Disclaimer: I don't own KonoSuba or Call of Duty or anything I might say in the story.
KonoSuba: Spec Ops
Deep Within
Town of Axel
It was already dark out, Yunyun was wandering the streets trying to look for her companion. She got worried when Mark had not yet gotten to their home yet. The last time she saw him was when she ran out of the Wiz's shop, embarrassed by the atmosphere. Hearing that her rival had already climbed the steps of adulthood made her self conscious about her current relations with her partner.
Yunyun already went and asked Wiz where he could be. But the only information she got is that Kazuma and Megumin came along with him. The shopkeep had heard something about practicing using guns. Of course the mage girl went to check the shooting range, only to find no one. But there were traces on which the place was used no to long ago.
"Where could he have gone to…" Yunyun pondered. She went to the last place where she could get information. The adventurer's guild.
As Yunyun entered the guild, she immediately looked around to see if the missing soldier was there. She only saw a couple of adventurers having a good time with their drinks. There was also Aqua there that seemed to be entertaining them with her strange water tricks.
Luna, the receptionist, noticed the young girl looking like she was troubled. She approached the mage girl and tried asking her her concerns. "Uhm. What seems to be the problem?"
"D-Did Mark come here by some chance?" Yunyun asked, hoping that Luna had seen him.
"Ah! Yes he did. He took on a quest earlier, saying that he will be accompanied by Kazuma-san." Luna informed her.
"Really?! That's good to hear, I thought that something might have happened to him." The mage let out a relieved sigh.
"Huh?" Luna looked surprised. "You're partners right? He should have at least told you what he's doing." Luna said with a hint of displeasure.
Yunyun just laughed it off. She slightly knew the reason why Mark didn't. It was because they were reminded of the incident back at their house. "It's fine. It was kinda my fault for running away from him and others earlier." She awkwardly smiled at the receptionist.
"If you say so…" Luna replied, tilting her head ever so slightly. "But still, make sure that he tells you where he goes or what he does next time. It's only common sense for party members."
"I think I can't say that to him… He might think that I am annoying or bothersome…" Yunyun looked down, getting hurt by the thought of it.
"You're friends aren't you?!" Luna voiced while holding on to the girls shoulders "Friends are supposed to be there for each other. And think about it, do you think Mark is the kind of person to think of you that way?"
The word "Friend" really hit a mark on Yunyun's consciousness. It was her weakness as well as her strength.
"You're right! I'm sure he'll understand, we're close friends after all." Yunyun declared with confidence.
"I'm glad to hear that. Keep your friendship strong. I know nothing can come between you two…" Luna started to walk back to her station. she stopped midway and looked back at Yunyun, and said. "Well except that one thing."
Luna's last sentence made the mage girl worried. The receptionist never meant it to be that way. It was something that she herself has not yet acquired. Before she could walk any further, Yunyun stopped her in her tracks. She grabbed her arms and started shaking her.
"What one thing?!"
"E-Eh? You don't have to worry about that-" Luna tried to reason but failed.
"Please tell me! If that one thing can somehow break my friendship with Mark then please tell me so that I could prevent it!" Yunyun questioned, clearly freaking out.
"I told you that you don't have to worry-"
"TELL ME!" Yunyun shook Luna furiously out of anxiety.
The receptionist felt like she regretted saying those words to her. It was just for fun sake but she didn't think the mage girl would take her seriously. Luna wanted to keep the relationship of the two as it is. They were one of the most efficient and hardworking adventurers they've got, able to do quests at a fast rate. Top it off they cause her no trouble, unlike other adventurers. She couldn't afford separating the two and going their own ways.
"Okay okay! I'll tell you… The only thing that would separate you two is if one of you got in a relationship with other people." Luna's word hurt herself. The mere thought of couples pisses her off.
"Huh? And why would our party break up if we did have relationships with others?" Yunyun tilted her head in question.
"For example. If Mark got a lover then he might spend more time with her. His lover might also suggest to stop partying with you because they might become jealous of you." Luna informed, making Yunyun think for a second.
Yunyun thought about it for a moment. When she pictured Mark with another girl in his arms made her chest ached. She imagined him waving at her after saying goodbye to her.
"Thank you for everything, Yunyun. But sadly we have to go our separate ways. It was fun, Bye." Mark said in Yunyun's vision. She tried to reach out to him but couldn't. When he disappeared from her vision, she shouted back at reality.
"No! Don't go!" Yunyun voiced as she reached out for nothing, making the other adventurers around look at her for a second before returning to their drinks. Even Luna gave her a weird look.
"Wow. You must have imagined something horrible for you to shout like that." Luna muttered, seeing a bit of tear forming in the girl's eye.
"I'm sorry! I did something inappropriate." Yunyun apologized while slightly bowing down.
"No worries. It was my fault for saying weird in the first place." Luna laughed off.
"I see… So? How do I prevent it from happening." Yunyun asked with seriousness.
"Huh? You want to prevent your partner from having a relationship."
"Yes… I mean no! I mean I don't want to ruin his chances of finding happiness. What kind of friend would I be if I did. But I also don't want him to leave me… Aaahh! This is difficult." Yunyun scratched her head from overthinking about it.
Luna tilted her head, as if she knew an obvious answer to the girl's problem.
"Hmm? There is a simple solution to that you know."
Yunyun suddenly held the hands of Luna, as if she found a new hope.
"WHAT IS IT?!" The mage girl stared at the eyes of the receptionist.
"You become his lover." Luna replied.
"..."
"Eeehhh?! No way! That's impossible! I only see him as a friend and so does he to me." Yunyun denied.
Luna let out a tired sigh, not wanting to say anything unnecessary anymore. Furthermore, her own conscience gets hurt when she tries to give love advice to others.
"I-Is that so? If that is how you see each other then I have no right to object…" the receptionist gave a faint smile before resuming her work. "Well, have a good evening."
With that, the receptionist left Yunyun with a dazed thought about what she said. The maze girl was quite certain that her relationship with Mark was just close friends. But she began thinking, what if it was more than that. Little by little she started to think of a scenario if by chance that they did end up as lovers.
A scene where it takes place in their home in her imaginations.
"Good Morning, Yunyun." Mark greeted with a pleasant smile, seeing his lover walk towards the dining table as he prepared breakfast for the both of them
"Ah… Good Morning Mark… You're up early again." Yunyun replied with a slight yawn, just walking up from her sleep. She sat at one of the chairs as she rubbed her eyes as she was still half asleep.
"Of course. I wouldn't be able to make you breakfast if you wake up before me…" The boy said, like it was his duty to do so. "You know how I love seeing you enjoy the food I make."
"Hmm… You're flirting with me first thing in the morning again." Yunyun pouted, hiding her blush away by looking away.
Mark walked towards the table as he held the food he had just made, eggs and bacon with a side of toast. As he laid the food down in front of his lover, he gave her a small peck on her forehead.
"Why? Do you hate it when I do?" Mark teasingly asked.
"I… don't hate it." Yunyun blushed more intensely. Mark just smiled at him
"I'm glad."
The boy then sat opposite of the girl and placed his food as well. After saying their grace for the food, they started to dig in. And as always, the food Mark made was exquisite
"It's so good! The food you make is always delicious, Mark!" Yunyun praised. Holding her cheek with one hand from the deight.
"Is that so? I'm glad you like it." the boy said. "So, what do you want to do today?"
Yunyun thought about it for a second. They just recently finished a difficult quest so it wouldn't hurt if they took a vacation. "How about we take a break and go on a trip today?"
"That's a good idea. But where do you want us to go?" Mark asked.
"It doesn't matter where… As long as I'm with you, anywhere is fine." Yunyun launched an unexpected counter attack followed by the sweetest smile.
"I-I see." Mark was caught off-guard, making his heart skip a beat by his lover.
"Ah. You're blushing." Yunyun teased.
The boy was speechless as she was right. The only thing he could do was try to hide it by looking away, which he failed.
Back to reality.
Yunyun's face was bright red as her head steamed figuratively from her own thoughts. She got embarrassed by her own imaginations that she clasped her cheeks with both her hands as she shook her head.
'AAAHHH! What the heck was I imagining?! If that would happen in real life I think I would die from embarrassment.' Yunyun thought to herself. 'But then again, it would be impossible for that to happen to us…'
Clearing her head after a few moments, she fixed herself and decided to go home for now. She did enjoy the thought of being lovers with Mark, even though it was just in her imagination. Before leaving, she thought of the boy one more time, wishing that nothing bad would happen to him.
"I hope he'll come back home safe."
The Fort
Right now, the fort was being attacked by thousands of giant ants. The defenders held strong as the combination of guards, adventurers and soldiers from another dimension defended it. Even so, each time they kill one, two more would follow up behind. It was like the ants were unending.
*FRRRRRRRRAK!
"WAAAHAHAHA! Is that all you've got?!" Megumin was maniacally laughing as she laid down fire upon the insects with the Heavy machine gun on the GAZ truck.
"This girl's crazy." Sandman muttered, continuing to back her up in case some got in her blind spot. Around the truck were close range guards and adventurers that protected the girl if she got flanked.
*BRRRRRRRRRTTTTT
The two sentry guns fired away while on top of the walls, dealing a devastating amount of damage towards the ant army. Also along the walls were Truck, Grinch and other ranged individuals. Adventurers that used spells or guards that used bows were all firing away. Every last one of them was necessary to prevent the fort from being overrun.
"Frag out!" Grinch shouted as he threw a frag grenade to the giant ants that were piling up each other, killing them.
"I sure wish we had airsupport." Truck said, continuing firing with his M60. A blackhawk or an apache attack helicopter flying over their heads would be nice right now, he thought.
The thundering sound of gunshots was heard throughout the battlefield for more than one hour now since the attack started. The guards and adventurers were a little disturbed by the ringing noise it gave but didn't complain. Right now it was them versus the overwhelming numbers of the giant ants. It was a good thing that NPCs, Sentry guns and mounted guns had unlimited ammo. If not, they would have run out a long time ago.
If they want to end this fast, the Ant Queen must be destroyed.
Ant Tunnels
Mark and Kazuma had got out of the Fort and looked for a safe entrance to the ant mound. They did so before the ant attack commenced. The two found an entrance of the giant ants that looked like it was unused that was a few hundred meters out the ant mound. Commonly, ants have multiple entryways that are all connected. But they can't just walts in the main opening of the ant mound as it was where most of the ants come through.
The entrance they've found seemed to be an old pathway for safe food passage for them. They made tunnels like these to protect them from other predators that might kill and eat them.
"Oi Mark. Are you sure we're going to be okay with just the two of us?" Kazuma whispered, a little scared about the mission.
"Of course. I couldn't ask for a better partner. If you trust in your sneaking abilities then we're going to be fine." Mark assured as he checked their surroundings for any enemies. When he saw that there were no giant ants around they proceeded in.
"All clear. Let's do this."
"Y-Yeah." Kazuma said, gathering the courage for what's ahead.
Their loadouts were body armor, nightvision, frags, and backpack full of C4s. Kazuma had an MP5 smg and USP .45 that were all suppressed equipped while Mark had an M4A1 suppressed and a Model 1887 if things go close and personal.
The insides of the tunnels were dark but not too confined, just right for a human to go in without crouching. Five minutes upon entering, they already spotted giant ants just ahead of their directions.
Not wanting to alert the others by killing them, they hid at one of the subtunnels or different routes as they were plenty. Mark's [Blind Eye] and Kazuma's [Lurk] were perfect sneaking skills for infiltrating. Plus their silenced weapons are best paired with these as they help taking down enemies with minimal attention.
As they went further, the tunnels continued to lead further underground. To calm Kazuma's nerves, he decided to chat with Mark a little bit while continuing forward.
"Hey Mark." Kazuma called quietly.
"What wrong?" Mark said, still staying on alert.
"How far have you gotten with Yunyun?" Kazuma asked with a devious grin.
Mark stopped in his tracks with the teens question. "W-What are you saying?! I told you that we are just close friends!" he whispered loudly.
"Eeeh? You don't need to be in a relationship with a person to do those things. Come on, share some goods with a brother here." Kazuma's perverted side was a bit showing.
"We haven't done anything that is highly inappropriate! Unlike you, I don't take advantage of young girls. You pedo…" Mark shot back.
"I-I don't do that! I told you that was a misunderstanding." Kazuma realized that he would lose this argument if pushed further. His reputation in the guild was not really good especially about women and panties. "Okay fine, I get it… I thought that you atleast slept in the same room or saw her naked."
Mark suddenly flinched and fell silent, looking away from the other teen. Kazuma noticed this and realized that he might have caught on to something.
"What?! You did?!"
"N-Not in the same room! We were in a tent! And not fully naked, she had her underwear on!" When Mark said that, he realized too late what he had done. More so in the arrangement of his sentence. He did sleep with Yunyun in the same tent during a quest for safety reasons and seeing her half naked was just an accident. "Wai-"
"I knew it! What kind of perverted play were you two doing together in a tent." Kazuma shouted at him with a shocked jealous face.
"We didn't do anything!" Mark shouted back.
Unfortunately, all their shouting unconsciously turned off their stealth ability and made the giant ants aware of their presence. A few seconds later, the two felt that the ants started to swarm from all directions of the cave.
"This is bad…" The two realized what they had done and started to run further in.
They killed all the ants that they came across in front of them with their suppressed guns. Mark was the one that took point while Kazuma handled the ants coming behind them.
"Do something Mark! More of them keep coming!" Kazuma asked, running while still shooting through the ants that came after them.
"This wouldn't happen if you haven't shouted in the first place!" Mark replied, occupied with ants in front.
"Well you shouted too!" Kazuma shot back.
"It was your fault for making me do so!"
Mark then saw a large opening from their right. He took the opportunity and told Kazuma their next plan.
"Kazuma, plant a C4 at this opening and blow it up after we pass through." Mark said, holding off the giant ants in all directions.
"G-Got it!" Kazuma listened to his orders and did what he was told. When he signaled that they were set, the two ran into the opening as fast as they could.
"Do it."
With Mark's command, Kazuma detonated the C4 and exploded. The explosion caused the opening to collapse and close off the pathway. Luckily for them the path they just entered had only a few ants that they immediately dispatched.
"Well, we're not going the same way back." Kazuma said as he saw that they would find another path if they wanted to get out.
"We'll find another way later. Right now we still have a queen to kill. Fortunately, I think we're on the right track." The soldier boy pointed at their surroundings. They saw that they were surrounded by large white elliptical things, it was the giant ant eggs.
"Eggs?! Is this where I think we are?" Kazuma got baffled to see that they were in a large open room with hundreds of eggs laying around.
"Yeah. This must be the nursery area. And where there are eggs, the queen won't be far behind." Mark scanned the area and saw that there are other paths that may also lead to other egg rooms.
Before pushing forward, they wouldn't just leave the eggs alone. So they decided to plant C4s around vital spots to kill off any possible queen being born again.
They went through room to room and placed more C4s at any eggs they came across. Mark produced more for C4s to further maximize the damage dealt. He still has the 30 kgs of military grade C4 specially made for the queen. They just need to figure out how they would set the bomb near the queen without it moving around.
Entering another tunnel path, they immediately stopped as soon they found themselves at the edge of a steep drop. Below them was a giant crater filled with eggs all around and in the middle of it was a large ant the size of a bus. It was the Giant Ant Queen, guarded by hundred of ants
"We found her…" Mark muttered.
"Y-Yeah. But how are we going to get to her? Their defenses look tight. I mean, our stealth wouldn't work if we got too close to the enemy." Kazuma worried.
"Simple. I'll use my knife [Shadow Edge] to easily slip past them while someone attracts the attention of the guards as a distraction." Mark said as he showed his dagger..
"I see- Wait a minute! By someone do you mean…" Kazuma tried to ask but Mark already nodded, knowing completely what he was trying to say.
"Are you crazy?! No way I'm letting myself be bait!" Kazuma quietly voiced to Mark.
"Oh? So would you rather face the Ant Queen face-to-face and plant the bomb yourself? And if you somehow fail you have to deal with the wrath of a really large mother ant?" Mark pointed out, seeing the Ant Queen looked like it was very strong.
Kazuma thought about it for a second. He would rather run away being chased by giant ants than try getting close to the ant queen.
"On second thought, let's go with your plan."
Proceeding with the plan, Kazuma went ahead and searched for a viable escape route before distracting the ant guards around. Mark stood by and waited for his friend to commence the plan.
Firing a shot from his pistol, Kazuma went and got the attention of the giant ants from the crater. It was just like poking a hornet's nest with a stick, all the attention was directed at him. At the same time, Kazuma started running towards a tunnel as soon as he started being chased by the ants.
"You owe me one for this!" Kazuma shouted while fleeing.
The ant queen remained in the middle of the crater giving commands to the other ants. It was the perfect opportunity for the soldier to begin.
Using Shadow Edge's ability, Mark turned completely invisible while obtaining [Wind Walk] to easily walk past the other giant ants. Wind Walk is an ability of the blade that increases the user's movement speed and makes him intangible to living things for 30 seconds. It was not enough time, but it is more than enough.
Sprinted down towards the ant queen and hid behind her. There were a lot of ant eggs around to hide so Mark used his Blind Eye immediately as soon as his invisibility timed out.
Mark tried to catch his breath as he ran as fast as he could before setting the bomb. He was just four meters behind the queen and thankfully he was not yet noticed. Planting the C4, he set a timer that would explode in fifteen minutes. It's not much but it is enough to buy him time to get out. As long as the queen doesn't leave its place, everything is going to be fine… Hopefully.
At the exact time he finished planting the bomb, an egg in front of him was started to hatch. He stared at it for a second before a baby giant ant came in before him.
"Cool.." Mark muttered. He didn't think that something else saw the hatching process.
The Ant Queen was looking right at him when the egg hatched. Mark slowly turned around when he felt that he was in danger. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the awkward silence was broken when the ant shrieked.
Before the queen could attack the teen, Mark pulled out his shotgun and shot it at the head. Unfortunately, it barely did any damage and only pissed it off more.
"Oh shi-" Before Mark could finish his words, the ant queen plunged its mandibles at him. Luckily Mark managed to dodged the attack, leaving a massive hole in the place where he once was.
Not wasting anymore time, Mark activated his Shadow Blade one more time and escaped while he could. The queen was left baffled when the teen suddenly disappeared without a trace. She didn't bother looking for him, but instead she alarmed the whole nest of his presence. She stayed in her place waiting for other guard ants to protect her in case she was attacked again, not knowing there was a potential threat just a few feet away from her… the bomb.
Back to Kazuma running. He was shooting at every ant that he saw coming right in front of him with his MP5 while he threw some C4 behind him and detonated it when he was far enough. This made the path that he just crossed cave in by the explosion, making the ants following him unable to pass. But it also meant that the other teen couldn't go through as well and had to take another route.
"Damn it! Where is the f*cking exit?!" Kazuma cursed as he felt the tunnels were endless. He started to panic as he detected more and more giant ants came his way.
Due to his nervousness, Kazuma failed to notice that there was a guard ant lying in wait just ahead of his path in a small corner. When he was just about to pass that corner, the ant made his strike and crunched the teen in its mouth.
If it wasn't for the body armor Mark gave him, Kazuma would have been cut in two by the ant and died. Not wasting any second, he shot the ant in its head with the smg and killed it.
"T-That was close…" Kazuma's heart was racing at an absurd rate. He was a little shaking but was glad that he didn't die again. However, due to the ambush by the guard ant, his armor was destroyed due to its damage threshold.
Lowering his guard for a moment, a small giant ant managed to sneak past him and bit his leg. The ant tried to drag as Kazuma fell down by the pain of the bite.
"Aaaggh!" Kazuma cried in pain. He tried to shoot the ant with his SMG but got attacked by a second giant ant on top of him. When the ant tried to bite his head, he used the MP5 as a shield to prevent it from doing so.
While Kazuma held back the ant munching on his gun with his left hand, he used his right hand to reach out to his pistol and pulled it out.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Three shots from the suppressed USP.45 killed the ant on him and another two for the one biting his leg. He pushed the dead ants off him as he was not out of danger yet.
Kazuma tried to get up but failed because of the injury he got on his leg. The only choice he had now was slowly limping out of the tunnels while bearing the pain… or die trying. He knew that the chances of Mark finding him there were pretty slim considering there were dozens of paths.
"I hate to say this but I sure wish Aqua was here…" Kazuma started thinking how convenient the goddess was in these kinds of situations. Her healing could fix him up quickly or in the worst case scenario, revive him when he's dead. But that won't help him if the bomb was to set off and bury him alive.
"I heard that." A voice was heard just a few meters ahead of the tunnel. It was Mark who just came through a different path. "Good thing I found you. I think I found a way out."
"What?! You did?" Kazuma was overjoyed to hear that, but he was also wondering how Mark got ahead of him first when he was the one that stayed behind and planted the bomb. "Wait. If you found a way out then why didn't you escape?"
"I heard you screaming and came running back. I can't just leave a man behind." Mark got closer to Kazuma and put his arms around him, supporting him up. "Come on, get up. We don't want to be here when this place goes boom."
"Thanks for coming back for me."
As they make their way out of the tunnels, Kazuma still has the strength to use his gun to shoot all the giant ants that they encounter. Even also fired some rounds but was more concentrated in getting out. They only have at least five minutes before the bomb goes off.
It was difficult, but they somehow got out of the cave seconds before the bomb blew up. They exited at the foot of the giant ant hill as they felt some shockwave from the blast in the tunnels. Mark felt something surge in him when the bomb went off but he ignored it at that time. If the queen didn't die from the direct impact of the bomb, they don't know what will.
"We made it…" Mark said, taking a breath of the fresh air outside.
"Yeah. But are you sure the ant queen is dead? Megumin said that it is highly resistant to magic and even her explosion magic won't likely kill it with one hit, to her irritation." Kazuma worried.
"Don't worry. My bombs are not magical base damage, only pure explosive destruction." Mark assured. But he did think if it was enough to kill the queen. "The only sign we can see if it really is dead is if the giant ants scattered after losing the one giving command or…"
All of the sudden, the two could feel the presence of hundreds of hostile creatures headed towards them.
"Or?" Kazuma tried to ask what Mark was about to say. But he kinda knew already what it was.
"Or the giant ants return back here to check on their queen. And we're really not in a good spot here." Mark worried.
Kazuma felt terrified for his life knowing he couldn't go far due to his injury.
"This is bad! We're going to be surrounded if we wait too long-" Then it hit him, he remembered that he was part thief. "Wait a minute, can't we just use stealth to sneak our way out of here?"
"Took you long enough to realise that." Mark smirked, knowing that already and just tried to scare Kazuma for a bit.
And just like that, the two hid in the bushes as they made their way back to the fort slowly with Mark supporting Kazuma. It was a long night but returned back with no other obstruction.
The Fort
"We're back!" Mark announced at the gates with Kazuma by his side. "And can someone get a priest to heal my injured friend here."
The guards around instantly did what he said and called a healer. Incidentally, Megumin and Mark's soldiers were also by the gate waiting for them. The explosion girl quickly rushed to Kazuma's side, worried for his well being.
"Kazuma! Are you alright? What happened?" Megumin asked with a hint of concern.
"Ah this? I was caught off guard by some giant ants. I would've died if it weren't for Mark's armor. Thankfully he came back to help me when we got separated." Kazuma replied.
"I see." Megumin turned towards Mark. "Thank you for taking care of him. Even though he is a shameless pervert who likes robbing girls of their panties…"
"Hey!" Kazuma voiced.
"... He is still an important party member of mine." Megumin continued, showing her gratitude towards the soldier boy by bowing down. Kazuma blushed a little by her statement.
"No problem. He's my friend too after all… Even if he is a pervert." Mark laughed, pissing Kazuma a little. He then turned his attention to Sandman, who was standing beside Megumin. "So how was your situation here at your end?"
"We held up pretty good here. Some got through but were immediately taken care of. Then ants soon stopped attacking a few minutes ago and went different ways. We assume that the queen was killed by then." Sandman gave his report.
"The captain of the fort said that they will send out search parties tomorrow to kill off the remaining ants. We don't need to take part in it because our job was just to kill the queen, he said." Truck followed.
Mark nodded in understanding. And speaking of the captain, Baragon walked towards them to thank them for their efforts.
"I can't thank you enough for the support you gave us. If it weren't for you people we would have lost this fort and all the people in it." The captain bowed his head. "I know you must be exhausted from taking down the Ant Queen. We have some vacant rooms for you to rest. Please, relax yourself while we take care of the rest." he offered.
Without any disagreement, Mark and the two adventurers did what he said and followed him to the rooms. But Sandman and the two other soldiers stayed behind.
"We don't need to take rests like normal people do. We'll stay out here and help guard the place in case any expected attacks occur." Sandman informed, still sharp as ever to whatever happens.
"Got it. We're counting on you then." Mark said before heading towards the said rooms.
Next Day
Mark woke early that morning to prepare their things before going back. At the same time, he was greeted by one of the people who was with the caravan they'd save. He was a merchant who wanted to express his gratitude to him by giving him some compensation. They had a few chats before going their separate ways.
At the same time Kazuma and Megumin were walking towards him, noticing that they still look sluggish.
"Hey Mark, why did you wake us up this early?! Can't we sleep for a few more hours." Kazuma argued. His legs were now completely healed but he still wanted to rest a little.
"He's right, I don't see why we need to rush." Megumin added, rubbing her half close eyes.
"W-Well, we need to go back as fast as we can before the time limit of the truck comes."
Mark looked a little suspicious when he said that. And what's more is his reasoning was not that concerning. It's true that his summon has a time limit depending on his level to hours, but there was always a solution past that.
"Can't you just summon another one when that happens." Kazuma asked.
"I-I can… but that would be a waste of mana. Right, Megumin? If that were to happen to you then you wouldn't be able to cast explosion magic, which is bad." Mark defended.
"You've got a point." Megumin believed his reason. But Kazuma felt like there was more to it than that.
"I bet you wanted to see Yunyun as soon as you could." Kazuma said with a deadpan face.
Mark flinched a little before turning his back on them. "No… But if you don't want to then you could stay here and walk when you're ready to leave. I'm not forcing you or anything."
The two glared at Mark while he was starting to sweat a little. He wasn't heartless to just leave his friend after all.
"And, if you come with me now I could treat you to breakfast at the guild." Mark threw in.
"Let's go!" The two said in unison without a second thought.
Food is all it took to persuade the two broke debt-ridden adventurers due to having most of their rewards being taken as payment.
Getting inside their transport, Kazuma and Megumin decided to sleep at the truck while on the way. The two sat beside each other on the left side of the vehicle. The travel time was at least two hours so they have a little time to sleep.
Driving the vehicle was Truck and by the passenger seat was Sandman. So Mark and Grinch were also at the back sitting on the right side.
Just twenty minutes after they left the fort, Kazuma and Megumin were already snoozing. It was at this moment Mark saw something spectacular. Because the two were so close to each other, Megumin accidentally rested on Kazuma's shoulder while they slept.
Mark couldn't let this opportunity go to waste. [So using his Soldier's Daily Needs] ability, he concentrated creating an instant camera to capture the moment. He thought that technically, soldiers do need cameras for certain situations so that he was able to produce one.
He took a couple photos of the two adventurers just because they look adorable together, while they're asleep anyway. He knew that they are not a couple but they do seem to have a close relationship. The other reason why he took shots is because he could embarrass them later if he needed to.
The next thing Mark did was check his status. He knew that he leveled up four levels when he killed the Ant Queen. Another thing that raised that is Sandman and the other two who killed a lot of giant ants in the defense of the fort. Due to being his summons, the experience from the enemy they kill goes to him completely including the turrets.
Considering how much he leveled, the queen must have given a lot of experience.
"Let's here, what skill am I going to-" Mark paused for a second after looking at his card, specifically his skill points.
Skill points: 321
"What?! Three hundred twenty-one?! How did-" Mark voiced, almost walking up the sleeping two. He wrapped his head around how the heck he accumulated so many points.
"What's wrong sir?" Grinch asked as he was just beside him when he shouted. Even the two soldiers in front got worried.
"No, nothings wrong. It's just that I think I can now use the full potential of my power…" Mark replied, continuing to stare at his character card. The soldiers were a bit confused when he said that but then ignored it.
Right now Mark was still thinking about how he got the points. It couldn't possibly be just by leveling up. Then it hit him, he remembered something Yunyun had told him. There was a creature that could give skill points if you kill it. It was a duck monster called Duxen that carried onions around. Sounds familiar.
In any case, he wondered why nobody hasn't told him about this. One of the reasons he could think of is that no one bothered to even kill an ant queen. Right now he discovered something interesting, killing an Ant Queen can give you 300+ skill points. But not like you could kill one easily, and finding one is even more hard.
No matter the reason, he still has plenty of skill points to spend and more so when he levels up. He unlocked all the available skills he can use. (See skill descriptions in Chapter 6: Home)
*Call Transport
[Unlocked] - Motorcycle(Dirt Bike)
[Unlocked] - Snowmobile
[Unlocked] - Jeep Wrangler
[Unlocked] - M1026 HMMWV (Humvee)
*Air support Armory
[Unlocked] - Riot Squad
[Unlocked] - Precision Airstrike
[Unlocked] - Attack Helicopter
[Unlocked] - Strafe Run
[Unlocked] - AH-6 Overwatch
[Unlocked] - Recon Drone
[Unlocked] - Reaper
[Unlocked] - UGV Assault Drone
*Equipment Armory
[Unlocked] - Smoke Grenades
[Unlocked] - SAM Turret
[Unlocked] - Machinegun
[Unlocked] - Mortar
*Weapons Armory
Pistols
[Unlocked] - MP412
[Unlocked] - Desert Eagle
[Unlocked] - .44 Magnum
Machine Pistols
[Unlocked] - G18
[Unlocked] - Skorpion
[Unlocked] - MP9
[Unlocked] - FMG9
Assault Rifles
[Unlocked] - M16A4
[Unlocked] - SCAL-L
[Unlocked] - ACR 6.8
[Unlocked] - AK-47
Sub Machine Guns
[Unlocked] - UMP45
[Unlocked] - MP7
[Unlocked] - PM-9
Light Machine Guns
[Unlocked] - PKP Pecheneg
Sniper Rifles
[Unlocked] - Intervention
Shotguns
[Unlocked] - USAS 12
[Unlocked] - SPAS-12
[Unlocked] - Ranger
Launchers
[Unlocked] - Thumper
[Unlocked] - M320 GLM
There was also an option to upgrade a skill he has. Not hesitating he used it on one of his notable skills
*Air Support Armory
[Upgrade] - Delta Squad Delta Team Delta Force [Max Upgrade]
Delta Force - Summon 9 notable delta operators. Note, can permanently summon a soldier but reduces maximum mana by 1% per soldier. 9% mana reduction for complete summon, decreases when a soldier dies.
[Upgrade] - Riot Squad Shielded Juggernaut Heavy Juggernaut [Max Upgrade]
Heavy Juggernauts - Summon 3 heavily armored juggernauts equipped with PKP Pecheneg light machine guns. Time limit is equivalent to level.
*Perks
-Quickdraw (Can quickly change to other weapons or equipment at a faster rate and has faster aiming at sights.)
-Overkill (Can carry three primary weapons excluding the sidearm. The extra weapon and items are now hidden in a pocket dimension that can be pulled out when needed.)
-Assassin (It makes you undetectable by almost anything as long as you don't fire an unsuppressed weapon. Increased damage while hidden. Great paired with Blind Eye.)
-Blast Shield (Reduces damage of explosive damage, whether magical or physical type. Affects summoned soldiers.)
Mark also unlocked some other things and left him with 59 skill points. He was like a kid in a toy store that was given permission to take anything he wanted. Seriously, he felt like he was cheating at this point. Giggling like an idiot, he already decided what he will do when he gets back home.
Axel Town
At the gates of the town the, the truck was stopped by the guards seeing that it was their first time seeing a vehicle.
"Halt! Stay where you are and identify yourselves." A guard said as he blocked the entrance.
Mark popped out of the rooftop of the GAZ and showed himself to the guards.
"Good Morning. My name is Mark, an adventurer in this town." he greeted.
"Hey, I remember you. Aren't you the one that just left yesterday with two other adventurers?" The guards questioned.
"Yes, we are. Is there a problem for why we can't pass through?" Mark asked.
"N-No. It's just that thing you're riding… what is it?" The guard said, a little jumpy and has his guard up.
"Oh this? Uhm…" Mark tried to think of a way on how he could possibly explain a vehicle from a technologically advanced world. "It's like a horseless wagon that runs on magical power." he replied.
The guard was still suspicious at the truck on whether or not he would allow them to go through. But he also didn't want to further delay them as they were blocking the path.
"Okay fine. Just don't cause trouble in town with that wagon of yours."
Not having any choice, the guard let them through.
It didn't take long before the group reached the guild. The two were already awake then and couldn't wait for a late breakfast. They've parked the truck just in front of the guild building. At the same time, a familiar crimson mage was walking towards the guild and met them.
"What's this? I feel like I've seen something like this before…" Yunyun muttered as she stared at the vehicle.
"Oh Yunyun, pretty nice timing meeting you here. Good Morning." Mark greeted as he came out from the back of the truck.
"Ah Mark! Good Morning!" Yunyun greeted back with a cheery smile. "I didn't expect you to come this early. The guild receptionist told me the quest you took was really far away."
"Oh that. That's because of this thing." Mark gestured at the truck. "It's called a vehicle from my world…" he began explaining how the thing operates.
"I see." Yunyun nodded, understanding most of what he said.
While talking to each other, The two other adventurers also exited the vehicle. Kazuma came out the back while Megumin curiously climbed to the rooftop.
"Megumin?!" Yunyun voiced, not expecting to see her inside. "I thought you and Kazuma-san were the only ones that went on the quest."
"Me? I came along at the last minute. Do you have any problem with that?" Megumin asked, hearing something odd with Yunyun's tone of voice.
"N-Not at all…" Yunyun stuttered, thinking something else.
Megumin notices her weird reactions. After knowing Yunyun for a long time she could vaguely guess what she was thinking. Being the bully she always was to her, she tried to embarrass her by saying what she thought.
"Let me guess, you were thinking that you should have come along and joined in the quest. Sorry that you missed out in our adventure Yunyun." Megumin teased.
"You don't have to rub it in!" Yunyun shouted, seeing a bit of tears in her eyes.
"Hmpf. No why would I do that-" When Megumin tried to stand up on the rooftop, she lost her footing and accidentally fell off. Luckily Mark was fast enough to react and catch her in his arms.
"Are you okay?" Mark asked while still holding her. This somehow pissed Kazuma and Yunyun off.
"Yeah. Thank you for catching me." Megumin said as she was carefully put down by Mark. She knew that Yunyun was irritated when she got close to Mark so thought of vexing her more. "Oh yeah. Are you sure you want to join our party? Wouldn't you be leaving Yunyun behind if you did?"
"What are you-" Mark didn't finish what he was about to say due to seeing Yunyun with a horrid expression like hearing someone close to had died.
"Eh… Is that true?" Yunyun slowly asked, feeling as if the world around her had turned black and white.
"Of course no-" he was again cut off.
"Of course! It seems my womanly charms had attracted even your partner-." Megumin said with a smug face but was karate chopped in the head by Kazuma. "Ouch!"
"Enough of your lies! Can't you see that poor girl looks like she lost everything." Kazuma pointed at Yunyun that had dead eyes on her.
Megumin saw it and realized that she went too far. She didn't think that joking about her partner would affect her that much. "It was a joke! I was only joking! Don't take everything I say seriously!"
"Oh, I joke. I see…" Yunyun smiled but had a hint of sadness behind it.
Feeling the awkward atmosphere around them, Kazuma used this moment to go inside the guild and leave them be. "Mark, we'll go ahead inside and order ahead…" he said while pulling Megumin along.
Before they could go far, Mark called Megumin up and gave her something. A photo he recently took. "Here. You wouldn't want anyone spreading it around, right?" Mark said so with a slight threatening tone.
It was a picture of her and Kazuma sleeping together soundly at the back of the truck. Normally Mark would have used this against Kazuma, but seeing that she put him and Yunyun in a misunderstanding he couldn't just let it go.
"Wha-! When did you-?!" Megumin tried to ask but Mark only smiled back, feeling a little scared by him at that moment. Kazuma came in closer and took a look at what she was holding.
"What's that… H-Hey! Why do you have a photo of us?! Scratch that, you have a camera?!" Kazuma voiced as he too was embarrassed by the photo. But Mark didn't give him a reply he wanted.
"Kazuma, aren't you going to order food now at the guild?" Mark said so and sent a chill in Kazuma's spine.
Kazuma gulped and nodded while he continued to pull Megumin back at the Guild. At that point he made a reminder to himself not to get in Mark's bad side.
With them out of the way, it was just Mark and Yunyun outside standing alone. Yunyun was oddly quiet and had her back turned on the teen.
"Y-Yunyun?" Mark called, a little anxious of the girl's behavior
"Hmm? What is it?" Yunyun replied in a soft voice.
"Are you mad?" Mark nervously asked.
"Mad? Now why would I be mad?" Yunyun looked back at Mark as she smiled at him. It was not showing but the teen knew that something was bothering her.
"I'm sorry." Mark muttered.
This caught the girl off guard, not expecting an apology. Yunyun looked at the boy and saw the sincerity in his eyes. "Sorry? Why are you apologising? You did nothing wrong."
"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you yesterday where I was going… I was too embarrassed to do so." Mark looked away for a second.
"Huh? Why were you embarrassed? I was the one that ran away after Megumin mentioned that." Yunyun was starting to fluster a little too.
"Of course I'd get embarrassed! When Megumin mentioned the time where she and Kazuma shared a bath… the sight of you in your underwear started to resurface." Mark said with a naught blush.
"Waaahh!" Yunyun shouted, covering most of her face with her hands. "Forget that moment! Forget it right now!" she demanded, face red as a tomato.
"Yes!" Mark answered swiftly like a soldier to his commander, even standing up straight. But he soon loosened up when he realized how hard the task would be. "But that would be difficult though…" he muttered his breath.
"Why?!" Yunyun asked as he heard him.
"W-Well… You can't just force yourself to forget something. And another thing…" Mark paused for a while, thinking whether or not he should continue. "You're already attractive as it is, but seeing like that kinda charmed me. So it's hard to forget it right now…"
Right now Mark wanted to kill himself from what he said. It was almost like a confession, and a lame one at that. He was prepared to be called a pervert in the worse-case scenario. But as long as Yunyun still considered him as a friend, he didn't mind.
"E-Eh… Is that so…" Yunyun was surprisingly twirling her hair as she looked away. Mark didn't expect this kind of reaction as he saw the girl was looking kinda happy.
"S-So, will you forgive me?" Mark awkwardly asked.
"Forgive you? Why?" Yunyun replied, smiling again but this time it was real. "I told you, I wasn't angry or anything."
Mark felt like he could breathe again when his partner replied. He would even consider fighting the Ant Queen face to face rather to have this conversation again. He still doesn't know how girls think but right now he was sure Yunyun was not upset anymore.
Yunyun then suddenly pulled Mark's arm and guided him to the guild. "Come on, you still haven't eaten breakfast right? Tell me what happened on your quest while you eat." she said so excitement.
"Y-Yeah. Sure." Mark followed suit. He was glad that Yunyun was joyful… A little too joyful.
While Yunyun dragged her partner she thought, 'I see, so he finds me attractive. That makes me strangely happy for some reason.'
Unknown to the two, Sandman and the other two soldiers were still in the truck and saw the whole thing. The soldiers had been betting to each other on how the scene would have ended. Grinch betted that it would end badly and the girl would walk out. Truck said that they'll do a hug in the end. Only Sandman was the one that won the bet, knowing it will just end in a normal resolution.
"Looks like you two owe me drinks." Sandman laughed.
"Yeah yeah." Truck grunted. He also took pictures of the two kids with the instant camera that was left back.
Nothing much happened that morning. After eating their breakfast, Mark submitted the report for the quest. Luna was a bit surprised how fast they finished the quest but nonetheless gave them the reward. The reward was staggering 6,000,000.00 (six million) eris, enough to go by without questing for a while.
Mark wanted to split the reward equally with the three of them, but Kazuma denied that. He said that it will be okay for him and Megumin just to receive two million eris and split it for the two of them.
Kazuma and Megumin felt guilty if they took a reward for a problem they'd caused but they didn't tell Mark that, or anyone for that matter. It was a secret they hope that will never be found.
After a few talks and laughs, they decided to go to their own homes to rest. But Mark had other plans to do other than relax.
Mark's Home
"Yunyun, can you help me out here?" Mark called out. After arriving at their home, Mark immediately went straight for the hidden room in their house.
The room was behind a bookshelf on the first floor of the living room. The inside of the room were empty, having a metal door and no windows. It was a perfect place for what Mark was planning.
"What is it?" Yunyun replied, following him inside the empty space.
"Help me design a gun room." Mark smiled.
Yunyun tilted her head from hearing the word for the first time. "Gun room? What is that? A room full of guns?" she asked.
"Yeah, something like that. Basically it is every gun freak's dream, a collection of different guns all in one room. Hehehe…" Mark started giggling like a little girl again.
"I see. But didn't you say that you only have a few weapons unlocked? Did you perhaps unlock more?" Yunyun curiously asked.
Mark just smirked at her while he started producing the guns he'd unlocked. He first started with the pistols, next was the machine pistols and then the rifles. After producing the smg's, he ran out of mana after making the PKP Pecheneg.
Yunyun was in awe after seeing so many different variations of guns. She got even more surprised when her partner said that there was more to make but just didn't have any mana for it. The only ones left were the snipers, shotguns and the launchers. They'll have to wait for the next day to recharge his mana to be able to make guns again.
For now, they have to plan out how they will design the gun room. This was the most exciting part for Mark but was also the hardest part. It took them a few hours, but they finally finished making the room. They colored the room gray and had a battery operated lamp that Mark produced that hung on the ceiling.
The walls from the right side had the rifles hanging on it and just below them were the pistols. The left side had the smgs and machine pistols while having an empty gun rack below them for the shotguns in the future. They left the wall opposite to the door clear for now for the snipers and machine guns. There was also a gun rack for the launchers at the right side, just below the rifles.
It was not much but Mark was pretty satisfied with how it turned out. To thank Yunyun for helping him out, he asked if she wanted to look around town like they did before. The girl was flustered at first but happily accepted it.
The two then had fun with the booths and food stalls with Mark paying. Seeing his partner smile like that, he couldn't think of anything that could equal it. He would sometimes think that they were going out… but he knew that it was all in his mind. He thought that Yunyun probably only saw him as a friend, yet he was content with that.
Before going home, Mark decided to buy some groceries for tomorrow. They did have a magical refrigerator, to the boy's delight. He didn't know why but his house did have some pretty advanced technology. As expected for the former owner of the place who was also from another world.
He bought some food and drinks that would be perfect for breakfast. He wanted to at least make something for Yunyun after helping him out. His cooking skills were just about average but he was confident that his partner would like it.
Next Day
After waking up early that morning, Yunyun went down the second floor and smelled something delicious. When she checked to find out who it is, she saw Mark was cooking something up.
"Good Morning, Yunyun." Mark greeted as soon as he saw his partner.
Yunyun paused for a second, thinking that this scene somehow feel awfully familiar.
"G-Good Morning Mark. You're up early as usual, what are you making?" she curiously asked.
"I'm making us breakfast, Bacon and Eggs. Have a seat and I'll prepare it for you." Mark replied, finishing up.
Then it just hit the mage, this was the scene that she imagined the other night. It was when she thought what if she and Mark were couples living together.
"W-Why did you make us breakfast? We normally eat at the guild." Yunyun asked before taking a seat.
"Well, if I were to be honest… I wanted you to taste the food I made. I hope you'll like it." Mark scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed.
When Mark was walking towards Yunyun to place the food in front of her, she started getting flustered. It really close resembles the delusion she had. If this played out like in her mind, her partner would close in and kiss her in the for head after placing the food.
At the same time, Mark saw something in Yunyun's hair. It looked like a ball of lint had fallen there. Must be because he hadn't cleaned the house that much. After placing the food he closed in and reached out to Yunyun's hair, causing a little misunderstanding for the girl.
'Wha?! Why?! Is he really going to kiss me on the forehead?!' Yunyun began overthinking on what's going to happen. 'Do he really see me that way?! I… W-What should I do?!' She began thinking if she should push him away or tell him off.
When Mark was just mere inches from Yunyun, she immediately closed her eyes and prepared herself to what's coming. But nothing happened for a couple of seconds, not even a touch at her skin. When she opened her eyes she saw the teen was holding something in his hands.
"Ah, sorry for startling you. There was some lint in your hair and I removed it for you." Mark said, showing her the lint.
"Eh?... I see…" Yunyun started feeling embarrassed at herself for expecting that something would happen. Mark just tilted his head in confusion on why the girl was acting strange.
Mark then sat on the table with her as he set his own food. "Let's eat."
Yunyun nodded as she awkwardly ate her food. She was caught off-guard when she tasted it and was delicious.
"This is good! I love how it tasted!" Yunyun informed.
"Really?! I'm glad you like it." Mark smiled back. He too ate his food and was really inviting. But he was more happy to see Yunyun liked it.
After eating breakfast together, the two decided to go on a quest today. Yunyun kept quiet about her imaginations as they left the house.
Mark's Overview
Current Level: 24
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
Pistols
-Five Seven
-USP.45
-MP412
-Desert Eagle
-.44 Magnum
Machine Pistols
-G18
-Skorpion
-MP9
-FMG9
Assault Rifles
-M4A1
-M16A4
-SCAL-L
-ACR 6.8
-AK-47
Sub Machine Guns
-MP5
-UMP45
-MP7
-PM-9
Light Machine Guns
-M60E4
-PKP Pecheneg
Sniper Rifles
-MSR
-Dragunov
-Intervention
Shotguns
-Model 1887
-USAS 12
-SPAS-12
-Ranger
Launchers
-Thumper
-M320 GLM
*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 Force
-Heavy Juggernauts
-Precision Airstrike
-Attack Helicopter
-Strafe Run
-AH-6 Overwatch
-Recon Drone
-Reaper
-UGV Assault Drone
*Call Transport (Summon a vehicle. Using mana for temporary spawn or Money for permanent summon.)
-GAZ-2975 (The Russian Humvee)
-Motorcycle(Dirt Bike)
-Snowmobile
-Jeep Wrangler
-M1026 HMMWV (Humvee)
*Perks
-Extreme Conditioning (Sprint twice longer)
-Sleight of Hand (Faster Reload)
-Recon (Detects enemy faster and easier)
-Blind Eye (Harder to be detected)
-Quick Draw (Change weapons very quickly)
-Overkill (More equipped weapons)
-Assassin (More stealthy and damage while hidden)
-Blast Shield (Reduce explosive damage intake)
*Items
-Shadow Edge (A dagger that makes the user invisible for 30 seconds)
-Elenium Type 97
Current Eris: 7,664,204.00