Primitive Man

Chapter 167: Sacrifice & Budival Injection

The village was blanketed in a harsh winter chill, the air crisp and biting. Guni, a small girl with golden curls, darted around the snow-laden paths. Clutched in her tiny hands was a small pack of dried meat and a handful of vegetables she had managed to save from her own meagre meal.

She had a slight blush on her face showing that she was indeed cold, but it was the least of her worries because she knew there were people in the village that were starving.

"Look at her go, not a care in the world," muttered Garnt bundled up against the cold, as he observed Guni's lively escapade. He had already seen her leaving the house with a suspicious look on her face so that he couldn't help but follow her.

[Look at you sneaking on your daughter like this.]

Eva smiled as she made the remark, and Garnt looked at his own clothes and realized that he was in disguise so she wouldn't identify him.

"I'm just curious," Garnt answered her like he was feeling guilty about something, but then he noticed what Guni was up to.

He couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in his chest. Determined to understand the purpose behind his daughter's actions, Garnt decided to follow her to the house she entered, curiosity piqued by the determined look in her eyes. Garnt trailed behind, keeping a safe distance, intrigued by the selflessness behind the little girl's actions.

Guni scampered through the village, her small boots crunching in the snow. As she reached a gathering of starving children and pregnant women, her face lit up with a kind and guilty smile. With a swift, almost practised motion, she began distributing the precious food from her own meal.

Garnt watched from the shadows, his heart swelling with a mix of pride and admiration. His little girl, despite the biting cold and the gnawing hunger, was selflessly sharing what little she had with those who needed it most.

[Good girl! She reminds me of my own daughter, you know. The spirit of kindness in the harshest of times. But Garnt...]

Whispered Eva, the voice inside Garnt's head.

[Don't ever make the same mistake I made. If you had to choose between something important and your daughter or family, always choose what brings you happiness which is your family.]

Garnt nodded, a smug smile forming in the corner of his mouth as he watched his daughter continue her clandestine mission, spreading warmth with every dried food she shared.

Meanwhile, he went back and started to call Gundo to ensure that everyone in the sub-villages and the village had at least one meal per day to prevent them from starving. In return, Gundo had a question for Garnt.

"Darling, I haven't seen you eating anything these days. Don't tell me... you're still starving for the sake of us?" She sensed that something was wrong, and upon seeing Garnt awkwardly smile, Gundo quickly felt guilty that they had their bellies filled with food while their leader was starving.

*Sigh

"You don't have to starve, Garnt. You're the person who needs the most energy in this village so you can deal with all these problems. Eat properly and make sure you stay healthy," she advised him, and Garnt couldn't help but nod his head, knowing her request wasn't unreasonable.

But then he remembered something rather important as he looked at his system, which was updated within these five years.

"Eva, show me the system," Garnt said, and the same familiar-looking platform appeared in front of his face. However, Gundo couldn't see it, but she knew what he was looking at. After all, she had a rather close relationship with Eva, and she knew that Garnt had the ability to see things with Eva's help.

Name: Garnt

Title: Host of Eva

Sex: Male

Age: 23

Parameters+

STR - 20

AGI - 19

VIT - 20

INT - 18

END - 20

CHR - 17

Skills: Hunting, Building, Farming, Leadership, Exploration, Item making, Cooking, Navigation, Animal Husbandry, Diplomacy and Negotiation, Mentoring, Negotiation

Bionic Elements:

> Used

> Used

> Used

>Locked

>Locked

Trade & Transactions

Food: Energy bars (50), Seasoning pack (500), Chocolate(1000), Butter(1000), Cheese(1000), Energy drinks (200), Coconut Oil (400), Almonds (500), Raisins (500), Dates (500), Dried Mango (300), Canned Tuna (500), Canned Chickpeas (500), Canned Vegetables (assorted, 500), Canned Soup (assorted, 500), Jasmine Rice (1000), Chicken Jerky (300), Beef Jerky (300)

Entertainment: Discontinued because the host can develop the items himself without the help of the system

Medicine: Sanitary Soap (3000), Penicilin (5000), Painkillers (500), Budival Injection (8000),

Clothing: Hunter (4000), Patriarch set (10000), Warrior (5000), Dancer (5000), Erotic Underwear (3000), Royal Guard Uniform (8000), Sultry, Night Outfit (5800), Urban Glam Cocktail Dress (7200), Sleek Bodycon Clubwear (6500), High Fashion Lingerie Set (5000), Daring Cutout Jumpsuit (6800), Strappy Heels and Little Black Dress (6000), Seductive Silk Pajama Set (4200), Fierce Leather Biker Chic (7500), Ravishing, Red Carpet Gown (9000), Flirty Off-Shoulder Date Night Ensemble (5500)

Shelter: Discontinued because the host can develop the items himself without the help of the system

Weaponary: Tactical Tomahawk (7000), Halberd(10000), Fire Lance (20000)

[Hmm, as I expected, the entertainment and shelter were removed from the system because you have the ability to create them yourself. I think only food, medicine, and clothing will remain because, in my view, they are kind of like gifts for you. Also, I will try my best to increase the limits of the foods you can buy from the system, which will help you in this hard time.]

"That's why you're the best, Eva," Garnt complimented her, and then went on to discuss the most important thing he was talking about. "She is getting better and better with each dose of medicine we give her. It's been two years since we started giving her this medicine, and I think it is time for her to recover now."

[Of course. Luckily, the DNA inside her is not powerful enough to resist the Budival injections; otherwise, it would have been hopeless for her, as well as for us.]

Gundo was following Garnt silently while he was talking with Eva, but on her way, she looked at some girls that Garnt brought and signalled them to make some delicious food for Garnt to enjoy once he was done with his job, and they took the task happily knowing it was their time to shine and satisfy their mother-in-law and their lover.

"Mother, is she still tied to the bed? Can't we release her now?" Suddenly, Garnt questioned Gundo, who answered quickly to his question.

"I guess we can, but still, we have to be careful. She is not aggressive anymore, but she also doesn't have any human-like interactions. She still acts like a tame wild animal. Within these five years, we only managed to find the name of that muscular woman called Thora." Garnt found it interesting that the power of the syringe that Eva made managed to make a beast like her, which caused him not to use any of those syringes within these five years, even as a joke.

In a secure facility, Garnt and Gundo stood before the restrained Thora. The room was sterile and cold, a stark contrast to the warmth that Garnt hoped to bring to her life. Thora, once a fearsome and powerful figure that attacked the village, lay on the bed like a tamed creature, her movements restricted by the chains that bound her.

Gundo expressed concern, "Garnt, do you think it's safe to administer the Budival injection? What if she reacts negatively? Normally, we would have some people ready to stop her, if she reacted violently."

Garnt, determined and confident, replied, "We've seen its effects before. Eva's creation is powerful, and it has the potential to restore her humanity. We've got to try. Budival Injection is something like DNA injection, but instead of providing the power it acts as an inhibitor and decreases the power."

[...}

"I'm glad Eva made something like this; otherwise, we wouldn't be able to treat her like this," Garnt mentioned Eva. But she remained silent, knowing it was the most basic thing to have a medicine that would give the opposite effect if things went wrong, and she knew she didn't make it out of compassion.

Garnt took the syringe filled with the life-altering substance, Budival, and approached Thora cautiously. Her eyes flickered with a glimmer of awareness as Garnt carefully injected the serum into her bloodstream. A slight twitch passed through her body, signalling the beginning of a reaction.

As Thora opened her eyes, Garnt could see a spark of consciousness. He offered her water, and she drank it, a small yet significant step toward recovery. However, her responses were still limited, resembling the sounds of a sick animal rather than coherent human speech.

Gundo couldn't help but feel a pang of empathy for Thora. She had been forcefully changed, a victim of circumstances beyond her control. Garnt, sensing Gundo's unease, spoke softly, "We'll do our best to help her regain herself. No one should suffer like this."

Garnt proceeded to ask Thora a few questions, but her responses were mere whimpers, a reflection of her lost humanity. With a heavy heart, Garnt ordered the guards to release her from the chains that bound her to the bed.

Despite her newfound freedom, Thora remained subdued, her reactions minimal. Garnt, disappointed but resolute, made a silent vow never to use such DNA-altering injections again. He understood the ethical responsibility that came with wielding such power, vowing not to create beings who were mere shadows of their former selves.

As Thora stood, seemingly lost in her own world, Garnt and Gundo left the facility, contemplating the consequences of their actions. The journey ahead was uncertain, but they were determined to make amends and ensure that no one else suffered the same fate as Thora.