"Sob I just… I just… I just wanted everyone to level up as fast as possible! To get stronger, so we could beat the boss together, and then… then I could go back to my old world… sniff…"
"…Back to your old world?"
"Nothing! It's nothing…"
"It's alright, May. It's alright. I might not fully get you, but I'm gonna help you out. Not because of that letter, but because I see how much you genuinely want to help people!"
"Milk!! Thank you, thank you so much!! Sob…"
"Let's get out of this alive together, May."
"Got it!"
............
...................
In Carriage City, a mid-tier northern hub…
After I—Milk, that is—arrived in town, I took a break at a local diner, slurping down bland but warm soup and sipping tea that somehow restored my stamina. All this to prep for tracking down the hero mentioned in that letter: May.
"May! You're kicked out of the party!"
"Huh?! Kicked out?! Why?! Did you even ask everyone else?"
"I'm not against it…"
"Me neither…"
"Same here!"
"What the heck?! You're all betraying me?!"
Bam! Found her right away! And boy, was I sure it was her—she had that classic "transported-from-my-world" look. A decently pretty girl, like someone you'd see at a convenience store, dressed in light adventurer gear for mobility.
And what's this? Getting kicked out of her party already? Talk about a rough start—four girls ganging up to boot her out!
"Call it betrayal if you want, but we're done putting up with your reckless spending! You keep using up our stuff and the party's shared funds, trading it all for money!"
"Yeah!!!" x3
"That's because my skills need money to work in battle! And I didn't trade your stuff for cash—my skill converts your items directly into damage!!"
"What's the difference?!"
"Exactly!!"
"But we've survived every time because of my skills, haven't we?! My skills are totally OP! Plus, we get tons of loot to sell!"
"No, it's because you charge into enemy hordes like a maniac, putting the whole team at risk!"
"But… but it saves time and gets us more loot…"
"And does that even cover the money youbfs you spent? Quit acting like you've got no brain!"
"They're calling me stupid now?!"
"Yup! You're an idiot!"
"Yeah, stupid!"
"Totally dumb!!"
"Sob…"
Yup, there you have it. Man, why do I always stumble into drama like this? Wait, where's she going?!
Out of nowhere, May stormed off from the table. I, Milk, had to scramble after her, though keeping up was tough with her speed leaving me in the dust.
SLASH! SLASH! SWOOSH!
"Get behind me! Urgh YAAARGH!! Die! DIE! DIIIEEE!!"
Before I could catch up, there she was again—May, the impulsive heroine, diving headfirst into a pack of four Snow Diwolves to save some villagers. No plan, no hesitation, just pure chaos.
Sure, her party couldn't stand her reckless antics, but you can't deny her heart's in the right place—she's got that hero-grade goodness in spades.
"GRR!"
"GROWL!!"
The four wolves lunged at her, furious after she'd slashed each one twice with her sword.
"You folks head back to town! I've got this!!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"Right away!"
"Alright, you mangy mutts! Let's blow off some steam! YAAARGH! Die! DIIIEEE!!"
I was about to jump in, but seeing her dodge their attacks with such finesse—plus her clear need to vent from that party drama—I held back to watch how it played out.
"You crazy jerks!! I worked my butt off to make you all stronger, and you do this to me?! Die! Die! DIE!!!"
SLASH! SLASH! SWOOSH…
"AWOOO!!!"
But then, just as things were looking good, the wolves howled, and another pack of seven Snow Diwolves showed up, piling on the attacks.
Hmm, a hero blessed with cheat-level powers from the goddesses, right? Probably something like 100% dodge chance or whatever.
"Oh no!!"
THUD! SLASH!!
"AAAGH!!!"
…And then she got hit from behind.
Wait, what?! She's not dodging perfectly?! Damn it, I held back because I thought she could dodge everything! How'd she get scratched like that?! Crap, she's hurt!
"[Charge]!!"
CLANGGG!!
"Who are you? You're helping me?!"
"Don't worry about me! Just run!!"
"You're wearing that heavy armor—how are you gonna outrun them?!"
"Quit yapping and go, you lunatic! I'll be fine!!"
"AWOOO!!!"
Mid-argument—after I, Milk, slammed into the wolves with a charging attack to shield May—things got worse. The wolves howled again, and their boss, a Snow Diwolf Alpha, strutted in, radiating an aura that buffed its pack to new heights. And just like that, all eleven of them had us surrounded.
"GROWL!!!"
"They're coming!!"
"[Defender]!!"
CLANK! CLANG!!
"Urgh! ARGH!!!"
"Stop shielding me like that… I have a duty… sob I can't keep going, and neither can you! They're powered up by their boss—you won't make it!!"
"Urgh Shut up and run, May!! I'll hold them off!!!"
"How do you know my name?!"
"Just GO!! I'm not gonna die, alright?!!"
"GROWL!!!"
Before I could say more, the entire pack—eleven wolves—charged in for round two, all at once.
"RUN, DAMN IT!!!"
"NO!! Screw this… [Pay2Win Area]! [EquipmentTrade]! EVERYTHING I'VE GOT!!"
"Huh?!"
The moment May unleashed her power, a blinding flash erupted. Her armor and sword vanished completely, replaced by a golden shockwave that slammed into every Snow Diwolf around us, dealing 2400 Damage!!!!
End of Chapter 23
Pay2Win