Kazuma was looking at the village he happened to find on his path.
He was at a hill that gave him a good vantage point to see what the village had to offer using his "Farsight" skill.
The village grew many crops on their own, had several trees that bore shiny red apples, and had a few stalls that sold many of the crops.
Kazuma knew he had to get food, otherwise he would perish. But it still gnawed at him to steal, but he didn't have any money.
As his eyes roamed the village, he noticed there was also a quest board of sorts. He couldn't make out many details but he recognized the format. Perhaps he could make quick use of it to earn a few coins before leaving.
He continued to scout the area before noticing someone exiting a store with a tunic sign hanging over it. They seemed to have a small basket of clothes. They left it on the side of the building, next to what looked like a pile of trash before going back inside. Perhaps they were throwing out some old or ruined clothing. Kazuma noted that.
Once he was done, he waited till the sun was starting to set. The sky turned a bright orange, the amount of people that were outside diminished to very few, so Kazuma made his move.
Kazuma entered the town, luckily not seeing any royal guards around. His first stop was the clothing store. He saw that the box of clothes was still present, so he quietly rummaged through it. He found what seemed to be a black cloak with a hood, but had a few holes and a grey patch, possibly an attempt to repair one of the holes was made. Regardless, he took it and put it on. The hood draped down enough where it would cover his face if he let it. It could also double as a blanket of sorts.
He went to his second stop, the quest board. It seemed to be less of a quest board and more of a request board. Some small and easy jobs for an adventurer. Normally Guild Halls would have official quest boards where money was paid upfront. All the recipient had to do was show proof of completion and the guild would pay them immediately. This kind of a board however just had you bring the proof to the requestor themself and they would pay you. There also had been a stroke of luck because no wanted poster of him has been posted yet, but he had to be careful nonetheless.
He browsed over the board and noticed a few jobs that interested him. One was a request to hunt a pack of wild boars in the area. They were a bit aggresive so most normal people wouldn't be able to handle the task. For Kazuma however, what he needed was a weapon. He still held onto the arrow that was shot at him during his escape. Even with it, he couldnt do much with such a thing, it would snap easily when attempted to be used as a rudimentary offensive knife.
Another request that took his interest was a one way escort request to another location. A map was provided to show the distance from the current village to the destination. It was right on his path to where he was heading. Perhaps he could take this quest, but without a weapon he'd just be slightly better than a passenger.
The final request was a simple one. A forest not to far has a few monsters making it dangerous for the average citizen to venture but there is a tree that grows a special breed of cherries. This kind of cherry has a very sweet taste to it, but contained no seed, therefore it could not be grown closer to the village.
Kazuma figured this would be the best way to start.
He took the paper off the board and noted the location being north from the village. He also made a stop to grab the basket from the clothing store, removing the other clothes from it, to carry the cherries.
Once he figured where to go, he quickly made another stop.
Around the area where crops were grown, there was a few apple trees that had some beautiful red apples. He quickly used his steal ability to swipe a few apples from the tree before running off without being spotted.
'At least I have something to eat tonight.' Kazuma thought to himself as he headed north.
The sun had fully set as the forest came into view.
He made camp a fair distance away from the forest to avoid any monsters coming out and attacking him in his sleep.
'I don't have Aqua with me to resurrect me this time around...' Kazuma thought to himself, taking note of the higher danger factor in play now that he couldn't just be resurrected easily.
He took a bite out of one of the apples he stole, staring at the fire for some time, he made one last thought before he prepared himself for a night's rest.
'I wonder how the other's are doing...'
Once that thought passed through his mind, he quickly fell asleep.
Kazuma was awoken by a sudden rumble.
He quickly got up to scan his surroundings, but found no threat at all.
He the only thing he noticed was a small cloud of smoke somewhere in the distance from where he was camped.
'Someone must have set off a bomb or something while fighting a monster. Though it does remind me of a certain Arch-Wizard.' Kazuma thought as he got prepared himself to enter the forest.
There were many trees in the forest, so the abundance of leaves shrouded the forest in darkness. It wasn't as dark as night, but it was certainly darker than outside the forest. Regardless, he trekked through the forest.
After about an hour, and another apple consumed, he found a cherry tree that fit the description. A tree with occasional red leaves among the green, with bright red cherries growing on it.
He used his steal skill to quickly grab enough to fill the basket he brought with him.
Just when he finished collecting, he heard some bushes rustle.
With caution, he activated 'detect enemy', and located 3 goblins that were surrounding him. Just as they jumped at him, he used his lurk skill to vanish, leaving the three goblins to crash into each other.
Kazuma laughed as he quickly ran away, making it out of the forest slightly quicker this time around.
By now noon had passed, so the village may be more active, but he needed to hand in the cherries.
Besides, how bad could it be?
It was very awkward. Anyone would expect it to be when walking around a public area with a black cloak. Makes you look like some evil person, probably from a cult.
Luckily he was able to find the person who requested the job and was awarded ten thousand eris, plus a bonus five thousand for the large amount of cherries he brought.
He was even requested to come by later on around evening.
With the small pouch of money in his hand, he went to the weapon shop for buy a new weapon.
As he stepped into the shop he was greeted by a large man with a gruff voice.
"Welcome! We got the finest weapons in town! Names Trevor! What can I get'cha stranger?" He asked.
"Just looking for a weapon. Preferably one handed. I only have fifteen thousand eris with me. What can I get with that?"
"Fifteen thousand eh? Well let me check." The man said before entering the back area.
He emerged a few minutes later with a few swords.
"Here's what I got for ya, from left to right, lowest to highest in price. I would recommend more on the pricier side, they're reinforced with a stronger metal so they're more durable, but it's up to you on what you're comfortable on spending."
While normally Kazuma would want to save as much as possible, he knew he couldn't easily enter weapon shops in other cities, and even villages once wanted posters were put up. So a more durable weapon would be ideal.
He ended up picking the furthest right item. He drew the sword out a little bit to check out the blade. As he inspected the weapon, the shopkeeper spoke up.
"That one is a fine weapon. The blade is made with strong steel, the guard and pommel made with bronze, and hilt made with a strong leather. It's an excellent weapon for an adventurer, on a budget that is. This one should last you for a long time." The storekeeper said proudly.
"Alright, I'll take it!" Kazuma said, sheathing the blade.
"Excellent!"
"So how much is this?" Kazuma asked the man.
"Thirteen thousand eris, but I'll throw in a pair of fingerless gloves. The extra layer can help with a few pains when wielding a sword for a long time."
"You got yourself a deal." Kazuma said, taking out the bag of eris and placing the correct amount.
With his new weapon placed on his side, and gloves equipped, he bid the man a good day before leaving.
Kazuma went back to the man who he gave the cherries to. What he didn't expect was to be handed a slice of what seemed to be a pie made with the cherries he collected.
With gratitude, he took the slice and ate it as he went on his way.
While a slice wasn't much, it was better than getting the whole pie since he had no place to store it, and he didn't want to carry it around.
He had finished eating when he returned to the request board.
He already knew which one he was going to take next. He took the one which requested three wild boars in the same forest to be killed for food. This time other people would accompany him so they could bring the boars back instead of him.
Now that Kazuma had a weapon, he should be able to kill them, and defend himself from any other monster.
With the request in hand, he went to the place to plan about this mission.
The next morning had come, the plan was simply two men, who had a much larger build than Kazuma, brought a horse and cart with them to carry the boars back to town. For now, one of them rode on the horse while Kazuma and the other rode in the cart to the forest.
The man on the horse was a white male with brown hair. He wore a simple white tunic that had been faced with the elements to turn more towards a slightly brown shirt. His name was Ralph. The one in the cart with Kazuma was Ralph's younger brother John. He had black hair rather than brown hair, and wore a brown tunic. They had an age difference of only a year, so they didn't look drastically different. Just minor details.
"Hey Kazuma." John spoke up.
"Hmm?"
"I gotta ask, what's someone like you doing out here? Our town doesn't get visitors often."
"I've been wondering too. You kinda showed up one day with the cherries and now this request." Ralph said.
Kazuma thought for a moment. He did want to say why he was there, but it would most likely lead to them getting some guards to arrest him, so he chose his words carefully.
"I... I used to live in Axel, with a few... friends... We were in a party together. We went on a lot of adventures together, we even defeated a demon lord and took down the Destroyer."
"Whoa, that sounds amazing! We saw that monstrosity far in the distance. It was too far for it to notice us, but it was so big that even then we could see it. Amazing that it was your group that took it down." John said with amazement.
"So how come you're here if things were great back in Axel?" Ralph asked.
"Well... we had a bit of an... altercation if you would say. They left me hanging, all alone. So I left Axel, and I plan on going far from there."
"Wow... they sound like real jerks then." John said, leaning back.
"Perhaps, I can't go back now. But, I still do care somewhat for them, y'know? Sure I may be mad at them, but I can't hate them. Not after the things we've been through."
Memories of the girls ran through his head. The useless goddess grabbing his tracksuit, shaking him in a panic. The Arc-Wizard, falling after using her explosion magic, and sliding down the grass slope she was on. The perverted crusader, who showed a display of pure ecstasy while being attacked by flying cabbage.
But at the same time.
Aqua and Kazuma partying together in the guild hall after a long day of work. Kazuma carrying Megumin after she fired off her explosion magic, forcing him to have to carry her home. Darkness standing at the outskirts of Axel, bravely awaiting her enemy to come, despite her common tendencies.
Sure he may have gone through hell with those three, an amazing thing to claim when one is an actual living diety, but he wouldn't change the fond memories he has of them.
"Sounds like you got it rough kid... I hope things go well for you."
"Thanks." Kazuma nodded at John under his hood, before leaning back as well.
After some time, they stopped outside of the forest Kazuma had previously gone to for the cherries.
"Alright, we'll wait here for you to take care of the boars. If possible, kill them closer over here so we don't have to go too deep into the forest." Ralph said.
"Got it!" Kazuma said before jumping out of the cart and walking into the forest.
Kazuma was greeted by the familiar slight darkness that fell when entering the forest.
He followed the directions he was given on the way. He kept walking east until he ran into a small pond of sorts. He had spotted a couple monsters on the way, but he used his lurk skill to sneak right by them.
He then headed north where the common grounds for the boars were.
It was here that he decided to use his lurk skill more actively to avoid getting flanked by the boars.
Kazuma had to be careful. While he had experience killing monsters, wild animals are a different story.
Monsters tend to have slightly more intelligence than animals, so sometimes they have a mindset that is easily predictable.
Wild animals in contrast can be easy to hunt down, but when provoked, they could be dangerous. Wildly attacking in ways that can throw a strategist off their game.
It wasn't long until Kazuma heard a snort. The boars were nearby.
Just as Kazuma peeked his head around one of the trees, he saw his three targets. But he was shocked to the core at what he saw.
What Kazuma was expecting was some animals that didn't go higher than maybe his waist at best.
What he didn't expect, was for them to be taller than he was, nor did he expect their tusks to be long and seemingly sharp enough to impale him.
'THIS WORLD IS JUST CRAZY!!!' Kazuma screamed in his head.
Regardless, Kazuma slowly moved to attack. Just as he did, he stepped on a branch which snapped very loudly.
Kazuma's blood turned cold as the boars stopped for a second before quickly turning their heads towards Kazuma.
The two groups stared at each other before Kazuma spoke up.
"H-h-hey... How's it going?" He asked, shaking in his boots.
Just as he said that, the three boars let out a loud squeal before they all charged at Kazuma.
"OH CRAP THEY'RE ATTACKING!" Kazuma screamed before he booked it.
As he ran back, he heard the heavy footsteps from the boars. One quick glance back and he saw that the boars looked like they were ready to kill.
"WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO MEEEE?!"
After running south, he eventually ran back into the pond he passed, making him turn west towards the two he came with.
He took another quick glance back but noticed something a bit terrifying.
There were only two boars.
'Wait, where the hell did the third one go?!'
Just as he asked that, he heard a set of heavy footsteps to his right.
Charging right at him was the third boar, running at full speed, ready to pierce his body with it's tusks.
"LURK!!!" Kazuma screamed, allowing him to have a slight boost which allowed him to barely dodge the boar, it's tusk just barely making a scratch on his cloak.
Because of it's speed, it was unable to stop or turn directions, forcing it to crash head first into a tree, knocking it out.
'Alright! One down!' Kazuma internally cheered.
With only two boars chasing him, he started coming up with ways to take care of the others.
He used 'create water' to make a sort of wet area up ahead, then used 'freeze' to make the surface slippery.
He jumped over the ice while the boar stepped on it and slipped, making it also crash into a tree, rendering it unconscious.
'Alright! Just one more to go! All I gotta do now is-'
Kazuma's train of thought was cut off as he felt a tug on his cloak.
While he was cheering about the second boar, the third one had caught up to him and hooked its tusk to his cloak.
It lifted his head, throwing Kazuma into the air. He let out a scream as he was flying, until he landed on the boar.
'Oh... well... shi-' He couldn't finish his thoughts as the boar started picking up pace, attempting to throw Kazuma off.
It wasn't long till they exited the forest, where Ralph and John were.
"KAZUMA, YOU GOTTA KILL THAT THING MAN!" Ralph shouted.
He already knew that, but it was charging towards them, and it was getting really close.
Kazuma lowered his left hand, grabbing onto the fur, he then used his right hand to draw his sword.
He stabbed it in the back, making it squeal. But he wasn't done. He used his sword to climb further and further, stabbing different spots along the way till he was close to the head.
"DIE ALREADY YOU BASTARD" He shouted before stabbing it in the eye.
That caused the boar to squeal really loudly before falling over onto it's side.
Kazuma landed safely, and watched as the boar squirmed around before finally dying.
"Good grief, what a pain that one was." He said to himself.
Then, he heard some hands clapping.
"That was incredible Kazuma! You must've been a great adventurer, because that was quite a spectacle." John compliment before slapping him on the back.
"Hahaha, thanks John. Anyways I have to go kill the other boars, I'll have to get you guys to help me bring them.
"Alright!" The two brothers said.
After loading the first Boar onto the cart, they went into the forest together where they found the unconscious boars. Kazuma killed both of them before they brought them over to the cart.
They hauled the three boars back into town. It had become sunset when they returned.
Kazuma was rewarded fifty thousand eris this time, but he also got an extra twenty thousand because of the size of the boars. They didn't expect the boars to be so big so they paid him for it.
"So Kazuma, what are ya going to do no" Ralph asked.
"Well... I need to keep going. I had planned on taking the escort request to go to another city nearby, and then crossing the border to another kingdom. After that, I'm not sure."
"Well, best of luck to ya pal. Hope to see you around. Hopefully things go well for you and your party members." John said.
"Thanks guys, hopefully I'll come back one day." Kazuma said before turning and leaving.
He now had money, he was able to stay the night at the inn. There he was able to eat a hot meal and sleep in a comfortable bed for once.
He knew he wouldn't be able to enjoy this for long. The next city would probably have wanted posters of him all over, so for now he could only enjoy this here.
He stared at ceiling, lost in his thoughts.
"Everyone... I hope you're doing well... I really miss you guys..." He said quietly to himself before turning to his side on his bed and falling asleep.
I know this chapter came out suuuuper late, but I hope I made up for it by making it over 4k words this time! Longest chapter I've ever written so I hope it was enjoyable.
