Chapter I

Howdy to all my readers! Yes, I have come bearing yet another new story... I'm sorry. Anyway, this time it is called Kazuto's Magical Adventure, as I am sure most of you saw. The story is an overall mixture of KonoSuba, DanMachi, and SAO with a few other shows mixed in with small amounts. The MC is, as the title suggests, Kazuto/Kirito depending on how much of Sword Art Online you have seen. As usual Bakuto Masaki is my coauthor on this endeavor, so I would like to thank him for his assistance thus far. So, I hope you all enjoy the chapter, leave your opinions letting me know if you do. With that said, on with the story!

A young man with short, messy black hair and bright grey eyes wearing a black sweatshirt, dark blue trousers, and grey sneakers sat in a plain wooden chair. "Where am I…?" he muttered as he looked around. The chair he was sat in was in a seemingly endless expanse, a boundless black surrounding in all directions with a black and white tile floor extending in all directions. Opposite his chair was a tall, white, far more elaborate chair with a nightstand next to it, accents of lavender and gold standing out against the white.

"I suppose you could call this Purgatory, Kazuto Kirigaya" an enigmatic voice explained.

The teen, Kazuto, turned in surprise as a figure approached the set of chairs in the endless expanse, a young woman with long, bright blue hair, a large curl atop her head, her bangs framing around her dark blue eyes, wearing a sleeveless blue blouse, that hugged tight enough to show her moderate figure, with a pleated, layered, blue and yellow skirt, long white arm-warmers, and thigh-high, blue, high-heeled boots. He gulped slightly as he looked at her. 'She's… kinda cute. Wait, Purgatory?' "… Am I dead?"

The young woman sat down with a nod. "Yes. And I am the goddess who will help you decide where to go from here, Aqua."

Ignoring her introduction, Kazuto demanded, "How!?"

"You saw a girl about to get hit by a tractor and pushed her out of the way."

Kazuto bopped his fist into his hand in remembrance. "Oh, that's right! Wait, tractor? I thought it was a truck."

Aqua, her lip slightly quivering with suppressed laughter, replied loudly, "Nope! And you died of a heart attack from it!"

"What!?" Kazuto could not believe what he was hearing, to think he had died so lamely.

Aqua could no longer hold it and began laughing deeply at the teen's misfortune. "You had a heart attack because you thought you were run over by a truck! You had the stupidest expression I ever saw! Even the surgeons laughed at you!"

"Stop laughing!" Kazuto growled, his scowl weakened by his reddening face.

"I bet even your sisters are laughing their – eep!" Aqua's laughter halted quickly as she suddenly saw the death glare from Kazuto.

"I don't care who you are, don't insult my sisters like that!"

Aqua tried to defuse the moment with a weak laugh. "Geez! It was just a joke!"

"Still!I know Suguha! She'd never laugh at this!"

She slouched in her chair with a sigh of exhaustion. "Yeesh, you humans are always ssoo dramatic."

Kazuto's eyebrow began twitching in frustration. "Send me back."

Bluntly the bluenette rebutted, "Nope. Can't do that." A bag of crisps appeared on the nightstand next to her as she added, "I don't make the rules." She munched mindlessly on them as she continued. "You get two choices."

Kazuto deadpanned, "If it's heaven or becoming a baby I'm shoving your head in that bag."

Aqua remained silent before making the bag vanish.

"Oh come on!"

"Th – There is technically a third choice…"

"Talk. Now."

Clearing her throat, Aqua began. "Ahem! A world of magic and monsters! Men and elves! A world besieged by the dark clouds of the cursed Demon King!"

Kazuto was unimpressed by her attempt at dramatic flair. "… What will I get out of it?"

Aqua nodded in acceptance. "If you kill the Demon King the Chief God will grant you one wish, no matter what it is. You can even go back to your old life."

"Send me," he urged bluntly.

Aqua almost hit the floor at how fast he accepted the proposal. She managed to collect herself somewhat. "You really shouldn't go unprepared." She waved her hand, causing a large number of cards to appear from nowhere and land in front of Kazuto. "Here, a few examples. Anything you want or can think of. If it's on these cards or in your imagination, you can bring it with you into this new world. It can be a weapon, a power or ability, some kind of knowledge, or even a person. So, choose wisely and choose quickly, I have more people to ferry off."

Kazuto looked over the cards, representing numerous historical figures, mythological weapons, fantastical monsters, and more before looking at Aqua in thought. 'A goddess from there would be a major help…' "You."

"Heaven has – what?" she began rehearsed before registering what he had said.

At that same moment, a flurry of lights entered the room and formed a new person, a girl that looked slightly younger than Kazuto with white hair and lavender eyes, clad in an outfit resembling a nun's clothing, though it clung tightly under her bulging twins. "Heaven has heard your request and agreed to the contract."

Aqua gaped as she looked at the girl. "What!? No, that can't be right!"

"Who's the cutie?" Kazuto asked, seemingly unfazed by Aqua's shrieks before realizing he and Aqua were surrounded by large, elaborate emblems filled with light.

Aqua begged the white-haired girl, "Eris! This can't be happening!"

Eris explained, "Taking a deity with him is allowed in the rules. So, it is happening." She smiled happily and waved to the duo as they were consumed in light. "Don't worry Aqua-Senpai, I'll keep your post while you're gone. Have fun in the other world."

"NNNOOO!" Aqua wailed as the two vanished.

Sometime later, Aqua and Kazuto were dropped off by a horse drawn carriage at the entrance to a massive wall.

Kazuto looked around in curious amazement while Aqua drooped her head in despair. "Wow… It's awesome here! Right, so let's start our –" he was interrupted mid-sentence as Aqua began throttling him desperately, wailing madly. "H – Hey! Stop it!" he urged, Aqua unresponsive as blubbered and wailed incoherently. "I said stop! If people see me with some crazy woman…!"

She did not stop.

Kazuto growled in frustration and raised a fist. "Okay, you asked for it." He lightly thumped his balled fist atop her head, causing her to come to her senses at least somewhat and stumble back with a tear in her eye.

"Ow!"

"Now, stop freaking out on me or I'll hit you again."

"You're a human, how do you hit that hard?"

"I just can."

"Well it's still your fault I'm stuck here!"

Kazuto huffed in derision. "What are you complaining about? You're a Goddess and going to be a big help. Besides, if it bothers you that much go back."

Aqua scratched her head furiously. "You idiot! That's just it, I can't go back! Not until you've completed your mission! And in this world deities interact with humans all the time, we're barred from using our divine powers!"

Kazuto stiffened and turned to her suddenly in disbelief. "… You're serious…?"

Aqua growled in exasperation. "Very! A goddess in this world isn't much better than a regular human! So I can't even use my divine powers to get back thanks to you!"

"Why didn't you tell me!?"

"You didn't really give me time to say anything!"

"… Meaning you're even more useless then you where before. Great."

"Well it's your fault!"

"How?" he argued, frustrated. "You're a goddess! Goddesses are supposed to be infinitely useful!"

"Well in this world that's not the case!"

"Oh quit shouting already, it's not going to do anyone any good. Come on, let's go find a guild."

Aqua blinked in confused surprise. "Huh?"

"Whenever the game starts out you need to find the guild hall to join a guild and start taking quests. More importantly if we go there we can gather information and about the Demon King and how to get to him."

Aqua lurched back in shock. "Y – You're actually… dependable…?"

Kazuto, trying to ignore her remark, turned and began walking through the city's large gate. "Now let's get going, Goddess."

Aqua smiled slightly and followed behind him. "You can keep calling me Goddess if you want, but my name's Aqua."

"Okay then, Aqua."

The blue-haired girl pouted slightly. "You could at least give me an honorific."

"Either follow me or go on your own."

"C – Coming!" she exclaimed as she caught up to him.

The two spent a long time searching around the city, eventually realizing the gate they had come in was the city's southern entrance. As they wandered, Kazuto soon learned the city was one large circle with eight main roads dividing it up.

After several hours passed they found the main commercial road, West Main, and approached a large building halfway down the length of the road, made primarily out of marble, a massive building nearly ten meters tall.

Kazuto looked around for various signs, only seeing one atop it reading "Guild" in a language he had never seen. "Wait… I can read that?"

Aqua nodded in return. "One of the things that happened when we got transported here is that all the language of this world was implanted in your head."

He raised an eyebrow in thought. "Anything else?"

"No, because you didn't pick anything else."

"Ah… Is this it? It's just called the Guild. Oh well. Easy to remember." The duo walked inside, seeing dozens of people wandering through the building, some talking with each other, others talking with the people on the other side of the large counter, those being people of various races dressed in suits. "There's so many people here. They must be busy."

"Oh, hello there," a new voice greeted.

Kazuto turned and stiffened as he saw a young woman with short, chestnut brown hair, emerald green eyes with round, frameless glasses over them, wearing a plain, black suit with white sleeves, though what struck him most were the wide, pointed ears sticking out under her hair. 'A – A real… elf…? So amazing…' "Beautiful…"

The elf blinked in confusion and then smiled as she looked around at the Guild's walls. "Yes, the Guild is a beautiful building."

Kazuto stiffened slightly and sputtered in confusion. "Um… that's not… nevermind. How do we join the Guild?"

The woman turned her attention back to Kazuto and Aqua. "Oh, you're looking to join?" She pointed to a woman left of the entrance to the building standing in front of a counter. "Talk to Luna. She facilitates any quests along with new members. Oh, and I'm Eina by the way."

Kazuto nodded as he turned to leave. "Thank you Eina. I'm Kazuto."

Eina nodded with a smile. "Hopefully we'll do more business later."

As the two approached the woman at the counter, Kazuto got a better look at her. A tall, buxom woman with long blonde hair tied in a bun and matching amber eyes, wearing a white choker with a red ribbon, a ridiculously low-cut, long-sleeved white blouse that barely hid her generous bust, extremely short, blue shorts that showed he long legs, and simple brown boots. The teen gulped as he approached the woman. 'Th – This is… going to be a hard world to get used to…' "Um, excuse me," he called out to her.

Luna turned in thought and saw the duo. "Oh, you want to join? Are you part of a Familia?"

Kazuto blinked and tilted his head in confusion. "A… A what?"

"I'll… take that as a no. Well, if you're not part of a Familia, the admission price is one hundred eighty Vals per person."

Kazuto stiffened in shock. "I – I see… Aqua, money?"

Aqua shook her head in denial. "You took me away so fast I didn't have time to grab anything."

"… Could I possibly form a whateveria with you?"

"I was never taught how."

"Is there anything you can do!?"

Aqua wordlessly answered by shooting a small stream of water from one of her fingers.

"Great… If we're lost in a desert I know where to get a drink…" After a heavy sigh, he turned back to Luna. "How would we go about joining a Familia?"

Luna explained, "Um…well I guess you could just go around to the various small shops and taverns and see if any gods are there, maybe they'll… take pity on you?"

Kazuto groaned in frustration. "Well… That's probably the best we can hope for."

Aqua gaped in disbelief. "Hah!? I'm supposed to join another deity's Familia!?"

"You can do whatever you want. So later," he grunted as he headed for the door to leave.

Aqua groaned in annoyance and raced after. "… Wait for me!"

Aqua stood in an alleyway as Kazuto was thrown bodily out of a small shop, hitting the wall roughly. "That's rejection number four… even my charms wouldn't do anything…" Aqua complained.

"They are probably the reason for it…"

Aqua twitched an eyebrow in frustration. "Do you have anything positive to say!?"

Kazuto stood with a sigh, dusting himself off and hummed in consideration.

"You seriously have to think about it!?"

"With you? Yes. Here I thought having a goddess by my side would actually be helpful, and come to find out a blind dog would serve me better."

Aqua flinched back and slumped her shoulders.

Kazuto remained silent for a moment and sighed as he scratched his head in frustration. "Um… sorry, about that. I'm just frustrated. I really thought I was giving myself an edge by taking a goddess with me."

Aqua looked at him in surprise. "R – Really…?"

He nodded plainly. "Yes, you said I could take anything with me, any weapon, skill, ability, knowledge, or person. And my first thought was 'What better aid than an immortal being'."

"I – I see…"

"Anyway, let's keep the discussion short now, after all, our observer is getting too curious."

"Eh?"

"Eep!" a small voice shrieked nearby.

Kazuto swiftly turned and saw a girl with long, glossy black hair tied in twintails with ribbons attached to bells, bright sapphire blue eyes, wearing an extremely tight, very short, white dress with a blue ribbon looped around her arms, back and waist, long white gloves, and white sandals, though what stood out most was, despite her childish appearance overall, were her voluptuous breasts. "Whoa…"

Aqua gaped in shock. "H – Huh!? Hestia!?"

The girl, Hestia, looked at Aqua in surprise. "Huh? Aqua?"

Kazuto looked between the two in confusion. "Wait, you know her?"

"Of course. She's one of the goddesses from that place your people call Greece."

"Ah…" Kazuto blinked in thought and then looked directly at the smiling Hestia. "Um, I know it's sudden, but can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" Hestia answered.

"Can we join your Familia?" he asked bluntly.

Hestia looked at the two of them in disbelief. "… Heh?"

"Can we… join your Familia…?"

Hestia's eyes widened in disbelief with a bright smile as she tackled Kazuto in a hug. "Really!? Really, really!? You want to join my Familia!?"

Kazuto merely gazed at the overly excited goddess in amazement and nodded. "Yes. We do."

Hestia tightened her hug greatly, unwittingly pressing her orbs firmer against Kazuto's body. "Yyaayy! Thank you!"

Aqua lurched back from the young-looking woman in disbelief. "She's… a little creepy."

Kazuto chuckled as he patted Hestia's head. "She's adorable…"

Hestia looked up at him, having not heard what he had said over her own cheers. "Huh?"

Kazuto waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing. So, um… how do we join your Familia?"

"Well, first we introduce ourselves."

"R – Right… but, um, could you get off me first?" he sputtered as his face reddened.

"Sure," Hestia answered cheerily as she stood.

Kazuto sighed as he stood as well. "I'm Kazuto Kirigaya."

"I'm Aqua," the blue-haired goddess greeted.

"I'm Hestia!" the black-haired goddess added excitedly.

"So… that's it?" Kazuto questioned.

"Not quite. Then I have to give you a Falna. A seal on your back that allows some of my divine power to flow through your body. Let's see, how did Hephaestus put it? It lets me see all of your Stats, your Level, and keep an accurate measurement of your Skills and abilities."

"Cool…" 'It really is like a video game.' "How do you do that?"

"I put a drop of my blood on your back. But… you have to be shirtless for it so we should get to my home first."

"Right, lead the way, my Goddess."

Hestia squealed with excitement.

Later on, the trio wound up in front of a large, beaten, old church between West Main and Northwest Main.

"I'm sorry it's not much but this is where I live," Hestia explained.

Kazuto remarked, "I think it's fine."

Aqua looked around in shock.

"Um, Aqua…?"

Aqua turned to him with a weak, trembling smile. "This church… This… old… rotting… piece of crap church… it's a church of me…"

"Ouch…"

"S – Sorry…" Hestia pleaded with a bow.

Aqua sighed in frustration. "I – It's okay…"

"A – Anyway, the room is just back here," she noted as she walked towards a door at the back of the church's main area, leading to a small staircase leading into a slightly larger room with a large, square-shaped area containing a dresser just to the right of the room, to sofas on the opposite wall against the corners, a table in between, and a bed and several bookcases nestled in a section that jutted off from the main part.

Aqua looked over the tiny room before questioning, "… Um… where are we supposed to sleep?"

Kazuto piped up with his recommendation. "I'll take a couch."

"Really?" Hestia responded in surprise.

"Yeah, it's fine."

"… Guess I'll take the other one." Aqua groaned as she accepted the other sofa.

"Sounds good," he added.

Hestia nodded in understanding. "Okay, so who will I give the Falna to first?"

Kazuto shrugged before easily pulling his shirt off, exposing his torso. "Guess I'll go first."

'Wh – Whoa…' Aqua muttered in her head as she looked at him.

Hestia stood unsteadily, fidgeting and blushing before pointing to the bed. "J – Just lay on the bed on your stomach and I'll handle the rest," which Kazuto did before Hestia moved and sat on his back. 'His shoulders are so broad…' "N – Now then…" She pulled one of her white gloves off and bit her thumb, allowing a single droplet to hit his back that then spread out into a large, complex emblem filled with many symbols and words seemingly only Hestia could read. "Whoa…"

"Is something wrong?" Kazuto question in concern.

Hestia shook her head before explaining, "W – Well, the way the Falna usually forms it examines your body and gives a rating on your ability for Level One. And usually most people start out at high I or low H. B – But you, you've already got it at medium F."

"I don't get it."

Hestia sighed in vexation before seeing a book on the shelf. "Um… Aqua, could you get that book there?"

Aqua looked over and grabbed a book labeled "Adventurer's Handbook" and gave it to Hestia.

Hestia paged through the book looking for what she wanted before finding it. "Um… ah, here! In each level, each Stat is given a number and letter rating. From highest to lowest it's S, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and I, with the numbers going from one to ninety-nine for I and nine hundred to nine hundred ninety-nine for S."

Aqua huffed in derision. "Well I'm sure I'll be even stronger."

Shortly after finishing applying Aqua's Falna, Hestia explained, "Miss Aqua has most Stats around low G."

"The hell!?" Aqua shrieked as Kazuto very ineffectively held back his laughter. "That can't be right!"

Hestia lurched back in worry as Aqua yelled. "I – I'm sure after some training it'll go up. Although, your Intelligence is rated as I-10."

Kazuto could no longer hold back and laughed gutturally. "HAHAHA! Oh my god that thing's right on the mark! Hahahaha!"

Aqua turned to him with a frustrated tear in her eye. "Ggrr… shut up!"

Hestia merely tilted her head in confusion.

Kazuto sighed as he stood up and stretched. "So now we head back to the Guild. And get us registered."

Hestia nodded in agreement. "I'll go with you to prove you're part of my Familia." The goddess giggled quietly in excitement. "I actually have a Familia…"

Kazuto turned to her in thought. "Hmm? You say something Hestia-Sama?"

Hestia shook her head with a smile of excitement. "No, it's nothing. Let's go!"

"Right…" Aqua murmured in dejection.

Luna, waiting at her counter, turned when she noticed Kazuto and the others approaching. "Ah, welcome back! Oh, you have someone new."

Kazuto motioned to Hestia and explained, "This is Hestia-Sama, Aqua and I are now part of her Familia."

Luna nodded with a smile and grabbed a blue orb and motioned towards Hestia. "Great to hear! I just need Hestia-Sama to confirm it." She held the orb out and it glowed to life, a menu with many symbols appearing in the air above it.

"Awesome…"

Hestia pressed a few of the symbols before nodding in acceptance. "And done."

Luna nodded and put the ball away. "And with that you're both in the Guild. All that's left is to assign you a representative."

Kazuto put a hand on his chin in thought. "How about that elf girl. Eina I think her name is."

Luna smiled in amusement and nodded. "I'll see if she's available."

"Thanks."

Shortly later, Eina looked at Kazuto and the others in surprise. "Me?"

"Yep," Luna answered with an amused smile.

"Is that okay?" Kazuto asked in concern.

"Y – Yes!" Eina stuttered.

Kazuto nodded with a relieved sigh. "Glad to hear it. Is there a fee?"

"Oh, right, five percent on any earnings you get from the Dungeon."

"Sounds reasonable."

Eina looked over Kazuto and Aqua in worry. "Um… do you plan on going into the Dungeon like that?"

"Dungeon?"

"You… don't know what it is?"

"No."

"Ah…"

Luna smiled playfully. "This would be your chance, Eina."

"Right…" Eina muttered before turning to Kazuto. "Follow me for a moment."

Kazuto nodded and followed her out of the building, where she then pointed to the massive tower in the center of the city.

"The tower in the center of the city is Babel, it acts as the lid to the Dungeon. And the upper floors are where the Hephaestus Familia sell their wares."

Kazuto raised an eyebrow in thought. "Hephaestus Familia?"

Eina frowned in concern. "Do you… know anything about Orario?"

The teen blinked in realization. "Oh, so that's what it's called."

Eina gaped slightly. "… Oh dear. Okay, guess I'll have to explain the basics about the city then?"

"That'd be helpful."

"Right… well come this way."

The group shortly sat at a small set of tables off to the side within the Guild, away from the main business area.

Kazuto remained quiet as Eina sat with a hand on her chin. "Um… is something wrong, Eina?"

"No," she answered with a shake of her head. "I'm just trying to decide how to explain Orario to you, I've never been faced with explaining it to someone who knows absolutely nothing about the city."

"Oh…"

"How did you even get here if you don't know anything?"

"Got dropped here."

"Dropped?"

"Yeah."

"I… see… well, guess I'll start from the beginning. The Dungeon, or more appropriately the Dungeon Labyrinth, has always been here. At some point the tower, Babel, was built atop of it to keep the Monsters sealed inside. Eventually, due to people wanting to test their skill against the Monsters, the city sprung up around the Dungeon."

"Interesting."

"At some point in the past, the gods and goddesses descended from their world to ours to interact and have fun with us, as they put it. To keep things relatively even they set it so they couldn't be too much stronger than the mortals of this world."

"Wow," Kazuto muttered as he continued to listen.

"And that's where the Familias come from. The deities grant a small portion of their power to a mortal in the form of the Falna, and in return the mortals within the Familia, called their Children, help take care of them. Normally this takes the form of giving some of their earnings to the deity, or helping them with tasks the deity themselves aren't capable or knowledgeable to do."

"I see."

"The Guild handles all of those matters and makes sure there aren't any conflicts between Familias. We also handle the exchange rates of Magic Stones and Drop Items."

Kazuto remained silent for a moment.

"Oh, right. The Monsters in the Dungeon, when killed, dissolve into ashes and leave behind purple crystals filled with mana called Magic Stones. And occasionally, if the Monster is stronger than normal, excess mana will be stored somewhere in its body, meaning when they dissolve that chunk of their body will remain, a Drop Item."

"Amazing…"

"That's the basis of how Adventurers make money. They slay Monsters in the Dungeon, and then trade in the Magic Stones and Drop Items for Val."

"Good to know."

"So, if you're going to go into the Dungeon you'll need at least a weapon."

Kazuto sighed in exasperation. "Right… Got any cheap ones?"

Eina put a finger on her chin in consideration. "Hm… I believe the Guild provides a set of armor and any weapon within a certain price range to beginning Adventurers."

"Perfect!" he cheered in relief.

Eina chuckled lightly at his excitement. "Right, there's a small shop we generally use, I'll show you the way."

The group soon made their way towards the far edge of West Main, close to the western gate, in front of a small shop with the sign "Wiz's Shop" hanging above the door.

Kazuto scratched his head, wracking his brain in thought as he looked at it. "Huh… that name…"

Eina noticed his consternation with slight worry. "Something wrong?"

The teen shook his head in denial. "No. Just could have sworn I heard the name Wiz before."

Eina focused her gaze on him, not expecting that response. "Really? Well the owner of this shop came to Orario a couple months ago, and has a contract with the Guild. She provides starting Adventurers with basic equipment and resources, and in return the Guild funds her research."

"Research? Into what?"

Eina shrugged, unable to provide him an answer. "Nobody knows. Only the head of the Guild's ruling Familia knows."

"Boring…" Aqua groaned.

Kazuto chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, we're almost done," he eased before the group walked inside.

"Miss Wiz! Are you here?" Eina called out loudly as the entered the building, a long counter at the back across from the door, nooks filled with various items lining the adjacent walls, and multiple glass-lined shelves to one side of the room, a single table and two chairs next to the sole window in the establishment.

Kazuto stood silently for several moments. "Guess she's –" he began before the group heard a loud crash from the back of the room.

After a short pause a figure walked out from the back door.

Kazuto paled in disbelief as he saw the figure, a beautiful young woman with pale white skin and hip-length, bright brown, wavy hair, a portion of her bangs covering her right eye, both being bright amber, clad in a tight-fitting, ankle-length, violet robe with gold and lavender accents, her immense bosom bulging from the outfit. 'This can't be happening… Why… no, how is she here!? Why is one of Maou's Eight Generals here!? I thought they only existed in Yggdrasil! What the hell's going on!? This can't be happening!'

Eina looked at Kazuto in slight concern and tried to rouse him. "Mr. Kazuto? Reality to Mr. Kazuto!"

The teen winced and turned to her in surprise. "H – Huh?"

"Is something wrong? You look ill."

"N – No, I'm fine…"

"Are they new Adventurers?" Wiz redirected.

Eina responded to the brunette's question with a nod. "Yes. Well, these two are." She then motioned to Hestia. "This is Hestia, head of the Hestia Familia."

Kazuto sighed subtly in relief. 'Well… at the very least she doesn't seem to recognize me…'

"Ah," Wiz hummed as she looked the duo over before Eina continued.

"This is Kazuto Kirigaya and Aqua. They need equipment."

"Um… a sword should be enough for me," he requested plainly.

"Um, okay. Right. This way. Hm…" Wiz hummed as she went into the back of her shop and came out with a long, double-edge sword. It was covered in rust and severely weathered, but Kazuto could still tell it was a weapon the color of bright gold, an emerald colored guard at the hilt. "Will this do?"

"It's perfect," he answered before accepting the weapon.

"Need armor?"

"No, that's okay. The sword is enough. I want to earn everything else on my own."

"Oh. Okay."

Kazuto's thoughts raced as he looked at Wiz, still wondering how she was there.

Unbeknownst to him, however, his face had turned into a shallow frown, making the busty brunette rather uncomfortable as she fidgeted timidly. "Wh – What is it?"

He stiffened and shook his head free of the thoughts. "U – Uh, nothing. Sorry. How much do I owe you?"

"Oh, nothing. I provide one weapon and set of armor free of charge. That's the agreement."

"Oh. Right…"

"Then I'll take – !" Aqua began to ask excitedly before Kazuto interrupted.

"A staff."

Aqua looked at him with a disapproving frown. "Huh?! But I want –!"

"Something far too expensive. So give her a basic staff."

Wiz nodded and headed to the back room of her store once more before returning with a long, white staff with a top shaped like a large rose.

Aqua pouted as she accepted the weapon. "It's…"

"Perfectly fine. If you earn enough money you can buy a new one," Kazuto chided.

"Right…"

Eina nodded in acceptance. "That should be enough to at least start delving into the Dungeon."

"Glad to hear it. I wonder what this sword is called," Kazuto wondered as he held the sword.

Aqua chided, "It's scrap metal. Doubt it has a name."

"Bitch," a new voice chastised.

Aqua looked at Kazuto with anger. "What'd you call me?!"

Kazuto turned to her in confusion. "Call you what?"

"Don't give him the credit dumbass," the same voice growled.

"Stop that!"

"I didn't say anything!"

"He's right bedwetter."

The group all looked at the sword in Kazuto's grip as it spoke.

"You can talk!?" Kazuto howled.

"What gave it away? Me talking?"

Aqua turned to Kazuto and teased, "Great. You just attract weird."

"Coming from you that's a compliment."

"You're mouthy for a plank of steel, sword."

"And you talk big for a wet noodle. And the name's Excalibur. It's not my real name but worms like you aren't worthy of that."

Kazuto blinked in surprise at the sword's proclamation. "Wait, as in the legendary Holy Sword?"

"Yes, the same," Excalibur answered politely.

Aqua twitched an eyebrow furiously. "Oy! How come you're polite to him and rude to me?!"

"For reasons beyond the comprehension of a lowly goddess like you. So try to be good and zip it."

Kazuto frowned slightly in concern. "Um… I know Aqua can be a bit abrasive but she is a friend of mine, so try not to be too rude."

"How quickly do you make new friends?"

He raised an eyebrow in mild bewilderment but answered anyway. "I try to make friends as fast as possible and avoid making enemies if I can."

The sword remained silent.

"Ex?"

"Idiot."

"That was needlessly harsh."

Aqua sighed before redirecting, "Hey! I know, let's take some simple quests to get started on cash."

"Good thinking Copper Plate."

"Hah?"

Kazuto blinked in confusion. "… What's that supposed to mean?"

Eina gasped in shock. "Oh no! I forgot to give you your rank badges!"

"Huh?"

"You see, Adventurers have Levels. One through Eight. So that others can tell your Level at a glance, Adventurers receive badges made of different materials. Level One Adventurers get Copper Badges. Going up from there is Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Mythril, Orichalcum, and finally Adamantite for the highest ranked Adventurers. Now, let's head back to the Guild and I'll give you your badges, since you need to present them to accept a quest."

"Right. Let's do some quests then. We need to fix up the church and get food and supplies after all. Hestia-Sama, why don't you return to the church? Aqua and I will start taking some quests."

Hestia nodded with a big smile and ran off towards the church.

Kazuto turned on his heels towards the Dungeon. "Now let's go Aqua."

Aqua frowned in annoyance. "Hey, you can't –" she retaliated before he interrupted her.

"I'm not ordering you, I'm suggesting. Believe it or not, I don't get some sick thrill out of you being stuck in this world when you don't want to be."

"Speak for yourself," Excalibur grunted, garnering it a whack from Kazuto.

Aqua blinked in surprise at his remark. "Huh?"

"You heard me. While I did originally choose you to go with me partly to get back at you for taunting me I ignored that quickly. I thought having a goddess alongside me would help, I had no idea you'd be rendered powerless on this world."

Aqua widened her eyes in shock. "You… brought me along because you thought I'd be a boon?"

Kazuto nodded in agreement. "That was the goal. But since that's obviously not the case, it'd be best for both of us if we work on building up some funds and some connections to find out where the Demon King is. The quicker we do that the faster we can both go home."

"… R – Right…"

"How long are you going to just stand there staring?"

"U - Uh, right! Coming!"

The group then made their way back to the Guild, Aqua and Kazuto waiting for Eina to return with their badges.

Eina then came running up to the duo. "Here they are!"

Kazuto held the small, wide metal badge in his hand as Aqua held hers. "These are the Copper Badges?"

Eina nodded in reply. "Yes. Now, you can go on any quest you want, but most requests indicate the suggested Rank for the Adventurer. Most are Copper or Iron, but a few require higher than that."

"Good to know."

"Though taking quests is a real slog, and money comes slowly. So it's usually best to stick to diving into the Dungeon."

Luna then approached the group, having overheard their conversation. "Quests? Well aside from just turning in Stones from the monsters there aren't numerous quests available. Most of the monsters around Orario are gone. There certainly are a few up there if you want to try it. They're on that board over there."

"Right then…" Kazuto muttered as he went to the quest board and looked over the fliers on it. "Hm… not much here."

"Ooh! Look, this one's paying two hundred thousand Vals!"

Kazuto read the request thoroughly. "From the description of this beast we'd get butchered in a heartbeat. So no." He looked over the quests more and picked up one in particular. "Kill five giant toads in three days. Hm… that doesn't sound too bad. We'll do this one."

Aqua pouted in annoyance. "But it only pays two hundred fifty Vals."

"When you're just starting out in a game you have to take the low-paying, easy quests to build yourself up before you can tackle the high paying quests. Otherwise you'd get massacred."

His explanation caused Aqua to lurch back in fear.

However, Kazuto soon fell into thought as he put a hand on his chin. "Hmm…"

"What is it?"

"Something's been bothering me for a little while."

"Wiz's cup size?" Excalibur teased, gaining another whack from Kazuto.

"Sh – Shut up," he stammered with a blush. He then turned to Aqua. "You said that you can't use your divine powers here, right?"

"Yes."

"And that gods are commonplace here, correct?"

"Oh big time."

"Yep."

"Why?"

"A few hundred years ago, a bunch of the gods and goddesses decided it'd be fun to come down to this world and help the mortals delving into the Dungeon and trying to make it big. But to even the playing field the Chief God put a seal on this world that prevents a deity from accessing any powers that a mortal wouldn't be able to somehow use."

"Shows what gods know about mortals," Excalibur chastised.

"So… why not learn mortal abilities and become strong again?"

"Because I'm not interested in staying here! I'm only here until you beat the Demon King, then I'm going back to Valhalla."

"In other words a lazy, useless bitch."

Kazuto snarled, "Enough Wo –… Excalibur. Look, I really don't care that you're lazy, but get past it long enough for us to get out of here. Okay?"

"You really expect her to try?"

"Would you please shut up for a little bit?" he snarled.

Aqua sighed in exasperation. "… Okay. If you really think it'll help."

"I do. Now, let's go."

Outside the city, Kazuto and Aqua made their way to the location specified in the request to find the beasts responsible, the "giant toads". What they found was not what they expected.

Kazuto huffed and panted as he fled from an immense green toad. "You've gotta be friggin' kidding me!"

Excalibur, however, was laughing maniacally as Aqua felt from a similarly massive pink toad. "Run, Aqua, run! That way you'll be fast food!"

"Oh shut up you stupid sword!" Aqua shrieked.

"I'm not the idiot that bought my lie on the frogs not going to eat ya!"

"In case you forgot, I'm here too you insufferable witch!" Kazuto howled as he dodged a strike from the toad's tongue.

"But you have me my Lord!"

"And a whole lot of good that's doing me right now!" Kazuto turned and smacked away the extending muscle. 'Dammit… my body feels so heavy…'

"Me thinks you should try fighting."

Kazuto twitched an eyebrow at the sword. "With something that big? One wrong step and it'd swallow me whole."

"It's a frog. Just a big one."

Kazuto remained silent and tightened his grip on Excalibur.

"What?"

An excited smirk formed on his face as he pulled his sword back and raised his left hand. "Guess it's worth a shot…" In that moment he burst forward at the giant toad.

The beast shot out its tongue at Kazuto, the teen ducking under the it before batting it away. He then grabbed its tongue and yanked, hurling himself up over its head, putting Excalibur into a reverse grip. "Die!" he howled before slamming the sword down, impaling its head and killing the beast before it collapsed, dead.

"Told ya," Excalibur noted plainly as Kazuto huffed.

"Wow… I didn't know I could move like that…"

"It's because of that goddess' inscription on your back."

"Huh?"

"It enhances your abilities. Didn't she tell you that?"

Kazuto frowned slightly. "No… she said it only measures them."

"Dumb goddess."

Their conversation was interrupted as Aqua shrieked, the other toad coiling its tongue around her and yanking her back.

"Gah! Don't get eaten!" he hollered as he rushed over and jumped up, landing on its back and jabbing Excalibur deep into its skull.

Excalibur snickered as Kazuto pulled Aqua from the creature's mouth, covered in mucus and bawling.

"You alright?" Kazuto asked with worry, the blue-haired girl looking at him with tears in her eyes.

"No! I'm not alright! I'm covered in frog spit! I'm sticky and I stink! Imagine if my followers saw me like this! They'd lose all their faith!"

Excalibur hissed, "Like your Cult is something people should join."

Kazuto growled in irritation. "Seriously, not helping, so please, just for a bit, quiet." He then turned his attention back to Aqua. "Now come on, Aqua, you at least need to get back long enough to shower. If you don't you'll get sick."

Aqua sighed as she left the bathhouse, now cleaned of the toad's mess, Kazuto waiting on a bench nearby. "I can't believe that happened…"

He smiled apologetically and patted her shoulder lightly. "Well let's just hope it's the worst that happens."

"Don't you mean best?" Excalibur taunted.

Kazuto groaned as he felt a cord in his mind snap. "Aqua, wait here," he ordered gruffly, pulling Excalibur from its sheath and heading into a dark alley before jamming the sword into the ground hard. "Okay, what's gotten into you, Wolbach?"

Excalibur, or rather, Wolbach, huffed dismissively. "Seriously? You need to ask? I thought your first question be why the hell I'M TRAPPED IN A GODDAMN SWORD!"

Kazuto shrugged flippantly. "I simply chocked it up to one of Wiz's failed experiments."

"Please. Wiz may be dense but she isn't this big a screw-up."

The black-haired teen sighed and put a hand on his temple. "Hm… if I remember correctly, it was one of the player guilds that sealed you in that box to begin with, right? The something knights."

Kazuto couldn't see Wolbach's face, but he could almost hear her eyes rolling from within the sword. "Don't know. But that's the past. The now though is that Aqua's little Cult group fucked me over. My Soul in a sword, my nature in a cat, and I haven't a damn clue where my body is."

"I see… wait, cult? Hm… this isn't good, someone could hear us," he noted as he looked around suspiciously.

"Grab my hilt," Wolbach suddenly urged.

"… Hah?"

The sword snickered lightly. "Get your head out of the gutter and just do it."

He remained silently suspicious before grabbing the blade.

'Can you hear me?' she asked, her voice now resonating in his head.

"Wh – What the…?" he stammered in shock. "In my mind…?"

'Yes. As long as you're in contact with my vessel you can hear me in your head. Oh, and just think you're answers, we don't need the lower lifeforms getting suspicious.'

'Right… now, explain about that cult.'

'They are called the Axis Cult, and they worship Aqua. They also are the ones who, after I was freed from that original prison, split me into pieces. So you can see why I detest Aqua, Lord Momonga.'

Kazuto remained silent as he observed Aqua nearby. 'Maybe… Aqua doesn't strike me as the type to do that though.'

Wolbach remained silent before grunting in disbelief. '… Hah?'

'I mean she doesn't seem to have enough foresight for that kind of plan. Besides, there's one really big problem with that.'

'Eh?' Wolbach muttered in bewilderment.

'According to Aqua herself, she's been sealed up in Purgatory, handling Reincarnation for several thousand years. Which even if we apply the time dilation Yggdrasil and SAO have is long before Ulbert created you and the rest. So, while I'm not doubting you about those religious zealots, chances are Aqua didn't have any actual involvement in what they did. They probably just used her as a convenient excuse to do that. If it weren't her it'd have been a different deity. So try not to be so cruel to Aqua.'

'How can you say that? Do you actually feel sorry for her!?'

Kazuto frowned guiltily. 'Of course. I'm the reason she's trapped here.'

'You should be proud of that, Demon King!'

'Right… Demon… ah hell!'

'What?'

'Okay… well, I don't know if you're aware, but Momonga, the Momonga you know… technically isn't real…'

'Yes. All of us were aware of this. That Momonga is a Thought Projection you control with Mind Transfer Magic from another location.'

'Um… sure, let's go with that.'

'Still, it does not change the fact that you are Lord Momonga, leader of the Supreme Beings and ruler of all Nazarick.'

Kazuto was about to reply when he suddenly heard Aqua call out, "Oy! Kazuto, what's goin' on?"

He walked over to her, sheathing Wolbach. "U – Uh, sorry. I was just setting Excalibur straight."

"Good… because the sooner we kill the Demon King the sooner I can go back to Valhalla."

"R – Right…" 'I'm doomed!'

Hestia looked over the small stack of silver coins in excitement. "Wow! You got this much!?"

Kazuto chuckled lightly in amusement. "You don't need to be this excited. It's less than one hundred Vals."

Hestia pouted slightly. "Aw… I was just excited my Familia's already making money."

"I see…"

'Wait 'til she sees your treasury,' Wolbach interjected.

'I have to find Nazarick first. And that's if it even exists in this world.' "Oh, Hestia-Sama, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"How do we acquire skills?"

Hestia immediately sat up in realization. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you that." She rushed back over to the book case, her chest swaying with each step, and grabbed the same book back out and return to the sofa with Aqua and Kazuto. "Every time you increase the letter grade of one of your Stats you get a Sacred Aura, and you use those to learn Skills."

Kazuto nodded in understanding. "Right, but how do we get them in the first place?"

"You have to learn them from someone else or from a book that teaches them, the Sacred Aura allows you to immediately master the Skill."

"Ah. Thanks. Can I still learn Skills without learning it from someone else?"

"Yes, as you develop your abilities as an Adventurer it's possible that you'll develop some innate Skills."

"Really? Interesting. Anyway, why don't we head for bed? Tomorrow Aqua and I are going to try and get a new party member so we can kill those toads more easily."

Hestia nodded in agreement and reached for one of the lights, turning them out.

The next morning, Kazuto finished tying his sword to his back and turned to Aqua. "Come on, let's head to the Guild." He then held up a paper flier and showed it to her. "I made this last night, I'm going to ask Luna if we can put it on the board."

Aqua read over it in curiosity. "Hm… small party of two looking for members. Current members are… swordsman and mage!? I'm a goddess you nitw –!"

Kazuto silenced her with a hand over her mouth. "Do you really want people to know you're a Goddess serving another Goddess?"

Aqua paled and then shook her head in depression.

"That could be fun," Wolbach snickered.

"No it wouldn't!"

"Then quit your whining."

Luna looked over the flier in thought. "Hm… sure. I don't see a problem putting it up there."

Kazuto smiled in relief. "Really? That's great to hear."

Luna handed it back to him. "Just put it on the board, it'll stick on its own."

"Got it." Kazuto walked over to the board and put the paper on the board, it sticking without any tacks or tape. "That's pretty cool. Is the paper magnetic or something?"

"It's magic," Wolbach corrected harshly.

Kazuto twitched an eyebrow. "You saying that annoys me. Anyway, this quest says we have three days to kill all five toads, so we've only got two days left."

Aqua groaned heavily. "We'll never get someone else in time…"

"We can hope…"

Some time passed as the duo sat in the Guild's main hall, waiting.

"Um… Kazuto," Aqua muttered.

"Don't," he retorted bluntly.

"I think…"

"Don't say it."

"No one's coming…"

"I said don't."

"Geez… Can't we blow something up…?"

Aqua huffed in frustration. "And here I thought anyone would love to join a party with me, the great Aqua-Sama."

"Man you're delusional."

"The only church dedicated to you in this city is a crumbling ruin," Kazuto chided, causing her to fall to her knees in despair. "Besides, both of us just started as Adventurers a couple days ago, I doubt we'd get anyone willing to join us, especially not someone with any level of skill."

"Indeed Copper Plates."

"Oh shut it…" Aqua pouted.

Suddenly, a new voice remarked, "I happened to notice your recruitment poster."

The duo both turned in surprise and saw a petite girl with short, messy brown hair and bright red eyes, one covered by a red eyepatch, wearing a long-sleeved, short, red dress with yellow accents, a belt hanging loosely around her waist, black, fingerless gloves, a brown cloak, a tall, lopsided, pointed brown hat with large red buttons, a thigh-high black stocking on one leg, bandages up to her thigh on the other leg, and orange boots, holding a long wooden staff with a red orb floating in the middle.

Kazuto gaped slightly in surprise. 'Cute…'

'You've got to be joking…' Wolbach groaned.

'Something wrong…?'

'I know this girl.'

'I see. Is that bad… or good…?'

'… I think smarter than Aqua.'

"I assume you want to join then?"

The girl put a hand over her eye with a deep chuckle she was likely intending to be ominous. "That we would meet is a fate chosen by the world itself. I have anxiously awaited the arrival of those such as yourselves."

'Is she…?'

'Sadly…' Wolbach groaned.

Megumin flared her arm out with a wide smirk. "My name is Megumin! My calling is that of an arch wizard, one who controls explosion magic, the strongest of all offensive magics!"

Kazuto chuckled weakly as a nervous drop of sweat fell down his cheek.

"She's one of those annoying Crimson Demons"

"Oh. Welcome aboard."

"Seriously?!" Megumin and Wolbach exclaimed in simultaneous shock.

Kazuto nodded plainly. "Yeah."

Megumin returned to her standard persona and continued dramatically, "Do you too, desire my forbidden strength, which is so almighty, I've been ostracized by the whole world?"

Wolbach grumbled in irritation. "Oh boy. Don't let her f –"

"Yes," Kazuto answered simply.

"Then show me thine resolve to peer into the ultimate abyss with me!"

Aqua frowned in frustration at her constant dramatics. "Are you just here to make fun of us?"

"No way!" she argued desperately.

Aqua blinked in realization as she looked at the girl. "Wait. That red eye, you're a Crimson Demon, aren't you?"

"I said that already, you dumdum."

"Shut it rusty!"

Megumin smirked confidently. "Indeed! I am –!"

Kazuto suddenly interrupted her. "While I'm happy you want to join us, could you stop with all the elaborate speeches and posing?"

Megumin face-faulted in exasperation as Wolbach snickered in amusement.

Megumin attempted to stand but then immediately collapsed, Kazuto rushing to her side. "Hey! Are you alright?!"

"I haven't eaten in three days…" she groaned.

"… Why?"

Aqua tilted her head in thought. "You know, Crimson Demons are born with high intelligence and lots of magic power. They also tend to have weird names."

"Intelligence does not equal wisdom. I.e. common sense."

"Calling my name weird is rude, you know. From my point of view, it's everyone else whose names are weird."

Kazuto frowned slightly and challenged, "Okay… then how about your parents?"

Megumin stood with a smirk and declared confidently, "My mother is Yuiyui and my father Hyoizaburo!"

The others merely sat, perplexed at her display.

"Oh… here!" Megumin grumbled as she handed a copper plate to Kazuto.

And finito! Thus ends the first chapter. Hopefully everyone enjoyed it. Be sure to leave a review letting me know if you did. If you were unsure, confused, or simply have questions about anything be sure to leave a review letting me know and I will do what I can to address your concerns in a reviewer response. If you did not enjoy the chapter, leave your objections and, depending on how... intelligible they are I will respond. Anyway, I have nothing else to say here, so until the next chapter, bye-bye!