In an alleyway, a man who looked to be in his early thirties, black hair and pure black eyes was crouching down beside a weak-looking street dog. The man was feeding the dog some food with a small smile on his face.
Near the man was an innocent child that looked to be a boy; he seemed no older than 10 years old. He hid behind his father's back while peeking at the dog. The boy wore an expression of fright while looking at the dog.
"Dad," the boy said while pulling his father's shirt from behind.
"What is it, son?" Hearing his son's voice, the man turned around.
"Dad, why are you feeding that dog? I thought we came here to punish this dog for trying to bite me while I was coming home from the tuition. Like you always say, Treat others the same way you want to be treated and how they have treated you." The boy asked in a childish voice while fidgeting with his fingers.
"Hehe," The father, upon hearing his son's words, chuckled before he spoke with a kind smile, "It's because of this very reason that I'm feeding this dog."
Hearing his father's words, the boy became bewildered. "What?! "Dad, you are rewarding this dog for attacking me."
"Hahaha, no, silly." "Of course not."
"Then why?" The boy asked, feeling even more confused now.
"Karna, my son," Holding his son's small hands in his, the man spoke, gazing at his son's eyes with a clear voice, "Any relationship is like a two-way street, whether it's formed by blood, love, friendship, help, respect, or even one formed by anger like revenge."
"When someone loves and respects someone else, they expect to be loved and respected in return too." "When someone helps someone else, that person will expect from society that someone will also help him in his time of need."
"In all these relationships, there is always someone who has to take the first step of loving, respecting, angering, and helping someone to form such a bond."
"Now this dog tried to bite you but was not successful. It has angered you but not hurt you. Because of which, you now have two options: either you can ask me to harm this dog to take your revenge, or you and I both together can feed him like this from time to time, resulting in it becoming our friend so that it may never try to bite you or me ever again."
Hearing his father's wise words, the boy gazed at the dog than at his father. He kept doing that for a while, and before long, his father spoke again.
"Before you answer, I hope you know that if we can take revenge on this dog, then so can it. Don't think that it can't just because it's a weak-looking dog. Just like that, it can also help us one day when we need its help."
Karna, upon realizing what his father was trying to tell him, answered him in a muffled voice.
"Friends." His voice was muffled, but the father was still able to clearly hear his son's answer.
The father's face lit up with a smile as soon as he heard this. "If that's the case, why don't you and I return the following day so you may try feeding the dog as well?"
The boy nodded his head vigorously. Then the boy's father got up from the ground, and both of them walked away while the boy held his father's hand.
Karna turned his head to look at the now distant dog behind him as the father-son pair were about to exit the alleyway.
"We should also bring Mother with us tomorrow so that, in the future, it won't bite her."
"Huh?" "Your mother?" "Umm, I think it should only be us for now."
"Umm, Dad, do you want Mother to be bitten by that dog?"
"Yes, Huh?" "No, no, I mean no." "Why would you suddenly ask me this?"
"Does father want to take revenge on mother for beating you up with the spatula two days ago?"
"What?!" "What nonsense are you talking about, boy?" "Your mother was not beating me." Karna's father spoke hurriedly while also looking around to make sure no one had heard his son's words.
"Then why were you saying, Stop beating me with that thing, woman? It hurts."
"…."
"...."
For a time in the street, both the father and son looked at each other silently, without saying anything else.
*****
Suddenly recalling this old memory of his father and him, Karna now felt a little hesitant to leave the wounded beast. After all, if he were in the same situation, he would have also desired that someone would help him survive. And only a day ago, he himself was in such a situation, experiencing this feeling in the dark mountain tunnels.
'S**t, No-no Karna, you need to get out of here before anything else happens.' Shaking his head to ignore his own psychological conundrum, he thought. But then, turning back to glance at the beast, he thought for a second before making up his mind.
'Ah! F**k! I don't have the time to waste thinking about whether to help or not,' he thought.
Cursing in his head, Karna took a bunch of Alfro flowers out of the system storage and then hurriedly ran toward the wounded beast.
As he was running, he spoke aloud, "System! Tell me, is there a way to save this magical beast?" Reaching near the beast's body and suddenly slowing, he then continued to approach it slowly.
The wounded magical beast grunted and tried to move its body as he saw Karna, but nevertheless, its action resulted in nothing. Its breath was ragged. A lot of blue-coloured blood had already spilled out of its wounds and had coloured its back completely blue.
(First-person POV)
[Please place your hand on the creature's body to scan its vital condition.]
Hearing this, I, without any care or fear, approached the beast and tried to feed it a bunch of Alfro flowers, which the beast hesitantly smelled at first; maybe it had realized what they were, but after it had smelled the flowers, it devoured them all without any hesitation.
After that, I placed my hand near the wound. The magical beast didn't dismay my hands but was focused on chewing the flowers.
Feeling the warmth of its blood through my hands, I spoke impatiently. "Hurry, we don't have much time."
[Scanning]
[Scan complete]
[No poisoning is detected.] [No permanent internal damage is detected.] [The wound scan is complete.]
[Would the user like to know the full diagnosis of the beast's wounds or only the healing process?]
"Healing process"
[Command accepted]
[This magical beast has strong vitality, due to which the wound it bears can be healed by applying the same herb paste in a larger quantity than the host had used on his wounds. The important thing is to stop the bleeding, which is the main cause of its decreasing HP. To seal the wounds and stop the bleeding, Host can use the Nemlen's sap that Host had gathered a little while ago.]
Hearing the system's advice, I was joyful. I already had a lot of the herb paste stored in the system storage using the empty husk of Ifrow in case I needed it suddenly. And the Nemlen's Sap was another thing that the system had recommended to me, which I had come upon on my way through the forest. It was a thick, sticky liquid that had high healing properties and could even seal wounds. I had it stored too, in an empty Ifrow shell.
Taking them both out of the system's storage I stood behind the magical beast's back and started to apply the herb paste on its wounds.
The colossal body of the beast convulsed in pain when I touched its wounds. I had to be very careful because if this beast decided to turn, I would be crushed under its back.
But after a minute or two, it suddenly didn't wince or convulse any more. I grimaced at the thought that it had passed away, but then the system voice assured me that it was still alive and conscious.
"Maybe the Alfro flowers had begun their effect," I said, continuing to apply the herb's paste on its wounds.
*****