Darkness: Should you really be drinking something that strong?!

Darkness was shocked to find that you had completely finished a glass of the guild hall's strongest drink. The look on your eyes gave away the fact that you were not enjoying the drink.

Waitress: E-even I'm surprised!

You opened your mouth to release a loud sigh as well as the fact that steam slowly exited your mouth. The burning sensation in your chest began to slowly vanish as you let out a few heavy breaths of air.

(Y/N): One of... My old teammates used to drink this particular brand...! *groans* I don't know how she does it!

You felt the need to hurl on the spot however, you were able to keep yourself from causing such a display.

(Y/N): She never drank much but for some reason her tolerance with alcohol was way up there. *sigh of relief* She could give Aqua a run for her nonexistent money if she were still around.

You heard an audible sneeze as said goddess was interrupted of shaking down the blond haired guild staff.

(Y/N): Just give me a regular ale please to wash it down.

You handed a small amount of money to the waitress as she nodded to your request.

Waitress: I'll be right back!

Darkness: (Y/N), it doesn't exactly seem like the time to be drinking.

(Y/N): Eh, they know me besides... Beats what the others are doing.

Meanwhile, Kazuma was in the process of trying his new spell to create water, Aqua was quite upset about the payment from her latest quest and Megumin was swooning over her staff which made you feel a little uncomfortable....

Kazuma: Come on! It's a start!

The brown haired boy finished drinking his glass of water before taking a seat on your table.

Kazuma: I'm not the one drinking booze this early!

(Y/N): I only wanted to try that drink out before I end up forgetting.

Kazuma: Like the time you forgot your money at home so you had to go through the whole day in school with your stomach growling?

(Y/N): We don't talk about that!

Darkness: The both of you have known each other for a while?

(Y/N): We attended the same school.

You felt a small clump of paper thrown to your head and you added more to your statement.

(Y/N): We used to hang out in a small group during lunch.

Kazuma: *grumble* And he used to play pranks on us...

You were unable to hold in your small laughter as the waitress returned with your drink.

Splash!

???: WHAT THE- DAMN IT (Y/N)!

The small group looked to the entrance to find a random adventurer soaking wet with an empty bucket hanging over him.

???: YOU BETTER WATCH YOURSELF WHEN I GET BACK!

(Y/N): Sure buddy!

He simply scoffed before leaving the guild to change into dry clothes.

Kazuma: How do you even make the effort to do that?!

(Y/N): I'm just that good.

Waitress: *sigh* Guess I'll be the one to clean it up...

Now you felt a little bad as the waitress left to grab cleaning supplies for the small mess.

(Y/N): Oooh erm... Sorry! *in thought* I'll give her a little extra for her tip later!

Darkness: How dastardly of you to force an innocent worker to be caught in the crossfire of your actions!

(Y/N): I didn't mean it like that!! Stop blushing, you're making it weird!

Kazuma only sweat dropped as you were desperately trying to explain yourself meanwhile, said waitress was grinning to herself as you were put in quite the position.

Waitress: *In thought* You're not the only one who likes to play tricks!

Aqua: Oh Kazuma~

As Aqua began to charm with a poor attempt at complimenting the green clad teen, you had finally settled things with the blonde knight.

(Y/N): *sigh of relief* Geez, what's with the masochism anyways?

Darkness: I have no idea what you're talking about.

(Y/N): Uh huh... Oh hey, I never noticed that your armor is repaired.

Darkness simply smiled as she examined her armor once more.

Darkness: And it is all thanks to the bounty I received from the cabbage harvest! What do you think?

(Y/N): Looks great! As long as it doesn't easily break again... Though you're probably betting on that...!

The blonde woman nearly drooled at the thought of her armor breaking once more until a certain commotion interrupted the moment.

Aqua: PLEASE KAZUMAAA!!

Kazuma: No!

(Y/N): The hell is going this time?

Aqua: (Y/N)! Kazuma won't help me pay off my debt!

(Y/N): Why did you even build one in the first place?

Kazuma: My thoughts exactly.

Next thing you knew, Aqua threw herself towards you as she began to sob loud enough for the entire guild to hear.

Aqua: Please (Y/N)!! I need to pay off those guys!! I thought I'd get a big reward but I barely got anything because lettuce was mixed into my batch!!

(Y/N): Kazuma!! A little help!

Kazuma: Now way! I wanna buy my own place!

Meanwhile, the nearby debt collectors were quite shocked to hear the familiar name and began whispering to each other.

Debt Collector #1: *whisper* I've heard of that name before!

Debt Collector #2: *whisper* Me too! Ain't that guy supposed to be a legendary hunter or something?!

Debt Collector #1: *whisper* YES! What the hell is he doing here of all places?! Last I heard, he went out with a team to take on one of the demon king's castles!

Both began to grow a little nervous until they realized that you were the one to approach them while turned to your friends.

(Y/N): Come on it'll be fine, we'll just take on a quest and you'll get it back in no time!

You turned to the debt collectors as they were trying their best to keep their composure until you reached into your coat and began to slowly bring fourth something. One of them quickly shook in his boots, believing that you were going to pull out a weapon untill...

Debt Collector: H-hold o-

(Y/N): Here.

They were confused until they noticed that you brought fourth a pouch of eris and held it towards them.

(Y/N): This should be enough to cover Aqua's debt.

Both men were relieved to hear that you were simply delivering the money to pay Aqua's debt.

Debt Collector #1: U-uhh, right! Her debt is paid!

Debt Collector #2: And erm... Yeah, see ya!

Both quickly ran away in hopes that they have not upset you in any way.

(Y/N): What was all that about?

Darkness: Perhaps it's your reputation.

(Y/N): What reputation?

You turned to Darkness, confused about her words.

Darkness: I questioned myself as to why your name was familiar until I heard one of them mention something about you being a legendary hunter...

(Y/N): Guess even that part about me reaches over here... *sigh* I'd prefer to keep it all to myself for the time being...

The Next Day!

After the previous event, Kazuma decided to use a good chunk of his money to buy himself a new outfit as well as equip himself a new sword. The others complimented him on the fact that he looks like an adventurer rather than sticking out in a green tracksuit.

Aqua: At least you don't look like a creep anymore.

Meanwhile, you had barely arrived and yawned rather loudly as you had trouble sleeping.

Kazuma: Well, (Y/N)? Watcha think?

(Y/N): Huh?

You inspected his outfit to realize that he finally ditched the old tracksuit.

(Y/N): Huh, was wondering why you were so excited in your sleep.

Kazuma: Ohh erm... My bad?

(Y/N): No, it was actually Aqua constantly kicking me off of the pile of hay. Either way, not bad for a beginner.

Your blank stare was pointed towards the blue haired goddess that lightly giggled from being nervous.

(Y/N): *in thought* And only me...! Seriously, this has been happening after that cabbage harvest! Why me?!

Aqua: Sorry!

(Y/N): *sigh* Whatever, you're lucky that you're cute, I'll let all of you to decide what quest we're gonna do while I get some coffee.

You walked away from the group to approach the canteen while Aqua couldn't help but give a cheeky smile towards Kazuma.

Aqua: Hear that Kazuma? He called me cute!

Kazuma: And now, you're not gonna let me hear the end of it...!

Meanwhile, the person behind the counter already had your coffee ready along with a pastry to go along with it.

Waitress: Here you go, (Y/N)!

(Y/N): Huh, guess you overheard me.

Waitress: Well, it was paid for by her!

She motioned to a certain thief that sat nearby.

Chris: I was the one that overheard it!

You were curious by Chris's generosity as she decided to be the one to approach and take a seat beside you.

(Y/N): Well, much appreciated!

Chris: Admittedly, I'm a little curious about your past but it seems you won't be revealing that part about yourself anytime soon.

(Y/N): As I said before, my old team is gone. How it happened is another story for later.

Chris: I'm sure they're resting peacefully now.

(Y/N): I can only hope that they are... We were practically a family back then.

Chris only lightly smiled before giving a small pat on your back.

Chris: Take it easy out there, (Y/N). I need to get going.

(Y/N): We'll see about taking it easy with this bunch, anyways thanks for the coffee!

Chris: Of course! I'll see you later!

The silver haired girl waved goodbye as she hurriedly outside of the guild, leaving you to finish the last of your quick breakfast. Once finished, you returned to your friends to find them a little shaken.

Kazuma: So much for a quest...!

(Y/N): What's going on?

Megumin: Seems these quests are too difficult for us!

This left you a little curious, so you took a look at the board to find bounties for some of the most challenging enemies.

(Y/N): Woah... These are all high level too.

The amount of quests did not seem 5o ne much however, they were quite powerful opponents to deal with, so it'd be near impossible for someone from Axel to challenge even one. As you browsed the quests, you began to notice that some of the bounties looked quite familiar... It reminded of something before arriving in this land.

(Y/N): Hey Kazuma, take a look at this quest.

Said brown haired boy approached while the rest of the girls decided to take a seat to discuss their plans.

Kazuma: What's up?

(Y/N): Doesn't this particular one look a little familiar?

Kazuma: Hmmm...

He closely inspected the quest until he slowly realized the description of the quest as well as the illustration.

Kazuma: Woah! This has to be a coincidence!

(Y/N): Sure seems like it. Keep it down, wouldn't want the others to know...

Kazuma: *whisper* We used to play this game too! How the hell does something like this end up here?

(Y/N): *whisper* I don't know... There's a couple theories but all I know is that this isn't the only one. Some of these are from the same series as well...

Kazuma: *whisper* This is crazy man! There's no way we can take on one of these where we're at! Even just now, we were told that all of the monsters were in hiding because one of the Demon King's Generals just happened to relocate nearby!

You instantly froze at his words, the painful memories began to return until you simply shrugged it off before looking at the quest board.

(Y/N): I'll be taking one of these.

Kazuma: You're joking.

You grabbed one that you were somewhat familiar with fighting, causing the rookie to gasp.

Kazuma: ... No...!

(Y/N): You don't have to come with me, this is just something for me to get stronger in no time.

Kazuma was appalled by your decision as you decided to report it to Luna.

Kazuma: ... But... Why...?

As you returned to him, you simply placed the flyer in your pocket before shrugging in reply.

(Y/N): It's either this or we end up starving with no funds.

Kazuma: ... There's something else to this, isn't there?

You simply placed a hand on his shoulder before speaking.

(Y/N): I promise I'll tell all of you... Eventually.

Kazuma: You better!

Afterwards, you simply left the guild while the other part of the group were curious as to why you decided to take such a quest.

Aqua: Where does he think he's going?

Kazuma: He's erm... Taking on one of those quests.

Everyone practically jaw dropped at the thought as a hint of fear was seen in their eyes.

Luna: It's natural to feel worried for him but I wouldn't worry too much.

Megumin: B-but he can't do it alone! I'm going after him!

Kazuma: Ooooh no you are not!

Kazuma snatched the small girl by the cape to keep her from running after your footsteps.

Luna: He only accepted a quest to repel a dangerous monster that's frightening a small, so I'm certain that he'll be fine. He's taken some of the most dangerous quests in the past, so this is nothing new to him.

Elsewhere

Luna: *Voice Over* He's good at picking his moments to retreat so I wouldn't worry too much about him... There was only one time when I was genuinely worried about his safety... But that's a story for another time!

Meanwhile, a lone figure sat in a dark corner of a prison cell... The mysterious person's hands were shackled in chains that weren't even connected to anything, they simply were there to serve as remnants of a recent event.

???: ... (Y/N)... Anyone...?

Four Days Later...

(Y/N): *pants* You don't let up....!

At the moment, it was raining in the night as you were practically exhausted from battling a dangerous monster. The quest stated to repel the creature however, it did not seem to be the case as the beast was not intimidated in the slightest by previous actions. In fact, it only seemed to anger the monster as it slowly walked to the side while keeping its attention towards you.

(Y/N): *cough* ... Great...

Blood slowly tricked from your mouth as you began to stand on your feet and regain your balance. Lightning struck nearby, allowing the monster to reveal itself in brief flashes. Its own body simply reacted by charging itself with blue lightning that seemed to intensify its appearance as it's body began to emit the same blue light. Despite its hulking body, it was incredibly agile with its previous attacks that left you unable to keep up with its speed.

(Y/N): *groan* Definitely gonna be feeling that for a while.

The monster growled much louder than usual as it prepared its next attack.

(Y/N): Yeah yeah, I hear ya...!

Your body was incredibly sore from the battle however, you felt as if you were able to continue with a surprising burst of energy. You readied a large sword in your hands and shifted into a running stance.

(Y/N): Bring it!

The both of you charged towards each other with intent to kill. Time seemed to slow down as you prepared a powerful swing with the massive blade right midway and swung just as the both of you nearly collided. The thunder from the monster struck your body but you were still in motion as your weapon was close to its horns.

Just as the both of you were about to strike each other, your eyes began to glow orange...

...

...

...

One Week Later

Megumin: EXPLOSION!!!!

BANG!!!

In the distance a castle was literally engulfed in a massive explosion as a certain arch-wizard decided to use, said castle, as target practice.

Kazuma: Now THAT one felt too much, the wind practically slapped in the face because how powerful it was!!

Megumin: I gave that one everything... I had... Bleh...

Megumin was collapsed on the floor as she struggled to watch her work. However... Something caught her attention as she noticed something through her blurry vision.

Megumin: Hey... What's that...?

Kazuma; Hm?

The brown haired teen slowly noticed that somebody was approaching from the distance. It seemed as if the stranger was unfazed by the explosion as they continued walking across the trail as if nothing had happened.

Kazuma: Oh, someone's walking thus way!

Megumin: We must... Run!!!

Kazuma took a closer look to recognize the mysterious person approaching.

Kazuma: No need.

The green caped adventurer simply waved towards the approaching figure and received a wave in response as the person drew closer.

Megumin: What is it?

As soon as the footsteps were heard, Megumin struggled to look up from the ground, only for there to be a blurry silhouette standing above her.

(Y/N): I can imagine someone would be miles away and they would still hear that.

Kazuma: Exactly! Felt like it was a little too much!

Megumin: Oh... Hey (Y/N)... Welcome back...

Kazuma: Eh don't mind her, we were just passing time while we wait for easier quests to come back.

(Y/N): Huh, sounds a lot better than what I went through.

It took a moment for your friend to realize that your right arm was being supported by a sling as well as the fact that it was covered in a makeshift cast.

Kazuma: O-oh...! That bad, huh?

(Y/N): More or less, you should have seen the other guy.

Kazuma: So how'd it go?

(Y/N): Well we won't have to worry about doing labor work for a bit. Come on, let's go collect the reward. I'm tired from all of this walking.

Megumin: Don't forget about me...!

Kazuma: I was already going to pick you up!!

Once the small girl was riding on Kazuma's back, the three of you returned to Axel while catching up along the way.

(Y/N): Hmmm... Maybe we should keep Aqua working so she doesn't end up spending what we have.

Kazuma: *chuckle* No kidding! Oh and Darkness went back to her home town for some weight training, so we're all kind of bored while we wait for someone to deal with the Demon King's General.

(Y/N): *sigh* Well, this we wait is going to suck! I already don't want to do another one of those dangerous quests, this one nearly tore off my arm.

Kazuma: The hell were you fighting out there anyways?

(Y/N): Erm... Dog?

Kazuma's questioning look on his face made it more difficult for you to explain the previous quest.

(Y/N): It was a big... Dog or wolf or something! I don't remember, I don't want to remember, it was a rough time! It threw a lot of lightning, it tried to body slam me with lightning... Can you stop with that look?

Kazuma: No!

You simply gave him a light shove however, you completely forgot about the exhausted girl on his back.

Megumin: Don't drop me!

Kazuma: Blame him! He's the one pushing me!

(Y/N): *small laughter* Sorry, almost forgot you were there. So who's hungry?

Megumin: *weak* ... Me...

Kazuma: As long as we can afford it... The money that Aqua brings in from her part time jobs is barely enough...!

(Y/N): Man, you gotta lighten up on her.

Kazuma: (Y/N), I've barely done anything ever since I arrived! And she hasn't been much help to this so called adventure!!

(Y/N): *in thought* He does have a point but still...

You simply sighed in defeat as the three of you continued on the path to Axel, with Kazuma complaining about his time in the current world.

(Y/N): *in thought* Maybe I should have stayed an extra day back there... Least they offered a bed for free...

To be continued....