Difference Of Heaven and Hell

"So, How was your first dungeon crawling adventure?" Alice asked with a smile. "Much more exciting than the games you have played in the past?"

"Exciting is not the right word," Abbie answered while massaging her temples. "I think I lost a few pounds back there."

Alice's shoulders shook as she did her best to hold back a chuckle. The chubby girl in front of her looked disheveled and her hair was a mess. It just proved how intense her days were inside the Dungeon of Greed.

"A bath sounds good right now," Abbie lamented as she looked at her dirt-covered dress. "Do you have a shower in this building?"

"Of course we do," Alice replied with sparkling eyes. She thought of an interesting idea to share some skinship with the cute boy standing beside Abbie. "Alex, do you want to take a bath as well?"

"Yes, Big Sister Alice." Alex nodded his head. "Master, let's take a bath together."

The shota looked at Abbie like a cute puppy which made the latter's heart itch. However, she resisted using all the stored fat at her disposal.

"Sorry Alex," Abbie replied as she gently patted the boy's head. "Let's take a bath some other time."

"Ok…"

Alice glared at Abbie when she saw the cutie's disappointed face. The look she gave Abbie made the chubby girl flinch. The words "don't-you-have-a-heart?" were written on her face which made Abbie feel a bit guilty.

"Since Abbie doesn't want to take a bath with you, why don't you bathe with Big Sister instead?"

Alice latched on Alex's body like a true shotacon would. "Come, let Big Sister clean you up!"

"Oh no you don't!" Abbie growled as she took Alex from Alice's embrace. "Aiden, can you please take a bath with Alex?"

"Ok." Aiden easily agreed to Abbie's request and dragged Alex towards the shower room. Since Alice was his master, he wouldn't allow her to have skinship with other men. Even though Alex was still a boy, Aiden didn't trust his master's control over her fetish. It was better to be safe than sorry.

"I hate you, Abbie." Alice pouted. "Would it kill you to take a bath with Alex? Are you perhaps a pervert that lusts after a little boy's body?"

"I don't want to hear that from you of all people you shotacon!" Abbie snorted in disdain. "We both know who the pervert is between the two of us."

Alice pretended not to be affected by Abbie's words. Since Alex had been taken away, she no longer had any interest in staying in the simulation room. However, she was still Abbie's sponsor and supporter so she guided her to the shower room exclusively for the ladies participating in clearing the world of Edea.

"Alice, join me inside," Abbie said as she took off her clothes. "There are a few things that I wanted to consult with you."

"Can't this wait until you finish bathing?"

"This is a bit sensitive. I don't want Alex to hear it."

Alice pondered when she heard Abbie's words. The blonde beauty carefully observed her chosen candidate's face. Seeing how serious Abbie was, she decided to join her in the shower room.

The shower room of Exodia headquarters was connected to an indoor hot spring. Both men and women had their own designated baths, which were far away from each other. The company knew that heroes had enhanced senses so they deemed it best to separate the two places by a floor.

The women's bath was on the fourth underground floor while the men's bath was on the third floor.

After washing away the dirt and grime from her hair and body, Abbie felt completely refreshed as she soaked inside the hotspring.

"This sure hits the spot," Abbie sighed in bliss. "Even if this is just an artificial hot spring it still feels good."

"But of course," Alice commented from the side. "The company used many resources to ensure that the candidates will feel happy during the duration of their mission. This hot spring is just one of the perks that you will receive from it."

Abbie dipped her entire body with the exemption of her head for a full minute until her face reddened. After having her fill, she decided to start her consultation with Alice in regards to the missions they would encounter in Edea.

"Alice, we failed that tutorial right?"

"Yes."

"Since it is only a tutorial, why is it so hard?" Abbie asked. In every game, the tutorial was supposed to be the easiest mission. However, the mission they received went above their current abilities. If it weren't for Alice and Aiden ejecting them from the dungeon, when things took a turn for the worse, she had no doubt in her mind that Alex and her would already be dead.

Getting mobbed by over thirty Hobgoblins and a Goblin Shaman was not a death she would like to experience in Edea.

"That's because the difficulty we chose for your tutorial is higher than the norm," Alice answered with a straight face.

Abbie frowned when she heard Alice's explanation. "Why?"

"Aiden and I wanted you to understand how difficult the missions were," Alice admitted. "The battles that Alex will have to face in the future are more difficult compared to what you experienced during your dungeon run."

"So that mission was impossible to clear in the first place?"

"For the two of you, yes. For me and Aiden, No."

"Oh? Aiden can clear that mission?" Abbie was genuinely surprised. She didn't know how strong Aiden was. At first she thought that Alice was just bluffing, but the confident smile plastered on the blondie's face was telling her that it was the truth.

"How long will it take Aiden to clear the mission if both of you entered the Dungeon of Greed?"

"Less than an hour."

"What?!" Abbie exclaimed. Water splashed from her body as she stood up from the hot spring. It took them almost seven days to reach the third floor and they were still unable to clear the dungeon. However, Alice was saying that Aiden could clear it in less than an hour? What sorcery is this?!

"You're forgetting something important, Abbie," Alice said as she raised her chin with pride. "Aiden is a 'Bonafide' Hero. He's a five-starred champion. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the difference between him and Alex is like Heaven and Hell."

"If I were to put it bluntly, If Aiden was your partner, clearing the missions would be playing the game in [Easy Mode]. If you are going to partner with Alex it would be [Hell Mode]. Do you understand?" Alice added.

The two girls stared at each other until a sigh escaped Alice's lips. She watched Abbie's expression and knew that the chubby girl had finally realized the severity of her current situation. Although Alice knew a few things about Edea, she didn't know everything about it.

The knowledge that she had was information given to her by Aiden. If what her summoned hero told her was correct, there is indeed a chance for Alex to become stronger. However, she didn't tell this to Abbie because she didn't want to give her false hope.

'I just hope that Aiden manages to convince that person to pass her knowledge to Alex,' Alice prayed in her heart. 'If not, then the future doesn't bode well for the two of them.'