After that, Anyi spent some time explaining to the two of them how to check their passive skills and buff bars, once again lecturing them on the importance of playing around with the system settings whenever they were free.
Once the effects of [Apathy Towards Lust] and the [Saintess] passive were fully explained, Miruku's feelings were a bit complicated, but she felt much better than she had at the start.
Still... what exactly had she been imagining earlier? She'd already managed to embarrass herself so much she'd forgotten.
"I still don't get why it has to be a secret, though. Why can't I sleep with Anyi?" Ariana asked Miruku, genuinely curious.
She wasn't trying to be difficult; she just instinctively wanted to understand the logic. Even without an answer, she fully intended to keep her promise to Anyi.
"Because... because a man and a woman are only supposed to sleep together after they're married!" Miruku blurted out, summoning her courage.
"Oh..."
Suddenly, Ariana froze. Even she knew what marriage meant.
Wait... had she actually crossed a super, super, super major line?!
She suddenly remembered Anyi mentioning a "special relationship between a man and a woman."
Is that the kind of relationship he meant?!!
"I'm so sorry!!"
Ariana followed Miruku's earlier example and dropped into a formal kowtow toward Anyi right there on the bed.
Ariana: "I—I'll take responsibility for you!"
Anyi: "Isn't that line usually supposed to come from my side?"
No, please, no 'responsibility' needed. Just understanding the gravity of the situation is enough.
"So... can I go now?" Miruku offered a strained smile, her lips twitching.
"No."
"No!"
Anyi and Ariana spoke in perfect unison.
"My bad." Miruku quietly resumed her stiff sitting posture.
I got ahead of myself. My deepest apologies!
"Since things turned out like this, let's just say the Saintess spent the night in Lady Miruku's room," Anyi suggested.
"But... they already checked my room," Miruku whispered timidly.
"You didn't open the door because you were scared of social interaction, and you just pretended to be asleep anyway, didn't you? It doesn't matter," Anyi said.
Miruku: "?!"
How did he know that?! Does this man have X-ray vision and mind-reading powers too?!
"Is it normal for girls to sleep together, then?" Ariana asked.
"Yeah, it's normal. At least no one will misunderstand anything," Anyi replied.
"Alright then! From now on, last night, I slept with Miruku!" Ariana declared with a face full of solemn determination.
Anyi: "..."
Could you please stop phrasing things in ways that invite misunderstanding?
Miruku: "Yeah, sure, okay..."
After a long ordeal, the three finally left the room. To stagger their appearances, Anyi headed downstairs first. Meanwhile, Ariana dragged Miruku back to her own room for a moment.
"Miruku, can you help me change?"
"...Huh?"
"Ever since I was little, someone has helped me get dressed every morning. This Saintess outfit is really hard to put on, and I don't really know how to do it right. So, could you help me out?"
"Oh, uh, okay," Miruku nodded weakly.
She didn't dare say it out loud...
The truth was, she'd also been dressed by servants since she was a little girl. Even that dress she thought was her prettiest—she had no clue how to actually arrange the folds or fasten it herself. She just sort of... wore it.
About fifteen minutes later.
The two came downstairs. Ariana's outfit looked a bit rumpled, while Miruku, standing beside her, looked like she had been turned into gray ash.
...Burned out completely!
The priests immediately spotted Ariana and rushed over to ask where she'd been. Apparently, the female clergy had gone to help her dress, and when they couldn't find her, they'd panicked and started the search.
Ariana used the cover story they'd agreed on, telling them she'd spent the night in Miruku's room.
The "burned-out" Miruku just nodded like a broken puppet, agreeing with whatever was said.
Yeah, sure, whatever you say. You're right.
After a quick breakfast, the group set off under the watchful eyes of the villagers, heading toward the forest where the Slimes roamed.
On the way, the two female Heroes opted for the carriage, while Anyi and Layton walked with the rest of the group.
Ariana leaned out the carriage window, taking in the scenery, while Miruku huddled in the opposite corner, lost in whatever thoughts were currently haunting her.
"Have any of the villagers ever gone into those woods before?"
Layton asked the villager who was acting as their guide.
The guide shook his head. "A long time ago, a few people went in to explore. But no one who went in ever came back out. After that, we all just stopped trying."
"Sounds dangerous," Anyi remarked casually.
He knew it was dangerous, of course. Entering that forest meant stepping into the Royal Slime's domain. It was easy to get in, but getting back out was a different story.
Demons didn't particularly like eating humans, but killing them was part of their nature. They wouldn't pass up a single chance to take a human life.
I guess the world's settings are just like that?
"Anyway, no one in our village is brave enough to go in there anymore. Even the Slime clearing is only done out in the fields. Aside from the Slimes, no other monsters ever come out of those woods and into the village, so there's never really been a reason to explore it," the guide explained.
"But as long as those Slimes keep pouring out of there, the disaster isn't over," Layton said firmly, his voice rising with excitement.
"Exploring the forest and striking these Slimes at the root—that is our mission as Heroes!"
"YEAHHH!!" The priests erupted in cheers.
The group pressed on, and after an unknown amount of time, they finally neared the edge of the forest. The "forest" wasn't just a small patch of trees; it was a mountain range that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Out on the wilderness at the forest's edge, various Slimes could already be seen hopping and bouncing their way out of the trees. Every few stretches, there were Slime Cleaners in their work uniforms. They were quite close to the forest now, close enough to see the workers clearly.
The sight of people scattered across the wide wilderness made the long journey feel a little less lonely.
The Slime Cleaners, also villagers from the local area, saw the group of priests approaching and gathered from all directions.
"Lord Heroes, and the esteemed members of the Aldrich Theocracy—are you planning to head into the mountains?" someone asked.
They had been out working since early morning and wouldn't return until evening, so there was a bit of a news lag. They hadn't heard that the Heroes were going on an expedition.
"Yes! The Heroes are going to find the source of the Slimes and wipe them out once and for all!" a villager shouted excitedly.
Immediately, every Slime Cleaner there felt a wave of genuine joy. Unlike Masi, they didn't care about protecting a "job." Because of these Slimes, they were forced to work back-breaking shifts from dawn until dusk, sometimes even pulling all-nighters.
If they had a choice, they'd much rather stay home and farm than do this soul-crushing labor. If the Slimes stopped appearing, it would be a dream come true!
"The fact that people are working around the edge of the woods means it's safe as long as we don't step inside, right?" Anyi stood on the path leading into the forest, looking into the distance.
"That's right, Lord Hero. Even if you head in a little way, nothing usually happens," one of the Slime Cleaners replied.
"How far is 'a little way'?" Anyi pressed.
"Well... I couldn't tell you exactly," the man admitted, scratching his head awkwardly. "But once you hit a certain point, the Slimes start swarming from all over. We don't know why, but getting surrounded by them is dangerous, so no one goes any deeper than that."
Slimes weren't scary on their own, but no one knew how many would eventually pile up. If the numbers got too high, ordinary people couldn't handle them. Exploration was possible, but it always ended in a frantic retreat. It wasn't hard to guess that the ancestors who died in the woods were probably cut off and trapped by a sea of Slimes.
"In that case, the four of us should just go in alone!" Layton suggested.
"Yeah, I agree," Anyi nodded. "If we run into trouble, a large group will just get in the way. Slimes are one thing, but if there's a higher-class demon deep in the forest, we can't be babysitting a crowd while trying to fight."
The followers looked at each other, glancing around at the group, before finally turning their eyes to Ariana.
"Don't worry! I don't need you to protect me anymore. I've gotten strong!" Ariana said, patting her chest with a confident smile.
The followers immediately remembered the golden rain from the day before. That was divine punishment called down by the Saintess herself!
She's right! Her Holiness is already powerful!
If they tagged along and a strong demon appeared, wouldn't the Saintess have to stop what she was doing just to save them? The followers exchanged looks and finally gave a firm nod. The lead priest stepped forward and bowed deeply to the other three Heroes.
"Lord Heroes, please... keep Her Holiness safe!"
Then the entire group shouted in unison:
"PLEASE, LORD HEROES, KEEP HER HOLINESS SAFE!!"
"OH YEAH!! You can count on it!"
A flash of white light erupted from Layton's hand as his shield materialized.
"My shield! A shield meant to protect life! Whether it's the Saintess, all of you, or this entire world—I will defend it with this very shield!!"
"YEAHHHHHHHHH!!" The followers were moved to tears by his conviction.
Miruku tried to imagine herself shouting something heroic like that, but remembering how she'd completely shut down the day before, she quickly snapped back to reality.
「 Protect the Saintess...? There's no way I can do that!!」
If a high-level demon actually showed up, she'd probably have no choice but to run!
「 Please, don't let us run into anything...」
Miruku prayed silently.
"Guys, you're being a bit dramatic..." Ariana said, waving her hands dismissively.
She didn't really have a concept of 'danger' yet. Partly because she had her recovery skills and a massive Mana pool, and partly because she had a 'rebirth' ability she hadn't told anyone about. If someone in the squad actually died, she could just bring them back.
Besides, she doubted they'd ever end up in that kind of desperate situation anyway. Not with Anyi around.
That was the thing—her confidence didn't just come from her own power, but from knowing how strong Anyi was. The wall of fire he'd unleashed the day before was just as impressive as her [Skyfall]. Maybe even stronger? She wasn't an expert, so it was hard to tell.
A short while later, the four of them strapped on their individual packs. While most people's packs would be filled with various forest survival tools, the Heroes' bags contained almost exclusively one thing...
Rations.
About 90% of it was dried food. Since Anyi had taught them to read their passive Skill Descriptions, they now knew the effects of [Gluttony] and realized they needed to pack plenty of fuel.
What Anyi hadn't told them, though, was that eating cold rations was a pretty inefficient way to replenish HP and Mana. The ideal setup would involve a full set of cookware so they could whip up a three-course meal and soup right there in the woods—that would speed up their recovery significantly.
Once the four Heroes vanished into the trees, the followers didn't just leave. They set up camp at the forest's edge to stay on standby for resupplies and to help the villagers with any stray Slimes.
Flash-forward.
The group had been walking for about five minutes and was already quite a distance from the forest entrance.
"Hey, didn't you say no one ever comes here?" Layton asked, looking suspiciously at the massive trees on either side of the path. "Then why is there such a clear road through here?"
It was as if the trees had made a pact to not grow in the middle, intentionally leaving a wide path open.
"Who knows," Anyi replied casually.
The truth was... these paths were designed for "Players." Even though there weren't any players left in this world, the map design meant for them still existed.
"So, I assume some of you leveled up yesterday. I hit Level 4," Anyi said, initiating the conversation.
"I think I'm... a bit over Level 4," Ariana said, checking her system.
"I'm... around Level 3," Miruku whispered.
"How are you guys so high already?! I'm still Level 1!" Layton suddenly felt like he was being left in the dust.
"You hit Level 2 once you kill 100 Slimes. Did you kill a hundred?" Anyi asked.
"Well..." Layton scratched his head with a sheepish grin. "Maybe, like, ten or so?"
That count included both the ones he killed during training and the ones he'd eaten raw.
Anyi ignored him and turned back to the others. "Your Highness, Lady Miruku—have you spent all your attribute points yet?"
Both shook their heads.
"I was so exhausted yesterday that I didn't even get a chance to use them," Ariana explained with a smile.
Miruku didn't offer an explanation, but the truth was she just didn't know where to put them.
"Post your current attributes in the Chat Group," Anyi instructed.
"Sure," Ariana nodded.
A message soon popped up in the group chat.
[Holy Hero: Hero Level: 4
Strength: 0
Agility: 0
Endurance: 0
Durability: 0
Mana: 30
Intelligence: 15
Technique: 15]
Anyi's brow twitched.
This is... a disaster.
As a mage/healer hybrid, pumping up Mana wasn't technically wrong. The problem was that she'd completely ignored all the zero-stat attributes. Instead, she'd dumped 25 points into Mana, then split the remaining 25 between Intelligence and Technique, bringing both from their base values (3 and 2) to 15.
That 25 points could have brought all her zero stats up to 5, with plenty left over for Intelligence. And as for Technique... you never need to put points into that!
[Technique: Affects magic casting speed, combat skill execution speed, cooldowns, and combat reaction time.]
Out of those four, three primarily impact "Combat Skills"—the physical skills used by warriors. The only thing it does for a mage is speed up casting.
And at Ariana's current level... she didn't even have any spells that required casting time! Everything from her Healing Arts to Holy Judgment was instantaneous!
She had wasted at least 13 attribute points on a stat that was completely useless in the early game.
As for why he knew her base Intelligence was 3 and Technique was 2—it's because 3 is the standard baseline for a normal human. Even in his past life, Anyi had almost never seen a Hero with a base Intelligence higher than 3.
Lower than 3, though... yeah, he'd seen that.
"Your Highness, take 3 points and put one each into Agility, Endurance, and Durability right now," Anyi said.
"Okay!" Ariana nodded without a second thought. If Anyi said it, it was law.
"Strength is a total waste for you, but Agility, Endurance, and Durability will actually keep you alive. As you level up, prioritize those three. Ideally, you want them at..." Anyi trailed off mid-sentence.
"At what?" Ariana looked at him curiously.
"I'll tell you later. I'm not entirely sure yet," Anyi replied.
"Alright then." Ariana nodded.
Anyi knew perfectly well that in the early game, those stats needed to be at least 5 to 8. But based on the demons they'd seen so far, he didn't want to provide such a precise answer just yet. In this life, his "character" was supposed to be a rookie Hero. He could be knowledgeable, but only reasonably so. After all, "Recommended Stat Builds" weren't exactly written in the System's manual.
"Next up... Lady Miruku's stats," Anyi said, glancing back at her.
Miruku: "...R-right away!"
[Thorn Hero has joined the Chat Group!]
After a brief pause, Miruku posted her stats.
[Thorn Hero:
Hero Level: 2
Strength: 1
Agility: 40
Endurance: 1
Durability: 0
Mana: 2
Intelligence: 3
Technique: 17]
[Thorn Hero has left the Chat Group!]
"And your skills? I don't think I've actually asked what your skills are yet," Anyi added.
[Thorn Hero has joined the Chat Group!]
[Thorn Hero:
Skill 1: Shadow Meld
Skill description: The Thorn Hero vanishes into the shadows! Mutes all sound and makes your movements nearly impossible to track!
Skill 2: Fleet-Footed
Skill description: The Thorn Hero enters a state of high-speed movement! Movement speed scales with Agility!]
[Thorn Hero has left the Chat Group!]
Miruku would never tell a soul that she had taken the liberty of renaming her skills. Because the original names... were so not cool!
The first skill was actually called [Stealth], and the second one was—get this—[Hurry, Hurry, Urgent!!].
[Stealth] was fine, and it didn't sound too bad. But what on earth was [Hurry, Hurry, Urgent!!] even supposed to be?! It was hideous! Miruku patted herself on the back for being smart enough to change them to something way edgier.
Shadow Meld! Fleet-Footed!
So cool! I look so cool!!
While Miruku was lost in her own ego trip, Anyi was stroking his chin, staring at her stats and skills in deep thought. Compared to Ariana, Miruku's build was extreme, but it was clear she'd actually put some thought into her stats and skill descriptions.
Still, she'd made some wrong turns.
"Lady Miruku, first off, you don't have any offensive skills. Both of your abilities are for mobility. This means what you're actually lacking isn't Agility, but Strength.
Also, you're completely ignoring the importance of Endurance. The description for Endurance is: 'Affects stamina consumption rate, travel distance, and maximum combat duration.' High speed is great for keeping enemies from catching you, but low Endurance means your 'high-speed' window is tiny. Just like yesterday, you could only maintain that state for two seconds."
Anyi broke down Miruku's issues. To be fair, though, she was kind of a terrifying monster in her own right. She'd jumped from Level 1 to nearly Level 3 in just two seconds. That meant in those two seconds, she'd sliced through at least 300 to 400 Slimes.
Even though she'd been cowering in the back for most of it, the moment that Slime fusion exploded, she must have mentally mapped out a perfect path to clear them. You don't just kill that many Slimes in one breath on pure instinct during a high-speed dash.
"I... I only have one attribute point left to spend," Miruku whispered, her eyes welling up after the "lecture."
"Before you touch Strength, get your Endurance up. And when we're in a fight, try not to move at max speed all the time. Learn to throttle it. Based on what I saw yesterday, even if you slowed down, there isn't a demon alive that could catch you."
Miruku: "!!!"
Wait... am I really that fast?!
In her mind, a vision appeared: a dark blur streaking through a horde of demons, taking the general's head from the middle of ten thousand soldiers. Then the scene shifted, and she was standing on a stage before a massive, cheering crowd.
The interviewer asked her: "Thorn Hero, Lady Miruku Sinsa, you aren't the most conspicuous among the four Heroes, yet you are the fastest. Is there anything you'd like to say to our viewers?"
Miruku put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin with majestic flair: "I have an announcement to make!"
"An announcement?!"
"Another one?!"
The crowd gasped in shock.
"That's right. My name is Miruku Sinsa, and I am the fastest person alive. In my youth, I was chosen by the Sky God to receive divine powers, granting me unimaginable speed and strength. To outsiders, I might look like just an ordinary woman, but in war, I used my speed to conquer countless foes and slay legions of demons. One day, I will wipe out every demon, end all disasters in this world, and kill the Demon King! I am... the Thorn Hero!"
...
"Ah... haha... hehehe... I'm the Thorn Hero... hehe..." Miruku began giggling to herself, lost in a daze.
Anyi: "..."
Why did this girl suddenly lose her mind? I'm pretty sure her Intelligence was at least a 3?
"Ahem, Anyi, my man! Even though I haven't leveled up yet, don't leave me out, okay?" Layton laughed, slinging an arm around Anyi's shoulder.
Anyi remembered that aside from Strength, Endurance, and Durability, Layton's other stats were all at zero. Probably because he used to be a porter, his base Endurance was a solid 3.
"You should focus on Agility and Endurance next. Prioritize Agility, then Endurance. You're the team's primary vanguard; you need enough speed to reach your teammates in time," Anyi explained.
In truth, as a shield-bearer, his Strength didn't actually need to be that high.
The most important stat was Durability to boost resistance and HP, followed by Agility and Endurance for movement speed and stamina. Finally, there was Technique to improve combat reactions and allow for timely support of allies.
Technique wasn't vital yet because, in the early game, there weren't many demons with attack speeds that exceeded a normal human's reaction time. Only when high-Agility demons appeared in the mid-to-late game would Technique truly matter.
However, Technique had a special mechanic: it increased automatically as skill levels and weapon proficiency grew.
Because of that... Anyi's stats looked like this:
[Hero Level: 4
Strength: 16
Agility: 10
Endurance: 10
Durability: 10
Mana: 5
Intelligence: 10
Technique: Max]