"This is your reward for the mission. Also… the client's feedback was extremely negative. They've stated that they will refuse any future requests being accepted by your party."
Inside the Adventurers' Guild hall, Luna placed a pitifully small handful of Eris coins on the counter in front of Ren Kuroda, her face filled with helpless resignation.
Even after years of working as a receptionist, Luna couldn't help but feel sympathy for Ren. Ending up with those two as teammates was nothing short of a curse.
"Why?! Why?! This isn't fair at all!" Akua exploded."We clearly completed the request exactly as stated! And the reward was written right there—one hundred thousand Eris! So why is there only two thousand left now?!Don't tell me you skimmed off the top, you big-chested woman! I'll file a complaint, you know!"
There was no need to ask—within the entire Adventurers' Guild, the only person bold enough to shout at Luna like this, with such bizarre behavior, could only be Akua.
As for Luna, she seemed long accustomed to scenes like this and replied calmly:
"Miss Akua, strictly speaking, you weren't supposed to receive even one hundred Eris. In fact, you should have compensated the farmer for additional damages."
She continued with a polite smile.
"While you did eliminate the monsters harassing the farm… you also blew away nearly half of the farmland."
"These two thousand Eris were only paid because the elderly couple felt sorry watching how hard you worked and didn't want you to leave empty-handed.If you're dissatisfied, shall I contact them and discuss further compensation?"
The moment Ren saw Luna's gentle smile, he reacted instantly—snatching the Eris from her hands and dragging Akua away before she could say another word.
This wasn't his first day with Akua. If he let her keep running her mouth, they wouldn't just lose the remaining two thousand Eris—they might end up saddled with even more debt.
Since the "trash duo" had evolved into a "deadweight trio," Ren's life hadn't improved at all.
If anything… it had gotten worse.
It was true that Megumin's Explosion Magic was as powerful as she claimed.
What Ren hadn't expected—at all—was that her so-called Explosion Magic only had one shot.
Literally one.
After casting Explosion Magic, Megumin's mana was completely drained, causing her to collapse limply onto the ground.
Normally, Crimson Demons were famous for their massive mana pools. Even the highest-tier Explosion Magic shouldn't have left her so helpless.
The problem was that this chuunibyou girl had dumped every single skill point she had into Explosion Magic alone.
The result?An explosion with absurd range and terrifying power—at the cost of consuming all her mana.
After casting it, Megumin became utterly useless. Not only could she not help in the rest of the fight, she actually became a burden.
This was the real reason she'd always been solo.
Most parties simply couldn't accept such a fighting style.
Staring at the mere two thousand Eris left in his hand, then glancing at the two stunningly attractive disasters in front of him, Ren felt his future grow increasingly bleak.
Originally, he was worried about freezing to death in the stable.
Now, it seemed far more likely they'd starve to death first.
"…Looks like the only way out of this mess is finding a strong, veteran adventurer to join us," Ren muttered."Our party already has a High Priest and an Arch Wizard. It shouldn't be too hard to trick a few clueless people into joining, right?Once they're in, we'll make them sign a contract—something like a one-hundred-million-Eris penalty for leaving the party."
If he had a choice, Ren truly didn't want to keep teaming up with these two walking disasters.
But his own reputation in Akuseru wasn't exactly spotless either.
Even if he wanted to join another party, no one would take him. At that point, sticking with Akua and Megumin was actually the safer option.
They were troublesome, sure—but still better than hunting monsters alone.
Just as the three of them stared at the two thousand Eris on the table, desperately trying to figure out how it was supposed to last until tomorrow—
A massive commotion suddenly erupted at the guild's front entrance.
"Isn't that a Necro Wyvern?!""A level-seventy monster—why is it in the Akuseru region?!""That thing's a mainstay aerial unit of the Demon King's army!""Did Yuto go on a quest… or did he attack the Demon King's forces?!"
At the entrance, a massive black-scaled bipedal wyvern lay sprawled on the ground—its corpse being dragged in like oversized trash by Yuto.
The sight instantly drew a crowd.
Although Akuseru was considered a beginner town, many adventurers here were veterans who had retreated from the front lines. Naturally, they recognized monsters from the Demon King's army.
A Necro Wyvern was a level-seventy powerhouse, infamous even among imperial dragon knight units.
Its regeneration was monstrous, and a single breath attack could incinerate an entire party in seconds.
And yet—
This one was nothing more than a lifeless carcass, dragged across the floor like a dead dog.
"So that's what it's called—a Necro Wyvern," Yuto said casually."No wonder I'd never seen one around Akuseru before.Anyway, more importantly… are the materials valuable?"
Even the guild staff rushed out to watch.
Among them, Luna—most experienced of all—stared at the wyvern with a grave expression.
"Yuto… where did you encounter this Necro Wyvern?They rarely act alone. As one of the Demon King army's signature monsters, they usually operate under command."
Luna wasn't surprised that Yuto defeated it.After all, this was a man capable of fighting multiple One-Shot Bears at once.
What worried her was why it was here.
"I ran into it on my way back to Akuseru," Yuto explained."It was flying around like it was searching for something. When it noticed me, it suddenly attacked.Since it was the strongest monster I'd seen near Akuseru—and I figured it'd be valuable—I dragged the body back."
His explanation didn't reassure anyone.
If anything, Luna's expression grew darker.
"This is bad… If a Necro Wyvern was acting as a scout, it means the Demon King's army may have set its sights on this area."
"But why?" she murmured."Akuseru is a border town. The Demon King's army has always ignored it.Unless… there's someone or something here they're searching for."
"To command a Necro Wyvern, the one behind this would have to be at least a Demon King general."
The veteran adventurers around them finally realized the severity of the situation.
Unlike other cities, Akuseru had minimal defenses.
If the Demon King's army truly targeted this town—and even sent a general—there was no chance of victory.
The average level here was only around forty.
And worse, there were no royal soldiers stationed in Akuseru at all.
Relying on loosely organized adventurers to repel an army was practically impossible.
"No matter what, I'll report this to the guilds in nearby towns and request support," Luna said decisively."Everyone in Akuseru—please reduce mission activity for now and avoid leaving the town. We can't risk unnecessary casualties."
With that, she hurried back inside, clearly anxious to report the situation to higher authorities.
The mood inside the guild shifted completely.
The usual noise and laughter vanished, replaced by worried expressions and heavy silence.
Of course—not everyone was concerned.
Akua's eyes turned into Eris symbols the moment she saw the bounty listed for Demon King generals, loudly declaring she'd purify one herself and cash in.
Megumin struck a dramatic pose, proclaiming that her Explosion Magic would finally stop being wasted on giant frogs and get to shine against real enemies.
And Yuto, too, was quietly pleased.
The Demon King general he'd been searching for had finally come knocking.
Villains coming one by one to deliver experience points to the protagonist—wasn't that how stories usually went?
Still… something felt off.
Was this Demon King general really here to give Ren Kuroda experience?
Compared to Akua and Megumin's excitement, the so-called "chosen one" himself looked calm on the surface—
—but internally, Ren was panicking beyond belief.
Other people's isekai lives started with god-tier talents and harems of beautiful women.
His?
He couldn't even guarantee his next meal.
Sure, he was surrounded by beauties—but one had a defective brain, the other terminal chuunibyou.
No cheat abilities. No blessings.
And now the Demon King's army was coming.
Ren seriously began to suspect that his isekai run had been set to Abyss Difficulty.