Chapter 98: Crisis in Kazuma's Party
After 4 hours, Ray covered more than 10 times he could by foot simply with the help of his recent summons.
The ants simply couldn't feel exhausted after literally steamrolling through monsters that populated the wilderness and helped him literally unlock all the waypoints in the Great Forest. He also discovered numerous dungeons but he ignored them because of the low level enemies that spawned from the dungeons. He planned to leave those dungeons for Kazuma.
Now, he is vying for the next area which according to his satellite, is a dune five times smaller than the forest. What caught his interest is apparently a monster with the appearance of the sphinx but very much alive instead of simply an inanimate monument. They are as big as a castle and live in a herd of a dozen in the dune.
These monsters are definitely high level one by the look of it and Ray could already imagine the dungeon it escaped is also similarly high level.
Thus, Ray forgot the task of eliminating the dungeons that were requested by the Holy Kingdom as he gave his order in excitement.
"March my noble steed! We shall seek a new territory to conquer!" Ray shouted as he meant the dungeons but others might think he wanted to conquer land.
The Ant Queen and her subjects clamp their mandibles as if cheering at Ray's declaration before they march toward a new uncharted territory.
Meanwhile, in Ray's mind. He isn't thinking about the rewards he can obtain but a stronger target practice to test his magecraft since the previous enemies are too weak to survive even one fireball.
Mind you that the said fireball isn't the normal fist size but the size of a wrecking ball used for large industrial demolition projects.
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With Kazuma. His life is very miserable.
A dungeon populated by the weakest monster in the monster kingdom, slime. A monster, even a normal adult of the Hub's world, can kill with a stick. All they need to do is hit the core that sustains the slime's existence.
He isn't prepared for the chaos that his useless teammates can do. The useless goddess, Aqua, is goddess of water and slime is a creature made up of water. One can already see the outcome of using water against slimes.
That is exactly what Aqua did. She used water magic against the slimes and instead inflated their size which indirectly promoted the normal feeble slime into Greater Slimes and Slime King.
The crusader, Darkness tried to salvage the situation by quickly killing the slimes by hitting their cores but instead missed and slipped by the water puddle resulting from Aqua's magic which now resulted in her being absorbed by the slime.
Megumin, as usual, resorted to Explosion magic. In a small and cramped hallway of the dungeon which also resulted in a catastrophe and friendly fire. Thankfully the slimes absorbed most of the impact and Kazuma with his party only got off with bruises and scratches.
Now, Kazuma is contemplating his life decisions to become an Adventurer. No, he is actually contemplating if his current party members are trying to ruin his life instead of helping him in his journey to slay the Demon King.
He soon reached his breaking point because this actually is his third death in this dungeon and only still alive thanks to Aqua resurrecting him.
"FFFUUUUCCCCKKKK ITTTT ALLLLLL DAMNIT. IM DONE! FUCK THIS PARTY, FUCK THIS MISSION, FUCK THIS SHITTY REINCARNATION! I RATHER WORK TO DEATH IN A BLACK COMPANY THAN GETTING INTO MASSIVE DEBT BY A USELESS DRUNKARD GODDESS, MY DIGNITY TARNISHED BY THIS SHAMELESS MASOCHIST CRUSADER AND CLEANING UP THE MESS OF THIS USELESS ARCH WIZARD THAT ONLY CAN USE EXPLOSION MAGIC! FUCK THIS LIFE! FUCK EVERYTHING!" Kazuma shouted before storming off this dungeon when he reached his breaking point.
In his rush of adrenaline, he cleaved all slimes he encountered while storming off the dungeon desperately to seek his only hope, Ray. The only dependable fellow reincarnator or more accurately a transmigrator.
———
While Ray is marching with his group of summon across the Great Forest, heading to the dune north east of the Great Forest, he receives a distress message from Kazuma.
[Help! They are turning me insane.]
"Huh?" Ray voiced his confusion as his summons slowed into halt.
[?]
Ray typed back on the mailing interface to reply to Kazuma.
[My party. They are turning me insane. Help me. I don't think my sanity can survive anymore after dying three times over some slimes… no, by the hand of my own party members! Help!]
Ray looked even more confused before he remembered how Kazuma's story goes. He can somehow imagine how he can die thrice.
[Omw. Just tell me the location.]
Ray replies out of sympathy to Kazuma and waits for the location before finding the closest waypoint he can teleport to Kazuma's location.
———
Canceling his adventure over the dune, Ray made his way to the outskirts of the Holy Kingdom where the Slime Dungeon or more known as Beginner Dungeon was located.
When he arrived. He found a slightly bigger than normal village in the area due to the Beginner Dungeon. That is one of the only two dungeons that even a normal human can beat. The other being the Spore Boar Dungeon.
Spore Boar is a type of boar that grows from the ground. Its infant form is a mushroom growing from the ground and when mature, the root system absorbs enough nutrients to form a boar and break free from the ground to live like a normal boar with flesh and blood. Even taste normal with hints of mushroom aftertaste to the meat. A delicacy to the people around the dungeon just like how Slime's body is literally gelatin that can be used to make jelly or the famous Berry Pudding by the locals using delicious berries foraged from the forest edge.
There is Kazuma begrudgingly munching on sweet treats that is the Berry Pudding to lower his stress level. It worked superbly! His anger reduced with the sweetness of the desserts but the source of his rising blood levels is just next to him, looking guilty but he tried his best to avoid gaze with them to not remember his unnecessary deaths.
"Kaz-"
"No." Kazuma replied flatly with a tone that accepted no further argument.
"B-"
"No"
"...I-"
"No" Kazuma said with finality to deny any voice from the three.
One of them rejoiced in pleasure apparent from her body language and facial expression. The Arch Priest is clutching her stomach groaning in hunger while the Arch Wizard is the only one feeling apologetic and guilty for her action which killed Kazuma thrice, now that she reflects on it.
To break the tension between the four, Ray arrived and was currently wearing his usual Hardplate set. His appearance made him stand out from the rest and easily spotted by Aqua and Kazuma for obvious reasons.
"I arrived." Ray lifted his hand and announced his arrival to Kazuma.
"Another reincarnator?" Aqua whispered in concern while already forgotten about her hunger issue.
"Ray senpai! You finally arrived! Please help. I'm losing my sanity over these three idiots. Take me away from these idiots. Please." Kazuma immediately jumped from his seat and rolled a few times on the ground to Ray before hugging his leg while pleading.
Other customers in the tavern are looking over at the two. Thank goodness Ray has his entire body covered by armor and his face is hidden or he will escape from this embarrassing situation.
"Wait, Kazuma. Let's sit and talk first okay?" Ray coaxes the borderline insane Kazuma to his seat before they start to talk.
———
"So, how did everything end that disastrously?" Ray asked after Kazuma poured out his experience in the dungeon.
"Didn't I provide you with an exoskeleton suit? That should make everything easier and a better sword too." Immediately after Ray talked. Megumin instantly turns her head away and her oversized hat is covering her face.
Ray got his answer already. Megumin's first Explosion magic destroyed the exoskeleton suit and the sword.
Ray sighed. Kazuma's party is indeed a group of idiots. This isn't an understatement as if Aqua isn't a goddess capable of resurrection, Kazuma would already die and Kazuma deserves to get angry and turn insane by this. He is after all just a teenager that barely has experience in life to go through death regularly like this. His mental strength isn't enough to bear this nightmarish experience.
Looking at the desperate look Kazuma gave him, Ray felt bad to not offer any assistance to him. However, he didn't know how to resolve this issue at the moment.
Another moment of thought, Ray made his decision.
"How about I accompany you this one time and try to fix your party's issue?" Ray suggested.
Kazuma immediately jumped and caught Ray's hand with both hands, filled with gratitude while repeatedly thanking him.
"Well, have your time and calm down first. You can't enter a dungeon in this distressed state. Perhaps having a meal first then we enter the dungeon." Ray proposed which was accepted by everyone.
They all have a meal except Ray that simply orders a mug of beer to enjoy but the watered down fermentation drinks filled with impurities isn't even palatable to Ray that he immediately switches to canned one instead.
Seeing the familiar canned drinks. Kazuma immediately asks if Ray has cola which Ray replies by taking out a can from the Marketplace. Kazuma guzzled down the carbonated drink impatiently and ended with a loud burp and a satisfied sigh.
"You can buy those from the Hub's Marketplace, you know." Ray informed Kazuma, who immediately went wide-eyed and looked at him in shock.
"Seriously?" Kazuma tried to confirm Ray's statement.
"Yeah, seriously." Ray confirmed.
"The Marketplace has literally everything compiled from all universes and across all time periods. Stuff from earth is also available here in the Marketplace."
"Wait. Does that mean I can buy the gaming console and the Myriad Sword 2!" Kazuma said before suck in air and contemplate.
"If I can buy those from the Hub. Why do I even need to strive hard to return to earth…" His eyelids immediately tear open in realisation. He didn't need to return home at all. He can just pursue his goal of setting off to his NEET life somewhere with just little effort.
What Demon King? What adventure? He didn't need to go through all that bullshit anymore. He simply didn't need to.
"Oi, Kazuma. What about me? You still need to defeat the Demon King so I can return to Heaven. Kazuma? Kazuma? Kazuma!" Aqua shakes Kazuma intensely after feeling the dread of being trapped in a mortal realm. However, Kazuma isn't listening. He is too deep in his daydream of his ideal life.
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A bit of interaction between Ray and Kazuma's party.