Chapter 210: Falna for All, Crossing Worlds Again
After the party, only three problem children remained: an Archpriest specializing in party tricks, a Crusader who can't hit her targets, and an Archwizard who only knows one spell. And now, there's a physical-damage Archwizard?
Why are there so many weirdos in my party? Am I the only normal one left? This is too hard.
Satou Kazuma couldn't help but cover his face and weep.
Even without using [Spectator], Kobayashi could see what he was thinking, because it was so plainly written on his face.
He couldn't help but say, "Kazuma-kun."
"Yes, I'm Kazuma."
"Don't be so pessimistic. You know, there's a certain white-bearded old man who is also a very capable melee Archwizard."
"...What?"
"The one known as the legendary Archwizard, the 'Spirit of the Staff'."
"Oh... Ohhh!!!"
Hearing him say this, Kazuma also reacted and let out a loud cry of surprise and admiration.
Clearly, if he was just as reliable, then his role in the party would immediately undergo a heaven-and-earth-shaking change.
"Wait, what are you two talking about?" Aqua couldn't help but come over.
Kazuma prompted, "That one! You know, that one!"
"Ohhh, that one!!!" Aqua also cried out in surprise. "Kobayashi, so that's what you were planning! What an amazing plan!"
"Well, it just suddenly came to me," he said with a smile.
The three of them were so excited, which in turn made Megumin and Darkness curious.
"What are you three talking about? 'Very capable'? What's the 'Spirit of the Staff'? What's this about a 'legendary Archwizard'?"
The chuunibyou loli and the perverted knight had no common ground, and they were eager to join the topic.
Kazuma, in the spirit of popular science, explained, "There's a legendary mage who only put one point into Holy Light, and then put all the rest into strength and agility. Thus, he earned the title of 'Melee Mage'."
"...Can you even call that an Archwizard?" Megumin blurted out.
Kazuma couldn't help but retort, "You, of all people, have no right to say that, you chuunibyou loli who only knows Explosion!"
"What did you say?!"
"What? You're not convinced?!"
Kazuma had faith in that reliable, white-bearded, legendary mage, and therefore would not allow anyone to slander him. Megumin, on the other hand, had the same faith in her proud [Explosion] magic and would not allow anyone to slander it. So, for some reason, an argument broke out between the two of them.
"You two are both too agitated."
It was the relatively stable Crusader of the party who stepped in to stop their argument. As long as she didn't fall into her strange delusions, she was a qualified knight.
Under her persuasion, the two of them temporarily calmed down.
At this time, he and Aqua were huddled together. He wanted to know how much his proficiency had increased after subjugating a few Giant Toads.
Unlike in Konosuba, it wasn't obtained simply by subjugating monsters, but could be obtained through all kinds of actions—that is, "experienced phenomena."
This numerical value, in other words, was the "history" one had walked.
And the gods would take this buried "history," for example, extracting a single trajectory called "defeated a monster," and turn it into nourishment for growth.
The quality and quantity of "achievements" is what proficiency is.
The gods could see this numerical value and even "cook" it. This was perhaps somewhat similar to the ancient custom of praising the great deeds of defeating an enemy and bestowing blessings, which was why Aqua had been able to decipher it so quickly.
And then, the gods would rewrite or add to the [Hieroglyphs] on one's back, raising their level and increasing their abilities.
This power was the essence of the [Falna].
"Please, don't use your divine blood with concentrated divine power again," he specially reminded her.
"Rest assured, I remember."
Aqua agreed readily. It was unknown if she had actually listened. But when the divine blood once again merged into his back, he did not feel any pain, so she probably had.
A light shone, attracting the attention of Kazuma and the other two, who all unconsciously came over.
Aqua carved down the values and handed them to him.
[Kobayashi ???]
LV 1
Strength: I 0
Endurance: I 0
Dexterity: I 1
Agility: I 0
Magic: I 0
Skill: [Hero from Another World (SoChing_Hero)]Magic: [Clumsy Imitation]
It had increased, but only by a little.
It had really only increased by a little!
Although he hadn't had high hopes for the Giant Toads, he hadn't expected to only gain one point in dexterity. By the way, was one point of dexterity really appropriate for several toads?
He couldn't help but complain.
"Is this good or bad, Kobayashi-senpai?" Kazuma couldn't help but ask. After all, of these people, he was the most concerned about the [Falna]'s effect.
He shook his head slightly. "I can't say it's bad. It's just... poor."
If Bell was the standard, then his was a failure. But considering that rabbit's level of excellence, his was actually not bad?
...No, no, no. No matter how you look at it, one point of dexterity can't be considered "not bad," can it?
What in the world is going on?
In Konosuba, experience points were soul fragments from subjugated monsters that were absorbed into the body. In Danmachi, it was "action-based," meaning you could gain it just by training.
The two did not conflict.
Then, for the value to be so low... did that mean that Giant Toads couldn't increase his proficiency at all?
After all, if you could increase your proficiency just by crushing an ant, then why would the adventurers in Danmachi go through the trouble of adventuring in the dungeon?
"How about it, senpai?"
"...Sorry, there are too few points of comparison. But I think you can also receive your [Falna] now, Kazuma-kun."
"Really?!"
He was very excited.
From the moment he had gotten his [Falna], Kobayashi's expression had been very serious, which had made him think that it wasn't that useful and he had been very nervous. Now, hearing that he could be granted it, he was very excited.
However, he had overlooked Aqua's feelings.
"I won't do it!" the idiot goddess flatly refused, and said, annoyed, "Just now, Kazuma was blaming me, saying this isn't good and that isn't good! I'm not going to carve a [Falna] for him!"
"This is the only thing you're useful for...!" Kazuma clenched his right fist, really wanting to curse her out, but he held it in.
He turned his head to look at him for help, but received an "I-can't-help-you" expression.
After all, she was the absolute core of the party right now. If she wasn't happy, everyone would be affected.
His expression twisted slightly, but in the end, he forced a smile, obsequiously approached the idiot goddess, and said in a low, humble voice, "Beautiful, kind Lady Aqua~~~ We're companions, right? Helping a companion get stronger... isn't that a very happy thing? You are a goddess. You should be even more proud of such a thing, right?"
"Oh my~~~ Mr. Kazuma. Are you finally acknowledging that I'm a goddess at a time like this?" she said, covering her mouth and retorting with merciless sarcasm.
Her "yin-yang" strangeness was exactly like his own from before, which made the "pervert of Axel" feel as if he had been snubbed.
But he couldn't act up.
"Lady Aqua~~~ Our goal is to defeat the Demon King, and then you can go back to the heavens and continue to enjoy your shut-in, useless life, right? Since that's the case, then you should grant me the [Falna] even more, shouldn't you?"
"What are you talking about, Mr. Kazuma? A mere low-class [Adventurer]... are you qualified to be granted the [Falna], which only a god can carve?"
Is it because she's a god? Even gods from different worlds... that attitude of looking down on people without potential is exactly the same.
When the rabbit boy had first arrived in Orario, he had also been rejected by all the Familias because he had no potential.
But Kazuma was fundamentally different from that rabbit.
He changed his tune from his low, humble voice and scolded, annoyed, "Hey! You idiot goddess! I was talking to you nicely! Don't push your luck! Besides, you've caused so much trouble, and you're always getting me killed for no reason! Don't you have any apologetic feelings of wanting to compensate me?! Now you can finally be useful! So just hurry up and give me the [Falna]!"
"Ngh... ngh...! Kobayashi!!!"
The idiot goddess was so flustered she was at a loss. Because what he had said was the truth.
She hadn't expected that even if she could grant the [Falna], he still wouldn't treat her as a goddess, which had truly hurt her pride.
But she didn't even think about it.
Of all the things I've done... has any of it been worthy of being called a goddess?
Before his chest could be soaked with her tears, he quickly comforted her, "Alright, alright. Kazuma is just a little irritable because he wants to get stronger and leave his 'weakling' title behind. Besides... if you carve the [Falna] for him, won't he be at your mercy from now on?"
He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. Hearing this, her eyes immediately lit up.
That's right!
Every time he wants to update his stats, he needs divine blood! At that time, won't he have to bow and scrape and beg me?
Aqua, having figured it out, decided to grant him the [Falna], but she still made a request. "The fried chicken from this evening... you have to offer it to me!"
"Fine, fine. It's all yours, all yours," he said, waving his hand helplessly.
To think that from now on, he would be tied to this idiot goddess... he was even beginning to doubt if his choice was wrong.
If only Goddess Eris were in the mortal world... In that case, he would have unhesitatingly thrown himself into the embrace of that kind and gentle goddess.
Aqua prepared to carve the [Falna] for him.
She did not use her divine blood with concentrated divine power, because with his small and frail body, he definitely wouldn't be able to take it. As a result, his stat sheet was very standard.
[Satou Kazuma]
LV 1
Strength: I 0
Endurance: I 0
Dexterity: I 0
Agility: I 0
Magic: I 0
Skill: (None)Magic: [Clumsy Imitation]
Apart from not having awakened a skill, his panel was a carbon copy of Kobayashi's.
He had magic, but it wasn't very useful.
"...Don't be discouraged, Kazuma. At least you can still change your class from [Adventurer], just like Kobayashi," Darkness couldn't help but console him.
But he knew that his stats were far from meeting the requirements, and he couldn't change his class again. But seeing his ecstatic expression, he really couldn't bear to strike down his enthusiasm.
"Alright. Now, Kazuma-kun, go and subjugate a Giant Toad and test it out."
"Ooooh!!!"
Kazuma excitedly ran towards the plains.
Soon, he had subjugated several toads in a row and then ran back.
With his knife-version [One-Hit Kill] in hand, this kind of monster was no problem for him at all. As long as he lightly cut them, he could kill them. For some reason, he had also become a strong companion.
The light flashed again, and his stats were carved down.
[Satou Kazuma]
LV 1
Strength: I 2
Endurance: I 3
Dexterity: I 5
Agility: I 5
Magic: I 0
Skill: (None)Magic: [Clumsy Imitation]
Kazuma asked curiously, "Is this good or bad?"
"Well, compared to mine, it's good," he replied.
After all, his total stats were fifteen times higher than his. If this was still considered "not good," then he could only say that he had fallen through the center of the earth.
And at the same time, he also understood.
—He absolutely could not increase his proficiency in Konosuba. At least, not in the beginner town of Axel. Because his strength was too high, the low-level monsters could not increase his proficiency.
"It seems I'll have to go to Danmachi after all."
He thought to himself.
Not just for leveling up, but he was also very interested in the divine weapons there.
A weapon forged by the God of the Forge would surely be better than one from an ordinary blacksmith like Bill or the Goddess of Water, Aqua. Not to mention, it was a bizarre, thread-type weapon.
Then, Darkness and Megumin were also granted the [Falna]. The aptitude of the two of them was very good; it was just that their skill trees were skewed. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to become high-level classes. And now, the appearance of the [Falna] could correct them.
[Dustiness Ford Lalatina]
LV 1
Strength: I 0
Endurance: I 0
Dexterity: I 0
Agility: I 0
Magic: I 0
Skill: [Body of Steel]
Magic: [Sanctuary]
[Body of Steel]
Slightly increases stamina, endurance, and negative status resistance in battle.
[Sanctuary]
Raises a 2-meter protective circle. Can absorb a certain amount of damage, proportional to constitution.
[Megumin]
LV 1
Strength: I 0
Endurance: I 0
Dexterity: I 0
Agility: I 0
Magic: I 0
Skill: [Crimson Demon's Swan Song]
Magic: [Explosion]
[Crimson Demon's Swan Song]
Increases magic effect, expands range. The more mana consumed, the greater the skill enhancement.
[Explosion]One shot a day. The strongest known human magic. But after one shot, the caster will fall into a state of exhaustion for a long time.
All in all, it wasn't bad?
"W-wait! Don't look!" Darkness madly tried to snatch the parchment back. He couldn't understand why her reaction was so big.
"Wh-what's wrong, Darkness?"
"My... my name... my real name..."
"Er..."
Only then did he and the others remember that this perverted knight was extremely unwilling to let others see or call her real name.
"Why? Lalatina."
"It's cute, Lalatina."
"You have to be strong, Lalatina."
The group's playful mood was running high. They kept calling her name and teasing her. And Lalatina... ahem, Darkness, also covered her face in shame.
"I... I don't want this kind of shame-play."
She complained in a muffled voice.
"Hahaha—"
Suddenly, the air was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
(End of Chapter)