Breakfast passed quietly. Everyone was a little more subdued, still tired from the intense day before and already thinking ahead to their next challenge. After eating, they packed up their things, preparing for a few more hours of adventuring before returning home in the afternoon. This little weekend excursion had been short but already productive.

The mother fox seemed excited at the prospect of leaving the forest. She was a curious creature. From what Arianna could tell, she and Felicia were communicating non-stop. Arianna could sense a faint shift in the air when they talked telepathically, but nothing more concrete. It made her wonder just how advanced their bond had become.

With the discovery of a companion and her own personal love drama, she hadn't had the time to study the seed projectiles she'd taken from the plant monsters. That would have to wait until they were back home. Maybe Joseph would want to study them with her. He'd become really enthusiastic about his mana training lately. The older man truly loved plants. But like everyone else, he'd need to reach level 10 before becoming eligible for a profession. Still, it was something to look forward to.

During breakfast, the group finally had a moment to share their gains. Defeating the E-rank giant bear had given everyone a noticeable push forward. Cassis' parents had reached level 10, though they were holding off on advancing their classes until they were home and could consider their choices more carefully. Liam had finally reached level 8, which meant his profession had also reached level 8—raising his class level in turn. Camden had also unlocked the Nurturer profession and looked very satisfied with it. Arianna couldn't help smiling. She was so happy for Liam. He'd found someone willing to follow him into danger. Like she had with Cassis.

She reached into her inventory and pulled out the wooden heart, holding it in her palm while the rest of the group finished storing their tents. The warmth of it spread through her fingers, and she couldn't help the grin that tugged at her lips. Marcus spotted her from across the camp as Cassis was carefully dousing the fire, making sure no stray embers could spark. He raised an eyebrow at her expression.

Arianna shrugged, still grinning.

"My son must've done something right," Marcus said, walking over. "I was a little worried yesterday, especially because he kept carving even after our watch ended and Liam and Camden took over."

Arianna blinked in surprise. He'd been at it that long? Then again, of course he had. This was Cassis. She smiled even wider.

"He did," she said. "We had a little disagreement and a small problem, but he apologized in the most beautiful way and we cleared the air."

She opened her hand and showed him the heart.

Marcus stared at it, eyes narrowing with the intensity of a fellow craftsman. Arianna had almost forgotten that Cassis had learned to carve from his father. It was only natural Marcus would examine the piece with expert focus.

"Wow. Cassis has gotten really good," he said after a moment. "And did he use mana to get that colour?"

Arianna nodded. "He used fire mana to give the wood this silver sheen and infuse warmth into it. It's warm to the touch."

At least, that's what he'd done in the other timeline. He must have unlocked the Woodcarver profession again.

Marcus looked impressed—but also a little unsettled. Still, he smiled.

"I'm relieved," he said. "He seems so happy with you. And Danielle really likes you, too. I hope you two stay together… maybe even get married?"

Arianna blinked, surprised. She'd expected that kind of question from Danielle, but Marcus? Then again, he'd been married to Danielle for decades. Of course he had similar thoughts.

She decided to have a little fun. "Well, actually... I don't really believe in marriage," she said. "But with the house, we'd get some nice tax breaks if we were married. I should probably discuss it with him."

Marcus laughed, full and genuine. "That's a good outlook. Romance is nice, but you should also be practical."

They shared a chuckle over it, two accountants appreciating love and logic in equal measure. Then the rest of the group was ready to go. Helen stepped up to the fox and politely asked if she could guide them to more stealth bushes. The fox gave a small yip in response, tail flicking with enthusiasm. And off they went.

The next few hours passed quickly. Helen got ample time to study the stealth bushes, inspecting them closely until she was satisfied. Then they continued onward, encountering a few more F-rank monsters along the way while she practiced her stealth. She was getting good. Arianna could only sense the faintest traces with her awareness. And that even with her awareness finally having reached the advanced rank by trying to sense the stealth bushes. She had tried Cassis' method of using his heightened senses while Cassis had also successfully raised his awareness rank to advanced by trying out her mana sensing. The group could play around like this because none of the monsters posed a real challenge, at least, not this far out on the forest's edge. The real danger lay deeper in.

They handled the skirmishes with ease, especially now that the mother fox had seamlessly integrated into their group. She moved with practiced coordination, supporting their formations like she'd been with them since the beginning. Though they couldn't formally add her to their party—they'd tried—she didn't seem to mind. According to what she told Felicia, she gained experience separately anyway.

What surprised everyone was the way she did it. She had multiple methods of growing stronger. As a sentient monster, she earned experience not only through combat, but also by consuming her enemies raw. That was why the bear meat from yesterday had done more for her strength than today's minor fights.

Arianna glanced at Cassis, a question in her eyes. Could humans…? He caught her gaze, understood immediately, and gave a subtle shake of his head. No. They'd already tried that in the other timeline. Arianna sighed. That would have been too easy.

As they neared the forest's exit, they regrouped and made a plan. The local villagers had asked to meet them again when they came out, but seeing a monster casually walking alongside them would probably cause more alarm than appreciation. So Marcus, Danielle, the children, and the foxes would quietly head to their car and return home. The rest of the group would meet the villagers at the tourist information centre to give a report and answer any questions.

Cassis still looked uncomfortable about sending his family off with the fox. He didn't say anything, though. Arianna wasn't sure if he was suppressing his lingering paranoia and monster hatred, or if he simply knew no one would take his concerns seriously anymore.

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Still, she watched as he walked over to the fox and spoke to her very quietly—too quietly for anyone else to hear. His expression was unreadable, but his posture was tense. The fox nodded seriously, maybe the only one to actually understand Cassis' worries. Arianna rolled her eyes. He was probably threatening her. But at least he did it quietly and privately this time.

Arianna, Cassis, Liam, Camden, and Helen walked into the tourist information center. The same group that had greeted them before was still there, with the stocky woman who was clearly in charge waiting at the front. She greeted them without much preamble. "Hello. I'm Marnie, the mayor of this village. I was worried but my people said you'd be fine. I couldn't believe it... but they showed me the videos this system has of you. So you really are that strong. The monsters that come out of that forest are a plague. Some of us have died to them, while the rest grow stronger. Still, it's dangerous. How can you just walk in and out like nothing's wrong?"

Apparently, she wasn't one for small talk. But she knew Cassis liked that. He answered her honestly. "Arianna and I are already level 20. I'm a strong warrior, and she's a great healer. That makes it possible for us to guide others through places like that, even if they're not level 10 yet."

Marnie nodded, appreciating his directness. "So if some of us manage to reach a high level, they could protect the rest?"

"Exactly," Cassis said. "You need a few dedicated fighters and healers if you want your village to survive. Not everyone is suited for combat, but everyone should aim to reach at least level 10. That's when they can choose a profession. It's like a job only with experience gain, and they continue getting stronger even outside of battle. You should also work on developing your features, skills, and spells."

Arianna looked around. Most of the villagers present were middle-aged or older. A village like this usually didn't have many young people, meaning social media and the internet weren't used a lot.

"We've also put together a website with helpful tips," he continued, "and uploaded training videos to our social media. Does anyone use that?"

The villagers nodded, they had accounts but mostly used them to stay in touch with each other. They didn't follow any trending topics. Arianna shared their usernames and showed them how to follow.

Marnie raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And you just give this knowledge away? Things you've learned through real danger? You expect nothing in return?"

Arianna gave a small shrug that was somewhere between a nod and a headshake. "You don't have to pay for it. We do accept voluntary donations if people want to support us. That way, we can focus on training and learning instead of worrying about money. People have been really generous. It's amazing, honestly. And we both have teaching professions, so we also gain some experience from sharing what we know."

As far as Arianna could tell, Marnie was still trying to figure out if they could be trusted. That was the downside of the internet—scammers were everywhere. And people who weren't very experienced with tech tended to be cautious. To someone like Marnie, Arianna and Cassis probably looked too good to be true. Arianna understood. Usually, if something seemed that way, it was.

"I don't like taking things for free," Marnie finally said. "In our village, everyone works together. We rarely pay each other with money, but we help one another out, trade favors, share labor. Farming is hard work, and lately it's getting even harder. So let me ask: what kind of payment would you accept for the training? We don't have much money."

Arianna's brain sparked with an idea. "If you don't mind me asking. Why is farming harder these days?"

"The plants mutate," Marnie said. "Some don't have the same growth conditions anymore and die, others grow too quickly or in strange ways. Others even attack the farmers. Then there are the mutated animals, mostly insects and some birds. They destroy the normal plants. Some fields grow like crazy, others dry up completely."

Arianna nodded, thinking fast. "The patches growing unevenly, it's probably due to mana. We're trying to understand how it works and how to use it in farming. We call it mana farming. The problem is... I don't actually know much about farming. One of my friends has some experience, but he grew up on a farm and then went to the city, so it's old experience. I think it would be a fair trade—mana knowledge in exchange for farming knowledge. And maybe we can even work together to get mana farming going. But once we know how to do it, we will share it with the rest of the world."

Marnie smiled for the first time. "Now that sounds fair. I agree. I think others will also share their knowledge with you as payment. We have no problem with you giving others information about this mana farming."

Arianna could barely contain her excitement. Finally, some real farmers! They might not know about mana, but with their experience and her and Joseph's research, they could figure this out together. Marnie came forward and shook hands with both Arianna and Cassis. "Thank you for your honesty. We'll stay in contact."

They exchanged numbers, and then Marnie turned to her group. "Call a town meeting. We've got some things to discuss."

With that, the group dispersed. Marnie, Arianna thought, was a very practical woman and she liked that about her.

A short while later, Arianna and her group got into the car to meet up with Cassis's parents. Then they drove home, the village already behind them but the new alliance just beginning.

On the drive back, Arianna sat in the front passenger seat, practically buzzing with motivation. Her fingers itched to pull out one of the seed projectiles and start experimenting with plant mana right then and there. But she forced herself to wait. It wasn't safe; any sudden surprise could distract Cassis and cause an accident. Still, the excitement simmered beneath her skin.

They had allies now, people they could genuinely work with. That alone felt like a huge step forward. At the very least, she could call Joseph and tell him the good news.

While Cassis focused on the road and the others chatted in the back, Arianna made the call. Joseph's reaction didn't disappoint. He was just as thrilled as she was and immediately asked for Marnie's number so he could reach out and get started himself. They agreed to begin experimenting tomorrow since Arianna and the group wouldn't be back until late tonight.

When she finally ended the call, she looked up to find Cassis smirking at her.

"Excited, are you?"

Arianna gave him a playful slap on the arm, which softened into a gentle caress. She smiled, her heart feeling full. This was a good development. From the back seat, Helen's voice cut through the warm moment. "Finally, I can evolve into an assassin. Studying how those stealth bushes did things was worth it."

"Congrats Helen! So, what were your requirements? And did you get new skills and spells?" Arianna felt happy for Helen. This class evolution was something she had seriously worked for.

Helen leaned forward between the front seats, practically glowing with satisfaction. "The requirements were pretty specific," she began, clearly eager to share. "To unlock the Assassin class, I had to kill an E-rank monster—alone or in a group. Then I needed to have Backstab, Dodge, and Evade at Intermediate or higher. I also had to successfully backstab an E-rank monster and already be on the ranger path. Plus, Stealth and Awareness had to be at least Intermediate, too."

Arianna turned in her seat, listening with genuine curiosity as Helen continued.

"My Precision Hit and Fire Arrow both evolved—the first one now works with daggers and short swords, not just bows, and the latter one is now called Fire Strike and can be used with a bow or daggers. I also got a new skill called Drop. It helps me land safely when jumping from heights. The more I level it, the greater the distance I can fall without getting hurt." She grinned, clearly proud. "And I got a new spell too—Camouflage. As long as I stay still, I'm almost invisible. It doesn't cost as much mana as Stealth but I can't move while using it, otherwise the spell breaks."

"Nice," Cassis said from the driver's seat, throwing her a glance in the rearview mirror.

"I'm level 14 now," Helen added, sounding pleased. "With the Poison Resistance I got in the dungeon, I was thinking… I'd love to work with our future alchemist to develop new poisons for my daggers."

Cassis raised an eyebrow. "Volunteering to help her level up already?"

Helen shrugged. "Why not? It benefits both of us. And if Camden's cousin really wants the job, this could be her chance."

Camden smiled, the quiet kind that held real gratitude. "Thanks, Helen. I think she'll be happy to hear that."

Arianna tilted her head, remembering something else. "By the way… what about your mysterious friend? I still want to meet him."

Helen smirked slightly, her expression turning a bit more guarded. "You will. But it'll take some time." And that was all she said on the topic. The rest of the drive was full of quiet conversations and happy laughter.

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