A Father

The final future had already been concluded before the man at the top could kill him. The five minutes had already passed, saving his future life. Li Wei wiped the sweat from his forehead as he rested his back against the tree. Even with a higher Will attribute, he still couldn't shake the feeling of dying. He had died two times and almost died a third time.

"My lord, are you alright?" Leon quickly asked upon seeing him in this state.

"I'm okay. I just experienced something hellish." Li Wei didn't bother to look at Leon. Instead, he turned his gaze to Ben. Ben was currently the problem he needed to take care of. If he didn't rush at the enemy, Li Wei could probably think of a more proper way to save the survivors. But because of Ben, he had no choice but to act quickly.

Li Wei was not exceptionally intelligent, nor was he considered a genius. He wasn't particularly clever or endowed with the critical thinking skills of the smartest person in the room. He was just a normal young man from Earth who found himself in this world and became a ruler of the four peoples. 

However, one thing was certain: he had a unique ability that most people didn't possess. He could understand people's emotions and relate to them. This was his charm.

He knew Ben's problem, so instead of ignoring it, he went to his side and asked, following Ben's gaze. "So, where is your wife and daughter?"

Ben turned in surprise, stuttering, "H-how do you know that young master? I don't remember telling anyone about it."

The sound of scattered birds and falling leaves broke the silence around them. For a moment, Li Wei didn't respond. Then, he turned to Ben, reassuringly on his shoulder and offering a gentle smile.

"You, maybe in the future you will tell me about it," Li Wei said softly. "I may be young, but don't think I don't understand the adult world. Think of me as your lord."

After saying that, he walked to Leon's side and told him about the plan. He only shared the plan he had used in the future. Leon showed exactly the expression he expected, but in the end, he nodded and left.

After a minute passed, the situation unfolded just as it had in the third future. Brendel emerged and began attacking the cultists. The cultists retaliated, but Ben didn't do anything his future self did. If he could, Li Wei would have no choice but to stop him.

Looking at the stats, Ben may be taller and larger than him, but Li Wei could still knock him down.

"Young master, we need to save my wife and daughter," Ben urged, pointing at the cultist woman who was fighting Brendel. Beside her stood a young woman with white hair, her movements graceful as she danced in the wind, wielding two daggers. She moved like a blade, but her attacks seemed ineffective against the monster.

Ben seemed to sense the conflict in Li Wei and said, "Don't worry, young master. If I could put some sense into my family, they can help us, and you can probably gain a powerful fighter for your territory, young master." Ben emphasized the last words.

Ben was right, and Li Wei couldn't help but agree. His territory lacked manpower, which was precisely what he needed. With more people on his side, he wouldn't have a hard time fighting the cultists. Additionally, it was one of the reasons why he needed to save the survivors. He hoped he could recruit them into his territory if they had no place to stay, but of course, he wouldn't force anyone.

However, even if Ben hadn't mentioned it, Li Wei would still save them since they were his subordinate's family. He would try to help if he could. Li Wei said, "Alright, you and Leon will try to save your family, while I try to save the survivors." 

He patted their shoulders. "Remember, your life is more important."

The two nodded in agreement as they rushed outside.

Soon after, Li Wei followed behind them but headed in a different direction. As he reached the mountain of corpses, he caught a glimpse of a gleaming metal object, which he quickly picked up and threw to Ben.

Putting his feet into the dead bodies, he still couldn't get used to this feeling, but he persisted and climbed, pulling the arms of the survivors. A woman emerged, shocked at first, but then she looked at him. Li Wei put his finger to her lips, motioning for her to remain silent. The woman nodded and began to help Li Wei in rescuing the survivors.

Li Wei's attention didn't waver from the man at the top. Every time he saved a survivor, he kept a close eye on the man. If the man made any move, Li Wei was ready to jump away along with the survivors. This man was the reason for his death, and Li Wei had learned his lesson.

His hand rested on one of the dead bodies, and suddenly, he felt a pulsing sensation. Recognizing this feeling, he listened closely and heard the faint sound of a heartbeat. Sticky blood dripped into his ears as he leaned in, focusing intently.

A heartbeat pulsed, echoing throughout the mountain of corpses, startling Li Wei. The rhythm seemed to emanate from the center of the mound, sending a shiver of foreboding down his spine. As if in response to this ominous sign, the man at the summit abruptly opened his eyes, raising the small dagger in his hand. Without hesitation, Li Wei's instincts kicked in. 

"Jump!" As soon as he said that, the man swung the dagger into the air. An invisible force sliced through, but luckily, he and the survivors had already jumped, escaping the attack.

Li Wei raised his head, his face contorted into a solemn expression. The survivors still stuck on the mountain didn't make it. instead, some of them had parts of their bodies cut off. It also affected the remaining dead bodies.

"Hurry!" Li Wei led them as they ran, and then he saw the man slash again. Instead of running through the forest, they ran straight into Brendel. He knew the monster would ignore them, focusing more on devouring the humans and retaliating. It even ignored the motionless cultist.

Leon and the other cultists continued to fight Brendel. On the side, Ben was shouting something at his wife and daughter. His family seemed not to hear him, as they were more focused on the fight. 

An ear-piercing scream tore through the air, accompanied by an invisible force that seemed to ripple through the atmosphere, hurtling toward Li Wei and the survivor with alarming speed. However, just as it appeared destined to strike them, the force abruptly changed direction, hurtling towards Brendel instead.

A line of blood gushed from the monster's feet, tracing its way up its body as it bellowed in agony. With a furious roar, it cast aside the half-devoured corpse it had been feasting upon, its attention now fixed on the figure at the summit. It surged forward with a primal rage, seemingly recognizing its assailant. As the monster charged, the attacks from the cultists intensified. 

"Help me!" The woman whom he saved first fell to the ground, a wound appearing on her feet.

"You all go first! Rush to the camp!" Li Wei yelled to the other survivors as he turned around and ran to the woman.

As he carried the woman on his back, Leon came to his side, panting heavily, sweat pouring from his body. It seemed like the fight was intense, even for the adventurer who was having a hard time.

"My lord..." Leon couldn't speak properly due to exhaustion. After all, he was fighting a terrifying monster and cultists while protecting Ben at the same time. 

"Now that Brendel is distracted, we can easily escape," Leon paused as he turned around. "But Ben is still dealing with his family. This could be a problem."

There's nothing more terrifying than a man who will do anything for his family. Leon had seen his fair share of what a man can do for his family during his journey. There was a king who destroyed his kingdom to revive his dead son, and a farmer who became a demon to protect his family from the world. Leon could only think that if an innocent man became a demon, then the world was truly messed up. 

"We should focus first on saving the survivors." 

No one could stop Ben now. The man was now focused on his family as if the world didn't exist around him. The sword that he was holding was thrown to the ground. Li Wei didn't know why he did that. It was the sword he had thrown to Ben to protect himself.

It seemed Ben was confident that his family would not harm him.

"Being a father is truly different," Li Wei's voice faded into the air as he disappeared into the forest.