Han Yu let out a low shout. Around him, ice pillars exploded violently, shooting skyward, merging into a nine-story-high tower aimed directly at Kaios' frozen form.
Poor Kaios, still frozen in the pose of having stabbed himself with his great sword, was crushed by the ice tower into a pile of crimson shards.
Han Yu's free hand clenched suddenly. Flames blazed again, rapidly gathering into a delicate lotus of fire, which he hurled toward the ice tower.
"Ultimate Skill: Buddha's Wrathful Fire Lotus!"
The fiery lotus floated lightly toward the ice tower. Upon impact, it exploded violently. Countless shards of ice turned instantly into steam, and the remnants of Kaios' ice—already reduced to fragments—vanished completely, leaving not even ash behind.
Yet Han Yu wasn't satisfied. He brought his palms together and then separated them. Several more fire lotuses formed in his hands and flew toward the now-vanished battlefield of Kaios.
A total display of overkill.
Lisdaide watched, already numb. Facing this excessively cautious—and frankly terrifying—hero, she had no hope for anything resembling a normal adventure.Continuously unleashing ultimate skills on a location where the enemy no longer even existed? Could any normal person do that?
Han Yu finally stopped. In his mind, the familiar voice of the general store rang out:
"Branch quest completed: [First Encounter with a Strong Enemy]. Reward: 100 upgrade points!"
Han Yu turned, seeing the villagers and Lisdaide staring dumbfounded behind him.He approached Lisdaide, waved a hand, and said:"Daydreaming? Let's go."
"Eh, go where?" Lisdaide blinked, coming back to reality.
"To buy new equipment. You can't go to the next stop with this old stuff."
Han Yu flicked the new blade in his hand. A thin crack appeared on the edge, spreading rapidly, shattering the sword into fragments.Some remnants still held a layer of ice crystal. Clearly, this weapon from the small village couldn't withstand Han Yu's attacks.
Weapons from a small town might suffice against slimes or goblins, but against a being like Kaios, a few energy bursts and they shattered.
This town's gear was genuinely superior compared to the previous village—Han Yu kept buying in the weapon shop, while Lisdaide felt her wallet slowly being emptied.
As they lugged their purchases outside, a calm, smiling voice interrupted:
"So these are the Hero and the Goddess, huh? Defeating Kaios Machina… impressive."
Han Yu set the items down in Lisdaide's hands, nearly toppling her. She was about to complain when her gaze caught the man speaking.
"So handsome…"
The man standing before them was over 1.8 meters tall, dressed in a fitted pale purple suit. A single gold-rimmed monocle rested on his high nose bridge, giving him a cultured, refined look.
"Who are you?" Han Yu drew his new long sword, pointing it at the man.
"Relax, relax," the suited man said quickly, raising empty hands in peace."I'm Cain Jilance, a doctor. I traveled through here a few days ago and stayed a while. You two must be the Hero and Goddess duo, right? I'd like to join you."
Before Han Yu could respond, Lisdaide interrupted:"No way! We're heading to fight the Demon Lord! It'll be dangerous—we could die!"
Cain smiled faintly, calm and polite:"I bear some grudge against the Demon Lord as well. I've been alone for a long time, with no attachments. Rather than die old and lonely, I'd rather die fighting the Demon Lord—it gives life meaning."
Lisdaide was moved. From Cain's words, her imagination immediately spun a tragic backstory: the Demon Lord murdered his family, and yet he became this composed, refined man.
"Han Yu, we could really use a teammate. Why not let him—"
"No."
"But he's a doctor! With him, we'd have better healing—"
"No."
"Having more people will make future battles easier—"
"No."
Lisdaide tried to persuade him, but Han Yu's answers were nothing more than single, firm words. Resigned, Lisdaide had to politely refuse Cain.
Cain's gaze never left Han Yu, always smiling faintly. He waved a hand:"It's fine. If the Hero doesn't trust me, then perhaps fate will bring us together another time."
With that, Cain turned and walked away. Lisdaide pouted, watching him leave, then turned to Han Yu, a hint of sulk in her expression:"Why'd you chase him off? He's handsome! More people means more strength, doesn't your country say that?"
"You even know that saying?" Han Yu smiled, taking out the storage ring he bought for hundreds of gold coins, placing all their purchases inside."Enough chit-chat. Let's head to the next stop."
"Don't boss the Goddess around!"
After leaving the town, Han Yu and the Goddess made their way toward Semru Town. Han Yu spent the journey constantly hunting monsters, unleashing ultimate skills even on low-level creatures.Lisdaide was already numb from watching.
Even when facing level-twenty monsters comparable to Han Yu's level, his raw stats meant a group of enemies couldn't survive a single normal attack. Yet he preferred ultimate skills—weak or strong, every opponent met the same fiery end.
"This isn't caution anymore. It's pathological!" Lisdaide despaired, looking at the scorched battlefield, struggling to distinguish monsters from terrain.
That night, they rested in a half-cave with cover. Lisdaide, serving as the resident critic, spent the day mocking Han Yu and fell asleep faster than him, sprawled in a way that suggested… something to Han Yu.
Without a glance at her, Han Yu muttered to himself:"I'll go gather some firewood."
He stood and walked out.Lisdaide, eyes open, fumed:"How dare he ignore this Goddess! Outrageous!"
Outside the cave, Han Yu moved to a spot Lisdaide couldn't hear. Looking up at the sky, he murmured:"Since you've been following me, come out and speak. Hiding in the middle of the night—isn't that a bit rude?"