Chapter 1: Cutting Ties

Dora’s hand gently touched his flushed cheek as he stared in astonishment at his girlfriend who had just slapped him.

"Sa... Sana?"

"What’s wrong with you? Why are you like this? You’re nothing like what you were before. When we started dating, you were cooler, more capable. How did you become like this?!" she said in anger.

Everyone was looking at him with different gazes. Lilith couldn’t hide her anger, Morgiana seemed satisfied, Erick laughed openly, and Marie, her head turned toward the window, trembled. Something so simple had led to this.

"I... Sorry..." he whispered.

"You disgust me. If I knew you would turn out like this, I would never..."

"Ask me to date you just because I was an Avatar? Yeah, probably."

She stopped for a moment at his unexpected shift in tone. Dora’s attitude was becoming increasingly bewildering to everyone, and another small giggle from Marie could be heard in the background. Leon stood up suddenly.

"Don’t talk to her like that!"

Dora unveiled a brand-new smile.

"Here comes the hero."

"How could you act like that after all she’s done for you? I expected you to take this with more maturity, but now you’re going too far."

"Really? Don’t you think you’re the one going too far right now? This is between two people dating, so do you mind staying out of it?"

Leon’s face underwent a drastic transformation. All eyes turned to Dora with annoyance, except for Marie, who stifled her laughter with a stuffed animal. Leon rose from his seat and began to move toward Dora, only to be stopped by Liliana’s intervention.

"Sir Leon, if you do anything violent toward your teammate, I will have to reconsider my decision to join you."

His eyes wandered from the young girl to Dora.

"I didn’t think of wasting my energy on this trash. I have better priorities. Do you believe me now, Sana?"

With a shake of her head, she replied and then moved away from Dora, pausing behind Leon, who murmured incomprehensible words to her. Her eyes held disappointment as she looked at her former boyfriend.

"You’re not wrong. When I met you, you were so different. You were more mature... But now you’re just a shadow of yourself."

"But... What about our love for each other? We can always work it out, even if I’m not on your team."

"We’re breaking up. I can’t go out with you anymore. I forgave you when I found out you cheated on me, but now I can’t take it anymore."

"Cheated?" Dora’s eyebrow lifted inquisitively.

As Sana cried in Leon’s arms, he shot a hateful glance at Dora, but there was a hint of mockery in his eyes that Dora noticed. Morgiana insulted, Erick smiled, and Lilith trembled in frustration. Dora easily grasped everyone’s emotions, making the situation painfully clear.

Leon’s love for Sana had been evident since she and Lilith joined the group, but Sana’s affections were directed toward Dora. They eventually started dating, but a certain dynamic emerged.

Leon excelled as the team’s top fighter, handling both DPS and tank roles, while Dora lagged behind as a lackluster debuffer. All attention was on Leon, prompting Sana to push Dora to work harder to keep up.

His response one night marked the beginning of a shift in her behavior: "I don’t need this."

He just smiled at her, seeing her hugging Leon so warmly.

"You shouldn’t cry. You got what you wanted after all, right, Sana?" he said.

Leon rose to his feet, appearing arrogant toward him.

"From now on, she’s under my care. I don’t allow you to talk to her or any girl on this team."

Dora observed him before lowering his head.

"... My condolences, Erick."

"You shit!" Erick took his dagger and rushed at him, but Leon, with a wave of his hand, stopped him, knowing Liliana’s reaction.

"That’s enough. You won’t soil this team anymore. Now take your money and disappear."

"Yeah, keep an eye on the village. The day we’re a world-recognized team, we won’t have time to take care of that backwater," Erick added with a disgusting smile.

Dora glanced at the rest of the team before placing a comforting hand on Liliana’s shoulder. She turned toward him, clearly upset by the circumstances.

"It’s okay. I don’t want to give the wrong impression of your new teammates. I’ll be leaving now. Sorry to show you that scene."

She let out a sigh and dropped her head. Dora grinned and faced the group.

"Lilith, it looks like we’ll have to settle our little war another time."

She intended to speak, but instead turned her gaze elsewhere, trembling. The sight of a tear rolling down her cheek could be seen.

"Morgiana, good luck becoming the strongest. You don’t need my help for that."

"For what? Have I ever asked for your help?"

"Maybe not right now, but who knows? Anyway, I hope you won’t. Sana, before being honest with others, you should be honest with yourself. It’s also a way to get stronger."

Choosing not to respond, she hugged Leon tightly while he tenderly dried her tears.

"Leon, if you really want to be the best team in the world, you should also invite Hope, or is it mandatory to be a woman to join the team?"

"Huh? What are you even saying? You can’t have two heroes on the same team as a starter, that’s all!"

"Who decided that? You know me well. It’s useless, but good luck in building your harem team. Oh, that reminds me of Erick."

"Say something stupid and I’ll kill you." He pointed his dagger at him.

"I already said your name. You should have hit me by now. It’s the only time in your life you could touch me and get away with it."

"Fuck you, you idiot! Leon, I swear I’ll kill him if he doesn’t leave now!"

"Dora, that’s enough!" Leon shouted.

"Fine, fine, talk about a husband defending his wife, geez."

He grabbed the bag and got ready to go, but as he stood at the entrance, someone tugged him back. He spun around, noticing Marie’s weak grip.

"So? Did that bring tears to your eyes too?"

"Your acting was too bad, Idiora. You wouldn’t even make a mother cry," she said with a little smile.

"It’s because I’m a good son, but you still moved. I technically win."

Making a small sound with her lips, she then passed him the plush she had been holding onto.

"Eh? Are you leaving me with Chubastic?"

"It’s Mr. Chub, Idiora. Take him with you, no excuses."

Clutching the toy in one hand and the bag of pebbles in the other, he couldn’t help but notice the unusual heaviness of the stuffed animal.

Marie, an adept puppeteer, employed her magical prowess to fashion these plush creatures for warfare. Chubastic, her very first creation, had never been utilized, and she offered it to him.

"Take good care of it. It will be my replacement to accompany you. Don’t you dare lose it." Wise words from the youngest among them.

"... You trust me too much. But I will take responsibility."

As they exchanged smiles, he bid farewell and walked away. Unbeknownst to him, as he turned his back, he remained oblivious to the subtle shift in her expression. Only she held the understanding of the true significance behind his departure.

Leon sighed in satisfaction and patted her head.

"It’s for the best. He was holding you back..."

Abruptly, she pushed his hand away, leaving him momentarily shocked. The young girl’s tear-filled eyes and rosy nose gave her face a fresh and poignant expression.

"Don’t ever touch me again. I’m only following you because of the team. Don’t get too cocky."

She went to a room behind. Leon sighed, not really annoyed.

"That’s one of the reasons we had to deal with him quickly. He’s simple-minded and knows how to play with girls. He just tried that with you too, Liliana. I hope Marie gets the hang of it soon."

"Yeah, I heard he sometimes goes to her room at night. What a creep," Erick added.

"Could you stop with that? What are you even trying to do?" Lilith rushed out of the place, soon followed by Sana. Morgiana, after slowly closing the door, turned to Leon and Erick.

"Listen, boys, I know how you feel about him, but let’s get this straight. I only had a problem with him not trying to evolve. Your little game of bad boy playing with girls is getting boring. Someone who never showed interest in women, even when they were around naked, probably wouldn’t do something like that."

"It’s just your opinion. You can’t deny that he often sleeps in Marie’s room. Putting him out was also a way to keep Marie and Sana on the team. In the end, the bad guy is ejected," Leon said with a smile.

Morgiana and he locked eyes while Liliana anxiously observed them. Meanwhile, in the village, Dora aimlessly strolled along, catching the attention of onlookers whenever he crossed paths with a group.

Their curiosity was piqued by his countenance, causing them to halt their conversations and fixate on him. As he neared a normally grumpy merchant, he diverted from his usual path upon spotting him. Lastly, a farmer standing by her stall called out to get his attention.

"Hey son, if you’re so happy, why don’t you buy something?"

He glanced at her, his face lit up with the widest smile he had ever displayed, and his voice trembled with pure bliss as he answered.

"Fine, give me whatever you want for this money."