'That was a waste of time.'

"Tell me about it."

After the whole ordeal...

Venom and I were sitting in bed back at the inn eating something called Crispy Mandrake Flakes. I don't know what these were made of, but they were delicious.

The other adventurers dispersed as soon as the blue haired girl broke the curse. I went back to the inn and tried to go back to sleep. Keyword being "tried". Turns out running across town to meet a Demon King General really wakes you up, who would've guessed?

'Let us go find out what that thing back at the cave was. We don't have anything else left to do.'

"Might as well, I guess..."

I got off my bed and exited the inn. Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, it was probably around 11:30 am. I should probably go get something to eat.

Most of the adventurers at the guild were already eating their lunch when I arrived. Some of them were picking quests while others, like a blonde guy on a nearby table, looked like they got drunk instead of going to the gate earlier.

"Oh, hey there! You're the new guy, right?"

"Taylor, right?"

"Yep. That's me."

A Familiar face called out to me. It was the same guy I met outside the old crook's shop. He motioned for me to sit down in front of him as he spoke.

"That was quite a false alarm earlier, wasn't it?"

"Tell me about it. I was still sleeping when it sounded."

"Hopefully that doesn't happen again, Axel's just a town full of beginners, we don't have enough people to take out a Demon King General. The highest-level adventurer we have is Mitsurugi-san, he could probably put up a fight, but I doubt he could actually beat a Demon King General by himself"

"Mitsurugi?"

"Yup, he's the town's ace adventurer. The people here are all low-level adventurers. He's the only high level one here, he's probably around the thirties by now. Even I'm only at level thirteen right now, what about you?"

"Me? I'm at level four."

"Nice. I'm guessing you killed quite a few monsters already."

"Not really, no. Only a few bears, why do you ask?"

"Well you see..."

"Peter."

"Peter-san, my party has space for one more member, and after hearing about your incredibly high stats, and the fact that you took on a high level quest as your first ever quest, I thought I would ask you to join us."

Party? Does he mean a group? Like the Avengers?

"Sorry, but I prefer to work alone."

Joining the Avengers and joining a random group are two things. Besides, being in a group might compromise things, especially Venom.

"That's a shame. Well, my offer still stands. If you ever change your mind, we'll be staying near the stables."

Taylor stood up and began walking towards a group of two people.

Wait, maybe he knows something about the red eyed creature back at the mountain.

"Before you go, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Do you know anything about a creature that has red eyes?"

"A lot of monsters have red eyes. You'll have to be more specific."

Specific, specific...what did that thing look like? All I could see was a silhouette and red eyes. Wait, it spoke, didn't it?

"Well, I heard it shout "Light of Saber" before it attacked."

"Oh, that was probably Yunyun-san."

"Yunyun-san?"

"Yeah, she's the Crimson Demon who helps out adventurers when they're in a pinch. She probably followed you and saw you get into trouble."

"Do you know where I can find her?"

"Well, she mostly stays all by herself, you can probably find her somewhere over there. She's a Crimson Demon so it'll probably be easy to find her. She's the one that wears black robes and a cloak. She also carries a short sword and a wand."

"Thanks, Taylor!"

"You're welcome, Peter-san."

He walked back to his group as I got up and headed for the corner of the guild Taylor pointed me to. I don't know what a Crimson Demon is, but if I remember correctly, the crimson eyed girl who blew up was called a Crimson Demon. Guess, I'll just search for someone with red eyes.

"Red eyes, black robes, a cloak, along with a short sword and a wand...Is that her?"

A red eyed girl matching Taylor's description was sitting by herself on one of the tables in the corner.

"Hi there, mind if I sit here?"

I greeted as I approached her. She stiffened up as soon as I spoke.

"N-no, I don't mind at all."

I sat down in front of her.

H-hi there. My name's Yunyun."

"Pleased to meet you, my name's Peter. Peter Parker."

"Um...that's weird, Parker...san? Why didn't you laugh when you heard my name?"

"Peter's fine, and why would I laugh at your name?"

"W-well, most people laugh when they hear my name."

"Well, I'm not like most people. Besides, what's wrong with Yunyun?"

"You don't find it unusual?"

"No."

"Oh...umm...do you need anything from me?"

"Not really, I just wanted to ask if you were the one that followed me into the cave yesterday."

"I'm sorry! I just thought that maybe you needed help!"

Yunyun cried out, surprising me and drawing a few heads towards us. This girl doesn't look like she has any self-confidence at all.

"Hey, hey, it's alright, I was just asking."

"Oh..."

Her face turned red from embarrassment.

"So Peter-"

"Hello there, can I please take your order?"

A waiter approached us and asked for our orders, interrupting Yunyun.

"I'll have two Blood Steaks and a Neroid Swish, what about you?"

"I'll just have water, Parker-san."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Alright then...Two Blood Steaks and one Neroid Swish for me, and a glass of water for her, please."

"Of course, sir."

The waiter left and continued asking the other adventurers for their orders. I turned to Yunyun to continue our conversation.

"Umm...Parker-san, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of class did you choose?"

She followed me yesterday when I was talking to Venom and now she's asking me what class I chose? She definitely saw Venom. I can feel his unease.

"Peter's fine, Yunyun. As for my class, well...uhh...it's complicated."

"I've never seen anyone use the same kind of attacks you used back there."

"Umm...yeah...my class is...Venom."

"Venom? Peter-san...I'm pretty sure that job doesn't exist."

"It's a brand new class."

"Brand new?"

She looked at me with a cross between a curious and a disbelieving expression. Can't say I blame her.

"Apparently. Luna told me this was a brand new class. I don't exactly know why or how I got it. I don't even know all of my...uhh...class' skills, just that I have it."

"That's weird. The last time someone discovered a new class was a few hundred years ago."

"Weird...hey Yunyun, did you by any chance see who I was talking to yesterday?"

"Y-you mean the head attached to your shoulder?"

Crap, she did see Venom. What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? Should I tell her or not? I'm gonna try and bluff my way out of this one.

"You must've seen something else. We were crouching together behind the stalagmite, so you probably thought his head was attached to my shoulder."

"But I saw him come out of you shoulder. I mean, I might be wrong since it was dark in the cave!"

"..."

Well, that didn't work. I'm just gonna tell her the truth...well, a twisted and vague version, but still the truth.

"Alright, I'll tell you. But you have to promise you won't tell anyone else."

"I promise."

"Alright. So, I already told you about my new class, didn't I? It's name is Venom. It allows me to form weapons from my arms and shoot webs from my wrists."

"That seems...weird."

"You'd be surprised how effective webs are."

"I suppose..."

"What about you?"

"M-Me?!"

"I already told you about my class, what about yours? You took down that giant bear all by yourself; you must have some kind of amazing class."

"My class is an archmage."

"Archmage?"

"It's an advanced class...you do know what an advanced class is, right?"

"Oh, right, of course!"

Advanced class...there's an advanced class? Do I need to level up to unlock Venom's advanced class?

"Say, I heard that you were a Crimson Demon. What exactly is a Crimson Demon?"

Yunyun stared at me incredulously for a second...two seconds...three...four...this is getting awkward.

"Uhh...was I not supposed to ask that?"

"N-no, I was just surprised. You really don't know what a Crimson Demon is?"

"No, was I supposed to?"

"Well, I mean, it's not your fault, but most people here know what a Crimson Demon is."

"Well, like I said earlier I'm not like most people, so...what's a Crimson Demon?"

"Us Crimson Demons are born with high intellect and strong magic power; most of us have the potential to become powerful mages. We're well known for our red eyes and our...strange names."

Ohhhh...so these Crimson Demons are a race. No wonder she was looking at me weird earlier, it's basically the same as asking what a Caucasian is.

"So, you're a Crimson Demon?"

"Yes, I am."

"So, what kind of spells do you have, apart from the Light of Saber thing you did yesterday?"

"I can use Intermediate and Advanced magic."

"Can you make the Statue of Liberty disappear?"

"What?"

"Nothing. Anyway, can you show me what Intermediate and Advanced magic looks like?"

"H-here. You can look at my adventurer card."

Yunyun took out her adventurer card and handed it over to me. I wonder what kind of magic spells she has...

"Wow, that's a lot of spells"

On her card were tons of spells which, I'm guessing, she's able to cast. 'Inferno'. 'Lightning Strike', 'Crystal Prison', 'Bottomless Swamp', 'Light of Reflection', 'Light of Saber'...jeez, that's a lot.

"All of those spells are offensive spells, so I can't show you right now. I'm sorry, it's my fault, I should've learned more passive spells."

"Don't worry. We'll just go on a quest so you can show me! Besides, having all of these offensive spells can come in handy one day."

"Together? But that seems like something a friends would do, I mean, I don't dislike the offer but going on a quest together feels more like something friends would do..."

"Well then, do you want to be friends?"

"Friends?!"

Her eyes suddenly glowed a bright red color.

"Whoa! What just happened to your eyes?"

"Oh! My eyes light up when I'm excited...it's a Crimson Demon trait."

"That is so cool, anyway do you still want to go take a quest? I'm not pressuring you or anything, so if you don't want to, you can say no"

"No. I mean, yes, I mean, I want to go!

"Alright then. Let's go! You go ahead and pick which quest you want us to take."

I got of my seat and walked towards the quest board as Yunyun followed closely.

Right before we reached the board, I suddenly heard a confused waiter talking to herself.

"Here are your ord- Eh?! Where'd they go?"

"Riiiiiight after I eat my breakfast."

(lXl)

"Right, then. Which spells are you going to cast first?"

"Umm...this one's called 'Bottomless Swamp'"

Yunyun replied nervously. A group of goblins were busy eating around a campfire in front of us. We were hiding inside some bushes behind them. Yunyun began casting to cast her spell while I wondered why the goblins looked like the Hulk had a child with Dobby from Harry Potter.

"Bottomless Swamp!"

A dark violet circle began to surround the goblins before a dark hole suddenly appeared under them. The black hole then transformed into a liquid state and began to swallow the goblins like quicksand. Some of the goblins tried to run but was unable to, due to the liquid substance sticking to their legs. I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. Eventually, every single goblin in the area sank into the black goo.

"Woah...that was awesome, what else do you have?"

"A few more, but umm...Peter-san, we should probably get hide before a Rookie killer comes."

"What's Rookie Killer?"

"Peter-san, a Rookie Killer is a black beast that hangs around weaker creatures like goblins and kobolds and preys on the adventurers that attacks those creatures. This means the goblins are bait to lure adventurers. And to keep the goblins from settling at one place, it'll herd the goblins to change its hunting grounds. A cunning and dangerous monster."

"Okaaaay then. Let's hide behind those trees over there. I'll climb to the top, you hold on to my back."

"O-okay! Light of Reflection!"

Yunyun replied, casting a spell over us...it was a spell, right?

"Umm...not to sound rude or anything, but what did that do?"

"Oh, it's a spell that turns the user and their allies invisible."

"Cool."

So we're invisible now? That is so cool. I wonder how this type of magic works...I know it's called magic, so it can't be explained by science, but I really want to know how these things work scientifically. Does it just reflect light, or does the spell make light go through us? Does it affect EM waves? If so, does it only work on visible light? What about Infrared rays? Will thermal imaging still work on a person if they're under the spell's effect? So many questions...

Yunyun latched onto my back as I climbed the nearest tree. From the way she described the Rookie Killer, it seems to be a very dangerous creature that I should avoid at all costs...which probably means I'll run into it sooner or later.

As soon as we reached the top, a black furred, saber-toothed beast resembling a tiger appeared. Said thing suspiciously sniffed the ground we walked on earlier, tracing it backwards until it reached our tree. It proceeded to circle around the tree, pawing at nearby bushes and looking underneath several logs.

After a few minutes, it finally headed off in the direction we came from, moving towards the town.

"That was close..."

Yunyun exclaimed as she relaxed next to me.

"Are those things really that dangerous? They look like they're just bigger versions of saber-toothed tigers."

"Saber-toothed taygers?"

Ah, right. Different world, different animals. I should've known.

"Erm...nothing. Anyways, were those things really that dangerous?"

"Yes. Rookie Killers are known for using their intelligence to kill low level adventurers like you. No offence Peter-san, but you wouldn't have stood a chance against monsters like the rookie killer at your level."

"None taken. We should probably go back to Axel now. It's too dangerous to continue casting spells here with the Rookie Killer around. How about tomorrow?"

"Eh?! Really?! I-I mean, sure!"

"Great! C'mon, let's go back to Axel"

(lXl)

A few days has passed since that day. Me and Yunyun continued going on quests together, with her showing me her spells while I watched her take down monsters from red, scaly, fire breathing lizards to Unicorn Bunnies. Yes, you heard me right. Unicorn Bunnies. Venom was uneasy around her due to her knowledge of his existence, but she promised to keep him a secret, so we can't do anything except trust her.

Usually, me and Yunyun would meet up in the guild at this time, but she wasn't here today. In her place was a familiar blue haired girl shouting at the receptionist...

"W-Why–!?"

Her loud voice echoed throughout the guild.

"Didn't I tell you, the cage I borrowed from you wasn't damaged by me! It was that Mitsurugi guy who bent the bars! Why do I have to pay for it!?"

Wait. She was the girl who was with Kazuma a week ago! So that means...there! Kazuma was sitting in one of the tables nearby.

The blue haired girl continued bugging the receptionist, but she finally gave up, taking the reward and going to Kazuma's table with heavy footsteps. I should probably go and apologize for leaving abruptly the last time we met.

"… The bounty this time, after deducting the compensation for the broken cage, was only 100,000 eris… The staff said that the cage was made from a special process and material, so it cost 200,000…Next time I meet that man, I'll definitely give him a God Blow! And get him to cough up the compensation for the cage!"

"Hey Kazuma!"

"Peter?"

"You know him?"

The blonde girl next to him asked.

"We met a few days before the Demon King general attacked."

"Yeah, about that. I wanted to apologize for leaving quickly"

"Don't worry about it. We needed to go do Megumin's explosion routine anyhow."

"Megumin?"

"Oh, right. I haven't introduced you to the others yet. Megumin, Darkness, Aqua, this is Peter. Peter, this is Megumin, Darkness, and Aqua"

"Nice to meet you, Peter."

"Nice to meet you too."

"Hmph. I'm Megumin, number one explosion mage of the Crimson Demon Clan!"

"Really? I guess your explosions are pretty powerful..."

"Ugh..."

The blue haired girl, I think her name was Aqua, groaned.

"What's with her?"

"We borrowed a cage earlier but some guy broke it. Now she has to pay for the cage."

"So that's where you are! I had a hard time finding you, Satou Kazuma!"

A brown haired guy, wearing a full set of plate armor, blue in color with gold gilded borders, as well as a wing motif on the chest area, ran towards our table and slammed his hands down.

"Satou Kazuma! I asked a female thief about you and she told me everything immediately. She said you like to strip woman of their panties. Other than that, your interest is to cover girls in slime. Lots of people are talking about you, devilish Kazuma."

"Excuse me, what?!"

"Hold on, that's not true! Who's the one spreading this? Tell me properly."

What? He seemed like such a nice guy. Is he seriously that perverted?

As the guy in armor closed in on Kazuma, the blue haired girl stepped before him.

"… Aqua-sama. I swear to you, after I get my sword back from that man, I will defeat the Demon King. So please join me and form a party- Puah…!"

"Ah! Kyouya!"

What the hell?! She just hit him across the guild!

The two females behind him rushed to his side.

The blue haired girl...you know what? I'll just call him Aqua. Kazuma told me her name, and calling her "blue haired girl" is a bit too long. So, yeah, Aqua grabbed him by the collar and began shaking him.

"Compensate me for the cage you destroyed! It's all your fault that I had to pay for that cage! Because that cage was made through a special process and material, it cost me 300,000, okay! 300,000! You hear me, pay up!"

"Hey, hey! Break it up! I'll pay for the cage, just let him go!"

"T-thank you."

The brown head muttered gratefully as I gave Aqua a bag of money from my pocket. He stood up and started towards Kazuma again.

"… Even though I was defeated in that way, it was still my loss. Although it is shameless and selfish of me to say this after promising to do anything you wish… I beg of you! May you return the sword to me? That sword wouldn't be of much use to you, it's just sharper than normal swords if you wield it. That's the most you can get out of the sword… How about this? If you want a sword, I can buy the best one in any shop and give it to you… May you please return it to me?"

What sword? Was it magical?

"Using me as a prize without my permission, and asking for your sword back by offering to buy a good one in exchange… There's no way this deal would work! Or do you think my worth is equal to the most expensive sword in a shop? Insolent fool! I'm a goddess! A goddess! To use me as a betting chip, what the hell are you thinking? I don't want to ever see your face again, shoo. Hurry up, scram!"

Aqua held the menu in one hand while waving the other, gesturing for boy to leave as she said it out loud, which made him turn pale.

Wait. Did she just say he used her as a prize? Did I miss something, cause this is confusing.

"Please! Please wait, Aqua-sama! I'm not looking down on your value…"

As boy started explaining, the crimson eyed girl, who's name was probably Megumin judging by Kazuma's introduction earlier, tugged on his sleeve.

"…? What is it little girl…? Hmm?"

After getting his attention, she pointed at Kazuma's waist.

"… Just a heads up, the sword is no longer with this man."

"!"

His face turned paler as he broke out in cold sweat.

"S-Satou Kazuma! Where is the sword? You, where did you take my sword to?"

"I sold it."

"Damn you–!"

The guy ran out of the guild in tears. That must've been one important sword.

"… What's with that guy… Speaking of which, he had been addressing Aqua as a goddess all this while, what's up with that?"

The blonde named Darkness asked. Then again, he did keep using it. Is that blue haired girl also a Goddess like Eris…

"I've never told you this before, but very well… I'm Aqua, the patron goddess of the Axis Cult, goddess of water… That's right, I'm that Goddess Aqua…!"

"… So, that's the backstory you're going by?"

"That's wrong! And why did both of you say the same thing!?"

"A Goddess? Like Eris and Thor?"

"Who's Thor?"

I'm not totally sure but I think proclaiming yourself a Goddess might not be the best idea.

At that moment...

"Emergency broadcast! Emergency broadcast! Attention all adventurers, please prepare all your equipment and gather at the town's main gate ready for battle–!"

The familiar emergency public announcement resonated throughout the guild.

"Again…? There are so many of these 'emergency summons' recently."

I should probably go. It might be the D.K.G again

"Hey Kazuma, are you coming?"

"Nah, you go on ahead I'll just-"

"Emergency broadcast! Emergency broadcast! Attention all adventurers, please prepare all your equipment and gather at the town's main gate ready for battle–! Especially Satou Kazuma-san and his companions, please head to the scene as soon as possible!"

"… Huh?"