The muscle heads felt their insides churn and they quickly backed off.
Now standing on it's feet, all of them could see how big the creature was. On Earth, it's size could be compared to a larger and longer elephant.
Like an experienced hunter, they surrounded the Limaw and attacked the parts of the Limaw without the shell.
Their muscles flared in anger and they punched the creature. It was a very barbaric way of fighting that was solely focused on physical power.
It seemed that the punches of the muscle heads worked as the Limaw roared again in pain.
Even though it was blinded, it tried to hit the muscle heads by swinging it's arms wildly.
Although speed and power was the advantage of the muscle heads, their agility was paling in comparison.
They dodged the arms of the creature by a small margin. They deployed a hit and tun tactic that seemed to irritate the creature even further.
At this point, the creature was bloodied and bruised. The Limaw was swaying and it looked slow compared to before. It looked like the fight was the muscle heads' win.
Not waiting anymore, a muscle head went out of formation and checked on the eggs. There, he saw 6 eggs ripe for the taking.
He slowly walked through the nest and was about to pick up the egg when he suddenly felt pain on his back. He didn't even know what hit him as he died.
It was the Limaw who suddenly attacked the unguarded muscle head. It was angered when it felt the disturbance in it's nest.
It suddenly went into a frenzy and opened it's eyes. The muscle heads were unprepared for this and they dodged out of the way.
They were already familiar with the attack pattern of the Limaw but one muscle head felt pain on his chest.
He looked down and saw a huge slash on his chest as he fell down and died.
The creature suddenly grew claws in it's frenzy. It even looked like it had healed it's eyes.
Seeing two of their comrades down, they felt fear and alarm. They stopped attacking the creature and just focused on dodging.
The Limaw was getting faster and faster in it's swipes. The muscle heads felt it was harder and harder to dodge the creature.
The Limaw's eyes were now completely healed and was now swiping with accuracy.
The creature's eyes were getting red and it's movements were getting more aggressive. It was getting angrier as time passed by.
As the barrage of swipes came at the muscle heads, one of them was unfortunate enough to be hit with the claws. Blood sprayed from the wound as he went down.
Only 3 of the 6 muscle heads that fought the creature remained. Ligi and Bang were watching with fear in their hearts. This fight was beyond their level. They wouldn't last a second.
Tubo was also the same. Fear was plastered all over his face. He thought that once he got his power, he would be invincible. The truth couldn't be more further than that. He was weak. He needed more power.
The three muscle heads felt hopeless. They thought that retreating would be the best course of action.
Before they could even retreat, the creature suddenly roared louder than the previous ones. It was a last ditch effort.
After roaring, the creature slowly fell down.
The muscle heads were surprised and looked at each other. Tarim carefully observed the Limaw for any movements.
After a while, Tarim decided to walk to the creature and feel it's life. There were no movements. It looked like the creature was dead.
Tarim rejoiced and quickly gestured for his subordinates to gather the eggs. This mission was a resounding success. The lives lost compared to the eggs gained was a positive.
With only 4 muscle heads and 6 eggs, Tarim decided to let Bang and Ligi carry it.
They could have carried two, but they would need their other hand for the dangers in the forest.
As they were about to depart, they suddenly heard another guttural sound. The ground was shaking as they heard the sound coming their way.
It was another Limaw. It looked the same as the previous Limaw except it was bigger and the shell had spikes on it.
The muscle heads didn't tarry and they ran for their lives.
The creature kept chasing them and it looked really angry at the death of it's partner.
Tarim felt that he had no choice, it was a shame for the 2 eggs but it had to be done.
He kicked Ligi in his stomach making Ligi fall on his knees. With the sudden pain, he let go of the egg.
Tubo saw the event happen and he stopped in his tracks. He looked at Ligi for the first time and they locked eyes with each other.
Ligi thought that finally, his father was acknowledging him. Deep in his father's heart, he cared for him. He wasn't useless.
Then he saw his father bend down, pick up the egg, and started to run.
*******hello author here, just a heads up, Ligi's thoughts are gonna be depressing and sad in the start.**************
"D——-d————Dad?!"
Although Ligi knew his father wasn't the best person in the world, it was still his father. His OWN father!!!
He thought his father still cared for him deep in his heart. He thought his father was still redeemable. But this? This was too far.
He could take being shoved, being cursed, and berated but leading his own son to death was devastating. Add salt to the wound, his father prioritized the egg over him.
Was he less than an egg? Was he, his father's own blood and flesh, not even worth looking at? Was he not even worth saving? Was he not allowed to survive? Was he not allowed to live?
He deserved to die. He wasn't worth to anyone. He would just let the events unfold. He would let the Limaw kill him. It didn't matter, he didn't want to live anymore. He didn't even want to cry.
Ligi's thoughts were depressing and sad. The emotions that he bottled up inside him led to this deep dive in his psyche.
He was lacked sleep, he was tired, and he was speechless.
He just kneeled and closed his eyes as the shaking gets closer.
Then, on his darkest of times, he was suddenly pulled away. It was Bang. The same person who saved him from critical moments in multiple times.
'Why does he keep saving me? I don't have anything to repay him with.'
Ligi kept looking down while he was being dragged to safety.
——————————
'Fxxx, what now system? You told me to save him but it looks like he didn't even wanna save himself!'
He was running slow because he was still dragging Ligi by his hand. They didn't have the time. The Limaw is gaining distance on them.
'Come on man, the least you could do is run by yourself!'
Bang wanted to lecture Ligi but it looked like Ligi was depressed enough. He felt like anymore berating and Ligi would stop running. That would do no one any good.
While running, Bang could see a cave. This cave had a small opening and it looked like the Limaw couldn't get in.
Even without the system saying it, Bang rushed in the cave's direction. It was the only way for them to survive. They obviously couldn't outrun the Limaw, so this is their only hope.
Running in, the narrow cave turned out to be massive. Only the entrance was small. Bang thanked the gods that the Limaw couldn't get in.
The inside of the cave was dim. There were only few holes in the cave that let some sunlight seep through.
Bang couldn't see what was on the ceiling but he knew it was very tall.
Brownish orange stalagmites of all shapes and sizes were scattered all over the floor and some raised to the top.
There was also a pond on the side the wall. This would be very useful if they were to hide in here for a few days while they wait out the Limaw.
Exhausted, Bang sat on the floor and panted. He wasn't sure when the Limaw would leave but he was gonna wait a few days before going out.
Bang looked at Ligi and saw that he had his head down on his knees and curled up.
'I pity this guy. His own father really just abandoned him like that.'
Seeing that Ligi wasn't moving, he changed his focus on the outside. It was eerily quiet. There was no sound. There was no shaking. Only the sound of silence.
A bad premonition came to Bang.
Then suddenly like a tsunami hitting the shore, he heard a loud crash. The whole cave was shaking to it's core.
Only a few seconds after, the same thing happened again, only this time, he could hear rocks cracking.
It was the Limaw. It was forcefully trying to get in.
Bang panicked. They had no where else to go, they were trapped. If the Limaw successfully breaks through, they will die.
As the sounds of cracking gets louder and louder, Bang's heartbeat got faster and faster.
'System! Do something!!!!'
+++++++++++++++
QUEST
-Main Quest
•Save your future crew member
# Save your future crew member
+++++++++++++++
Then, as if the gods answered his prayers, he received a ray of hope. His system is telling him what to do.
Rushing to Ligi's side, he shook and looked in his eyes.
"Hey...Hey...HEY!!!"
Bang shouted to get Ligi's attention. They finally saw eye to eye and Bang started his speech.
"Hey, you're not useless. There are so many things you could do in your future. This is not your life. This is not what you're meant to be.
This is just a bump in the road. A little obstacle. I know you are struggling but don't lose hope. There will always be a bright side in everything.
Don't be discouraged of these problems. This will inevitably make you stronger. Stronger than you will ever imagine. You will learn to value yourself, not because others find you useful. You will learn to love yourself, not because someone loves you.
You don't have to have big dreams in order to find a reason to live. You can take it step by step. No need to rush yourself.
We all still can't find our true purpose in life, but that doesn't stop us from advancing. If you can't find your purpose now, it's okay. Just protect yourself first. Value your own life.
You wanted to know why I saved you right? It's because I saw the potential in you. I saw the way you could be not the way you are now.
I saw that your problems will only help you succeed. That's why I saved you. Now you need to save yourself.
Tell me, do you believe in yourself? I believe in you. Take the first step and realize your worth."
It was at this point that Ligi started crying. The dam in his heart finally broke. All the emotions he felt. All the things he bottled up came and rushed to him like a waterfall.
No one had ever said those words to him. Those words of encouragement felt like fresh cold water in his dry and deserted world.
He had always felt he needed someone to validate his own life. His father needed him, although in a twisted way.
He had always just let things happen to him. It never occurred to him to fight for himself even without others protecting him.
He realized that what he did was wrong. It was okay to not be okay. It was fine to show your feelings. It was fine to want to live.
Back when he was running away, this was what he felt. It was only a sliver back then, but not it grew to a full fire.
His renewed sense of self helped him realize what he wanted to do.
He looked at Bang and was about to say something, but Bang stopped him.
"Internalize that feeling. Believe it in your heart and close your eyes."
Ligi closed his eyes.
Bang raised his hands and pointed it at Ligi's heart and reached it.
Bang felt power coming from deep inside his heart. It transferred from his hands and into Ligi. It was an indescribable feeling. He felt weak but at the same time he felt stronger than ever.
Before Ligi could feel the power, the entrance to the cave finally broke.
What entered was the Limaw that they both dreaded. It didn't waste any time and rushed to Bang and Ligi.
The ground underneath it's feet trembled at it's size and the smaller stalagmites broke. It had only one thing in it's sights, and that was the thieves who killed it's partner.
Horns suddenly grew on its forehead and glowed in power. This Limaw was clearly stronger than the previous one. Maybe because the previous one had just laid eggs, or some other factor, they didn't know.
The Limaw got close and reared it's horns point blank.
Just as the Limaw thought his horns were gonna pierce through Bang and Ligi, it felt some resistance and he tumbled backwards due to the rebound.
In the smoke of shattered stone was a silhouette of a man. He looked calm, confident and the look in his eyes were as clear as the sky.
It was Ligi, who now looked healthier and stronger. The most glaring difference from before was the shield that was attached to his arms that saved them from the Limaw.
This was the same man who had lost all his will to live just a second ago. Now he had the power in his hands to protect himself, and even others.
+++++++++++++++
QUEST
-Main Quest
•Save your future crew member
# COMPLETED
+++++++++++++++
'Congratulations! You have completed a main quest. 100wp will be rewarded.'
'Congratulations! You have recruited a crew member. 500wp will be rewarded.'
'Congratulations! Your crew member has broken through the first stage of advancement. 100wp will be rewarded.'
'Congratulations! You have unlocked more options for the store.'
+++++++++++++++
STORE
CURRENT WP - 720 wp
-Self
•mini map upgrade : 50 wp.
•self defense : 100 wp.
•information : will vary
•wish : will vary
-Crew
•unlock a crew member : 100 wp
•power up : 100 wp
•crew apprentice : 10000 wp
-Ship
•unlock a ship : 1000 wp
-Village
•unlock a village : 1000 wp
+++++++++++++++
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