Personally, I was intimidated by the distance between here and the Tecca Empire. As we sped off, I held thoughts about the journey in my head. What sort of monsters would we encounter? Would we encounter people? Did we have enough provisions for the journey? What kind of scenery would we find?

We'd run for about five kilometers before stopping in a clearing to set up camp. The White Desert was still about a hundred kilometers from our current position. The stretch we planned to travel through made up the rest of the journey. We had to travel through about 900 more kilometers of desert. I shuddered at the thought of the heat as we sat around the campfire. Snapping out of my trance, I saw everyone staring at me and all of our stomachs rumbled at the same time.

I awkwardly scratched the back of my head and pulled out a skillet from my inventory. I spread some fat inside the pan and let it cover the base of the skillet before placing some meat in. I held the pan above the campfire and started hearing the sizzling of the meat. After a while, the meat was finished and I seasoned it before slicing it up and distributing it to everyone. They all looked like they were in heaven while eating the food.

"He can fight and cook effectively. The perfect husband..." I heard Jane mumbling in the background and made out her words. I could've sworn I saw hearts in her eyes.

"What Mastery is your cooking at, Michael?" Lance asked me while enjoying his food.

"I'll check right now." I went to my status and checked on my cooking skill.

Cooking Your proficiency in cooking. Higher Mastery levels make your dishes tastier. Mastery: Intermediate 9 Effect: 38%

"It's at Intermediate 9." I told him. He was a little surprised.

"Wow, no wonder they're this good. That's a pretty high skill level." Lance said. I'd probably gain more companions just by cooking. I sighed and ate my meal. It was late evening while we ate, and we made small talk to pass the time. Once we were tired, all of us went to sleep. Of course, Rose and Jane were similar in that they snuck into our bedrolls while Lance and I were sleeping.

I woke up to find the sneaky fox-girl nestled comfortably in my arms. I looked over to Lance and he was in the same situation. I gestured for him to be quiet and he nodded. Both of us waited until the girls woke up so we could get out of the bedrolls. Once they woke up, we climbed out of our bedrolls and waited for the girls to wake up completely.

"You awake yet, Jane?" I watched the fox-girl climb out of the bedroll and sit down next to me.

"I wanted to stay like that for a little longer..." She complained while pouting. I chuckled a little before cooking a light meal for breakfast. Once we were all ready, our group set off on our journey towards the White Desert.

It took about 20 days, but we arrived at the border to the White Desert. A town was located here and we used the place to get some rest and restock on anything we needed. Lance and I were targeted by envious stares because of the girls we traveled with. Similarly, other women gave Jane and Rose envious stares due to their looks and the fact that Lance and I were with them. Compared to Lance, I was an average looking man but looked like the team's tank. Which I was if you don't mind.

Once we were prepared, our journey through the White Desert began. It wasn't as hot as I thought it would be. It was a pretty average temperature, in fact. Maybe about 70 or 80 degrees? Though I was afraid of the cold at night if it was this cool during the daytime. We sped along the desert, leaving trails of dust in our wake until we encountered a group of monsters.

We stopped in front of a group of scorpions that had white colored carapaces. At first, I didn't see them, but my danger sense flared up once I got closer. I saw them resting in the sand, waiting for a chance to strike.

White Desert Scorpion Level: 52 Health: 1080 A scorpion that has evolved to live in the White Desert. Their white carapace allows them to hide within the white sands of the Desert.

I pulled my greatsword off its hook and cleaved downward towards a Scorpion. The attack bisected the scorpion and green blood started flowing from its corpse.

The other Scorpions were alerted and I saw Lance pierce a Scorpion multiple times with his spear. He aimed for gaps in the armored carapace and stabbed through them. Jane did the same thing with her magic and arrows while Rose used a few offensive spells she had to chip away at them. I prepared a swing and let loose one horizontally at the Scorpions in front of me. The attack obliterated four that were in front of me and knocked back another three. Those three were finished off by Rose's spells while they were stunned.

I rushed ahead and avoided a stinger that pierced towards me. I chopped toward the Scorpion and it was killed with one strike. I remembered something and opened my hand toward an approaching scorpion.

"Ice Flechette!" I yelled. Nine pieces of ice quickly formed, looking like they could pierce anything. They flew forward toward the scorpion and pieced its carapace, going straight through and coming out the other side. It started bleeding profusely and died from its wounds.

Lance saw what happened and was completely surprised by my magic. Shrugging off the thought, I looked around and realized more Scorpions were approaching over the dunes. I grinned at the thought of being fed free experience.

"Aren't you actually a one-man army? Do you even need us? You can tank, you can hit devastating blows, and you can use magic for ranged attacks. Why are we even here?" Lance exclaimed.

"Well, having companions just makes it much easier." I said.

Shrugging off the thought, I looked around and realized more Scorpions were approaching over the dunes. Lance prepared his spear and I readied my sword for the fight.

The fight lasted about half an hour we constantly killed Scorpions. I didn't get much exp, but my greatsword masteries, evasion, and heavy armor mastery leveled quite quickly. What I was surprised about was the fact that I'd only gained Arm-blade mastery now, if at all. I decided to check my combat skills since I haven't seen their progress in some time.

New Skill! Arm-blade Mastery Your proficiency in using arm-blades. A higher Mastery provides increased damage, attack speed, and durability of arm-blades. Mastery: Beginner 2 Effect: 4% Greatsword Mastery Your proficiency in using greatswords. A higher Mastery provides increased damage, speed, and efficiency of attacks with a greatsword. Mastery: Master 1 Effect: 62% One-Handed Greatsword Mastery The ability to wield greatswords one-handed. A higher Mastery will decrease the difficulty of wielding a greatsword one-handed. Mastery: Advanced 2 Effect: 44% Heavy Armor Mastery Your proficiency in using heavy armor. A higher Mastery increases defense, ease of use, and durability of heavy armor Mastery: Advanced 1 Effect: 42% Evasion Your ability to dodge attacks. Higher mastery increases your proficiency in evading attacks Mastery: Advanced 2 Effect: 22% Deflect A more advanced version of Parry, allows you to deflect blows from melee and ranged weapons alike; A higher mastery allows for more precise timing on deflects Mastery: Advanced 5 Effect: 50% Danger Sense Your ability to sense danger. A higher Mastery allows you to sense danger more quickly and precisely. Mastery: Intermediate 10 Effect: 40%

Many of my combat-related skills were high level now. I'd been constantly fighting since I desperately wanted to get stronger and it paid off. Smiling in satisfaction, I saw the sun was starting to set and we decided to cover as much distance as we could before setting up camp. Once night fell, I withdrew firewood from my inventory and placed it down along with some bits of paper to use for tinder. I then pulled out a flint and struck it. I tried a few times before the sparks caught and a flame started.

The campfire burned and I got ready for my new daily routine. Once I started cooking, everyone stopped what they were doing at once and sat around the fire with their mouths salivating. I continued cooking and once the meal was done, they practically inhaled their food. I polished my greatsword while the others had a strange conversation about armor. They kept arguing about their preferred choice of armor and I was eventually dragged into it.

"So Michael. Why do you wear heavy armor? Why not light or hybrid armor?" Lance asked.

"I can't learn any other armor masteries. I can only learn the Heavy Armor Mastery, which is currently at Advanced 1." I explained to Lance. He looked a little crestfallen for some absurd reason.

"And to think I would get you to help me with Jane's stubborn insistence against hybrid armor..." Lance said, trailing off at the end. I heard the whole sentence though.

"Oh hell no. Jane would probably fuck me 'till I'm unconscious again." I said nonchalantly. I still felt a bit of fear from that night in the Inn. Jane heard what I said and looked embarrassed because of it. Rose and Lance had their mouths agape from what I said.

"Really? That happened before?" Lance said, still shocked.

"Yeah. It was a pretty recent thing too. I passed out after 20 minutes but she kept going for another half an hour while I was knocked out." I said to him. It only increased his shock even further. Truthfully, I was a bit used to Jane's insane sex drive, but Lance was a more normal person. He didn't have over 30-minute long sex sessions. It was hard for him to take in.

"My condolences, Michael." Lance and Rose said this at the same time while giving me looks of pity. I shrugged off the gazes and endured Jane's indignant gaze. I was probably going to die tonight. Everyone got to their bedrolls, and I stayed awake under the excuse of keeping watch. Pulling an all-nighter would be easy for me. I had to multiple times back on Earth and my enhanced stats would make the job much easier. I started hearing footsteps behind and I shrugged it off.

Until a hand was placed on my shoulder.

I was only wearing casual clothes right now since I expected this. Jane dragged me over to her bedroll. I didn't resist since I probably deserved this for embarrassing Jane like that. She pulled me over to her bedroll which had a towel placed over it. I knew why that towel was there. Jane pinned me down on it where she pulled both her clothing and mine off.

Once again, I passed out after 20 minutes.

When I woke up, I was in my bedroll and aching all over. What I found unusual was the fact that Jane and I were fully clothed. Maybe she didn't want the others finding out, but that was debunked when I looked at Lance. He had a pitying gaze and probably heard everything that happened last night. Rose even had a flushed face looking at me.

"So about last night..." I said awkwardly. He sighed and assured me.

"I won't talk about it to anyone." I breathed a sigh of relief and climbed out of my bedroll. Jane woke up because of this and rubbed her eyes before coming out of the bedroll. Sitting at the campfire, I put in new firewood and relit the fire. We all sat around the campfire awkwardly. I decided to ask the sneaky fox-girl a question.

"So how long did you go while I was unconscious?" I asked her.

"Actually, I stopped when you passed out this time." Jane replied. I was a little surprised. I thought she would ke- "Just kidding. I kept going for 20 minutes after you went unconscious." Figures.

We waited about an hour for my soreness to go away before we continued setting off. As we continued through the desert, I took note of how barren it was. Through some conversation with Lance, I learned that there was a city situated in the very center of the White Desert. The city was named Azon and it was white like the desert around it. The city is a hub for travelers going through the desert. They could rest and restock before setting off.

Some people even decide to live there since the community was friendly. The city guard consisted of A and B-rank adventurers so it was a safe place to stay. The city was still about 390 kilometers from our current position, so we advanced toward the goal of getting some real rest in the city.

The days passed by, with the daily monster encounter and nightly bantering. It took two and a half months to reach the city. Once we arrived, we were treated to an awe-inspiring event. We stood on a sand dune and saw the city from a distance. While admiring the view, a creature resembling a whale drew an arc over the city. It was twice the size of the city itself, casting a shadow over Azon as it flew over it and dove back into the white sands.

"Holy shit! I didn't expect to see that when we got here!" Lance yelled out in shock. All of us were similarly surprised by what just happened.

"Yeah, what a welcoming..." I said.

We arrived at the gates, where the guards had welcoming smiles for us.

"So you're the new arrivals. Murphy always gets excited whenever new faces show up." The guard said.

"Murphy? Is that the creature's name?" I asked him.

"Yeah. We have a sort of... mutual defense pact if you would call it that." He explained to me. I nodded and we showed our status cards to the guards. They allowed us entry into the city and we took in the splendor of the city. The main attraction of the city was at the center, and we sprinted there with unmatched speed. I managed to even pull ahead of the others in my heavy armor, which shocked them greatly.

When we arrived, we were presented with a great sight. The center of the city had a massive reservoir that was a third of the city's size. No wonder this city was a hub. They separated a part of the water for use as drinking and left the rest for recreational purposes. Our group stored our armor and clothing in our inventory. I'd always thought I would arrive at a beach someday, so I left a pair of plain blue trunks in my inventory. I put the trunks on and turned around to my group.

Lance was also wearing a pair of trunks that were orange in color. Rose and Jane had bikinis on and I was very pleased by the sight. Wearing the trunks, I realized how much I've changed. I'd been about 86 kilograms back on Earth. Not exactly the best of shape, but not the worst either. Now I was 95 kilograms, having gained muscle in the time I've spent fighting in Alorah. I looked at myself and saw a toned body, with a few scars here and there. What I also noticed was that my height increased. I was now almost 1.9 meters tall, befitting of someone that tanked all the damage on the front.

Our group garnered quite a few stares while we set up a spot on the beach. I don't know why, but Rose had an umbrella and towels to set up on the beachside. Lance just brushed it off like it was normal. I didn't ask about it. Every person had their own quirks.

I dashed right for the water, leaving a trail of sand in the air behind me. I dove right in and swam around for a bit before gesturing towards the others. They all dived in and swam over to me.

"What should we do first today?" Lance asked me an important question.

"Well, there's this game I played as a kid. One person would be "it" and when he tagged a person, they would become "it. It's a game where you have to avoid being tagged." I explained. They got the gist of it and I touched Lance's arm. "You're it." I said with a sly smile.

All of us started swimming away quickly, leaving a surprised Lance behind. The day passed by quickly. We played all manners of games on that day and people were enthusiastic to join us. Once evening arrived, Rose picked up the towels and the umbrella, storing it in her inventory. We dressed in our normal clothing and gear and walked around looking for a good Inn to stay at. I got fed up with the walking around and asked a random passerby.

"Hey, where's a good Inn for adventurers to stay at?" I asked him.

"Just walk South for about five minutes and you'll arrive at a good one. It's pretty conspicuous, considering it has a glowing sign and a friendly atmosphere around it." He gave me the directions and some details about the Inn. I nodded and thanked him, continuing on my way with the group.

Once we arrived, it was as he said. There was a glowing sign that read "The Round Mill Inn" and it gave off a very friendly atmosphere. We entered to the sight of people chatting and drinking at the tables. Making our way to the receptionist counter, we checked in and decided to stay for tonight since we planned to leave tomorrow. We'd rented two rooms for us to stay in separately. I was given an opportunity to take a bath first. While I was soaking, I heard the sound of shuffling in the room we got and knew what Jane was doing. When I finished, I saw the beds next to each other.

"I'll put them back tomorrow, we're only staying this night anyway." I sighed. Jane went to take a bath and I laid down on the makeshift double bed. I thought back to the time I've spent here and it feels like I've lived here all my life. Thoughts like this went around in my head until Jane came out from the bathroom. She was dressed in clothing that emphasized her curves and laid down on the bed.

She nestled into my arms and asked a question to me. One that was important to both of us.

"Promise you'll always be with me, Michael?" She asked softly.

"I promise, these rings will be proof of it." I assured her. She nestled further in my arms.

"I love you, Michael. Always." Jane said while hugging me tightly.

"I do too, Jane." After saying this, I felt Jane's breathing become steady and fell asleep with her in my arms.