10: The circle of life

The immense tiger lunged at the gorilla, whose torso was covered in scars from old battles. It bit down hard on its arm, its powerful jaws exerting such pressure that it seemed it might shatter the bone at any moment. Blood spurted from the great ape's arm, further spurring the tiger on. The gorilla obviously wouldn't stand idly by and wait for its end. It swung its free arm forcefully, and the rock it was using as a weapon slammed into the great tiger's head, completely shattering its skull and killing it instantly.

Orion watched this violent scene from his hiding place in the distance. He had been in the forest for two hours, and he had seen similar scenes on several occasions. Until this moment, he had never fully understood the danger posed by the beasts that inhabited this place, but now that multiple similar battles had taken place up close, he finally understood just how terrifying this place was.

If one of these beasts decided to attack Pacific Town, it could wipe out everyone there without any problem.

Orion wondered why the beasts had never attacked the village. It couldn't just be laziness, could it?

The great gorilla killed the tiger, but didn't do anything with the carcass; he simply left it there and walked away with his injured arm. Tiger meat probably wasn't to his liking.

Orion checked his skills screen in the system.

*Skills:

Swordsmanship (1)

Drawing (3)

Carving (2)

Strong Body (2)

Medicine (1)

Hand-to-Hand Combat (1)

Herbalism (3)

Painting (5)

Unused Points: 11

*

With his current skills, facing the beasts of this forest was suicidal, and he had used his few remaining system points to raise his herbalism level. After all, he had to quickly locate the three herbs he needed for the medicinal recipe that would save the lives of his mother and little sibling.

The herbalism skill, of course, also included identifying and locating the different types of herbs in the area. By raising the skill to level 3, Orion gained a wealth of information, including the most likely location of the herbs he was looking for. If his Herbalism level had remained at level 1, he probably would never have been able to find the necessary herbs, and the outcome would have been tragic.

So far, he had obtained two of the herbs he needed, but the third was proving to be a bit of a problem. The reason was that the third herb's habitat was on cliffs, and the only place that met those characteristics on this island was probably the cliffs of the great mountain. However, the closer he got to the mountain, more and more powerful beasts surrounded him. He feared that if he continued advancing toward the mountain, he would reach a point where he could no longer return without being discovered by the beasts and annihilated.

Either way, he had no other choice at the moment. Every second that passed was important. Since his mother's health was becoming more delicate with each passing second, Orion didn't dare be cautious and waste too much time, so he had been on a knife's edge for some time now.

..............................…

At the Lysanders' house, Paul had left his tiny newborn daughter in a small crib and eagerly awaited the birth of his second baby.

With each passing minute, his unease grew more and more.

It was common for both women and their babies to die during labor, so right now he couldn't remain calm no matter how hard he tried. On top of that, his little son Orion had suddenly left, and he didn't know when he would return. Although he wasn't sure what he was doing right now, he had a feeling it had something to do with his wife's health. It was simply an inexplicable feeling he had. Perhaps it was a father's intuition.

A bolt of lightning struck the winter sky, illuminating the entire room with its dazzling light, and immediately a roar of thunder was heard, so powerful that even the house seemed to shake.

The rain, which until then had been only a drizzle, began to intensify, falling with unusual force on the peaceful little town and its surroundings.

The little baby suddenly woke up and began to cry loudly.

Paul tried to calm her a couple of times without success, feeling the feeling of unease inside him grow even stronger. He looked out the window at the dark sky pouring with torrential rain, and hoped that everything was going to be all right, and that his bad feeling was nothing more than that.

In the room, Lira was bleeding more than expected, and the tiny baby was positioned in a very difficult position for delivery. The elderly midwife wiped her sweat with a small handkerchief she had; her solemn gaze and furrowed brow indicated the absolute concentration she had at that moment.

The situation was not good; if things continued like this, neither the mother nor the baby would make it.

..............................…

Orion cautiously climbed the steep mountain. It had been four hours since he had entered this area infested with powerful beasts to search for the herbs needed to create the vitality-boosting medicine the system had given him.

He had managed to pass through much of the forest almost without having to face any beasts. The only two battles he had had were against a small fox that stubbornly followed him, and against a medium-sized monkey, which had an unusual interest in his short sword.

Despite having fought these two battles against "weak" enemies, he had received a small wound on his shoulder, which he had bandaged with a makeshift bandage made from his own clothes. He feared that the scent of blood might attract more powerful beasts, but luckily, it seemed the larger beasts had no interest in him. Perhaps they considered it not worth the effort to kill such small prey.

And Orion, of course, wouldn't try to verify whether this was true or not. He remained hidden whenever possible, knowing that if he got involved in fights, he would lose even more time.

It had been a long time since the system mission had appeared, and he feared for the health of his mother and sibling.

He was now in the mountain crags, searching for the last herb he needed, and perhaps it was fate helping him, but it didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for.

About twenty meters above, a small plant with sturdy, strong roots grew from the rocky face of the cliff. Its yellow flower was truly striking in the midst of the storm.

That's right, Orion was climbing the mountain with only his bare hands, in the midst of a storm. His behavior could only be described as stupid, but he was willing to risk his life to save his mother.

Orion finally reached the plant, thus obtaining the last herb he needed.

Happy to have accomplished his goal, he let his guard down for a moment, and it was at that moment that a large snake suddenly appeared out of nowhere and attacked him at high speed.

Orion, who was unprepared for the attack, was unable to defend himself from the snake's swipe, as it sank its jaws into his leg.

Orion felt great pain and let out a shriek. Then, he took the sword from his waist and slashed hard at the snake that was still clinging to his leg.

However, the sword couldn't penetrate the snake's scales, which were as hard as steel.

He lost his grip and fell with the snake into the void. As he fell, he couldn't help thinking about his mother, who without his help would surely die giving birth to his little brother.

Clarity returned to his mind, and he reached out to try to grab onto the rocks jutting out from the cliff face.

However, it was useless. The speed at which he was falling made it impossible for him to successfully grab onto something, even with strength three times greater than that of a normal human. All he achieved with this vain effort to survive was to have the fingers of his right hand broken by the forceful impact, and his falling speed only slowed slightly.

Orion couldn't give up; he still had another good hand to try to save himself. He had to do everything he could to return home with the medicine for his mother, even if his body was destroyed in the process.

Just as Orion was about to try once more to grab onto the cliff face, a figure emerged from the forest at full speed and leaped toward him.

Orion instinctively prepared to use his sword to defend himself, but before he could, he felt his face come into contact with a soft, pleasant surface, and a familiar scent flooded his senses: Giolla!

Giolla, who had appeared at full speed, took a couple of leaps down the wet cliff walls and landed on the ground without any problem. Seeing the little boy covered in blood and with his right hand completely shattered, she felt a tingling in her nose, and her eyes filled with tears. She couldn't bear to see Orion in that condition.

She looked at the snake, which had finally released the boy's leg and now stood menacingly, and her eyes filled with anger. She took a step forward, and the ground around her trembled slightly. The snake seemed to sense danger and tried to flee, but it was too late.

Giolla crushed the snake's tail with her foot, preventing it from moving. She then placed her hands on the animal's jaws and began to open its mouth wider and wider, until finally, the snake was split into two equal pieces by the woman's monstrous strength. The grotesque sight didn't bother Orion, who had received the snake's venom and wasn't in the best physical condition.

Giolla noticed the wound on Orion's leg, and without hesitation, she threw herself at his feet, placed her sexy lips on the wound, and began to suck out the venom. After a few moments, most of the venom had been sucked out of Orion's body; however, some had already entered his bloodstream and had begun to affect him slightly.

Orion knew there was no time to waste. Now that Giolla was here, he had to get her help to return home as soon as possible. Once there, he would refine the medicine the system had provided him, and everything would be fine.

With some effort, he raised his voice so it could be heard even under the torrential rain and said to Giolla:

"Giolla, I need you to take me home as soon as possible. Please... It's urgent."

She didn't ask unnecessary questions; she simply took him in her arms and began to run at high speed in the direction of the town.

Reclining in the beautiful woman's arms, Orion watched and felt the soft touch of Giolla's imposing breasts. Seeing her beautiful face, Orion could immediately tell that she too had been affected by the poison, although her body was probably strong enough not to suffer symptoms as pronounced as his.

Orion thought about Giolla's actions and smiled, thinking that aside from the fact that she was a yandere, she was a very lovely woman. She hadn't hesitated to help him whenever he needed her, silently, without asking for anything in return, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Although it was true that in the eccentric artist's mind, they were a couple, and it was only natural to help him in any way possible.

The village appeared in the distance, and Orion didn't need to give Giolla any directions. What kind of yandere would she be if she hadn't secretly watched over his residence? She had come several times during the night just to watch him sleep, though luckily Orion had never found out, otherwise he would probably be even more afraid of the artist's extreme tendencies.

Giolla entered the Lysander house carrying Orion and ran into Paul, who was her father-in-law, although he was almost ten years younger than her.

Paul saw the deplorable state of his young son and approached, worried, to examine him.

However, Orion didn't have time to waste; his mind was somewhat clouded, and he wouldn't be able to stay conscious much longer. He could feel the poison and fatigue eroding his mind.

"Dad, don't worry, I'm fine. I went to get some medicine for Mom. I need to make it now. Don't worry, I'll take it too, and everything will be fine."

Orion did his best to appear healthy and reassure Paul, who, upon hearing his son's words, didn't try to stop him, but simply stood there, looking at him with concern.

Orion quickly took out all the herbs and followed the recipe's instructions to make the medicine. He had only one hand available to perform the task, since his other hand had been completely destroyed by the incident on the mountain.

After a few minutes, he managed to complete the medicine, despite the difficulties. Then, he raised his head with difficulty and said:

"Quickly, give this medicine to Mom. It will increase her vitality. Also the baby…"

He lost consciousness before he could finish his words.

..............................

August 16, 1495, Age of the Sea Circle

Orion opened his eyes. Staring at the familiar ceiling of his room, his mind slowly awakened. Finally, memories began to return to him, and he immediately sat up, startled.

The mission! His mother, his brother. What had happened?

He looked toward the window overlooking the backyard. The afternoon sun streamed through, providing a bit of warmth in this cold winter.

Orion raised his eyebrows. How long had he been asleep?!

He got out of bed and hurried out to find his parents. He needed to know if everything was okay.

Upon entering his living room, Orion found Paul, who was sitting in the armchair drinking tea, his face clearly tired.

Paul heard the door to Orion's room and looked up. His eyes fell on the little boy who had appeared in the living room, and he jumped up from the armchair, ran to Orion, and took him in his arms.

"Son, you're okay! Thank goodness, thank goodness! You scared me!" Paul's voice trembled slightly.

Orion felt his father's warm embrace, and his body relaxed a little. Still, he immediately asked:

"How's Mom? And the babies?"

Paul released him from his bear hug and looked at him, smiling.

"Everyone's fine, Orion! Thanks to you! Well done, son! I'm so proud of you. You obviously inherited my good genes! Hahaha!"

Seeing Paul in such a good mood, Orion finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then he focused his attention on the system screen. He had woken up somewhat confused and worried, so he had forgotten to check the system.

*Mission 03 has been completed!*

*Your efforts have paid off, and you have slightly changed the course of history on this world. A person is like a grain of sand in the desert, and although the change may seem tiny, if you put enough grains of sand together, a great storm can form*

*The rewards have been distributed*

Orion watched the system messages with joy; he had done it. His mother and brother were safe, and he had even received rewards!

The first reward was a health boost for his family members. Orion had no way of checking if this reward had been granted, but he trusted the system wouldn't deceive him.

The second reward was a card floating in a new screen that had appeared: the inventory.

As he focused his attention on the card, a description of it appeared in his mind.

*Random Talent Card (Rechargeable): This card allows you, or anyone you designate, to gain a random talent/skill. The skills gained can be influenced by the person's innate talent. Not all people are the same, and the chances of receiving certain skills vary. This card can be recharged using system points. Otherwise, it will recharge naturally over time.

Its use is limited to one per person, with the exception of the Host, who can use it without limitations.*

Reading the description of the newly obtained item, Orion's eyes lit up. This was simply a divine instrument!

In the future, he could use this card to strengthen his followers, which would be very beneficial to his plans!

Happy, he checked the third reward.

*You have obtained 500 system points*

Orion, pleased, prepared to close the system screen, but saw that there were more unread messages.

*Special reward obtained: Passive skill "Poison resistance (level 0)"*

Orion clenched his fists tightly and held back a laugh. A passive skill was undoubtedly an excellent reward; if he increased his level in the future, he wouldn't have to worry about surprise assassinations through the use of poisons.

Orion had great ambitions for the future, so he kept the skills he acquired in perspective with those ambitions in mind. Right now, no one wanted to kill him, but someday, when he had great power under his command, there would undoubtedly be people who would want his head.

The voice of his father, Paul, interrupted his grandiloquent thoughts.

"Son, don't you want to officially meet your brothers?" Paul said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Orion nodded vigorously.

"Of course, Dad! And I want to see Mom, too."

Paul nodded and started walking toward the master bedroom, his hand still on his son's shoulder.

Orion suddenly remembered something and asked cautiously.

"Dad… Giolla… The curly-haired woman who lives on the mountain…"

Paul interrupted him before he could finish his question.

"Oh, she left once she knew you were okay. After giving the medicine you made to your mother and the baby, we saw that you were in a somewhat delicate state. So Giolla insisted on giving you the same medicine. She said it was your instructions. After taking the medicine, your wounds began to heal and your condition returned to normal, although you didn't wake up immediately. She said that when you wake up, you should go see her."

Paul knew that Orion had an unusual relationship with the foreign woman, but he had decided not to delve too deeply into the matter. Orion had already told him and his wife that they had nothing to worry about, and they trusted their young son, who was extremely mature for his age.

The door to the room opened. The tender image of his mother, holding a baby in her arms and the afternoon sun falling on her, was etched in his eyes, a memory he would cherish forever.

Many years later, when another beautiful red-haired woman similarly held his own child in her arms, he would recall the distant years of his childhood and sigh at the cyclical nature of life.