Leo turned around. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl walked out, her long, bright golden hair tied high in a ponytail behind her head. Her figure was tall and athletic, and her face was full of confidence. Only one thought flashed through Leo's mind: an absolute beauty, the kind that could bring down nations.
Sal's reaction was somewhat exaggerated; he was so terrified that he hid directly behind Leo. "Big Brother, it's this crazy woman."
Leo was a bit suspicious. This brat actually knows how to be afraid? Wait, this woman looked a bit familiar; could it be...?
"Hahaha! You males are truly laughable. You were full of courage that night, weren't you? Didn't you say you wanted to take on the most beautiful woman? Is it that I, Thales, the number one beauty of the Amazons, am not beautiful enough?" The girl was extremely bold, and her words were quite explosive.
Dammit, another tigress from a matriarchal clan. No wonder Sal had been tamed so thoroughly; he probably took quite a few beatings on the regular.
Seeing Sal cowering, Thales' expression was one of great disappointment. "Truly a cowardly male. I thought you would be a brave hero; how regrettable."
Leo grumbled internally. A powerful tigress like this—any normal man would keep a respectful distance, right?
"You male next to him, are you this coward's Big Brother?" Seeing Sal had turned completely into a wimp, Thales shifted her target.
"Ah? Strictly speaking..." Seeing Sal looking at him with pleading eyes—it was so gross that the words at the tip of his tongue changed—"I suppose so."
"Splendid! So you're the one who said those words? A real woman should fight the strongest Demon King, drink the strongest wine, eat the most delicious food, and take on the strongest man."
Leo nearly choked on his own spit. He had just made that up on a whim; how did it get "remixed" like this by her?
"You male, you're quite a character. I am called Thales. What is your name?" It was clear that the Amazon girl's interest had shifted entirely to Leo.
Leo grimaced. This truly was a case of "the heavens are watching what man does"—karma is a cycle, and today it was his turn. "I am called Leo."
Hearing Leo's answer, Thales revealed a look of realization. "So it really is you. Care for a drink today? My treat."
"Big Brother, you can't let our masculine pride be diminished!" Hearing Thales' proactive challenge, Sal couldn't help but jump out.
He then whispered into Leo's ear: "Big Brother, this woman looks down on men immensely. I'm no match for her, so I told her a lot about your battle record."
Dammit, you brat, you're setting me up! Now he really couldn't back down. "Haha! Such spirit! Truly a heroine among women. Then I won't be polite."
Thales' eyes sparkled as she muttered the words "heroine among women" to herself; it seemed she was very fond of that kind of phrasing.
The table was soon covered with a dense array of wine mugs, and Sal had already transformed into the referee. The entire tavern went quiet as everyone whispered while watching the two of them. After all, this drinking contest was of great significance: was it the males who were better at drinking, or were the females stronger?
"Someone else is challenging that crazy woman to a drinking contest? Not even the Barbarians with the highest tolerance were her match; I reckon it's looking bleak this time too." A Druid who was drinking was clearly not optimistic about Leo.
"Isn't that the truth? This woman is a freak—she can drink and she can fight. Last time a Barbarian lost and tried to go back on his word; the result was an entire squad being flattened by this woman. It was such a disgrace for men." A Paladin nearby felt somewhat indignant.
"Fortunately, my hearing is excellent; I think I heard that man is Leo. This time, Thales is going to stumble." An Assassin stated with certainty.
Leo felt he had been played. He looked at Sal; the brat's gaze was shifty. After all, when every man in the tavern was being suppressed by one woman, it was natural for everyone to be unconvinced. But where did this brat learn these "setups"?
"You lot, don't look down on people! Today, this woman is definitely going to be carried out. Do you know who her opponent is? That's my Big Brother, the Hero of the Encampment, Leo!" Sal, the clever little devil, seeing that Leo was somewhat unwilling, immediately rallied everyone's emotions.
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Leo gave a bitter smile, and the two began their contest.
The drinking session lasted until the world felt upside down. This Thales was indeed formidable; even Leo felt about fifty percent drunk. Looking at the girl who had started acting out in her drunkenness, she refused to admit defeat no matter what, insisting on getting him drunk as well. Unfortunately, this ale was similar to beer; in his past life, he was the type who could drink indefinitely.
It wasn't quite safe for a girl to be passed out drunk outside, so Leo hooked her arm over his shoulder. Only then did he realize this woman was quite "well-endowed," and she was tall, almost equal to himself. The propped-up Thales was extremely unruly, flailing her arms and legs wanting more to drink. Leo had a massive headache and could only trick her into thinking they were going back to continue drinking.
"A threesome!" "Threesome!" "Threesome!"
Amidst the suggestive and admiring catcalls of the patrons, Leo and the other two left the tavern.
"Big Brother, what great things have you been up to these past few days?" Seeing Thales in such a state, Sal felt greatly vindicated, as if he himself had won.
Leo smiled slightly. Although Sal was annoying, he was relatively simple; his likes and dislikes were written directly on his face, making him easy to deal with.
Technically, he shouldn't refuse a little brother looking for some conversation fodder, but could he talk about what he'd done these past few days? Killing the fallen Hero of the Encampment, digging up the soldiers' graves, and pillaging the ancient burial grounds in passing.
"Didn't do much, just found a new map to level up. After all, everyone's level is rising, and there are too many people competing for monsters, haha." Leo responded awkwardly.
"True. Currently, the strength of the monsters in the Blood Moor is getting weaker, and the monsters in the Cold Plains are also starting to lose power. Leveling is getting harder and harder, and the drops are getting worse." Sal, with his pitiable IQ, actually showed an expression of worry.
It seemed that falling behind in leveling was indeed difficult—just like conquering a New World, it was "first come, first served," and those behind found it hard to even get a sip of soup. Thinking of this, Leo quietly informed him of the location of the Burial Grounds.
Watching Sal, who acted as if he'd found a treasure, Leo felt that occasionally giving his little brother a pointer wasn't out of line. Regardless, he would soon be heading to the Stony Field to level up.
"Brother, you're quite impressive. You've only been back for a day and you've already brought back two beauties." Majesty was a bit fuming. She had been waiting in the living room in good faith for her brother to come home, only to find that not only was he playing with women outside, he even brought one home. What was that all about?
Seeing his sister angry, Leo was still a bit afraid. He silently placed the girl on the bench in the living room and stammered an explanation: "I didn't... I'm not... we're innocent."
Shika had originally been happily watching the drama, but her expression changed upon seeing the girl's face. She hurriedly stepped forward to check the girl's clothes. Finding nothing abnormal, she let out a long sigh of relief.
"Shika, do you know this woman?" Majesty saw that the girl's clothing was fine, and her tone softened.
"Thales, the most excellent Amazon warrior. She participated in the Rogue rookie test, and her total score was the same as Morena's back then. Although she isn't a Rogue, her reputation among the Rogues is extremely high." Shika handed the socketed White equipment back to Leo, then helped Thales upstairs.