Chapter 267

As the dazzling light gradually faded, an adventurer card, engraved with various attributes, hovered above the magic-powered crystal ball.

Luna, with a serious expression, reached out and carefully examined the card.

Although the spectacle from the crystal ball had hinted at the result, the attribute values displayed still made her gasp in surprise.

Except for Luck, which was at a normal level, the other attributes like Intelligence, Endurance, Agility, Magic, and Strength were all maxed out at the highest possible level!

This meant that the tall, muscular man standing before her was a rare all-rounder, capable of excelling in any adventurer profession!

Of particular note was his Magic value, which was nearly off the charts.

It was hard to imagine why such a powerful man had only just now managed to save enough money for adventurer registration!

"Incredible. I've been in this business for years, and it's the first time I've seen an adventurer with stats like yours. Even heroes find it hard to reach such heights."

Luna respectfully handed over the adventurer card with both hands, her words filled with undisguised excitement and admiration.

"Hahaha, wasn't this expected?"

Escanor laughed as he accepted the card, completely unfazed by the stunned gazes of those around him.

For someone as prideful as Escanor, this was only natural—nothing to brag about.

Of course, if he had come for registration at night, it would have been quite a spectacle, breaking records for the lowest stats in adventurer history!

This was the price of his "Sun Grace," and it was something Escanor hoped to remedy in this magical world.

Leaving aside the fact that the Demon Lord Zyhark understood his power well, Escanor also wanted his nighttime self to have at least basic combat capabilities.

After all, this world was just a training ground. Their real enemy was always the corrupt World Government!

Making full use of this rare opportunity to improve himself was how Escanor interpreted this isekai adventure.

Otherwise, he could easily have stormed the Demon Lord's castle at high noon, in his peak condition!

There was no time to marvel at Escanor's strength, as the next one to step up was the anthropomorphic—no, the most notorious villainous Pokémon—Meowth!

"Hey, hey, can a pet cat really become a hero?"

"Don't joke around, have you ever seen a pet cat that can speak human language?"

"I heard from the construction crew that he used to be the ruler of a monster forest deep in demon territory, but the goddess sealed him into this adorable form."

The casual chatter of the adventurers almost made Meowth snap, wanting to claw them all into submission.

A pet cat?! And what's with this nonsense about being the ruler of some monster forest?! Meowth fumed silently.

"Please, go ahead, Mr. Meowth,"

Luna, unable to resist the charm of this adorable, talking cat, was just about to lift him into her arms under the pretext of his height disadvantage.

But Meowth surprised her by using Moon Step to step on the air, making her stare in disbelief.

As the cat's paw touched the crystal ball, light once again illuminated the room, and an adventurer card was generated.

Compared to Escanor's shocking stats, Meowth's results weren't quite as eye-popping.

However, his intelligence was far above average, and his well-rounded attributes still caused a murmur of surprise to spread through the crowd.

After some comparison, the adventurers who realized they were outclassed by a pet cat lowered their heads in shame, exuding a heavy aura of defeat.

But little did they know, an even bigger blow was yet to come.

The next to step up was a small, adorable girl who appeared to be only six or seven years old. Her magic, strength, and agility stats were maxed out.

If not for a slight deficiency in endurance, her overall talent—according to the crystal ball—would have surpassed even Escanor's!

Following her, King, Brook, and Uta all took their turns at the crystal ball.

Whether it was King's physical strength, Brook's life force, or Uta's mental fortitude, all of their stats were far beyond what any adventurer in the room could hope to achieve!

The spectators, who had initially been here to watch the show and laugh at the newcomers, found themselves slipping into a collective state of melancholy.

Some, unable to handle the psychological blow, even considered quitting their adventuring careers altogether and heading off to work construction instead.

After all, manual labor brings luck!

Lastly, the one to step up with the most confidence was none other than the airheaded goddess herself.

Brilliant light once again shone, and an adventurer card recording various attributes appeared.

"Oh my, oh my, this is quite rare..."

Luna stared at the numbers on the card, dumbfounded.

All the stats were maxed out, except for two: Intelligence and Luck, both of which had unprecedented negative values!

"Wow! Did you all see that? My stats are the strongest!"

Aqua snatched the card from Luna's hands, beaming proudly as she flaunted it to her companions.

As for those pitiful Intelligence and Luck stats? Well, with her level of "wisdom," her blue eyes couldn't even perceive them.

Contrary to Aqua's expectations, Meowth and the others all wore the same indifferent expressions upon seeing her stats.

Of course, nothing was surprising—it was all within expectations, after all. Who would be amazed by that?

With King's status as the Child of Luck, Aqua's bad fortune didn't show too much, but as for her unique kind of "wisdom," that had already been seared into their minds.

The adventurers, who had no idea about this, did cooperate by giving Aqua the reaction she had hoped for.

However, following in the wake of Escanor and Kanna, the level of surprise wasn't all that dramatic.

"Wait a minute, did you just refer to yourself as 'the goddess'?" Luna sharply picked up on a very key word.

In this world, few dared to use such a title, as it was an easy way to invite animosity.

"That's right! I am Aqua-sama, the Goddess of Water!" Aqua proudly declared.

Luna was taken aback, staring at the goddess's eyes filled with her unique brand of "wisdom." After a few seconds of silence, she nodded in realization and muttered under her breath, "I see. Now the negative stats make sense."

What had once seemed an incomprehensible mystery now made perfect sense. If you claimed to be one of those brainless followers of the Axis Order, it's no big deal.

Even if you said you were the Demon Lord, I wouldn't doubt your mental state!

Though Axel City wasn't the headquarters of the Axis Order, the adventurers present had still heard rumors about the "organization."

Once Aqua's name was revealed, everyone understood.

Their expressions instantly filled with disdain, and they quietly shifted their chairs, keeping a safe distance from the eccentric Aqua.

Thanks to her, even Meowth and the others were now marked as people to be wary of.

All thanks to Aqua~

Despite everything, under the power of cold, hard cash, the team's adventurer registration was successfully completed.

The next step, naturally, was to take on their first quest.

This was something they had all been eagerly awaiting after their three days of bricklaying: the chance to stay in a comfortable inn, far from the drafty, foul-smelling stables. Completing quests was the most efficient and legitimate way to achieve that!

At this stage, that was their greatest dream and ambition. As for defeating Demon Lord Zyhark, that had long since been pushed to the back of their minds...

It was too distant, too unrealistic!

Since they had just registered as adventurers and had very little knowledge of the world (no one trusted a certain someone anymore), the group decided to follow the guild's rules and start with a basic quest, despite their incredible strength.

...

Quest: Eliminate the Giant Frogs outside Axel City

Description: Giant frogs frequently prey on the cattle and sheep of the plains, causing great distress to the farmers. Each frog eliminated earns a reward of 25,000 Eris.

Note: Giant frogs' meat is bland and tender, making it a popular ingredient in this world. Please return with the frog's body intact.

Special Note: Giant frogs can also swallow humans whole and are immune to normal physical attacks like punches. Please use magic or slashing attacks.

...

After successfully registering the quest with Luna, the team geared up and, full of energy, left the Adventurer's Guild.

In this world, adventuring parties usually consisted of four people, each complementing the others with different roles.

As such, Aqua's seven-member team was unusually large.

On the way, following Luna's suggestions, everyone selected their respective classes.

Aqua, without hesitation, chose her favorite role: Priest. The others, like Escanor, made their choices based on their own weaknesses.

Meowth became an Inventor, King chose the role of Knight, who could maximize equipment attributes;

Kanna became a literal Hunter, and Escanor, a magic-enhanced warrior;

Brook selected the Swordsman class to improve his swordsmanship, while Uta, after some hesitation, opted for Summoner, which matched her Song-Song Fruit powers.

As for the Endless Dream (the mini-dragon)? It decided to be the team mascot (not really).

All jokes aside, the team's class distribution was quite perfect—they had tanks, healers, and plenty of damage!

After selecting their classes and allocating their skill points on their adventurer cards, the team arrived on the outskirts of Axel City.

With King's blessing, their luck was in full swing. They had barely stepped onto the plains when they spotted three giant frogs hopping toward them.

With their round mouths, odd but cute appearance, condescending gaze, and several-meter-tall bodies...

These were the targets of their quest!

"Everyone, prepare for battle! With our strength, we'll easily earn that reward!"

"And make sure to stay quiet—don't scare them away."

With an inexplicable level of confidence, Aqua took charge as the team's commander.

Strangely enough, someone actually followed her instructions, sneaking quietly toward the three giant frogs.

That someone was the team's hunter—Kanna!

"Haha, Kanna-chan, your eagerness to contribute to the team is truly commendable," Aqua praised, highly confident in Kanna's abilities.

She had complete faith that these mere frogs wouldn't stand a chance against a baby ancient dragon.

The others exchanged glances, throwing Aqua looks that said, "Do you really believe that?"

But in truth, Aqua's faith wasn't misplaced—except...

As she watched Kanna puff up her cheeks and saw the three frogs vanish into thin air, Aqua's face froze in disbelief.

"Kanna-chan, those little frogs... they're pretty tasty!"

Kanna, with her usual deadpan expression, mumbled her critique as she chewed on the frog meat in her mouth.

Aqua's mouth twitched as she stood frozen in shock, speechless.

"Kanna-chan, well done! Just don't do that next time, okay?" Aqua forced a smile, trying to save face.

After all, Kanna was the team's beloved member. Although they had missed the opportunity to claim the reward, seeing Kanna so happy made it hard for anyone to complain.

Whether it was the active season for giant frogs or King's luck playing its part, it wasn't long before they encountered two more giant frogs.

This time, Aqua didn't hesitate. Without a word, she charged forward, fists ready.

"Hey, Aqua, what happened to keeping quiet..."

Uta started to warn her, but Aqua had already closed the distance to the frogs, rapidly chanting a spell.

"This punch contains the power of a goddess! Fall before me, you ugly low-level monsters, and become our spoils of war!"

With special effects maxed out, Aqua's Divine Fist: Kamikaze Strike hit the giant frog's round belly with all her might.

All she accomplished was giving it a gentle massage.

Ribbit?

The giant frog lowered its head, coldly gazing at Aqua, whose eyes were full of "wisdom."

"Uh, on closer inspection, Mr. Frog is kinda cute, isn't he—ahhh!"

Before she could finish her sentence, the frog lashed out with its tongue, wrapping her up and swallowing her, leaving only her legs dangling outside.

"According to Miss Luna, giant frogs can't move while eating," Escanor remarked, smiling as he pulled out his golden battle axe. "That was a very effective baiting tactic, Aqua."

Whoosh!

His axe sliced through the air, and the giant frog collapsed.

Along with it, the slobber-covered goddess was spat out.

"Boohoo! I've been defiled! This goddess has been defiled by a filthy frog..."

Aqua sat on the ground, bawling like a child, completely devoid of the earlier fighting spirit.

"Hey! Watch out, there's still one more!" Uta called out in warning.

Behind them, the other giant frog leapt at Escanor, its saliva-covered tongue darting toward him.

Escanor stood his ground, unmoving, and unleashed the heat of the sun stored within him.

Whoosh!

A scorching wave of heat erupted, incinerating the attacking frog into nothing but ashes before it even had a chance to react.

"Oops, I thought I controlled my power, but I guess it wasn't enough," Escanor said with an awkward chuckle.

Thus, after all their efforts, the seven-member team successfully captured one giant frog.

(End of Chapter)