She is Sick

Hank shrieked in understanding as he remained in the air, waiting for Arthur's instructions.

The Corroded Wild Boar turned, its bloodshot eyes wild with fury as it locked onto Arthur since he was the only one left.

The beast pawed at the ground preparing to charge at Arthur.

Arthur did not flinch, gripping his stone sword with both hands.

"Come on then!" he shouted with a smirk, bracing himself for the impact.

The boar charged, its tusks shimmering with raw and destructive force.

Right before hitting him, Arthur sidestepped, twisting his body as he swung his sword down hard.

-8 HP

The beast roared in anger, skidding to a stop as it swung around to face him once more.

Before it could react, Hank swooped in from above, diving down and landing another raking blow with his talons.

-6 HP

"Good job Hank, that's what I'm talking about," Arthur shouted, with a smile creeping on his face.

The boar reared, its attention snapping to Hank, who was already back in the air, circling just out of reach.

Seizing the chance, Arthur darted in, his sword aimed at the creature's exposed side.

He landed another solid hit before leaping back, keeping a safe distance.

-7 HP

This was their strategy: relentless, hit-and-run tactics. They took turns baiting the boar, drawing its aggression and then retreating just as it lunged, keeping the creature off balance.

The boar snorted furiously, its frustration evident as it whirled between the two, unable to settle on a target. Every time it set its sights on one, the other struck from a different angle, keeping the creature in a perpetual state of confusion.

Arthur ducked low as the boar charged past him, narrowly avoiding its tusks. He swung his sword in a quick arc, scoring another hit on its back.

-9 HP

The boar let out a bellow, swinging its head toward Arthur, but before it could move, Hank dove down again, clawing at its eyes. Blinded by rage and pain, the boar let out a frenzied roar, shaking its head as it tried to shake off the hawk's attack.

"You're doing great, Hank! Keep it up!" Arthur called his voice breathless but exhilarated. The boar was slowing down, its movements growing sluggish with each strike.

With one final, coordinated attack, Arthur and Hank attacked together.

Hank struck first, his talons raking across the boar's snout, distracting it as Arthur moved in from the side, delivering a powerful, finishing blow directly to its neck.

The boar let out a final groan, stumbling as its legs gave out beneath it. With a heavy thud, it collapsed onto the forest floor, its body dissolving slowly into particles as it died.

[You have slain a Corroded Wild Boar.]

"Well done, Hank." He stroked its feathers.

[Leather Boots (Uncommon) has been dropped]

"Nice, that's a new item," Arthur exclaimed, as he quickly put it on.

"Time to farm," He smiled, as he went to the area with level 2-3 monsters.

…

"Hank attack him, now!" Arthur shouted as he charged in at the last monster.

Hank shrieked as he swooped in, diving down towards the final beetle alive.

-9HP

[You have slain a corroded Beetle.]

[ Backpack(Uncommon) has been dropped]

The cat was still as lazy as before. Arthur had given up on trying to make it fight for him.

'It's to be expected, he is a primordial beast after all, but I will subdue him one day,' He thought, as he gave the cat one final look.

"Hank scout the area ahead, we need to head back to the village."

Hank immediately flew from his shoulder and remained in the air looking for any potential danger.

Soon, Arthur arrived at the village, he decided to sell some duplicates he had again before logging out. He had been in the game for quite a long, he worried that maybe something happened to his sister since she had been quite sick before.

After selling the items again, he gained another 25 silver coins and 69 bronze coins.

"I'm actually rich," Arthur thought in excitement, as he glanced at his balance.

He had 41 silver coins and 3 bronze coins.

"I made over $4100 in a few hours, this armageddon is a blessing!" He muttered, before explaining to Hank he had to leave.

He didn't bother to explain anything to the cat, it was never listening and it probably didn't care anyway.

Arthur blinked as the world faded away, the scent of garbage in the air overwhelming alongside the shouts of crackheads bringing him back to reality.

He was back in the small, secluded alleyway where he and Charlotte had been staying for the past month.

He turned to his right to check up on Charlotte, and his heart sank from what he saw.

Charlotte was curled up in a fetal position, on the thing worn blanket, her body shivering uncontrollably. Her face was pale, and her breath was so faint he almost couldn't see it.

"Charlotte!" he murmured, kneeling beside her immediately, his hand going straight to her forehead.

'She is ice cold, what have I done!'

'This… this is serious,' he thought, feeling a swell of panic in his chest.

He grabbed her and pulled her closer to the small fire he'd managed to build earlier from the tree scraps.

'This isn't enough. I need to get her to the hospital… fast.'

His mind raced.

Just before leaving the game world, he'd earned some silver coins.

'Maybe, just maybe, it would be enough.'

Quickly, he opened the system's interface and selected the exchange option, watching as twenty silver coins drained from his balance.

[Ding! $2000 has been transferred to your bank account. Your current balance is $2000.05.]

Relief filled him, but when he glanced back at Charlotte, worry tightened his chest all over again.

Her condition hadn't improved, and time was running out.

'I can't just sit here. I have to get her to the hospital now.'

Without a second thought, he wrapped her tightly in the worn-out, dirty blanket and lifted her onto his back, her small body feeling far too light.

"Was she always this light?" He thought but shook it off.

'She was clearly sick… how did I let it get this bad?' he thought, guilt gnawing at him. But he shook it off.

Right now, he had to focus on getting her the help she needed.

He made his way out of the alleyway, walking through the narrow roads with his sister on his back until he reached the main road.

Cars and people were rushing by, their faces worried and focused, wrapped up in their own problems.

Arthur tried waving down someone to help, but the few people he managed to catch the attention of just kept walking, earbuds or headphones blocking out his pleas.

"Someone—help me!" he called out, his voice hoarse from all the calling.

But no one stopped. Everyone was in a hurry, driven by fear or urgency in this chaotic world.

This made his problem worse, especially since the armageddon had descended, everyone seemed to look out for themselves.

'Damn it,' he thought, panic rising as each passing second felt like a lifetime. 'No one cares enough to help a kid in times like this.'

Just as hope was slipping away, a middle-aged woman approached, her kind eyes softening as she saw the desperation on his face.

"What's wrong, son?" she asked gently, her tone warm and comforting.

Arthur's hope surged as he said, "I need to get my sister to a hospital—she's really sick. Can you call an ambulance?"

"Yes, of course," she said without hesitation, pulling out her phone.

Within moments, she was on the line, explaining the situation as Arthur held Charlotte close, her breaths barely audible.

The woman placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay," she assured him.

Twenty minutes later, the wail of an ambulance pierced the night as it arrived.

Paramedics rushed over, lifting Charlotte carefully onto a stretcher and loading her into the back of the vehicle.

Arthur turned back to the woman, his eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you," he said, his voice calm.

"I'll repay you for this one day, I promise."

"Don't worry about that, dear," she replied, giving him a gentle smile. "Just make sure she gets better."

He memorized her face, determined to remember the only person who had stopped to help.

As the ambulance doors closed, he whispered, "If fate allows, I'll repay you. I swear it."

The woman gave him a wave as the doors shut, her comforting smile the last thing he saw before they started driving to the hospital.