"Is there really nothing we can do to help him?" asked the saddened mother, worried that her assistance wasn't enough to provide their new hero with peace and rest, and above all, to stop the spilling of his blood. Though it hurt like hell, I tried not to scream and focused on my surroundings, quickly checking my status.
- Mitsuaki lvl. 1 points 7/50
- Good lvl. 1 points 15/200
- Evil lvl. 0 points 0/100
- Mitsuaki HP 27/100
- Bleeding effect (1.5x) will cause loss of 0.3 health points per second
- Fatal wound (stomach) severe pain, inability to move
- The formation of a new organ will cause a lot of blood leakage
(Good lvl. 0 -> Good lvl. 1 Process completed 1% will end in 102 minutes)
- Improving your physical condition will cause a lot of pain and suffering
(Mitsuaki lvl. 0 -> Mitsuaki lvl. 1 Process completed 3% will end in 34 minutes)
Seeing that there was still at least half an hour of this agony left, I couldn't imagine it, but I bit my lips to avoid losing consciousness and after a moment started coughing heavily; each time I also expelled some blood. It was a terrible feeling. I was sure I would die and there was no rescue for me, so I looked at the one I had helped with a smile on my face, speaking calmly despite the immense pain, somewhat slurred but definitely clearly enough to be understood:
"I'm... glad you're safe. That nothing happened to you... it means everything to me."
*John...* Clare said anxiously, uncertain of what would happen next but not wanting it to end that way.
"Why..." the boy's father asked me, not understanding why I risked my life for a few strangers, blaming himself that because of him I would die.
I smiled, the pain subsided a bit. I wanted to raise my hand to touch the sad man and comfort him somehow, but I couldn't; I didn't feel my arms or legs. My whole body hurt so much that apart from pain I couldn't move my limbs, so I only smiled—a very simple and understandable gesture.
In the distance, the mother and grandfather were trying to find anything that could help stop the bleeding while the boy looked at me with gratitude and tears in his eyes. Stammering, he said:
"It's thanks to you my dad lives... thank you." Those words cheered me up a lot, but because of the blood gathering in my mouth that I spat out while coughing, I didn't want to speak anymore, so I simply lay there watching around.
At that moment, I noticed the mother and grandfather seemed somehow happy, with uncertainty and hope. I looked to see what pleased them so much. Then the wife slowly approached her husband, kissed him, hugged him, and after wiping his sad face showed him medicinal herbs.
"Husband, there's no time for sadness; help me dress him as quickly and properly as possible," she said confidently, sure it would help me.
"Frile..." Adrezz replied reluctantly, looking at what she brought. Then he was immediately very surprised, and his eyes filled with hope.
"Redmend herbs! But how?! And so many," a smile finally appeared on his face, and without further questions, they hurried to help me, trying with great focus to apply the ointment, which was very gentle to the touch and looked like someone had poured water over chili powder and mixed it to create this red mud.
I didn't even want to look at the status anymore. I knew I was hurting and things were bad, but after a minute of continuous pain and the slow process of gently treating the wounds, I reluctantly looked at the status. I felt like I was about to faint.
- Mitsuaki HP 12/100
- Wound (stomach) severe pain, inability to move
- Tiredness
- Huge internal destruction of the body
- Loss of 31% of blood from the body (The process of complete recovery will end in 10 days)
- The formation of a new organ will cause a lot of blood leakage
(Good lvl. 0 -> Good lvl. 1 Process completed 1% will end in 101 minutes)
- Improving your physical condition will cause a lot of pain and suffering
(Mitsuaki lvl. 0 -> Mitsuaki lvl. 1 Process completed 3% will end in 33 minutes)
"Thank you, I will be fine now..." I said with a smile, feeling the pain had somehow eased and the blood stopped spilling.
"How good that you found those herbs, where were they?!" shouted the happy man, unable to contain the curiosity boiling inside him, gently hugging his pregnant wife.
Seeing this beautiful scene, the tension holding me to life broke. My body relaxed, my eyes clouded over, and my mind plunged into darkness—not because I gave up—but because I finally could. Immediately awakening in the Waiting Room, where worried Clare was waiting for me. As soon as she saw me, she ran to me and hugged me tightly. Luckily in that space I felt no pain and was fully healthy, so I returned the embrace, whispering in her ear:
"It's alright Clare, it's alright..." I patted her gently on the back, and we held each other for several minutes before she finally looked at me and smiled. It was clear tears welled in her eyes but none fell.
"I was very worried, you know?" she said, and before I could reply, she added, "You're a wonderful person and what you did was commendable but very reckless... I know maybe if you hadn't stood in that man's place, there was a huge chance he would have died, but that doesn't change the fact you weren't sure what would happen and you risked it... if they hadn't found that remedy, you would have died already..." She slowly started worrying again and quickly added, "Don't do that again..." She looked at me hopefully, wanting me to understand.
"Clare, I'm sorry. I know I acted foolishly, but I also know that if I could, I would do it again. I'll try to be more careful and won't put myself where I can't help," I answered, not fully satisfying her but assuring her that if I really couldn't help, I wouldn't try. Then I looked at the camera showing me from above and was truly scared when I saw what others saw: all the skin I was lying on was covered in blood, all my clothes were to be thrown away; everything looked tragic.
But I also heard others talking and that indeed, while sleeping, I could see live what was happening to my body. So I lay down next to Clare, and when she did too after a moment, I pointed at the camera and focused to know what happens when I am unconscious.
When the happy family realized it was over, they calmed down, then stopped for the horse to calm and eat as well. After everything was fine, they headed toward the town. From what I understood from their conversation, they planned to sell grain, fruits, and vegetables, along with fabrics, though unfortunately the best and cleanest fabrics had been torn to bandage me. Still, the family wasn't worried and traveled talking nonstop about everything that had happened, as they had gone through a lot.
"We really had bad luck to encounter goblins and even seven of them," sighed the grandfather.
"I agree, Father Kulmar, it was truly a terrible experience," Frile replied, then added, "That boy is very young, and although he is tall and well-built, his skin and body are terribly easy to injure, not to mention the blood and how easily it flowed..." she said with a sigh like the grandfather, both glancing at me with surprise. "Is he some kind of noble?" Rejtor asked, and as others started pondering that, he added,"He's tall, nicely dressed, with a moral attitude and willingness to help over his own safety, and his body is so well cared for that it was easy to wound it to such a state," pointing to my body, which Adrezz was trying to wipe with wet cloths.
"Whoever he is, it doesn't change the fact he risked his life to help us and certainly saved mine with his own body. I will never be able to thank him enough," he said, smiling, his head bowed as he looked at me, finishing wiping the last dirt, then covered me with his cloak and went to join the rest of the family.
"I think this boy isn't normal, that's for sure. I even know, but what intrigues me most are his hair, light almost white," the grandfather replied, encouraging further discussion. Then the topics stopped being about me, and the family started talking among themselves, so I stopped listening and focused on my friend.
"Clare, I have tons of questions about this whole process of improving physical condition, and also about the new organ and the light element I chose. Now that we finally have time, will you tell me about them?" I asked, hoping she would answer, and she did after a moment, saying:
"Of course, I wanted to do it as soon as possible, and I'm sorry I didn't, and also because of my carelessness, you started two processes at once, which heavily strains your body and nearly killed you... As for physical growth, it will be very noticeable; each time you level up, you will become stronger physically, unfortunately also the evolutions in your body will cause pain, bleeding, and destruction like today's experience." I nodded sadly, and she continued, "But you don't need to worry; the good side of the process is that the more often you do it, the faster it will be, and the body will better handle the trauma and heal quicker. Regarding the new organ and the Good element..."
Before Clare wanted to continue, I quickly interrupted her and extended my hand in front of her face as a sign to stop.
"STOP... too much information, wait a moment," I said, grabbing my head to process it all. After a brief pause, I added: "Okay... you can continue now," looking at her attentively and ready even for a longer monologue. "You know... If I talk too much, you can tell me, I won't be offended and I'll speak more calmly," she looked at me like a puppy caught causing trouble. "No, no, calm down Clare, sorry for interrupting you like that, but even though the body here is healthy, I still feel tired after everything," I reassured her that she hadn't done anything wrong and that everything was fine.
"You should go and give yourself a full sleep, everyone sometimes needs a break from everything. For now, you've been conscious for a long time, even during sleep you focused to make sure nothing was harming you, but I think you forget that you have me. I will tell you if something is wrong, so you can go to sleep," she suggested, then smiled, happy that she could help me rest.
"It's a strange feeling, I don't feel physically tired or anything, but I have a huge desire to give myself rest, to not think about anything in complete silence," I described, slowly moving away from her. "Goodnight!~" Clare said cheerfully and then stopped making any sounds or movements so it would be easier for me to fall asleep.
And although it may sound funny, I fell asleep within a dream, so I don't remember what happened. When I woke up, I felt terribly strange, as if I had appeared in another reality. Slowly, I tried to open my eyes and to my surprise, I didn't wake up in the Waiting Room but in a carriage. As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw the greenery of trees, clouds, and sunny weather that made me squint. After a moment of regaining consciousness, I heard the characteristic sound of a moving carriage, and then a voice I recognized. After a moment, I understood it was the family I had helped.
"Dad, dad, he's waking up," said Rejtor, encouraging his father to look in my direction while nudging him with his elbow. "Yes, yes, son, I see," sighed Adrezz, annoyed that his son could even think he hadn't noticed. After a moment, the father sitting next to me, with one knee up and back leaning against the wall, looked at me. "How did you sleep?" he asked tenderly but a bit teasingly, seeing how long it took me to wake up. "Good... Adrezz, right?" I could finally look at him properly without constantly fighting to survive.
I noticed he was about 165 cm tall, appearing as a man with a stern yet warm facial expression, bearing signs of years of hard work and life experience. He had short, dark hair—neatly trimmed, slightly graying at the temples, which added seriousness and dignity. His face was covered with light stubble, maybe carelessly trimmed, as if shaving wasn't a priority for him.
His nose was straight, slightly crooked possibly due to old breaks, and his eyes—deep-set, dark, and tired—seemed to look right through you. His skin was rough and tanned, with visible wrinkles around the eyes and mouth, and some scars on his hands. His hands were strong and calloused, marked by years of using tools, weapons, or a plow, depending on his profession. He wore a simple tunic made of thick linen, belted with a leather strap holding a pouch. On his feet were worn leather boots, heavily used, with remnants of blood on the soles.
Although he wasn't an imposing or frightening figure, an inner strength and dignity of a provider father radiated from him—a man unafraid of sacrifices. In his gaze, you could read wisdom, and in his posture—unwavering loyalty to family and tradition.
"My name is Adrezz," he replied, reassuring me with a smile, then pointed to a pregnant woman and added: "And this is my wife Frile, who did everything she could for you to survive." I looked at her and after a moment said, "Thank you for your help," to which she quickly replied, "I should be the one thanking you, boy," bowing her head as a gesture of respect. "Next is Rejtor, whose name you already mentioned, my son, whom I am very proud of." Then the boy shyly nodded as a greeting. "And at the very end, you have my father Kulmar," looking at the person I first exchanged a few words with, I was glad and greeted him with "Nice to meet you." Grandpa smiled and felt very calm in my presence, then replied, "Nice to meet you too."
"And what is your name, boy?" the father asked boldly after a brief introduction, which sparked curiosity among everyone. "My name is... Mitsuaki." After a short silence as if I had forgotten my name, I answered, then surprised at how well I felt, I stopped paying attention to their reaction to my name and looked at my status.
- Mitsuaki HP 38/104
- Wound (stomach) difficulty moving
- Loss of blood from the body (The process of full recovery will complete in 10 days)
- The formation of a new organ will cause significant blood leakage
(Good level 0 -> Good level 1 Process completed 72%, will end in 27 minutes)
*Wow, I feel great and the status confirms it,* I thought to myself, to which Clare replied:
*John, now I can show you the changes that come with a level up. Are you interested?* she asked encouragingly.
*Hi Clare, by the way, of course, show me!~* I answered, cheerful and curious.
*Hi,* she giggled and then added, *Here you go.*
- Strength 7.1 –(+0.1)-> 7.2 // Slightly physically strong
- Agility 8.9 –(+0.1)-> 9.0 // Quick reflexes
- Endurance 2.1 –(+0.1)-> 2.2 // Low stamina, tires easily
- Intelligence 9.3 –(+0.1)-> 9.4 // Highly knowledgeable
- Wisdom 9.1 –(+0.1)-> 9.2 // Deep intuition and insight
- Charisma 7.4 –(+0.1)-> 7.5 // Fairly charming and appealing
- Perception 9.5 –(+0.1)-> 9.6 // Notices even the smallest details
- Luck 10.0 –(+0.1)-> 10.1 // Exceptionally fortunate
- Willpower 95.0 –(+0.1)-> 95.1 // Immense mental resilience
- Stamina 2.5 –(+0.1)-> 2.6 // Low physical energy
- Focus 8.7 –(+0.1)-> 8.8 // Calm and concentrated
- Speed 9.2 –(+0.1)-> 9.3 // Moves swiftly
- Vitality 2.3 –(+0.1)-> 2.4 // Physically fragile
- Spirit 88.8 –(+0.1)-> 88.9 // Strong inner spirit, divine protection
- Accuracy 8.4 –(+0.1)-> 8.5 // Hits targets precisely
- Evasion 7.9 –(+0.1)-> 8.0 // Agile but not invulnerable
- Defense 1.2 –(+0.1)-> 1.3 // Very weak physical defense
- Magic Resistance 0.6 –(+0.1)-> 0.7 // Highly vulnerable to magic
- Stealth 6.3 –(+0.1)-> 6.4 // Somewhat sneaky
- Morale 90.5 –(+0.1)-> 90.6 // Unshakable spirit in battle
After analyzing everything more deeply, I was shocked at how high my stats like Willpower and Morale were, and also how much leveling up benefited me. Then I looked at the new organ formation process, which was to occur in less than 25 minutes.
But because I zoned out and stared into nothingness like I was reading something for a longer time, the family began to worry again.
"Are you sure you don't want to rest?" the mother of the child asked, offering more sleep and care.
"No, everything is fine, thank you for your concern, I just feel a bit dizzy," I answered, searching for a believable lie.
"We were also curious about your age if you don't mind, Mitsuaki," the father asked modestly.
"Sure, I'm 17 years old."
"So you're of legal age after all, you look much younger," he laughed, then asked again:
"Tell me, boy, what happened that you ended up in this forest and where are you heading now?" He looked at me, puzzled, with his head tilted to the side.
*Clare, come up with something, I don't know what to say!* I suddenly demanded from her, as I had no creative ideas.
*Something like "I spent the last few years in a monastery high in the mountains—a place of peace and learning. They said I was special here, so they taught me various things that help to see the world differently. One day I felt it was time to move on, to see what's beyond the walls. And that's how I ended up here." Just make sure not to mention any specific place names or details, or they'll ask for more info.*
*Okay, thanks,* I smiled in a characteristic way to let Clare know I was grateful.
"Sorry for zoning out, I recently left the city and the monastery where I grew up in an orphanage since I have no parents. I'm already of legal age, so the patrons there encouraged me to travel the city and gave me money. I decided to become an adventurer... but they didn't accept me, so I want to try in smaller villages instead. That's why I spent all the money on provisions and Rainbow Hope flowers and set out on a solo journey, hiding at night in tall trees. I planned to cover the rest of the distance today, but then I met you."
"Oh, you really had a tough life, huh?..." The father sadly lowered his head, then added, "But in my opinion, you're definitely fit to be an adventurer yourself. I'll help you become one since my father was one when he was young." He pointed to Kulmar and reassured me he would do his best to help me become one.
"Thank you very much, that means a lot to me." I smiled after moments of pretending sadness, then we started talking until suddenly...