783 T.D.o.N.B: Dragon hearth
The next thirty days were focused on a rotation of the same things repeating themselves over and over. I would hunt after midnight, which in total brought me 217 791 000 regular points and 120 additional class points.
Then I would usually get some groceries and sometimes materials, return home prepare the meal for the family, and as they would go join the others for the hunt, I would leave to work in the workshop. I had plenty of requests, so there was always something to do for me.
I would stop upon the return of the hunters, to usually have a quick dinner with my wife and kids, and then I would take them to clean up everything they couldn’t clean by themselves, which progressively got less and less, as everybody in the city was getting stronger.
The fact that we only had around forty people in the city, combined with always getting everything we could in terms of crystals, was making our progress very fast. I still was far away from upgrading the sapling again, but my circle got broken when during a meal Celestine announced something to me.
– I healed myself – she said, and a smile appeared on her face.
She was sitting by the table, with a fork in her hand, and a plate full of fun placed before her.
– Congratulations – we all said almost at the same time.
The kids were smiling, and I was too. Celestine’s smile, though, quickly disappeared as tears began sliding down her cheeks. She started sobbing uncontrollably, so I stood up and came to her to give her a hug.
– I-it’s o-over… I’m healed – she mumbled.
At first, I was worried and confused, just like Leonel, Tihana, and Carmelita, but her words made me understand that those were tears of joy. A heavy burden was removed from her back, but that was probably not even the main cause of the such reaction.
The true culprit was the fact that it was her own hard work, which allowed her to get rid of cancer. She was not only happy but also proud.
– You did great – I assured her.
Quick glance at the rest of the family allowed me to notice that they all were crying too, just in complete silence.
After the emotions passed we returned to eating, and then I took them all to finish the sweep of the territories from whatever was still left. It was a fast trip, thanks to my help.
When we returned, we stopped by the sapling, for them to sell the crystals, and potentially get some upgrades. They no longer looked as tired as they used to at the beginning. They were all getting visibly stronger. As a matter of fact, Tihana was the one who looked the most tired, but it was understandable.
She and John both were dealing with bosses since the rest was still too weak to engage in such a difficult fight. From time to time, somebody was allowed to deal the finishing blow, but it wasn’t very often. Only when the situation was allowing such a risk.
Those situations were the hardest for her and the brat since they first had to create them, which was way more difficult than just killing the damn thing.
– Finally! I got it! – suddenly Leonel yelled at top of his lungs.
I raised my eyebrows, waiting for the boy to elaborate.
– I got the Dragon hearth class! – he yelled again.
– Congratulations – Tihana said to him with a sly smirk on her face.
The boy was so excited about getting the unlocked class, but he actually still didn’t know how little it meant in the grand scheme of things, and this knowledge was the reason behind the smile his sister.
– I’m gonna become a true hero now! – he assured us.
– A true hero would step back, and make some room for his sister – Cermalita nagged him, as she approached the device.
The boy got a little embarrassed, and stepped to the side, doing what she wanted him to do. She definitely had everything she wanted to get already planned as it only took her a few seconds. She then turned around, placed her hands behind her back, and skipped off to the side fighting to keep herself from smiling, which told me that she also got something she wanted to get from the device.
The last person to shop was Celestine, and she also left the mysterious bio-machine quite happy about herself. I was almost sure it was because she could finally focus on upgrading herself and not on accumulating enough points to heal her spine. She probably was balancing between the treatment and keeping relevant during the hunting.
As we were shopping, a few people observed us. I kept tabs on them because I had experience, all the way from the beginnings of Arc. Some were just bored, but I bought a few envious stares. After all, my family was getting the most, while the others were still struggling in quite harsh living conditions.
The houses reminded quite empty, as people only got a few pieces of furniture. I knew that couple of them got beds, but most people straight up were sleeping in sleeping bags, saving all the points to strengthen their own bodies.
It was agreed that they had to pay for their own comfort, and that led to envy because we had it all. The points, the upgrades, a beautiful house, and the best equipment crafted by me.
For me, it was weird, because I did save those assholes. I gave them a lot. I healed them, and I still kept supporting them, and yet they couldn’t help but want more. I guess it’s just the human condition since I too wanted more. Always. The difference, though, was that I wasn’t looking at those around me, instead, I worked hard, alone, in terrible condition, to get everything that I had with my own hands.
I guess that’s why the stubbornness of Celestine, in working so hard just to heal her cancer, was making me so attracted to her. We were similar in this case.