Naofumi watched as Old Man looked at Rachel. His gaze traveled up and down her body. For her part, Rachel just stood there with a blank expression on her face.

From his seat in the blacksmith shop, Naofumi knew Old Man was assessing Rachel's appearance, mentally noting her body size. He'd even asked her to hold her ax and stand in an attacking pose.

"Hmph." Old Man nodded. "Looks like you got yourself a good member, kid. And an apothecary at that, too! Looks like you took my advice."

Naofumi didn't want to boost his ego, so he just nodded.

"I'm surprised you were able to get a party member to begin with." Old Man went back behind the counter. "Especially a tough little lady like her."

"Aw, thanks!" Rachel smiled smugly, proud that someone acknowledged her attributes.

"So what does this mean for me?" Naofumi stood.

"It means," Old Man said, "that you have a better chance of surviving and help fight back against the waves. You're lucky you even got someone to agree with you."

"Well, she didn't kill me in my sleep, so that makes her trustworthy."

Rachel scoffs. "As if I have a reason to kill you. I'd rather not have a bounty on my head, thank you very much."

"I see you two are getting along." Old Man chuckled.

Naofumi sighed inwardly.

He had taken Rachel here in hopes of getting her a new ax, not talk about him. When he pressed the subject onto them both, Old Man said her ax was in great condition. In fact, he said it was a very high-quality ax.

No doubt Rachel got the ax from the gold coins she scammed.

"Alright, let's stop with the jokes," Naofumi said. "Do you know any places I can grind and get materials from?" After their encounter with the cerberus, he needed to upgrade his shield with many skills as possible. The Crystal Shield was a perfect start since it can be used offensively and defensively. But that wasn't enough.

With so many skills the shield can possess, he wants to get as many before the wave comes.

"Well," Old Man took out a map, "since you're still inexperienced, there are monsters here that you can kill." He pointed to a grassy part of the mad. "That should be easy enough for you, especially with that new skill you got."

"I've been here before." Rachel leaned forward to the map. "The monsters there are weak and easy to kill. Great spot for ingredients, bad spot where monsters wait."

"So, I can get more experience and get ingredients? Talk about killing two birds with one stone." Naofumi sat back down. If they were going to travel across the country, they would need money. Rachel had enough for them to buy supplies, eat food, and stay at inns. When he asked how many gold coins she had, she surprised him by showing her coin pouch.

At least they won't be starving for a good while.

"I think you two can make it." Old Man tucked the map away. "Especially if you two took down that cerberus. It was a good thing the Captain was there to rescue you both when those bandits showed."

Naofumi thought back to the imposing yet kind looking man dressed in black armor. He especially remembered the wolves.

"Hey." Rachel and Old Man turned to him. "Rachel said he was a beastmaster. What's that?"

"I keep forgetting you're still new here." Old Man Said. "A beastmaster is someone who can communicate and command with animals."

"Animals?"

"Any kind." Rachel nodded. "The Captain can commune with wolves. There are others who can commune with cats, birds, among others. Pretty cool, if you ask me."

"This captain," Naofumi said. "Is he famous or something because he's a beastmaster?"

"More than that," Old Man said. "The man has captured bandits and monsters with his wolves. He earned his spot not because he's a beastmaster, but because of the work he's done."

"Is he close to the king?" If he was, Naofumi would try to avoid him as much as possible.

"The Captain serves the king and queen." Old Man replied. "His duty is to protect the citizens of the kingdom. He cares not for fame."

"Even I heard of him," Rachel said. "Back in my village, I heard stories about him. He took down an entire mercenary group. Twenty of them with just him and eight wolves."

The way they spoke of him, they'd think he was invincible. Naofumi didn't see the Captain in action, but if his loyalty to the kingdom was true, then maybe he wasn't so bad.

Then again, the same can be said about Malty.

He hasn't heard much of her or the other heroes. He was lucky he hadn't run into any of them while staying here. It was bad enough to hear the rumors from the people as well as receiving their heated glares, he didn't want any of the other heroes to goad him.

Better to stay hidden than come in weapons blazing and save a village.

"We ready?" Rachel asked.

Naofumi nodded. "Thank for the info, Old Man."

"Sure thing, kid." Old Man replied.

"Old Man?" Rachel looked at Old Man. "He's not that old. A little rough around the edges, but not old. What's your name? I don't want to call you Old Man."

"Finally, someone with manners. It's Elhart."

"Nice to meet you, Elhart."

Naofumi noticed Rachel's eyes glimmer.

Is she… flirting with him?!

"Let's go." He didn't wait for Rachel to follow.

"Hey, wait up you brat!"

"Your shield has freaking spikes for gods' sake. I can't keep doing all the work for you."

Naofumi ignored Rachel's spiteful criticism and gathered the fleshy bits of the mush monsters they killed. Or rather, the ones he killed.

They went to the spot Elhart told them about and sure enough, more of those balloon monsters showed up. Rachel had popped a few of them and left the rest to him. He summoned the Crystal Shield and impaled as many as he could all while Rachel watched.

It took about ten minutes just to kill them. There were ten in total. But he got enough experience to go from level 9 to 11. Not much, but it'll do for now.

When the sun began to set, they set up camp by a river. Rachel was mixing something with her mortar and pestle while he watched. She chided him about him pulling his weight while mixing.

"The more you upgrade that shield of yours, the easier it will be for both of us." She put away her crushed herbs in a small pouch in her satchel.

"Who's the one with the shield here?" Naofumi asked.

"And who's the one who's stronger than you?" Rachel retorted.

Huffing a sigh, Naofumi grabbed a handful of mush flesh and fed them to his shield. New abilities showed on his skill tree. One caught his interest.

"Blending ability?"

Like blending herbs.

Rachel was engrossed in her mixing she didn't notice when Naofumi took some herbs from her satchel. With her using her mortar and pestle, he settled for two rocks. He grounded the herbs, careful to not let any of them slip from the rock. Once that was done, he rolled up some leaves into a cup and put the herbs in it. He got up, made his way to the river, scooped a handful of water and poured it into the cup.

"Hey, Rachel."

Rachel looked up and Naofumi handed her the cup.

"My shield got an ability. I can mix stuff now. I used some of your herbs to make this. It's supposed to cure light colds. Can you look at it?" It was better to ask an expert at this kind of stuff.

Rachel took the cup and looked inside it. She wafted in the scent.

"Which of my herbs did you use?" She looked back up at him.

"Uh…" Crap. What did they look like?

"Did you use rosemary, basil, or chives?"

"I used the…"

"Do you even know the difference between different types of herbs?"

His silence spoke volumes.

Rachel sighed. "While I'm sure this can cure a light cold, it's best to actually know which herbs and other plants to use when making medicine."

"But I just mixed some of your herbs and made medicine. Isn't that enough?"

"No." She reached into her satchel and took out a book. She patted the space on the log next to her. "Come. I can teach you some stuff about being an apothecary."

Really? He had it rough as a college student, now this?

Instead of arguing, he sat down next to her.

After an hour of teaching, Rachel put her medical journal away. "I'd expect you to remember which types of plants and herbs and flowers and other stuff to use from now on."

A torrent of terminology rushed through his head. This was just like his college classes. Only worse.

"How do you expect me to memorize all this stuff?"

"If I can do it, so can you."

It was maddening, having to memorize a lot. When he had asked why he couldn't use his own concoction to cure a cold, she explained in full detail how he used basil when he should've used whistleroot. When he said that type of herb didn't exist in his world, she explained even further on what whistleroot can cure.

Apparently, basil had many usages, including curing head colds. But Rachel explained that if he wanted his medicine to take full effect, he would have to use medicine that was meant for said flu.

"While I don't doubt your shield's ability to make medicine, it's best to be safe than sorry."

She had a point.

He got up from the log, went back to his spot and lied down on the ground. Lazing around after a lecture always helped. Had he been back home, he would've played some video games or read a light novel. Here, he only had the sky to look at.

Hearing the grinding of herbs, he pushed himself back up.

"What made you want to be an apothecary?" He'd only known her for a few days and doesn't really know much about her other than her job.

Rachel stopped her mixing. "Why the sudden interest?"

"You like what you do, that's obvious to anyone. Why pick that career?"

With a sigh, Rachel set aside her mortar and pestle.

"I like helping people. I'm the eldest of three. When my brother or sister gets sick, I would buy them medicine from our local medicine shop. I like seeing their happy faces when they're cured. They would get gloomy and tired if sick and I would do my best to help them."

A small smile played at her lips. "One day, an apothecary was visiting and when I went to buy medicine for my dad, I saw a man in the corner of the store making medicine. I asked him was he was doing and he said he was making a salve for a rash. I then asked if I could watch. He said yes and I watched. There was something fascinating watching someone make medicine. Medicine that can cure people.

"I was only nine at the time, but after that, I knew I wanted to be like him. An apothecary. So, I trained to be one and got my license. And here I am now."

That was… actually heartwarming. She wanted to help those who were sick. Nothing made her smile more than helping people.

Naofumi was kind of jealous of that enthusiasm. Rachel had the luxury of having a free life to be whatever she wanted while he would probably be stuck with an office job.

To each their own.

"Alright," Rachel leaned back on the log. "Your turn. Tell me something about yourself."

What was there to say? That he was a shut-in otaku who played video games and read manga and light novels? She wouldn't understand anything he would say, let alone get the concept behind video games.

Looking back at his life before this, he didn't do much.

"Just a university student." That was the truth.

"What were you studying?"

"Business."

"You don't seem like the business type, especially with that babyface of yours."

"Enough with the babyface comments!"

She shrugged. "I call them as I see them."

He lied back down and turned his back towards her. "I'm going to bed."

"Suit yourself."

He was already regretting taking her along.

'Getting along' my ass, Old Man.

A week came and went. The days to the wave were getting short. It won't be long before it happens.

During that week, Naofumi and Rachel stayed in a small village. Lute Village is a fairly small place with both residents and passing merchants.

Their stay there proved plentiful to not only them but to the villagers as well. When they had arrived, Naofumi had many new skills, he lost track of how many. And with the ores they got from the mine (after battling another cerberus and this time absorbing parts of it), he had enough to sell for a pretty good price.

As for Rachel, she went around the village selling her medicine.

Now, the two were back in Castle Town visiting Elhart.

"Here you go." Elhart handed Rachel her new ax. "Took me a while, but it's top notch quality."

"Perfect, thanks Elhart."

"Don't mention it, little lady."

"Quit with the flirting." From his seat, Naofumi had to watch them with boredom. He didn't want to watch these two flirt with each other, especially in front of him.

Rachel and Elhart laughed at his apathy. "Aw, is the little boy embarrassed by two people flirting?" Rachel made kissing noises.

"I'm not embarrassed!" He was, but they didn't need to know that.

"Let's stop torturing him for now, shall we," Elhart said.

Stowing away his irritation, Naofumi went up to Elhart. "Listen, we have enough coins on us for a lot of supplies for the wave. Can you give me some armor?"

"Armor, you say." Elhart walked to a wall displaying various amounts of armor meant for knights. "How about something like this?" He pointed to an armor set meant for a giant. He'd get sucked in and never come out if he put that on.

"That's not really my style, actually." He said.

"No kidding." Rachel said. "You'd be more useless if you can't move around in that thing."

"Can it with your insults."

Rachel ignored him. "How about something light he can carry around but still be durable."

That sounded like a good deal.

"No problem," Elhart said. "I can whip up something special for him."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It should be ready for him by tomorrow afternoon. Come back then and I'll have it ready."

"Thanks! We owe you one!"

"I'm right here you know." Naofumi waved a hand. "Don't I have a say in this?"

He hated being left out like he was just some straggler.

"Do you want special armor or not?" Elhart shot back.

"Fine. Just get it done quickly."

The next day.

"Well? What do you think?"

Elhart was beaming with confidence as Naofumi looked over the new set of armor he was wearing. The man was practically a ball of sunshine. Even his smile was shiny.

"Doesn't this make me look like a typical villain?"

The improvement to his usual wear was impressive, he had to admit. Padded arm and hip protectors were made from the porcupine that had attacked him a few days ago along with the fur of a rabbit lining the edges. It even lined the collar of his new cloak. Elhart even made a metal chest plate that fit over his leather under armor.

Still, he didn't like looking more villainous.

"I call it Barbarian Armor." Elhart smile's broadened. "You rock, kid. You look like a real bandit."

Not the look he was aiming for.

"I'm supposed to be a hero, you know."

"Hate to break it to you," Rachel said, "but you're not exactly a hero in everyone's eyes."

Why did she have to be right all the time?

"Well, you did make it for me. It'd be a shame not to wear it."

"That's the spirit kid!" He patted him on his back. Too roughly. He staggered forward a bit. He really needed to build some muscles after this.

A horse's neigh pierced through the air. The three of them turned and looked through a gap between two buildings. A throng of people were gathered outside, watching the Captain and the other royal guards ride through. Even through the crowd, Naofumi saw the Captain riding on his black wolf.

There was an ambiance of tension in the air.

"They're scared of the incoming wave." Rachel pointed out. "Can't blame them. The monsters can be pretty scary."

Naofumi watched as the last of the guards trailed along, disappearing from his vision. The crowd began to disperse, going back to their homes or businesses. He heard the slamming of many doors. This was his first wave. If the townsfolk were scared enough as it is, would he be brave enough to fight them?

"If only I knew when and where the damn thing is gonna begin. That way I can come up with some kind of plan."

Elhart and Rachel looked at each other before turning their attention back to him.

"You didn't know?" Rachel canted her head a bit.

"Know what?" What else about this damn world didn't he know?

"I can believe it," Elhart said. "You mean nobody told you anything about the clock?"

"What clock?"

Naofumi stared in awe at the Dragon Hourglass. The nun who had ushered them in bowed and left.

"Holy crap." Rachel stood next to him. "This thing is huge."

Huge would be an understatement. Anything said about this would be an understatement. Seeing something like this in a JRPG was different than actually seeing it.

Naofumi narrowed his eyes, taking in every inch of the floating hourglass surrounded by golden dragons. This world still continues to surprise him. There's no way anything else could top this.

"Now what?" Rachel asked. She looked back and forth between the hourglass and Naofumi. "Do you just go up there or something?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." He stepped forward, going up the few steps leading up to the hourglass.

When he set foot on the dais, the core of his shield glowed.

"What the?" The glowing grew brighter to which he had to shield his eyes. A beam of green light shot from his shield and struck the hourglass. His status menu opened and above, he saw the numbers.

20:12:47.
20:12:46

"It's counting down to the wave?" The numbers ticked by, telling him of the impending doom that is to come.

"What happened?" Rachel came up to him on the dais.

"We have twenty hours until the wave hits." Twenty hours of fighting who knows what. Monsters. Fiends. The unknown.

For the first time coming here, he was scared. Scared for him, for Rachel, and for the world.

"Is that Naofumi I see?"

That voice. The dread he was feeling was squashed down with anger.

He turned around and sure enough, there was Motoyasu and… Malty.

The woman dressed in her adventure gear stood behind Motoyasu, observing him, a smirk on her face.

Damn that woman and everything she stood for! Even after all the things she has done to him, she's still enjoying his downfall. This was nothing but a game to her.

"Dude, what's this?" Motoyasu stepped forward. "You're not still fighting with that flimsy equipment, are you?" There was no mistaking the teasing tone in his voice.

"The Spear Hero," Rachel said.

He didn't need this. He didn't need to see the reminder of how his life turned to shit. The more he dwelled on it, the more his anger increased. It started at his center and expanded through every part of his body. It was desperate to lash out, to escape. But Naofumi wouldn't let it. Not now.

He descended down the steps, ignoring them.

"Hey!" Malty spoke. "Sir Motoyasu is talking to you, Naofumi!"

"Fuck off."

Malty inhaled sharply. Good. Now she knew how he truly felt about her.

He almost made his way out only to stop when Ren and Itsuki showed up. Itsuki's eyes widened upon seeing him. Ren, however, remained stoic, not letting his face betray any emotion.

Perfect. He had to deal with these two. He was in a room full of assholes.

"Hi there."

Now what?

Naofumi turned and saw Motoyasu holding Rachel's hands. Rachel herself was taken aback by Motoyasu's lack of personal space.

"I'm Motoyasu Kitamura, the Spear Hero. What's your name?" He smiled, not taking his eyes off of her.

"Uh, Rachel." She leaned back away from him.

This only made Motoyasu lean forward. "Such a cute name for a cute girl."

Naofumi could practically see sparkles coming off of Motoyasu. Did this guy think with his dick first and his brain second?

"A girl as cute as you shouldn't have to wield an ax. Allow me to protect you from now on."

The anger was close to exploding. It pounded in his heart, beating anger through his veins. This bastard was trying to take Rachel away. Not if he had anything to say about it.

Luckily for him, Rachel drew her hand back.

"Thanks, but I can fight my own battles. Let's get out of here, Naofumi."

The anger began to recede.

"Wait, you're with him?!" Motoyasu's face was a mixed bag of emotions.

"Yeah. What's it to you?"

"You've heard the rumors about him, haven't you?"

Rachel frowned. "I did. But I'm not one to judge."

Motoyasu wanted to say more, but Rachel cut him off by walking away.

Naofumi followed, not looking at the other heroes.

"See you when the wave hits." Itsuki averted his gaze.

"Just stay out of our way." Ren had his eyes closed.

Rachel purposely bumped into him with her shoulder. "Brat."

They didn't look back as they left.

Outside, the anger went away. What happened back there was done. But the idea of having to run into them again only made the anger come back.

"Calm down." Rachel said. She saw how he clenched his fists. "We have a wave to deal with. Focus your anger on killing monsters."

Taking in her words, Naofumi willed the anger to die down until it was nothing more than a tiny flame.

20 hours until the ordained battle.

No matter what, they will fight.