The [Gluttony] activation condition is the HP or Mana value dropping below a certain threshold, and the second condition is sustaining a certain amount of damage.
In short, when the body enters a state requiring energy replenishment, [Gluttony] will activate.
However, this skill only activates in a non-combat state, so one wouldn't be affected by hunger during battle.
Therefore:
Layton being hungry meant his taunt had failed.
He hadn't even entered a combat state.
"So hungry...? What's going on?" Ariana was completely confused about the situation.
"I don't know, but he must have failed," Anyi said, his expression unchanging.
If Layton's Mana attribute was 0, it meant his maximum Mana value shouldn't be very high either.
Anyi remembered that his own 0 Mana attribute resulted in a maximum Mana of only about 20 points, right?
Now that he had added 5 points, he had a maximum Mana of 300, which was more than enough for him.
Basic early-game skills generally cost 10 Mana, and since Anyi was a class that didn't rely too heavily on skills, there was no need to add too much.
"Anyi!" Ariana suddenly stepped forward, raising her staff. "I have an idea, I want to try it out."
"Mm," Anyi listened attentively.
Although Ariana usually seemed dazed, she was actually thinking and learning. In Anyi's view, she had considerable potential.
It would be better if her attributes weren't so skewed!
"Just now you told Mr. Layton to ask the system if there's a way to attract multiple enemies simultaneously, right?
So I was wondering, can I also attack multiple enemies at the same time?" Ariana's beautiful little face was filled with seriousness.
As she spoke, she held the staff in front of her, searching for the sensation she had during practice earlier.
"Yes, try it out," Anyi nodded in satisfaction.
Worthy of a child who allocated 15 points to Intelligence; her comprehension was indeed high.
Of course, personal comprehension wasn't strictly related to Intelligence. Even a fool with high Intelligence points was still a fool, just someone whose magic casting speed was quick.
「Lord God, please instruct me on how to attack a large number of enemies simultaneously!」
Ariana murmured in her mind.
[Searching...
Search complete.
Hello, Lord Hero. Please expend more Mana when using skills to activate the multi-target skill [Skyfall].]
「Please instruct me on how to mobilize more Mana!」
[When using a skill, state the amount of Mana to be used, the number of times the skill is to be used, or the percentage of your Mana pool.]
「Use Skill: Skyfall!
Mana Cost: 100%!」
Ariana inherently possessed talent in magic; her base Mana attribute was already a high 5 points!
And after her Mana attribute was increased to 30, her maximum Mana pool reached a terrifying 5000 points!
If compared to Anyi and Layton, who had no magic talent, even if they allocated 30 points to Mana, their maximum Mana pool wouldn't exceed 2000.
Releasing all her Mana for [Skyfall] would truly be a waterfall of sacred light! A rain of golden, divine power!
"OHM!"
The golden light on the staff in Ariana's hand flared brilliantly. A dazzling golden sphere gathered at the tip of the staff.
The next moment, the blinding sphere shot straight up through the skylight, penetrating the clouds at extreme speed:
...
"Look! What is that?"
"Look! Up in the sky!"
"Is that... a second sun?!"
Among the fleeing villagers, someone shouted, causing everyone to look up towards the sky outside the village.
At that moment:
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion sounded like rolling thunder. The light sphere detonated! Countless golden magic arrows shot out, densely pouring down towards the ground!
The golden, rain-like magic arrows pierced through the air, relentlessly striking the giant Slime mass. The creature had no time or speed to evade this inescapable rain of golden arrows!
The Slime mass, along with the muddy ground beneath it, was pierced through. The dense storm of light arrows pulverized the gigantic monster of over twenty meters in an instant, riddled with holes!
This barrage shattered the giant Slime.
Simultaneously, thunder and lightning cracked in the minds of some people.
"Ah... Ah-ah-ah-ah!
This is a miracle! A miracle!!!"
"Divine Punishment! God has cast down Divine Punishment upon the demons!!!"
"Waaah-wah-wah-wah-ah-ah-ah!! His Holiness has intervened! Humanity is saved!!"
A group of devotees immediately knelt on the spot, weeping towards the direction where the golden rain fell, their eyes filled with devotion.
Instantly, the villagers also knelt.
"God!! Thank you!!"
"The village is saved!!"
"A miracle! A miracle!!"
...
[Experience Points +10, Experience Points +10, Experience Points +10, Experience Points +10, Experience Points +10...
Experience Points +5, Experience Points +5, Experience Points +5, Experience Points +5, Experience Points +5...
Experience Points +1, Experience Points +1, Experience Points +1, Experience Points +1, Experience Points +1...]
"Puff."
Ariana, having exhausted her Mana, couldn't help but loosen her grip on the staff as she fell backward.
Anyi, not knowing when, was already standing behind her, just in time to support her shoulders.
As the light rain ended, countless Slimes rained down, scattering in all directions.
The scattered Slimes began to move randomly again, drifting towards different directions.
One blast of [Skyfall] wasn't enough to eliminate all the Slimes, but it was enough to shatter the majority of them.
"Miss Miruku," Anyi called out without turning back.
"Here!" Miruku snapped out of her shock.
"Clean up the surrounding scattered Slimes to prevent them from gathering again," Anyi instructed.
"Yes!"
In an instant, Miruku vanished from the spot.
A streak of black light shot rapidly through the open field. With every inch of ground she covered, several Slimes had their Magic Cores shattered.
「She's already approaching the speed of sound, but...」
Anyi thought silently to himself.
40 Agility meant extremely high movement speed, but...
BOOM!
A dark figure suddenly collapsed in front of Anyi and Ariana.
"Ah... Ah... Ah..."
Miruku lay on the ground panting, tongue hanging out like a dead dog. Her face was flushed red as if she had run a marathon. Her hands trembled so much she couldn't even hold her daggers, looking as if she had just completed intense physical exertion.
The reality was indeed that.
Because...
Miruku's Endurance was only 1.
Her attributes were:
[Strength: 1
Agility: 40
Endurance: 1
Durability: 0
Mana: 2
Intelligence: 3
Technique: 17]
In other words, besides Agility and Technique, all her other attributes hadn't been raised.
She could run very fast and activate skills quickly.
However, she immediately became paralyzed.
This was because her stamina level hadn't been invested in at all, completely insufficient to support her extremely high movement speed.
"Anyi... I'm definitely not tired, but why can't my body move?" Ariana asked with a wry smile.
She still had the energy to speak, but her entire body felt paralyzed and unable to move.
"Maybe you're just tired," Anyi replied casually.
In reality, it was because her Mana was depleted.
"Is that so...? But the enemies haven't been eliminated yet."
Ariana was in Anyi's arms, looking at the large mass of Slimes beginning to re-coalesce ahead.
The previous [Skyfall] had scattered the Slimes well, but a portion had fallen close together and were starting to re-form.
"I asked the High God just now, and she said my Mana was depleted, which is why I can't move.
Moreover, to use Skyfall again, I need to replenish Mana.
Anyi, what should we do? Did you bring any food?"
Ariana looked at Anyi pitifully.
"I want to use [Skyfall] one more time!
This time, we'll definitely eliminate more Slimes...!"
"No need."
Anyi gently set Ariana down and looked up at the cluster of Slimes gathering there.
"You all have tried hard enough.
Leave the rest to me."
It was time to end this farce.
...
Slimes were the easiest type of low-level monster to slay. Killing one would yield 10 Experience Points. Even slaying a thousand wouldn't take very long.
Some Heroes might think: why not just settle down in a village, grind Slimes for ten years, and instantly reach max level?
However, when they reached Level 2, they would discover that the required experience points had doubled, and even the experience gained from Slimes was halved.
Originally, killing 100 Slimes got you to Level 2, but advancing from Level 2 to Level 3 required killing another 400 Slimes.
And to advance from Level 3 to Level 4, the experience gained from a Slime directly became 1 point, requiring 3000 Experience Points to level up.
At this stage, one could still grind Slimes, and even from Level 4 to Level 5, they could still be farmed.
But after Level 5, a Slime would only yield 0.1 experience points—you'd need to kill ten Slimes to gain 1 experience point.
The higher the level, the more Slimes needed to be killed to gain experience, and the experience would drop to 0.1 or even less.
If one relied on Slimes for leveling, it would only mean killing tens of thousands of Slimes wouldn't result in a high level.
「I should aim for Level 3... No, maybe a bit higher, Level 4.」
After Ariana's previous strike, about two-fifths of the Slimes were eliminated.
Miruku dealt with a few more, but that only managed to separate the coalesced mass and the other scattered Slimes.
Anyi was currently Level 1, and the experience he gained was only from killing those few initial Slimes during practice.
The size of the Slime mass before wasn't even half of the initial one. Advancing from Level 1 to Level 5 required 7500 experience points. In any case, there weren't over seventy-five hundred Slimes here, right?
"Hoo..."
「The basic skill I have right now, [Slash], isn't capable of wiping out so many Slimes in one go.
Although a sword is a physical attribute weapon, I can use elemental swordsmanship that creates large-area damage.
Let's give it a try.」
[Detected that Lord Hero has mastered Fire Element Swordsmanship. Unlocking skill:
Skill Type: Flame Swordsmanship
Detected Lord Hero Level: 1
Unlocking Lv1 Skill: Flame Slash
Detected Lord Hero's [Fire Element Swordsmanship Proficiency Level: Max]
[Skill: Flame Sword] upgraded to max level!]
As expected, skills he had already mastered and whose memories were stored in his mind could be automatically unlocked by commanding the system.
However, Anyi's own level wasn't high enough, so he hadn't unlocked skills that required a higher level.
But that didn't matter; his existing skill levels were already far beyond the current stage.
「Flame Slash multi-target release, Mana consumption 30%.」
[Detected that the weapon Lord Hero is using is of [Physical Attribute]. It is unable to exert the full damage of the skill.
Do you wish to proceed with skill release?]
「Yes.
No need for further confirmation from now on.」
[Understood, Lord Hero.
You can now use [Flame Slash] multi-target release: [Heaven Splitter].]
BANG!
Suddenly, the sword in Anyi's hand burst into flames!
The blade ignited with fierce fire, threatening to set the surrounding air ablaze as turbulent heat waves rose.
But Anyi, holding the sword, was completely unaffected by the temperature.
「Using a Physical Attribute weapon to release a Fire attribute attack results in a 60% damage reduction.
Attacking a Water attribute monster with a Fire attribute skill results in 40% damage efficiency.」
Even with these reductions, the damage would still be too high, right?
At least he should leave about 10% experience for the three of them to get a taste of the action.
"Heaven Splitter."
A silver-white gleam flashed. The longsword, encased in flames, shot out from Anyi's hand. The fire hadn't even had time to catch up with his swing, remaining momentarily suspended in mid-air.
For that brief moment, the air seemed to stall, as if time itself paused.
The flames, following the trajectory of Anyi's swing, swept out horizontally, carving a semicircle:
BOOM!!!
Only the sound of air being torn apart was heard. A sky-high blaze erupted. In an instant, towering waves of fire aggressively enveloped the area, surging torrents of flame roaring towards the giant Slime mass!
Mud turned to dry earth, green grass turned to ash, and the sand and stones were scorched black. Everything in their path was incinerated in the massive fire!
Those scattered Slimes didn't even have time to turn into water; they instantly vaporized in the intense heat!
Finally, the fire waves fiercely impacted the coalesced Slime mass!
Layer after layer of Slime was rapidly vaporized into white steam, the contact between fire and water producing violent sizzling sounds.
But this lasted only for a brief instant. The flames relentlessly pressed over the Slime mass. The tall mound of creatures was instantly flattened to the ground!
The flames dissipated, leaving behind only a patch of scorched earth.
[Level Up!
Lv1 → Lv4!
New skills unlocked. Heroes, please check them promptly!]
The large number of Slimes... were gone.
All gone!
Anyi: "..."
Was the damage still too high?
"In any case, it's safe now." A white light flashed in Anyi's hand, and the longsword vanished.
"Whoa..."
Layton stood aside, stunned, staring at the hundred meters of scorched earth before Anyi. He was completely dumbfounded.
This...
This is too strong?!
In that instant, he doubted whether his own attribute allocation was wrong, as he couldn't produce such an effect!
"Wow!! Anyi is amazing!!"
Ariana, who had recovered some Mana, knelt behind him, clapping her hands with a face full of astonishment.
Miruku, who had just snapped out of her shock, also saw the strike of Heaven Splitter. Her eyes were filled with undisguised envy and aspiration.
An image suddenly appeared in her mind.
She stood before all the villagers. Facing a massive Magical Beast threatening to destroy the village, the villagers stood behind her with terrified faces, crying out for help.
At that moment, Miruku suddenly drew her sword and, with a single strike, pulverized the entire monstrous creature, making the villagers cry out, "We are saved!!" "Lord Hero is our hero!!"
And she stood at the forefront of the crowd, calmly sheathing her sword.
Then she said one sentence:
"Don't worry, you are safe."
...Cool!
Super cool!!
At that very next moment.
Ariana and Miruku's expressions suddenly froze. Both clutched their stomachs with looks of discomfort.
So... so hungry!!!!
[Holy Hero: So hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry!!!]
"So hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry!!" Miruku hugged her stomach and slumped onto the ground.
Starving to death, starving to death, starving to death!
The danger was over!
They were out of combat!
"It's fine, just eat a few Slimes if you're hungry!" Layton saw their condition and thought: I have experience!
"Go tell the villagers to prepare food. I'll take them back," Anyi instructed Layton.
"Do you not need help? I'm very good at transport work! Because I'm a Porter!" Layton said.
"No need. I'm faster than you. I can find them something to eat before they starve to death," Anyi replied.
Although informing the villagers directly would be faster, they still needed time to cook.
It was better to take them back to the village first so they could eat something decent.
"Okay! I'll do as you say!" Layton replied with a grin and quickly left.
Anyi slung Ariana over one shoulder and held Miruku tucked by his waist with the other arm, walking back towards the village.
Ariana: "So hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry..."
Miruku: "Hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry..."
Anyi: "...Too noisy."
...
This Saintess might be a little demon, because she knew how to bite.
As Anyi carried her along, he noticed several teeth marks forming around his neck.
Miruku didn't bite, but saliva had dripped a trail. It seemed more appropriate for her to drink water before trying to eat anything.
On a related note, even though Miruku hadn't expended HP or Mana, the issue was...
Food is meant to replenish Stamina.
What she consumed was Stamina.
This was more direct than injuries or HP/Mana loss; it was the total depletion of Stamina.
Because of her 40 Agility, it was instantly depleted.
Ariana recovered some Mana, but under her current condition without eating, she could only recover enough to perform minimal movements.
This suggested it was best not to deplete all Mana. After all, being unable to move meant being unable to flee. If they encountered an enemy they couldn't defeat even after running out of Mana, it would be a huge problem.
Even Heroes will die if killed.
For example, having the heart or lungs pierced might not lead to immediate death and could be recovered by eating, but having the primary digestive organs—or worse, the brain—severely damaged or severed would certainly lead to death.
Damage to digestive organs was more likely to cause death than a heart rupture.
Unable to eat or digest; that was scarier than a ripped heart.
Finally, Anyi brought the two hungry people to a residence and found some slightly spoiled fruits and vegetables they could eat right away.
He then used the Chat Group to inform Layton of their location. Soon, a crowd of devotees and villagers rushed over.
Knowing that Anyi and Ariana had resolved the village's crisis, they all burst into tears, incoherently expressing their gratitude.
The villagers were stunned for a moment, then a chorus of shouts erupted.
"Lord Hero's command! We'll complete it immediately!"
"Stir-fry! Everyone go home and stir-fry!!"
"Lord Hero! My cooking is great! I'll go back and stir-fry right now!!"
After the villagers rushed off in droves, the devotees also inquired about the situation just now.
"Lord Sword Hero, that golden rain just now, was it truly...?"
"Yes, it was Her Holiness the Saintess," Anyi said.
The devotees were slightly taken aback. They had thought it was God himself!
Wait... That's not right!
"It must be Divine Punishment descending through Her Holiness the Saintess, from the High God!" someone shouted.
Upon realizing this, the devotees couldn't help but shed sincere tears.
God! Great God! As loyal believers, we thank you for your grace! Humanity is saved!!
Anyi: "..."
Ah, well. It could be said that way.
"Then where is the Saintess now? Is she injured?" A devotee asked.
"She is fine, but she just expended a great deal of energy eliminating the Slimes and needs some rest. It would be better if you all didn't disturb her," Anyi said.
If the devotees rushed into the room, they would certainly see Ariana and Miruku frantically devouring food. It was better to keep them hidden.
Similar to some game settings, the better the quality and the higher the level of the food, the more stamina it replenished. This was why Anyi had asked the villagers to go home and cook instead of just eating raw food.
Eating raw fruit—food processed in no way, utterly flavorless—had very slow recovery efficiency and speed. They would probably take an entire day to recover just by gnawing on fruit.
As for Layton, his maximum Mana value was too low. It was consumed quickly, and replenishment was slow. So, eating a few Slimes would quickly fill his Mana bar.
About twenty minutes later, the villagers began returning one by one, carrying their home-cooked meals.
After eating some light refreshments, Anyi immediately started setting up a few tables for the two to eat at. Then, Ariana said, "Let's move a table outside to eat! Anyi, you eat with us too!"
Subsequently, a simple table was moved outside the courtyard of a house, and three chairs were placed around it.
Once outside, Ariana and Miruku restrained their appetites and began eating in small sips. As young ladies, they still had to maintain some decorum!
The villagers lined up by the courtyard entrance. They initially thought the Heroes couldn't possibly finish all the stir-fried food they had made, but after watching for a while, they realized they were worrying needlessly.
Regardless of whether it was the two young female Heroes or the young man Hero, although they didn't eat voraciously, they never stopped putting food into their mouths.
One bowl after another, they kept eating without pause. They finished one bowl and immediately moved on to the next.
Furthermore, since they were handsome men and beautiful women, the sight of them eating was quite pleasing, making the villagers sigh in admiration.
These Lord Heroes... even eating is beautiful! Watching the Heroes eat made even the villagers themselves feel hungry!
Layton felt he was the oldest among them and had the least to contribute, so he shouldn't take food from them. Thus, he didn't join the meal but let them enjoy the food thoroughly.
Before long, Anyi and Miruku had fully recovered their energy and stopped eating as soon as they felt less hungry.
But Ariana still couldn't stop taking mouthful after mouthful. The table was piled high with empty dishes.
The meal lasted nearly three hours. The villagers kept cooking new batches of food as the previous ones were cleared. Only after consuming an uncountable amount did Ariana finally stop.
"Ah... I'm full!" Ariana put down her chopsticks contentedly, patting her perfectly flat stomach.
Everything consumed was converted into Mana. Once one became a Hero, the concept of "being too full" essentially vanished, and they didn't experience a distinct feeling of satiety. Calling it "being full" was merely a psychological perception.
As the devotees helped the villagers clear the dishes, they murmured to themselves in awe...
Our Saintess–– she can eat so much?!!!
How is it possible that her stomach, which looked flat after only two bowls of rice, could hold so much food?! An ordinary person would have been completely stuffed after eating that much, right?!
Wait... That's not right!
"This is... This is the power granted to Her Holiness the Saintess by the High God!"
"Exactly! If one could continuously eat delicious food, wouldn't that be the happiest thing in this world?!"
"To eat through all the delicacies in the village in one day; that is simply... simply... the highest form of fortune!!"
Upon realizing this, the devotees once again shed sincere tears!
God! Great Sky God! Thank you! Thank you for bestowing this ultimate blessing upon Her Holiness the Saintess!!
Just as the meal concluded, a group of villagers approached, escorting several people.
"Kneel for the Lords Heroes!"
A burly villager shouted, shoving the person brought to the front down onto the ground.
That person was Masi!
Except for Anyi, everyone else looked puzzled. Isn't that the leader of the Slime Cleaners from earlier?
"Lord Heroes! We received a report—it was this bastard who ordered the Slimes to gather!" the villager shouted, pointing at Masi, filled with indignation.
"Wh-What?!"
The devotees showed expressions of astonishment.
"It was him! He ordered his subordinates to lure the Slimes' attention! He gathered all the surrounding Slimes!!"