In one of the hottest places you could go to in Earthbreed, a multitude of Magma flows in wave-like patterns across the volcanic terrain, upon one of those lava waves, someone was surfing upon it unbothered by the immense heat
"Oh Yeah!" a loud celebrating voice screamed out louder than an erupting volcano, the speaker was a tall and muscular individual. his skin was a dark grey color almost like ashes, having a pair of dark horns with cracks emanating a fiery energy reminiscent of flowing magma, and his hair resembled a mane in a bright neon orange. he wore a flaming cape that resembled a mixture between lava and fire, except for his belt and pants that appeared to be made of obsidian, he wore nothing in his chest, showing how ripe his muscles were, and his eyes were yellow with orange pupils, his mouth had sharp teeth like that of a predator and in his wrists were a pair of handcuffs with their chains broken. This odd individual was none other than Capsaicin, The spice overlord of Scorvillia, a school for the most passionate and spiciest of people, and Capsaicin was the spiciest of them all!
Making a few moves on his obsidian surfboard, Capsaicin sees that the wave his riding is close to the scorched rocky ground and that it's about to fully envelop itself, he rides it until the very end and jumps out! Landing on the ground as a cloud of ashes is raised by his impacted
"Haha! That was great! Wait until the headmaster hears about this! I'm so hot and spicy that not even lava phases me!" Capsaicin laughed out loud, when he took a step he heard a strange sound followed by a glow
"Huh?" he looked down to see what he assumed to be the groundbreaking and the cracks being illuminated by the lava beneath, instead he saw a very peculiar red magical circle, while he looked at it confused, it suddenly generated a sort of hole under his feet
"AAAAAAAAAARHHHHHH!" Capsaicin screamed out as he fell into a golden vortex
In a chamber in the peaks of the Parfaedia Institute, among the seemingly endless staircases, a dark and poorly illuminated room where the only form of light came from a bubbling magic cauldron filled with a liquid that seemed to change colors every few seconds and created smoke that instead of raising, simply overflowed down to the floor like liquid
"If this doesn't win the best potion of the decade, I will riot" a slim person of average height with pale skin said. His hair was a medium-length hime cut and it is colored a dark lavender. He had white eyelashes and cyan-blue eyes that have white, slit pupils. His mouth has a dark plum color. He wears a witch hat that is dark purple and has a brown tag tied to it, the hat itself is also dripping, and so is his hair as if it was a viscous substance. He wears a gray cloak and a dark gem at the center. Below the cloak, he wears white clothing with long sleeves and a long black skirt with a blueish line in the middle with symbols. Those symbols represent a moon, a star, and a circle. He also wears a long cape that is white and underneath is a black and blue gradient. he wore a confident smile on his face as poured down liquids into the cauldron.
"This will be my magnum opus!" he screamed out as the cauldron began to shake and the chemicals inside began to glow a bright rainbow of colors! Before blowing up in purple smoke, leaving Prune juice with his face full of ashes, coughing as he went and opened a window to let the smoke out
"... I suppose that I have added too many blazing salamander scales to the recipe" he said as he took a towel from the inside of a cabinet and cleaned his face "Well no matter, just got to be more careful next time" he said before something catches his attention
"Huh?" Prune Juice notices a glow below him as he could see a bright lavender circle but the smoke of his cauldron made it hard to see much else, before he could even analyze it further, the middle of it became golden and Prune Juice realized that he started to fall
"THIS WAS NOT THE INTENDED EFFECTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!" Prune juice screamed out as he fell into a void of bright gold light, thinking this was caused by his potion failing
In a larger practical and fancy gym room illuminated by the bright light of the sun that shined from the tall clean windows, the sound of slashing and wood being cut could be listened to as the room was filled with dozens of wooden dummies cut in half, with someone standing among them
"This should have been enough of a warm-up" The speaker was a short and slim young woman with light-toned skin. She had pink eyes with paler heart-shaped irises, each with a long prominent white eyelash. She has long golden blonde hair that reaches the hem of her dress and is styled into curls. Part of her hair is tied back in a pink bow on the back of her head. The ends of these curls are seen with a pink spiral inside them almost resembling jam. She wore a silver headpiece that appears to sit on the top of her hair like a headband. She wears a ball gown-like dress with a wide, layered skirt that stops by her ankles. The top two layers of this skirt are pink and each has a triangular slit in the middle to show its white inner layers. Both pink skirts have a frilly white hem resembling cream. The bodice of the dress is plated in silver armor that continues past the waistline to form a short armored skirt. The dress has poofy pink sleeves with two curls within each that resemble a heart. She also wears long white gloves that completely hide her arms and silver armor on her legs. She wielded a broad, single-edged greatsword that appears to be taller than she is. Its blade is a very pale shade of pink and subtly widens outwards from its hilt before abruptly curving into a budlike shape at its tip. The hilt of the sword is a biscuit-colored shade of yellow with two winglike shapes serving as its crossguard. A diamond-shaped magenta gemstone is embedded between these wings and another of these gems serves as the sword's pommel. This shining paladin was Kouign-Amann, part of The Crème Knights and their most dedicated student
"Now for the real training" Kouign-Amann said as she spun her great sword and took a step, before noting that something was illuminating her from beneath with a pink glow
"Huh?" she looked down at the ground to see an intricated magical circle in a pinkish coloration under her, before she could attempt to jump away from inside it, a portal appeared from under her and she began to fall
"WAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" Kouign-Amann cried out as she fell into a pit of shining golden energy
"AAAAAAAAAARHHHHHH" Capsaicin yelled as he tried waving his arms very fast to try and fly or at the very least slow down his fall
"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH" Kouign-Amann screamed as she made sure to hold her skirt down as she fell
"NONONONONONONONO!" Prune Juice said as he was looking in his pocket for a potion that would get him out of this situation
"Huh?" the three momentary stopped their screaming as they took notice of each other, as they stared at one another confused about what was happening and who were the other people falling with them before the three looked down to see that they were about to reach a white glowing ball that resembled the sun, the three screamed even more loudly as they instead of hitting the globe, they went right into it
Naofumi Itawani was an average Japanese individual, he lived with his parents and was currently attending college, at the moment he was inside a local bookshop looking for a good light novel to read, but as always he was met with self-indulging isekai
" 'That time I reincarnated as the pet of an aristocrat family and used an op skill to become the strongest sage in the world'? The titles of these things are getting worst and worst" Naofumi said as he placed the book back on the shelf, he was about to leave the section before he heard the sound of something hitting the ground, he turned around and saw that a book was now on the floor
"Huh? How did this fall?" he said as he went and picked up the fallen book and analyzed it, it was a rusty red book that was fairly big and wide, he observed the sides and saw that it seemed to have a lot of pages, he looked at the back to see if there was a synopsis but it didn't, he turned back to the front of the book were the title was written in big golden letters
"Record of the cardinal weapons? At least the title doesn't give away the whole story" he sarcastically said as he opened the book to see what it was about
"An event called the waves of calamity would hit the world and threatened to end all of existence, to combat this, the citizens of the world would use an ancient ritual to summon heroes from another earth, These heroes would wield the legendary holy weapons that could repeal the waves" he started to read, it sounded kind of like an isekai, which was a bit discouraging but it could be worth a damn
"The spear hero was a hot-headed individual whose fiery spirit burned hotter than magma, he believed in freedom above all else and his charismatic personality made him a figure of confidence to all determined folk that looked for the true spice of life" He read out as he looked over the image of a horned humanoid doing a "superhero" pose and screaming with a wide smile as a volcano was erupting in the background
'This guy is a hero? He looks more like a generic fire villain than any other thing' Naofumi thought as he found the idea of this guy as a hero funny, he did have that shonen protagonist vibe but not much else
"She may look delicate and small, but the sword heroine wields true strength above all others and she knows how to use it gracefully. Her righteous morals, sweet personality, and courageous spirit could cast the brightest of lights upon the darkest of times" Naofumi spoke out as he looked at the page showing what looked like a girl in a dress and armor combo holding a huge sword as she made a slashing motion at some giant monstrous silhouette
'A female hero? She is probably here for sex appeal, although she should be in a more sensual outfit' Naofumi thought in the most sexist way, but in his defense, a lot of manga, anime, and especially isekai put in sex appeal to its male audience. Still, Naofumi wasn't the type of guy to see them as anything else in this light novel from how he had been so desensitized at this point
"The hero of the bow, a cunning and somewhat mischievous individual that was not regarded by his archery skills but rather by his ability to create miracle concoctions and potions that could surpass most magic, although condescending and sarcastic, he still fought for what was right" Naofumi said as he looked over the page showing someone in a stereotypical wizard outfit holding a bottle above his head while keeping his bow under his hips as if he valued his potion more than his weapon
'An archer that is more a brewer than an archer? Why give him a bow then?' Naofumi thought it was kind of weird to give the title of bow hero to someone whose whole thing was not archery and instead something else
"And last but not least, the shield hero, although considered bland and forgettable by some, he was a person that always went out of his way to protect others even at his own risk, his bravery empowered those that were oppressed or afraid" Naofumi took a few seconds as he blinked several times and read it again to see if he got that right
"Why would the book say that the shield hero is bland? Couldn't it make him sound less lame in comparison to the others? He probably sucks if the story is saying that" Naofumi said out loud baffled at such a thing, never before had he seen a story go out of its way to make a character out to be the lame one, he was honestly thinking about what the actual heck was the creator of this book thinking when he wrote that line, he flipped the page only to be meet with it being blank
"What the? Why is it blank?" Naofumi asked confused as he flipped through the pages only to find that the entire rest of the book was blank, suddenly the book began to glow a bright light
"AAAhrrrgh!" Naofumi screamed as the light consumed him whole
"We did it! The summoning was a success" a voice called out from a dark chamber as it observed the four bodies on the ground
"What?" Naofumi and three other voices spoke out, Naofumi looked at the source of the sound and was briefly stunned as he looked at the people on his side
"That was a long fall... Where am I?" Capsaicin asked as he was the first to get up, he shook his head and spread his arms as he did some light stretches to see if he was fine physically, he noticed a spear in his hand and tried to drop it since it wasn't his but no matter what he tried did thing seemed stuck to him, Naofumi was paralyzed as he looked at the person that had glowing neon hair, horns, and was wearing a cape made of fire!
"This isn't my chamber!" Prune juice frantically screamed as he took in his surroundings, briefly looking at the bow in his hand, Naofumi was having trouble seeing the speaker since he was using mostly dark colors, but his pale skin color and pastel blue colors allowed him to be somewhat noticeable in the dark, Naofumi was not wondering why the guy was wearing a wizard outfit, he was wondering why was the guy's hair melting
"You! Reveal yourself or I will do so myself!" Kouign-Amann said as she pointed her sword at the robed figures in front of her, noticing that she was not holding her usual sword and instead, a normal size one, she looked to her sides and saw her huge blade on the ground, moving quickly, she grabbed her old weapon and pointed it to the hooded men while holding on to the other one, the sight of this small blond princess in a pink dress so casually holding a sword her size with one single hand was something Naofumi only thought possible in anime
"Please calm down legendary heroes, I know you must be confused but we have no time to waste, the entire world is in danger!" the hooded man said as he spread his arm, Kouign-Amann took a moment to read the man's expression and tone of voice, he did seem to be speaking genuinely, so she decided to hear what he had to say before coming to a conclusion of her own
"Wait what?" Capsaicin said as he stopped trying to remove the spear in his body as he started to pay attention to what was transpiring right now
"To keep matters short, our world is in a crisis, rifts in the skies are appearing and monsters are coming from them, we were desperate and decided to use an ancient ritual to summon heroes that would be able to save our entire world from destruction" the man in robes explained it briefly, the three heroes from Earthbread all had expressions of shock as they heard that, what that man just described was very similar to something that happened in their world, monsters coming out of cracks in the sky? That was something they thought was a myth but considering what was going on, it could be the same thing... That prospect was slightly worrying for them
'This is almost like what the book... Oh no... No no no no!' Naofumi looked at his arms and saw that a shield was strapped to one of them 'I'm the shield hero! No wonder the story said he was bland! Compared to these guys I look like a side character! Is it because I insulted it?!' Naofumi mentally faced palmed as he thought that he was being punished for insulting the magic book
"Yeah sorry but I am not fond of this idea, can you send me back already?" Prune Juice rudely asked, no way we were going to stay and do something so dangerous just because someone asked in desperation for his help
"Turning your back to begging people? Do you have no shame?" Kouign-Amann said as she stared at Prune juice with very infuriated eyes, her paladin training thought her many things, and one of those was to always help anyone in need of assistance, and to see this wizard so coldly dismiss them was something she didn't like one bit
"As if I care, just send me back to my lab" Prune juice demanded as he crossed his arms, a potion in hand in case things got violent
"Unfortunately, bow hero, the magic we used can only summon the heroes, not bring them back, however, it is stated that once the waves are over, you all can return to your worlds through the power of your weapon's magic" the robed man exclaimed and Prune juice got a very annoyed face at that
"Ugh... Of course, magic would be so unreliable! Fine, I supposed I can stay and fight against these rifts until I make a potion to go home, but I can't work for free you hear me?" Prune Juice expressed his disdain at his current situation, of course, he would be screwed over by magic, and he wished to make a potion that would grant him a wish so he could wish magic gone, but at last, it seemed that he was stuck having to fight this calamity
"ALRIGHT! Just show me where these rifts and monsters are and I will kick their butts!" Capsaicin screamed out, as his hair seemingly begin to shine and a short flaming aura slightly formed around him, Naofumi and the other two began to cry and cover their noses as they felt Capsaicin spice
"That's uhm... First, you all have to go meet with the king, he will explain in more detail how to combat them" the robed man suggested as he offered to guide them to the throne room where the king awaited
They followed one of the robed men that guided them through a staircase, Naofumi quickly looked through the window and saw the grassy fields in the distance as well as the medieval town under where they were, he took a deep breath as he was beginning to believe that he was sent to another world.
They approached in front of a big set of doors with two guards with spears in front of them. The guards briefly looked in shock at the approaching quartet, but the robed man waved his arms to show them not to attack, as the four stood still for a moment, Capsaicin took a deep breath and put on a slightly more serious expression(which was his normal expression just with a smaller smile and that didn't show his teeth), Prune Juice adjusted his hat and Kouign-Amann cleaned a bit of dust off her dress and prepared to be as respectful as she could to the king
"Now entering the four legendary heroes!" one of the guards on the door screamed out and the four took that as their chance to make an entrance, they walked inside the room, the guards around looking very surprised at the three main heroes, in a balcony full of people in fancy dresses and suits, they were all silently muttering about the heroes and their appearances, especially Capsaicin, the heroes walked until they got close to a throne were there was sitting an elder man with long white hair, wearing a crown decorated with a few gems, the three heroes all kneeled to show respect with only Naofumi standing before he too also kneeled after seeing that the other three had
"Ah, so these are to be our heroes..." The king glanced at them for a moment, observing very carefully each of them. "I am King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, the King of our glorious country of Melromarc... now heroes, name yourselves," he said as his voice boomed through the room
"I shall go first, I am Kouign-Amann, a paladin member of the Crème knights order, at your service King Aultcray" Kouign-Amann said as she made a respectful and elegant bow as she put her sword on her shoulder while using her other hand to slightly raise her dress, the whole court was charmed at her diligence and mannerisms, except for Capsaicin and Prune Juice who was surprised at the fact she was a member of the Crème knights
"Guess is me now! I AM THE SPICE OVERLORD! CHAMPION OF SCORVILLIA! MY NAME IS CAPSAICIN!" Capsaicin said as his voice echoed through the room, people covered their ears out of instinct, the king, however, did not( he had quite the strong sound resistance), he was not a fan of such a loud and rude way to present oneself, but he could certainly see the passion in the voice of the spear wielder, Kouign-Amann, and Prune juice found themselves surprised again at the revelation of the school he was part of
"such a loud mouth" Prune Juice let out as he looked at Capsaicin with annoyed eyes before clearing his throat and grabbing a potion from his pocket "I am Prune Juice, master potion maker and top scholar of the Parfaedia Institute of magic" he finished his introducing by raising his potion bottle to his head and shaking it around for a bit before he returned it to his deep coat pocket, the king was surprised by the bow hero name but seeing his looks and how his hair looked like a liquid, it made sense that would be a form of a nickname if not his actual name
'So we are all from the same world at least, that's reassuring' Kouign-Amann thought, forgetting that Naofumi was also there as he slightly blended with the background as she was observing the two other heroes from Earthbread, before turning her face the other way once she realized that she had stared at Capsaicin's bare chest for far longer than a pure paladin like herself should, a slight blush on her face out of embarrassment
"Good, Kouig-Amann, Capsaicin, and Prune Juice correct?" the king said and the three heroes nodded in response
' He skipped over me... Can't blame him, I feel like a chair or a door nob around those guys' Naofumi thought as he looked over the three eye-catching heroes 'Plus, what the hell would I even introduce myself? Guess I will let it pass and-'
"Hey, you skipped over that dude" Capsaicin said as he pointed to Naofumi, unlike everyone there he had noticed him when he did his loud presentation, Kouign-Amann was slightly embarrassed from not noticing that there was another person with them this whole time, Prune juice knew of Naofumi's existence, he simply did not care for it until now
"Oh! Apologies shield hero, please introduce yourself to us" Aultcray said as he had genuinely forgotten and ignored the shield hero so far, not out of spite, but because he found himself way more interested in the three other heroes as they were way more fascinating to him
Naofumi sighed as he took a step forward and began to speak " I'm Naofumi Itawani, I am 21 years old and attending college..." he finished saying with the entire throne room staying in an awkward silence for a few minutes, Naofumi wanted to sink his face in a hole in the ground from shame
'...That's it? This is the shield hero? I can't believe I'm saying this but I expected more, less even! He is just so uninteresting, the bow hero is an alchemist who specializes in potions, the spear hero is a flaming behemoth of a champion from some sort of country or kingdom, and the sword hero is a righteous paladin from an order of knights, while the shield hero is just... Some guy' the king mentally said as he analyzed the shield hero carefully, he had all the aspects that the heroes are said to have, a somewhat good physical appearance, otherworldly clothes, and a unique naming scheme, but after seeing the other heroes, he just seemed... Average, and not in a good way
"Uhm... Anyways heroes I suppose I owe you all an explanation as to why we have summoned you four. My country of Melromarc and the entire world is in grave danger of a threat known as the waves of catastrophe, an otherworldly event in which creatures began to emerge from cracks in skies" the king began explaining "The waves are said to become stronger over time. They last longer, and the wave bosses and all under them will be stronger. There are even written accounts of waves with more than one wave boss...It is best to summon you now when the waves are weak to give you time to strengthen yourselves to stay ahead of the wave's growing threat" the king continued, the three heroes and Naofumi were now paying serious attention, faces of worry and determination as they thought about this grim event
"Thankfully for the world, there are ancient devices called the Dragon Hourglasses, that are magically synchronized to the world and the waves, allowing us to know when they are about to hit" the king explained
"Our kingdom has already been attacked by one of the waves before any of you three were summoned... We had to fight them off with the help of our army and fellow adventurers, though, despite our efforts, the second and third waves will be much more overwhelming and powerful than the latter, forcing us into a corner. The hourglass won't stop until all the waves are over and exterminated... it has been a month since the last wave occurred."the King gave a heavy sigh.
"We underestimated the waves. But now we know for sure only the heroes can defeat the waves. And so we invoked you, we had no choice." the king said as he looked back at the quartet
"If the waves cannot be stopped, then the world will be doomed and destroyed, please brave heroes I ask that you four will protect the world against this threat" the king finished saying, the room was silent once more, as the four heroes wore neutral expressions as they thought about it
"Damn... Okay, we're going to do it!" Capsaicin loudly declared, with Kouig-Amann nodding determined and in agreement with what the spice overlord had said
"I will not stand by and let such a devastating event happen, you can count on my sword, your majesty!" Kouign-Amann said as she placed her hand on her chest
"If there is no other way... I guess I'll fight too, but I expect some sort of reward" Prune Juice said, he couldn't exactly work on a potion to send him home if the world he was currently in was destroyed, plus, he did not trust that these people were going to make it far without his potions
"I'm going to fight as well ... Or at least try" Naofumi said as low as he could, he was not sure if they would even need him but he was a hero now, so it was his duty to save everyone... Or at least be there while the three heroes fought the whole thing
"Excellent heroes, now could you please open your status magic" the king said, which caused confusion on behalf of the heroes
"Eh?" Capsaicin let out as he crossed his arms and tilted his head
"Uhm... What is that exactly?" Naofumi asked since he was confused with what the king had told, he looked to his sides and Capsaicin and Kouign-Amann seemed as confused as him, Prune juice however, seemed to be doing something with his hand and face
"I'm not I'm familiar with what you refer to" Kouign-Amann said as this was the first time she heard about such a thing, she knew it was some type of magic but other than that she was unaware of how to open it
"Oh! Here we go" Prune Juice let as he had a smile on his face as he started to do some hand movements in the air
"Hey, Prune Juice why are you clicking the air?" Capsaicin asked, with Naofumi and Kouign-Amann focusing on the chemist as well
"I'm using the status magic" Prune Juice responded, he had never thought that he would use the words "I'm using" and "magic" in the same phrase, but here he was, it felt a bit disgusting to him to betray potions like that but it was necessary
"Really! How did you do it?" Capsaicin asked as he got closer to Prune Juice, Kouign-Amann, and Naofumi slightly stepped in closer to hear it as well
"you see the small box in the corner of your eye" the potion maker said with a very annoyed look, both Kouign-Amann and Naofumi finally noticed the small box in their vision
"Eh?... Aha! I see it!" The spice overlord loudly exclaimed as he tried and pressed it, he kept trying for about thirty seconds before Prune Juice got fed up with it
"Focus on it with your eyes, not click it" Prune Juice face palmed by the incompetence of Capsaicin, after this the other three heroes were able to see their stats
[Name: Prune Juice]
[Class: Bow Hero, Potion Master]
[Equipment]
[Legendary bow (locked)] [other-wordly robes] [otherworldly viscous hat]
[Level: 1]
[Health: 110]
[Magical Power: 5]
[Skill Power: 45]
[Attack: 20]
[Magic: 5]
[Defense: 10]
[Magical Defense: 5]
[Agility: 25]
[Name: Kouign-Amann]
[Class: Sword Hero, Paladin]
[Equipment]
[Legendary sword (locked)] [other-wordly dress] [otherworldly armor]
[Level: 1]
[Health: 130]
[Magical Power: 20]
[Skill Power: 45]
[Attack: 25]
[Magic: 10]
[Defense: 30]
[Magical Defense: 25]
[Agility: 20]
[Name:Capsaicin]
[Class: Spear Hero, Spice Overlord]
[Equipment]
[Legendary spear (locked)] [other-wordly obsidian armor] [otherworldly magma cape] [otherwordly volcanic shackles]
[Level: 1]
[Spice level: 10,000]
[Health: 150]
[Magical Power: 35]
[Skill Power: 35]
[Attack: 35]
[Magic: 25]
[Defense: 25]
[Magical Defense: 20]
[Agility: 10]
[Name: Naofumi Iwatani]
[Class: Shield Hero]
[Equipment]
[Legendary shield (locked)]
[Level: 1]
[Hp: 180]
[MP: 40]
[SP: 40]
[Atk: 1]
[Mag: 20]
[Def: 40]
[Mdef: 40]
[Agi: 10]
'One attack?! Come on stupid shield! How can I fight like this?... I guess my role is to protect the others, but still just one attack?!' Naofumi mentally commented in frustration
"Wow... This is awesome!" Capsaicin said while putting his right fist in the air excited to see his spice level in such high numbers 'Can't wait to make it go higher!' he screamed in his head
"Yeah yeah sure..." Prune Juice said 'Compared to my other stats, all the ones relating to magic are incredibly low... But why should I care? I have my potions! And potions far surpass magic' Prune Juice mentally said as he put on a sly grin
"This status magic... What is this, your majesty?" Kouign-Amann asked diligently
"Status magic is something that everyone in our world possesses" the king explained, Prune Juice had a very disappointed expression, as he had thought that at the very least this status magic was exclusive to him and the other heroes which would have put him above the common folk in terms of magic for once in his life, but it seemed the universe didn't humor his idea
"That's cool... What does my level being one mean?" Capsaicin asked, his spice level was very high, but his actual level wasn't high at all unless being at one was because he was number one! If it was working on a rating system
"That means you're just starting in your journey to become stronger, if you want to increase your stats, you are going to need to increase your level, and the only way to raise your is by killing monsters for exp" the king explained, with only Naofumi comparing this to a video game, he was surprised that the isekai stable of a videogame-like magic system was true
"Alright! Then let's go out and fight some! I'm sure that together we are invincible! We four are going to make one heck of a team!" Capsaicin said as he pulled both Naofumi and Prune juice into a hug, although with the force he was using, it seemed like he was trying to break their spines
"Uhm spear hero, I'm sorry to say this, but it said that if you four stand too close to one another, your exp and thus your progress will falter" the king said as the old texts described that the cardinal weapons dampen each other's growth.
"But then how are we supposed to become stronger?" Naofumi asked after Capsaicin let go of his death lock, since he had one attack point, he was sure that he would be screwed if he had to fight alone
"You must form parties separately. Gather strength then fight the waves together" The king responded
"the waves will have numerous enemies that you can't receive experience for slaying, but you can harvest your prey to still gain power" the king added as it was known that the legendary weapons were capable of absorbing monsters
"Could you elaborate your majesty?" Kouign-Amann asked respectfully as she was by far the only hero with etiquette worth that of a noble
"You should see this within your status magic, but it is said that the holy weapons can feed upon the fallen to gain new powers and forms" he said. A sudden notification appeared to them
[The cardinal weapons can absorb objects to unlock new forms, new forms provide stat increases, as well as abilities. Fully mastering a weapon form provides its bonuses permanently and allows most skills to be used with another weapon form in use]
"Uhh fascinating" Prune Juice was intrigued at this ability, he was ready to start experimenting with this as soon as he got the chance
"As much as I could try and answer all you're questions, however, your status magic should be a great aid. Please refer to it tonight." The king motioned to several servants "For now, please rest and adjust to these trying circumstances. Tomorrow I will introduce you to adventures who have agreed to aid you in your difficult quest. Between your status magic and seasoned adventures by your side, most questions you have will be answered soon enough" the king said, The servants motioned to the heroes to follow. They left the throne to go and eat, leaving the king and the nobles on the balcony to discuss matters
"Man, they are taking us to the dining room right? Hope they have something very spicy!" Capsaicin said loudly as he craved something spicy to refill his system
"You Scorvillians and your spice obsession, do you guys even have taste buds left in that scorch mouth of yours?" Prune Juice says in a very smug tone, he couldn't understand why someone would subject themselves to eating hotter and hotter spices, that was a recipe for losing the ability to taste
"Huh?" Naofumi let out a confused sound at what the potion maker said
"Oh yeah? Better than being a sweet-for-nothing fruity! Or a creamy knight! You guys don't understand that spice is the one true thing to live for! Is the stuff that warms you in your insides and shows you what life is all about" Capsaicin loudly replied, since he found that nothing but spice was able to show everyone what living felt like, a burning sensation that was both painful and rewarding
"How can you say such a thing? A balanced diet is important for the body, eating only spice cannot substitute a good meal accompanied by a sweet and cream-filled dessert as a reward for your hard work!" Kouign-Amann said as she possed herself diligently and stoically to make her point go across as inspiring
"Typical, you Crème knights trying to act as if you are better than everyone, I bet you eat a whole tablet of butter when nobody is glancing" Prune Juice sarcastically remarked while letting out a sly giggle, Kouign-Amann looked at him with eyes filled with bloodlust
"Do you wish to have a painful beating? Because I can provide you that wish, I usually do not say things such as this, but you set a bad image to Parfaedia" Kouign-Amann said as she looked at the potion maker with coldness
"Now hold on a moment! You guys know each other?" Naofumi asked, the three were talking about each other and whatever these things they were part of as if they had a history together
"Oh well not personally, but we know each other's schools and institutes" Kouign-Amann explained, with the long and slightly convoluted story behind the three schools, it was only natural that they would have heard about the other institutions, although almost always in a mocking or distasteful manner
"Yeah! Scorvillia, Parfaedia, and The Crème Knights have been rivals for decades! There is even a tournament to decide who is better!... At least until the next one happens in a couple of years" Capsaicin added, the three schools have always disputed in the triple cone games to determine which school was superior. Even when one of the schools loses, that only motivates them to train even harder for the next cup
"Say... You look like a normal and unbiased person... Can you tell them how much better life is with spice!" Capsaicin said as he put his arm over Naofumi's shoulder as then looked over to the other two heroes with a cheeky smile, Naofumi's nose and eyes began to get slightly irritated as it seemed that Capsaicin was letting out a constant smell of hot sauce
"I'm uhm, not a fan of it but uhm..." Naofumi tried to think of what he could say in a way to not offend the other two if he praised spice or sweets or juice since it seemed like it was something important to the three
"Don't let him intimidate you, be honest, we won't judge you upon your choice" Kouign-Amann said as she pushed Capsaicin away and put a hand at Naofumi's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile, although it wasn't too comfortable after he realized the strong grip she had on him and that she had in her other hand the legendary sword pointing perfectly to his chest. Even though it was not intentional, Kouign-Amann came off as if she was threatening him
"... I'm not a food connoisseur, I just eat food for sustenance, I don't care for taste all that much" Naofumi replied, trying to be the most neutral and bland as possible due to pressure he felt over him despite there being none
"..." The three remained silent after hearing this, mostly shocked that he didn't have any preference for food
"That's a... Fine opinion" Prune Juice said, even if he was not particularly invested in the matter as his colleagues, he still had a taste and preference for what he liked in the food he ate
"Well, since we are on the topic, why are you guys named after foods?" Naofumi asked, even if the people in front of him were so otherwordly and fantastic, their names were the same as those from foods of his world, that had to have a reason
"Huh?" the three made a small noise of confusion at such a question
"I mean, Prune juice is a juice made from prune, a Kouign-Amann is a type of sweet and Capsaicin is the stuff that makes peppers spicy and hot" Naofumi explained
"... Oh my goodness! I didn't know that! No wonder I'm the spice overlord!" Capsaicin screamed out in joy, finally understanding what his name meant, only the headmaster of Scorvillia seemed to know what it meant but whenever he would ask him about it he would only respond with "Trust me kid, it is a really spicy name!"
"Is just how names worked from where we are from... And in the entire world..." Kouign-Amann said as she began to find Naofumi a bit weird since he wasn't aware of something so fundamental
"Come to think of it, where are you from? Your clothes, your name, you're... Everything doesn't match anything from Earthbread that I know of, and trust me, I know a lot about stuff" Prune Juice said as he began to think more about the matter of this person in front of them, when they were being teleported to this world, the three of them were together as they fell through the golden void, the three were from the same world and rival schools, but this guy...wasn't anything like that, and that was very intriguing
"Earthbread? I'm from Japan, you guys know about it right? Please say yes..." Naofumi plead but he was already aware that this was an in-vain attempt
"Japan!... Never heard of it!" Capsaicin said as he thought about this weirdly named place
"It is the first time I'm hearing about it" Kouign-Amann said as she knew no place with that name, none of the geography classes she had taken ever mentioned a kingdom or island with that name
"Then it's confirmed... I'm from a different world than you guys" Naofumi said under his breath, he had already thought that was the case but he clung to the possibility that the three of them were possible people like him that were playing a VR game and were brought to this place as there avatars
"Wow! Serious!?" Capsaicin screamed out in suprised, he was seeing a person from another world and that was so cool, although he expected that if he met a person from a entirely different planet and universe, that they would be more weirdly awesome
"I mean what else could explain the differences?" Naofumi said as he began to list down "There are no people with horns and flaming hair, paladins and knights don't exist, and magic and potions aren't a thing" Naofumi said, with the three other heroes getting quite the surprised expression on their face
"No potions?! I understand a world not needing magic, but certainly, it has potions and master brewers to make them?" Prune Juice asked as the idea of a world without potions was shocking to him
"Unless you count a child mixing two bottles of shampoo as potion-making, then the answer is no" Naofumi said as he crossed his arm
"Oh I'm going to faint" Prune Juice said as he put a hand to his forehead at such a notion and almost fell down if not by Capsaicin catching him
"A world without magic or warriors to protect it? You poor soul, how are your people defending themselves against the constant monster attacks?" Kouign-Amann asked as she held Naofumi's hands, thinking how terrible it must have been his life and the lives of the people of his world
"There are no monsters" Naofumi said, which caused them to all have blank faces at such response
"Eh?" Kouign-Amann let out as she let go of Naofumi's hand
"How do I put this... Imagine you're world but without any of the things that make it fantastical, no dragons, no wizards or witches, no school dedicated solely to spice, not a single one of those things? That is my world" Naofumi finished saying, watching as the three heroes put their hands to their chins and started thinking
"..." The three momentary began to imagine their lives and entire history without any of the things they knew of
"Man... Your life sounds so bland! I feel sorry for you!" Capsaicin loudly replied, which caused Naofumi to look away a bit saddened
"Capsaicin, don't say that you will make him sad" Kouign-Amann said as she hit him in the shoulder but this time her hand was now covered in ashes
"How can I not?! A world with no spice? None of the exciting heat of passion? The invigorating burn in your body? That is a nightmare!" Capsaicin screamed out as he thought about such dreaded existence
"That's what you focus on? You Scorvillians do have your brains melted from all the heat" Prune Juice said as he faced palmed at seeing someone say something so incredibly dumb
"Well, if it serves you as anything, you have been given a chance to live as a warrior, fighting for the good of others, what if your life was bland before? This is your chance to turn it around into something greater than yourself!" Kouign-Amann said as she tried to cheer up Naofumi's spirit
"Yeah! You are going to finally find your inner spice! I just know it!" Capsaicin loudly declared as he punched the air, hair, and cape lit up with his excitement
"... Guess we are doing this?... Since you have lived your life so far without magic, you are already better than any of these bozos in my book" Prune Juice said as he brushed his shoulders uninterested
"Thanks you guys" Naofumi thanked them, he was grateful that these three were so friendly to him, even if they were weird
"Huh... Heroes? May we continue to the dining area?" A maid asked, while the other servants went to prepare the food, she had stayed behind to guide the heroes after they were done with their talking
"Oh! Yeah! Let's go, guys, I am craving for something spicy to munch on!" Capsaicin laughed as he ran out in front of everyone
They entered the dining hall, and seeing a table decorated with fancy candle holders and an assortment of fruits and foods in dishes, they took a seat and were brought up with a plate of food by the servants, they started to bite through their meals, Naofumi looked at the other heroes, Prune juice and Kouign-Amann were eating the way he expected but Capsaicin was something else, he was eating like a normal person! Naofumi thought he would be eating with his bare hands and chewing with his mouth open, but instead, he was using the appropriate silverware and silently chewing with his mouth closed, Naofumi had to admit to himself that it was a bit rude of him to assume such a thing, then again, Capsaicin had a very disappointed and almost sad look on his face as he ate, probably because the food was not as spicy as he would want to. Kouign-Amann seemed to like the cupcakes on the table a lot as she eat an entire plate of them, complimenting the chefs and apologizing for not sharing, but the other three didn't mind, Prune Juice asked for a drink with less diluted juice since he found the drinks given to them a bit too watery, Naofumi himself was enjoying the meal as he has never eaten something this fancy and expensive in his life before, it was truly a dinner that he would not forget.
Afterward, the four were led to a room where they went on to talk a bit more, they mostly asked about Naofumi's world to try and see if it had anything interesting that their world didn't have but they were mostly disappointed by how bland it looked to be, their technology was better than theirs in some regards but everything seemed uninspired like it lacked the magic of creativity. Naofumi also asked about their world but he was surprised by how fantastical it was, it looked cooler than the light novels he had read recently as it was a world with a multi-layer history like the tale of how five ancient heroes stopped an evil enchantress, the legend of the red dragon, and the history behind the creation of the world and it is people( he thought it was kind of weird for their religion to be about how witches baked cookies into people, but it was not like he could judge considering that their world had magic)
"It seems like you three are going to be in your element here" Naofumi said as the three heroes seemed all prepared enough to do the whole saving the world against the waves stuff
"Don't say that, I'm sure you can provide great assistance to the battle" Kouign-Amann said to try and lift the spirit of her shield-wielding ally, of course, they were strong but that didn't mean that he was useless, after all, one of the greatest heroes of Earthbread was the powerful Hollyberry who defeated the red dragon with only her shield
"Well, I don't know... I never fought before" Naofumi said as he scratched the back of his head, he thought over this whole situation, he didn't know the first thing about how to fight using a shield 'Will I learn how to use this as I go along or do I have to ask someone for lessons?'
"And I never used a spear, but even so I will give my all and burn those Waves to crisp! Because I'm the spice overlord!" Capsaicin loudly replied happily, he didn't know what to use this for, he would much rather punch the monsters
"What does that mean exactly?" Naofumi asked as he heard him say that a lot and while he thought it meant he was spicy, he was also wondering if it had another meaning
"... That I'm hot and spicy!" Capsaicin responded, an innocent smile on his face
"Well if we use our classes advantages we should be able to breeze through this" Prune Juice said as he read his status window, seeing the advantages and disadvantages of his two classes
"Really?" Naofumi was surprised he would say that, he had checked his class before and all he learned was that it came with a permanent debuff to attack while boosting his defense 'Maybe their classes aren't as restrictive as mine?'
"With my potion master class, there is no way my potions could fail" Prune Juice said, sure that his intelligent mind and potion crafting bonus that his class gave would allow him to make the strongest potions this world has ever seen, and he was sure to price them accordingly
"What?" Naofumi was confused by what Prune Juice said 'What does he mean by potion master class?' he asked himself
"Yes, with the defense and healing bonus of my Paladin class, I am more than prepared to face the threats that may come but I can not let pride get to my head" Kouign-Amann stated as her secondary class seems to perfectly cover for her sword hero class biggest weakest, she would have been a glass cannon without this secondary class to help.
"Huh!?" Naofumi was now more confused and worried 'Paladin class!? How can she have such a thing, I guess she was from a knight order but-'
"I'm not only the spear hero class but also the spice overlord! With these two classes, I'm going to bring the heat up to those waves until they burn from my spice-filled power!" Capsaicin shouted, with the fire-based bonus on all his attacks and the exclusive spell list that came with his class, there would be no monster that could resist his mighty strength.
"Wait! You guys have two classes!?" Naofumi screamed out confused
"Uhm...yeah?" Capsaicin replied not sure why he was acting like that
"Oh, goodness don't tell me you don't have a secondary class?" Kouign-Amann asked as she could feel the worries and shock in Naofumi's expression
"I only have the shield hero class!" Naofumi screamed out as he put his hands on his face and groaned in frustration
"It seems that your lack of specialized traits may be a part of this, our secondary class seems to be determined by what we exceed at so if don't have any it means that you are as basic as you can get" Prune Juice said, not caring about how cold and rude he was when he said
"Dude that's a bit rude to say" Capsaicin said as he went and began to lightly tap Naofumi on the shoulder to make him feel better
"I'm just stating a fact" Prune Juice said as he did not see what he had done wrong, there was no reason to try and sugar-coated the situation of the shield hero
"I hate my life..." Naofumi said defeated, he was already feeling like he didn't belong because of how different he was from the others but now it was more clear than ever that he was the weakest and lamest of them, all three had distinct features, and personalities, and classes and now he learned that he was the only one that didn't have a second class because he was bland... Basic... Your average run-of-the-mill guy. This was the opposite of every light novel he had ever read, in it the average guy always gets something special that makes him overpowered but now the reality that those power fantasies were all wrong was coming through him. Kouign-Amann punches Prune Juice's shoulder for saying all of those things, it hurt the potion maker pretty bad even with her putting very little force into it
"Hey man, I ... Look all you n... I got nothing" Prune Juice said as he couldn't come up with any sort of motivational order uplifting thing to say, Kouign-Amann frowns at him for this.
"Don't be down! Sure you might not have a second class, but who cares?! You're overflowing with untapped potential! You're a volcano waiting to erupt!" Capsaicin loudly declared as he stared Naofumi dead in the eyes, holding him tightly with his arms
"... Maybe you're right... Yeah! Maybe this is one of those stories! About an unlucky underdog that turns out to be the most important and overpowered person in history! Maybe not that exactly, but still!" Naofumi said as he began to think over Capsaicin's words, as his spirit couldn't help but get uplifted by the Scorvillian spice-filled voice encouraging him
"I don't know what this has to do with a dog being under, but heck yeah! I'm sure you are going to get strong as hell man! Say it with me! Spice! Spice! Spice! Spice!" Capsaicin loudly began to chant to lift the spirit of the guy with the classic Scorvillia mantra
"Spice!Spice!Spice!Spice!" Naofumi joins in and repeats after Capsaicn, with Kouign-Amann letting out a giggle, happy to see Naofumi better, she had to give Capsaicin and by extension Scorvillia credit, they were pretty good at making people excited
"Well it's getting late now excuse me while I go to my room" Kouign-Amann said as she did a slight bow before leaving the room
"It's okay we can do a boy's sleepover! What do you guys say?"Capsaicin asked as he lay on the bed, surprisingly the bed did not catch on fire
"I would much rather go to my room, I will be unable to sleep with your flaming head illuminating the room all night" Prune Juice lied, he just wanted to be alone to test the effects of his potions on this legendary bow that he was stuck with, plus, he was sure that Capsaicin would snore very loud
"Sorry but... My eyes aren't a big fan of your spicy aura" Naofumi said although Capsaicin was a nice guy, standing next to him was like having his head covered in hot sauce
"That's completely understandable! I will see you guys tomorrow morning!"Capsaicin said as he lay in bed, going to sleep immediately, and as Prune Juice predicted, snoring somewhat loud
Kouign-Amann entered her temporary sleeping quarter, looking at her reflection on her sword's blade, the two of them
"I will make sure to be the best I can be, for the sake of everyone in this world. Oh glorious light, shine me a path of victory against the darkness!" She calls up to the heavens as she makes an oath to protect this world
[Great sword of the Crème heart of light] (successfully copied)
30 attacks 20 light resistance 20 holy resistance
[Ability:Paladin's Way: cast a skill that channels the Power of the Light, granting you buffs and enhancing your regular attacks that now gain light damage and holy damage. In the end of this skill, unleash a devastating swing that partially ignores the target's damage resistance]
"..." Kouign-Amann looks at the notification she received, going to the weapons menu and equipping it, as she now holds two of her beloved weapon, she has some difficulty in holding the two massive blades up but she is able to handle the weight
"...I suppose this is a sign that things will be alright" she says as places the transformed blade in her back before putting her original weapon inside this inventory thing that was on her status magic, thankfully she had read the convenient help guide that came with it and had learn how to access this infinite storage system
Prune Juice entered his room and quickly took out all of the potions he had with him which was a lot, he laid them over a table and began to think of which one to use first
"Now let's see..." he said as he took one of the potions and poured its contents into his bow's gem
[Potion bow - "skipping boring classes" potion]
2 light resistance 2 dark resistance
[Recipe unlocked]
[Unique effect: when equipped, turn invisible to any adults between the ages of 30 or above that are in a twelve miles radius.]
"A promising start..." he says with he had a sly and smug smile as he looked over the table with his potions "Now let's see what more I can get..." he said as he grabbed another
Naofumi went and opened the door to his room, laying himself on the bed, he stared at the ceiling, thinking about what was going to happen tomorrow
"I hope things go up for me from now on..." he said under his breath as he tried his best to sleep
[Authors notes]
Hi and hello! This is the first CRK and ROTSH fanfic I wrote and I hope you guys enjoy it!
There were many ideas on what I could do with these two franchises, but I was currently playing the triple cone cup event when I was thinking about what to do in a fanfic and then it hit me to use the characters from the event, chose these three because they are honestly my favorite cookies, they are easy in my top 10 list. And so this fanfic was born
Before you guys ask, no, they are not Cookies in this, it was easier just to make them humans to facilitate the story, but I had to keep the names and other things, because if I was to change it too much, they would just become ocs at that point
No pairings yet except for Naofumi and Raphtalia, I don't see the CRK characters with anyone from ROSTH except for one ship but that is a secret for later