Seeing the girls take up their respective beds, he jumped on Kanade’s to lie in as it was the free one. She was taking all her gear off, though paused after he did so.

  “Don’t dirty the sheets.” She gently said. Which was fine; he probably wouldn’t have been able to be in it for long anyway. Seeing as he took more than half of it by himself. Going back down to the floor, waiting and watching to see where they were going to get hot water from.

  Before that could happen; the girls went into their undergarments. Lilliane had finally taken off her armor, revealing her pristine muscular body, her pale skin was crusty-blood-free, along with Kanade who was lucky enough to not get splashed.

  Lilliane bent down near the tub, sticking her hand inside, he couldn’t see what she had, but whatever it truly was resembled a blue crystal. A splashing sound appeared. Intrigued, he had to come closer. Her hand visibly shook from whatever she was doing, his height was enough to peek inside the tub.

  Her hand was holding the crystal, it glowed. Seemingly out of nowhere, water kept filling the tub. The water squirmed and splashed inside, creating an increasingly bigger whirlpool with her hand in the vortex. An unannounced warmth brushed his snout, then the water started releasing humid vapor.

  That is one unique usage.

  By what he guesses, she was holding a water elemental’s core, a lower-level water spirit. He never really thought it could do something like that, aside from being a crafting resource. Though, he wasn’t sure how she managed to have it release warm water. He wasn’t that interested, but seeing something he hadn’t before was quite neat.

  “You go in first. You deserve it.” Kanade said from her bed, Li didn’t even object, which made Han’s heart drop. A light flump sound lands beside him, without thinking, he didn’t need to glance. He was a man of integrity; a man of pure integrity. The thought of looking up never came into his mind. Never ever.

  SHIT! I WANT TO!

  Han’s mind and body fought while he retreated with his spirit intact until he heard the water displace and then slosh around due to Lilliane’s sheer size. His gait slowed, eventually, after the water had settled, it was safe to glance. And he did, her pearly white hair strewn all over, even managing to reach the floor. Only her head and shoulder were peeking out. With the hair aside, he could finally see her face unobstructed.

  Like a princess…

  It was the natural beauty, yet unreal. A body built with persistence and the genes to acknowledge it. His heart thumped twice on the same beat. Still, he went in between the beds and gathered his thoughts. Slipping in there. That’s the only thing he’s got going for him after all.

  Back to the topic. In a single fight, he had gained over 3,000 EXP. Even if it was some panda, do the gains change that much? Since he’s literally fourth-wheeling, an assist to an assist per se. That made him think of the amount they should have gotten.

  Pochirin had caught up to him in levels; they were both level 14 now. No new skill or ability, though he wished to know the hound’s next evolution level, to which he had nothing but rough estimates. It was safe to assume it could be from level 20 to 50. Since the first evolution was mostly him starting to become an adult, subsequently his next evolution will be of his adult form; which could literally be anything as he knew of the possibilities. Still, this predicament was interesting when observed from an outsider perspective. There’s an absurd amount of variables.

  If he hadn’t attached to Pochirin, Kanade and Li would have struggled and maybe never would have become adventurers; Pochirin and Kanade, that is. If by chance they did, Pochirin would have probably waited for his evolution.

  It kind of unsettled him since he, or rather his body, had become a ticking time bomb. Despite not being the one wearing the vest, a hanma wasn’t something he could ignore. Finally, his eyes glance at the new title he gained, assuming that everyone got it, he thought it was a worthy read.

  “Therystown’s One of Many,” it basically said that their actions have started the tentative tradition that helps the town grow. And in turn they have gained some reputation and a 1+ charisma point. So, nothing too useful for him.

  He hadn’t noticed, but outside his head, some time had passed. Li was already in her undergarments; that wasn’t the thing that woke him from his thinking. The fact the the ground under him disappeared did.

  The tiny Kanade slid both her hands under him and managed to lift him. He simply assumed that it was his turn to bathe, nothing out of the ordinary. Especially seeing as he’s all dirty after the battle, and God knows when was the last time Pochirin was bathed either. She slowly descended him into the bath, the wet fur had become heavy immediately. The water wasn’t steaming like before, but was still hot enough to be relaxing. Anyway, there was enough water for him to sit and peek his head out without worry.

  “Stop moving.” Kanade’s voice sounded as if she was behind him. The moment he heard her, he became a statue. His face focused on a specific part of the room, the complete opposite of where she was sitting. He was forced into an awkward position, she sat in the widest part of the tub while he was in the middle, basically putting him in the middle of her legs.

  I beg…. Please… please don’t start washing me. If there’s a God… please!

  He didn’t wait and started washing himself whilst trying to avoid seeing her. That, however, didn’t help, as a hand started brushing his back, then snout. The tables have turned. There wasn’t anything intimate about it. Worse of all, he was utterly helpless, akin to a baby being bathed. He stomached it for a good minute and decided it was enough; jumping out of the bath without causing too much splashing behind him.

  He went to lie down in his spot, right in between both of their beds. After surviving that tragic event, wishing to sleep was the foremost thought in his brain. Which promptly showed him.

  Hm? I do feel tired.

  The tiredness wasn’t exactly the one he was used to, it was like stick drift on a controller, though the controls were spread throughout his body. His eyelids were harder to keep open, and since they were putting up a good fight, he forfeited. In this groggy state, he wasn’t sure if he had fallen asleep yet, but it felt like a mini-timeskip. As the candles were already out, that meant some time did pass, though what awoke him were Kanade’s arms that smothered him. His location had changed; he was in her bed.

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  “We… did it… We did it! Hehe.” She whispered under her blanket. He hadn’t heard her being this giddy before. He smiled and relaxed. In turn, he didn’t even show up to his next match as he had closed eyes prematurely. Before he passed out completely.

  “Love you, Pochirin… goodnight.” Her last words as she snuggled to sleep broke his heart. The reality was that there was no Han in “we.”

  ?

  Han’s short sleep was once more interrupted by a gentle hug, he didn’t mind it until he was lifted up.

  Can she… stop doing that?

  He yawned before opening his eyes. Kanade dragged him to the hall. Li was still in her bed for some reason. She promptly put him down, at which point he quickly noticed that her gear was on the floor; a bow, daggers, and pouches. Despite practically throwing him out of the room along with herself; she wasn’t even ready. The reason, along with his grogginess, quickly cleared up.

  She’s trying to sneak out!

  Han stood tall, examining Kanade and attempting to guess where they will be headed. Their relationship didn’t seem one-sided or secret-ridden, so this was quite an interesting change of pace. Needless to say, she threw everything on, and he went with her downstairs. The tavern was pretty much empty aside from some guests that were there to eat or had stayed in like them. Seeing that they were eating fresh food, Kanade peeked over the counter, trying to grab the barkeep’s attention.

  “What can I do ya for?” The barkeep’s smile flips on the moment his eye registered Kanade.

  “Uh, something light I could eat while moving…?” She mumbled, her eyes darting between the barkeep and the door she probably wished to run out of.

  “Hmm. Gimme a moment.” That rabid act continued until he brought a polished wooden plate with a piece of bread and a steaming potato sliced and stuffed with butter. “Take it, this a half a portion. Not worth pestering you about. Strike true, kid, and return whole!”

  She backwaved whilst stuffing her face, leaving crumbs along the way. Han kept up with her light jog, her eyes were clearly darting around the main street for any wagons, when instead, a familiar face entered their eyesight.

  “Well, you’re in a hurry. Need somewhere to go?” The same driver from yesterday popped up from behind the wagon, he patted his hands before deciding to not shake hers. He was in, what seemed to be, a basic stable with an open front and backs. Nonetheless, after Kanade’s quick nod filled with bread he waved them in. She hopped in the back but leaned closer to the driver after a loud gulp that didn’t require superhuman hearing to be heard.

  “Ug-nas-ville?” With a pause between eating, she completely butchered the name. Though, at least Han knew where they were heading; an expedition. Assuming she didn’t want Li to get sicker, she snuck out.

  “Ugnyvyll, gotcha. Relax, we’ll be there in a couple minutes.” Without worry or haste, he giddy-upped his horse and turned into the street. Slowly and surely they were leaving Therystown. Due to it, Kanade’s eating became somewhat manageable, or rather, normal. Han noticed her glancing at the back of the driver for a while until she scooted over closer to the front.

  “The owner mentioned a tradition; that the Hanma Bear died.” She glossed over the fields. Her instincts were seemingly pretty sharp, and as she mentioned it, Han remembered the title description.

  “It was a bear this time… sheesh.” He had to turn back around and glance at Kanade to see whether they still had all of their limbs. After a quick shudder, he smiled. “It’s a good sign. The forest’s cursed, there’s the seldom Hanma monster. It doesn’t bother us too much as it’s bound to the forest; once it’s defeated, though.” He points to the rich fields of potatoes, carrots, beets, and many more that Han couldn’t recognize.

  “Our plants grow quicker, saplings root faster, and babies arrive with less effort. That’s how we’ve expanded and grown so fast in a few years. The Hanma monster isn’t a good sign in general, the purple lightning though, is.” He rambles without turning around to face her. The shakiness of the wagon did create a question.

  “Wouldn’t you want a nicer wagon, maybe a carriage? That would attract more people, don’t you want that?”

  “Sure it would. The folk that penny pinch are smarter or down on their luck; we’d want them to stick around, and by choosing me, they’ve already passed one of the steps. Besides,” he sluggishly points at the horse driving the wagon, then knocked on his seat twice. “These two ol’ gals got me a wife. Can’t complain.”

  She scooted back as the conversation poofed. Her chin was up higher and her shoulders were a tad more relaxed, though her eyes were still peeled at the horizon as they slowly leaving the town.

  ?

  Still far out, a simple open-ended carriage drawn by two large horses rode towards a medium-sized village by the name of Ugnysvyll. It was forked out between Therystown and Higelsdale. Close to both, far to neither. And the sole passenger was slumped, her head on her forearms, which were interlocked on her knees.

  “Ai…! Why didn’t the bow drop…” The girl complained under her breath. After receiving boots from a dungeon expedition, she made some quick buck, but hadn’t made her any stronger directly. She was already horrible at her class, and being under-leveled didn’t exactly help. Her elven eyes dart into the distance, the village’s entrance; the expedition’s starting location. Her carriage moved a lot, as she got closer, she could finally see her party.

  A blond mage, his graceful white robes were draped loosely over his body. The black staff that seemed to be charred wood was accented due to his white thematic, and the white metallic mask hid the entirety of his face yet let his hair peek out. His gear didn’t scream over-leveled or over-geared too much, if he did his job, they should be fine.

  The man close to him was clearly a tank of sorts. With a thick and experienced chest plate that went up to his ears and hips, what was unguarded were being taken care of by his shield that he used as a leaning post. On his back was a large weapon, beside the long handle, she couldn’t see the end from her location.

  Her carriage eventually stopped right beside the village’s entrance, and more importantly, in front of them. The mage’s head turned, and she promptly walked up.

  “Hello. I’m a part of the expedition. I’m Juuka, an archer.” She added with her chest high before completing the group’s half circle beside the masked man.

  “Lionel.” His verbose voice exclaimed calmly, his mask slightly reverberated his voice. Supreme posture the man had, not a wick of insecurity in that guy. The girl’s eyes turn to the tank, to which he was quick to point out. “Don’t bother. He’s an NPC I hired.”

  “Ah… okay.” She glanced at the tank once more, she was standing a few feet away, yet she still thought of herself as a dwarf. Anyhow, she turned her attention elsewhere and continued waiting, there wasn’t much to do anyway. Simply wishing for any items to drop in the next couple of days before needing to go to work was enough. Though, her mind could only bask in silence for so long. She turned to Lionel and Berdrogh with a slight question.

  “Who are we waiting for?”

  “For anyone. I plan to head deep into the dungeon, if we all agree...” His rant had been interrupted by his own chuckle. It was hard for her to see what he was looking at, roughly following his gaze, she saw in the distance a cat girl with a bow and a large wolf walking towards them. Instantly, she already knew that she wouldn’t be planning to go into the lower floors.

  Why does it have to be another archer…

  Even if she got the drop, there would be a problem if both of them wanted it. To avoid Lionel even speaking up, she opened her friends menu and hovered over the approaching cat girl; it didn’t pop up. The heaviness was lifted off her, then the menu flickered in the corner of her eye.

  She hovered over her again; it didn’t do anything once more. She might as well try it on the wolf. It popped up for a split second, though she brushed it off as a glitch. Her shoulders slumped.

  This dungeon will be a nightmare!