Two days after Darkness joined the party, everyone gathered at the Adventurers' Guild.
"Let's go accept a quest." Adam suggested.
Kazuma agreed, "Yeah, now that we've finished recruiting party members, it's time to start adventuring."
"Eh? Aren't we going to recruit any more companions?" Aqua asked, looking confused.
Kazuma shrugged, "There are already too many problem children in the party. What if we get another one?"
"Hey, who's a problem child?!"
"Yeah, not cool!" Megumin chimed in.
"Hmm..." Darkness mumbled, looking oddly pleased.
The girls bristled, refusing to admit they were anything less than perfect party members.
"You're all party members, stop arguing." Adam clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, "This is our party's first collaboration. We'll focus on team building and won't take on difficult tasks, okay?"
"Agreed!" The others chorused.
Adam went straight to the quest board, took a request form to the guild counter to register, and said, "Our party will take this quest."
"{Purify the Polluted Lake}, is it?"
"Alright, please allow me to register it." The receptionist filled out a simple form.
Adam returned to the party and handed the request form to everyone to review.
"Purify the polluted lake?" Kazuma examined the request form, then turned to Adam with a puzzled expression. "Do we have anyone in our party capable of purifying water sources?"
Wait, did this guy seriously forget?
Aqua smacked him on the head, "Hello? It's me, dummy! I'm the Water Goddess, remember?"
The title of "Goddess" caught Megumin and Darkness's attention.
"Oh, that's just Aqua being Aqua." Kazuma said with a grin, totally pulling one over on the other two.
"Aw, poor Aqua and her wild imagination."
Aqua was fuming, but thanks to Adam's earlier "don't spill the beans about being a goddess" rule, she couldn't call Kazuma out on his BS.
"Well, that's the situation," Adam resumed the conversation. "Aqua possesses the ability to purify water sources, which is why I accepted this request."
"Hmph, leave it to me!" Aqua puffed out her chest.
"Now, let me briefly assign our roles." He pointed at each member, outlining their responsibilities. "Aqua will focus on purifying the water source. Darkness and I will lure the monsters in the lake. Megumin will stay by Aqua's side and use Explosion Magic to intimidate the monsters if necessary. Kazuma will roam and provide Read the latest chapters on NovelHub - completely free! Is everyone clear on their tasks?"
He set up the team like it was a video game. You know, those online games where everyone's got a job to do? Yeah, that kind of thing.
So here's the deal: Darkness is our tough girl up front, Megumin's our magic powerhouse, Aqua's on healing duty, Kazuma's running all over helping out, and Adam's the all-rounder. Pretty sweet setup, right?
He wished he knew more about these strategy games, but he was more into shooting stuff {a World Champion by that}. Too bad there's no guns here, huh? But hey, this team's got all bases covered! Five people, ready to kick some butt!
Let's get this show on the road!
Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness were up front, bouncing around like kids on a sugar rush. They totally didn't have that whole "careful adventurer" vibe going on - more like they were headed to a fun day at the park. Meanwhile, Adam and Kazuma were bringing up the rear, playing it cool but keeping their eyes peeled for any forest shenanigans that might pop up.
"Carter-senpai, why did you choose this quest?" Kazuma asked, "Aren't there better options for team building?"
"You're right, other quests might be more suitable for improving coordination." Adam admitted.
The Dullahan hadn't reached the beginner's village yet, and the Adventurers' Guild still offered plenty of quests. If team coordination was their primary goal, they could have chosen differently.
After a moment's reflection, he explained.
"There are three reasons. First, I genuinely want to improve our teamwork. Second, this quest offers a higher reward, which suits our five-person party. Lastly, I want to gauge our party's limits."
"Limits?" Kazuma understood the first two reasons, but the last one puzzled him.
"Kazuma-kun, you haven't forgotten our ultimate mission, have you?" Adam's reminder sparked recognition.
"Defeating the Demon King... Right, that's why we're here!"
"Exactly! To accomplish that, our party needs to quickly evolve into a specialized assault team capable of challenging the Demon King."
"Got it!" Kazuma grinned, giving a thumbs up, "Carter-senpai, you're the real deal... even if you can be a total klutz sometimes."
"Hey, watch it, or I'll give you a noogie!"
"Whoa, my bad, my bad!"
Kazuma quickly apologized, and Adam chuckled, shaking his head.
After several hours of trekking, the group finally reached the polluted lake, their legs a bit wobbly from the journey.
"Aqua, purify the lake." Adam instructed. He then turned to the others, "Everyone else, follow the plan we discussed!"
Aqua knelt at the lake's edge and dipped both hands into the water. As the Goddess of Water, her mere touch naturally purified polluted water.
However, this ability was a double-edged sword. Being a goddess meant she also purified alcoholic beverages, tea, juice, and other drinks into tasteless water. Consequently, no matter what Aqua drank, it always became flavorless water.
"Hey Aqua, how long's this lake cleanup gonna take?" Adam asked, scratching his head.
"Ugh, for a lake this big? We're talking most of the day." Aqua sighed.
"Seriously? That's forever!" Kazuma groaned, throwing his hands up, "And you're supposed to be some hotshot water expert? Lame!"
"Excuse me?!" Aqua snapped back, her face turning red, "I'd like to see you do better, smartypants! This is lightning-fast for a whole freaking lake!"
Kazuma opened his mouth to argue, but then shut it quick. The whole "put up or shut up" thing totally worked on him. He just crossed his arms and mumbled something under his breath.
As time crawled by, the sun climbed higher in the sky, and the heat intensified.
Adam's 〔Enemy Detection〕{stole from Darkness} suddenly activated, prompting him to alert the group.
"Heads up, everyone! We've got alligators!" He called out, unsheathing his katana. Turning to Darkness, he continued, "Darkness, I need you with me. We'll lure the alligators together. Once we've gathered a bunch, then—"
"I said, no need! I can handle it alone — it's my duty as a Crusader!" Darkness declared resolutely. Her statement would have been impressive if her face wasn't flushed with perverse excitement.
She charged ahead, disrupting Adam's strategy and scattering the party's formation.
"I have no choice but to join in!" Adam gritted his teeth and lured some alligators in the opposite direction from Darkness to ease her burden.
"Right!" Kazuma, who had been waiting on the sidelines, sprang into action. He drew his longbow and took aim at the alligators pursuing Adam.
"Snipe! Snipe! Snipe! Snipe! Snipe!"
Gone were the days when Kazuma fumbled with a bow and arrow. Having mastered the 〚Snipe〛 skill, he had transformed into a formidable archer.
After firing numerous arrows, Kazuma finally took down all the alligators pursuing Adam. Now, only the reptiles surrounding Darkness remained...
"Darkness!" Kazuma yelled. He spun around to check on her and — holy cow, it was a full-on gator fiesta! She was knee-deep in scaly chompers, yelping every so often. But wait a sec... Kazuma squinted, listened closer, and his face twisted in disgust. "She's actually enjoying this... Figures. It's not just her skills that are hopeless — her whole personality is a lost cause."
There was Darkness, living her best life in Gator Town...
"I really don't want to save her..."
Despite his reluctance, Kazuma readied his bow and methodically eliminated the alligators surrounding her.
Eight grueling hours later, the quest finally reached its conclusion.
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