For Dad

Andy finished cursing that bastard Creator old man, then picked up the bamboo basket from the beach to gather more items. Of course, he only cursed in his heart; as long as he didn't say it out loud, the Elf System wouldn't provide any feedback to that old man.

Two hours later, Andy returned to Dick's residence with a half-basket of shells and small shrimp. The sun had just risen, and the warm morning light filtered through the drafty windows, shining onto the bed where Dick lay.

"Dad, I'm back!" Andy didn't sound like an eleven-year-old child at all.

"Mm, you're back, Andy." The old man's voice was much weaker than it had been the night before.

"Dad, I gathered a lot of small seafood today, and I even caught a big crab. I can make you seafood soup and boiled crab today!" Andy was very excited; he might not need to rely on the neighbors' charity anymore, though he would never forget their kindness.

"Is that so? You've worked so hard!" The corners of the old man's eyes grew moist; after all, in his eyes, Andy was still just a child who hadn't grown up. Even though he had saved Andy, for the past half-year, it had been Andy taking care of him.

"It wasn't hard at all. Actually, gathering these things is quite fun." Of course, Andy wouldn't tell the old man that he had nearly lost his life catching the crab, or that his hands and feet were pricked and cut while gathering shells and shrimp.

Watching Andy talk while preparing the seafood, the old man couldn't help but let tears stream down his face.

Andy brought over a bowl of seafood soup, with half a crab inside.

"Andy, you eat too. You're at the age where you need to grow." The old man looked at the bowl and reached out to stroke Andy's head.

"You eat first, Dad. There's plenty more in the pot; I'll eat after you're done." With the soul of an adult, Andy was still moved by this care, something he had never experienced in his past life.

After the old man finished eating, he drifted into a deep sleep. Lately, the old man had become increasingly lethargic, remaining in this hazy, unconscious state for the entire day, with almost no moments of clarity.

Andy went outside to finish the remaining soup and sucked on two crab legs. He wondered if he should hire a doctor to check on the old man, but as soon as he thought about his empty pockets, he could only shake his head helplessly.

By the time Andy finished his meal, the sun was already high in the sky. According to the Monster Spirit's explanation, the Creator old man had only given Andy these two basic skills to ensure he wouldn't be killed by just any random beast, but that didn't mean he could go around challenging powerful beasts—that would be a death wish.

Andy found a secluded spot and practiced the basic skill "Kick" over and over again. As for that Beast Tracking skill, given its thirty-meter range, Andy could only laugh at it.

After practicing for a while, Andy ran back to the beach to look for the crabs scurrying about. Those crabs would bask in the sun around noon, which was the best time to catch them.

When Andy arrived at the beach, there were already a few crabs lying on the sand. After practicing the skill for a while, Andy felt his footsteps were much lighter, and combined with the soft sand, it was easy for him to approach the crabs.

At this time of day, the crabs were at their most relaxed, their two dark, beady eyes drooping and their massive claws lowered. However, crabs were highly sensitive to vibrations on the ground, and they instantly raised their eyes and lifted their claws.

To Andy, the crab's movements were a joke. Having practiced his basic skills, he was already very close by the time the crab noticed him. With one kick, he flipped the crab over and immediately tied it up with a grass rope, then rushed to chase another.

After two hours of hard work, Andy had caught four or five large crabs. Now, he and his father would have a feast; they could eat boiled crab every day.

"Dad, I caught a lot of crabs! We can eat our fill today!" Andy was exceptionally excited and started shouting before he even entered the door.

"Dad?" Seeing that Dick didn't move, Andy assumed he was asleep and hadn't heard him. He entered the room and called out again, but the old man still didn't respond.

"Dad?" Andy felt something was wrong. What was going on? When he left, the old man had just fallen asleep; it was impossible for him to be so deep in sleep that he couldn't be woken up after such a long time.

"Dad!" Andy walked to the bedside, shook the old man vigorously, and shouted, "Dad, what's wrong?"

The old man didn't respond. Cold sweat broke out on Andy instantly. It can't be, right? Could it be that he... Andy was too shocked to continue that line of thought.

Andy suppressed the unease in his heart and, with trembling hands, reached out to check for breath under the old man's nose. It was very faint, but it hadn't stopped, which meant the old man wasn't dead yet—his illness had simply become too severe, causing him to fall into a coma. No, I must find a doctor to take a look!

"Uncle Niwa!" Andy arrived at Niwa's doorstep and shouted into the house.

"Who is it?" Niwa replied as he stepped out of the house. "Oh, it's you, Andy! Is there no food at home again? I'll get some for you right now."

"Uncle Niwa, listen to me, Dad has fallen into a coma. I need to find a doctor to check on him," Andy said.

"What? The old man is in a coma?" Niwa looked shocked. "Hurry to the east end of the village and find Mr. Cragg. He's the only one in our village who knows medicine."

Andy agreed and ran to Cragg's house without stopping. After briefly explaining the situation, Cragg hurried back to Dick's house with Andy.

"Sigh, the old man is exhausted. His hard work has turned into illness!" Cragg slapped his thigh and said.

"Then what should we do?" Whether before or after his transmigration, Andy knew nothing about medicine.

"Ordinary medicine won't have any effect anymore," Cragg said.

"Is the old man just going to stay in a coma like this?" Andy's tears almost fell. Suddenly, he thought of something. "Aren't we elves? Don't elves have very long lifespans? There must be a way to save him!"

After Andy finished speaking, he noticed Cragg and Niwa looking at him as if he were a fool. "What? Did I say something wrong?" Andy asked.

"I really don't know where you heard those things. Not every elf possesses an exceptionally long lifespan; only those who have been blessed by the High Priest or have cultivated secret arts can attain varying lengths of life. However, those elves are all highly respected figures within the clan," Cragg said. "In the old man's current condition, we can only go to the great city in the north and ask those cultivators to perform Restoration on him. But..."

"But what?" Seeing that Mr. Cragg hadn't finished his sentence, Andy asked hurriedly.

"But, we don't even know if those masters can be persuaded to come. Even if they could, it's unrealistic for us to cross the wilderness outside to cover such a long distance on our own."

"I'm not afraid!" Andy said. "I will go and ask those cultivators. I'll have to trouble Uncle Niwa to look after the house." As he said this, Andy bowed deeply to Niwa.

"Andy, are you really going?" Niwa was stunned.

"Yes, I must go!" Andy said firmly. "For the sake of Dad, I believe I can reach Darnassus City and bring back those cultivators!"