"I see. Splitting them up instead of having a messy 2v2 was probably correct. [Rare] enemies tend to be quite unpredictable. You two did well." Alchemy explained, helping Sapphire get the blood out of her beautiful coat.
"T-thank you, Master Alchemy. But it was only because of Nera that I made it back…" Sapphire mentioned meekly.
Stopping her scrub down, Alchemy crouched down to meet Sapphire face-to-face.
"That's irrelevant. You said their danger rating was S-, right? S rank, in general, is equivalent to fighting an enemy that's nearly double your stats. Don't compare yourself to Nera. She's a freak of nature. Heroes born from the system have a profound innate knowledge of combat. With her [Cycle of Wings], she could probably beat something with a danger rating of SS+."
It wasn't an understatement to say that Nera was the equivalent of a [Hero++] or even a [Hero+++] thanks to her exclusive skill. A total bug character
Sapphire purred a little.
"Honestly…" Alchemy prepared to continue speaking, standing up and revealing her nude body to the world once again.
"You're scared of being abandoned, aren't you? Scared that I'll leave you for dead if you don't perform." Alchemy stated bluntly, causing Sapphire to panic a little.
"N-no. Y-you wouldn't do such a thing."
"Obviously not. But can you look me straight in the eyes and tell me you believe that without stuttering? Tell me that I won't abandon you with your chest."
It wasn't really something Alchemy wanted to bring up, but she also wouldn't let such an obvious insecurity be left unchecked.
"I…I…"
"Exactly." Alchemy sighed, running her hand through her hair, trying to decide her next words.
"I… Lost someone very important to me because of such thoughts."
Her words caused both Sapphire and Nera's eyes to shoot toward her.
"I'll never abandon you. I won't leave anyone. But, if you need an objective reason for me to keep you around, then how about this? The difference between a [Hero] and a [Hero++] is like the difference between Heaven and Hell. The difference between one and one million, if you will. Once you become a true [Hero], very few in this world will be able to surpass you."
"Is that true?"
"Assuming you don't get yourself killed doing something stupid, yeah. Sapphire, I have an agenda. Lying to you would actively hurt that agenda."
Standing from the water, Sapphire licked Alchemy several times before lowering herself again. Her wound was still causing her great pain, and she needed some more time to heal.
Smiling and patting Sapphire, Alchemy's attention moved.
"And YOU, Nera."
"Y-Yes! Mother Goddess?!" She asked frantically, nearly jumping at the mention of her name.
This entire time, she had been sitting in the corner of the river with her legs up to her chest.
"What's your problem? Why are you being meek all of a sudden? I've already seen you naked once."
"A-h! Right, w-well you see… You said it yourself, Mother Goddess! I'm n-nothing but a freak of nature! And this freak of nature is sharing water with such a radiant being such as yourself."
Alchemy looked blankly at Nera as she processed what was said.
"You'd make a great white-collar worker," Alchemy said, half jokingly.
"That aside. You defeated a [Rare+] Monster. Did you gain any skills from it?"
"Uhm… None from the rodent, but I did reach three milestones."
"What?!" Alchemy needed a double take.
"Three of your stats reached 100 already? Show me your status."
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"My lord. I knew your base stats were high, but I didn't expect you to hit milestones so quickly. Congrats, I guess."
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[Milestone skills], as their name suggested, were gained from some sort of achievement or milestone. In the case of these skills, it was a stat reaching 100. [Milestone skills] will level up and evolve automatically upon meeting their requirements.
For stat milestones, in particular, the skills level will increase every time their first number reaches the following number.
100, 200, 300, 1000, 2000, etc.
They weren't powerful skills early on, but their bonuses added up.
"You're also going to become a full-fledged [Hero] soon. You already have an [Exclusive skill], so I wonder how the bonus will manifest. I'm expecting great things as per usual." Alchemy hummed, stepping out of the water.
Grabbing her clothes, Alchemy glanced at the already setting sun before waving at her Heroes.
"Once you're fully healed, come back and make sure you get ample rest. I have more tasks to give you tomorrow, Nera."
"Yes, Mother Goddess! As your Wings, I won't disappoint you!"
"M-me too! I'll make sure to live up to your expectations!"
'Honestly. These brats really do make me feel like a worried parent.' Alchemy silently sighed, hiding her smile.
'At least it's becoming more lively. Nera's a bit weird, but she lights up this otherwise dull early game.'
Alchemy was sure "dull" was the wrong word. It's been less than a week, and she's nearly gotten herself killed thrice already. Despite that, the time in between has already begun melding together, just like Earth's monotonous and colorless days.
"Whatever! I'm sure this world has plenty of fun things to do and see. All in due time, Alchemy!' She said to herself, stretching and pumping herself up.
Until then, however, she needed to get the troublesome tasks out of the way. Like securing her survival and making sure her children don't starve to death. Truly troublesome indeed.