Translator: Dreamscribe

How much time had passed since countless Heroes descended upon Arsilan?

Rumors spread that Heroes had arrived near the mountain. Mia, a cat-eared Beastkin living in the Beastkin village, grew curious.

The people of Rainsword had treated her without prejudice, but it wasn’t the same elsewhere.

They had regarded her as a beast tainted by Erosion, something that could corrupt at any moment.

Sometimes, her instincts got the better of her reason. That made things even worse.

Beasts of Erosion.

That was how they were condemned.

‘If hearts can reach one another, they’ll come to understand it’s just a physical difference.’

That’s what the ancestors used to say. But such a thing had never happened.

Would Heroes be any different?

Mia picked up her staff and headed down the mountain. True to her cat nature, her movements were light and nimble. Quickly descending the slope, she spotted the Heroes approaching from afar.

Mia hid in the bushes and observed them.

“Whew, we came a really long way. UruBear nim, we’re the farthest out, right?”

“Probably. We’ve been running nonstop since the server opened.”

“Should we take a break?”

They were Heroes in the form of an Elf and a Human.

Looking at what floated above their heads, there was no doubt they were Heroes.

"Come on! No time to waste! Let's go up right now."

“Bard nim…”

"You'll be energized if you listen to my performance."

"Only you get energized."

The Elf Hero sighed.

Even to Mia’s eyes, the Bard playing his awful music looked very strange.

Swish!

As Mia lowered herself and began to quietly sneak away...

The string attached to the Elf’s bow swayed strongly from side to side. Mia’s eyes instinctively followed it.

‘No!’

Mia tightly shut her eyes, trying to suppress her instincts. But she was still too young to resist them. Her eyes opened slightly.

Her gaze locked onto the string.

The butterfly-shaped ornament dangling at the end of it sparked her instincts.

Finally.

Fwoosh!

She leapt out of the bushes and dove straight at the ornament.

Snap!

When she came to her senses, she found the ornament in her hand.

The Heroes stared at Mia, who had suddenly burst from the bushes and snatched the ornament.

“......”

“......”

“......”

Silence fell, and Mia froze on the spot.

Every time she acted like this, she would be met with looks of contempt. Had she become too accustomed to life in Rainsword?

Mia trembled and shut her eyes tightly.

"Cat-eared Beastkin is heeere!"

The Human Hero raised both arms and shouted.

Mia felt warmth on her cheek and slowly opened her eyes.

The Elf Hero was gently stroking her cheek, looking at her with a dazed expression.

"Uwaaah! You're so cute, I'm going crazy."

Mia’s eyes shook wildly.

The Elf Hero rubbed her cheek against Mia’s. At that moment, Mia’s eyes widened, and tears welled up.

It was the first time she’d ever been called cute.

There was no contempt or scorn in those words, only sincerity and warmth.

“Hey, hey! Stop! You’re making her cry!”

“Ah, s-s-sorry!”

The Elf Hero panicked and let go.

She quickly removed the ornament hanging from her bow and placed it into Mia’s hand.

“Sorry. Here, take this.”

“For me?”

“Yup! Even your voice is cute. Hehehe.”

The Bard Hero standing next to them observed Mia carefully.

When Mia cautiously made eye contact with him, the Bard nodded.

“Ever thought of becoming a singer? You’ve got talent.”

The Elf and Human Heroes sighed and pushed the Bard aside.

“U-um, do you sell cat-ear headbands in your village?”

“W-we do sell them...”

“Kyahhh!”

The Elf Hero squealed with joy.

Mia looked down at the butterfly ornament in her hand.

“Tha...nk you.”

For the first time, Mia was able to smile while looking at another race.

It felt like her heart had become a butterfly, flying over and gently touching.

* * *

Damn it! I’ve been tricked!

Damn it all! I totally got played!

That’s what Helby thought as she stood inside the Platinum Coin Shop in Evanth. The moment she said they should negotiate, the Immortal Archmage had taken her straight to the Magic Tower.

Still, the negotiation terms hadn’t been bad.

'Only give trials to heroes of level 20 or higher.'

Since it was agreed upon through negotiation, it didn’t count as intentional time-wasting. No Hero had reached level 20 yet, so there was no need to deliver any trials immediately.

‘Share 70% of magic power with the Magic Tower and lend computational power.’

Helby looked at her arm.

A bracelet connected to the Magic Tower was on her wrist. Honestly, something like this didn’t really bother her.

She was a great Magic Dragon.

She could do everything with just 30% of her magic power.

'If possible, help with the Platinum Coin Shop during free time.'

That wasn’t an order, but a request.

She didn’t have to follow it. But now, she was in the Platinum Coin Shop. Because she wanted to prove a point, that the mage’s sense of aesthetics was disastrously flawed.

The Platinum Coin Shop was already crowded with Heroes.

"Hmph, they've gathered like vermin. It's like looking at a swarm of bugs, makes me want to vomit."

She had displayed some beautiful accessories off to one side.

“Wow! The shop owner is super pretty.”

“As expected of a paid-item NPC....”

The worthless Heroes’ praise didn’t sound all that bad.

“Filthy vermin. I shall grant you the chance to purchase this bracelet.”

“Oh, good character roleplay concept.”

“Wow! This shop’s got good vibes.”

“Getting insulted somehow feels... nice.”

The Heroes weren’t interested in the bracelet.

“Oh, I need to buy this.”

“No one can resist a swimsuit. But is it okay for a guy to wear a bikini?”

“It’s the manliest thing you can do.”

The items Helby displayed didn’t sell well. Though they had no performance or bonus effects, they were undeniably rare treasures. She had simply priced them according to their value.

In contrast, those vulgar things were selling out faster than they could be stocked.

“Excuse me, are you out of underwear?”

“There isn’t any left. How about this instead?”

“It’s pretty, but... it’s a bit too pricey to wear around..., and kind of a common design? I think it’d be hard to repair too.”

The female Hero said that and walked out.

“Ough?!”

Even as Helby collapsed to the floor, the worker NPCs kept operating without pause, continuing to sell goods.

Is it just here?

Helby accessed the ‘Platinum Coin Shop Notice Board’ through the ring the mage had given her.

Surin (Beastkin Village): 132 Wolf-ear Headbands, 164 Rabbit-ear Headbands, 154 Cat-ear Headbands sold.

└Helby (Evanth): If you speak lies, a great trial will befall you.

└Surin: Ah! I forgot one. 43 Tail Fur Bracelets were sold too. How about Evanth?

└Helby: 732 Red Swimsuits, 1,232 sets of Underwear, 123 Traveler Blankets, 212 Glass Cups... and so on, were sold. Also, Shining Jewel Bracelet 1 piece (this one is super expensive and important, something no mere Hero is allowed to possess).

└Surin: Incredible! As expected of the great Helby nim.

└Helby: If you try with everything you’ve got, straining to the point of death, perhaps even you may someday reach my toes.

└Surin: (Bowing wolf emoji) Thank you.

Helby closed the notice board.

She sat curled in a corner, burying her head between her knees.

“Ough!”

I am not the one who is wrong.

It’s this world that’s wrong. Everyone’s gone mad from Erosion.

When she saw the mage again, he was wearing the Shining Jewel Bracelet.

“T-That...”

“It was a gift. Is it any good?”

“......”

There is no way she would ever acknowledge heroes.

That's what she thought.

*****

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