Chapter 43: Lar's Sorrow (Part 2)

"We chose to follow you, Lar, of our own free will. No one forced us, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you, Lar."

"Doug, you..."

Lar was stunned, looking at Doug in shock.

"Lar, don’t say anything more."

Doug wiped away his tears.

"Do you remember? When Gev and I first changed our professions, we couldn’t find any small teams to join. No one looked at us, no one wanted to talk to us. Even some small teams of third and fourth-level professionals wouldn’t let us join. Gev and I had to go out and train alone. We almost got killed by monsters several times. Every time we came back, we were covered in wounds, barely alive."

Doug still remembered clearly how he and Gev, two new barbarians, had foolishly sneaked out, their naivety and lack of experience making them even more vulnerable. Due to their severe lack of experience and their rough personalities, coupled with the low initial agility of barbarians, they were not favored by other professionals. They had to wander alone in the wilderness, almost being surrounded and thrown into the big pot of the Fallen Ones several times.

"Do you know why Gev became so cold and quiet? Gev wasn’t like this before. It was all because of the coldness and warmth of human nature, the fear and death threats he endured, which tortured him into this state! I wasn’t always this talkative either. After that, the fear of loneliness and helplessness left a deep mark on my heart. I had to keep talking to drive away my inner fear, to feel that I was still alive..."

"At that time, only you, Lar, who was only level 4 yourself, refused the invitations of other teams and took us in. Our battles and teamwork were all taught by you, Lar. You are our master!"

I deeply felt this. Lar’s skills were indeed top-notch, and his teaching methods were excellent. Even I, who was much more inexperienced than Doug and Gev, was able to face harsh battles within just a few days under his guidance...

"Whoever dares to say anything bad about Lar, I, Gev, will cut him down."

Gev, with red eyes, fiercely took out his sharp axe. An honest person’s anger is the most terrifying...

"Doug, Gev..."

Lar’s eyes also moistened. He stood up and patted the two on the shoulders, and the three of them hugged together. Their deep friendship made me feel a lump in my throat. Sigh, I was a bit envious...

Lar suddenly moved, making room for me, and smiled at me, his eyes still filled with tears, looking both ridiculous and pitiful.

I was taken aback, wiped my eyes, and joined them.

Doug and Gev probably hadn’t bathed in a long time, which was my first impression.

Lar’s clothes were neat and had a clean smell, indicating that his wife, Sari, was indeed both beautiful and virtuous, which was my second impression.

I have three good brothers, which was my final impression...

"Alright, alright, four big men hugging together, what a sight. Sit down and eat quickly."

Sari’s voice broke the moment, and we all smiled and dispersed, sitting around the table. Little Sara looked at us curiously, seemingly confused about why her father and the other three uncles suddenly started crying.

"Cough, cough... Sari, you don’t understand, this is the friendship between men..." Lar patted the little girl’s head, who had a puzzled look on her face, and said to Sari in a manly tone, apparently trying to assert his authority. However, a glance from Sari’s eyes made him lower his head again. Damn, Lar, you’re such a pushover...

Sari, a model wife and mother, prepared a delicious lunch that almost made us fight over the food. Even little Sara joined in, and I thought, how can such a little girl compete with us gluttons? Seeing her struggle with her spoon, I placed the meat I had already gotten on her plate. She seemed surprised, looked at me, and then her face lit up with a smile as bright as an angel’s. It was almost heart-stopping!

After the meal, the four of us, now full and content, gathered together, chatting and laughing. Doug, in particular, had a talent for exaggeration that rivaled the most cunning and deceitful merchant, Kidd, in the Rogue Encampment.

Lar’s wife, Sari, had already taken the sleepy Sara to bed. Seeing that the troublesome people were gone, I suddenly interrupted Doug’s rambling.

"Lar, I think you have other motives for going to kill the Countess."

Lar looked at me with a shocked expression. "You... how did you know?"

"Isn’t it obvious?" I looked at Lar as if he were an idiot.

"Even though I’m still a rookie, I know that with your current level, three people is a stretch. This is too dangerous, and it’s not like you to take such risks!"

"Ha... So it was that obvious, huh?"

Lar laughed bitterly.

"Your humble servant is a genius. How could such a small trick fool me?"

My nose almost curled up in arrogance.

"Hmm..."

Hearing my words, Lar, surprisingly, didn’t mock me but stared at me intently, muttering, "Not bad, not bad," as if in a daze.

I felt a chill and wished I could kick this old pervert away.

"What’s not bad?" I glared at him.

"This time, I do have other plans." Lar suddenly said in a calm tone, his cold demeanor making me feel a bit unfamiliar.

"I’ve been thinking, I can’t keep living like this. Rather than being torn and accomplishing nothing, I’d rather make a decisive move."

Taking a deep breath, Lar’s hands trembled but his voice was firm.

"To be honest, I don’t have much confidence in this mission."

He picked up the cup on the table, his hands shaking violently, but found it was already empty. He could only put it down with a bitter smile.

"But, I want to make a change, and I have to. If I can successfully kill the Countess this time, I will firmly walk down this path."

"If I fail, well, it’s not a big deal. I’ll try to hold her off, and I’ll leave this revenge to you guys." Lar forced a smile, but it was dry and haggard.

We three were stunned.

"Originally, I was worried that Doug and Gev weren’t suitable for taking care of people. I didn’t know if Sari and Sara would be well-protected if I left them in their care. Now, meeting you, Wu, I feel relieved. If anything happens to me, please take care of them. Sara is a kind and beautiful girl."

Lar’s eyes were filled with tender love when he spoke of Sara.

"If you don’t mind, I’ll entrust her to you..."

"Uh..."

I naturally understood what this "entrust" meant.

But, I really didn’t understand.

"Damn it..."

I suddenly stood up and slapped Lar hard across the face, without any mercy, causing a loud crash as furniture was knocked over and broken.

"Lar, you coward..."

I glared at Lar, who had been knocked to the ground.

Doug and Gev also had red eyes. "Boss, how can you leave us behind? We, Doug and Gev, are not cowards. Even if we lose, we won’t run away and leave you. We’ll die together."

"Shut up, the biggest problem isn’t this."

I glared at the two barbarians, walked in front of Lar, squatted down, and grabbed his shirt, pulling him up.

"Lar, I’m asking you, are you a man?"

"What the hell are you talking about, about making a decisive move, about making a change? It’s all bullshit. You’re just running away, you coward, you weakling. Do you deserve to be called a man?"

"By doing this, are you being fair to Sari? To Sara? You bastard, talking about success and walking down this path, and failure leading to death. Do you think this idea is cool, glorious, heroic, and proud? What about Sari and Sara? They don’t need someone else’s care; they need you. Do you understand? You’re running away from your responsibilities, and you don’t deserve them!"

"I’m more afraid of death than you, more weak, more timid, and I don’t want to be a savior. But at least I understand the basic responsibilities of a man."

I slapped him a few more times, wanting to kick him, but Doug and Gev quickly held me back.

"Lar, you damn coward, wake up! Don’t be so pathetic anymore!"

I almost shouted at the top of my lungs.

"What else can I do?" Lar said, looking lost. "Losing means death, and winning means I’ll eventually have to go to Lut Gholein, leaving them behind. How can I bear it? I might as well..."

I was taken aback. "Why not take them with you to Lut Gholein? You idiot."

"You make it sound easy. The journey to Lut Gholein involves crossing the Mist Forest and the endless desert. There are countless enemies and beasts. Even we professionals can’t be careless, let alone the two of them."

Damn, in the game, when entering Lut Gholein, I only saw Diablo and the old man crossing the desert in a few minutes of animation. I didn’t realize the journey was so long and dangerous. Looking at Sari and Sara’s frail appearances, they would likely die if they encountered any monsters. Even if Lar was strong, he couldn’t fully protect them.

Seeing Lar’s sentimental expression, I was both angry and anxious.

"Uncle Lar, do you trust me?"

Lar looked up, confused, not understanding what I was getting at.

"I promise you now, I will surpass you and get the qualifications to go to Lut Gholein before you. Do you believe me?" I looked at Lar with a determined gaze, my confidence making him swallow the word "impossible."

A nine-level gap, and the difficulty of leveling up increases exponentially. If Lar had believed me without hesitation, he would have been delusional.

"I don’t care how I do it, but I promise you, I will do it." I said confidently, knowing that with the bug amulet, I had the ability to do so.

"When the time comes, I will escort your whole family to Lut Gholein, along with Doug and Gev. You should feel more at ease now, right?"

"Thank you, thank you, Wu." Regardless of how serious or comforting my words were, they gave Lar a glimmer of hope.

"That’s right, Wu is a Druid. He can summon ghost wolves, venomous vines, and crows. Protecting Sari and Sara shouldn’t be a problem." Lar, after some thought, said with joy.

"Don’t thank me, worry about yourself. Look at how you’ve fallen."

I pouted. Today’s Lar was too disappointing. Although I knew everyone has their weaknesses, seeing the soft side of Lar, who had trained me to become a qualified professional and held a high place in my heart, was still a significant blow.

"The only way to fundamentally solve your concerns is one."

I spoke to Lar like an elder, using the knowledge I had learned from the internet and my perspective as an outsider to easily identify the problem.

"What is it?"

"Get stronger."

I clenched my fist at Lar. It was a simple truth, but due to his being too close to the situation, he had overlooked it.

"Isn’t it obvious? In the Dark Continent, the strongest is the leader. As long as you kill more enemies and contribute more than others, who can say you’re incompetent? You have a family to take care of. You have excellent skills and experience. Doug and I were all trained by you. You are very strong and have the potential to become a true powerhouse. You’ve just been troubled by responsibility and family, losing your direction."

Lar was stunned, sitting on the ground, lost in thought. He wasn’t stupid, and his mind wasn’t rigid. Otherwise, he wouldn’t deserve the title of "scheming."

"Thank you, Wu. You are my family’s savior."

After a while, Lar stood up, his face calm and filled with a newfound determination. The old Lar, no, the enhanced version of the old Lar, had returned.

"Don’t be so dramatic. Did I ever say thank you when you taught me to fight?"

I extended my hand, pulled him up, and patted the dust off his back, grinning.

"That’s true. Alright, this time, consider it as repaying a tenth of my past kindness. You can repay me gradually in the future." Lar responded matter-of-factly.

Uh... Even his thick-skinned nature has returned...

Doug and Gev were still in shock from what had just happened.

Just as we sat down, I suddenly remembered something very important and called out weakly.

"Lar..."

"Hmm, what is it?" Lar, still a bit sore from my beating, responded with a scowl.

"Do you still mean it when you said you’d entrust Sara to me?" I asked, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Get lost..."

Lar immediately lost his temper.