Thank You, Master

While Abbie and Alice were discussing important things in the women's hot springs, Aiden and Alex were also having a heart to heart talk.

"Big Brother, why doesn't Master want to take a bath with me?" Alex asked with a pout.

"I think it's because Abbie is shy," Aiden answered with a smile. "Even Alice doesn't want to take a bath with me no matter how many times I ask."

"I see!" Alex nodded his head in understanding. "It's not that Master doesn't want to take a bath with me, it's just that she's shy."

"That's right." Aiden consoled the little boy who was feeling down a few minutes ago. "I'll give you one more piece of advice. Women are unpredictable creatures. Don't try too hard to understand them."

"But, I want to get closer to Master."

"Just be yourself, Alex. Abbie is a good master. I'm sure that the two of you will get closer in time. What you need to do is become stronger. As long as you are strong, she will always be by your side."

Alex listened to his "Big Brother's" explanation and nodded his head. Indeed, if he was stronger, Abbie wouldn't have to get hurt. Since that was the case, the little boy vowed that he would do everything he could to become stronger so Abbie could depend on him more.

"Besides, you need to be strong in order to repel the bugs who will steal your Master away from you," Aiden narrowed his gaze with a smirk. "Just thinking of insects hovering around Alice makes my teeth itch. Were it possible, I would immediately shoot them down with my arrows and be done with it."

Alex's eyes widened when he heard Aiden's words. He also felt anxious about that at the same time. His master was so (plump) beautiful that he was afraid that someone would ask her to become their lover. The little hero clenched his fist as he gave Aiden a determined gaze.

"I won't let anyone take Master away from me," Alex said with a serious expression. "Big Brother, can you teach me how I can make my Master not look at any other guys aside from me?"

Aiden laughed and patted the boy's shoulder. As a summoned hero, he understood Alex's feelings. For heroes like them, their masters were the most important thing in their lives. They would not allow anyone to snatch them away.

This was also the reason why Aiden didn't feel too much jealousy even though Alice was smitten with Alex. The elf knew that Alex only has eyes for Abbie and no one else. Even if the most beautiful woman in the world was in front of him, the boy would still choose Abbie over them.

There was something that Alice didn't know about how the Hero Summoning worked. While it was true that the summoned hero was completely random, it was not that simple. The mechanics of the summoning ritual was simple.

You didn't get what you WANTED. You got what you NEEDED.

Since Aiden appeared for Alice, and Alex appeared for Abbie, it meant that they were the best heroes suited for their current Masters. While Aiden wasn't sure why a One-Starred Hero like Alex appeared. It didn't change the fact that the world of Edea recognized him as a hero.

In truth, Aiden wanted to know Alex's story. How could an eight-year-old boy possibly become a hero? The elf had no idea. There was only one thing he was sure of. All the heroes that were summoned had "died once".

Alex's job class was a Fighter. Fighters were known to stand at the very front of battles while their teammates supported them from the back.

Since Alex was a fighter, it meant that the boy had fought on the front lines. The elf frowned when he came to this realization. He watched how Alex fought with the goblins. His fighting style was a mess. There was no technique or mastery with the sword. He just swung his weapon left and right like any normal human would.

'Wait, maybe it has something to do with his sword?' Aiden thought. He already saw Durandal once. Alice had confirmed that it was a Mythical Weapon. Aiden's weapons were only of the Legendary Rank. It was a level lower than the Mythical Rank, but that gap was there for a reason.

Mythical Weapons were just a step away from God Weapons. Mythical was the highest rank anyone below the heavens could attain. God Weapons, as the name suggests could only be wielded by Gods.

To be honest, Aiden felt a bit envious of Alex when it came to his weapon. However, the idea of "stealing" Durandal never crossed his mind. Abbie and Alex were their partners.

"Big Brother?" Alex asked with a frown. "You didn't answer my question."

"Sorry, I zoned out for a bit," Aiden replied with a grin. "You want me to teach you how to make your Master look only at you right?"

"Un!"

"You're in luck. Although I'm not an expert when it comes to women, I know a thing or two to keep them close to me."

The elf raised his chin with pride and started to teach Alex the "ways" on how to make Abbie look only at him. The pitiful boy listened to Aiden's words seriously. He didn't even realize that the elf himself was also frustrated because Alice kept her distance from him.

-----

Abbie was drinking some fruit juice while waiting for Alex to arrive. She and Alice had talked about a lot of things concerning Alex and their plan when the gates of Edea opened.

The chubby girl finally understood that they were not in a good position when it came to clearing the missions in Edea. She even thought of training in her martial arts once again. This was the only way she could think of to help her Little Hero clear the missions that the game would assign to them.

To sum it up, Abbie realized a few things. GGS was a game, but it was not an ordinary game. In this game, she could lose her life if she was not careful. Of course, she could also choose the safest option in using the [Auto] function and allow Alex to clear the missions on his own.

She could also use the [Manual] function in which she could control Alex through her I-Foam like a character in an RPG game. By picking either of these two choices, she didn't need to risk her life and could let Alex handle everything.

However, the tutorial mission made her realize how weak Alex was. Even the lowest tiered Goblins proved to be a challenge for him to handle. What more if he had to face something stronger than a goblin like an Orc or a Minotaur? Wouldn't her Little Hero die under a single strike?

Abbie was unresigned. The thought of seeing Alex die in front of her made her nauseous. Even though Alice had repeatedly told her that Alex would revive after a week, she was still unable to accept such an ending.

While thinking these thoughts, she saw Alex walking towards her with a smile. The boy was wearing clean clothes and his hair was properly combed in place. Abbie felt her heart warming up as the little boy drew closer.

She could feel the strong connection between her and Alex. It was such a magical feeling and it made her want to hug the cutie to oblivion. And that was what she did. He hugged the living shit out of Alex which made the little boy's face flush red like a tomato.

"Alex."

"Master?"

"Let's get stronger together," Abbie said as she patted the boy's head. "I know that you will do your best to protect me, so I will also do my best to protect you."

Alex looked at Abbie's face for a few seconds before spreading his arms to give her a hug. He buried his face in Abbie's chest in order to hide the happy expression on his face. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to stop himself from grinning ear to ear because of his Master's words.