Chapter 137: Favor

THUNK

Baldon brought his mace down onto the creature’s head, a satisfying cry escaping it on impact.

It was taking damage. The shell had begun to crack along the edges, and its regenerative ability wasn’t fast enough to undo the blows he had already dealt.

Though his arms were growing heavy with fatigue, he knew he could keep going. If not kill it, he could at least drive it away.

Then, suddenly—

A sharp burning sensation spread through his feet.

His eyes widened.

The moss on the creature’s shell was glowing, radiating a malicious energy.

He raised his mace to strike again and interrupt whatever it was doing, but the creature jerked its head, throwing him off balance.

“Gah!”

His mace slipped from his grip as he fell face-first onto its shell.

“—!!”

He pushed himself up instantly, but his skin screamed in pain. His face felt like it was being eaten alive.

Venom.

He quickly scraped the moss off his skin, only to realize the damage had already begun.

Shit!

’I can’t stay here.’

The longer he remained, the worse it would get. He needed to get off and fight from the ground.

He jumped—

But as if anticipating his move, the tortoise shifted at the same moment.

His footing faltered, his step colliding awkwardly with its movement, and he lost all balance.

“Agh! Shit!”

He crashed to the ground, his ankle twisting painfully on impact.

He could barely steady himself on the ground, let alone lift his weapon.

A glance back told him everything he needed to know.

Claw lay motionless, no groan, no movement.

No guards. No reinforcements.

Nothing.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the monster began gathering another energy beam in its maw.

This time, it was faster. More violent and ready to eradicate everything in one blow.

Baldon stared at it, fully aware of what was coming, yet unable to move his body even an inch.

His fist tightened.

“Is… this how I die?”

Suddenly—

Something slammed into him from the side, shoving him away.

He hit the ground hard and turned, eyes snapping toward the figure who had moved him.

Luke stood there, arms spread wide.

“No!! You’ll die!” Baldon shouted.

Too late.

The energy had already reached its peak.

Baldon’s gaze dimmed with resignation.

In his eyes, Luke was about to sacrifice himself to protect the house… to protect his people.

But Luke—

Was counting.

Gathering mere seconds of Gamma.

For one precise moment.

SLAMM

The instant the beam fired, Luke brought his palms together—

BOOOOM

A strike faster than the eye could follow crashed into the creature’s head.

The attack hit before the beam could fully leave its maw, detonating the energy right in front of its face.

“GRUUUUGH!!”

The creature let out a thunderous roar, staggering backward as its massive feet shook the ground.

The creature staggered, the backlash of its own power too much to bear.

It took a few unsteady steps—

DHAK

—and then its massive body crashed to the ground.

The impact shook the surroundings, its shattered head slamming into a nearby shop and crushing it beneath the weight.

Luke’s arms finally dropped to his sides.

Silence settled over the village once more.

’I… I actually did it…’

[Host… it will take some time to calculate all the rewards and Gamma gained from this battle. Please allow the system to process.]

That only made his smile widen.

He let out a long breath, the tension leaving his body.

He had trusted his instincts. Even if he couldn’t completely disperse that attack, he knew he could deflect it just enough to escape.

But in the end, his skill <Concentrated Burst> had saved him once again.

He didn’t check his stats but he could tell that compared to how he reacted against the wolf, his magical control was far better just now.

He didn’t feel the same strain as before and he could still move normally without any potion.

He turned toward the fallen chief, who stared at him with wide eyes.

Approaching him, Luke asked, “Can you walk?”

The man only looked at him in silence for a few seconds. He seemed on the verge of saying something—

“Agh…”

Both of them turned at the groan.

Baldon’s eyes widened. “Claw… can you take me to him?”

Luke nodded. He pulled the man up and guided him by the shoulder toward the injured youth with dark brown hair.

“Is he the chief’s son?” Luke asked, already certain of the answer.

He was.

Baldon quickly turned Claw onto his back.

The wound had worsened. Thick, dark blood poured from his chest, and his magic showed no signs of repairing the damage.

His face had gone pale. His breathing was shallow.

“T-This can’t be happening…” Baldon’s voice trembled, far more than it had against the monster. “W-we need a medic… or… he’ll die… no, this can’t happen…”

[Quest: Save the chief’s son life.]

[Reward: 50GP, Scroll of Potion Making(Beginner Rank)]

Luke’s eyes sparkled. That was some juicy reward, alright.

If he gets to learn how to make potions, he would no longer need to rely on the system shop to buy them.

Nice.

Without much thought, he purchased a low grade healing potion from the system shop.

He knelted beside the young man and held his head high, resting his upper body against his leg.

“What are you doing?” Baldon asked in panic, seeing Luke uncorking a vial and parting Claw’s lips.

“Saving his life,” he said and before Baldon could say anything, the vial was tilted and the liquid was poured into his mouth.

Claw had enough consciousness to drink the potion rather than choke on it.

The improvement was visible and steady. His complexion improved, breathing regaining some steadiness and the wound on his chest healing right before his eyes.

Baldon’s eyes were widened in utter disbelief. He knew that there are potions in the world that could heal injuries right after consuming them but they were so rare that the head chief kept them just for crisis.

He then looked at Luke. The same boy whom he didn’t know existed until recently.

“You…can use Gamma.” He voiced, “Why did you keep it a secret until now?”

Luke sighed. Well, the secret was already out. He had a feeling this would happen given the world he lives in was filled with uncertain dangers.

Resting Claw on the ground he said, “I just desire a peaceful life, Chief. Exposing my abilities would have brought unnecessary attention, so…”

Baldon’s lips parted but he couldn’t bring himself to argue with the young man.

After a brief pause, he lowered his head and said, “I will never forget what you have done for us.”

Luke didn’t say anything and turned.

The sky was already bright. He needed to return before his mate woke up.

However, much to his dismay, when he reached his house, his whole family, except for Laila stood there.

And the one who held tears in her eyes, standing at the front was none other than his beloved.

Yeah…he hates himself.

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