“We… return to our territory. We need to report this to the Succubus Queen. And she, in turn, must inform the Demon Lord. The world… is about to change.”

A younger succubus looked puzzled. "You mean we have to go there, but… where exactly?"

Rose paused, scratching her head awkwardly. "This… I’m not sure either. For now, we’ll head deep into the territory and ask the locals as we go."

...

Meanwhile, Ariana’s thoughts drifted, a worry gnawing at her. “Anyi, those succubi all ran off… do you think they’ll go somewhere else and start causing trouble?”

Anyi shook his head. “Unlikely. Moving to other areas would risk them running into other Heroes. It’s far more likely they’ve fled beyond human territory.”

“Thank goodness…” Ariana sighed in relief.

“However,” Anyi continued, “by escaping, they’ll bring back information about us. Right now, the appearance of Heroes is still unknown to most monsters. If the succubi report what they’ve seen, it won’t be long before the monsters start to prepare.”

Ariana’s eyes widened. “Then… what should we do?”

Anyi gave a small smile. “Holy Maiden, I have some good news.”

“Good news?” Ariana echoed, a glimmer of hope in her gaze.

“After fighting these monsters, you must see the vast difference in strength between monsters and humans,” Anyi said.

“Yes!” Ariana nodded, her expression serious.

“Monsters like the Goblin Centurion exist, and we can assume there are even more powerful creatures out there. But here’s the question: if such creatures exist, what prevents them from simply crushing us?”

Ariana’s brow furrowed. “They must be… incredibly strong.”

Anyi nodded. “Exactly. The Goblin Centurion we encountered came from a small forest on the outskirts of human lands. But the world beyond, where monsters dominate over 90% of the territory… who knows how strong they really are in those depths?”

“How is this good news?” Ariana asked, incredulous.

“Think about it,” Anyi continued. “If there are so many powerful monsters, wouldn’t it be easy for them to claim this last 10% of human territory? In ten days, they could reduce our lands to dust. Yet they don’t. Instead, they invade slowly, step by step.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Ariana blinked, realization dawning. “Why… why would they do that?”

“Exactly,” Anyi said, satisfied with her insight. “Why would these powerful beings, who could finish us in days, choose to advance at a snail’s pace?”

“It makes no sense…” Ariana murmured, and then her eyes lit up as the pieces clicked into place. “They must have some reason. Maybe… maybe it’s their pride? Do they think so little of us that they only send low-class monsters to fight?”

“Precisely,” Anyi replied. “They see us as beneath them. So they send these lesser monsters to test us, while the high-class ones stay in their own territories, likely uninterested in dealing with what they view as ‘lowly’ creatures.”

“So that’s why…” Ariana breathed, understanding. The Goblin Centurion, with an Intelligence score of 3, had already displayed cunning close to that of an average human. If higher-class monsters truly existed, their intelligence—and power—would be leagues beyond. Their pride kept them from stepping into battles against such ‘inferior’ opponents.

“But the succubi will bring information about us back to these high-class monsters… they’ll surely take notice!” Ariana said, her concern returning.

Anyi looked at her, his expression unreadable. “Do you think I could take over your position as Holy Maiden of the Aldrich Theocracy?”

Ariana blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question.

Ariana’s eyes widened as Anyi’s words sank in. "Impossible!" she sputtered. "The conditions to become a Holy Maiden are incredibly strict! And besides—your gender’s wrong!”

Anyi smirked. "Exactly. Just as you’d never believe I could become a Holy Maiden, the monsters feel the same about us. They see humanity as far too weak. The notion that humans could ever truly challenge them is laughable to them."

Ariana blinked, processing his analogy. "So… unless we actually prove our strength, monsters will never see us as a real threat?”

"Precisely," Anyi replied. “Unless I truly stood in front of you as the Holy Maiden, you’d never believe it. And the monsters, unless we reveal the capability to defeat them, will continue to see us as beneath notice.”

Ariana’s brow furrowed. "But you can’t be a Holy Maiden, no matter how much you try!"

Anyi gave a slight nod, amused. “Exactly, and that’s why monsters underestimate us. And therein lies the good news.”

"Yes!" Ariana’s face brightened, understanding the hidden advantage. She looked at Anyi with a newfound respect, impressed by his insight. "If you were ever on the enemy’s side… that would be a nightmare," she admitted.

"If you were a monster," Anyi shot back without missing a beat, "you’d be gone the moment you saw me."

Ariana pouted. "Why is it that you can’t be a monster?"

"Because I’m a Hero. The Sword Hero, in fact."

"And I’m a Hero, too!” she said, laughing.

...

Days later, the League of Hero had begun to take shape, albeit in its most basic form. As Aldrich’s followers began to count and register the Heroes, they stumbled across a strange and astonishing discovery.

The powers of the fallen Heroes—those who had died in battle—had somehow been transferred. They’d found new individuals bearing the same gifts.

“Ah,” one believer murmured in awe, “so, when a Hero falls, Kami-sama selects a new one.”

And so, they began calling these original Heroes First Generation Heroes. Those who inherited their powers after death were hailed as the Second Generation Heroes. And thus, the cycle of heroism continued.