The fight ended a full hour later due to the new monsters (fortunately just toughened and awakened tier) attracted by the fight. The two of them ended up consuming the rest of their potions.
Thanks to the potions, their injuries weren’t too bad, but they were exhausted, their stamina low, and they were also very reluctant to engage in another battle, even if it was against weakened monsters.
The plant they needed was at the borders of levels 1 and 2. Before, it should only be toughened-level monsters there, but if fortified level monsters appeared so early, then it would not be possible for them to get the item in their current states.
"Reesa gave me a map before..." Winona mumbled. Reesa was one of her closest friends. "Perhaps we are nearby."
She opened her status gem, showing the mark of the location. It was less than a kilometer away, thankfully.
Sadly, the journey was not easy, and they didn’t really expect it to be. On their way there, they encountered dozens of monsters and a handful of toughened-level monsters.
With limited mana and stamina, their focus was to run, but some fights were inevitable.
When they neared the place, they were already very injured, and their stats were dangerously low. This caused them to slow down, and more and more injuries piled up on their bodies. However, they still continued to trudge through, running away from the mobs while holding each other’s hands.
Selan’s arm was heavily injured. Otherwise, he’d have carried his wife. For now, he could only curse his own weakness.
They ran and ran in the direction of the ’camp’. However, a Cleric’s physique was inherently much lower than her beastkin husband.
At some point, her knees buckled and Selan’s reflexes allowed him to pull her up, but the single pause made them vulnerable to the monsters right behind them.
ROAARRR!!
Selan covered his wife with his body, prepared to be bitten.
Unexpectedly, they saw magical projectiles coming from a direction, hitting the monsters. There were wind slashes and some other force, raining down on the monsters. For the awakened-level monsters, some shots were lethal, for toughened-level they were good distractions.
"Come forward! Past the pole!" a small voice sounded and they just followed it by instinct. They dragged themselves forward, seeing the pole with a flag.
BANG!
ROAARR!
The couple saw that the monsters were blocked, and it was only then that they realized that there was a barrier in front of them.
Relief washed over the couple and they turned to their saviors. "Thank you! Thank y—"
Their voices died down when they saw who it was who saved them.
Two angelic little beings, one with pink hair and one with blue, both beautiful and lovely.
They blinked and then looked around, confused when they confirmed there was no one else there.
"Children?"
"Are you here for the Inn?" they asked.
Inn?
Winona blinked and looked at her map.
It seems like they have arrived!
...
The couple toured the place. It was a simple complex that seemed to have everything. It had sleeping areas, camping areas, food areas, potion and blacksmith stores.
When Reese said that there was a nice place to camp in the danger zone, they did not expect it to be something like this .
Anyway, without further ado, they headed to the counter. "We’d like to rent an Improved Bedroom for 1 week, please!"
...
Immediately the next day, the couple went ahead with their search mission, spending the entire day searching and fighting at the same time.
At night, after everyone was done, Syl and Finn would usually bond in the gazebo, likely with some wine. One day, the couple went back at around that time, seeing the two enjoying a glass of alcohol.
Booze was a per-order thing so it wasn’t displayed, but fortunately, they could buy a bottle if they knew they could buy it or if there was stock.
They ended up having a double date of sorts, with Finn preparing some light food for everyone (and he didn’t reject the couple’s payment despite not asking them to pay).
Through the small talk, they found out that the couple was looking for a plant, a major ingredient for their son’s medicine.
They had been through several merchant guilds and found nothing.
It was apparently found in Level 1 Danger Zone. However, the challenge was that it was a small plant and very unassuming. It was impossible to see it was unusual at a glance and was therefore very difficult to find.
In the danger zone, who had the luxury of truly wading through plants and studying them one by one?
Finn looked at them. "Well," he said, with a mysterious air around him. "You should be able to find it around the area."
The next day, the couple woke up a little later to catch up on their rest. Although the inn had a magic effect on stats, it was still good to get some proper rest for their bodies and minds, much like cleansing.
When they woke up, they ate breakfast at the canteen and headed out, seeing those two adorable kids throwing magical projectiles at an awakened level monster a meter away from them.
"Those kids... are really talented," she couldn’t help but say. "Geniuses. I haven’t seen them control things so young."
"Well, they live in the middle of monster nest, they had to grow faster than others."
"That makes sense," Winona said, but then she let out a melancholic sigh.
"I miss our son."
Senan patted her head in agreement. He then transformed into what looked like a cross between a dog and a coyote, except it was bigger than a panther. He then ran to the kids and laid down, and Lily happily glomped on him to pet him.
She even pulled Athie with her, and then started running around the premises while riding on the dog.
"YAYYY!"
"YAYYY!!!"
The trio ended up in front of Winona, who was giggling. She couldn’t help but pat the little heads, thinking it felt so pleasant. They then continued to run around.
Winona shook her head and smiled before turning to the other couple sitting next to each other. They were quite sweet, with the man putting sweet snacks on the woman’s mouth, and the woman shyly taking it in.
She couldn’t help but remember herself and her husband back then. Their eyes met and she sat down next to them.
Syl pursed her lips before asking. "How was it? When you two got married?"
The question was very loaded, and it made Finn look at her; the hand that was holding her curvaceous hips tightened a bit.
"It’s not so straightforward to become lifelong partners with someone from a completely different race," Winona said. "After all, the culture and the view of the world could be so different.
"However, as long as you value the same things and respect what the other does, then love could be enough."
She looked at the lovely place and the great, healthy food. Her son had been sickly since he was born, and many said it was because of their conflicting races. She did not believe that at all.
"I wish I could take my son here," she said. "He’s going to love it here."
...
Later that day, the couple finally found the plant they had been looking for. Realizing how truly difficult it was to find. It was on a crevice and they could only find it because they literally swept through the plants, area by area, which would not have been possible if they didn’t have a nearby place to rest.
They went to find a few more copies, just in case, as they knew these things grew in clusters or nearby each other. Fortunately, they really did find some, and with this, they could find a way to cure his illness long-term, maybe forever.
With a smile, they headed back home, not forgetting to express their gratitude towards the inn.
"Looks like the inn saved another life," Syl said, and Finn smiled, giving her a kiss.
At this time, Finn had no idea how apt that would be.