The swirling green mists of the portal spat the thirty-four survivors out into the centre of Aeros, the primary starter village. Unlike the cold, jagged ravine, Aeros was a sprawling medieval settlement defined by timber-framed houses, a bustling central market, and the flickering orange glow of torches along the main thoroughfare.
To the survivors, it felt like coming back from the dead. But to Liam, it was just the next level.
A system window pinged in his vision, gold coins clinking into his virtual stash with a satisfying, heavy resonance.
[Raid Participation Rewards: Ogre General Defeat]
Calculated Contribution: 98.4%
Gold Awarded: 80 Gold
Bonus Event Gold: 45 Gold
Guild Reputation: Neutral -> Respected (Iron Hearth)
Liam stared at the "125 Gold" total. His eyes narrowed.
He did the math, his brow furrowed, as the group left the market and entered the inner district—the high-end sector of Aeros where the guild halls and noble townhouses were situated.
"Ellie, our rent for that townhouse in the inner circle is only five gold a month. One kill pays over two years' rent. We're actually balling."
Saffron limped toward them, her tiger ears flattened in shame, her eyes darting between Liam and Ellie. Her voice trembled. "Liam, Ellie... about the formation... about Ducky... I want to make it up to you. I want to invite you both to the Guild Hall for…"
Ellie didn't even look back. She stiffened, her jaw clenched as she tucked her chin and kept walking, glued to Liam's side. After being spat on and mocked while petrified, the "Elite" guild's apology felt like ash. Her hands balled at her sides, trembling; she didn't care about their hall or wine. She only cared about the man walking next to her, who smelled like a wood smoke deity.
Liam didn't acknowledge Saffron either. He had his eyes on the market square. "We're eating first. Real food. Not that biscuit trash."
They stopped at a stone bench near the fountain. The survivors from the Iron Hearth hovered nearby, watching Liam with a mix of fear and lust, but he ignored them entirely. The men in the guild were weak, dazed spear-users and archers—they kept their distance, though Johan sat on a nearby ledge, nodding respectfully. Johan wasn't interested in the guild politics; he was just enjoying the fact that his bones weren't crushed.
Liam pulled some simple ingredients from his bag: thick, crusty bread, some cured ham, and a jar of mustard seeds. He began assembling sandwiches with the same surgical precision he used to butcher the Ogre.
"Are we really going back to Tana Forest after this?" Ellie asked, taking a sandwich from him. "You're Level 24, Liam. The rabbits there are Level 4."
"I missed recipes there, Ellie. I have to be thorough," Liam said, his voice blunt. "If I can get Poison Resistance off a Level 2 rabbit, imagine what I can get if I eat every single monster in those woods.
There are probably hidden quests or items that the Beta idiots missed because they were too busy staring at their spreadsheets. I want to eat everything in that forest."
He reached out, brushing a stray crumb off Ellie's cheek. She immediately flinched, her pink ear twitching as his fingers grazed its sensitive base—a spot so sensitive for beast-kin it sent a jolt of pure electricity through her spine.
"Ah!" Ellie let out a soft, sharp gasp that was dangerously close to a moan. Her face turned a shade of crimson that rivalled a sunset. She swiped his hand away frantically, her tail fluffing up to twice its size. "Don't—don't touch those! It's... It's sensitive, you idiot!"
Liam blinked, looking at his hand. "Whatever. Your ears were twitching; it was distracting. Eat your sandwich."
With their meal finished, they began the walk back toward Tana Forest to wrap up the Day 2 grind. The sun began to peek over the horizon. Both of them were still covered in streaks of green goblin blood and the dark, drying red of the Ogre, but Liam didn't seem to care.
"You're a cruel one, aren't you?" Hestia's voice purred in his mind. She appeared as a shimmering, golden reflection in the dew on the grass, walking alongside him invisibly. "The tiger-woman wants you. The cheetah-girl is obsessed. And the cat-girl behind you is practically vibrating from your touch. You've marked her, Liam. You've claimed her as part of your pack."
I'm human, Hestia. What do you mean by 'pack' and 'marked'? Liam thought back, his pace steady. And they don't like me. They like the food. Or they like my silver hair and red eyes because it makes me look like my family, the ones with the money. People always want me for what I have, not who I am.
"Oh, you poor, blind butcher," Hestia laughed, the sound like crackling tinder. "You aren't human anymore. The Hearth has burned that away. You are a Beast-Man now—a predator. Your instincts marked her the moment you called her your partner in front of the others. Learn what you are, Liam. You don't just cook the world; you dominate it."
Liam grunted, his jaw tightening as he watched Ellie fumble awkwardly with her tail, cheeks still burning. He looked away, the tension in his shoulders clear.
"Ellie."
"Yeah?" she squeaked.
"You did well today. Better than any of those Elites." His compliment came out like a challenge. "Keep it up."
Ellie looked away, her heart hammering. "Yeah... thanks, Liam."
By the time they reached their townhouse in the inner district of Aeros, the moon was high. It was a beautiful stone building, far nicer than the shacks the other players were cramming into. Inside, there was only one large, plush bed, a remnant of the village's "Limited Housing" logic that Liam hadn't bothered to fix yet.
Liam sat on the edge of the bed, pulling off his Vulcan Greaves. The heavy iron hit the floor with a thud.
"We're going shopping tomorrow." Liam stared at his gold. "I need a real frying pan. And you need gear that isn't falling apart."
Ellie sat on the other side of the bed, looking at the silver-haired man who was currently the strongest, most terrifying, and most oblivious person in Aeros.
"Shopping," she whispered, her eyes lighting up. "Sounds like a plan." Her heartbeat quickened as she thought, 'sounds like a date.'
Updated Quest log:
The Shopping Trip: Spend the 129 Gold on a high-tier Frying Pan (Artifact/Rare) and gear for Ellie.
Return to Tana: Find the remaining recipes and hidden quests.
The Hidden Trigger: Liam suspects that "Overkilling" a starter zone with Level 20+ stats might force a "Hidden Quest" to spawn.
[Tool Tip: Sonic Step (Passive)]
Unlocked at 100 Speed. In a system limited by frame rates, you have reached the 'Break point.' All movement wind-up animations are deleted. To an observer, Liam does not move through space; he simply exists at his destination. Movement is now instantaneous.