For Axel—where the average adventurer level hovered around forty—putting together a party capable of subduing a One-Hit Bear was never truly difficult.
The real problem was that the One-Hit Bear's strength was simply too outrageous. Most of the adventurers in Axel were people already half-retired, content to coast through life. None of them had any desire to provoke a monster like that.
And even if they did decide to take one down, it would be as a coordinated team.
Yet everyone in Axel knew this much: Ren Kuroda might be a newcomer, but he had always been a lone wolf.
More than that—whenever he hunted One-Hit Bears, it was never just one.
He could take down several at the same time.
"Hey, hey, isn't this a bit much?We were clearly here first, you know."
Kazuma had originally wanted to ask Luna how complete newcomers—people who weren't even registered adventurers yet—were supposed to earn money. But the moment Ren arrived, Luna became completely swamped, leaving her no time to spare for Kazuma and Aqua.
"Hahahaha, feeling the difference in treatment now?Well, that can't really be helped. Ren's basically an anomaly, after all. These days, he's Axel's pride and joy—most of the difficult requests are handled by him alone.
And Luna's a woman past the ideal marrying age, you know. Seeing someone as outstanding as Ren, it's only natural she'd have a few thoughts of her own."
Just as Kazuma, thoroughly annoyed, was about to step in and argue, a refined-looking young man—his bangs covering one eye—slung an arm over Kazuma's shoulder with easy familiarity, mug of ale in hand, and began rambling about Ren's exploits.
Though it was their first meeting, Chris felt an inexplicable sense of kinship with Kazuma, as if they were destined to get along. Without a hint of restraint, he launched straight into his complaints.
"That damn Ren…He's already ridiculously handsome, but then he also has absurd strength.
Now all the girls at the guild treat him like their dream lover. I can't even find someone to warm my bed anymore!Seriously—when is he leaving Axel? With strength like his, why's he slumming it in a backwater like this with the rest of us?"
At first, Kazuma was relieved to hear someone standing up for him and was about to agree wholeheartedly.
But the more he listened to Chris describe just how monstrously strong Ren was, the worse he started to feel.
Wait… is it really okay to talk about someone like that?And isn't he literally standing right there?
What had seemed like a kindred spirit moments ago now felt like a walking landmine. Kazuma suddenly had the horrible realization—
I didn't just get dragged into this… did I?Did I just get labeled an accomplice?
He had only just arrived in another world, and already he'd offended an absurdly powerful existence. Was he going to be killed before he even finished registering as an adventurer?
As Kazuma spiraled into panic, his worst fear came true.
The strongest adventurer in town—Ren Kuroda—had clearly noticed them and was now looking their way.
This was bad. Really bad.
If this were a game, Ren would be at least an early-game boss.
And Kazuma?
He was a civilian who hadn't even completed character creation.
Was there any chance of winning?
No. Absolutely none.
Running away? Also unlikely.
What about begging? Would begging work?
As Kazuma mentally rehearsed every possible prostration pose, he cursed Chris with every fiber of his being—all while the man continued casually drinking with an arm draped around his neck.
I'm supposed to be the summoned hero from another world!My grand adventure hasn't even started yet!So why did I first get saddled with a useless goddess… and now immediately offend a monster like this?!
"Judging by your clothes… you're not a native of this world, are you?"
Ren's calm question left Kazuma completely stunned.
He had been prepared to grovel, to cry, to apologize with tears streaming down his face—
But this?
At first, Ren hadn't noticed Kazuma and Aqua at all. It wasn't until he heard Chris's voice that his attention was drawn to the boy wearing a tracksuit.
Tracksuits were common enough—but context mattered. In a fantasy world like this, modern athletic wear stood out like a sore thumb.
After spending nearly a month in Axel without triggering the system's world quest, Ren had already been considering a trip to the royal capital.
What he never expected was to encounter another transmigrator under circumstances like these.
Satō Kazuma looked utterly average—plain features, average physique. But following the usual narrative patterns, that practically guaranteed he was the chosen protagonist of this world.
In that instant, everything clicked for Ren.
The reason his world quest hadn't triggered yet wasn't a bug—it was because the world's "chosen one" hadn't appeared.
Now that the protagonist had finally entered the stage, the start of Ren's world quest was only a matter of time.
As Ren felt a spark of excitement at this realization, the man standing before him was just as thrilled.
Kazuma had been convinced he was moments away from death.
But after hearing Ren's question, he was suddenly certain—
He's from the same place as me!
Being abruptly thrown into another world, saddled with a useless goddess, Kazuma had been deeply anxious about his future.
Yet now, against all odds, he'd met someone from home.
And judging by Ren's overwhelming presence, this "fellow countryman" was absurdly powerful.
If he's willing to power-level me… wouldn't that mean—
"What?! Another summoned hero?!Then he definitely remembers me, Lady Aqua! After all, before useless Kazuma, it was me who guided all the heroes from other worlds!"
The commotion quickly caught the attention of a certain blue-haired entity.
Before Kazuma could finish his sentence, Aqua kicked him aside and shoved herself forward.
Seeing how powerful Ren seemed, Aqua's mind immediately began racing.
Compared to barely scraping by with that sadist Kaz's poverty-stricken lifestyle, clinging to a stronger adventurer was obviously the superior choice.
And since Ren was someone she had supposedly guided before, even if she didn't remember him, he surely remembered her.
After all, she was Aqua—the goddess of beauty and wisdom.
Surely, with just a little enthusiasm, Ren would take her in, right?
"'The Goddess of Wisdom' Aqua…?That would be one hell of a coincidence…"
Ren didn't have much impression of Kazuma or Aqua's appearances, but the moment he heard her name, memories from his previous life surfaced—specifically, the infamous trio of goddesses from otaku culture.
These three were legendary. Even people who'd never watched their series had heard their names.
The "Goddess of Wisdom" Aqua.The "Goddess of Facial Expressions" Ristarte.The "Goddess of Greed" Ishtar.
Three goddesses, three domains—absolute peaks in their respective fields.
And Aqua, without question, reigned supreme in the "wisdom" category.
Even though Ren had never actually watched KonoSuba, Aqua's reputation alone was more than enough.
"No, no, no—while it's true that I am brimming with wisdom, the Goddess of Wisdom is someone else.I am Aqua, the goddess who governs water!
So, brave adventurer, are you willing to shoulder the sacred duty of serving a goddess and attending to Lady Aqua's daily needs?"
Seeing that Ren clearly recognized her name, Aqua was practically vibrating with excitement.
Ever since being dragged into this world by sadistic Kazuma, her life had been nothing but suffering. No proper food, sleeping in stables, and now she couldn't even afford the registration fee for the Adventurers' Guild.
She'd heard everything earlier.
If Ren was Axel's strongest adventurer, then sticking with him would mean luxury and comfort guaranteed.
And from the way he'd reacted to her name, Aqua was convinced he understood how to properly respect a goddess—far more than Kazuma ever did.
"Well… I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline.I've always preferred traveling alone, so—"
Yes, Ren knew Aqua's reputation well.
And the title "Goddess of Wisdom" had absolutely nothing to do with intelligence—it was pure irony, referring to a level of intellect that had shattered the lower limit.
Worse still, Aqua's ability to attract trouble was legendary.
Unless Ren had lost his mind, there was no universe in which he would willingly take responsibility for her.
"Eh? Why reject me?You admire me, don't you? This is your chance to prove your devotion!"
Aqua froze, completely dumbfounded.
According to her expectations, rejection shouldn't have been possible. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live alongside a goddess of beauty and wisdom!
"I am from another world, but I wasn't guided by you.And like I said, I'm used to moving on my own.
That said… you two seem to be trying to register as adventurers, right? I'll cover the registration fees—for both of you."
"Luna, you can add their expenses to my account.I'll come back later to collect my reward money."
After leaving those words behind, Ren Kuroda practically fled the Adventurers' Guild.
He hadn't even truly met Aqua before—but her legendary clinginess was already infamous in his memory. Anyone who got tangled up with her inevitably ended up buried under a mountain of trouble.
When it came to dealing with someone like that, there was only one correct strategy—
Keep as much distance as humanly possible.
..
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