Loners (VOL 1 Being Rewritten: New chapters will be Vol 1 Rewrite)

by Bossbongo

A lonely teenage boy travels overseas to Japan where he dies. He gets sent to another world with the chance of a new start. Unfortunately, he's forgotten even in this world until he meets another particular lonely girl. Will these two loners grow closer together as they discover a more significant threat than the demon king himself?

10. Chapter 1 - A Group Of Loners REWRITE

Discord: C7CaQzCfKQ

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It's been around a month since I first began adventuring. I sat at a nearby table in the guild, partyless. Scratching my head in frustration, I let out a sigh of defeat. "I might as well find a quest for me to take on," I mutter. Taking quest after quest diminished any excitement I once had, and the fact I had no party caused my motivation to plummet. My feet dragged across the floor to the quest board, one foot after the other.

Picking one off the board, I scoffed, 'Defeat five giant toads.' "Who would do something like this, only an idiot would choose this!" I thought to myself. Giant toads weren't to be underestimated, for their large size towers over even the tallest humans. I would not want to be eaten by one; I even heard their mucus smells awful. After looking at the reward, I set it back on the board for another idiot to take it. My finger grazes over more requests before landing on one that caught my eye. It depicted a rough sketch of a large watermelon.

'Harvest the seed of ten watermelons,' it read. On the bottom of the page, my eyes widened at the reward, "Eighty thousand eris, each!?" I almost yelled in surprise before frantically moving my head behind me to see if anyone else heard. To my luck, everyone else at the guild was busy chatting with each other. My eyes riveted toward some blond idiot who started flirting with one of the waitresses, earning a slap to the face. "Dumbass," I murmur before heading to the counter to the blond-haired guild lady sitting in her seat.

"Excuse me miss, I'd like to do this quest," I said while handing her the paper. She looked at me with concern, her eyes wavering on the picture before widening in surprise.

"A-Are you absolutely sure you want to take on this quest?" she asked incredulously, emphasizing the word "sure" as if questioning my sanity.

"It's just watermelon, what's the worst that could happen?" I asked. I couldn't understand why she looked alarmed "Though, are there any spots where watermelons grow around here?"

"O-Oh, y-yes! There are some in a nearby forest. Luckily no other monsters, around so you'll only have to deal with them," she explains.

"I'll pick this one," I say.

"A-Alright, good luck!" She smiles apprehensively.

I thank her before making my way out of the guild. Still feeling sluggish, I take my time walking into the nearby forest. Doing a simple quest is almost a vacation to me compared to the harder quests; this is nothing. Thinking back to the guild lady's words causes a small chuckle to escape my lips, "The way she told me, it almost sounded like she was making the watermelons sound more dangerous."

Peering down at my supplies, a frown creased my forehead as I realized that I only had a single health potion left. The thought of heading into the unknown with such limited supplies made my heart race. Should I risk it and venture into the woods with just one potion or make a detour to the nearby store to restock? The inner debate waged on in my mind, but ultimately, I decided to trust in my skills and make do with what I had.

The further I went, the more the forest closed on me, blocking out any harsh sunlight. I could hear birds chirping in the treetops as the leaves softly swayed. The forest stretched onward with no end in sight, it was only further in did it open up into a small watermelon patch. "Why the hell are they so large!" I exclaimed, their size towering over a few trees. The thick vines surrounded the area. Snaking past trees and foliage, winding around rocks as if searching for something.

I trek around the vines, stumbling around a few that coiled around a nearby rock. It was a sight to behold, it's not every day you get to witness something like a watermelon the size of a tree. I became so mesmerized by the sight, that I failed to notice a wet vine creep around my leg. It wasn't until I felt a hefty tug that snapped me out of my daze.

My body slammed onto the ground with a sickening thud, sending a cloud of dirt billowing up around me. Dazed, I attempt to sit up, but I find myself yanked back onto the soft earth. My eyes widened as I realized I was being dragged inexorably closer to one of the massive melons scattered across the field. Panic gripped me as I frantically kicked and thrashed, but the vine only tightened its grip, constricting me like a python. My hands flail helplessly by my side, searching for my sheath.

Gradually, I feel my sword being pulled out of its sheath, hindered by dirt and twigs. Fearful of losing my sword in such a critical moment, I hastily seize it with my hand. I pushed myself up to view my surroundings, but the speed of it dragging me caused me to fall back. Desperately scanning my surroundings, my eyes land on a dead tree stump. Twisting my body toward it, I grasp the stump with all my might. The vine tugs at my leg, threatening to tear it off, but I know I must act swiftly to survive. My fingers slip momentarily, but I manage to maintain my grip. With all my might I drag my body to the other side of the log so the vine wraps around it. I put my left leg on the side of the stump to support my weight, preventing me from losing my balance.

Now fully circled around the log, I see the vine in sight. I grab my sword out of its sheath right in my right hand and reach for the vine with my left. My fingers grazed it, but I felt another tug of the vine causing me to fall back. Gritting my teeth, I try one final time, "Come on..." I say to myself as I feel my fingers touch the vine. Finally, I wrap my hand around the vine, put the blade on the vine, and start a sawing motion. The vine wriggled as I cut into it; halfway through, I felt a tug that caused my grip to slip. Now unwrapped from the stump, I'm dragged once more. A growl echoed out along with the cracking of something.

I looked and noticed that the watermelon had a line running down the side of the middle. It opened up, revealing a large maw; the red melon flesh was clearly visible. It stretched, wider and wider until I felt myself lift into the air. "Shit! It's alive!?" I cried out. It flings its vine toward its maw, but the damage I dealt caused it to slightly bend inward causing me to get closer to where the cut was. My eyes widened in realization, I kicked my legs to swing closer to the cut. With each swing, I got closer to it until I felt my fingers touch it. Without a second to lose, I grab it tightly as sweat pours out of my hands. My legs wrap around the vine and begin to saw frantically, hoping to get out of this situation. "Almost there!" I say as I see the approaching mouth. Without a second to waste, I raise my sword, gripping tightly on the vine, I swing down with all my might severing it off completely. Due to my feet being wrapped around the lower half of the vine, I was still on. With a hiss, the vine jolted back causing me to fling to the ground.

I close my eyes while shielding my neck and head, waiting for the inevitable crash. Pain ran throughout my body and back as I tried to open my eyes, causing large amounts of dirt to fall in. Hands moving blindly, I tried to search my surroundings. Stumbling upon my item pouch, I grab a potion and untwist the cork free. With shaky hands, I put the bottle to my lips and let it fall into my mouth as I swallow. With each gulp, the pain gently subsides. My relief was short-lived when I saw a blurry green blob grow closer to me. I threw my body with all my weight to the side, hearing a large crash as the ground trembled. I grabbed my water bottle and poured some on my eye, each blink cleared more of the dirt.

Now with healed wounds and clear sight, I begin to make a plan. Clearly, these aren't ordinary watermelons. However, besides its mouth, it seems almost like any watermelon. I had to somehow cut it in half, but I couldn't spend hours hacking at it. I ran to a nearby tree, hiding behind it, I pulled out my card and grazed at my skills. There had to be a useful skill here, something I could use to cut down something with ease. Looking down the list, I saw one that stuck out to me like a sore thumb: 'Keen Edge.' I didn't know what it would do, but I was going to find out.

I put a hand to my heart to calm my racing heart before exhaling, "I got this." My eyes open with determination while my grip tightens around my sword. Running past trees I spot the watermelon, its vines wriggling about, threatening to attack. One of its vines shot forward, but this time I was prepared. I ran forward, feeling my legs pump and my heart skyrocket. I only had one chance, or I would die. As the vine swings, I grab it lightly and vault over it. Another vine approached on my right, "High Jump!" I shouted as I jumped onto the incoming vine. I started running toward it with great speed. Now near it, I jump once more, activating my 'High Jump' skill. I feel myself now falling toward the monster as I raise my sword with both of my hands.

"Eat this, you piece of shit!" I yell. "Keen Edge!" The sword glows a soft gold as I fly onto the melon. My hood unattached itself onto my head as the sword plunged into its flesh. I throw all my body weight onto the sword as I fall down. The blade smoothly slices through its thick skin as if it were butter. Reaching the ground, I yank the sword out of its body. I watched as the melon split in half, juices squirted everywhere. The vines moved frantically before they shriveled up and fell limp. My breathing was heavy, red watermelon juice was all over my body as I fell to the ground exhausted. My sword's glow dimmed, now seemingly back to its normal state.

After a minute, I stood up. That's when I heard a large growl behind the watermelon. I looked over and my face grew pale. Not one, or two, or three, but nine other watermelons sat there. This forest was a whole patch for these things! I couldn't just leave there, but I didn't want to die. Unfortunately, it seemed I didn't have a choice as one of them spotted me. One of its vines pointed at me threateningly.

I stood in a combative stance, readying my sword. I closed my eyes, steadying my breathing. Opening them, I charged at the watermelons.

000

I stared at the watermelon patch, drenched and tired. Now came the fun part, harvesting those seeds. "I can't believe I am doing this..." I mumbled as I mentally prepared myself for what I was about to do. I shoved my hand inside the disgustingly cool, wet, and squishy red 'meat.' I take a moment to prevent myself from gagging before scooping it out.

After digging for centuries, I managed to find ten seeds. Unlike normal watermelons, there is only one seed per melon. "All this work for ten small seeds!?" I shouted. I couldn't believe that I almost died to a plant of all things for ten seeds. I almost threw the seeds on the ground in frustration, but I didn't want to pick them up again.

As everything settled down, I started to flinch at the pain. I looked down and noticed that my limbs were black and blue from the vines. I was covered head to toe in dirt, mud, grass, and leaves. The water I had left over could only do so much. I cursed myself for only bringing one health potion, I was overconfident. Luckily I was prepared after that first fight, so I didn't fly into the ground this time.

I stumble my way to the guild, and each step grew heavier. I barged in through the doors as they crashed open. All chatter died at the sound as all eyes turned toward me. I let out an audible gulp, this was not the kind of attention I wanted at all. I walked up to the guild lady but almost fell in the process.

"Here," I handed the seeds as she silently grabbed them.

"Y-Yeah," she said before giving me the eris. She looked at me in worry before speaking once more, "M-May I ask what happened?"

"I didn't know they were alive," I explained, my words blank and lifeless.

"What do you mean? It's common knowledge that most plants are alive," she explains with a raised eyebrow.

"O-Oh," I replied dumbly.

She stared at me for a minute before shaking her head, "Nevertheless, you should use some of that money toward bathing yourself." She gave me a sympathetic smile, "You did well today, you should take a day off to relax."

"A-Alright," I give a nod as I stumble my way to the bathhouse, avoiding eye contact with the other members as I pass them. The doors creek as they closed behind me, I peer into the sunset thinking about what I'll do next time. I let out a depressing sigh as I closed my eyes, "I just have to look at the bright side... I just have to look at the bright side..." I repeat to myself.

I have been saving money to rent a night at an inn; unfortunately, this means that I had to spend less on food and other resources. But it would be nice to spend a night where I didn't have to smell horse shit. It would only be for a night but what can you really do?

I slide the door open to the male's side of the bathhouse as I sit on the wooden stool. I look around the area, no one is here right now causing me to sigh in relief. The large bath area was steaming hot, perfect for a warm soak. In front of each stool sat a mirror, I observed my reflection. Watermelon juice covered my face and limbs, luckily my clothes prevented some, but it still felt sticky and gross. The juice proved to be an excellent substance for dirt, mud, grass, and leaves to stick onto. It almost looked like blood in a way, which would sound badass if it wasn't for the fact that it was a watermelon that shattered the image.

I start scrubbing myself as I sigh, continuing to think about what I should do in the future. I don't know if my sanity will stay like this forever. If I see that goddess again, I don't know if I'll be able to hold back a punch to the face. I felt like a scam victim, I couldn't believe how stupid I was to accept that deal; at least I could keep my memories. Though my body didn't change much, I glared at my reflection looking at my short size before grabbing a wooden bath bucket full of water and pouring it over my head. I watched the soap bubbles and juice wash away into the drain.

Now free of dirt and watermelon juice I sink my body in the steaming water. I closed my eyes as I felt my muscles relax. I thought back on the quest I was on before a chuckle freed itself, then another, and then another. Before I knew it, I broke into a fit of laughter; the situation was too absurd for me. After calming down I let out a sigh, "I can't believe my ass was beaten by a watermelon."

After an hour of soaking, I dry myself off and make my way back to the stables. With a yawn, I collapse onto the thin white blanket placed on top of the pile of hay and close my eyes, preparing myself for another day.

My eyes open to the sound of birds chirping. The light shines its way through a small crack. I rub my eyes before sitting myself up with my hands. With a yawn, I get to my feet, stretching outward as I hear an audible crack from my back. "Ouch, shit!" I yelped, rubbing my back. Yesterday seemed to take a toll on my body, I still felt sore and the 'bed' didn't help.

Taking the guild lady's advice, I decided to get breakfast. I groggily made my way to the guild, passing by other people as they made their way to their destinations. Passing by, I saw a wooden carriage stopping, as people got off, I noticed two people that caught my eye. Unlike the others, their hair color was pure black, and odd clothing. The younger-looking one had a choker around her neck with a robe and a mage hat. The taller one had a similar cape, along with a short pink skirt. Her chest showed parts of her cleavage causing my cheeks to redden. Seriously, do people not have any shame?

As they walked down the stairs, the older one rubbed her eyes before letting out a yawn, covering her mouth with her hand. The shorter one started doing odd poses. "The time has come for us, to begin my quest to become the ultimate archwizard, wielding the most powerful offensive magic known to man: Explosion! Hear my name; for I, Megumin, am the most powerful magic user in all the land!"

Ah, I didn't know the details, but I better not get involved with this person. The other girl shifted uncomfortably while covering her face. At least she looks like a sensible person. Nevertheless, I continue along the street, passing building after building before spotting something blue in the distance. Squinting my eyes, I notice her blue clothes and short skirt.

Next to her was a man with brown hair and green eyes, wearing a green tracksuit. I was about to leave, continuing my way to the guild before realization struck me. I stopped and stared at the two, I focused on the guy in the green tracksuit, "There's a guy with clothes from Earth." I switch to the blue-haired girl, "And then there is a girl who looks suspiciously like... wait is that Aqua!?" I shout, causing the said girl to jolt, looking around. I hide behind a building to not get seen.

"Damn, what is she doing here!?" I clench my fist tightly. I didn't even know I could bring her with me! If I had known that, I would have dragged her down with me!

Sighing, I make my way to the guild. With a swing of the doors, I step in, and the classic scene plays out before me. The chatter and laughter of people fill the room as waitresses make their way to the customers. Walking further in, I notice the guild lady give a small wave with a slight smile. I wave back before heading to an empty table.

Sitting down, it wasn't long before a waitress approached, my eyes widened as I recognized her as the one I first met when I came to this world. "Hello, sir, what could I get you?" She asks politely.

"Oh, I'll just get a bowl of salad," I said. To be honest, I was hungry but I had a little bit more to go to afford a stay at the hotel. She raised her eyebrow before looking back at the guild lady, they nodded to each other before turning back with a smile.

"Alright sir, it will be out in a moment. Please wait here," she bowed before taking her to leave. I let out a yawn while waiting for my food, looking around it isn't as eventful as it usually is. I close my eyes and try to focus on other conversations. It is a skill of sorts I developed back on Earth, as a loner it proved helpful in case I needed to stay away from certain students.

I heard one conversation that caught my eye, "Hey, did you hear about that crazed crimson demon?"

"You mean the one with a screw loose?" The other man asked.

"Yeah, that's the one. I can't believe she did such nonsense!" He laughed. "Man, no way in hell am I partying with her!"

The other man chuckled, "I heard all crimson demons are that eccentric."

"That's not the only thing crazy that's happened today!" He said.

"What? You mean there's more?" the other guy's eyes widened.

"Some crazy blue-haired woman started crying while choking the guy in odd green clothes." He explained.

"Man, foreigners are crazy!" The other man laughed, crossing his arms.

"Sir?" A voice interrupted my concentration. I look up to see the waitress with a plate of frog legs with a smaller bowl of salad for the day. I looked at the bowl in confusion.

"I'm sorry, this isn't mine. I only ordered a salad." I said.

She chuckles, "Don't worry this is on the house from us. Luna paid for it."

"Who's Luna?" I ask.

"Oh, she's the blond guild receptionist. I'm surprised you didn't ask for her name." She turned her head slightly, "Nor make perverted comments as most do." She muttered under her breath before turning back. "Nevertheless she said that it was a thank you for the work you've done." She leans closer to me and whispers, "To be honest, that's a big compliment. Most of the people here laze around and do nothing all day. It's gotten pretty bad, so it's nice to have someone doing actual work for once. It's a shame no one parties with you but oh well."

My eyes widened, "Really?" I say in disbelief. My cheeks flushed as I stared at the plate of cooked frog legs. I could feel the heat of the steam rising around it. I turn toward Luna, and she looks at me, giving a thumbs up and a wink. I give an appreciative smile, albeit shy before turning around. "Tell her my thanks."

She smiles, "Don't worry, I will." She then bows and takes her leave. I stared at the crispy frog legs with a gulp and dug in. I took a bite, tearing into ints crispy outside and swallowing it down. Its crispy outside was great while the inside was cooked to perfection. I continued to eat until I finally finished the last piece. I lick my finger before letting out a satisfied sigh.

I hear the doors open and two familiar people walk in. All I had to do was see the strands of blue to realize who they were. "Oh shit, what are they doing here!?" I thought to myself as I bent down on my bench stool, making myself as small as possible.

A familiar man with a red mohawk who I learned was Ruffian took notice. "Hey! Haven't seen you around here before?" Aqua, intimidated by his gaze flinched.

I chuckled at her, "Serves you right." I continue sitting, thinking of what I'll do for the rest of today. It wasn't until I heard a gasp from Luna that turned my attention toward her. I saw her looking at an adventuring card with shock and awe.

"Aside from your intelligence being below average, and your luck being the lowest possible level, all of your states are drastically above average!" She explains with shock.

"What? Does that mean I'm really amazing?" Aqua asks. Ah, that's a goddess for you, flaunting her stats.

"A-Amazing is an understatement! The mage class, which requires intelligence, is out of the question, but other than that, you can be anything you want!" Luna exclaims.

I inwardly cringe, "Oh god Luna stop, please! You're feeding her ego!"

"A crusader, sword master, archpriest... nearly any advanced class right from the start!" Luna continues. As Luna unintentionally feeds her ego, she starts getting the other adventurers' and waitresses' attention.

"I see. It's a shame there's no 'goddess' occupation, but in my case, maybe I'll be an arch priest who heals her allies." She explains as she puts her hands on her hips.

"An archpriest! An almighty class that commands all recovery and support magic, and that boasts enough strength to stand at the front line!" She smiles excitedly as Aqua stands there tall and proud. Everyone surrounds her with cheers and excitement, excluding me and the other guy.

I scoff, "Oh she'll boast alright."

"Without further ado, welcome to our adventurer's guild, miss Aqua. All of our staff will be looking forward to your future exploits."

The waitress who was previously serving me started feeding her ego as well, "Starting off as an archpriest is incredible!"

"Someone like you might actually be able to beat the Demon King, you reckless girl!" Ruffian commented.

I grab my head in frustration, cringing at everyone feeding her ego. She bashfully waves and rubs her head. Meanwhile, the guy she was withstood in the back with a slumped back, "No event like this is going to happen for me?" I couldn't help but sympathize with him.

She turned around and pointed at the boy in dramatic fashion, "It's the adventurer's life for us starting today, Kazuma!"

After everyone calmed down and went on their merry way, I went up to Luna as she was cleaning off her station.

"Excuse me, Luna," I said.

She turned her head, still bent over, and smiled once she knew who was standing there. "Oh, William! Do you need anything?"

I scratch my cheek, "Oh, nothing! It's just... I wanted to thank you for, you know, paying for my food. It m-meant a lot to me."

She fully turns around, "Oh, that was nothing! I just appreciated your work. May I ask why you were working so hard?"

I explain what I have been trying to do, "I'm sorry if that sounds selfish, I know you were probably thinking it was a more noble cause." I apologize.

She waves her hands, "Oh, you don't need to apologize! You're still working hard, that's all that matters! Plus, you kind of deserve it." She then rests her chin on her hand, "Now that I think about it, most adventurers sleep in stables, I feel like it would be more convenient if we integrated an inn with the guild itself." She sighs, "If only I could afford it, these damn lazy adventurers."

"A-Anyways, is there anything I could do, to make up for you paying for my food?" I ask.

She smiles softly, resting a hand on my shoulder, "Just continue to work hard, okay?" She then chuckles, "Make sure you don't overwork yourself as well! I don't want you to be unable to work at all!"

I give her a determined look, "Alright, I promise!" She waves me goodbye as I take my leave, I continue to make my way to the stables. I pass by Aqua and Kazuma, working a labor job. I couldn't help but grin before walking around town.

After relaxing for a day, I lay down on my blanket. My eyes fall closed, ready for a night's sleep when a sudden screech jolts me awake.

"Ew, that's horse shit next to me! That's disgusting!" A guy's voice called out that I didn't recognize.

"That's so gross, pick it up and move it! How is a goddess supposed to get some beauty sleep!?" A familiar voice rang out.

I sighed, "Great, they're close by as well."

"What!? Hell no! You pick it up!" Kazuma says in disgust.

Aqua gasps, "You expect me! A goddess to sully herself with such a 'thing!'"

"Just do it!" Kazuma shouts.

"Waa! No, stop! What are you doing, let go! I don't wanna touch it, I don't want to!" Aqua wails.

"Shut up, there's no way in hell I'm touching it! If you want to move it, be my guest! But I'm not touching that thing!" He shouts.

Aqua continues to cry while Kazuma yells. I cover my ears in annoyance as I try to fall asleep, praying to any gods or goddesses to make them shut up. Thankfully, my prayers were answered as someone banged on the wall and yelled, "Keep it down!"

"We're so sorry!" They suddenly apologized. Everything became quiet after that, satisfied, I shut my eyes once more.

000

Days passed, then weeks, then months. Despite months passing, I never faced Aqua and Kazuma. We woke up at different times, they woke up earlier. Luckily, after some time they stopped coming and rumors came around that he became wealthy and got a mansion. My bond with Luna grew as well, she's basically my mom in a way. She treats me to free food every now and then and offers me advice when she can. I tried other times to party with others but it never ends well and they forget me the next day.

One of the most iconic things to happen was when the shy girl who was next to that crazy arc Wizard barged into the guild. She walked up to Kazuma with great strides and declared, "Kazuma, I... I... I want to have your baby!" That got a reaction out of everyone, especially the female adventurers who called him things like 'Scumzuma' and 'Kazutrash.' He was rumored to be a brute who would dropkick any woman who deserved it without hesitation.

Of course, his party members have killed their fair share of demon king generals, but due to their reputation, I did not expect someone to want to ask such a thing. Here I was thinking she was normal, guess I was wrong.

It's been a year since then and Kazuma and his members did the impossible, they killed the demon king. Since then, powerful monsters almost vanished from the world, and monsters in general have been less frequent. He was labeled as a hero, earning the respect of everyone, and then immediately losing it as it went to his head. Eventually, I got to spend a night at a nearby inn; it was everything you can imagine. You don't get to appreciate it until you are forced to sleep in a stable with horse shit.

Luna and I decided on doing a fundraiser, raising money to upgrade the guild; with enough time we got enough to finally add an inn to the place. We threw a large party to celebrate the occasion. One of the staff bought a cake for all of us. While everyone forgot who I was, it seemingly didn't affect the waitresses and staff. As I got close to the staff, we became a large family of sorts. Of course, I still had to pay but it was nice. Luna still likes to bring up the story of when I got my ass handed to me by a patch of watermelon.

It wasn't until I truly met her, that my life would change. It was around an hour until noon when I walked to the guild. The short brown-haired woman looked over and smiled, "Oh, William. Luna's been asking for you, you should see what's up." She pointed her thumb behind her, "She's by her station. Now if you excuse me, I need to clean this glass again. These fingerprints are really annoying." She says as she grabs a rag and starts meticulously cleaning it.

I proceed to walk further in, I notice Luna sitting at her desk. Once she spots me, she smiles and waves me over. I waved back I as made my way to her. "William, it's great to see you. I have a job for you. There's been a sighting of some unknown monster roaming around in the nearby forest. I want you to check it out. I'm sure it's nothing but some of the other adventurers started talking about its strength being much more than a rookie killer.

I cringed at the mention of the name, rookie killers were no joke. Their black feline body with golden eyes and long fangs. These aren't your typical monsters, usually luring new adventurers into a false sense of security.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do," I sigh.

"Sorry about this, I tried to get Kazuma but you know how it is." She sighs defeatedly. I look at her sympathetic eyes, I never met Kazuma besides in passing but I could get a feel of his personality. "Stay safe out there, good luck! I'll be waiting for your return!"

I wave back before heading outside. Strolling the streets, something caught my eye. A man was walking by suspiciously, he kept nervously looking both ways before sneaking around. Suddenly, a small ticket the size of my hand fell out of the man's pocket. I picked it up, observing it, it had an expiration date, and on one of the corners it had a kiss marking.

"Excuse me, sir, you dropped something." I said while waving the ticket. He turned around, his eyes widened at the sight. Red-faced, he rushed over and yanked the ticket out of my hand.

"You idiot, don't you know what this is for!?" The man scolded in a loud whisper while covering my mouth. I shook my head and he sighed, "Look, this is only between us guys. There are some nice succubi in this town that give you nice dreams. This is a ticket for their shop, don't tell anyone, got it!?"

I nodded and he let his hand go with a sigh, "If you ever want to go, it's around this corner. Usually, they disguise it as a normal shop though." He pulls out another ticket from his pocket, "Here, have this, you'll thank me." He takes his leave, and I stand there for a moment before something in my head clicks.

"Wait, is that why Luna and the other females constantly complain that they can never find a boyfriend!?" I think to myself. Half of me wants to tell Luna and the others, but the other half of me doesn't want to become the enemy of all men here. I look down at the ticket in thought, after a moment I rip it to shreds, "Eh? I don't really need it."

I continue my way to the forest where the sightings were reported. Looking around, memories started flooding back where I encountered those watermelons. I almost giggled at the thought before I heard a crack of the leaves. I quickly dove behind one of the many trees. I heard heavy breathing with a snarl, leaves crunched beneath its feet. I covered my mouth, making sure to hold my air as long as I could.

I could feel its presence, this was no rookie killer. This thing was something else entirely. I could feel something wet every couple of seconds. I could hear some sort of clicking going around, other clicks could be heard in the distance signaling that I was not alone. I could hear it grow louder every second. Eventually, it stopped, but I knew better than that. I could feel something hot emanating around me, my eyes turned to see the creature's head beside me, looking in the direction I was looking in. Its pale skin surrounded its head, no eyes or nose, just one largemouth. The mouth opens up revealing a ring of teeth, and one large human-like eye pops slightly outward of its mouth. Its blue iris slightly glows while its pupil dilates searching.

After a minute, the creature seems unsatisfied and lets out a whistle of sorts before its eye pops back in its mouth as everything closes. It turns around before it runs off. I wait for a moment letting out a sigh of relief. I begin to crouch, going through tree after tree. I hear another series of clicks causing my mind to go into a panic. I look up to see the edge of the forest; now all I need to do is- a snap of a branch causes me to freeze, I look to my sides and notice four pale-skinned creatures looking at me before they all rapidly let out a series of clicks before another one steps forward. This one was larger than the other with jet-black and green skin.

It gives off a stance before its mouth opens, letting off a roar. All of the other's mouths open, revealing their eyes. They started giving chase causing me to turn and start running as fast as I could. I could feel their feet trample on sticks and leaves, growing louder. My muscles ached as I ran as hard as I could. I repeatedly told myself to not look back and to continue onward. I could hear their clicking growing louder before I heard a heavier set of feet rush forward. I didn't need to turn back to know which one that was.

"Shit!" I yelled out in a panic before I noticed a fallen tree branch in my way. I turn to swerve to the right, narrowly avoiding a rock. I see the light growing closer and closer. Finally, after what seemed like hours, I was out of the forest. I noticed the clicking stopped, signaling that it was over. I stopped and sighed in relief before I felt something hot behind me. I froze in place and slowly turned toward it, in front of me was a large blue eyeball staring directly at me.

Four fleshy tentacle-like limbs shot outward, wrapping me. As it drew me in closer, its eye retracted to the roof of its mouth, revealing an endless void of teeth. I try to wriggle my hand to reach for my sword but the grip is too tight, and I can't move a muscle. As I closed my eyes, large amounts of heat surrounded the area as a feminine voice called out, "Inferno!"

My eyes shot open to a sea of flames engulfing the creature. Its flesh started to blister as it roared in agony, thrashing its body around. The tentacles lost their grip as they threw me away, flailing wildly. I smashed into the ground with a thud, pain shooting through my back.

Whoever saved me rushed over with worry, "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah," I replied while rubbing my back.

"Here catch!" She said as she threw me a bottle of red liquid. I uncorked it and gulped it down. "Can you fight?"

I wordlessly nodded. I didn't have much time to see who it was at the time all I saw was a blur of black and pink that struck me as familiar. The creature's eye shot out once more, looking at the two of us. "Do you have an idea how to kill this thing?"

"Y-Yeah, I have one that might work," she says. The creature's pupil focuses on the girl as it dilates.

"It's about to pounce!" I shout as the creature darts forward. I watched it grow closer and closer until the girl reached out her hand.

"Light of Saber!" She called as a bright light surrounded her hand, shifting into a spear. It shoots forward, piercing directly into its eye causing the creature to move sporadically like a bull. It charged in random directions flailing wildly, kicking up dirt along the way.

I noticed it was approaching the girl so I quickly ran toward her and shoved her back causing her to tumble over, I looked to my right to see its large head in front of me before everything went dark.

000

I felt my head on someone's lap while the wind softly blew. Cracking my eyes open, I noticed a pair of red eyes staring at my soul. My eyes widened at the sight and we instinctively let out a scream, shooting upwards causing a clash between our foreheads. "Ouch," we both say at once, rubbing our heads to ease the pain.

"I'm so, so s-sorry!" we both say at the same time. We look at each other for a moment, "Eh?"

The familiar girl jolts upward, bowing down to me, "I'm so sorry for getting in your way!"

"Huh, what are you talking about? You saved me, I should be thanking you!" I shout causing her eyes to widen.

"O-Oh, that's right, I'm sorry." She turns her head to the side, "I told myself I would get better at this. It's unbecoming of a chief."

"Chief?" I ask while staring at her. Now that I have actual time to look at her, she looks familiar. I noticed the round, golden accessory on her hair held by a red ribbon. She wore a black cape that covered her back, her clothes were black with white trimmings around the lower half where it meets her pink skirt. A pink tie runs down her revealing chest, causing me to sigh.

"Oh r-right, I guess I have to do this, won't I?" She coughed in her hand before striking a pose with a red face. "M-M-M-My name is Y-Y-Yunyun, the strongest archwizard a-a-and the c-c-chief of all c-c-c-crimson demons!" Her face gradually became redder as she went on. I stared at her, trying to figure out why her name sounded familiar. "Please say something!" She shouted, snapping me out of my daze.

"Oh, sorry, I remember you from somewhere. You said you were a crimson demon?" I asked to which she nodded vigorously. I continued to think for a moment before it finally clicked, "Oh, you're the girl who declared that Kazuma should give you a baby!"

Her face became red as she threw herself on the ground and started to roll around with her hands on her face. "No! Please don't remember that, it was a misunderstanding! Why was I so stupid? I swear it was a misunderstanding, so please don't bring that up again!"

"O-Okay, okay, I won't." I try to assure her, hoping to calm herself. She stands up, peaking from behind her face.

"T-Thanks."

"So, you want to come back to the guild with me?" I asked.

She shook her head, "No thanks, I s-still have a quest to complete."

"Could I come help out?" I ask. Her eyes widened and glowed brighter.

"R-Really? You w-" She stopped herself and coughed. "Sorry, i-i-it's something I h-have to do alone," she says while adverting her eyes and shaking. "I'll see you around, I g-guess..."

"A-Alright," I sigh. I watch her leave before muttering, "Not like you'll remember me."

000

I stand in front of the guild doors and with a gulp, I swing the doors open. Not many people were there, it was mostly the staff and the waitresses along with the receptionists. Luna paces around the reception counter while one of the staff members tries to calm her, "He might just be taking a break. I'm sure he's fine."

"He's never been out this long, I don't know what I was thinking, giving him such a job. He can handle a lot, but this was something unknown to everyone!" She exclaims.

"I understand, but please just wait a bit longer. He'll turn up soon enough." She gives a reassuring smile.

"But-" She starts but stops herself, looking over to me. "William!?" She shouts out loud. She rushes over to me, "Where were you!? I was growing worried!"

"I encountered the creature, it caused me to faint," I explained.

"Are you okay!? You're not hurt, are you?" She asked, her eyes softening with worry.

I put a hand on her arm, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Someone saved me actually, I don't know what I would have done without her."

She sighs, "Alright, but I expect a full detailed explanation later. For now, just get a bath, we'll discuss what happened tomorrow."

I nod, walking toward the bathhouse as exhaustion catches up to me. Too much has happened in the past few hours, and I could feel my feet stumble on my way out. I slide open the bathhouse door and begin to wash. I slide into the bath, the water splashing on the floor. My eyes droop downward as I fight to stay awake. But with the warmth of the water and the silence of the room, I was fighting a losing battle.

"Hey, wake up man!" a voice ran out, causing my eyes to shoot open. I groggily looked around the room, behind me was a man standing there with his arms crossed looking down at me. I recognized him as the owner.

"What?" I looked at him as I rubbed my eyes.

He sighed, "It's almost noon, have you really been sleeping this whole time?"

My eyes widened, "Oh, shit! I'm so sorry!" I hastily apologized.

He shook his head, "It's fine, just be careful next time."

I rush over to the guild, I shove the doors wide open causing all the adventurers on me. "Oh, William, you finally arrived. Luna's in the back, waiting for you. Mind telling me what took you so long, you know how Luna gets." One of the waitresses called to me, with long blond hair and grey eyes.

"O-Oh, hey A-Astrid. It's a funny story actually-" Astrid points to the reception area with her thumb, "O-Oh right." I walk back and see Luna standing there.

"William, there you are! Where were you?" She asks.

My face reddened, "Oh, it's nothing." She sighs, leading me to the back of the room. The room was relatively small with three chairs and a table. She scoots the chair out from the table and gestures for me to sit down. I shift uncomfortably on the familiar wooden seat as I glance over at Luna, watching her take her seat.

She rests her hands on her lap as she looks into my face, "So, to start please explain what you found. Including details, areas, and anything else you can think of." She pulls out a clipboard with a list of papers. She then pulled out a golden bell with a stand that was half black and white, with one side having an angel wing while the other had a bat wing. "Not that I don't trust you, but it is just caution. Do you know what this is?"

I sigh, "Yes, it's a bell that rings if I am lying."

"Good," She looks at that paper and writes something down. "Now let's begin, where did you first encounter this creature?"

"In the nearby woods, I was walking into the woods when I suddenly heard breathing." I explain, watching Luna scribble on the page.

"Mhm, now please inform me about the creature's appearance," she asks.

We continue this interview as she continues asking questions. "Alright, I believe that was enough for now, thank you William, for the information. I'll take this to Sena," she says.

"Sena, I thought she was the royal prosecutor?" I ask.

"Oh, Oh, she also helps manage things like reports and other things, at least Axel's guild," she explains. She slides her seat back and stands up. She reaches for the clipboard when a piece of paper falls out. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought I did everything."

She bends over to pick it up and stares at it before her face lights up, "W-W-W-W-What the hell is this!? How did this get here?" She flings the page back as I watch it drift onto the floor. I bend over the table to get a better look and my eyes widen. It looks like a poorly drawn picture of two guys, one holding the other's chin with his fingers looking like they're about to kiss. On the lower right-hand corner was a signature, 'Sena.' "Damn you Sena!" Luna balls her fist in frustration.

Suddenly the doors fly open, "Luna, are you alright? We heard screaming and-" A waitress with short blond hair rushed in before looking at the paper, "L-L-Luna, W-William!? I didn't r-realize you were into that thing. N-Not that it's bad or anything, a-anyways carry on you too!" The red-faced waitress rushed out as the doors slammed shut.

"E-Elsie! I-It's not like that I swear!" We both shout. After a second of silence, we both collapsed to the floor.

"D-Damnit, just another rumor I have to deal with," Luna says defeatedly. "You're free to go, just one question. Who saved you, I want to thank them personally."

"She said her name was Yunyun," I said while scratching my head.

Luna's eyes widened, "Yunyun!? Really? It's been a while since I've heard her name, she usually goes on quests by herself." She sighs, "Poor girl has been hard on herself for as long as she's been there, she's gotten better at her whole pessimistic tendencies, but becoming the chief of the crimson demons caused a whole other problem to appear."

While rubbing my eyes, I felt exhaustion fall over me. "The interview

sure took a lot out of me." I eyed the stairways leading upstairs to the newly integrated inn. I went up the stairs and into my room. I jiggle the key and the lock slides open. I step inside, locking the door behind me, and stumble to the bed. I collapse onto the bed and close my eyes hoping to get a quick nap in.

My eyes opened to a blue sky, clouds surrounded me. I tried to move my body but black tendrils bound my body to something golden. It protruded out of my chest, but I felt no sort of discomfort at all. I tried to look around my area but everything was blurry like a dream. Looking down, I noticed a grass field below me. Without a doubt, I was thousands of feet in the air. Hundreds and thousands of dots speckled the surrounding green field, no doubt they had to be people.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something black, it was elongated but I couldn't make further details. Suddenly the crackle of thunder echoed through the clouds as darkness surrounded the area. Black tentacles wiggled and thrashed about in the sky mindlessly. The last thing I heard was a high-pitched screech before my eyes shot open.

"What the hell, was that?" I asked out loud, dazed. I sit up at my bedside and look down at the wooden surface beneath my feet. I rub my head before standing up and opening the door in front of me. Running down the stairs, I decided to do a quest to take my mind off things.

I stared at the quest board, most were simple quests but I noticed that all quests relating to the forest were taken down. One caught my eye, it depicted the ruins of a dungeon. I was about to walk to the counter when I heard a timid voice, "U-Um, e-excuse me... I was gonna do that quest."

I turned around to see the black-haired girl standing there as she shifted uncomfortably. "Yunyun?"

Her eyes widened as she pointed at me, "E-Eh? It's you! The guy from yesterday!"

"Y-Yeah, I guess..." My eyes averted before widening, "Wait, you remember me!?"

She tilted her head, "Of course I would, why wouldn't I?"

My eyes widened as a large smile crept on my face, "Wait, you seriously remember!? If you're doing the quest, do you want to do it with me!?"

"B-Back up, you're t-t-t-too close!" She says while giving me a gentle shove.

I look and realize how close my face is, I feel my head heat up. "O-Oh, I'm s-sorry!" I apologize.

"I-It's f-fine, you can come with me. I would feel bad if I just took this quest from you..." She says with a small smile.

"Alright," I rub the back of my head as I watch her walk up to Luna and hand it over.

Luna perks her head up as she watches Yunyun approach her, "Oh, Yunyun! Just the person I wanted to see!"

"You have?" Yunyun asks as Luna takes the paper.

"Yeah, I wanted to thank you. For saving William's life yesterday, you have no idea what it means to me."

"William? Who's that?" She asks.

"Eh? You know, The kid with short blond hair, covers one of his eyes?" She asks.

"Eh!? That's who he is?" Yunyun asks in shock.

"Did he not introduce himself?" Luna asked, earning a head shake she sighed, "Honestly. Nevertheless, I want to thank you somehow. So, I'm doubling the award money for your next quest. I can't do much, but it's the best I can do."

Yunyun's face flushed, "Y-You don't need to do that, seriously!" She frantically waved it off.

Seeing her frantic state, Luna giggled, "You don't need to worry too much. So, are you off on another quest alone?"

"No, it's s-someone else," she says.

Luna's eyes widened in surprise before frowning, "Him again? You don't need to be pressured by him, honestly all that guy does is harass you..."

Yunyun shakes her head, "No i-it's that W-William guy."

Hearing my name, Luna lights up, "That's a welcome change! I'm glad it's not him and to top it off William of all people." She looks up in fondness, "Oh, you won't believe the stories I have of him."

"You seem close to him," Yunyun points out causing Luna to chuckle.

She rubs her head, "I guess you could say that he's like a son to me."

"That sounds nice," Yunyun giggles.

"He's a nice boy, so promise to look after him. I trust you, it's also nice to see someone remember him." She looks at her with a thankful expression.

"William said the same thing, why wouldn't I remember him?" She asks.

Luna sighs, "I swear it's a curse, usually after someone meets him, he's instantly forgotten the next day."

Yunyun gasps, "That sounds sad... I guess I can relate just a little."

"Well, enough depressing talk, just take care of Mr. Watermelon Slayer." Luna smirks.

"Watermelon Slayer?" Yunyun asks, confused.

Luna let out a teasing grin, "It was around the first month I met him. He took on a quest to kill ten watermelons! He even had the gull to say, 'It's just watermelon, what's the worst that could happen?' He even looked confident."

"Eh!? Even I wouldn't take one on, let alone ten! I didn't take him for someone like Megumin! N-No offense of c-course."

"No problem," Luna reassures her. "You should have seen him when he walks through those doors, covered head and toe in watermelon and dirt!" Luna fails to hold in a laugh.

Red-faced I ran up to the two, "I get it, so please stop telling this story!"

"Oh, there you are, and no way! It's a precious memory!" She says it as if it was a fact. "Oh, there was one time where-"

"Ah! I get it! I get it! No more, please! We got a quest to take care of, come on Yunyun!" Without thinking, I grab her hand and lead her out of the guild as Luna waves us off.

000

I bend over, my arms on my knees as I breathe heavily. Eventually, I collapse onto the ground. After calming down, I looked over to see a red-faced Yunyun sitting silently beside me, almost in a daze. I call out in between breaths, "Are you... alright?"

She snaps out of whatever daze she was once in, "O-Oh! I-I'm fine!" She tries to give me a reassuring smile. Seeing that I wasn't buying it she sighs, "It's just... no one held on to my hand like that before."

I stare at her before panic sets in, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! Luna was teasing me and I couldn't think straight!"

"It's fine! D-Don't worry about it," She reassures me. She gives a sad smile, "It's funny that you came here of all places."

I looked around, and now that I calmed down I realized that I was the same lake I was when I first started. "Oh yeah, I remember this lake. Now that I look at it, it's really pretty," I pointed out.

"Yeah, i-it helps me relax and stuff." She says as she looks into the lake. "It's been a while since I have done a quest with someone, so it's a nice change of pace."

"Oh, you've partied with others before me, what happened to them?" I asked.

"One still asks me. But given how he harasses me, despite having a lover. He's not bad, but he's not afraid to make a p-perverted comment here and there. The other is my rival, she spends time with her boyfriend. I don't want to invade her space, so I usually just go alone. Plus, now as the new chief of the crimson demons, I have to do this alone."

"You have a rival?" I asked.

Yunyun's eyes lit up at the mention of her rival, "Yeah! We would always challenge each other to competitions and games!"

"That sounds nice, did you win any?" I asked.

"I- Yeah! Of course! I w-won each game! B-But she is a w-worthy rival after all, even if she runs away c-crying every time she loses!" Yunyun hastily explains while beads of sweat run down her face.

"That sounds amazing. I wish I had a good friend like that," I commented.

"Eh? Friends? Do you really think so?" She asks.

"Of course, it sounds like you both care for each other," I point out.

"O-Oh, thanks!" She scratches her cheek.

"So, what do you think of this quest?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Well, I've never gone inside a dungeon before, it's kind of exciting. Though I have been inside caves and other places." She explains.

"I've been in a few, but I never have been in a newly discovered one, I wonder what we will find. Too many possibilities," I couldn't help but feel giddy inside.

We both sat in silence for another minute before we got up and finally reached the dungeon. It was attached to a small cliffside that juts out from the terrain. The entrance itself is a large, arch-doorway made of rough-hewn stone blocks. The blocks were unevenly sized and shaped, giving the impression that the entrance was hastily constructed.

The archway is framed by a thick, twisted vine that seems to have grown up around the edges of the stone as if trying to reclaim the space from human interference. The vine is thick and gnarled, and its leaves are a deep green color. Above the stone entrance was a weathered stone carving of a monster made from bones. It is difficult to know exactly what the creature is supposed to be, as the carving is quite old and worn.

The air around the entrance is thick with the musty smell of ancient stone and damp earth. Despite the appearance, I felt dread running through my body.

"It looks like we found it," I say and try to swallow my fear down my throat.

"I've heard some nasty rumors about this place from other adventurers. There's something down there that contains forbidden power. But it's impossible because no one has checked this place out besides the ones who found this place," Yunyun explains.

My eyes widened, "That sounds really cool! There must be a reason for it to be forbidden if it's real!"

She giggled, "Are you sure you're not Megumin in disguise? You sound like her when you talk like that."

I turned to look at her, "Megumin, you mean the girl that's with Kazuma? The one who's crazy for all things explosion?"

"Yeah, also my long-term rival," she declares with a prideful smile while resting her hands on her hips as she puffs her chest out.

"So, I'm guessing she's a crimson demon?" I ask to which she nods.

"Yeah, we grew up together in the same village. We were f-friends since we attended the academy," she explained.

"She seems like an interesting person," I say, thinking back on the unusual things she'd say to the guild.

We both walked into the dank dungeon, a large staircase descended steeply into the ground. The stairs were carved from solid stone, uneven and steep. As we began our descent, the light from the entrance faded away, leaving us in total darkness.

"H-Hey, is it me, or is it really dark in there?" I say trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

She looks into the darkness and shrugs, "Yeah, I guess."

"Why is she so casual?" I ask myself in shock about her response.

"Hey, why don't you go in front of me? I'll stay behind you." I suggest, hoping she'd bite my lie, "There's no way in hell I'm going into this darkness alone!" I say in my mind.

"Eh? S-Sure, I guess," She says as she steps in front of me. I sigh in relief as I hardly make out her clothes in the darkness. I noticed how her glowing red eyes illuminated the small smile on her face. A sudden chortle came out of her mouth causing me to panic.

"Please don't tell me you noticed," I begged in my head. I hesitantly called out, "W-What's wrong?"

"I guess I feel more excited t-than I expected. It reminds me of the adventures I went on with Dust and Megumin," she explained while scratching her cheek.

"Who's Dust?" I ask, I recognized that name from rumors and chatter, especially the waiters not favorably as well.

Yunyun sighed, "He's that pervert that I mentioned. Or what a lot of the female adventurers call 'the blond thing.'"

My eyes lit up at that name, "That's what they meant by that? I'd ask the staff when they brought it up but they would always say I was too pure for that and that I should watch out for people like him."

Our conversation distracted me from the stairway and we finally reached the bottom. In front of us stood an archway that opened into a large room. As soon as we passed through, I felt an ominous wind blow across our faces. I could hear the echo of our footsteps as we walked closely together. A sudden crack echoed through the room causing me to let out a high-pitched shriek as I accidentally tumbled onto Yunyun's back.

We both fell onto the floor with a thud, echoing outward. As soon as I noticed, I shot back up as Yunyun pushed herself up. She turned toward me, "What was that for!?" I couldn't help but feel intimidated by her glowing eyes glaring at mine. I rushed to explain myself, but she beat me to it. "Wait, don't tell me you're afraid of the dark!?"

"Well, I-I just-" I sigh defeatedly as I turn my head bashfully, "F-Fine, I may be scared of the d-dark... just a little."

"Jeez, you know you could rest." She said.

"I know, but I think I can keep going. Though I wish I could see in the dark, that way I don't trip over anything," I sigh.

"There is a skill called Foresight, it lets you see in the dark," She explains.

"Maybe I could just h-hold your hand for now?" I ask, timidly.

"Eh?" She says, her eyes illuminating the blush on her cheeks.

"Wait, that came out wrong! I-It's only because I can't see anything!" I quickly explain.

"S-Sure, if that's a-all, then I don't mind," she hesitates for a moment before reaching out her hand. I grab it, wrapping it around hers as I feel her own body heat from her hands.

We both walk around, hand in hand. I couldn't help but look down at our hands.

"W-What's wrong?" Yunyun said nervously.

"Oh, I just never held someone's hand before I guess," I said while scratching my cheek.

Yunyun sighs in relief, "Oh, I see. I thought it was something else."

"Something else?" I asked.

"It's just, many people are intimidated by me. Usually, people who ask for me to join their party instantly turn away before I even reply," she explains as she sighs depressingly.

"I don't really know if this will help but, I promise I won't be scared off by you," I grip her hand tighter.

She lets out a small smile as her eyes glow brighter, "I know, I could tell from the moment you insisted on joining me yesterday."

"Oh, I-I see." My eyes advert hers.

We both continued to walk further in, eventually leading to a narrow tunnel. "Say, we've been walking for a while and yet I haven't seen a single monster."

"Now that you mentioned it, that is odd," Yunyun comments. "Do you think something happened?"

"Maybe, monsters don't just magically appear inside dungeons after all. Maybe it recently opened up, it would explain why it was recently found." I theorize.

"Yeah, but then why would it suddenly open up, it doesn't make sense," she says.

"I haven't been in a dungeon in a while and this is pitch black, but the layout is odd. Usually by now, there would be stairs leading further down." I explain before sighing, "If only we brought a torch."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm so used to doing this alone that I didn't even think twice about getting a torch!" She frantically apologizes.

"It's fine, though it is weird that you can see," I point out.

"W-Well, I have Foresight, so I can see pretty clearly." Yunyun explains.

"Wait, that's for the thief class, right?" I ask.

"Typically, but someone I used to work with gave me a magic item from a store I help with from time to time. It allowed me to trade one of my skills for one from a different class," she says before stopping. "Looks like we reached the end of the room."

It opened up to a room where something was carved in the stone. "What is that?" I asked, squinting my eyes.

"It's a carving of sorts... looks like a circle of skeletal hands surrounding a sphere of sorts, odd." She says as she stares at it. "I don't know what it could mean."

We both walk further into the room to look for a clue. "Do you see anything else?" I asked. She let go of my hand as she looked around the room.

"Not really, just the carving on the wall," she lightly traces the stone wall with her fingers, dust getting on her hand. I moved my hand on the wall, I felt the coldness of the stone. As soon as my hand touched it, I heard a small hum before the carving pulsed with a light blue light. To our shock, the carving moved, and the hands that circled the sphere moved around, each hand grabbing onto the circle. All eerie feelings vanished as the room lit up, glowing blue lines traced the walls lighting the entire room in a soft blue glow.

"Woah," we both stepped back in awe. The sight was beautiful, and the room itself gave off a feeling of safety. We stared at it for a moment before we hesitantly left the room. As we moved through the narrow tunnel once more, the lines on the wall trailed us as we made our way to the main area.

Once in the main room, the walls around the tunnel lit up. The same light lit the entire room, and now with clear vision, I noticed three other similar rooms that filled the area. In the center was a larger carving from the wall, glowing a similar blue hue. "I guess we both have to do it three more times," Yunyun pointed out.

"This wasn't as exciting as I thought this would be," I sigh. "Maybe something cool will happen once we activate all of them."

"That is weird, how come they activate for you?" Yunun asked.

"I don't know, it is weird," I shrugged. I put my hand on one of the walls with the symbol, "Hey, this didn't activate."

"Are you sure you did it right?" Yunyun asked.

"What, put my hand on the wall?" I asked sarcastically, with a teasing smile.

Yunyun's cheeks flushed, "W-Well-" She tried to defend herself but failed to come up with anything. To avoid any embarrassment, she covered her face and bumped into the wall. "H-Huh?" Yunyun uncovered her face as red lines ran across the walls, filling the room with a red glow.

"What the hell?" I said, dumbfounded. After staring we both continued on our way, Yunyun activated the final wall. As soon as the fourth one activated, the entire room was filled with a purple glow. We reached the main room, the entire room changed to purple. "Now what?"

"Maybe we stand on the platform?" Yunyun suggested. As soon our feet made contact, I felt a jolt followed by the grinding of stone on stone.

"Yunyun, did you feel that or-" My voice was cut off as the platform began to descend further down. Suddenly I began to panic, "Shit, I hope we don't get stuck!"

I could see Yunyun's eyes dilated as we began our descent. "Please don't get stuck, please don't get stuck!" I heard her repeat. The once safety of the upper layer left us the further we descended, furthering the panic. By the time it reached its destination, all we felt was pure dread.

The room was dome-shaped, and torches circled the perimeter. In the center was a familiar symbol. Behind it made my blood run cold, hundreds of skeletons piled onto each other, some human, others animals.

"Since it's light here, why don't you look at your skill card and see if you have Foresight?" Yunyun suggested.

"Alright," I take out my card skimming through the skills. Unfortunately, I could not find it. I shook my head and she sighed.

"That's fine, let's just hope there aren't any more dark areas."

With a gulp, we walked further in. As soon as we reached the center, all torches blew out. "Well, shit," I say staring into the darkness. The carving started to glow red. I felt every muscle in my body tense, I couldn't even move. The walls surrounding us felt like they were pulsing, growing closer inward. A glowing red sphere emerged from the ground, it floated upward before moving toward the pile of bones. "Yunyun, please tell me it's not doing what I think it's going to do."

"A-And w-whats that?" She nervously says, staying on guard. I could hear the shifting of bones. I could feel panic set in as I heard bones shift, break, and twist. I felt a newfound presence inside the room, sweat trickled down my body. I felt my heart beat out of my chest as my breath grew heavy.

Yunyun stares at the pile of bones on the ground. Her eyes practically bulged out of their sockets as she held her breath. I heard a low roar as Yunyun screamed, turning around and grabbing my wrist, "Run! Now!" I had no room to act as I felt her drag me towards the lift. Another angry roar echoed through the room followed by loud thuds. I didn't need to think twice before my legs kicked into action.

"What the hell is that thing!?" I shouted, trying to keep up with Yunyun.

"You don't need to know, just focus on the lift!" Yunyun shouted. "Light of Saber!" Yunyun called out as a bolt of light pierced the creature causing it to stagger. At that moment, I looked back; the illumination of the attack allowed me to see the monster.

Its body was twisted and contorted, bones jutted out at odd angles. Ribcages surrounded the creature almost like armor-plating. It stood on four large legs, comprised of dozens of different bones.

The most unsettling part was its 'mouth.' It was made of several skeleton hands in a circle, their fingers interlaced like a basket. In the center was an ominous glowing orb just like the carving. I continued to sprint, focusing my attention back on the lift. Our safety was guaranteed, all we had was a couple more feet left.

We picked up our pace as we heard it regain its pursuit. "We made it!" I yelled out as we finally reached our destination.

"Don't set any red flags!" Yunyun scolded. To our horror, just seconds before reaching the platform, it started to ascend once more. We watched as our only chance of escape left us. "I told you!"

"W-W-What the hell do we do!?" I shouted as panic set in. I felt the ground shaker harder with each thud. "Are we really about to-"

I felt a hand grip tightly on my shoulders as Yunyun's glowing eyes pierced into my soul, "Don't panic yet, we still can f-fight!"

"How!? It's pitch black and-" I was cut off by a bony claw that swiped me off my feet. I felt a heavy pressure on my chest as something was digging into my skin. I grabbed whatever I could to try and push whatever it was off of me, but it continued to sink its weight into me. I felt its heavy breath, it was cold and wet like it had been dead for thousands of years.

"Fireball!" Yunyun called out. A large ball of fire shot out, hitting it in its back. It flinched before jumping off of me, I turned my head to the side to be met with a pair of glowing red eyes. "Are you okay?"

I feel a rush of relief as air fills my lungs once more "Y-Yeah," I cough out before I feel her hand grab mine, pulling me back to my feet. I looked into the darkness, I felt like the world closed in. My breath grew heavy, the longer I peered into it. I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder as I turned my head once more, seeing Yunyun's eyes filled with concern.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked. I shakily nod my head before I reach for my sword. I patted my side a few times, "Shit! I think I dropped my sword." I heard the creature begin its chase once more as I felt my heart rate climb.

"Alright, I'll look for it. I think I saw something on the ground nearby. I know you might not like it, but you'll have to distract it for a moment while I grab your sword," she said. I couldn't help but panic; noticing this, she let out a reassuring smile, "It's going to be alright, we are going t-to have to trust each other. You trust me, right?"

I noticed the fear in her eyes, I could tell she was trying to put up a brave front to ease my own. I look at the darkness and then look back at her, "A-Alright," I timidly nod.

"Alright, Now go!" she ushers me as I turn around and begin to run. My adrenaline kicked in I heard heavy thuds as the ground shook.

I noticed a nearby rock and quickly grabbed it. I didn't have time to think so I quickly turned around and threw it as hard as I could before I turned once more and ran. By some luck, it manages to hit given the sudden pause followed by quicker steps; just enough to piss it off.

I feel it constantly on my tail, I know that I'll die if I stop now. A sharp pain entered my leg, causing me to fall to the floor. Looking at my leg, I noticed a sharp bone piercing through my entire leg. It reminded me of a xenomorph tail of sorts. I felt a large amount of weight as a bony claw merged from the darkness.

"Light of Saber!" Yunyun called out, as it hit directly in the face. The head jerked on impact, but it didn't attempt to move. Instead, it raised its claw, ready to slice my face off. I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable until a sound caught me off guard. I peeked from my eyes and noticed it was Yunyun holding my sword, blocking the attack.

"Stand up, quickly William!" She said as she continued to hold off the attack. "I- can't hold!" I quickly scramble to my feet. She jumped out of the attack, quickly holding out her hand she shouted, "Energy Ignition!" A burst of flames shoots out, surrounding the monster.

It screeches in pain before retracting back into the darkness. Its mouth momentarily opens as the arms unlink like an aperture opening.

"Are you alright?" She asked with concern.

"Y-Yeah..." I wheeze out as I feel sweat pour out of my face. My hands were moist and clammy. I grab one of my health potions and chug it down. Looking down, I noticed the wound close, all that remained was a scar. Wiping some of the liquid off the sides of my mouth I look at her, "S-So, what do we do? Attacking like this is not working."

A roar causes our heads to snap toward the darkness, "It looks like it recovered, it's going to start again." She looks back at me, "I think I have an idea. But you need to trust me because it will take both of us."

"What do you mean?" I asked with curiosity and nervousness.

She peeks back at where I presume the monster is, "Since I can see, I can direct you to where you can attack it. It might be a bit difficult, b-but I'm sure w-we can pull through!"

I look at the floor for a moment in thought before looking into her eyes, "A-Alright."

"Good, w-we have to get our distance first. I noticed that this room has a lot of echo in it, perhaps we could use that?" She says.

We both depart as the creature regains its bearings and proceeds to chase us once more. I look at the darkness as I feel its footsteps and with a deep breath, I brandish my sword.

"It's coming!" She warns.

I prepared for the attack, I felt the ground temporarily tremble. I heard it charging but it sounded off, like it surrounded the area.

"On your right! It's on the wall!" She shouts.

I see a large claw emerge from the darkness. "Keen Edge!" My sword glows blue as I swing with all my might. It makes contact with the bone, cutting through the entire claw. We both jumped back once more, I heard it make some distance.

"Dodge!" Yunyun shouted.

"Huh?" I jump back just in time to see its tail shoot outward.

It jumps at me, only for me to block with my sword. I feel myself stagger as it presses more of its body into it.

"Fireball!" Yunyun launches another fireball at the creature causing its attention to turn to Yunyun. It opens its mouth, letting out an intimidating cry. "Light of Saber!" Yunyun pierces the creature through the monster causing it to jump back.

I see the glowing orb in the distance, it starts to radiate an intense brightness. I squint my eyes before pushing Yunyun out of the way causing our bodies to fall to the floor. A bright red beam shot out of the creature's mouth, I could feel harsh heat emitting from it.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Yunyun picked herself up, rubbing her head she nodded. We both turn ourselves to the creature as its mouth folds back. I sighed as we prepared once more for another attack.

"Right! Left! Dodge to your right!" Yunyun continued to instruct me on where it was. Each time I cut through its body, it seemed like it would rebuild itself. There had to be something that we were doing wrong.

"William, it's going to shoot that beam again!" Yunyun calls, causing me to put up my guard. I jump out of the way as the laser shoots out. I looked at the mouth of the creature and that's when I remembered when Yunyun pierced the orb and the cracks that appeared. Looking at it, I realized that it still has those cracks.

"Yunyun! I think I know how to kill it! It's the orb!" I shout out.

"Got it!" She acknowledges it before she prepares to pierce it once more. She shoots out another 'Light of Saber' spell, but the mouth folds again causing the blade of light to shatter.

"Damn it," I mutter. "If only we could force the mouth open."

"Dodge, William!" She shouts. Without a second I jump back.

"Freeze Gust!" She calls out as a frosty breeze covers the creature. Ice forms around it, locking it in place momentarily.

"That's it!" I call out. "We just need to freeze its mouth open!"

Now with a plan, we wait for its mouth to open. "Considering it's momentarily stuck, it shouldn't take too long," I think to myself.

Sure enough, the mouth opens as the orb begins to glow. "Freeze Gust!" The ice surrounds the mouth, holding it in place. Now that I can see the orb, we both charge into the mouth. She grabs something from her pocket, but I can't see it due to the darkness.

We both jump into the mouth of the creature and with a shout, I plunge it directly into the orb. I saw Yunyun stab a reflective piece of metal into the orb.

A large crack appeared before it shattered into small pieces. With a sigh of relief, I put my sword back into its sheath. We jumped out of the mouth just as the entire body collapsed. We both fall to the floor as exhaustion takes hold.

All the torches surrounding the walls lit up, flooding the area with light. Seeing how I can see clearly, I let out a sigh of relief. I couldn't help but start to giggle at the absurdity of it all. Yunyun looked at me with a funny look in her eyes before she too broke into a fit of giggles.

Eventually, we both calmed down, sitting on the stone ground. We both lay in comfortable silence before Yunyun spoke with a gleeful voice, "I never had this much fun in a while! I forgot how much partying with others could be so far!"

I turn toward her with a raised eyebrow and a teasing smile, "You think almost getting killed was fun?"

She faltered for a moment but regained her bearings, letting out a smirk of her own, "Oh please when you constantly take quests alone; it gets dull after a while. Plus, I've been through worse; luckily I haven't gotten my ass handed to me too hard yet."

I snort before I break out into another fit of laughter, she looks at me in confusion as I try to contain myself. "What's so funny?" She asks.

"Y-You said ass! I-I." I let out a cough before continuing, "I didn't e-expect you to say that!" I continue to laugh as I watch Yunyun's face light up in realization.

"I-I-I didn't say anything! You must have h-heard me wrong!" She tries to defend herself. Noticing my continuous laughter she sighs in defeat, "Honestly, what will I do w-with you?"

I wipe a tear from my eye as I settle down. "I don't know, but if we team up again, I know that it will be interesting!"

"You know, you were pretty amazing out there, you looked pretty cool!" She said with starry eyes. The sudden praise caused my cheeks to redden as I turned away.

"I didn't do much, y-you did all the work. I just swung my s-sword, hoping it would hit," I try to deflect her praise. I was not one to receive compliments often so I couldn't help but feel a wave of embarrassment flood over me.

"Come on, you were amazing! Fighting in pure darkness is not easy, even if I told you where it was," she praised. Her eyes softened as she smiled, "Plus, this took a lot of trust... so thank you, for trusting me." I opened my mouth once more to argue back before I felt a gentle touch on my forehead. I looked up and saw her hand outstretched, her index finger poking directly at my forehead.

"Geez, was I really this stubborn before?" Yunyun mutters before her eyes gaze at my own, "Look, just accept the compliment! Quit trying to put yourself down! Call me a hypocrite, but it does get annoying."

"But-" I attempt one last feeble argument but she shuts it down before it even comes out.

"Just. Accept. The. Compliment!" She said, poking my forehead with each word before letting out a sigh of frustration, "We're not leaving until you do."

"F-Fine." I say she raises a brow, signaling me to continue, "I did... okay- amazing!" I switched my wording when I noticed a subtle furrow of her eyebrows. "And thank you for the c-compliment."

She smiles with contentment, "See, that wasn't so hard. Now, let's get out of here-" A sudden low humming was heard from the room, putting us on high alert.

We both quickly get up from the cold stoney ground and bring out our weapons. In the center, was a golden chest that emerged from thin air. The top half was decorated with swirls and patterns stretching outward.

"Do you think it's a trap?" I asked, readying my sword once more.

"I-It could be," Yunyun commented. "You don't have 'Trap Detection?'"

"No, I haven't come across many people with the thief class, so I haven't been able to learn their skills," I explain.

"I see. Well, that leaves us with doing it the old way." Yunyun says. "Do you have a rock, I could throw? I know that dungeon mimics are common, especially with such an attractive chest."

I searched and grabbed the nearest stone I could find. I hand it over to Yunyun and watch her chuck the stone at the chest. It bounces directly off of it, before settling back to the ground. We watched with bated breath, waiting for a large set of teeth to emerge from the ground.

No sign of the teeth ever came as we let out a sigh of relief. I walk up to it before I feel a tug on my shirt, I look back to see Yunyun next to me. "W-Wait, do you think this is that thing that the rumors talked about?"

My eyes widened with childlike excitement, "Even better!" I broke her grasp a went to open the chest.

"W-William, be careful!" Yunyun pleaded as she caught up to me. My fingers traced the two hinges before flicking them open. Lifting the lid, there was only a single scrap of paper. To my surprise, it was clean, with no wear or tear in sight. I reached inward, grasping my hand around the page more drawing it toward me.

"William! Don't read it! What if it corrupts you!?" Yunyun shouted.

"I-It hasn't done anything yet!" I yelled back as I examined the page. It was thick and rough. Turning it around, I was about to read it before it was ripped out of my hands. "Yunyun!? What are you doing!?" I asked with concern. I tried to lean over her shoulder to get a better look, but she spun around.

"If it's going to corrupt anyone, it's going to be me," she says matter-of-factly. "I don't want you to get hurt, so I'm going to read this."

She begins to read whatever is written, her eyes shifting back in forth as she moves down the page. I try to peak multiple times only for her to spin around and walk in another direction.

After a minute I watch her squint her eyes and then widen in bafflement before she crumples up the page and throws it on the ground. She then points a finger, "Tinder..." she says lifelessly as a small flame shoots from it, burning the page.

"Y-Yunyun!?" I ask in shock, questioning why she suddenly lit it on file.

She turns to me, "L-Let's just go back home."

"What was on the paper?" I tried to ask.

"Nothing, let's j-just go." She responded, not even bothering to look at the page.

With her back turned, I held out my hand, "Create water." I whispered as silently as I could. Water shot out of my hand, dousing the flames. I quickly pick up the page and continue to move with Yunyun so as to not raise suspicions.

We search for an exit, eventually encountering a box with buttons. I inspected it and realized that it wasn't any box, it was an NES replica controller. Yunyun's eyes sparkled with recognition, "T-Thats- I didn't expect that this would be here!"

"You know what this is?" I ask, dumbfounded that she knew what this was.

Yunyun smiled in nostalgia, "Our village had this at a nearby facility. It had something like this, before... one of the Demon King's generals attacked. Kazuma, or as you know him as the one who killed the Demon King. He somehow knew the code to seal the general inside the facility. Of course, it failed and the- wait, what!?" Yunyun paused in shock, I could see the gears in her head trying to move, making out what she saw.

While she was in the middle of her monologue, I entered the code that I knew from my heart. 'Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, A, B, Start.' It was the famous 'konami code' that became famous as a way to access cheats in video games. The irritating sound of stone grinding on stone came from a nearby wall as it proceeded to lower into the ground revealing another lift.

We step onto the platform as it begins to ascend. A calm silence surrounded us as we made our way back to the surface. As the lift halted to a stop, we took a step onto the grassy ground. Turning around, I noticed the stone cliffside behind us. It was the same way we entered, nothing out of the ordinary. We began to stretch far outward before we began to head back home.

"Finally! I was worried we were going to be stuck there forever!" Yunyun said, relieved that the whole ordeal was over and we could go back to the comfort of somewhere familiar. However, before we took a step further the ground began to quake. Rock began to tremble, breaking off into chunks and falling onto the ground. A rush of air? Wind? No, it was something stronger and it was emerging from the staircase.

I concentrated on the stairs to see if I could get a better view of whatever was happening. A rush of fiery red light began to form out of the staircase, growing bigger at an alarming rate. "Shit, we need to go, now!" I yelled as I ushered Yunyun who was still confused but complied nevertheless.

As we ran, I looked back to see the fury of flames bursting outward as the cliffside started to fall apart, collapsing in of itself. We continued to run a safe distance, and eventually, we were forced to stop from exhaustion. As we sat there to catch our breaths, Yunyun looked at me with an inquisitive look, "How did you know that code?"

"Oh, it's well known from my world," I nonchalantly explain.

"Oh, that makes- wait, you're from another world!?" She shouts, her eyes widening with surprise. While it is common for people from Japan to get reincarnated in this world, not many people reveal that information. Mostly because they don't want others to think that they are insane.

"Oh, right. I didn't explain that..." I sigh. "I'll explain when we get back." I knew that this explanation would take a while.

000

"So, yeah. That's about it." I finish my long and painful explanation as I twirl my fork against the empty plate in front of me. Yunyun sat in front of me, her mouth opened slightly only to shut.

"So, you're saying, you're really? From another world!?" Her eyes lit up with wonder. I could see a hundred thoughts running through her head. Her thoughts paused and suddenly her expression shifted to a more somber one. "Do you... ever think about your family?"

I flinched at the question, I didn't expect her to ask such a personal question. I clenched my hand as her question echoed through my head. "I... I haven't thought about them much. Don't get me wrong, I love them but, as soon as I arrived; I kinda forgot about them." I evaded my eyes, waiting for her to scold me.

"I see, do you miss them?" She asks, looking into my eyes with sympathy.

I pause for a moment, thinking back to my mom and dad, when they raised me. "I don't know... I've been distracted from everything going on, I completely forgot about them. When I came into this... world, it was like my brain shifted and I no longer cared about what happened in my previous life. The only things that I cared about were that I had a newfound potential and I could leave that curse behind. At least, until I got a taste of reality." I sighed before continuing, "I was never satisfied when living in my old world, everything felt black and white, boring when I finally had a chance to start things over I took it and chose to forget everything else that had happened."

I thought back to my parents, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes in realization about how much I forgot about them, "Oh god, I can't even imagine what their going through; I mean, their kid is gone! I didn't even get to say goodbye and now I can't get that chance back! I'm a horrible person, no son..." I wipe my eyes and sniff, I let out a shakey breath to try and regain myself. I look at Yunyun with slightly blurry eyes and note the uncomfortable look she gave me as she shifted in her seat. "Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean t-to go off like that," I apologized, wiping the remaining tear off my face.

"Oh, there's no need to apologize, I was the one who brought up bad memories," she waved her hands apologetically. She paused for a moment with a frown before she placed a hand on mine, "I don't know why I'm telling you this but... I feel like I need to. My mother died when she gave birth to me, and my dad had to raise me. I was lucky, I heard horror stories of parents taking their anger and blaming their kids for the death of their mothers. My dad never blamed me, but it never stopped me from blaming myself."

She closes her eyes, "I think my father takes it hard though, he hardly talks about my mom. Only that she was the best wife he could ask for, but nothing more." She sighed and opened her eyes once more with a sad smile, "It's why I left my village with Megumin, while part of it was to adventure and spend time with her, another part inside me wanted a distraction so I could stop blaming myself. It worked too, I forgot about her, I witnessed so many new incredible things when I left that I completely forgot about her. Does that make me a horrible person too? I honestly don't know."

We sat there in silence as I watched her pick up a napkin and wipe the sauce smeared on her cheeks. "What I do know is that we can't just sit a constantly dwell on regrets. There is more purpose to life than just sitting there, regretting what you could do better. That's what I found out when I left the village, I don't think my mom would want me to stop living my life just so I could blame myself," she said as she let out a yawn. "So, don't blame yourself for forgetting everything behind. It would eat you up if you didn't, I get you were unsatisfied with your other world, so you should live in the moment. You don't need to forget your previous life nor do you need to live like it, just live in the moment. There are so many things to see and do, it would be a shame to think of what could have."

I sat there stunned, I couldn't even move. I didn't know what baffled me more, how reassuring it was, or how she managed to say that all without stuttering or having a hint of embarrassment. I paused, reflecting on what she had said to me. She was right, it's not like I can write a letter explaining that I'm okay. The best I can do is move on and focus on what's happening right now.

Feeling better I couldn't help but let out a teasing smirk, "I didn't realize you could act like such a sage."

Yunyu's face lit up, "W-Well, I- It's just..." she sighed. "I guess it comes with being a chief," she rubbed her back with a sheepish smile. I continued to watch her eat as I gathered my thoughts.

After cleaning up, we stood outside our respective rooms. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow," Yunyun said as she put her hand on the door handle.

I smiled at her, "Yeah, same." I pushed the door open and entered my room. I walk to my bedside and sit, I grab my sheath and put it beside my bed. Other items I put next to and inside a chest for future use. Satisfied, I pull the covers open and slide into bed. I felt a discomforting bump on my bedside and realized I still had that note.

Digging out of my pocket, I pull out the paper and open it. To my surprise, it didn't have a single mark on it. It was still in perfect condition besides the creases from when it was balled up. I turned it around and read the letter.

'Dear Strong and Beautiful Lady,

I hope this letter finds you well. I have been watching you from afar, and I am amazed at your strength and beauty. You are like a warrior princess, striking fear into the hearts of your enemies with your fierce determination.

I know this may sound forward, but I cannot help myself. I must ask: will you go out with me? I know we have not met, but I feel a connection to you that I cannot explain. I believe that together we could conquer any challenge that comes our way.

Speaking of challenges, I hope you enjoyed the test I set for you in the dungeon. It was designed to separate the strong from the weak, and you proved yourself to be a true warrior. I knew that only someone as strong as you could complete it.'

I stared at the note, baffled at the sight. "All this, for a love letter!?" I shout out loud as I ball it up once more and move to the nearby window. For some reason I stopped, however; for some reason, I couldn't throw it out. It was then I realized, this was my first time partying with someone who remembered me. I couldn't throw away the one thing that I could use as a memento.

With a sigh, I closed the shutters before returning to my bed and placing the ball on my desk. With a sigh, I pull the covers up and prepare for sleep.

---

I know, I said I was going to post all three chapters however, after some planning; I decided to rewrite the entirety of VOL 1. This story itself will not change, but there will be more character interaction. Chapters after this will not be as long, I'm sorry if you were expecting the next chapter in the series but I believe this is crucial to writing a story that I want to make. However this is not the only news, I have a discord server where you can get updates and chat, this way you don't have to worry about me canceling the story. Without further ado, enjoy!