The Hero Used Flash. It's Super Effective!

Early the next day, Matthias and Manna went directly to the guild in full gear after a light meal. Both of them brought their prized weapons. Just in case, he wrapped the scabbard of his new sword in a black cloth to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

Despite being rather dark out, the guild was already bustling with activity. For these people, who worked almost entirely off of commissions, their days needed to start early. This was another point that made nobles want to avoid that kind of life since most would rather sleep in without a care. Of course, that only applies to some of the more serious, hardworking types.

Soleil was already there when they arrived, waiting at the counter with the same receptionist they had talked with the day before. She greeted them with a big smile.

"Good morning. You're early," Soleil said as she extended her hand. Matthias took it with little hesitation and grasped it firmly.

Her face was clean and fresh. It looked like she had followed that large man's advice and groomed herself before coming. Her hair, finally free of dried mud and debris, was done in the same high ponytail she had before, which gave her a lively and youthful appearance. The subtle smell of road dirt was also replaced by... well, nothing really. But, although she did have a clean cloak on, upon closer look, it was the same battered and weathered one she had worn the day before. He smiled wryly at the contrast.

"Couldn't get a wink of sleep."

After she shook hands with Manna, the receptionist presented a document to them made of thick parchment set on leather, which listed their names. The guild logo was burned at the upper-right side, while a list of clauses, an acknowledgment, and a few other statements filled the empty spaces. The only thing that needed to be added was the party name, which they still needed to decide.

Regardless, they officially became a party after they had signed their names.

Because Matthias wanted to avoid rushing headlong into danger, he, the "elected" party leader, decided to take an easy material-gathering quest first. Though, by "elected," it only involved Manna voting for him and Soleil surrendering the responsibility. According to the latter, having a stranger be the party leader wasn't efficient, and since she was the odd one out, she felt it was natural to give the position up.

"Even the worst demon lords know when it is best to follow consultation," she said.

Their quest required them to travel through the small, wooded area to the north. The destination was past that area in a small cave where something known as "glowstones" could be found.

These stones had a unique property. They could glow at different intensities or heat up to an alarming degree, depending on what was done to them. Despite being relatively uncommon, they lasted long, explaining their low price. Still, they were in demand for applications such as industrial lighting, heating, cooking, and others.

As they arrived at the forest border, they decided to stop for a while to discuss their formation. They hadn't done so yet because in their excitement, mostly Mannas', they immediately set off right after signing the necessary documentation.

"Since Manna is an archer, she will hold the rear while I'll be on the front. What about..."

He hesitated to mention the words "demon lord" to Soleil as he still found it a weird title, to say the least. But the person in question ignored his discomfort and answered despite his inability to ask straight.

"I fight on the front as well," she declared proudly. "A demon lord's role is to lead the charge and set an example. They don't stay in the rear and perform cowardly tricks."

"... Wasn't the last demon lord a powerful mage?" Matthias thought. He suddenly felt kind of sorry for the late demon lord, who had just got insulted by a rookie adventurer.

To his side, Manna had an awkward, twitchy smile. While she was an archer, her specific job could be called a "hunter." Not only was she good with the bow, but she was also proficient with using traps and tracking... And according to Soleil, she qualified as someone who stayed in the rear and performed "cowardly tricks."

He patted her shoulder to console her from the emotional damage she had sustained.

"So, you're also a frontliner?" Matthias' hope that she was a support type like a cleric crumbled. "Where's your uhh... weapon?"

At a glance, beside a small sack she carried, Soleil wasn't taking any weapons with her. There was no sword on her hip or back and no axes or spears either. Perhaps she had daggers hidden underneath her cloak, but as far as he could determine, no such protrusions hinted at her possessing such weapons.

Suddenly, a passionate fire lit in Soleil's eyes as she exclaimed;

"I fight with my body!"

With a flourish, she threw her cloak off to reveal her gear.

The first thing that caught his eye, of course, was the tattered leather piece that resembled a sports bra, which was the only thing that protected her chest. Then, there was the pair of short, red hot pants held up by a wide black leather belt.

Her hands were protected by red fingerless gloves, which looked worn and discolored. She had a tight black sleeve on her right arm, while her left arm was wrapped in fresh white bandages.

The boots she wore looked like any other leather ones often seen on commoners; however, they had armor plating on the soles. Lastly, her legs were covered by stockings that reached her thighs.

… Why did she look like a mixed martial arts practitioner?

"My fists are clubs, and my legs are knives. This is the only means of fighting suitable for demon lords. To enforce justice, I mean. Don't you agree?"

Her body looked toned and flexible, and he didn't doubt that she was a skilled striker. However, what about her power? She didn't look to have that much muscle on her. And what was that about demon lords enforcing justice?

"Uhh... I guess?"

All he could do was nod.

After that, they held an ability test at a clearing inside the forest where they could avoid being seen. It was so they could be visually introduced to each other's abilities, which was vastly better than just hearing about it. Manna, excited to show off, volunteered to go first.

She, an archer, specialized in using bows and arrows. While she could also use a dagger and a short sword to some extent, she would rather just use her bow as a blunt weapon and escape amidst her enemies' confusion after getting hit.

She possessed two bows; a small composite bow that used regular arrows and her own specially-made bow, which was taller than her and used arrows that were more than twice the regular length.

With the former, she could shoot quickly and accurately. But, as expected of a cheap weapon that could pass as training equipment, its power wasn't anything to discuss. Still, she could reliably hit targets as far as two hundred paces or more, which showcased her proficiency.

In contrast, her second bow was an extraordinarily long and thin weapon, custom-built over a couple of years. It used rare enchanted metals and woven monster string as materials, which she funded by spending almost all her waking hours hunting for bigger games than everybody else. It was relatively inexpensive, as she was still limited by the amount she could earn as a hunter. She had also refused Matthias' money. But he did provide the technology by secretly hiring a royal blacksmith from the capital to replace their local one for a few weeks.

The bow's main feature was its hefty draw weight. The only way to lighten it was to inject magic into the bow. Then, by cutting off the supply of magic at the moment of firing, the string would stretch taut instantly and eject the projectile with exceptional speed and power. It was a method of creating bows that hadn't yet appeared for some reason in that world, but the blacksmith who made it managed to quickly understand the concept after Matthias had explained it.

Soon enough, he thought many bows would be made in such a way. But at least until that day, Manna's weapon would be unique.

Due to the arrow's length, she had to pull the string much farther than usual until her drawing hand was right on her shoulder. When she released it, a harsh sound of scraping metal rang before they heard a loud bang. The arrow had hit and half-destroyed a boulder in the distance to almost a thousand paces from where they stood.

"Cool!" Soleil exclaimed, visibly impressed by the bow's stopping power despite talking down on all ranged combatants earlier.

While it was indeed "cool," there were two main problems with her weapon. Firstly, she needed to stand completely still when using it because of how unwieldy it was and the difference between its weight before and after firing. Secondly, because of the force of the string, most arrows couldn't survive being pushed by it from behind as it ground against the grip. The only way they knew how to address the issue was to use heavy metal arrows, which were quite expensive.

But to Matthias, those problems were worth facing to have what was essentially portable artillery in that world. And Manna enjoyed using it, so it was fine.

Other than bows, she could also use traps. But since it was the kind of skill that they couldn't test without wasting some time, besides being boring to watch, she simply explained the specifics and ended her turn.

Next was Soleil's.

... or so it should have been, but Manna egged Matthias to go next instead.

"A real man shows off at the start," she whispered.

"... Why did you go before me, then?"

"Because you couldn't beat me even if you tried."

"...."

Since when had this become a competition? Exasperated, he stepped forward and drew his sword.

Unlike Manna, who could only inject magical power into her bow, Matthias could utilize it for other applications, such as offense and defense. He was what one could call a magic swordsman.

... Truth be told, he would much rather use a greataxe. But the family heirloom was a sword, so he had little choice.

First, he brought out his primary weapon, a cheap steel sword he had bought a couple of years ago. Unlike Manna's composite bow, which looked like a training weapon, his sword, indeed, was one. Nevertheless, it could still perform its role: to be enchanted with magic.

When he learned that the world had magic, he wanted to be able to use fire. Fire was passionate and intense, precisely how he wanted to be viewed. After all, most heroes in the stories he read used it. But unfortunately, not only did he learn that the element an individual could use was fixed upon birth, but he also eventually discovered that despite being able to use three out of the four basic elements, which was already extremely rare and showed his talent for magic, the one element he couldn't use was the one he wanted. Yes, the one in four odds struck gold on him with his misfortune.

He wanted to complain to god.

He cycled around the three elements with his sword. Each element had its own uses, and while it wasn't as impressive to watch as Manna breaking a boulder with an arrow, his ability had far more utility. Among many things, Water could allow his blade to grow longer using the surrounding vapor, Wind could make his sword invisible, and Earth could make his strikes heavier.

Besides enchanting weapons, he could also use magic without a staff. Unlike normal mages, he had no trouble controlling magic without it. However, he was only slightly more talented than most people in that regard. At that time, he could cast spells that required two names several times a day, while others his age would struggle to cast a couple. Yet, that was it.

It appeared that despite having the blessings of a god, nobody could ever be dealt a perfect hand.

Still, he was powerful for that world. Other people were forced to choose one profession to maximize their potential, so generalists such as magic swordsmen or combat mages were weaker in each of the arts. But Matthias was slightly better than a committed mage and stronger than a dedicated warrior. The difference was slight, but it was something. According to Manna, it was a talent rare enough that there was no doubt that he would become a hero if he continued his hard work.

But perhaps, there wouldn't be a need to. Matthias sighed as he brought out his second weapon. It was the heirloom sword his father lent him before he left home.

His older brother used to teach him how to use the sword before he went away to study in another country. One night when their parents held a banquet, they sneakily "borrowed" the sword from the study and used it in the backyard. That's why he knew exactly how to use it despite it being the first time he had personally held it.

However, because of what the sword did, everybody immediately found out, and they were physically disciplined.

Matthias injected magic into the sword. It took a lot of energy to respond, but soon he felt the handle heat up. A bright light shone on the surface of the blade.

He looked ahead. There was a target in the distance; a fruit with Manna's bite mark. But that wasn't the important thing. In that general direction also stood Soleil, watching his sword with interest.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva. His hands felt disgusting as his palms became covered in sweat. Anxiety shook his will. The shirt on his back stuck to his skin. But he had to make sure. This was his best chance. Steeling himself, he pushed even more of his magic into the sword, which caused the light to swell up even larger. He thought he just had to think of a way to explain everything to Manna.

With a short yell, he swung his sword toward the target.

The sword was called the Demon Culling. When activated, it releases a wave of light that cleanses miasma. Demons and some monsters heavily depended on miasma to live. In short, it was fatal against any defenseless demon. On the other hand, it had no effect against targets that didn't use it.

The ray of light erupted from the sword and cascaded toward the area where the target was.

Soleil bellowed in pain.