'Yeah, I admit we might encounter demons, but that would be even better. I mean, I already confirmed that I gain more experience from killing demons.'
Sophia still didn't know that Ryan's party had a minor confrontation at the palace. So she gave her recommendations with good intentions. Currently, the guild had no quests that were particularly dangerous or urgent enough to require an S-rank party like theirs.
So she didn't oppose the idea of them exploring a dungeon in another nation.
Then the party said their goodbyes and left the building. They wanted to prepare and set off as soon as possible.
On the way back home, both Mirian and Karol clung to Ryan's arms, one on each side.
Helen remained silent as she followed behind them, which was quite unusual for her.
"Hey, Karol, can you stop already? Stop draining my mana," Ryan complained as he pulled his arm free from her grasp.
"Don't be cruel, Ryan. I don't want to revert to my child form when you're around beauties like them," Karol replied, clearly referring to Mirian and Helen.
Mirian leaned forward to look at Karol's face without letting go of Ryan.
After observing her, she looked at Ryan and commented:
"Karol is like some kind of succubus. It's scary."
"That's not true!" Karol protested, crossing her arms.
'A succubus, huh? I thought of her more like a vampire, except she sucks mana instead of blood.'
Once they arrived at the house, they split up to pack their things and get ready.
Karol went to take a shower, and Mirian went into her room to prepare spare gear for the trip.
Ryan lay down on the bed in his room.
'I haven't had the chance to analyze the boomerang I got in the demon continent. If I take it out of my inventory now, it wouldn't even fit in the room,' he evaluated with a smile that showed his intention to use the new weapon in real combat.
Knock, knock.
There was a knock on Ryan's door, and he sat up on the bed.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Helen walked in with her gaze lowered. Then she raised her face and looked directly at Ryan.
"What's wrong, Helen?"
"..."
There was a brief silence. Then she spoke.
"I see you get along really well with Karol," she said, looking down at the floor.
"Hm? I think that's normal. There's nothing special about it," Ryan replied quickly.
"That's not true. She's always all over you, along with Mirian."
'Is she jealous?'
Helen sighed.
"And what's even stranger is that Mirian doesn't say anything... It's like you two get along way too well," she muttered.
"What are you saying, Helen? We're a party. It's obvious we have to get along."
"Don't play dumb! Something happened between you two, didn't it?"
Ryan didn't answer immediately. He looked away slightly, and his expression changed.
"Huh? No. I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing happened, definitely nothing."
Helen stepped closer and stopped right in front of him, invading his personal space. She grabbed his face with both hands and looked at him intensely, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Helen locked her eyes even deeper onto him.
"Don't play with me, Ryan. When I asked Mirian, she acted the exact same way you are now."
She didn't look away.
"I feel like you're hiding a lot from me... and it's not fair," she murmured, a barely audible whisper.
"I didn't hear you. What did you say?"
"Nothing!" She turned her back to him, crossing her arms.
"Before we leave, help me with something. I haven't had a chance to fight, and I need to release this tension I'm feeling."
"Mmm, alright, but does it have to be now? We need to get ready."
"Yes! It has to be now!" Helen complained, looking at him with a pout.
Helen grabbed Ryan by the arm and dragged him along.
"Alright, fine. Let's go," he replied, following her as they left the house together.
...
Helen led him to a secluded area, a forest surrounded by mountains. No houses, no people.
"This place..." Ryan assessed, looking all around him.
"A long time ago, Mirian and I used to train here. Nobody usually comes here, so I don't have to hold back," Helen said, stretching her arms.
Then, she unsheathed her sword and walked into the center of the clearing. Ryan watched her as she moved away.
"So, what kind of help do you want?" Ryan asked.
"Buff me," she replied quickly, and from her expression, Helen seemed restless. Maybe even a little angry.
"Alright, as you wish," he said, aiming the palm of his hand toward her.
"Almighty."
"Psyche Boost."
"Physical Power."
Ryan chanted his skills, and as Helen felt her attributes surge, she began swinging her sword.
Every thrust cut through the air with heavy gusts of wind.
'So much power, and those are just basic attacks.'
Then Ryan took his boomerang out of his inventory.
"Analyze."
[Rare Giant's Boomerang]
› Strength +60
› Defense +50
Item Skill:
[Separation]
› The weapon splits into two parts. The defense attribute is removed, and strength is converted into 300 agility points.
'Interesting. So it has more than one form.'
"Ryan, what is that thing?" Helen asked as she walked over.
"This? It's a weapon I took from a Principality in the demon continent," he replied, showing it to her.
"Impressive, but way too flashy for my taste. Besides, it's a demonic weapon; humans don't use weapons made by demons," she stated.
'Yeah, I guess there's a certain taboo about using demon items, but I don't care about that.'
Helen thought for a second and then spoke.
"Do you think it could withstand one of my skills without breaking? I actually want to test my skill with the attributes buffed by your priest skills."
"No, not a chance. It would definitely break," Ryan replied.
"What a shame. Well, I'll aim it at the sky," she said, stepping away from Ryan.
"Critical Aura," Helen declared, and the sword ignited with a golden glow.
"This skill increases my skill damage by 25%," the heroine said, pulling her sword back and bending her knees slightly.
"And now..." Helen took a deep breath.
Ryan watched in silence.
"Straight Repulse," Helen declared as she swung her sword forward with tremendous force.
The wind blew so violently that Ryan was pushed back, forcing him down onto the ground.
The wave of energy unleashed by Helen's sword leveled a large part of the forest, wiping out trees and cleanly slicing the top off a mountain.
The rest of the attack dispersed into the sky, parting the clouds.
"Wow... So this is your true strength, Helen? I'm impressed," Ryan declared as he stood up and walked over to her.
Helen turned to Ryan with a wide smile.
"I feel much better now. It's like a huge weight has been lifted off my entire body."
She approached Ryan with a teasing smile.
"Did I surprise you? You haven't seen me fight seriously until now, right? I mean, since I became S-rank."
"Of course. If that attack hit someone, there'd be nothing left of them," Ryan replied.
'If this helped her release her tension, then I see no problem.'
"Now, whatever order I give her, the debt should be about to collect..." Ryan muttered.
Helen placed her hands on Ryan's face and looked straight into his eyes.
She was deeply flushed.
"Don't give me any order... let it trigger on its own..."
"Come on, Helen, don't mess around... you know I can't control what happens."
"I know, but... even so..." Helen murmured, gazing intently at him.
[Automatic debt collection initiated]