Kazuma's your average hobody who never leaves his room. Sure, he's got so quirks - a bit of a perv, kinda ssed up, and definitely girl-crazy - but hey, deep down he's not such a bad dude.
Today marks the first day their leader has left the party.
Kazuma resolved to beco the team's pillar, improving the party so that upon the leader's return, he won't be too disappointed with this group of misfits. After all, they can't risk losing their leader!
As he greets the morning sun, Kazuma stretches his arms, stiff from a night's sleep. The stable, cold and damp with moist straw bedding, is hardly a welcoming environnt for young adventurers.
Following Carter-senpai's request, he decided to first complete the {Purify Cetery} quest, then seek a higher-paying job to move the group out of the stable.
To get this done, Kazuma's gotta wake up the star of the show - that useless goddess Aqua. Sure, she's pretty much a waste of space, but hey, she's still technically a goddess.
— Aqua, the Party Animal Goddess.
Kazuma just can't wrap his head around the fact that this good-for-nothing deity with her maxed-out party tricks is actually the Water Goddess that the Axis Cult goes nuts over.
"Hey, Aqua, wake up! We need to complete the quest. How long are you planning to sleep?" As Kazuma shifted his gaze to the goddess sleeping like a pig beside him, he discovered an unexpected presence.
Their leader, Adam Carter.
Adam is embracing Aqua, who's curled up in his arms for warmth, holding him tightly — the two intimate and inseparable.
"Huh? Carter-senpai...?"
Having been entrusted with great responsibility just last night, and now seeing Adam before him this morning, Kazuma can't help but suspect he's being tricked.
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An hour later...
"Hahaha! I was just worried about you guys, so I only stayed away for one night and hurried back!" Adam scratched his cheek, laughing awkwardly.
"Eh? Is that so? Carter-senpai, you're not trying to fool , are you?" Kazuma doesn't believe it at all, suspecting this is a prank orchestrated by Adam and Aqua to make fun of him.
Bet you anything this was her bright idea! She's probably itching to see fall for it so she can laugh her head off and call a Shut-in NEET.
That Aqua... She's about as gracious as a grumpy cat. Seriously, her pettiness could give a kindergartener a run for their money!
Just as Kazuma was about to condemn her for going too far, Adam spoke:
"Co on, Kazuma, don't doubt . I've mastered an incredible otherworldly sword technique, and I'm eager to share it with you. Trust , you won't be disappointed."
"Really, Adam?!" Before Kazuma could react, Aqua chid in excitedly, "Learning an otherworldly skill in just one night — as expected of the hero I acknowledge! The title of 『Skill Thief』 is yours!"
"Is that really true?" Her enthusiasm only deepened Kazuma's skepticism.
Man, they're really piling it on! I'd be a total dummy to buy this baloney!
"It's true, I swear!" Adam nodded earnestly, "I really did learn a sword technique in one night, and it's quite powerful."
"Just one night?"
"Just one night."
His confident deanor was convincing, and Kazuma finally believed him.
Rising from the straw mat, Adam announced, "Well then, let's go try out this otherworldly sword technique!"
"Oh!" Aqua and Kazuma cheered in unison, with Kazuma being the most excited — he was about to learn the sword technique of his dreams!
Stoked? Nah, over the freaking moon!
But hold up, his happy dance was about to hit a major snag...
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After washing up in the stable, the trio headed to the Adventurers' Guild to await gumin and Darkness's arrival.
"Since we're testing sword techniques, we'll need monsters as practice targets. Let's seize this chance to accept an extermination quest and try it out."
Adam, Aqua, and Kazuma stood before the quest board, perusing the available tasks.
Kazuma scratched his head and piped up, "Hey, won't gumin and Darkness find it weird if they see us testing out this sword move? I an, it's not exactly standard Sword Master stuff - they might start asking questions."
"You're right, it could easily be exposed." Aqua chid in, her voice tinged with concern.
"Absolutely." Adam declared confidently, accepting a Giant Toad extermination quest without hesitation, "We're a formidable team destined to defeat the Demon King. Keeping this secret indefinitely is neither necessary nor beneficial. When the ti cos, we'll handle any questions with ease. Trust , those two won't dig too deep into this matter."
"Hmm... you're onto sothing," Kazuma nodded, grinning. "gumin and Darkness aren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed. They'll probably just roll with it."
Right on cue, the two popped up at the Adventurers' Guild entrance like a pair of whack-a-moles.
"Hey, what's that supposed to an?"
"Yeah, spill it, Kazuma!"
The dynamic duo piped up, clearly not thrilled with Kazuma's little jab.
Kazuma, being the equal-opportunity critic he is, doesn't hold back, "Yeah, Miss Explosion with the not-so-bright ideas and Miss Can't-Hit-The-Broad-Side-of-a-Barn Crusader - what's your deal? You're supposed to be top-tier, but you're about as useful as a chocolate teapot!"
"Not-so-bright ideas..."
"Ah... useless... so degrading... mmm..."
gumin and Darkness fold like cheap lawn chairs under Kazuma's sick burn. Their reactions make Kazuma roll his eyes so hard he practically sees his own brain, and he backs away from the hot ss express.
"Alright, let's go." Adam announces, clapping his hands to grab everyone's attention.
gumin and Darkness, having just arrived and unaware of the situation, inquire, "Go? Where?"
"To complete an extermination quest."
As Adam hands them the extermination order, their expressions shift dramatically. gumin appears terrified, while Darkness seems excited. Both recall their slimy past experience, albeit with vastly different reactions.
"Don't worry, it's not your turn to shine this ti. I'll be the one experinting with sword techniques." Adam reassures them, patting gumin's shoulder to soothe her wounded spirit.
"Experinting with sword techniques?"
"Yes, not a Sword Master skill, but a stolen one."
He was prepared to reveal his ability〚Analyze and Copy〛.
gumin had previously witnessed this ability when Adam stole her〘Explosion Magic〙and used it in front of her. He even plagiarized her self-composed chant. However, adhering to the adventurer's code, she refrained from asking for details.
This ti, though, Adam is voluntarily unveiling his secret.
"In short,〚Analyze and Copy〛can analyze all skills and mimic them. It's my greatest trump card and the source of my confidence in defeating the Demon King." Adam explained the skill in detail to the two, but didn't reveal that Aqua had granted him this ability.
[Not exposing oneself as a person from another world] has long been an unspoken rule among otherworlders, and Adam certainly wouldn't voluntarily break this agreent.
Primarily, he kept this secret because learning that he was from another world would profoundly impact gumin and Darkness. It was better to keep them in the dark.
"Whoa, that's wild! What kind of crazy ability is that?"
"Holy cow, that's totally amazing!"
As expected, gumin and Darkness were left speechless upon learning about Adam's skill.
"Impressive, right? Now, let's test the sword technique I've stolen." Adam extended his hands, "Want to co and see?"
gumin and Darkness eagerly grabbed his hands, exclaiming in unison:
"We're going!"
"Of course!"
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T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!
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