"Shit, shit, shit..." Kazuma cursed under his breath. His bones, muscles, tendons, even the very hair on his arms and head wouldn't stop trembling; impending death was just a few steps away from him.
He gritted his teeth so hard that blood seeped from his gums, staining the dirt floor already wet with his tears. He shook his head incessantly. "I don't want to," he told himself, keeping his eyes fixed on the stones on the ground.
Dust's scream was like a ghost from the past, sending an invisible pain through every cell in his body. The boy began to breathe heavily right at that moment.
He had spent most of his life in school, another large part eating, smiling, watching politicians spout promises, and living in a peaceful world where, at most, you'd get into a fight over a girl.
Of course, he never participated in those fights. He lived his school life eating, sleeping, or reading web novels online. He had no military training, not even psychological conditioning.
"No, no, no!!!" he screamed at the dirt, a forced smile forming on his face. "I'm just a... teenager, yeah, that's it, I'm... just a... teenager. What am I doing here?" he asked himself in his mind, ignoring the fact that Dust was also the exact same age.
Another roar echoed through the forest; this time, Dust lost his left hand to the jaws of the powerful beast.
In the brawl, the Berserk extended its thick hands—resembling a pig's trotters with three fingers—and grabbed the blond by the neck.
"Mragglllll!!!!!" it roared forcefully at the heavens. The smile on its face revealed bloody teeth, its eyes focused on the prey in front of it. It sniffed the boy's scent, closed its eyes, and licked its lips.
In the distance, Inox barely managed to stand up, spitting blood once again, his spine struggling to support the weight of his entire body.
He heard the final whimpers of the giant wolf; Darkness had won through sheer brute force. She glanced at him before turning around and charging toward the Berserk.
The girl grabbed the Berserk by the neck, ready to use the exact same technique she had used on the giant wolf.
However, "Mmamama," the beast laughed before opening its jaws and biting down on the girl's arm. Its eyes filled with anticipation as its nose twitched at her scent.
But this time was different. Its teeth bit down hard, but they barely penetrated a few millimeters into the girl's skin before meeting a powerful resistance.
"Kyahh!!" it thought it heard a moan as that same arm rubbed against its jaws. The next moment, a hand shoved its way deep into its mouth.
It let out a muffled roar, feeling an intense pain that only made its muscles swell larger. Dust took the opportunity to retreat when the beast loosened its grip.
Darkness fought in a way she never had before. The muscles in her body vibrated with an indescribable pleasure; the smile on her face was genuine as her hair whipped around, completely loose and disheveled.
The Berserk moved its powerful claws and legs effortlessly. It tried to scratch, kick, punch, or tear the girl's skin off, but none of it was possible.
The two clashed in primitive combat, Darkness using her incredible strength to attack the Berserk's sensitive spots: neck, throat, eyes.
It was a spectacular sight. It wasn't about punches or kicks, much less magic or elegant sword movements, but a fierce struggle to see who was the strongest, the most savage.
Darkness used her strong fingernails like claws to grab the Berserk's windpipe and pulled hard, her legs locking around its waist.
The loud squeal of a pig echoed throughout the forest before it finally died down.
Finally, they were out of danger with the Berserk's last howl. Aqua woke up shortly after, healing Inox, easily regenerating Dust's arms, and healing an excited, blushing Darkness.
She wondered why Kazuma didn't have a single scratch before shaking her head and joining the others, leaving the Japanese boy sitting on the dirt while Inox, Darkness, and Dust chatted near the corpses of the two beasts.
"Alive." The Japanese boy looked at the grass swaying gently in the wind not too far away, the distant brush hiding the bases of those gigantic tree trunks, and finally, the birds returning to the canopies.
He blinked a couple of times and narrowed his eyes. The fear was fading at a terrifying speed. He let out a soft sigh, inhaling the forest air before feeling the ache in his bones.
His teeth felt fragile, as if every single one had a mild toothache. He narrowed his eyes. "Why does it hurt?" He didn't understand it.
He shook his head, about to turn around, when he clicked his tongue and felt that pain in his gums again. "Why the fuck does it hurt?!!!" he thought angrily, clenching his fist, ready to punch himself in his own face.
But he stopped. His fist halted mid-air, trembling. "If I do, then it'll hurt..." He closed his eyes, calming down a bit. Even so, the discomfort of something he couldn't understand planted itself deep within his heart.
The danger level of this quest had escalated way too much. What was initially thought to be an easy quest to farm Eris and make a small fortune had ended in a life-or-death battle.
Darkness, along with Dust and Inox, jointly decided to notify the Adventurer's Guild. After all, this was now a major threat that couldn't be ignored.
They all returned with the corpses of twenty elite goblins, a three-eyed woolly mammoth, a giant wolf, and a pig berserk.
Immediately upon reporting their battle, one of the receptionists, Luna, informed the Guild Master, who received the detailed report right then and issued a reward of one million Eris for the information and the corpses of the giant wolf and the berserk.
Luna also informed the party that the Guild Master could summon them at any time for questioning.
With that, the group headed to a large table and ordered wine along with toad meat to celebrate.
Throughout the entire time, Aqua, Dust, Darkness, and Inox talked non-stop about the fight, while Kazuma remained silent.
"Ahem..." Inox coughed in the middle of the lively banquet, catching everyone's attention. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he smiled, hesitating for a moment before stating clearly, "I would like to ask for this million Eris to buy a plot of land."
His tone was direct. He looked at his smiling teammates and smiled genuinely as well. Of course, he ignored the fact that Kazuma was simply watching him with a calm face, showing neither a smile nor sadness.
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