6 A Goal to Protec

[The user need at least 1000 coins to unlock the Map.]

"..."

I should have expected this!

'But still, this app was the one who brought me here... It should have at least gave me a better advantage to live in this world...'

"I don't even know how to gain coins..."

RIIING!

The school bell soon rang. He put his phone in his pocket and waited for his other classmates to come into the room.

"Well, I'll figure it out later..."

In one stroke, the school for today ends.

Liam wandered around the streets which eventually goes to his house. Nothing much have changed.

"I thought this world will be like Saitama's since there are only four continents, but..."

The town was still lively. Like he remembered, the structures didn't change one bit. There's still these crowded places like malls and restaurants. The only thing different from his original world and the current one was that, almost a third of the people wandering around always carry some weapons. Like swords, daggers, bows, spears, and so on. Any weapons you could see in fantasy worlds and RPGs.

There were a few who didn't have weapons but have white and gold robes as their clothes. Being knowledgable in games and novels himself, Liam knew it was some sort of healer.

While the rest of the people, usually middle-aged, were wearing formal clothes without some light armors like the others. He assumed it was the 'normal workers' the app told him about.

After a long while of his walking and his wondering state, he finally reached the front of his house, and as he expected the structure didn't change, being the simplest house in their street.

But.

"Why does it feel different?" He asked inwardly as he slowly walked towards the door and tried to open it.

'If I recalled correctly, the atmosphere surrounding this house was heavy and kinda lonely... But somehow, this time, why does it feel...'

Creak.

'Lively...?'

"Oh, ah! Liam, you're already here, I already prepared a small meal for you."

A middle-aged lady, who have slightly above-average facial features, greeted Liam as he stepped inside the house.

"M-Mother...?" Liam continuously blinked.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

His mom was alive?

'N-No... This is an alternate world...'

As he thought that, he remembered the first thing the app said to him when its notification appeared.

[Do you want a parent even for a short while? Or do you want a classmate to wake you up?]

Nathan woke him up earlier. His mother was alive.

The Heaven's App actually made both of it true!

"What are you still doing there? Come sit here."

"Yes... Mom..." Liam shook his head before sitting over the chair in front of his mother.

'Although I'm quite glad that my mother is alive, but what if...'

What if something bad happened?

This was a very dangerous world, what if something unexpectedly bad happened? He finally have his mother back, what would he do to protect her?

He was aware that he was just overthinking.

But he wouldn't do that if only he didn't feel uncomfortable. His heart felt itchy every time he tried to understand that feeling.

He remembered something like this had already happened before.

Before his mother died in his original world two years ago...

While his mother was about to leave the house for her business trip, Liam suddenly felt uncomfortable. He was filled with the feeling that made him want his mother to not go on his trip but he got over it, thinking that he would just miss his mother when she left.

As if the gods have forsaken him, a week later, he learned that his mother died from a plane crash with her co-workers before they could even go back to the country.

Liam soon snapped back in the present. He wanted to ask something.

"Ah... M-Mom... Do you have a business trip?"

Although two years already passed since his mother died from his original world, he still needed to know whether it could somehow happen since he was in an alternate world.

"Eh? Your mom here has been working for almost five years, Liam."

"Really...?"

Liam's face slightly brightened.

But he was still in a fantasy world.

'In a week...'

...Humans or Monsters...

'I need to get stronger.'

...I'll protect her.

I'll protect my mother this time around.

"Liam, are you listening?"

"Ah, yes." He came back to his senses.

"Why do you want me to not go outside? And for a whole week?" His mother asked with her suspicious eyes.

"Because... You've been working nonstop nowadays..."

"While that's entirely true, I'm obviously this for us, or I guess just for yo-... Hm?"

She looked at Liam's unfamiliar yet forward eyes and made a surprise look before she let out a sigh.

"Fine. But do me a favor first!"

Whew.

"I finally forced her to stay in the house. And as I suspected, this strange feeling didn't wear out..."

He was walking in the street after accepting his mother's request.

To buy food supplies...

'Of course, I need to do that...'

After all, it must be the usual everyday task of his mother in this world, who he let to stay in the house for about a week.

"Thank you, sir."

He soon bought all the food supplies that were written on a paper by his mother.

He went and looked for a nearby cafe for him to rest in just a few minutes.

But something unexpected happened before he could even sit down from a chair...

Some people started running towards the opposite side of where they came from.

And behind all the running people was a guy holding a sword. His face was filled with thick beads of sweat while blood was slowly pouring out from his shoulder.

Blood...

'This seems dangerous.'

As Liam stood up from his seat, the guy started shouting.

"C-Call the hunters...! Cave...! A monster cave surge!!"

After the people in some crowded place heard the guy, some helped him and some began to dial with their phones.

'A monster cave... I learned from the school earlier that they are a monster's lair that suddenly rises from the underground. It's a bit problematic to hunters since there are over a hundred of low to high E class monsters coming from it...'

But what makes it more dangerous was that no matter what species of monsters it have, there's always these 4 middle D class monsters and 1 middle C class monster...

Thump!

Liam's heart sunk as he just realized something. Immediately standing while up looking again at the direction at where the people are coming from, he was sure.

That direction was his house!

Without a moment of hesitation, he ran towards his house at full speed, even activating his Sprint skill.

"Shit!"

30 seconds went by and he already ran past three streets. Within that time, he was able to see creatures that weren't pleasant to see with innocent eyes.

So far, there were still only two different types of monsters that he saw. The first one was like a mammal without skin. You could define it as a lump of meat being forcefully squeezed together in the shape of a combined boar and dog. With its sharp and lengthy fangs and horns, its tall limbs, and its seemingly heavy body, you could immediately tell it's a monster.

The other one was nothing more than those usual zombies that one would often saw from movies or tv series, but they do have the sharp claws replacing their fingers.

Tap!

Liam halted his movements in the middle of running.

On the opposite side of a narrow alley where he was currently standing, he could see a zombie kneeling in front of a corpse. Tearing and pulling every meat it could grab.

It then looked at Liam with its deep and dreadful eyes before it stood up.

Liam stepped back. If no hunter came to kill this monster, he would have to face it without even knowing its strength.

Ding!

'The... The app...'

Believing that the app could help him somehow, he instantly opened it and read the notification.

But...

It only made Liam's state worse.

[As it finally reached the user's satisfaction, the short experience of having a parent will soon expire.]