Adventure, debt and…!

Previously in earlier events...

While our intrepid protagonist was peacefully sleeping, trying to heal the (hated) cold, only to wake up in a kind of post-apocalyptic world with a zombie sucking his neck, somehow healing his illness. So, more determined than ever to return to his original world, he used the {Emotional Resonance: Invocation} spell in reverse (without practice) to go back. However, unexpectedly the spell went wrong (obviously), sending him to another fantasy world in the middle of a fierce battle.

And now, in a world of chaos and confusion where an evil organization invades, demons attack, there are tensions and machinations between kingdoms, and even monsters never before seen appearing! The question remains... Will our intrepid hero be able to return home...?

What the heck was all that?!

Excellent question, dear reader! And well, since some time passed since I was last on screen, I wanted to do a little summary of the events before saying my line. So, with that said!

HELLO EVERYONE!!

"Sniff... Wow... I missed saying that..."

<"I'm sorry to interrupt your internal monologue, but I must remind you that we are lost, aren't we?">

"Ugh... I didn't need the reminder... Or rather, how did this happen?!"

<"Obviously, because of your sense of direction">

"......"

OK... I must admit that the truth... Is quite painful... Since I can't deny it...

But you are probably asking yourselves the following!

SERIOUSLY: WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?!

But fear not, dear readers, for I shall begin to explain!

You see, after arriving in this world, I decided to enjoy it to the fullest, as if I were on vacation, because it’s not every day you get to go to another world of swords and magic to be considered almighty with cheat abilities, save the world, form a team, and maybe, just maybe, defeat a Demon King in the process!

But there was one serious problem, and that is... My terrible sense of direction!

Without a guide, my adventure in another world seemed doomed from the start, and who knows where it would end... However, destiny had not abandoned me yet! And as if by a miracle or perhaps fate, a guide descended to me (gagged) and joined my adventure (semi-forced), which allowed me to move forward!

That's right! The name of that guide is... It's... Erm...

"Hey, Echidna..."

<"What...?">

"Do you remember the guide's name?"

<"... You know, despite your complaints regarding my lack of interest in the names of common humans, the reality is that you are no different in that aspect">

"Ugh..."

.... Stop, dear readers... Don't look at me like that... And don't you dare say what I think you're thinking!

You are just like Echidna?

Damn it! I told you not to say it!!

(Slap!)

<"Focus!">

"Ouch! Thanks, I needed that!"

<"It’s always a pleasure">

Ahem—well, getting back to the topic, the point is that after starting my trip, I had to deal with an initial problem.

What problem?

Well, dear reader, it's a small inconvenience or rather a necessary payment to keep my reliable guide operational: and that is training him!

However, I was facing a pretty serious dilemma, and I know you're wondering what kind of dilemma it is? So let me answer right away!

You see, it turns out I have no idea what the guide is capable of doing... Or rather, he doesn't even seem to be very strong... I mean, as soon as I arrived in this world, I faced four perverted women, which I'm already used to in my world. ¡However, all of them were strong!

How do I know that?

Well, it's simple, dear reader, and that's because I faced one of them myself, and even though her fighting style was... Erm... To say the least... Impractical?

Okay, who am I kidding, it was a visual degeneration of the sword fighting style!

But still!!

The reality was that I couldn't cause any damage despite attacking from all sides without giving her a second to breathe, and on top of that, she even managed to escape!

Honestly, that woman has my respect, and it seems that she is the guide's master... Yup... I'm still a bit incredulous about that point... But hey, if he says so, it must be true!

Huh...? Aren't I being too hard on the poor guide?

Well.... I won't deny that you're right, but... How should I put it... When I look at him... I can't help but feel that something about him... IRRITATES ME.

And don't get me wrong! It's not that I hate or despise the guy just because, rather... How should I put it?... Well, I don't know how to explain it clearly, but... You see, when I arrived in this world I was in my magical girl form, and that means my sympathy magic was active!

That's why I could "feel" the surrounding emotions, like the "anger" or "resentment" that those women directed at me, including the feelings of the guide lying on the floor at that moment!

And what emotions did you feel from the guide?

... Well... Basically... I can only say a disgusting mix of emotions like powerlessness, inferiority complex, what I can only describe as "he is a man after all," a lot of frustration, and worst of all: a pinch of resignation...

Honestly, I hate those emotions, and they are the ones I dislike the most!

I mean, I have no idea how strong the guy was, because at least I could verify the strength of the women by fighting them, and on top of that, they were validated by Silver, Goldie, and even Brownie, so in terms of strength, I must acknowledge them!

However, in contrast, the guide didn't fight, he just lay on the floor, and even when I asked Silver, Goldie, and Brownie for their opinion on how dangerous he was, the answer they all gave was the same: "weak."

With all that, it's impossible for me to have a good first impression!

Besides, the worst part is that he might not have noticed it at the time, but he unconsciously tried to look under the skirt of my magical girl dress... What word is used in these cases? Oh, right! That was... DESPICABLE.

But anyway, setting aside my personal reasons for feeling a certain aversion to the guy, he is otherwise quite acceptable or even admirable... Although I still don't like him... But getting back to the topic, the thing is that I needed information to train him! However, I couldn't fight him, because the most probable thing, no offense, is that I would end up killing him in the process...

Isn't that cruel?!

First off, don't jump to conclusions! There's a reason for that!!

You see, the thing is that I am not good at "delicate" energy control at all, and right now, with my magical girl magic blocked, I have nothing to limit my attacks when fighting, or rather, I can't fight without limiting myself!

Therefore, I had to think of another solution, and after much thought, I came to a conclusion! The best way to gather information, gain strength, and explore this world at the same time was the most cliché of all: that's right, I'm talking about the Adventurers' Guild!

By becoming adventurers, I can watch him fight to learn what he needs to improve and create a perfect routine for him, while at the same time I could enjoy all the clichés that this world has to offer!

IT'S PERFECT!!

.... Or so I thought at first, however, some problems arose that I didn't take into account.

What problems?

Well, you see, at first everything was going pretty well. The road to the city with the nearest Guild was going wonderfully, while I marveled at otherworldly things like monsters, the two moons in the sky, mosquitos exploding when trying to suck my blood, and I even changed my pajamas for modern clothes! (Echidna reminded me). So I felt everything was going very well, and only two mountains were destroyed on the trip!

Why two mountains?

Well, I had to learn to regulate the force of the attacks, didn't I? And well, the mountains were there, right...? So... you know... What better target for training...?

Although don't get me wrong!

At first, I didn't mean to hit a mountain; instead, my target was a wolf monster that came out of nowhere... But unfortunately, the attack swept away the monster, the mountain behind it, and a magical lake hidden inside... Yep, it was my mistake. Or rather, I wouldn't even know about the lake if Echidna hadn't mentioned it!

.... All that's left is for me to pray that this doesn't have repercussions in this world... And apologize... Sincerely, I'M SORRY!!

But well, setting that topic aside! (escapism) You're probably wondering, what about the second mountain? Well, that one was on purpose, since, taking advantage of when Shija went to sleep (knocked out) thanks to my trusty frying pan (Antonio), I went to practice in the middle of the night, and well, the result was the same... Again, I'm very sorry about that... But at least I didn't destroy anything important, except for the mountain! (I confirmed it with Echidna). ¡So no problem!

So, setting aside the collateral damage, let's talk about what happened after arriving at the Adventurers' Guild!

... Actually, nothing special happened... Or that's what I'd really like to say... But as always, the world doesn't work that way!

What happened?

Well, skipping the boring and tedious part, both the guide and I decided to take the Adventurer's exam to start at a high rank immediately, where we had to face a pretty tough monster. In that exam, the guide did... Erm... decently, I guess... Although frankly, from my perspective, he could have performed better...

Maybe I expected too much?

I actually expected less, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Ki techniques for the first time!

Frankly speaking, when I found out about the existence of Ki, I tried to learn it immediately!

RESULT: INCOMPATIBLE

Yep... I... had no compatibility with Ki, or magic....

For what reason?!

The answer to that is quite easy, and it turns out that I was overflowing with power, which ironically overwhelms other power sources. Or, to put it more simply (used by Echidna), it's as if I had an ocean of power—which in this case would be spiritual, cursed, or magical girl energy—and I tried to find a drop—which in this case represents magic—in that vast ocean just to be able to use it.

As you can imagine... It is thousands of times more inefficient and exhausting to do such a thing than to simply use what I already have!

.... So in that way, my hopes of using those kinds of abilities died... That night, there is no shame in saying.... That I felt heartbroken...

But well, the world keeps turning and life goes on, so I managed to overcome that depression! (more or less)

Which leads us to what happened when it was my turn to take the test and face that Golem. However, I had a pretty complex problem when my turn came.

What problem?

Well, you see, my problem consisted of attacking that Golem without breaking it...

QUESTION: WAS THAT THE PROBLEM?!

ANSWER: YES!!

Look, it's not that easy for me not to break that stupid Golem!

To start, if I resonated with Silver, I could easily cut it. However! If I did that, due to the properties of the gray flames that nullify all phenomena, including regeneration, the Golem would be damaged. And unfortunately, the receptionist indicated no destroying the Golem, so that option was discarded!

Then I thought of using Goldie with a resonance, but Echidna said that the Golem would likewise turn to dust with one hit, so that option is also discarded!

Which brings us to Brownie, but something curious happened here, since after an analysis of her, there was no way to damage that Golem that didn't involve destroying the arena in the process, so discarded!

At that point, my options were very limited without the magical girl transformation to launch attacks that wouldn't terraform the place, because the aura wave that destroyed mountains wasn't an option either... Okay, I admit I underestimated the exam at first... But in the end, it was harder in an opposite sense!

How the heck do I fight that thing without killing it!!

.... But then a flash of inspiration came to me in my moment of despair, and I noticed: that darn Golem is of the earth element, which means that logically it is resistant to fire!

And I had a fire technique (in development)!

So, full of confidence, I did a few stretches, and when it was my turn, I entered, preparing the technique!

... But I made a calculation error.

What error?

Excellent question, dear reader, and to answer you, I think it is necessary for you to remember how the Maximum voltage technique works, because when I use it, I transmit spiritual energy into electricity. However, here comes the problem!

And the thing is that at first, I didn't know how to regulate it, so I initially fired it all at once in a single destructive discharge that left me exhausted... Why do I mention this...?

Well, because the exact same thing happened this time... Although the biggest difference would be that what I fired was cursed energy converted into fire... At full power... Yup... Let's not even talk about the result, the only thing I can say is that the Guild in that city is now called Eclipse Guild!

.... Stop it!! Don't look at me like that! How was I supposed to know?!

At that moment, no one stopped me!

Huh...? They tried to?

.... Ahem—well... Let's continue! (escapism)

After that, I was severely scolded after waking up after exhausting all my cursed energy, and as strange as it seems, unlike the spiritual energy which leaves me fatigued when depleted, the cursed energy left me feeling refreshed after waking up.

Curious, right...?

So, in conclusion and without further ado!

.... The Golem disappeared.

Yep... It didn't leave a trace of its existence... As you can imagine, this had an unfortunate outcome... For me, because they charged me for that stupid thing!

AND NOW I HAVE A DEBT!!

Haaah... Haa... Haa... You know... I'm starting to think that ever since I arrived in this world, I keep getting monetary debts... I'm starting to think the world has a plot against me...

But oh well, in that way, now I am working alongside the guide (I leave the work to him) to exterminate monsters and pay off that absurd debt!

Which brings us to the present...

"Does anyone know how to read a map of this world...?"

("No!")

("Denial, denial~")

("Clink, clack")

..... I'm screwed.