Disclaimer: I don't own KonoSuba or Call of Duty or anything I might say in the story.
KonoSuba: Spec Ops
Allies
Mark's New Home
A few days had passed since the two adventurers went on a trip to the other world. And like the drawback of the item they used, they didn't remember any of it happened. However, they did write a letter for them to read. They wrote everything that happened to them, everything except the part where they fell for each other.
When they woke up the following day of the event, It was awkward between them after reading the letter. The information in it was detailed but they felt something missing, something important. When they look at the pictures they got from the other world they can't help but make their heart race. It took some time before they returned to their usual interactions.
The two are currently living in a house that was given to Mark by the will of someone. That someone was Harald Schwarzkopf, a man from another world besides Mark's. After translating the letter that was given to Mark, the boy knew the story behind the mysterious man. It's contents were…
Fellow soldier of the otherworld,
If you can read this letter it means that you might also be a fellow soldier from the Empire. My name in Lieutenant Harald Schwarzkopf, I was stationed at the Magical Research Development branch way back in the rear-echelon deployments. I thought being deployed there was safer, I was wrong. I would've preferred to be back in the front lines. These scientists here are crazy! They've been experimenting on a new way to move to places in an instant, "Warps". It is something like teleportation and they've used me as a test subject. Long story short, the warp thing sorta malfunctioned and made me end up here.
When I arrived at this strange world I immediately heard a scream from a distance. I flew up using my flying device and rushed to see what was going on, and there I saw a beautiful woman in armor surrounded by creatures I've never seen before. Without hesitation, I helped her out and killed those beasts. She was grateful for what I did but was also astounded that I could fly. When we were about to make a conversation, we couldn't understand each other. The language she spoke was nothing I have heard of. Fast forwarding the story, I've found out that this was another world. I realized that when I became an adventurer with the woman knight's request. I also considered being one to look for a way to go back home. The knight's name was Merry. We became partners, even though at first we couldn't understand what we spoke. I am a seasoned mage and my magic was quite high so I see no problem there. As time passed, I've learned to speak their language with the help of Merry. Each adventure we had was fun and thrilling, and little by little I forgot my main goal.
A few more years later, I married Merry and became a father to my wonderful children. At this time, I gave up the idea of going home. Life here is more relaxing and peaceful compared to my world. I never found anyone else like me here, so if you are reading this letter then let me give you a piece of advice. Stay in this world, have glorious adventures, fall in love, get married and live a life you've dreamed of. I give you this home and everything as a start. Consider it as a gift from an old soldier, I just wish we could have met. By the way, if you are wondering where my flying device is, it was broken during fighting against something called a mobile fortress "Destroyer". My Elenium Type 97 'Mobile Assault' Operation Orb is still fine, you could use it however you want.
Well, that's all I could say. You could try reading my diary for more information about my stay in this world. It's up to you how you go on from here.
Your friend,
Lt. Schwarzkopf
After reading the letter, Mark couldn't help but feel touched by the soldier's life. But it also raises the question why could a soldier fly?! The man had a gun from the boy's world, however it was also mentioned that the soldier had magic. So the boy knew that they were not from the same world. Before he could think it more through, Yunyun came inside the study and called him.
"Mark, let's go do something. You've been holed up in this room for days. A little exercise won't hurt." Yunyun commented.
"Okay okay, let me change my clothes and we'll go to the guild." Mark replied, standing up and going to his room. The boy did spend most of his time translating the books and diary the soldier had. It made him interested in what information about the world the soldier lived in.
"Yay!" Yunyun cheered, going out of the room and preparing her things too. They then left the house and proceeded to walk there. There was snow littered everywhere and the temperature was still cold.
For the past few days while Mark was translating the books. Yunyun was out practicing shooting at the range with her new weapon. It is a russian made sniper rifle called Dragunov. It was semi-automatic and had low recoil, good for practice. The one that accompanied her at the range was Grinch, which also taught a few more gun basics. Sandman and Truck helped Mark translate some books.
As the two walked together, they couldn't help but notice the chilling climate that had been going on lately. Mark carried around his new sniper rifle. It was a US made Sniper Rifle the "MSR" (Modular Sniper Rifle) is a. He didn't have the time to shoot it yet so he wanted to test it at some quest today.
"There sure are alot of snow around. Are you sure you're okay just wearing that?" Mark said, pointing at the clothes Yunyun was wearing. It was her normal attire, not really suitable for the winter weather.
"I-I'm okay. It's not as cold as yesterday so it's fine. The cold never bothered me anyway." Yunyun replied, acting tough in front of her partner.
"You sure? I could…"
BOOOM!
Before Mark could finish his sentence, a large explosion was heard from a distance. They could feel a bit of the shockwave from where they were standing. The two looked at the direction and saw that it was quite near.
"T-That sounded familiar…" Mark said, remembering someone who showed him a spell that made a similar sound.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Yunyun had a serious look on her face. She turned to Mark with glittering eyes. "We should go see what's up!"
"Sure, why not?" Mark smiled back. He knew that his partner wanted to meet the person that casted the explosive spell. It was her friend after all.
Outside Town
The two walk towards the direction of the blast, just close outside the town walls. When they arrived, they saw a scene that Mark wasn't expecting. There were three people getting eaten slowly by giant toads and one teen was screaming while running away from one. Two of the eaten persons were struggling to get out but were futile.
"We're doomed!" The running teen screamed as he fell down. Not wasting any moment, Yunyun casted a spell to help them.
"Light of Saber!"
Yunyun's magic struck the four giant toads, making them explode and instantly killing them. The people that got eaten got out unharmed but were fully covered in frog slime. But there was still more trouble coming.
"I see five more giant toads incoming, at Least 800 meters away." Mark informed, looking through the scope of his sniper. The distance was too far for Yunyun to take down so he decided he'll take them on.
"I've got these guys." The boy smirked, cocking the MSR and aiming at the head of one the toads. Seeing that they were hopping, he perfectly timed shooting exactly when they were landing.
BANG!
It took only one shot from around its head area to kill the toad. The skin that protected it was not enough to handle the sheer force of a .338 Lapua round. The bullet impact took a chunk of its meat flying and made a hole one foot in diameter.
(Tkchkchk)
Mark cycled another round, preparing to fire again.
BANG (Tkchkchk) BANG (Tkchkchk) BANG (Tkchkchk) BANG (Tkchkchk)...
Sounds of the gunshot echoed as he killed the remaining giant toads. One bullet for each toad. All five rounds were emptied in the magazine, finishing the threat off in an instant.
"Woah!" the man running earlier gasped in amazement, seeing the enemies that they had difficulty killing had been defeated so easily. More so it was done by a weapon back in his own world, and probably a person from his world too.
KONOSUBA!
The group was saved alright, but their spirits were dejected by being eaten by a toad and coming out covered in slime. One of them was recognized by the two, it was Megumin, who was lying face flat on the ground. The two haven't yet met Kazuma and Aqua. And there was also a woman in glasses and wearing a prosecutor uniform.
Kazuma was kneeling down and touching Megumin's neck while purple light glowed in his hands. After a few moments he stopped doing so, like he succeeded transferring something.
"You should be able to walk now." Kazuma said to Megumin, shaking off the slime that got to his hand. He then looked at the two and thanked them. "I don't know who you two are, but thanks for saving us."
"No problem." Mark replied, smiling back.
"N-Not at all… I wasn't trying to save you. If my rival had been eaten by a toad, I'd look ridiculous…" Yunyun said, not looking at the teen's eyes while. She then turned her attention to Megumin, who was struggling to stand up like a newborn fawn.
"Rival?" Kazuma asked while Megumin finally stood up.
"I-It's been a long time, Megumin! I've trained hard so that we can settle our score just like I promised! Now, Fight me!" Yunyun challenged in excitement.
"Who might you be, exactly?" Megumin said with a bored look. She then turned to Mark and greeted him. "Oh Mark! It's nice to see you again. Do you perhaps know this girl?" she said as she pointed at Yunyun.
"Huh? I thought you knew each other, Yunyun?" Mark said, scratching his head in confusion.
"We do! Hey Megumin It's me! Your classmate from Crimson Magic Village's Academy…" Yunyun tried to make the other mage girl remember by telling her about their time together. "Megumin, have you really forgotten about me?!" She asked, starting to tear up.
"I mean, it's strange that you never gave your name. This must be one of those. This must be one of those, "Hey, it's me!" scams that Kazuma described before."
"Fine, then!" Yunyun voiced, tearing up a. "It's embarrassing to do this in front of strangers, but…" She cleared her throat as she prepared herself for the introduction.
"My name is Yunyun! An arch wizard and master of advanced magic! And she who will be chief of the Crimson Demons!" She did a pose at the end.
Megumin was already talking to Kazuma before she could finish. "Anyway, this is Yunyun. She's the daughter of the clan, and my self-proclaimed rival."
"So you did remember!" Yunyun shouted.
'That's kinda mean, joking about forgetting someone.' Mark thought. He also noticed that Kazuma was taking glances at him.
"I'm Satou Kazuma, one of Megumin's companions. Nice to meet you, Yunyun!" Kazuma greeted back.
"H-Huh? You're not laughing at my name?" Yunyun asked, surprised about the teen's reaction.
Kazuma crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he explained. "Well, you know, in this world of ours, there are people who have weird names in the first place, but still end up with disgraceful nicknames like Crazy Exploding Girl."
"You mean me? You're talking about me, aren't you?!" Megumin started to hound Kazuma. "How did that name attached itself to me and I'm only hearing about it?!"
"I-Impressive, Megumin. You've found good allies! But I also found a great friend. I think you already met him before." Yunyun said, pointing at her companion.
"H-Hi there. The name is Mark Salazar, but you can just call me Mark." He introduced himself, a little bit shy of the other people with them.
Aqua suddenly raised her hand and called everyone's attention. "Look, I don't care what you two do, but it looks like this could take a while. Mind if I take the toads back to the guild and collect the reward?"
"Don't care?..." The two lamented at her comment. Before Aqua could get any further, she glanced at Mark one more time as if she knew something about him.
The other lady with glasses then spoke after. "You somehow managed today, Satou Kazuma. But I'm not fully convinced that this wasn't just an act to deceive me. Excuse me." The lady also left, following Aqua behind.
"By the way, if we are going to chat, how about a change of location? It's freezing here." Kazuma suggested. Yunyun saw this opportunity to challenge her rival.
"I've got a score to settle with you! Right! I didn't come here to chat!" Yunyun declared.
"No way, it's rather cold outside." Megumin replied.
"Eh?! Please!" Yunyun started begging, which Megumin continued to decline.
While the two young mages were arguing, Kazuma used this moment to ask Mark a question.
"Uhm, Mark… You're from another world too, aren't you?"
"Too?! So you're one too? No wonder your name sounded Japanese." Mark replied.
"Yeah, that's right. But your name doesn't sound one though?" Kazuma wondered because he was told that only young japanese people only get reincarnated to that world.
"I'm half-American. I died in Japan when I was visiting my mother's grave. I've been here for more than a week now." Mark informed.
"Ooh! So you're quite new here. I've been here for quite some time now. This means I'm your senpai (upperclassman)." Kazuma replied, clearly stating his position, which Mark only smiled back.
The two girls were still bickering about a duel, which made Kazuma feel like not wanting to deal with them.
"Aw, come one, Megumin!" Yunyun kept on begging.
"Very well, then." Megumin gave in, making her rival see hope for a challenge. "I can no longer use my magic today, so let's make it a contest in the martial arts that you're supposed to be skilled at."
"Really? I mean you barely attended martial art class at the academy… And every lunch period, you'd show up like clockwork, challenge me to a duel and then steal my lunch…" Yunyun informed Kazuma while he stared at his companion with a deadpan face.
"Girl…" Was all Kazuna could say.
"It was a matter of life and death for me. Due to personal circumstances, her lunches were the only thing keeping me alive." Megumin said to Kazuma.
"Well at least she had someone giving her attention. Back at school no one would even come close to me at lunch." Mark added, earning him pitiful looks from the other two adventurers.
"All right, then that will be how we fight!" Yunyun said, surprising Kazuma.
"Eh? Seriously?" Kazuma responded.
Megumin smirked as she put on her eyepatch. "Very well. Now come at me as you will!"
Yunyun took a defensive stance, staying on alert. Her rival also took a stance, but it was a weird one.
"Interesting, I wonder who will win. Yunyun told me she was good at martial arts, but I have yet to witness it. And I don't know what moves Megumin will do." Mark commented, paying attention to the fight that was about to occur.
Kazuma on the other hand knew that Megumin was not that good unarmed combat. He was wondering what plots the girl was thinking in order to win. It was when some of the clouds cleared up and sunshine came down he realized her schemes.
"Megumin… Um, your body's still kind of shiny…" Yunyun said, seeing the light reflected some of the slime on her rival's body.
"That's right. What you see clinging to every inch of me are the fluids from inside a toad's stomach." Megumin started to walk closer towards Yunyun as she threatened her.
"Come! The moment you get close to me, I'll grab you with both arms and put you in a submission hold!"
The two boys already knew where this was going. Yunyun started to back away, knowing this was a plot to lose her will to fight. Megumin said that it was because friends share suffering and stuff with an innocent face. Yunyun started running away while her rival chased after her.
"Wow…" Mark commented, seeing a tactic of winning that he never thought of before. Kazuma then spoke up and pointed at his weapons.
"So your given special powers are guns, huh? How lucky…" Kazuma envied as he looked at the guns.
"Yeah, we were given a choice after all. So what did they give you as power?" Mark asked as the two young girls were still running around.
"Me? I got a useless goddess who is only good at making depths and making my life worse." Kazuma said while looking depressed.
"Huh…" Mark wondered what kind of special power was that. It was more like a curse than a blessing. He glanced at his sniper rifle and gave him an idea.
"Hmm… I could give you some of my guns if you want? Seeing that you have a bow it could mean that you are also a range fighter." Mark suggested.
Kazuma's eyes widened with surprise. He was thinking about how he could trick Mark on giving one but he didn't expect that he would be given one so easily. He thought that Mark must be nicer that he seems.
"Really?! You're just giving me one that easily?!" Kazuma exclaimed.
"Yeah. However, I still have to teach you on the basics of handling a gun for safety measures. You might be from the otherworld too and know guns, but knowing how to use it is a different issue." Mark stated.
"I see… But why are you giving me one so easily?" Kazuma asked, thinking that there might be some sort of catch.
"Why? Well because you are my senpai here, right? I've got to respect you after all." Mark replied, smiling, making Kazuma almost tear up from the kindness. He didn't get too much kindness from this world, or from the former world for that matter.
"Oh! There is one thing I hope you could do." Mark said, with a hint of shyness.
"What is it?" Kazuma asked.
"Can you be my… friend?" Mark asked, embarrassed by the question.
Kazuma was a little taken back from the simplicity of his request. He smiled back at Mark and offered a handshake.
"Sure. Pleasure to be your friend, Mark."
"No, the pleasure's mine!" Mark happily shook his hand.
It was this time that Yunyun was tackled by Megumin, falling down and passing the slime to her body.
"I give up! I already gave up!" Yunyun cried.
"I win again!" Megumin boasted, smirking in glee.
Mark came running towards the two to see their condition. "Are you two alright?"
"I'm fine." Megumin replied as she stood up.
"Yeah, I'm oka- ouch!" Yunyun tried to stand up but felt pain on her ankles. She tried to ignore the pain and continue to stand. "I think I twisted my leg. But I'm okay. T-This is nothing."
"It doesn't look like it's nothing." Mark said, noticing his partner limping as she tried to walk.
"Don't worry, the pain will go away after a while. I'll stay here and wait for it to pass." Yunyun informed. She then took out the premium manatite and gave it to Megumin. "H-Here's your reward… You always said a contest always needs a wager, right? A Premium Manatite. Any wizard would covet it" She was hesitant to give the precious stone due to the fact on how she lost.
"Why thank you." Megumin took her prize. She was concerned about her self-proclaimed rival's condition but was too shy to say so. Suddenly, Mark walked in front of Yunyun and kneeled down.
"Mark? What are-"
"Come on, I'll piggyback you back to the house." Mark offered, blushing ever so slightly.
"H-Hah?! No thank you! I'm covered in stinky toad slime… And it's also embarrassing." Yunyun bashfully declined.
"I don't mind getting slimed. And there is no way I'm leaving you out here in the cold. I'm not taking no for an answer… It's also embarrassing for me you know." Mark insisted, but was still declined.
The two other adventurers were looking at them with blank faces. Kazuma was thinking about how bold Mark was to say such things. Megumin, for some reason, was annoyed by it while taking glances at Kazuma.
"Yunyun-" Mark called.
"No way!"
"You leave me no choice then…" Mark then stood up and faced Yunyun. Catching her off guard, He scooped his partner up and carried her bridal style.
"M-Mark?!" Yunyun's face was red as it can be, being carried like a princess was too much for her.
"I told you, I ain't leaving you here. I'll carry you back like this if I have too." Mark said, firmly holding Yunyun in his arms as he felt the softness of her body, making his heart race.
"All right! All right already! Just carry me piggyback then!" Yunyun voiced, feeling the fast heart beat of her partner.
Mark then let her down and proceeded to carry her on his back. He then turned towards the other two adventurers, who were still silently looking at them.
"I'll guess we'll see you around then." Mark said before proceeding to walk away.
As the two were already far away and out of sight, Kazuma realized something.
"Ah! I forgot about the gun!"
Yunyun felt the wide back of her partner while being carried back home. The gentle but firm hold she was being handled was strangely comforting for her. She would be lying if she said that she wouldn't want to get carried like this again, not including the slime.
Mark's home
"So… How do you feel?" Mark asked after letting Yunyun down from carrying her.
"Well, it doesn't hurt as much unlike earlier. Thank you for carrying me back…" Yunyun replied while slightly looking away, embarrassed to look at him in the eye right now.
"Y-Your welcome…" Mark scratched his head from awkwardness. "You should take a bath first. I'll take one when you're finished. The toad slime really does smell."
"No no, I think you should go first, this is your house after all." Yunyun replied.
"I insist. You're a girl after all, ladies first." Mark said, feeling that their conversation might end up in argument on who's going first.
The house currently has two bathrooms, but only one has a proper bath while the other one is just a toilet. The only thing they can do right now is let the other person go first. Not unless they take one together, which was out of the question.
"This is going nowhere… Why don't decide by playing rock, paper, scissors? One round, that's it." Mark suggested.
"Good idea! I'm in! whoever wins decides who gets to take a bath first." Yunyun stated, readying her hands on what she will choose.
"Okay, Let's start! Rock, paper, scissors!" Mark commenced.
When they brought out their hand of choice, Mark came out victorious. He picked scissors while Yunyun picked paper. The mage girl fell down on her knees as she looked at her hand.
"W-Why do I keep losing?" Yunyun said in a depressing tone. "Am I that weak?"
"S-Sorry, go ahead and pick who gets to take a bath first." Mark regretted winning, forgetting that his partner just lost a challenge against her rival, which she never won before.
"Nevermind, you won fair and square. I'll go take a bath first just like you want…" Yunyun started to walk towards the bath until Mark grabbed her hand, stopping her.
"Just so you know, my partner is not weak. She is very strong and smart, nothing can put her down. Even if she loses sometimes, she will always stand up and challenge them again and again…" Mark said, slightly blushing.
"Mark-"
"She is also kindhearted, tells interesting stories, a little clumsy but most of all, very beautiful." Mark said, flustering his partner and himself also.
"I-I got it already so stop it! It kinda feels like you're spoiling me. I'll go to the bath now!" Yunyun ran and went straight for the bath, rattled by the flattlert she received.
Mark may be embarrassed by the things he says or do to her, but doesn't care as long as it can help her through tough times. Yunyun was his first true friend, making her very special to him. He would do anything to for-
"Hyaa!" A scream was heard followed by sounds of falling items.
"That came from the bathroom… Yunyun!" Mark rushed towards the bathroom, with his mind filled with the concern for his partner.
"What's wrong?!" Mark asked. A small toad jumped out of the bathroom, catching it coincidentally. "How did it… Ah, it must have hid inside of your clothes when we were outside and-"
Mark paused, seeing the half-naked body of his partner in the bath. It took him about three seconds before he could react upon witnessing the captivating body of the mage girl. Yunyun was just about to take off her undergarments when the small toad leaped out from her clothes, catching her off-guard.
"Don't look!" Yunyun demanded as she sat down and covered herself from being seen any further by the boy.
"Sorry!" Mark apologized, shutting the doors closed while he still held the toad in his hands. "I didn't mean to peak at you."
"I-It's fine. I know you're not that kind of person." Yunyun replied.
"I'll go out and take this toad out now." Mark rushed outside to escape the awkwardness of the situation. When he got out, he looked at the toad with a flushed face. 'This is bad, I think I won't be able to forget what I just saw for a while…'
Back in the bathroom, Yunyun's face was also flushed from the turn of events.
'He saw me! Whaa! He saw me in my underwear!' She thought while covering her face and flailing around the bathtub.
The Next Day, Wiz's Shop
The two adventurers were currently browsing some items that Wiz has available in her store. Yunyun was near the owner while Mark was by the shelves. They currently haven't spoken much to each other due to the incident in the bathroom.
"Uhm, did something happen between you two?" Wiz asked, noticing the awkwardness in the two.
"Nope! Nothing happened!" The two replied in unison.
"Oh, is that so?" Wiz said, quickly believing in their words. She was known as an airhead afterall.
"Yep. By the way, are you sure Megumin will come here today?" Yunyun questioned, trying to change the subject.
"That's right. She and the rest of her party mostly visits this place around this time of day." Wiz informed.
"Great. I just finished with the modifications with the gun I was going to give to Kazuma." Mark said, holding the Remington MSR with slight alterations from before. It now has a suppressor and was colored in camouflage green for better stealth missions.
"I can't wait to challenge-" Yunyun stopped talking as soon as the door of the shop opened.
The people who opened the door were the one they were waiting for. It was Kazuma, Megumin and Aqua.
"Hey!" Kazuma called out while entering. "I'm looking to sell this." He said while holding out the premium manatite, which Megumin just won yesterday.
"Ah." Megumin boorishly said, seeing Yunyun with a shocked face.
"She's here to-" Wiz was about to explain why they were there until Yunyun cut her off.
"M-My name is Yunyun! What a coincidence! What a quirk of fate! To think that we would have an encounter here! You truly are my lifelong rival!" Yunyun proclaimed.
"They heard that you all visit my store regularly and have been waiting all morning." Wiz informed, which embarrassed Yunyun severely.
"W-What are you saying, shopkeep?! We came by to buy some magic items…" Yunyun tried to lie, picking up a random item near her. "U-Um, I-I'd like this!"
"Well, actually I came here to give Kazuma this gun." Mark said, making his partner's story less believable.
"Mark!" Yunyun voiced.
KONOSUBA!
"I see, you could've just come by the mansion instead of doing all of this." Kazuma said after hearing the story why the two were there. Aqua was sitting at the table by the window while eating some biscuits.
"You live in a mansion?! Impressive!" Mark remarked, also sitting at the table.
"But we can't just visit someone's home unannounced…" Yunyun fidgeted a little.
"It's always half-measures with you. That's why you can't make friends." Megumin pointed out.
"Is that so?" Aqua asked, joining in the conversation.
"Yunyun is a rare Crimson Demon who's embarrassed by her name. She would usually eat lunch alone at the academy. And whenever I would cross her line of sight, she'd gleefully challenged me over and over." Megumin informed, making Kazuma feel sorry for her.
In the background, Wiz was holding a black cat while it played with her chest. For some reason, nobody bothered to talk about it.
"I-It wasn't that bad! Besides Mark, I had friends!" Yunyun retorted.
"Wait… What did you just- You had friends…?" Megumin didn't believe her words.
"Of course! Even I had friends before! There was Funifura-san and Dodonko-san, who would say, "We're friends, right?" and I would treat them to lunch…" Yunyun answered.
Mark was quiet for some reason, remembering he did the exact thing when someone said those words before back when he was in school. He realized that he was just being used. Kazuma and Aqua looked at Yunyun with pitiful faces.
"Hey, Stop! I don't want to hear any more!" Kazuma pleaded. He was thinking how Yunyun was criticized due to being the only sane person in their village.
Yunyun then insisted on challenging Megumin in a duel once again. Her rival agreed as long as it is not a contest of magic because the petite mage only knows one spell. The more well-endowed mage advised that her rival should already learn other spells, knowing that she would have at least some spare skill points. Megumin declined, stating that those points are for upgrading her explosion further. She was a maniac for explosion magic after all.
Aqua decided to browse some of Wiz's merchandise when the two mages started arguing about who was the weirder one and what challenge to do. The priest's attention was caught by a crystal ball and what was written on it.
"Hey, hey. Maybe this would be good? The friendship crystal." Aqua pointed at the crystal ball.
"Oh, only a seasoned magic user can use that effectively." Wiz informed.
"If you can use it well, can you make friends?" Yunyun excitedly asked.
"No way?! If that's the case, I would happily buy it!... Though, I'm not even a seasoned magic user." Mark lamented.
"Well, yes. I know, why not try it out?" Wiz happily suggested.
Megumin declined at first, seeing that she doesn't need to make friends. But Yunyun managed to persuade her to agree by being told that she might be scared of losing.
"If you insist, I will demonstrate for you the true power of a magic user!" Megumin declared, confident about her magical prowess.
"Today is the day we settle this score!" Yunyun replied, not intimidated in the least.
As the two poured their magical power at the crystal ball, the room darkened while rectangular-like screens appeared all over. Wiz was impressed by the magic the two mages displayed. A few seconds later, the screens suddenly showed the past of the two mages.
The group saw Megumin stealing bread crust and vegetable crops for food. She was also catching crayfish by the river and bugs by the trees. All of these foods were shared with a little girl who looks like Megumin's sister. They realized quickly on how dire her poverty must have been to those things.
On Yunyun's side, she was seen celebrating her birthday all alone and also playing checkers by herself. She also tried making friends with a dog, which ran away immediately. Even the flowers got up from its root as it fled from her. At one point, she even considered summoning a demon just to have a friend, which failed. Her loneliness was on a whole new level.
The two mages squealed and asked the shopkeep what was going on. Wiz explained that the magic crystal as the others watch the screens with pity. The item was made to deepen the bonds of love and friendship and by exposing the most embarrassing parts of their lives. She realized then how ridiculous the item was.
It was mortifying for the two, sure, but Mark was thrilled to see some parts of the past of his partner. However, he was also conflicted to view it as it was invading the privacy of others. Yunyun was worrying about this and called him out.
"Noo! Don't look!" Yunyun pleaded. "Megumin, Hey Megumin! Is this going to make us friends?!" She cried to her rival.
The petite mage didn't answer as she grabbed the crystal ball with rage and smashed it on the ground, cancelling the item effects. The group shouted by the destruction of such an expensive item.
"H-How much did you see, Mark?" Yunyun flustered.
"N-Not much…" Mark lied, looking away to avoid eye contact with her, which made it obvious that he did.
"You're lying!" Yunyun said. She felt humiliated in front of her trusted partner. But Mark didn't mind about her distressing past, because he also had similar moments. Like trying different things just to impress and have friends, which also failed on his part.
Wiz wrapped the broken crystal ball in cloth and secured it. "I'm putting this on Kazuma's tab then." she stated.
"Hang on, Megumin was the one who broke it." Kazuma replied.
"Yunyun was the one who wanted to use it." Megumin countered, pointing at her fellow mage. "She'll pay."
Yunyun was still sullen from the results of the match and events that occurred. She was finally able to get her to challenge her but it ended up in an upsetting development.
"My duel… I finally got her to duel her, and…" Yunyun continues to lament over.
"How long are you going to mope?" Megumin questioned.
"But how do we know who won?" Yunyun said while she clung onto her. "Can we call it a draw?" She asked as she let go.
"I don't mind. I'm not childish to be competitive over games anymore." Megumin said while acting mature.
"Hmm? Come to think of it, didn't we use to compete to see who would grow faster." Yunyun thought of another way to challenge her rival. "If you think you're not childish anymore, do you want to compete again?"
"That's not what I mean when I talk about being childish." Megumin replied in a cool manner, making the other mage wonder what she meant.
"After all, I'm…" Megumin latches upon Kazuma's arm, continuing her words. "in the kind of relationship with Kazuma here where we bathe together."
"Hey! Don't go telling others that!" Kazuma barked, slightly blushing.
"Oh, my!" Wiz said.
"..." Mark couldn't say anything, too surprised to hear that his fellow otherworlder would be a lolicon.
It took Yunyun a few seconds before the words would sink in her.
"EEHH!" Yunyun voiced, shocked by how far her rival has gotten ahead. She took a glance at Mark, thinking that she might be able to make up a lie about how mature she was by saying that they also have an intimate relationship with her partner. She grabbed her partner's hand and showed it to the others.
"A-Actually, Mark and I are also…" Yunyun paused, suddenly remembering the incident last night. The memory of being seen by her partner half-naked made her blush intensely. She let go of Mark's hand and gave up on the idea.
"I-I admit my defeat for today!" Yunyun admitted, flailing her arms around. She ran out of the store crying, leaving Mark behind. Kazuma was pinching Megumin's cheeks at the time as punishment for telling about what happened between them.
"Come again!" Wiz said.
"She's a lively girl." Aqua commented.
"You are, too." Kazuma said to the priest.
"I win again!" Megumin declared victoriously. She marked her victory on a notebook she had.
Kazuma glanced at Mark, wondering why he stayed behind. "Hey, aren't you going to follow your partner?"
"M-Maybe later, I think she needs some time for herself." Mark replied. But in truth, he was too embarrassed to comfort her now. Especially when they had mentioned about a bath and being together. He also recalled that time where he caught a glimpse of her in the bath, to say it was unforgettable for him. "Also, I'll pay for the item." he said, surprising the rest.
"My, thank you for your purchase then." Wiz said.
"A-Anyway… I didn't expect you to do extreme things like going to a bath with a girl way below legal age." Mark said, questioning Kazuma's action.
"Y-You're misunderstanding it!" Kazuma defended.
"Oh? How so?" Mark asked, still suspicious of him.
Kazuma carefully explained to him how he ended up in that situation. He said that he yearned for gender equality and wouldn't let Megumin go to the bath first, so they somehow decided to go together.
"I see. For a minute there I thought you were the lowest of the low, a scumbag." Mark understood.
"He is one. He's the type of person who steals women's panties and swings it around happily like the pervert he is." Aqua informed, joining in the conversation. Mark squinted his eyes as he looked at Kazuma with lost hope.
"D-Don't look at me like that!" Kazuma requested.
Putting that aside, Mark hasn't been acquainted with Aqua yet so he focuses his attention to her. The priest noticed this and introduced herself.
"What? Never seen a beauty as myself? My name is Aqua, an arch priest and goddess of the axis cult. Rejoice in my supreme presence." Aqua acted all proud to herself.
"Ah! Are you the useless goddess Kazuma told me about?!" Mark asked.
"No! What have you been telling him, you Hiki-NEET?!". Aqua voiced at Kazuma and turned her attention back to Mark. "Listed, I know you're also a reincarnate like Kazuma because I was once in charge of sending them here but was dragged here because of him." She explained.
"Wow, That's amazing! So what can you do?" Mark asked, impressed to hear that information.
Before Aqua could answer, Kazuma spoke up. "She is an expert in attracting trouble, making a mess of things, and piling up depts. She is also known as the Goddess of party tricks."
After hearing that statement, Kazuma and Aqua started bickering at each other. Mark didn't know how to react to the two. His attention was caught when Megumin tugged his shirt, looking like she had a question in mind.
"Yesterday you carried Yunyun and said you would take her home, what do you mean by that?" Megumin asked. She knew that he couldn't possibly take her back home in the crimson village, wondering that he meant an inn.
"O-Oh that… Well, you see…" Mark scratched his head. He didn't expect to be questioned about that. He wasn't exactly hiding it but it would have been difficult for him if people found out that he lived alone with a girl.
"I was given a house by someone and I sorta… asked Yunyun to come and live with me." Mark confessed.
Kazuma stopped fighting with Aqua as soon as he heard that. "What?! You asked a young and beautiful girl to live with you in a house you own?! Are you some kind of pervert?!" Kazuma questioned.
"You're that last person I wanted that to hear! You lived in a mansion and even took a bath with a cute girl like Megumin." Mark shouted back at him.
"Cute?!" Megumin blushed.
"W-Well enough of that, aren't you supposed to teach me how to use a gun?" Kazuma changed the topic, seeing that he would lose this argument.
"Sure sure, let's get going then. I have other things to do." Mark replied, thinking about the books he still has to read.
"Oh? Like comforting your girlfriend? I know, I get it. You don't have to rub it in." Kazuma asked with jealousy.
"We're not dating though." Mark replied with a straight face.
Mark's answer made the three other adventurers look at him with a little bit of shock. They really thought that they were dating or more.
"Really? I thought you two were." Aqua commented.
"Me too." Kazuma added.
"Not me, I knew for a fact that she wouldn't have the guts to do something like that." Megumin said, but in reality she was somewhat relieved they weren't. If somehow the two were dating, she felt like she lost a battle against her.
"I-I'm not tricking her or anything! If we do end up together, then my feelings for her are true!" Mark defended, slightly flustered.
"Oh? So you do like her then?" Kazuma asked, making the soldier boy somewhat rattled.
"W-We're wasting time! Let's go practice." Mark ignored the question as he proceeded to go out of the store, making the answer obvious.
"He does." The three adventurer's said in unison.
The Shooting Range
Mark led Kazuma and Megumin to the usual shooting range. Aqua didn't bother to come along as she still had a part-time job to do. Her debts kept on piling up after all.
The soldier boy brought along a couple of weapons. There was the Five-Seven, Model 1887, MP5, M4A1 and lastly the M60E4. Kazuma already has the MSR in his possession. First thing Mark did was explain the safety and precautions of using a gun. Next was how to handle the different guns on hand. After that was the actual shooting itself. Mark demonstrated the first shots with the pistol, Kazuma followed after.
~Bang Bang Bang~
All of Kazuma's shots were a direct hit, impressing Mark.
"You're a great shot. Are you sure this is your first time?" Mark praised Kazuma's skills
"Thanks. And yeah, this is my first time." Kazuma replied with a grin.
Kazuma continued trying the different guns that were available. He fancied the SMG but took a more liking to the sniper rifle. On the other hand, Megumin stuck around and observed everything with curiosity. She saw that the gun had a similar function to a crossbow, only much faster firing.
It was when the machine gun was prepared to shoot next that Megumin stepped forward.
"Uhm…"
"What? You want to try it out too?" Mark asked. Megumin only nodded as he showed her how to the M60E4.
Mark supported the explosion addict with handling the gun. It was currently placed at a table with a bipod attached while the gun aimed down range. A target made of wood was placed behind a stack of bricks that Mark managed to get from the town wall builders. He wanted to see if someone hiding behind a wall would survive a barrage of machine gun fire.
"You see that wall?" Mark asked.
"Yeah?" Megumin replied back.
"I don't want to anymore."
"I don't think this thing can do it, but alright." Megumin smirked as she pressed the trigger of the gun.
FRRRRRRRRAK!
Megumin rained down a hail of lead down the target. In mere seconds the wall turned to rubble as 7.62x51mm bullets let loose on it. Midway through the shooting the girl started laughing in delight. The 100 round mag was emptied, leaving the wall and the wooden target to bits and pieces.
KONOSUBA!
"Eh? Is it over?" Megumin asked in a saddened tone. "That felt good! Not as good as explosion magic but good nonetheless!" She commented as she massaged her shoulder due to the recoil.
"I'm glad you like it." Mark smiled at the little girl.
"Hmm… Do you have things like this but make explosions?" Megumin curiously asked if there was such a gun.
"I do, but I can't use it until I increase my level. Though they are not as strong as your explosions." Mark looked up as he thought the different launchers he might have.
There was the well-known RPG-7 and devastating Javelin Rocket launchers. Also the MX25 and M320 grenade launchers. There are others but none still comes close to the power Megumin had.
"Really?! I guess my magic truly is the superior magic." Megumin boasted as she laughed at how great she is.
While the two were talking, Kazuma suddenly got an idea and started plotting something. He walked towards Mark and placed his hands on his shoulder to catch his attention.
"Hey Mark, how about a friendly match?" Kazuma offered, smiling suspiciously.
"Oh? A Match huh? What kind?" Mark replied, showing signs of interest.
"That's right. A shooting competition we hit the center of the bullseye target. We each have five rounds, the ones with more hits closer to the middle wins!" Kazuma announced the conditions.
Mark raised a brow with what Kazuma said. He felt skeptical about it because why would someone challenge a person on something that clearly has more experience on it. 'Kazuma said that it was his first time firing a gun today. So why would he pick a challenge about shooting against me?! It's true that his accuracy was good, but isn't he overconfident?' Mark wrapped his head around it.
"Are you sure? I can give you a handicap if you want?" Mark said.
"No thank you…" Kazuma replied, surprising the soldier boy more. He then walked towards the other guns and pointed at one of them. "And for the prize, if I win, you'll give me this MP5." Kazuma declared.
Mark didn't have a problem if he gave the SMG away to him. He felt that he could trust him enough. "And if I win?" Mark asked, wanting to know what he gets.
"Let's see… If you win, you'll have Aqua for a day." Kazuma replied as if he didn't care for the priest.
"Dude… Are you selling out your own teammate?"
"Not really? I thought you would want to increase your friends? But if you don't want to then-" Kazuma was cut off, successful with baiting Mark.
"It's a deal!" The word "friend" really got to Mark. He held out his hand to offer a handshake to seal the deal.
Kazuma shook his hand while grinning with the face of someone who had already won.
It took a few minutes for them to make the preparations for the match. They placed two bullseye one kilometer away from the shooting place. It was a fairly good distance for the sniper they're using, the MSR.
Mark was the first one to shoot. The shots he made were fairly accurate, only having two bullets away from the middle of about two inches.
"Not bad, but not good either. I need to train more." Mark made a remark to himself.
"Yosh, My turn!" Kazuma was next in firing. He took the gun and aimed down range with faith in his skills. He uttered a single word before he fired.
"Snipe."
Bang!
Kazuma's first shot was dead center, but it didn't end there.His other shots flawlessly hit the middle, like robin hood with his arrow. Mark's eyes were wide open with the skills he had shown.
"My loss." Mark raised his hand in defeat, accepting the result. "You can have the MP5, you earned it."
"Thanks!" Kazuma got up and claimed his prize.
"Still, to think you have such skills as a beginner… skills?" Mark started to wonder if Kazuma was really skillful, or if he used a skill to get better. "Hey Kazuma?"
"What is it?" Kazuma replied with a cheery tone.
"Did you perhaps have a skill that makes you shoot better?" Mark asked with curiosity.
The veteran adventurer gulped with Mark's question. "W-What if I do? You didn't say anything about not using any skills." Kazuma said, sweating a little bit.
"Nothing, it was my fault anyway for not noticing that you might do something like this. This only shows how inexperienced I still am." Mark sighed at his own observation skills. "Take good care of those guns." he said.
"Sure thing." Kazuma gave a thumbs up to him while holding on to his new weapons, an SMG and a Sniper rifle.
KONOSUBA!
After that, they cleaned up and decided to call it a day. Kazuma mentioned to Mark that he had thief skills and other assortment of different abilities, like a jack-of-all-trades. It was then that Mark remembered something about a peculiar quest that he wanted to take.
"Hey Kazuma, want to go on a quest with me later?" Mark asked, surprising the two adventurers.
"Hmm. What kind of quest?" Kazuma asked.
"It's a quest about exterminating giant ants the size of wolves that had been invading a fort south of here." Mark informed.
"I don't mind going with you, but why me?" Kazuma wondered.
"You said you've got thief skills, right? So you must have some sort of stealth abilities. If you have to stop the ants from spawning, you better kill the source, their queen." Mark explained his reasons for inviting him.
"I don't know…" Kazuma thought about it for a second.
"Well I don't want you to force you or anything, but the quest is sure is unique. The guild receptionist said that this hasn't happened before, because a usually a giant anteater comes around and takes care of the problem. They say that something must have happened to it." Mark said. Kazuma and Megumin suddenly flinched and started to sweat.
"Y-You don't say… You know what? I'm coming with you!" Kazuma stuttered.
"Really?! That's great! What made you change your mind?" Mark was happy to receive the support and asked why.
"I-I just felt like it." Kazuma lied.
~Flashback~
Something happened in an earlier event in Kazuma's group. On their way back home coming from a quest, they suddenly encountered a wandering giant anteater down a mountain cliff. It suddenly started licking Darkness and Aqua all over their body, making their body slimy. It wasn't aggressive or anything, it simply wanted licking girls.
When Megumin was next on it's target, the mage casted her explosion magic. She didn't hit it directly because she only wanted to scare it off so she hit the top of the mountain cliff. They succeeded in scaring it off, but the explosion also resulted in giant rocks falling down from the mountain. One of the boulders squashed the giant anteater dead, which wasn't their intention.
~Present time~
"Yep, there is no other reason at all." Kazuma started laughing awkwardly.
"Okay, I'll go to the guild and fill in the details. Let's meet up by the gate later, I'll be then." Mark said before he started walking towards the adventurers guild.
Kazuma and Megumin waved off Mark as he walked away. When he was gone from sight, they stopped waving immediately and the atmosphere turned serious.
"Listen, We tell nobody about the fate of the giant anteater." Kazuma said, not even looking at the girl.
"Agree." Megumin replied, also not looking at him.
The Town Gates
Later that day, Mark was standing outside the gate as he waited for Kazuma. It was a beautiful sunset when the teen did arrive, but he didn't expect Megumin to come with.
"Yow." Kazuma called
"Mind if I tag along?" Megumin asked.
"No, Not at all. I appreciate the help." Mark replied, accepting the additional support.
Kazuma looked around as if he was looking for someone. "Hey, isn't Yunyun coming with us?" He asked.
"Nope, this was supposed to be a stealth mission after all. And also… I'm kinda embarrassed to talk to her right now." Mark still has the thoughts of the conversation earlier from the shop, the bathroom scene.
"I-I see." Kazuma felt like he got the idea.
The group then started walking towards their destination making Megumin somewhat bothered. "Hey, surely you don't expect us to walk all the way to the fort? It is quite far you know. It would take almost a day in a carriage." Megumin informed him.
"Of course not, I'll drive us there. We're just giving ourselves distance to the town so that no one will notice the vehicle airdrop." Mark replied.
"Seriously?!" Kazuma shouted out of surprise.
"Vehicle Airdrop? What's that?" Megumin curiously asked.
"You'll see soon enough." Mark just grinned.
After a few minutes of walking, Mark told the group to stop as he spoke to the radio strapped in the right side of his vest. He used his skill "Call Transport" for the first time.
"Airdrop coordinates confirmed."
The group then started hearing a humming sound coming in fast. For the two males it was a recognizable sound, but for Megumin it was fairly new. They looked up at the sky as they felt it was where the noise was coming from. Kazuma couldn't believe what he was seeing, it was something that was from the other world. He didn't expect to see one in this world. It was an aircraft, more specifically, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
"This is Loader 2-0, sending the armored vehicle at said coordinates." The pilot radioed back to Mark. When the plane just passed them, the vehicle suddenly got off it and headed straight for the ground. Thankfully it came equipped with a parachute to help with it's descent.
"Where the hell did that plane come from?! Huh?!" Kazuma abruptly started shaking Mark out of nowhere.
"It looks like the flying thing you showed me before, the predator drone I think, only much bigger." Megumin remembered their first meeting.
"What?! There is more?!" Kazuma started to think that Mark was hiding much more.
"Calm down. To answer your first question, I don't know here they come from. It's like from the game where it shows up and disappears right after. And yes, there is more military stuff I have and not just guns." Mark clarified. It was a good thing Kazuma regained his composure.
"Sorry. For a minute there I thought you have an entire army base somewhere." Kazuma laughed off.
"Haha, no I don't. Well, not yet." Mark laughed back, only irritating Kazuma a little bit.
The vehicle landed safely a few meters away from them. The parachute mysteriously disappeared upon hitting the ground, which the group didn't pay attention to. It was the vehicle Mark always wanted, the GAZ-2975 Tigr (Tiger), complete with the DShK (12.7x108mm) Heavy Machine gun mounted on top.
"All right everyone, get in. Don't worry, I know how to drive." Mark said with confidence.
"How is this going to move? I don't see a horse that's going to pull it." Megumin questioned.
"This thing doesn't need horses to move." Mark replied as he slapped the hood of the vehicle.
"Hmm… How about gas?" Kazuma asked, knowing what it requires to run a car.
"It doesn't need one, it's just like from the game. But it does disappear after 20 hours has passed." The vehicle's time limit was Mark's level after all.
The two adventurers just nodded back. Before they embarked in their journey, Mark first explained how to use the heavy machine gun. They might encounter trouble along the way so he wanted someone to operate it while he was driving. It was Megumin who paid attention in learning to use it clearly as she was interested in it because she was told it was a much stronger machine gun than the M60E4 she just experienced using.
"All good?" Mark asked one last time before moving out.
"Yeah." the two replied back. Kazuma was seated in the passenger seat while Megumin was at the back.
"Let's start a move on then." Mark started the engines and drove the vehicle off. It was already dark when they set off.
As they started moving along, Megumin was impressed with the speed of the ride. It was nothing like any carriage she had ever ridden before. Not only that, it was much more comfortable and secure, seeing that it was made of metal.
Nearing the Fort
It only took them one hour to almost reach their destination. Megumin was commenting on how great the vehicle was while Kazuma fell asleep halfway.
"This is amazing! Well not as amazing as teleportation magic, but amazing nonetheless. A horse carriage would normally have taken hours to reach this far!" Megumin said as she looked around the GAZ Tigr.
"Of course, this is one of-" Mark didn't finish talking when they all felt like they bumped into something on the road, making him stop the truck. "What was that?!"
Kazuma got awoken when his head banged in front when the vehicle stopped. "Ooi! Fix your driving will you!" Kazuma barked as he poked his new bump on his head.
"Sorry, but that's what you get for not wearing seat belts. And it seems we hit something, I'll go check and see." Mark said before he got out of the GAZ.
Mark checked the front of the vehicle and saw nothing there. But when he went and checked the back he spotted an insect-like creature limping like a dead cockroach. He brought out a flashlight to get a better view of it. There he saw what the creature really was.
"Hey guys, I think I ran over a giant ant. Good thing there is only one… of… them?!" Mark voiced when he saw more giant ants come out of the bushes behind the truck. He immediately got back in the truck and drove as fast as he can.
"Hey! What now?!" Kazuma asked, surprised by the soldier boy's actions.
"There's more of them!" Mark replied. He glanced over to his side mirrors and saw that the ants were following them. "And it seems that we're being pursued!"
"Hah?!" Kazuma also looked at the side mirrors, seeing how ridiculously speed the ants had. "Why the hell are they so fast?!"
"Not only are they fast, they also have the bite strength to cut a man in half." Megumin informed.
Kazuma had a terrified look upon hearing that information. "Scary!" he shouted. To make matters worse, they heard something from the back of the truck like something was climbing on it.
"Someone man the DShk on top and take care of them." Mark commanded.
"What?" Kazuma and Megumin didn't understand what he said.
"Use that freaking gun on top and kill those things!" Mark lost his patience, feeling that more ants were closing in.
"I'll do it!" Megumin volunteered. She opened the hatch of the truck, cocked the heavy machine gun, and let loose on the giant ants. She first killed those on top on the roof, next was those that were following them. A huge muzzle flash illuminated the night followed by a deafening rattle of the gun fire. Megumin felt good as the pressure of the gas of the gun produced blew back at her from the muzzle break.
"Die!" Megumin said while firing away.
It was then that more and more giant ants came to chase them. They were bigger and faster than the previous ones. It wasn't before they started to crowd behind them.
"There are too many of them! I'll use my explosion to kill them all." Megumin was starting to prepare her skill seeing that there were a large number of targets in front of her.
"No! You'll get us caught in the blast you idiot!" Kazuma declined.
"What do you propose we do then?!" Megumin asked while still laying fire upon the ants with the DShk.
While Kazuma was thinking of an idea, Mark threw a laptop at him, catching it on time. "What's this?" Kazuma asked while he inspected the device.
"It's a device that controls a predator drone. Use is to fire an AGM missile on the giant ants." Mark gave the instructions to Kazuma on how to use it while still occupied with driving. "But remember, you only get one shot!" Mark warned.
"S-Sure!" Kazuma opened up the laptop and saw the view from the sky's position.
"Watch for the flashing strobes, that's us. The ones with the red square on them are the enemy. Take out as many ants as you can." Mark said. After hearing the advice, Kazuma fired the missile and guided its route.
BOOOM!
The missile was closely impacted near the truck but took out a large portion of the giant ants. "Hey! That's a little too close for comfort!" Mark shouted.
"You said to take out as many as I can!" Kazuma retorted.
"Oi, I think they stopped following us." Megumin saw the ants paused due to the explosion from the missile.
"That's good to hear." Kazuma let out a relieved sigh while Mark focused on the road.
In front of the Fort
The three looked up the windshield of the truck as they saw the fort. It was just like any normal fort that had high walls with a large gate. Strangely enough, there was a caravan of horse-drawn carriages going inside in front of them. There were guards and adventures patrolling the carriages for inspection. Mark got out of the vehicle and went to ask the guards some questions. He carried with him his Model 1887 shotgun.
"What's going on here?" Mark asked the nearby guard holding a spear.
"This caravan is taking refuge at the fort from the giant ants. They said that the ants kept attacking them on the road." The guard informed him.
"I see." Mark nodded in understanding.
"This giant ant problem is getting out of hand. They kept on attacking this fort nonstop! It's going to take a while before the request we sent from Axel gets accepted. Hell, I don't think someone would even take it." The guard was starting to lose hope.
Mark grinned as he placed his hand on the shoulder of the guard. "Is that so? Then don't worry, we're adventurer's who accepted the quest from the guild."
"Really?! That's one good news I haven't heard for a while! I'll go and inform the captain and-" The guard was cut off when they heard a scream from one of the caravans.
"Help me!" A driver of a carriage shouted as he was pinned down by a giant ant. More ants came out of the bushes. The adventurers and guards brought out their swords and spears to retaliate the threat.
"Damn it! They're already here!" The guard cursed. Before he could run and help the civilian, Mark stopped him. "What is it?!" he asked, not having any time to spare.
"Tell everyone to hurry up and get in the fort! Make the other guards and adventurers help them." Mark ordered.
"What are-" He paused when he felt something was behind him. It was a giant ant trying to ambush the guard.
Bang! (Chkchk)
Mark killed the ant before it could attack the guard. "Go! We'll handle the ants!" the soldier boy commanded once more. The guard didn't hesitate and followed his orders. He ran back towards the fort while informing his comrades. Luckily enough they heeded his advice and did what he said. Mark got back inside his truck and informed the two the plan.
"Okay listen up. We'll draw and attract the giant ant's attention towards us while the guards help with the caravan getting inside. Megumin, you go and lay machine gun fire on the giant ants. Kazuma, go out and back up the adventurer's fighting. Don't worry, I'm sending in reinforcements. Got it?" Mark asked in a serious tone.
"Y-Yeah." Kazuma and Megumin replied.
The two did as they were told. Kazuma ran out of the truck with his new MP5 and supported the adventurers. It didn't take a lot to kill a giant ant with his gun. Megumin mounted the DShk again and opened fire. This mainly drew the attention of most of the ants.
Mark drove slowly as he followed the caravan behind. He used his skill "Delta Squad" to call for more support. A few seconds later upon activation. A helicopter hovered above them, making most the people and ants around paused for a second.
"This is Sandman, coming in hot. What are your orders?" The soldier radioed to Mark.
"The objective is to kill all the giant ants while protecting the caravan. Am I clear? Over." Mark radioed back.
"Roger that." Sandman replied. They then repelled down the chopped near the truck.
Sandman, Truck and Grinch was safely deployed on the ground. Upon arriving, they immediately went to the civilian's side to protect them. Gun fire was heard everywhere as they killed all the giant ants in sight. Kazuma soon joined up with the Squad.
"Yow Sandman. Long time no see." Kazuma greeted while still firing at the ants.
"Nice to see you again kid. I've heard that you got locked up." Sandman replied. He heard the information at the guild a few days ago.
"I-I don't want to talk about it." Kazuma said in a low voice, making the soldier laugh.
With the jokes out of the way. Their team slowly but surely succeeded in escorting the caravan in the fort with no casualties. Guns were too superior against overgrown insects to try and fight off. Mark's truck was last to enter the fort. It was then that they saw a large colony heading towards them. Megumin immediately grabbed her staff and got off the truck to try to stop their advance. She chanted her one and only spell and fired.
"Explosion!"
The spell did the job, wiping most of the giant ants. Those that did survive scattered and ran away. Of course after the spell Megumin fell face flat due to the drawback of it. It was a good thing Kazuma was nearby to help her out. He gave her some of his stamina to make her able to walk again. The guards soon closed the gates to secure the fort.
When Mark got out of his vehicle, he was greeted with what looks like a high ranking guard. "You must be the adventurers from Axel. I am Captain Baragon, the one who oversees this fort. Thank you for coming to our aid." the guard offered a handshake.
"Yes we are. I'm Mark, pleasure to meet you." Mark shook his hand back. The rest of the party also introduced themselves.
"I know it may be rude of me to say this to you after you've just arrived, but we don't have much time left. We need to prepare for what's coming." the captain started walking somewhere, gesturing the rest to follow.
In a room where the guards strategies. The captain began telling them the entire situation.
"With the disappearance of the giant anteater…" Kazuma and Megumin gulped at this statement. "The giant ants started spawning in large quantities. Unless we kill the queen, this place would be overrun by ants in no time! And they won't stop from there, they will soon start attacking nearby towns if left alone."
"So we just need to kill the queen and this will be over?" Kazuma asked.
"It's not that easy. They are not strong, but their numbers make up for it. We would need all the soldiers in this fort just to get to the entrance of their base." The captain placed a map on the table to show where the ant was coming from. "This mountain is not really a mountain, it is a giant ant hill. This is where the giant ants and their queen reside." he pointed its position on the map.
"Okay I got it. If we can't force our way through then we'll sneak in. Me and Kazuma will go and do that while the rest of you defend this place. Captain, you mentioned they will attack again. I bet there will be a second wave of those things here." Mark said.
"Wait a minute! Even if you do manage to sneak in, you can't possibly defeat it with just the two of you! It is said the queen's body is as hard as iron." The captain stated. Mark brought a heavy backpack and placed it on the table. The people in the room stared at the bag, wondering what's inside.
"Perhaps, but I bet this baby can. This bag is packed with at least 30 kgs of military grade C4. It's not close to Megumin's explosion magic but it will do the job." Mark informed. He made the bomb using his equipment armory skill.
"Still…" The captain was still in doubt on sending a two teens an almost suicide mission.
"And we don't have a choice either. They'll come soon and if we don't stop them now it will be too late." Mark gave one last convincing statement. The captain gave in and agreed with the plan.
"Fine. But you two better come back alive, you hear!" the captain aggressively ordered.
Mark just smiled before walking out of the room. "Of course. I still have someone waiting back home." He knows that Yunyun might be worried by now. He didn't even tell her where he went. But he knows that his partner is smart enough to ask the guild where he might be.
Mark gathered his adventurers, guards and the rest of his team for the defensive positions.
"Grinch, Truck. You two, along with some ranged adventurers, take positions on top of the walls. Deploy two sentry guns to help you. Don't let any of them climb the wall." Mark ordered, pointing towards the direction where he wants them to be. The walls were at least 20 ft in height, making it advantageous for them.
"Copy that sir." The two soldiers replied. The adventurers nodded in agreement
"Sandman. You and the other guards helped defend the gate while I let it open. We want to concentrate their attention on one place as much as possible. I will have the DShK on top of the truck to provide some heavy firepower at the gate." Mark pointed at the gate. The guards were a bit worried about letting the gate open, but the teens' reason sounded sensible.
"Megumin, can I trust you with using the DShK?" Marked asked the mage girl.
"Of course! I'd be more than happy to operate such contraption. I can't use any more magic anyway so this is the least I can do." Megumin replied with enthusiasm.
"All right. You all got your orders, now everyone. Move!" Mark shouted. Everybody didn't waste any time as they went to their designated area. Truck and Grinch placed the sentry guns that Mark produced and placed them on top of the walls. Sandman drove and repositioned the GAZ Tigr where it was facing towards the gate. Megumin was locked and loaded with the DShK and everyone else was in position.
The only two left were Mark and Kazuma. The latter felt a bit of pressure from the mission but also felt a bit of thrill within. His nervousness was broken when Mark threw him a body armor along with some other equipment.
"Body Armor? What's this use for? We aren't fighting ants with guns." Kazuma asked, looking at the vest.
"That's no ordinary body armor. It has a special ability that lets it take all the damage you receive. Its durability is based on 2.5x your health. It can also save you from one shot kill attacks." Mark replied while preparing his gear.
"What the heck? That's cool! How about these?" Kazuma looked over the other things he received.
"Frag grenades, C4s, night vision and a USP.45 with suppressor." Mark informed. Kazuma was getting more and more excited with his new stuff. Mark drew out his own pistol as he gave one last explanation.
"Remember, switching to your pistol is faster than reloading." Mark advised. He giggled a little to himself as he always wanted to say that to someone.
"I'll keep that in mind." Kazuma said.
Now everything was prepared, the two started to move. It was a race against time before the situation got out of hand. Mark on the other hand was not fazed one bit. He was more confident than ever. Holding his rifle in his hand, he looked over Kazuma.
"Let's go and kill ourselves a Queen."
To be continued…
Mark's Overview
Current Level: 20
Basic Skills:
*Soldier's Daily Needs
*Refill Ammo
*Refill Ammo 2 (Can equip different types of ammo)
*Gun (Can use guns)
*Shooter (Great shooting skills)
*Sadist (Regain mana depending on killed enemy)
Spec Ops Skills:
*Weapons Armory
-Weapon attachments
-Five Seven
-Model 1887
-M4A1
-MP5
-M60E4
-USP.45
-MSR
-Dragunov
*Equipment Armory
-Frag
-Flash Grenade
-Claymore
-Body Armor (Intakes Damage, Still feels pain)
-Self Revive (Will go into a bleedout state instead of dying. Will be back to full health if somehow killed an enemy in a bleedout state.)
-Sentry Gun
-C4
*Air Support Armory
-Predator Strike
-Air Strike
-Delta Squad
*Call Transport (Summon a vehicle. Using mana for temporary spawn or Money for permanent summon.)
-GAZ-2975 (The Russian Humvee)
*Perks
-Extreme Conditioning (Sprint twice longer)
-Sleight of Hand (Faster Reload)
-Recon (Detects enemy faster and easier)
-Blind Eye (Harder to be detected)
*Items
-Shadow Edge (A dagger that makes the user invisible for 30 seconds)
-Elenium Type 97
Current Eris: 4,664,204.00
Thank you again for waiting. I hope you enjoy this one. I know some of you might notice where I got the new item. Haha sorry if that bothers you.