"There are workers in the surrounding jungle, so as long as we don’t step too deep into the forest, we’re safe, right?" Anyi stood at the edge of the dense jungle, scanning the dim canopy ahead.

"That's correct, Hero-sama," replied one of the Slime Cleaners, standing nearby. "You can venture a bit into the jungle without immediate danger."

Anyi narrowed his eyes. "How far is 'a bit'?"

The Slime Cleaner hesitated, scratching his head awkwardly. "I’m not sure exactly. But we know that after a certain point, the slimes begin to gather from all directions. And once you're surrounded by slimes... well, it gets dangerous quickly. That’s why we don’t go deeper."

"Slimes alone aren't an issue," Anyi remarked. "But no one knows how many will come. And if it’s too many, it can overwhelm even us."

The group fell silent for a moment. Slimes were weak creatures, but their numbers could easily tip the scales. The workers had only explored the safer outskirts; beyond that, it was unknown territory.

Layton, gripping his sword tightly, broke the silence. "Then the four of us will go in alone! We can handle any trouble."

Anyi nodded in agreement. "Yes, if we run into something bigger than slimes, having a large group will just slow us down. We need mobility, and fewer people means fewer distractions."

The believers, watching from a distance, exchanged glances before turning their hopeful gazes toward Ariana. After all, she was their Holy Maiden—their divine protector.

Ariana smiled confidently, patting her chest. "Don’t worry! I’m much stronger now. I won’t need your protection this time!"

The believers murmured to each other, recalling the divine power Ariana had displayed the day before—the rain of yellow light that had descended as if in answer to her prayers. That had been no ordinary miracle; it was a show of divine wrath.

One of the believers, filled with conviction, stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Please, Heroes-sama, protect Holy Maiden-sama with your lives!"

The rest of the believers followed, their voices rising in unison. "Please protect Holy Maiden-sama!"

Layton stood tall, his shield gleaming with an ethereal white light. "This shield was forged to protect life itself! Whether it’s Holy Maiden-sama, you all, or this entire world, I will defend everyone!"

"Aw aw ack ack ack——!!!" The believers were moved to tears by Layton's declaration, their admiration for the Hero shining in their eyes.

Miruku, watching from the side, tried to muster similar enthusiasm, but her mind returned to the previous day's chaos. Could she really protect anyone? She winced at the thought. 'Protect Holy Maiden-sama... I can barely protect myself!' If they ran into a powerful monster, she knew she'd be the first to flee.

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'Please let there be no high-level monsters...' Miruku prayed silently, a hint of dread creeping into her thoughts.

Ariana, on the other hand, waved her hands dismissively. "There's no need for all this! I’m not in any real danger."

In truth, Ariana felt almost invincible. She had her recovery skills, a deep reservoir of mana, and one last secret weapon—her resurrection ability, which she had kept to herself. If the worst happened, if one of them fell, she could bring them back. There was no need to worry about desperate situations.

Besides, Anyi was there. His fire magic alone was awe-inspiring. Yesterday's display had matched her most powerful skill, the [Heavenly Sphere], or perhaps even surpassed it. Ariana wasn't sure how far his power went, but she trusted it completely.

Not long after, the four heroes adjusted their packs and prepared to journey deeper into the jungle. Normally, an adventurer's pack would be filled with all sorts of survival gear, but for these four, there was one predominant item inside their bags: dry food.

Almost 90% of the contents was dedicated to various dried provisions.

This was because Anyi had explained the importance of their [Gluttony] passive ability. It increased the importance of food in replenishing their health and mana. But what Anyi hadn’t mentioned was that cooking fresh food, like stir-frying three dishes and one soup, could make their recovery far more efficient than relying solely on dry rations.

The believers who had followed them to the edge of the jungle didn't return to the village but chose to set up camp just outside. Their purpose was twofold: to provide supplies to the Heroes when needed and to help clear out slimes from the nearby area, assisting the villagers in maintaining some sense of order.

The group of four ventured into the jungle, and within about five minutes, they had already created a good distance from the entrance.

"Why does it feel like this path is so well-traveled? Shouldn’t this be an untouched forest?" Layton asked, glancing at the strangely wide trail cutting through the dense trees.

"Who knows?" Anyi shrugged nonchalantly, unbothered by the mystery.

Breaking the silence, Anyi continued, "By the way, did anyone level up after yesterday's slime massacre? I hit level 4."

Ariana nodded as she checked her system. "I’m a bit past level 4 as well."

"I'm... at level 3," Miruku muttered softly, clearly feeling a bit behind.

Layton, on the other hand, looked as though he'd been hit with a bucket of cold water. "Wait... you’re all so advanced? I’m still stuck at level 1!"

"Have you even killed 100 slimes yet?" Anyi asked pointedly, arching a brow.

Layton scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I mean... I got through a dozen or so."

Anyi sighed and dismissed him, turning back to Ariana and Miruku. "Holy Maiden, Miss Miruku, I’m guessing you haven’t used any of your new stat points yet?"

Both women shook their heads.

"I was too tired after everything yesterday to even think about it," Ariana replied with a light-hearted grin.

Miruku remained quiet but inwardly admitted she wasn’t sure how to distribute her points correctly, so she had held off for now.

"Alright," Anyi instructed, "let’s take a look at your current stats. Post them in the group chat."

[Holy Hero:

Hero Level: 4

Strength: 0

Agility: 0

Endurance: 0

Durability: 0

Prana: 30

Intelligence: 15

Technique: 15]

Anyi’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the screen.

'This is... disastrous.;

While having a high Prana stat for a mage and healer like Ariana made sense, the rest of her attributes were severely underdeveloped. The glaring lack of physical strength and agility was alarming, and worse, her Technique was receiving points it didn’t even need.