Dusk.
White Dove City, in the Sparrow District, where commoners and impoverished adventurers abound.
"Wait for this deity to go take a leak, and then you’ll understand whether or not this deity is a real man."
Kafuni felt she had to prove herself, otherwise, she might be in danger tonight: she had noticed Linda stealing lecherous glances at her. If she were truly a woman, she would be disgusted, but for Kafuni, it only sent a chill down her groin—she was at risk of being assaulted. She was still a virgin, and she absolutely could not let this scoundrel of a Hero have his way with her!
Linda was tossing seven copper coins in his hand, worrying about their living arrangements. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, looking at Kafuni in confusion.
Kafuni smiled and said, "Think about it. A real girl wouldn't just pee behind the holly bushes along the street, right? But I don't care; I have absolutely no psychological burden regarding such things. Therefore, I am a man—a real man."
"Hey, don't say something like urinating on the side of the road with such pride! Think about the cleaning staff for a second!" Linda sighed, rubbing his forehead. Is this creature really a deity? Is there no aptitude test for becoming a god?
He watched as Kafuni stepped over the holly bushes, found a tree for "double insurance," and hid behind it.
"Hmph hmph hmph hmph~"
Humming a strange little tune, Kafuni gave a grunt and, showing no shame, began to relieve herself. As a deity, her ability to adapt was quite strong. As the old saying goes: when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
*Splish, splash—*
The sound of flowing water rang out. Kafuni felt not a shred of guilt.
"Whoa!"
Suddenly, Kafuni was so startled she almost wet her pants. She glared at Linda, furious. "What are you looking at? Get lost! Go away! What the hell are you looking at?"
Such a foul mouth.
"I was just curious." Linda was completely baffled. He pointed at Kafuni, who was crouching on the ground, holding the hem of her dress bunched up against her chest. "Aren't men supposed to do it standing up?"
"You don't understand a damn thing. If you don't crouch, you'll end up peeing all over yourself." Kafuni shifted her angle, circling the tree like a pillar to keep out of Linda's line of sight. She suffered from shy bladder syndrome; if someone watched her, she would freeze up and couldn't go.
Linda rested his chin in his hands, thinking. "Even though you're a man, you’ve adapted to a girl's body quite quickly. Perhaps you wanted to be a girl all along? Do you have a girl's heart?"
"Ha?!"
Kafuni pulled her dress down, ready to have a massive row with Linda. But both of them noticed that a crowd of onlookers had gathered outside the holly hedge, and a cleaner was marching toward them, brandishing a broom in annoyance.
"How can someone be so shameless, peeing in public! I'll teach you a lesson, you hussy!"
*Tragic.* This deity had been mistaken for a tart again!
Shame and anger roiling within her, Kafuni grabbed the Hero by the wrist and whispered, "Run! Or we're going to get arrested by the police bureau!"
"They're arresting *you*, what does that have to do with me?" Linda complained, even as he allowed Kafuni to drag him quite a distance away.
As soon as Kafuni stopped to catch her breath, she saw Linda clap his hands, his face lighting up. "I've figured out a way to get money!"
"Oh? We won't have to sleep on the street tonight?" Kafuni’s eyes shone with hope.
Linda nodded, pointing at Kafuni with a chuckle: "When we were running just now, I noticed your dress is made of high-quality ice silk. It could sell for at least one gold coin."
"..."
Kafuni stood frozen, dumbfounded. With a trembling hand, she looked down at her thin dress. Underneath, she wore nothing but a set of light blue lingerie.
*My family in the God Realm, who can understand my pain?*
Kafuni’s mental state collapsed. She had finally summoned a Hero, and instead of fighting the Demon King, he was eyeing her clothes to sell them off. Otherwise, they would have to sleep on the street. Is saving the world really this difficult? How did all those predecessors who saved a dozen worlds manage it?
"You scoundrel of a Hero! Don't you dare strip me!!!"
Kafuni’s desperate scream echoed through the street.
"Stay here and don't move. I'm going to sell your dress."
Linda clutched the warm, faintly scented white dress in his right hand, nodding with satisfaction. Behind the holly bushes on the side of the road, a girl stood wearing only light blue undergarments. Kafuni was hiding her face in her hands, her back turned to Linda, with only the straps of her lingerie visible.
*This deity's skin looks so white, so soft,* Linda’s mind wandered.
*Even Kafuni must be warm.* In that regard, there was no difference from a normal girl.
Hiding behind the holly, Kafuni said with deep humiliation, "You scoundrel of a Hero, why must you sell *my* things? Don't you have things you can sell?"
She pointed to the row of transparent, test-tube-shaped Magic Potions on Linda’s belt. Small Life Recovery Potions, commonly known as "Small Reds," and Small Mana Recovery Potions, known as "Small Blues." Aside from the few produced by alchemists, most of these came from rewards in the World Tree Secret Realm. They were scarce necessities in high demand. On Linda’s belt, each potion had its own individual brown leather holster. Kafuni counted them: ten Small Reds and ten Small Blues. At White Dove City market prices, they were worth roughly 2,000 gold coins.
"Sell my Magic Potions? Absolutely not!" Linda’s eyes widened, and like a stingy miser, he shielded his Magic Potions with both hands.
Based on his understanding of the World Tree, without taking on over-leveled challenges, having enough potions meant he could slowly wear monsters down and remain invincible. These ten Small Reds and ten Small Blues were the absolute minimum amounts he had calculated; even being short one made him anxious. In other words, these potions were his retirement fund; he would never use them unless he reached the absolute brink of desperation.
Linda stroked the potions on his belt with great tenderness, murmuring to himself:
"Jack, you were my first Life Recovery Potion. I remember it clearly—you dropped from a Lava Monster on the first floor of the World Tree. To get you, I spent six hours grinding its HP down... And Lucy, you came from the third floor. I killed a random mob, and it dropped the rarest reward it could possibly give—the Small Life Recovery Potion named Lucy. The day you dropped was truly a Miracle!
And then there's Auslan, you came from the fifth floor.
Kaby, I spent a fortune to buy you from that black-market dealer. His stopper was too big; you must have been in so much pain. Thankfully, I prepared a wooden stopper of the perfect size just for you."
Linda recounted his treasures, remembering the name and origin of every single one of the twenty potions. His expression was intoxicated and radiant as he described the stories he shared with them to Kafuni.
Magic Potions? No, they were Linda’s family!
"Ugh, disgusting." Kafuni looked at him with utter disdain, as if seeing him for the first time. "How can someone be in love with potions? Disgusting, pervert. Just go die."