What happened one hour ago?

It was morning for Luka when he first woke up on the new day in Iliasburg. Sprawled on the bed by himself, a bad stench of sweat assaulted his nose, waking him up in a bad mood.

Luka slowly sat up from the bed and scratched his purple head with a tired expression. Something was stinking around him, and it made him feel uncomfortable. Not just that, he also felt his skin being sticky everywhere.

Soon, the memories of what had happened before he slept emerged from his mind as he collapsed on the bed again, covering his face with both hands as he curled up in a fetal position.

"I really did that…" Still remembering how Alice had given him a handjob because she wanted a 'midnight snack', Luka felt completely embarrassed about the situation. How is he going to face Alice now?

He even went against one of Ilias' Commandments…

Yeah, they didn't do outright intercourse, and she also told him that if it was done by hand alone, then that wouldn't be a problem. However, there was a certain feeling of betrayal within him that strangely made him excited about it.

Having a sexual relationship with a Monster… He would have harbored the idea if the other partner was either him or an unwilling person, but…

"...Wait." He muttered in realization. Was this what Alice once meant as being 'discriminating'? Even though he wished to achieve coexistence between humans and monsters, he was still refusing the thought of mating with a monster.

He had to abandon that thought in the future, he knew that. However, that would also mean turning back to everything that Ilias had taught him; she was even looking up to his success on his journey to the Monster Lord Castle! He clearly remembered dreaming about her the day before this, and she was telling him to defeat the Monster Lord.

"Ugh…" All of this thinking was giving him a small headache. Luka stood up from the bed and grabbed his clothes lying on a piece of furniture.

After dressing up and carrying the equipment Victor had bought for him from 'somewhere' yesterday, Luka began to walk out of the bedroom.

In the living room, he saw that one of the two sofas was fixed back to its original state, and Alice, Penny, and Eva were sitting on the same side enjoying their breakfast. Meanwhile, on the other sofa that was still left as a bed, Victor was still in a deep sleep.

"G-Good morning." Luka called out, and only received nods in acknowledgement. He took a deep breath, trying to push away the thought of what happened yesterday night with Alice, and then he said. "I'll be in the bathroom for a bit…"

No answer came back to him as Luka awkwardly left the room. Outside, there were already workers serving the few awake customers and cleaning the halls.

After asking around, Luka soon found an empty bathroom and he immediately undressed and walked in a shower.

Victor would have been staring at the showerhead with wide eyes if he was there. After all, seeing something like that in a place where the definition of engine doesn't exist would raise many questions.

However, this was a fantasy world; there is no 'technological era' that could be compared with Earth's eras.

Luka took a deep breath as the warm water rained on his head and flowed down his thin and small body, washing away the sweat and stench that had accumulated during the event he went through the previous night.

In moments like this, having that 'shampoo', as Victor had called it, would be a good idea.

Anyway, it seems like Alice forgot about the handjob, so he needs to calm down about it. It was the job of a man to stay calm in every situation, and he clearly wasn't in that kind of state right now.

Now… What will be his next steps?

He currently has an iron sword, a buckler that he still didn't use, and an empty bag along with 500 Gold Coins. All of this stuff was given to him by Victor using his own money, and if he wasn't grateful for what he did, the conversation with Eva about all the possible financial problems that got solved solely by Victor breathing within 10 meters from him certainly did the job to make him see Victor in a new light.

The first thing he has to do is restock his supplies: Gather food, camping tools, kitchen wares, sleeping bags, and maybe he could buy an armor if he still has some money left.

Victor had said that he could ask him whenever he needs to get more Gold from him. Hopefully, he is still willing to give him more Gold Coins, because otherwise he will have to put his journey on a small pause and gather enough money with side jobs before he can leave.

Luka felt a bit bad at the thought of asking for money at Victor, but he will repay all of it one day… Yes, one day…

Anyway, after buying everything they need, it will be time to leave Iliasburg and… Ugh, let Granberia join their group…

Seriously, why did Victor even suggest something like that? Didn't he realize it would be dangerous for her to be near them? Yeah, there is Eva, who is very strong, but the decision in itself was wrong…

Was Victor really so serious about keeping everything under his control?

Apparently, it was all connected about Alice's secret identity, which no one still told him about. But if Granberia held Alice in such high regards, then she must be some sort of princess, or even a high-ranking noble. Who knows, maybe the 'Fateburn Family' is a prestigious noble house.

He was told that Eva wanted to keep an eye on Alice, and that was okay for him. Eva was a hero, and it would be strange if she didn't attack either Penny or Alice in the first second they crossed their eyes. However, instead of resorting to violence, Eva simply decided to go after them and observe things from afar.

Was she also someone like him? Someone who held a tiny bit of hope on monsters?

He didn't know, and frankly, he didn't feel like asking that to her. What if she comes to know about his goal? Coexistence between the two races directly goes against Ilias' teachings…

As for Granberia, she simply wanted to keep an eye on Eva. The alternative was to keep fighting, so Luka understood a bit why Victor let her join their party. But why that decision? There were more to think of, like dropping away Alice; after all, she was only there to eat their food, even if she did indeed teach him how to fight with a sword…

Besides, it was clear as day that either Victor or Alice would leave the party if things kept going on like this.

At one side there is Victor. He and Eva were the only humans in the party, and Victor is the only other boy beside him. Talking with him had been revealed to be a nice thing to do, which eased the stress accumulated in his mind though the journey. Although the part where he can produce money from nowhere is only a bonus, it was very welcomed.

However, Victor couldn't do much against Monsters without killing them, and he also didn't want them to die. Although he appreciated that Victor saw monsters as living beings that have the right to live, the problem is when he was left with nothing to do, like against the Mandragora.

Besides, Victor is not a real 'party member'. The only reason why he was with them is because Alice forced him to follow them, and he needs to reach for the Treasure Cave at north to fix his leg, however he could do it only he knows about it…

On the other side there is Alice, a monster with mysterious origins. She is hateful, arrogant, cold, cynical, aloof, and sassy. However, Alice had helped him for real in certain cases.

For example, with the swordplay training, if he never met her, he would still be carrying that crappy swordplay he had when he started the journey; and who knows if he could really make it to Iliasburg like that?

Also, the fact that she doesn't help him against monsters helps him gather fighting experience. If he was aided everytime, he would need support even against the Monster Lord. And against an existence like that, if he couldn't beat a Heavenly Knight by himself, there is no way he could also beat the Monster Lord.

Victor is rude and uncaring against the opinion of others, while Alice is rude and… self-centered?

They are actually similar to each other if you thought about it. Was this why they can't deal with one another? Because they feel like they are looking at a mirror of themselves?

...He's overthinking about it, isn't he? There's no way that would be the case, it would contradict the fact that each of them don't mind everyone else's opinions on them.

Well, he might still have it against Alice for forcing him away from Iliasville, and the fact that she had left them to fight Granberia by themselves… Wow, she is actually so hateful if you say it without context.

"*Sigh* After Granberia…" Luka muttered under his breath as he kept his thoughts back to the main track.

After joining with Granberia outside the town, there are three things to do before he goes to the continent of Sentora:

The first is sending Penny to this place called 'Enrika'. Although he had never heard of it, it should be a safe place for monsters if what he had heard is right.

Even if Penny wanted to stay with them, it would get too dangerous for her to keep going along with them. She is merely a Dog Girl, a friendly monster among the entire species that lives south of Ilias Continent and near Iliasburg; not to talk about the fact that she is like a 1 year old…

She might risk getting herself killed if she keeps going along with them to the north.

The second is checking over Happiness Village. The owner of Sutherland Inn had told them that Happiness Village suddenly had a lack of manpower to farm the Happiness Honey from their honeycombs. All of that because the men of the village had disappeared...

The case sounds really something that a monster would do…

The third is helping Victor go through the Treasure Cave and find the treasure hidden in there, or that's what he says he should get. Maybe he will make something that can repair his leg appear from nowhere like he always does, he never understood how all of that works.

He can get money without doing anything, but where does that money come from? Is it gifted to him? Where does it even go in the first place?

He has a 'space' where he can contain his stuff; was that the place where his money was deposited? How much can he contain before the space gets full?

And how does he create all of that stuff from thin air? It is like he has an invisible store that follows him the entire time. How much stuff can he actually buy? That was a curious question indeed. It is like he can buy anything that one could think of…

He will have to ask that question to Victor for further details later on, unless he will forget about it first…

After doing all of that, what will happen will happen.

Luka turned off the shower and walked out, drying himself and wearing the same clothes he wore before… He will also need to buy a new set of clothes, by the way.

Upon returning in the guest room, he saw that everyone except Victor was already geared up. He took a deep breath and asked. "Alright, how about we go first to look around the city before leaving? I will have to fill up the new bag."

Alice let a smile appear on her face as a certain thought passed through her mind. "We will leave without Victor?!"

"No."

"No!"

Luka and Penny replied with different kinds of tone; while Luka was exasperated at this matter about the two of them hating each other; for Penny, Victor was more like the big brother she never had, although the only thing he did was buy stuff for her.

Alice clicked her tongue in annoyance and remained silent for the moment. Meanwhile, Eva sighed and shook her head.

"Anyway, do you even have enough money to buy everything you need? If you need it, you can still ask me, you know? I have a lot of money that I don't usually spend anywhere else." Eva commented and Luka nodded at her with a grateful smile.

"I appreciate the thought, but we will bring that up again if I really need help in that matter. For now, let's go outside. We will wake up Victor when we are done around Iliasburg."

"Alright." After that, the four of them walked out of the inn and looked at the new Iliasburg, completely recovered from yesterday's monster invasion.

The streets were bustling with people. The children were playing with rubber balls and tag; the adults were watching over the children or working on the streets; and the elderly were enjoying the last bits of their long lives by watching the scenery in front of them from a new perspective.

After the calamity that was Granberia vanished, flowers and rainbows began to appear all over the place.

Luka's stomach was growling from hunger, since he didn't eat breakfast. However, he couldn't spend money without care at the moment, so he will keep it up until lunch arrives, or at least see if he still has enough money to buy a snack.

Along the way, they were welcomed by the citizens as their savior. No one understood how they were recognized as the people who had saved this city, but the only guesses in mind they got was that either someone had been spying on them, or Victor did something while he was separated from them yesterday evening.

Time quickly clocked forward and now Luka was left with a mere 70 Gold Coins after he had spent everything for the most necessary things to carry, such as a sleeping bag, food, water, and a single pot.

"Are you sure about continuing like this? As I had said before, I can lend you some of my money." Eva suggested once she saw Luka's poor state. His traveling bag was still small compared to the full bag behind her back, and the pouch keeping his Gold was very thin now, compared to before.

"It's fine, I'll just go to look around before buying everything else…" Luka replied.

It would be different if it was Victor asking him that, but for Eva, Luka could only refuse her offer. Now it became a matter of pride for him, what kind of shameless man would ask money from a woman?

…

On the sofa-bed, Victor groaned before he twisted his body at the other side, still sleeping.

…

Soon, they had reached the best weapon shop in the city, and the only one within 1 kilometer of radius. The store was surprisingly named Beginning, and seeing how Luka was distracted by the tag over the store, Eva explained.

"Every new Hero would arrive at Iliasburg, and the first place they would approach to change their equipment into something more fitting for their journey to the Monster Lord's Castle is this. This is why the store is called like this, because it is officially recognized as the first step for new Heroes to become veterans." Eva finished to explain before she entered the store, ringing a bell on top of the door.

"Oh, welcome to my humble shop, customers!" A cheerful voice came from the counter at their side. Turning around, they noticed a wooden counter built on the corner of the large store, which was close enough to the entrance door to permit a faster transaction. The customers would simply go around the store and return near the entrance; and after paying for everything, they could leave in a couple of steps.

A bald man with brown eyes was standing at the other side of the counter, holding a weird smile that was born from a mix between grief and joy. "If you are looking for armor pieces, I'm sorry to say that we don't have any set ready at the moment. Heroes and Soldiers had been going here back and forth yesterday evening, apparently because someone had stolen all of their gear while they were unconscious."

"That's horrible…" Luka commented, while the shop owner shrugged.

"Well, it happened, there is nothing to do… Though… No, nevermind." The bald man suddenly shook his head, making Luka raise an eyebrow.

"Anyway, is there anything left here?" Luka asked, and the shop owner brought out a shirt from the back of the counter, placing it in front of him.

"This is all I have."

"..." Luka stared at the bald man dead in the eyes while Alice raised an eyebrow as she picked the shirt. She extended the shirt's corners in front of her and observed it from a closer point of view with an interested expression.

"This is a really good piece of armor for a place like this…" She moved her sight on the edge of the shirt, checking the cheap price tag attached to it. "...And you can also buy it."

"...?" Luka glanced back at Alice with a surprised expression. "...Really?"

A smirk appeared on the shop owner's expression as he shifted his gaze on the silver-haired beautiful lady that was wearing very revealing clothes. "Ahh, you have good eyes, Miss." He complimented.

"That shirt was woven in a special way, for maximum protection. I can assure you that you won't find anything better in this continent."

"Is that true?!" With a shocked expression, Luka stared at the plain-looking shirt with a new light, and the shopkeeper nodded to his words.

"That's right. Because it looks plain, even if it is a really nice piece of protective wear, many Heroes were aiming for something more flashy. The armors that I had sold here since yesterday were good or bad, varying along the way, but no one had bought this one in particular. Otherwise, they only bought this shirt because that was the most their money could provide.

For this reason, I simply kept quiet and waited until someone actually wanted to buy this, and finally the day where it is shining at its best has come!"

Alice raised an eyebrow and asked. "Won't your silence leave a lot of heroes succumbing against strong monsters along the way? Are you sure you want to keep quiet about this?"

The shopkeeper sighed and looked at Alice with a frank expression. "Sweetie, I've been doing this job for 15 years. At this point, if some random moron comes into my shop and spends all of his money to buy a full-cover heavy armor covered in jaggy edges and spikes because it 'looks cool', I'll simply let them have it. What are they going to do about it, defeat the Monster Lord and return here to complain against my non-existent 'suggestions'?"

"...Fair enough." Alice nodded in agreement with the shopkeeper's decision. If someone was really dumb enough to commit that mistake---not to talk about reaching Hellgondo---they would only be an addition among the cannon fodders…

"Alright then, I'll take it!" Luka put on the counter the remains of his money bag, and the shopkeeper returned back 10 Gold Coins before taking the rest.

"Thanks for your purchase, customer!" Soon after saying that, the smile on the shopkeeper's face vanished as he sighed. "Though, it's truly a shame that not many can recognize the greatness of this armor. It is entirely made of metal, and yet it can protect you from any kind of attack here in Ilias Continent. I pity the people in Enrika; because of its plain look, they aren't doing a good business."

"Enrika?" Luka asked in curiosity. He had heard that name from Wendy, Penny's mother.

"You see, Enrika is not your usual settlement. It prefers to stay hidden from the world; even among the maps, you wouldn't find it. Because of this, they seek partnership with other merchants like me and other colleagues. If you combine that fact with the product they are selling…" The shopkeeper trailed off, making Alice wince at the thought.

"It really doesn't look great…"

The shop owner nodded. "That's right. However, this Enrikan Shirt, because it is plain, you can add many different properties on it to strengthen it even further. I mean, it is basically like a white sheet of paper; you can fold it, draw in it… There is a lot of stuff you can do with it as long as you have the right materials and someone with good forging abilities.

Since you are Heroes, I am sure that your destination will be the Monster Lord's Castle. I'm certain that this shirt alone won't be enough for you, so you can go to Enrika at southwest from here and ask them about the list of possible modifications you could do on this shirt. It will be invulnerable by the time you develop it to its fullest potential, I'm 100% sure of it."

"I see! That sounds great!" Luka exclaimed in excitement as he looked at the Enrikan Shirt. The idea of making the shirt more durable gave him a burst of energy that he didn't know he had.

What could possibly be utilized to make this piece of work into something greater? Dragon Scales? Legendary Metals? The mystery was intriguing.

"Is there anything else you need?" Eva casually asked, and Luka shook his head before he put down his traveling bag and wore the Enrikan Shirt over his own clothes. Now that he was wearing it, he could feel a solid sensation across his body, like he was wearing a chainmail.

"Alright, we can go now!" Luka announced as the shopkeeper waved at the leaving group.

"Good luck on your journey, new Hero!"

"Thanks!" Luka replied as the door was closing behind the party. Outside the shop, Luka looked at everyone else and said. "Well, we have bought everything necessary that we need, so let's go back to Sutherland Inn and grab Victor."

"Yay!" Penny pumped up her fists in excitement, following Luka's good mood. And after that, they walked south once again to meet up with Victor.

…

Victor Luis' (future) Trivia Book: Iliasville

Iliasville, or also called Ilias Village, is a village situated at the southernmost point of the world, where the power and influence of the Goddess Ilias is as strong as possible. It can also be considered as the 'Point Zero' of every Hero, because in this place the Ilias Temple is built, and in there people get baptized and become Heroes by the will of the Goddess herself.

Although it is that famous, on the first time, travelers will certainly notice the poor location compared to bigger cities like Iliasburg and San Ilia. Iliasville and the Monster Lord's Castle are like the opposite sides of the same coin: One is where Heroes are born, and the other is where the Monster Lord is born.

Even if it is such a friendly village; curiously, more than 10 years ago, the village was extremely xenophobic(fearful of the unknown/strangers/outsiders). The villagers within Iliasville were hostile against anyone that wasn't there to get baptized, considering themselves superior because they lived so close to the temple of Ilias.

In the end, a mysterious and still-unknown epidemic assaulted the village, killing every elders and most of the population. Because of that, Iliasville was forced to take in immigrants to avoid death and genetic malfunction by mating between themselves for a couple of generations.

Iliasville can also be considered as the safest place in the world, because only the bottom-feeders of the monsterkin pyramid live there: These monsters include the fragile Slime Girls, the weak Imps, and the slow Slug Girls.

The only reason why they are still a thing is because some new Heroes are cocky enough to think they are invincible with the new blessing and go in a fist-fight against each one of them before their spinal cord gets snapped in half. Because yes, baptized Heroes are extremely hated among the society of monsters.