Chapter 18: A World Where Only Mr. Hero Gets Hurt Has Been Realized

After a fierce battle, the Two-Headed Demon Wolf—a C-rank monster that rampaged through the Black Forest—clearly had no concept of honor.

The wolf’s left head, perhaps feeling things were dragging on, began to flicker with black light deep in its throat.

Charging up an attack at point-blank range?

Elent’s pupils contracted in shock. At this distance, forget dodging—he wouldn’t even have time to pen a will.

“Duck, Hero!”

Celia’s voice rang out from behind.

Though he didn’t know why, his body had long since developed a conditioned reflex to this voice. Elent ducked his head, shrinking his whole frame by half.

“Pfft!”

Almost at the same time, a pea blasted straight into the wolf’s charging mouth.

That wolf head looked like a sewer stuffed with firecrackers—two jets of black smoke sprayed from its nostrils along with a pained howl.

The demon wolf threw its head back in agony, and the force pressing down on the Broad Sword suddenly slackened.

Elent glanced back, just in time to see the Pea Arbiter’s swollen leaves wither to yellow in an instant, crumbling into a heap of ash.

“Pea Mentor!!”

Elent cried out, his voice torn with anguish, as if mourning a long-lost brother.

“Quit howling, it’s not over yet.”

Celia cut off his drama, then raised her hand, slapping a beam of light onto Elent’s back.

If regular healing spells felt nourishing, this one was like being injected with a surge of stimulant.

“It’s settled—you go! Hero!”

Elent felt a burst of heat on his back, then a wild power rushed from his core to his limbs. His arms, aching just a moment ago, now brimmed with explosive strength.

So this is the Priestess’s power?

No time to think about sword techniques. Only one thought was left in Elent’s mind:

Stab it!

“Hraaahhh!!”

With a whistling wind, the Broad Sword thrust brutally into the demon wolf’s remaining neck before its last head could react.

The massive impact pushed the wolf’s body backward until it crashed into a fence post.

The tyrant of the Black Forest twitched twice, then became nothing but a corpse.

The backyard fell silent.

Elent stayed in his lunging stance, gasping for breath, sweat dripping down mixed with wolf blood.

Did I win?

Did I solo a C-rank monster?

A wave of accomplishment welled up inside him.

“Priestess, I did it!” Elent grinned, turning to face Celia.

Celia gave a perfunctory couple of claps.

“Not bad. You barely kept from embarrassing your mentor.”

She rose from her lounge chair and walked over to the pile of withered plant remains.

That whole bucket of Fertilizer was basically a Forbidden Potion, burning through life for immense effects—but with obvious drawbacks. Use it once, and it’s done.

“What a pity about these plants.” Celia sighed. She figured those magical plants must taste pretty good too.

“Look on the bright side, Priestess! We held the line!” Elent gestured excitedly at the littered corpses.

“These are all spoils of war!”

Celia swept her gaze over the backyard, now looking like a typhoon had blown through.

Puddles of Slime, broken Goblin clubs, and the corpse of the Two-Headed Demon Wolf.

It looked like a nightmare to clean up.

“You mean all this trash I’ll have to waste energy dealing with?”

“But demon wolf pelts are valuable.” Elent paused, taken aback.

“And the meat?”

“It’s probably tainted by demonic energy. Can’t eat it.”

“Then there you have it.”

“All right, strip anything of value, then drag the rest out and bury it far away. Don’t stink up my land—this is where I plant my crops.”

Celia turned toward the vegetable patch, now a mess from monster rampage.

The magical plants were gone, but the soil had gotten nearly half a barrel of Fertilizer.

Now she was hungry, and wanted to see if any food had survived.

In the chaotic backyard, Celia did catch a glimmer of something reflective.

It was a Potato Seedling growing in the corner.

Perhaps because it was so short, it had escaped the chaos. The soil at its roots was slightly raised, with a faint golden gleam peeking through the cracks.

Celia crouched, digging at the dirt like opening a mystery box.

A potato rolled out.

Unlike the usual gray and dusty potatoes, this one had a smooth golden skin—almost dazzling under the moonlight.

“What’s this?”

She weighed it in her hand; its heft was reassuring.

Then, a second, a third…

“Elent!”

Elent, struggling to drag the wolf carcass, straightened his back.

“What is it? More enemies? I’m coming!”

“Forget the corpse.”

Celia raised her hand, holding up the Golden Potato.

“Start a fire. We’re eating!”

……

Half an hour later.

A bonfire crackled in the church backyard.

The scent of blood was now replaced by the aroma of roasting.

Celia sat on a small stool, holding a stick with the largest Golden Potato skewered and roasting over the fire.

It was the most primitive charcoal roast, but for a top-grade ingredient like this, it was more than enough.

The potato skin had blistered and split, releasing steam with a gentle hiss.

Beside her, Lynn had already crouched down, eyes locked on the potato.

“Lady Celia, how much longer?”

“Almost.”

She broke open the potato; the crispy skin split, revealing the golden, tender flesh inside.

Celia blew on it, then couldn’t resist taking a bite.

“Mmm!”

The skin was crisp, the center soft.

Rich, starchy aroma mixed with a buttery fragrance filled her mouth. Celia was nearly moved to tears.

This flavor reminded her of roasted sweet potatoes sold by an old man at the subway entrance in her past life, during winter.

Though one was a potato and the other a sweet potato, right now, Celia felt this potato was ten times better.

This is the life!

A thousand times better than Black Bread or Unknown Stew!

And as the potato went down, a warm current spread through her body. Her mind, previously foggy from magic overuse, felt as if she’d downed a whole bottle of energy drink—instantly refreshed.

It restores mana and health?

“This is way too delicious,” Lynn sighed, cradling her own potato.

Elent, meanwhile, was even more dramatic, eating with tears in his eyes.

“What’s wrong? Burn your tongue?”

“No.”

Elent swallowed, looking at the food in his hand as if it were a holy relic.

“I can feel the embrace of the earth.”

“Huh?”

“That weight, that solidity—I feel like the Nut Mentor! I feel filled with defensive power!”

As he spoke, a faint earthen glow spread over Elent’s body, his skin looking rough and tough.

Celia rolled her eyes.

As expected of a Hero Candidate—he even gets a buff from eating potatoes. How ridiculous.

Still, this confirmed her suspicions: after such excessive use of Fertilizer, not only did she grow Plants vs. Monsters, but even the crops had their own Enchantment Effect.

This is the power of Scientific Farming!

Celia polished off her potato in a few bites, still licking her fingers for more.

Her belly was full, her mana restored, and the troubles were solved.

At a time like this, it was only right to perform the most sacred ritual of the day—sleep.

“All right, work’s done.”

Celia stood up, dusting off her pants without a care.

“Hero, since you’re still so energetic, make sure to put out the fire and clean up the yard.”

“Lynn, let’s go rest.”

With that, Celia walked toward her room, leaving the Hero a petite silhouette.

“Yes, Priestess!”