The veins in Ligi's chest started to grow more and more. The veins branched off into smaller veins and those smaller veins branched off into even smaller veins. Black sludge started coming out of his chest. It seemed to follow the veins as it devoured his body. Nobody had their eye on him because they looked back at Bang, who now sat up and looked at his injuries.
Seeing this, Ligi gained back control of his emotions. He was relieved he didn't fail in his only purpose in life. Unknown to Ligi, it was already too late. The demon got ahold of him and who knows when it would take over.
"AHH!!!!"
'FXXX, this hurts. Why do I always keep getting injured in my shoulder?'
He got injured due to the bandit's ambush and now he also got injured here. Come to think about it, he didn't feel the pain from the previous injury. Now, he could see one bleeding slash on his shoulder and the pincer which was still lodged in his shoulder.
'Using owner's natural painkiller, I alleviated some pain to prevent owner from not completing the quest. I also maximized the owner's natural healing capacity to recover.'
Bang thought that was nice. Although he still felt pain, it was more like an annoying stinging pain rather than true pain. He took out the pincer and some blood was let out of the injury.
Lobo quickly went into Bang's side and took out some ointment from his waist. He ordered someone to take some kind of cloth and bandaged it around Bang's shoulder.
"You'll be fine. We'll take a rest for now."
Surprisingly, Gotang also came to check in on Bang. He even offered his hand to help Bang up. Bang slowly got up with the help of Gotang while making sure to not move his shoulder.
"HEY! HEY!! STOP IT!"
Bang heard a commotion and saw that people were gathering on one spot. Gotang, Lobo, and Bang came to look at what was going on. It looked like some fight was occurring in the middle. Was there some leftover scorpions? No? What? Is that Ligi?
Ligi had his shield up looking menacingly at Resi. Fury could be seen by the red in his eyes. The same could be said for Resi. They looked at each other with hatred in their eyes. Ligi stood up with his shield on his hand and Resi was down on the ground looking up at Ligi.
"Hey! What happened here?"
Lobo was the first one to speak. He looked at Resi, then at his fellow comrades for answers. One guy came up to him, presumably the one who shouted and stopped the fight, and spoke.
"They just started fighting. I didn't know who started it but I saw Ligi push down Resi with his shield."
Bang immediately restrained Ligi and Lobo took care of Resi. This whole time, Ligi and Resi only looked at each other. Both knew what happened. Both knew the reason for the fight. And both subconsciously knew why they hated each other.
Bang was surprised. He didn't know they didn't get along well. It would definitely bring trouble if they become teammates. Could they even work together? They look like oil and water, they just don't mesh well.
"Let's just cool down and recover our strength. Don't waste it on fighting with each other."
Like the good leader that he is, Gotang quickly dispersed the situation. Even though he was speaking to the general public, everyone knew he was talking about Bang and Ligi.
They set up camp on a dry land in the swamp. They were relaxed but they all kept their swords in their hands. It was a sign of experience in the face of unknown territory.
Bang and Ligi were a few steps away from the main camp since Resi and Ligi just had an external strife. It would be awkward to fit in with them at this time. Surprisingly, Gotang came up to them and sat with them.
"Hey, sorry about that."
Gotang looked apologetic. He was the first one who approached them and even apologized first. Gotang knew that Ligi may be the one who started the fight but he still came here and tried to absolve things.
Since Ligi was his crew member, Bang felt a little responsible for what happened.
"No, it's our fault."
Gotang didn't say anything more. The situation was solved but he still stayed seated with Bang and Ligi.
"So, where are you from?"
"Far away."
Bang replied quickly. Truthfully, he didn't want to speak with Gotang. He could feel that the members of the Defending Tip are staring directly at him. It felt uncomfortable.
"Hmm.... you know, I've always lived in Suno town. As well as my members here. Hopefully some day, we'll get out."
Bang just stayed silent and listened to the story of Gotang. Ligi didn't face them but Bang was sure that he was also listening.
"Resi's always been.....a different kid. You know, he doesn't want to follow our rules. Always makes trouble. He doesn't embody the motto of the Defending Tip. In fact, he is the opposite of it. 'Defense is the best offense.' If you said that to him he'll laugh in disbelief. But I love that kid like he was my child."
At this point Bang saw that Ligi was slowly facing Gotang. He didn't know when but Ligi was now facing them with half of his face visible. Gotang didn't mind this and just continued his story.
"He wasn't always like that. Well, he's always been like that but not that intense. He would make trouble, but he was always serious when it comes to it. He would practice our defensive sword art religiously. But now as you could see, he threw his sword away."
There was silence and Gotang looked somber. It looked like he reminisced about something in his past. Bang didn't ask because he didn't think it was his place to do so.
"So I noticed that Ligi follows and protects you. Is he your bodyguard?"
"Well not exactly, I saved him from something and now we're traveling together."
"Hmm.....traveling to where? Do you have somewhere to go?"
Bang had to think hard about the question. This is the first time that Bang contemplated about his reasons. Why did he even go to Suno town? What happens after he completes his missions? Why would he recruit crew members? It's not like there's a war and he's building his army. Well, there's the Steel Muscle group. He had to get his revenge. What happens after he gets his revenge?
Then a thought came into his head.
'You don't have to have big dreams in order to find a reason to live. You can take it step by step. No need to rush yourself.'
These were the words he said to Ligi verbatim. Although he technically said that, it was the system's words. It's one thing to say it but believing and doing is a whole other thing. But the system gave him this thought. This must also be advice for him.
"I'll find out when I'm there. It's not the destination, it's the journey."
Bang suddenly remembered a popular quote back on Earth. He might as well say it and be thought of as a philosophical person.
"Ahh...the spirit of an adventurer I see."
Gotang closed his eyes and was in deep thought.
"That's where we differ. See, I would rather know the destination first before going on an adventure. I have to plan out every single thing in order for me to be satisfied and go out."
Ligi was now fully immersed in the conversation. He was now facing Bang and Gotang listening to the conversation. Ligi nodded in affirmation to Gotang's statement. It seems there was some similarity between Gotang and Ligi.
"Hahahahaha. I see Ligi and I have the same thinking."
Ligi felt kind of embarrassed at the remark. Ligi saw how reliable and strong Gotang was at the battlefield. He saw how he could be the pillar of strength in the group. Being likened to this mighty being flustered Ligi.
"Hahahahahahahaha it's okay. You'll learn someday."
Gotang took his hand and put it in Ligi's shoulder. Ligi felt the weight of the hand. An abnormal amount. It felt like for a moment he could see the enormous amount of weight in Gotang's shoulders. It felt like he was holding the weight of a mountain. Even though he only saw a glimpse, Ligi couldn't even try to imagine himself in the same situation. He saw the eyes of a melancholic man who had too much to bear.
As soon as Gotang took away his hand, the pressure vanished. Ligi looked at Gotang in a different way now. Before, it was a look of worship. But now, it was a look of understanding and a little bit of pity.
"I saw your shield. But you're not using it correctly. You're just a flat 2-D wall. You have to move more, be active."
"But how can I defend if I'm attacking?"
"You're not attacking, you're creating space."
Ligi thought hard at that sentence. It never occurred to him the complexities of using a shield. He had so much more to learn, but how does he even start?
"How do I create space?"
"There's a lot of techniques, but it mostly depends on on your footwork."
"Footwork?"
Bang was speechless. This was the first time he saw Ligi be this invested in a conversation. He was actually talking. Like a human being. He was even asking questions!
"I'll teach you some tricks."