Chapter 6 : We Don’t Have Money

"Waaaaaa, Kazuma-san is so mean!"

Aqua was currently crying in the corner of the room.

"Come on, Aqua, stop crying and smile for us!"

Darkness tried to comfort Aqua.

"B-but Darkness, Kazuma-san did this and that to me. Uwaaaaa!"

"Aqua, stop crying already. Besides, it's not entirely Kazuma's fault."

Megumin also tried to calm Aqua down, but it was clear she was siding with Kazuma this time.

"Even Megumin is taking Kazuma's side... waaaaa!"

"Oiii, Aqua, stop that right now! If you hadn't planned on leaving me behind in this world in the first place, I wouldn't have done that to you!"

"Kazuma, you're going too far with Aqua. Apologize already. And Aqua, you should apologize too."

Darkness, too tired of Kazuma and Aqua's antics, urged them to make up.

"Hmph!" x2

Aqua and Kazuma turned their backs on each other at the same time, clearly showing they still weren't ready to forgive each other.

"Kazuma..."

Darkness slowly approached Kazuma, gently taking his hand. Gradually, her fingers interlocked with his, lifting their hands up to shoulder height.

"Darkness..."

Then, she suddenly squeezed his hands tightly, channeling her strength into both of them at once.

"Hurry up and apologize to Aqua!!!"

"AAAAAAHHHH!!!!"

.....

....

....

Darkness successfully persuaded Kazuma to apologize to Aqua in a peaceful way, and Aqua forgave him before Darkness could try to persuade her in the same manner she did with Kazuma.

"Haaaah... Are you two done making up?"

Hestia sighed, looking both shocked and exhausted from everything that had happened today.

"If you're done, hurry up and go to the guild to register your Familia. Tomorrow, you're going to accompany Bell to the dungeon, right?"

"Eeeh, yeah, that's the plan."

Kazuma answered Hestia's question and then turned to Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness.

"Hey, let's hurry up and go. We can't keep bothering Hestia-sama."

Kazuma quickly urged his party members to leave Hestia's residence. Just before they could depart, Hestia stopped them.

"Kazuma, wait a moment."

"What is it, Hestia-sama?"

"Show me your back."

"Eeeh... why?"

"Quit talking back and just show me your back!"

"So that's it, just as I suspected. I know that adventurers who die lose their Falna from their deity. But I never meet adventurer who came back to life, and now I just confirmed it, you still lost your Falna. So you'll need to ask Aqua to give it to you again."

"Ah... okay."

Before heading to the guild, Kazuma received his Falna from Aqua once more. Even though it had been less than half a day since he first received it and then lost it, his status saw a significant improvement because he managed to defeat Aqua.

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Satou Kazuma

Level: 1

Strength : I 0 -> G 200

Defense : I 0 -> H 150

Dexterity : I 0 -> F 300

Agility : I 0 -> F 350

Magic : I 0 -> G 200

Skill

Archer Class :

Bow: 

Foresight: 

Snipe: 

Assassin Class:

Deadly Backstab: 

Dark Stalker Class:

Eavesdrop: 

Lip Reading: 

General Class:

Cook: 

Gore Resistance: 

Sewing: 

Smithing: 

Lancer Class:

Spear Master (LOCKED): 

Monk Class: 

Auto-evade: Allows the user to dodge any attack autonomously. Activation is dependent on the user's Luck.

Ranger Class:

Dagger (LOCKED):

Set Trap:

Swordmaster Class:

Rune of Saber (LOCKED): 

Thief Class :

Bind: 

Detect Trap: 

Detect Treasure: 

Enemy Detection: 

Flee: 

Lockpick :

Skill Bind : 

Wire Trap : 

Undead Class:

Drain Touch : 

Undead King's Hand (LOCKED): 

Warrior Class :

One-Handed Sword: 

Two-Handed Sword (LOCKED): 

Wizard Class:

High-Speed Incantation (LOCKED): 

Magic

Basic Magic :

Tinder : 

Create Earth : 

Create Water : 

Wind Breath (LOCKED): 

Freeze : 

Spark (LOCKED):

Shining (LOCKED)

Intermediate Magic :

Fireball (LOCKED):

Blade of Wind (LOCKED):

Freeze Gust (LOCKED): 

Wind Curtain (LOCKED): 

Lightning (LOCKED): 

Flash (LOCKED): 

Unlock (LOCKED): 

Advanced Magic :

Inferno (LOCKED): 

Tornado (LOCKED): 

Crystal Prison (LOCKED): 

Temporary Appearance (LOCKED): 

Lightning Strike (LOCKED): 

Energy Ignition (LOCKED): 

Swamp (LOCKED): 

Light of Saber (LOCKED):

Light of Reflection (LOCKED):

Silent (LOCKED):

Call of Thunderstorm (LOCKED):

Thousand Needles (LOCKED): 

Control of Weather (LOCKED): 

Explosion (LOCKED): 

Creation Magic:

Create Earth Golem (LOCKED):

Create Earth Wall (LOCKED):

Cursed Magic:

Cursed Crystal Prison (LOCKED): 

Cursed Darkness (LOCKED): 

Cursed Lightning (LOCKED): 

Paralyze (LOCKED):

Sleep (LOCKED):

Holy Magic:

Heal (LOCKED):

Support Magic:

Versatile Entertainer (LOCKED): 

Teleportation Magic:

Random Teleport (LOCKED):

Teleport : 

Development Abilites :

Luck: User's exceptionally high Luck stat ensures a 100% item drop rate upon defeating monsters, increases the chances of finding valuable items, enhances his ability to avoid danger, and improves his success in escaping or navigating tough situations.

Tactical Mind: User's high intellect allows him to analyze situations quickly and devise clever strategies. This ability gives him an edge in making decisions, exploiting weaknesses, and coming up with creative solutions in combat, even when his physical abilities fall short.

Jack of All Trades, Master of None : User can learn anything as long as he spend enough time and effort making him a versatile adventurer who can learn various skill and magic. This adaptability allows him to gain Excelia more quickly than others. The time to learn skill and magic based on User luck.

Gender Equality : Calms the user's mind and mental state. Defends against gaslighting and protects the user from those who talks about female privilege when it suits them and then complain about someone not being a man when it's convenient. Enables the user to fight and take action against anyone without showing mercy, regardless of gender.

....

"What??? Kazuma's status increased again?!! And some of his magic abilities are unlocked too??"

As the goddess who granted Kazuma his Falna, Aqua was the first to see Kazuma's status. She was astonished that Kazuma could enhance his status and unlock some of his sealed magic abilities in such a short time.

"Ooooh, really?? Let me see!"

Kazuma was quite surprised when he saw his status progress in such a brief period.

"Let me check... hmmmmm. My initial status, of course everything start from zero. But right now it has risen to ranks F and G. And some spells in the basic magic category are now unlocked. Ooooh, my teleportation spell is also unlocked! This will be the most useful magic for adventuring later."

"What?? Kazuma-san, you can use magic now?"

Bell stood frozen, his heart sinking as the memory replayed in his mind—a fight lost in just two seconds. Kazuma's hand had moved like a blur, catching his neck with an ease. The shame of his swift defeat gnawed at him, but what hurt more was watching Kazuma's rapid growth. In what seemed like no time at all, Kazuma had become stronger, faster, leaving Bell to wrestle with the creeping fear that he might never catch up. Doubt seeped into his thoughts, and the insecurity wrapped around him like a heavy cloak, weighing him down.

"But this is strange. Adventurers can only gain Excelia when they have Falna. Even though Kazuma just defeated Aqua, he doesn't have his Falna at that time. So, how could his status suddenly increase?"

Hestia's eyes glanced over at Bell. She couldn't help but worry about Bell. This was the first time she had seen such an expression on Bell's face. Even though Bell didn't say anything, Hestia understood very well what was on his mind.

"Bell-kun, please take them to the Guild and show them around Orario. Since you'll be a temporary party, at least you should get to know each other."

Hestia tried to distract Bell by asking him to show Kazuma and his party around the city.

"Alright, Hestia-sama."

Bell immediately obeyed Hestia and led Kazuma and his party to the guild.

.....

....

....

In the middle of their walk to the guild, Darkness asked Bell,

"Bell-kun, could you explain about the city of Orario? We've heard a bit from Eina-san, but she only told us a little about this place."

"Of course, I don't mind. Orario, often referred to as the Labyrinth City, is built on top of a dungeon. They say this dungeon is unique to Orario; there are no other places with a dungeon like it. The tall building in the city center is the Babel Tower, which was constructed right above the dungeon."

"Then what about the guild? What role does the guild play in this city?"

Kazuma added his question for Bell.

"Hmmm, I don't know too much, but what I do know is that the Guild regulates and monitors the dungeon and this city. Thanks to the Guild, humans, elves, demi-humans, and various other races can coexist here. Additionally, we can sell everything we collect in the dungeon, whether it's magic stones or monster drops."

"Heeh, so the Guild has such a significant influence in this city. By the way, Bell, why did you choose to become an adventurer?"

Kazuma expressed his surprise upon hearing that the Guild had control over Orario and the dungeon.

'Bell, you have to remember this: A man must build a harem.'

Suddenly, Bell recalled his grandfather's words. He shook his head, thinking it impossible to say such a thing in front of Kazuma and the others.

"It's because my grandfather often read stories about heroes and their adventures. About a year ago, my grandfather passed away, and I lost my only family. In the end, I decided to leave my hometown and come to Orario to become an adventurer, just like the ones my grandfather talked about. No, I want to be a hero."

"Ooh, I'm sorry to hear that."

Kazuma expressed his condolences upon hearing Bell's sad story. He had thought that Bell became an adventurer simply because it was cool and that it would attract many women who would fall for him. Kazuma silently apologized for judging Bell.

Listening to Bell's story, Aqua couldn't help but express her admiration.

"Wow, Bell, you became an adventurer because of your late grandfather. You have such a big dream; you're sure to become a great hero."

"Ahahaha, Aqua-sama, it's nothing special."

Bell blushed at Aqua's compliment. It was the first time he had received praise from a goddess other than Hestia.

"Keep that spirit up, Bell. Don't be like Kazuma. He became an adventurer just because he thinks it's cool and an easy way to make money. On top of that, he believes being an adventurer is a great way to make beautiful women fall in love with him."

Aqua encouraged Bell, but she also didn't forget to spill Kazuma's secret. Bell, upon hearing this, could only be shocked and speechless. It turned out there were others who shared the same dream as him.

"Hey Aqua, what are you doing? How dare you talk about that in front of Bell!!"

"Haaah, Kazuma, do you want to fight again?"

"Oh, absolutely! Come at me!!"

"You two, stop that. We've arrived at the guild!"

Darkness stopped Kazuma and Aqua just in time before they could start fighting again.

Bell led the soon to be Aqua Familia to meet Eina, one of the receptionists at the Guild and also Bell's advisor.

At the reception desk, Eina was busy handling her guild duties. But despite being busy, Eina noticed Bell approaching with one goddess and three humans who had just arrived in Orario today.

"Hello everyone, welcome to the Guild!"

As an experienced receptionist, Eina could easily guess what they wanted.

After everything that happened today, Eina could conclude that Aqua-sama already understood how Falna worked and had given Falna to her three followers, then came to the Guild to register their Familia.

Eina promptly guided Bell and the new potential Familia to the reception area.

"Alright, since it's almost evening, how about we get straight to the point, Aqua-sama? If I'm not mistaken, you all want to establish a Familia?"

"That's right! Our purpose in coming to the Guild is to establish a new Familia—Aqua Familia!"

"In that case, please fill out these forms."

Eina handed over several forms necessary for establishing a new Familia to Aqua. Aqua took the forms and was about to start filling them out, but Kazuma quickly stopped her.

"Hey, Aqua, let me fill them out. If you do it, who knows what kind of trouble you'll cause."

"Kazuma, what do you want? We're establishing Aqua Familia, so of course, as the leader of this Familia, I have to fill out the forms personally."

Aqua pulled the forms away from Kazuma. No matter how hard he tried, Kazuma couldn't snatch the forms from her and eventually gave up.

"Tch, fine, but don't blame me if something goes wrong later."

"Hmmph, just know your place, Kazuma. You are going to join my Familia, so you need to follow my rules. First, you need to pray to me three times a day, prepare a meal for me, and bring me alcohol every day."

"By the way, the registration fee for establishing a new Familia is 10,000 Valis."

Eina almost forgot to mention the most important part when registering new Familia. Of course it is the money.

.....

....

....

As soon as they heard there was a registration fee, Aqua and Kazuma were both shocked. They recalled their miserable experiences when they first arrived in another world. It seemed that no matter where they went, money would always be a source of trouble for them.

"I... I'm sorry Kazuma-san. Just forget what I just said."

Aqua suddenly apologized to Kazuma. But Kazuma didn't respond at all and just looked at her with disdain.

"Ka-Kazuma-san, I just realized that I don't have any money. So, why don't you go ahead and fill out the form?"

Aqua humbly bowed her head, handing the form over to Kazuma with both hands, while also passing the responsibility for the payment to him.

(To Be Continued)