For Dad

Andy finished cursing that bastard Creator Old Man, picked up the bamboo basket on the beach, and went to gather more things. Of course, he was cursing under his breath. As long as he didn't say it aloud, the Elf System wouldn't report it to the Creator Old Man.

Two hours later, Andy returned to Old Man Dick's home with a half-basket of shells, tiny shrimp, and other things. The sun had just risen. Gentle morning sunlight streamed through the drafty window and fell on the bed where Old Man Dick lay.

"Dad, I'm back!" Andy hardly seemed like an eleven-year-old child now.

"Mm, you're back, Andy." Old Man Dick's voice was even weaker than it had been the night before.

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

"Really? You've worked so hard!" Old Man Dick's eyes grew damp. After all, to him, Andy was just a child who hadn't grown up yet. Although he had saved the boy, Andy had been the one supporting him for the past six months.

"It's no trouble. Actually, gathering this stuff is fun." Andy certainly wasn't going to tell him that he'd nearly lost his life catching the crab, or that he'd pricked his hands and feet gathering shells and tiny shrimp.

Old Man Dick watched Andy prepare the seafood as he spoke, and tears welled in his eyes.

Andy brought him a bowl of seafood soup with more than half a crab in it.

"Andy, you eat some too. You're still growing." Old Man Dick looked at the bowl, then reached out and stroked Andy's head.

"You eat first, Dad. There's plenty left in the pot. I'll eat after you're finished." With the soul of an adult, Andy was still moved by this kind of care. It was something he'd never experienced in his previous life.

After Old Man Dick finished eating, he drifted off to sleep. Lately, he'd been sleeping more and more, spending entire days in a daze and barely ever fully awake.

Andy went outside and drank the leftover soup, sucking the meat from two crab legs. He wondered if he should get a doctor to examine Old Man Dick, but when he remembered how little money he had, he could only shake his head helplessly.

By the time Andy finished eating, the sun was already high. According to the Monster Spirit, the Creator Old Man had given Andy only two basic skills so he wouldn't be killed by just any wild beast. That didn't mean he could go picking fights with powerful beasts, though. That would be asking for death.

Andy found a secluded spot and practiced the basic skill "Kick" over and over. As for Beast Tracking, given its range of just thirty meters, all Andy could do was scoff.

After practicing for a while, Andy ran back to the beach to look for the crabs scuttling around. Around noon, they came out to bask in the sun. That should be the best time to catch them.

When Andy reached the beach, a few crabs were already sprawled on the sand. After practicing the skill for a while, Andy felt his steps had grown much lighter. Combined with the soft sand, that made it easy to get close to them.

At that time of day, the crabs were at their most relaxed. Their two round, black eyes drooped, and their enormous claws rested on the sand. But crabs were exceptionally sensitive to vibrations in the ground. In an instant, their eyes snapped up and their claws rose.

The crabs' movements were a joke to Andy. Thanks to practicing the basic skill, by the time they noticed him, he was already close. He kicked one crab onto its back, immediately tied it up with a grass rope, then went after another.

After two exhausting hours, Andy had caught four or five large crabs. Now he and Old Man Dick could eat their fill— they could have boiled crab every day.

"Dad, I caught a bunch of crabs! We can eat as much as we want today!" Andy was so excited he shouted before he even reached the door.

"Dad?" When Old Man Dick didn't answer, Andy thought he'd fallen asleep and hadn't heard him. He went inside and called again, but Old Man Dick still didn't respond.

"Dad?" Andy sensed something was wrong. What was going on? Old Man Dick had only just fallen asleep when Andy left. How could he be sleeping so long that he couldn't be woken?

"Dad!" Andy went to the bed, shook him hard, and cried, "Dad, what's wrong?"

Old Man Dick didn't react. A cold sweat broke out over Andy. No way. Could Old Man Dick have...? Andy was so startled he didn't dare finish the thought.

Andy forced down his unease and shakily reached beneath Old Man Dick's nose to check his breathing. It was very faint, but it hadn't stopped. That meant Old Man Dick wasn't dead yet; his illness had simply grown so severe that he'd fallen unconscious. No, he had to find a doctor!

"Uncle Niwa!" Andy went to Niwa's house and called inside.

"Who is it?" Niwa answered as he came out of the house. "Oh, it's you, Andy! Are you out of food again? I'll get you some."

"Uncle Niwa, listen. Dad has fallen unconscious, and I need to find a doctor to examine him," Andy said.

"What? Old Man Dick is unconscious?" Niwa looked shocked. "Hurry to the east end of the village and get Mr. Cragg. He's the only one in our village who knows medicine."

Andy hurried off at once to Cragg's house, briefly explained what had happened, and rushed back with him to Old Man Dick's home.

"Ah, Old Man Dick's worn himself out. This illness has built up over time!" Cragg said, slapping his thigh.

"What can we do?" Andy knew nothing about medicine, either before or after he'd transmigrated.

"Ordinary medicine won't do much anymore," Cragg said.

"Does that mean Dad will stay unconscious forever?" Andy's eyes nearly filled with tears. Then he suddenly thought of something. "Aren't we Elves? Don't Elves live a long time? There must be a way to save Dad!"

Only after he'd finished speaking did Andy notice Cragg and Niwa staring at him as if he were an idiot. "What? Was I wrong?" Andy asked.

"I don't know where you heard that, but not every Elf has an exceptionally long lifespan. Only Elves blessed by the High Priest or those who practice secret arts can gain a longer life. And those Elves are all highly respected members of their clans," Cragg said. "Given Old Man Dick's condition, the only option is to go to a large city in the north and ask the cultivator lords there to perform Restoration on him. But..."

"But what?" Andy hurriedly asked when Mr. Cragg trailed off.

"But we don't even know if we can get those lords to come. Even if we can, there's no way one of us could cross the wilderness outside over such a long distance."

"I'm not afraid!" Andy said. "I'll go ask those cultivators. Uncle Niwa, I'll have to trouble you to look after things at home." As he spoke, Andy bowed deeply to Niwa.

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

"Yes, I have to!" Andy said firmly. "For Dad's sake, I believe I can make it to Darnassus City and bring back those cultivators!"