"So, you're telling me that, for some very odd reason, a very well-dressed chick decided to, for God knows what, plop her saintly arse in the middle of the forest, where she was seen battling out a Tier-4 beast, all the while waiting for a 'hero at the end of the night'! (yes, I know, Bonnie Tyler is old, but have you seen the Shrek 2 adaptation of it- it was a complete banger). Tell me, if this doesn't reek of a trap, I don't know what is. Not to mention the fact of how Duval and Mikano acted before her..."
Pinching his chin, Scaramond couldn't help but berate the travelling duo, unable to believe how Vylara let the young Natsuki jump at the first chance of 'acting' like a hero. "Haven't you read the stories of how this usually ends up as sucker stories for newbies who don't know better? DO I have to remind you how Borisil the 'Thunderbreaker' ended up as Succubus chow after charging headfirst to save a 'damsel in distress'!? When they collected his remains, all that was left was a pile of skin, SKIN! Those bastard Succubi drained every single drop of bodily fluid from him-"
"So, death by snoo-snoo...?"
"Yes."
Well, that ain't that bad-
"And if you're thinking it's not that bad, think again! This particular band only goes after married ones, or those who have girlfriends or fiancés. It took us a long time to get rid of them, but the issue here is that the head honchos later went missing. Where, we still don't know..."
Seeing Scaramond brooding deeply, Nastuki couldn't help but sneak a glance at the rest of the group:
Old man Knoxis was seen leaning across the wall, eyes shut, apparently asleep...
Vylara could be heard singing in the bathroom, busy showering after the gruelling 2-day adventure (hey, girls need to shower at least thrice daily, plus, Scaramond is boring as fuck!)...
Quietly tiptoeing, Natsuki decided to leave the room, bored out of his wits- he neither had the time nor energy to hear the jackass who rammed his fender into him ramble on about how much of an immature brat he was, nor was he that idle to see a grown man walk to and fro across the room.
See ya later, suckers!
"Oh, and that reminds me, I seem to have found out that most of the souls seem to- hey, where did the kid go?"
"Just ran out- you should stop dragging around your stories for too long!"
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Walking down the street with his hands clasped behind his head, Natsuki took in the view of the busy street as he walked down, amazed at how different worlds looked. I always imagined fantasy isekai worlds to look all rustic and medieval-y, but holy damn, my imagination does not do me justice. Anyway, she did say the Grand Church of Erudia, right? Wonder I might take a quick gander there-
Oh hero, come here...
Shocked at the voice suddenly appearing in his mind, Nastuki did a quick turnaround, wary and fearful at the intruder. Damn it, I thought the old man said that the Codex of Transformations was supposed to be one of the strongest exercises in existence! What bullshit chicken soup has he been telling me-
Come hero, come! Come to the center...
Heeding the voice (against his own will, I might add), Natsuki's vision was forced to the old sword, stuck in the middle of the city, rammed deep into the stone pedestal. Seeing that he had no choice, he begrudgingly began walking towards the small hill (try ignoring a constant alarm ringing in your head- it's gonna drive anyone mad!). As he slowly climbed up the stone hill, he noticed something very concerning:
None of the people below noticed him, nor the fact that he was climbing the 'sacred' hill
Though he very much wanted to find out the reason why, the constant ringing in his head was nearly driving him mad, to the point where he wanted to bash his head against the stone hill. Ignoring the cries from what he presumed to be the sword, he reached the top, where the dull sword lay...
Pick me...
Pick me...
PICK ME!
Trembling from the incessant chatter in his ears, Natsuki grabbed the sword. "Is this what you wanted, huh? Is it enough, you fucking piece of shi-! Oh fuck..."
Schwip...
With a smooth glide, the sword slid off the pedestal. Shocked at the sight, he couldn't help but lift the sword high in the air, from where a bright beam of light erupted. Lighting the entire sky in a deep purple blaze, it attracted the attention of everyone walking down the busy street.
"Look ma, someone has removed the big, pointy sword..."
Kyaaah!
"The Hero has returned!"
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Finally, this nightmare will end soon...