5 On the Diversity of Alien Species

Paimon glanced at her, then at the mountain peak, confused and shocked. She bit her finger and said, “How is this possible? Are there really people in this world who can’t climb mountains?”

Listen to what you’re saying! Even if this is a game, there must be ordinary civilians waiting for heroes to rescue them!

Not everyone in this world can possibly have the ‘hero’s constitution,’ right?!

Penelope gritted her teeth, lowered her voice, and forced a smile. “Do you think there’s a chance that I’m not from this world?”

Paimon: “...”

“Well then, you’re so useless,” Paimon sighed, switching direction like a little adult. “Come on, I know a flat path, but it’s quite a detour.”

She immediately regretted it. “I should’ve asked the Traveler to help you fetch water earlier!”

Penelope wiped sweat from her brow. “I don’t think I’m that useless. Besides, even though Mr. Aether is kind-hearted and willing to take care of me, it wouldn’t be right to bother him with such trivial matters…”

“The Traveler doesn’t mind! It’s just a small favor,” Paimon said. “You don’t know, he joined the Adventurers’ Guild and takes on a lot of commissions every day. From clearing monsters and escorting caravans to delivering meals, sweeping floors, and repairing houses—he does it all!

Helping you fetch some water is nothing!”

Penelope sighed helplessly. “But they pay him, and I don’t have any money.”

Paimon: “...True.”

Sighing again, she let her chubby limbs droop like limp noodles.

Penelope asked, “What’s wrong?”

Paimon said, “I worry about the Traveler’s wallet. Supporting me alone is already a stretch, and adding you means he’ll have to take even more commissions…”

Penelope felt awkward and was about to speak when Paimon suddenly straightened up, clenched her fists with renewed determination.

“I’ve decided! From now on, I’ll make sure to take on more quests and earn more money! Let’s go, Paimon! That mute Traveler can’t be relied on for money—when it comes to that, it’s all on you!”

Penelope: “...”

Her face flushed with shame. “I-I will also work hard to earn money later and try not to be a burden to the Traveler…”

She wasn’t shameless enough to freeload, eat for free, and expect someone else to support her… QAQ So please, stop joking about her like that! Once things settle down, she’ll quietly leave immediately!

Paimon looked at Penelope’s slender arms and legs, then glanced back at the cliff that had blocked their path earlier. Thinking of all the exhausting commissions the Traveler completes daily, running all over the city...

“Heh.”

Paimon sneered, arms crossed, regal and aloof. “Forget it. As long as you don’t have any extravagant, money-burning habits, just basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter, the Traveler and I can still support you. Being an adventurer is a well-paid profession!”

As they spoke, passing a large tree at the foot of the hill, a small wild boar about half a person’s height suddenly burst out from the grass behind the tree. Panicked, it spun around twice, then turned sharply and charged straight at Penelope.

Penelope: “!!!”

Her eyes widened; she froze as if time slowed. In a daze, she vaguely heard Paimon’s excited shout, “Wow! Meat’s coming right to us! Nana, hit it! Hit it!”

Closer, closer, even closer...

Her mind turned to mush, barely able to think, only able to watch the wild boar charge at her with unstoppable, all-or-nothing momentum...

“Whoosh—”

Something zipped past her ear, ruffling her hair. The charging boar somersaulted on the spot, yelped in pain twice, then twisted and ran away.

Paimon took two steps forward, then sadly let her chubby limbs droop, her soft voice full of regret and reluctance. “Ah... it ran away, what a pity.”

Paimon! Do you even hear the nonsense you’re spouting?!

Penelope’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the soft grass, eyes blank. Waves of lingering fear broke out in cold sweat. She instinctively clutched her chest, feeling her heart pounding painfully, her whole body trembling.

Mom, a wild boar! That was a wild boar!

That huge beast charged straight at me!

If it hadn’t tripped and run off, I’d probably have been trampled to death! QAQ

(This world is so dangerous, I want to go home... QAQ)

Paimon: “?”

Paimon: “No way, no way? You can’t even beat a wild boar?”

Penelope: “?”

Listen to what you’re saying! That was a wild boar, not a rabbit!

Penelope found it unbelievable. “Could it be... huh... could it be that wild boars here are... at the bottom of the food chain??”

Paimon: “The Traveler kills them with one slash each, what do you think? If they weren’t so quick, it’d be easier than catching fish!”

Penelope: “???”

Penelope hesitated. “Is it possible that the Traveler is just too strong?”

Paimon recalled the cliff Penelope couldn’t climb and her clumsy way of getting off the bed, looking disdainful. “No, I think it’s just that you’re too useless. There’s no other possibility. Face reality.”

Penelope: QAQ.

Supporting such a useless beauty suddenly felt like a heavy burden for the future.

Paimon sighed with a world-weary air and silently turned to lead the way. “Let’s go, we still have to eat.”

Penelope: “M-My legs are weak, let me rest a bit…”

Paimon: “...”

Penelope: “Two minutes! No, just one minute!”

Paimon sighed helplessly again, flew over, hugged her, and rubbed her cheek softly. “Alright, don’t worry. You’re just not used to this place yet. You’ll get used to it with time. The Traveler and I will teach you well.”

Feeling no comfort but fear of abandonment, once she was reassured, Penelope hugged that soft, warm bundle and tears immediately streamed down her face.

So hurt and scared.

“Wuu…”

“Sigh.”

Not far above on the cliff, Aether sighed helplessly and tossed a pebble in his hand.

He hadn’t planned to come at all—after all, the water source wasn’t far. But after enough time for two or three trips passed and they still hadn’t returned, he grew restless.

Though he cleared the surrounding monsters just yesterday, was there a chance something slipped through? Had they encountered trouble?

Well... sigh, never mind.

He couldn’t help but think of his sister. (He wondered if Lumine, alone, might also encounter dangers and difficulties she couldn’t solve, like Penelope. Though she wouldn’t fear wild boars, the Abyss was another matter—who knew what lurked there...)

At this moment, he almost wished this truly was a game world.

After all, if it were a game and the hero hadn’t appeared yet, how could the Demon King possibly take office?

Unfortunately, Penelope’s presence already made the ‘virtual world’ hypothesis questionable.

...

Bypassing the cliff, they took a gentler mountain path and soon came upon a lake. On it grew a small patch of blue flowers, with buds clustered like lotuses, forming a layer of icy white on the water’s surface. Even several meters away, one could feel the chilling cold.

(How magical.) Penelope rubbed her cold arm and glanced again at the flowers.

Paimon said, “Those are Frostmist Flowers. If you touch them directly, you’ll get frostbite. You have to warm them with fire-element energy first. When we wash our faces later, stay away from them.”

“Fire-element energy? Can’t we just burn them directly?”

Though curious, Penelope valued her life more and obediently followed Paimon’s advice, moving away from the Frostmist Flowers.

Paimon smiled with satisfaction, hands on her hips.

After all, as a Descender, Penelope was much more obedient than the Traveler, who always joked about eating her as emergency rations.

Paimon said, “Of course not! Look at those Flameflowers—they don’t go out no matter the wind or rain. So, Nana, whenever you see them, don’t pick them! If you want some, we’ll ask the Traveler to get them for us!”