Chapter 5 — Building the Party
The walk back to Axel was considerably quieter than the walk to the grasslands.
Mostly because all three of them were exhausted.
Kazuma dragged the remains of the Giant Toad behind him.
Aqua was complaining.
And Zach was staring at his hands.
He still couldn't believe what had happened.
His punches had been useless.
His kicks had worked better.
But when he had surrounded his leg with Ki…
It had cut through the Giant Toad.
Zach smiled.
So that's how Ki works.
He had barely scratched the surface.
Yet even a tiny amount of Ki had dramatically increased the effectiveness of his attacks.
If he could master it…
He could only imagine what would happen.
"Hey."
Kazuma's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"What?"
"You've been smiling for five minutes."
Zach looked at him.
"I was thinking about my Ki."
"You're thinking about training again, aren't you?"
"Yep."
Kazuma sighed.
"I regret becoming friends with you."
Aqua nodded.
"So do I."
Zach looked at both of them.
"You two are going to train with me."
Silence.
Kazuma stopped walking.
Aqua stopped walking.
Zach continued for another few steps before realizing they weren't following him.
He turned around.
"What?"
Kazuma pointed at himself.
"Me?"
"Yes."
Aqua pointed at herself.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because you're both adventurers now."
Kazuma frowned.
"I have a sword."
"And?"
"I can use it."
"Against weak monsters."
Kazuma's face twitched.
"And?"
Zach looked at Aqua.
"And you have an enormous amount of magical power."
Aqua smiled proudly.
"Finally, someone recognizes my greatness."
"But you have terrible combat technique."
Her smile disappeared.
"…Never mind."
Zach continued walking.
"If we're going to survive here, we need to get stronger."
Kazuma sighed.
"Fine."
Aqua reluctantly followed.
"But I'm not doing one hundred push-ups."
Zach smiled.
"We'll start with fifty."
"That's not what I meant!"
Back at the Guild
By the time they reached Axel, the three were exhausted.
They entered the Adventurer's Guild and immediately headed toward the receptionist.
She smiled when she saw them.
"Welcome back."
Kazuma dropped the Giant Toad remains onto the counter.
"We completed the extermination quest."
The receptionist examined the remains.
Her eyes widened.
"Three Giant Toads?"
Kazuma nodded.
"All three."
The receptionist looked at each of them.
"That's impressive for a newly formed party."
Aqua immediately puffed out her chest.
"Of course it is!"
Kazuma pointed at Aqua.
"Don't take all the credit."
Aqua ignored him.
The receptionist counted the reward.
"Three Giant Toads at one thousand Eris each…"
She placed the money on the counter.
"Three thousand Eris."
Kazuma's eyes sparkled.
"Money!"
Aqua immediately reached for it.
Kazuma slapped her hand away.
"No."
"What?!"
"We need to divide it."
Aqua frowned.
"Fine."
Zach looked at the money.
Three thousand Eris wasn't much.
But it was enough to get started.
The receptionist looked at them.
"Since you're now registered adventurers, you may also want to consider renting accommodation."
Kazuma's expression changed.
"Accommodation?"
"Yes."
"There are rooms available for adventurers near the guild."
Zach looked at Kazuma.
Kazuma looked at Aqua.
Aqua looked at the money.
Then all three looked at each other.
Kazuma sighed.
"We're getting an apartment."
The Apartment
It wasn't luxurious.
It wasn't particularly large.
But it was theirs.
A small living room.
A kitchen.
Three sleeping areas.
And enough space for the three of them to live comfortably.
Zach dropped his bag onto the floor.
"This is actually pretty nice."
Kazuma sat down.
"Better than sleeping outside."
Aqua walked around the apartment.
"I call the best room!"
"You don't get to call it."
"Why not?"
"Because we're splitting everything equally."
Aqua frowned.
"That's not fair!"
"You don't have money."
"…That's a good point."
Zach laughed.
For the first time since arriving in this world, things felt somewhat normal.
They had a place to sleep.
They had a little money.
They had a party.
And they had a plan.
Kazuma leaned back.
"So…"
He looked at Zach.
"We need more party members."
Zach nodded.
"Definitely."
Aqua raised her hand.
"We should recruit someone powerful!"
Kazuma nodded.
"Agreed."
Zach thought about it.
They needed a frontline fighter.
Someone who could deal damage.
Someone with useful abilities.
And preferably someone who wasn't completely insane.
He paused.
Well…
He knew someone.
But he couldn't exactly tell them that.
Not yet.
Kazuma stood.
"I'll go recruit someone tomorrow."
Zach shook his head.
"No."
Kazuma blinked.
"No?"
"I'll do it."
"Why?"
"Because you're terrible at judging people."
Kazuma looked offended.
"That's not true."
Zach stared at him.
"You picked Aqua."
Kazuma went silent.
Aqua pointed at Zach.
"Hey!"
Kazuma sighed.
"…Fine."
Aqua crossed her arms.
"I think I'm a wonderful choice."
Zach and Kazuma said together:
"No."
Two Weeks of Training
The next morning, Zach began training.
And so did Kazuma.
And, much to her horror, so did Aqua.
Every morning began the same way.
Push-ups.
Squats.
Sit-ups.
Running.
Basic martial arts.
Ki control.
Sword practice for Kazuma.
And magical exercises for Aqua.
Kazuma hated every second.
"Why are we doing this again?"
Zach continued running.
"Because you're weak."
"I'm not weak!"
"You got tired after twenty push-ups."
"I wasn't tired!"
"You fell over."
"I was resting."
"You were face-down."
"That's how I rest."
Aqua was lying on the grass nearby.
"I'm done."
Zach stopped.
"We've been training for ten minutes."
"Exactly."
"You haven't even started."
"I've decided I'm naturally talented enough."
Zach sighed.
"Aqua."
"What?"
"Get up."
"No."
"Aqua."
"No."
"Aqua."
"Fine!"
She stood.
"You're such a tyrant."
The training slowly began producing results.
Kazuma became more comfortable with his sword.
His footwork improved.
His reaction speed improved.
And although he still complained constantly, he could now complete Zach's basic conditioning routine without collapsing.
Aqua was a different story.
Her physical abilities weren't impressive.
But Zach realized something important.
Aqua had enormous magical power.
The problem wasn't her potential.
It was her discipline.
She had almost none.
So Zach made her practice controlling her magic.
At first, she hated it.
Eventually, she became better.
And Zach?
He trained harder than either of them.
His Ki slowly increased.
His control improved.
His kicks became more precise.
His punches became stronger.
And his system began rewarding his progress.
[TRAINING COMPLETE]
Physical Conditioning: Level 3
Ki Control: 2%
Basic Kicks: Level 3
Basic Ki Manipulation: Level 2
Ki Blast: Level 1
Power Level: 8
Zach stared at his status.
Power Level 8.
It wasn't impressive compared to the warriors he'd eventually face.
But it was progress.
More importantly, he could feel the difference.
His body was becoming stronger.
His Ki was becoming easier to control.
And his attacks were becoming more efficient.
Zach clenched his fist.
I'm getting stronger.
Two Weeks Later
Two weeks passed quickly.
The party completed quest after quest.
They hunted monsters.
Collected herbs.
Escorted travelers.
Cleared weak monster nests.
And occasionally took jobs that were far more dangerous than their difficulty rating suggested.
They weren't rich.
But they were no longer broke.
Their teamwork had also improved.
Somewhat.
Kazuma and Aqua still argued constantly.
Zach usually ended up breaking up their arguments.
But they had become a real party.
One afternoon, Zach returned to the guild after completing a quest.
He looked around.
"We still need another member."
Kazuma was eating at a table.
"Yeah."
Aqua sat beside him.
"We need someone powerful."
Zach nodded.
"Preferably a mage."
Kazuma looked at him.
"Why a mage?"
"Because Aqua isn't reliable."
Aqua slammed her hands on the table.
"I'M SITTING RIGHT HERE!"
Kazuma laughed.
"He's got a point."
Aqua glared at both of them.
Suddenly, someone approached their table.
A young girl.
She wore a black cloak and a large witch's hat.
A staff rested in her hand.
Her crimson eyes looked around the guild.
She stopped in front of them.
"My name is Megumin."
Zach froze.
Kazuma stopped eating.
Aqua blinked.
Megumin continued.
"I am the greatest Arch-wizard of the Crimson Demon Clan."
Zach slowly looked at Kazuma.
Kazuma looked back.
Neither said anything.
Megumin placed one hand dramatically against her chest.
"I have come seeking companions."
Zach's eyes widened.
It can't be.
He already knew exactly who she was.
Megumin.
The explosion-obsessed Crimson Demon.
The future member of Kazuma's party.
The girl who would become one of the most important people in his journey.
But this time…
She wasn't approaching Kazuma.
She was approaching all three of them.
Megumin smiled confidently.
"So…"
She looked at the party.
"Will you allow me to join you?"
Zach smiled.
He had been waiting for this moment.
But something was different.
This wasn't the original story anymore.
And he had no idea how Megumin would react to a party that already had three members.
Zach looked at Kazuma.
Kazuma looked at Aqua.
Aqua looked at Megumin.
Then Zach smiled.
"Welcome to the party."
End of Chapter 5