Chapter 12 — Flying, Stealing, and the Crimson Demon Rival
A New Member, A New Problem
Darkness had officially joined the party.
Zach had expected the transition to be difficult.
He had underestimated just how difficult.
Not because Darkness was bad at adventuring.
Quite the opposite.
She was an incredible shield for the party.
Her defense was nearly unmatched among the adventurers Zach had seen in Axel.
The problem was everything else.
Her accuracy was terrible.
Her sword swings frequently missed.
And, as they had discovered during the flying cabbage quest, she had an unusual relationship with pain.
Still, Zach believed she could become an important part of the team.
There was just one thing she hadn't experienced yet.
Their training.
"Everyone up."
Zach stood in the middle of the apartment at four in the morning.
Kazuma groaned from his bed.
Aqua pulled her blanket over her head.
Megumin pretended not to hear him.
Darkness sat upright.
"Is something happening?"
Zach nodded.
"Training."
Darkness blinked.
"What time is it?"
"Four."
"In the morning?"
"Yes."
Darkness looked toward Kazuma.
"Is this normal?"
Kazuma slowly raised his head.
"No."
Zach frowned.
"Yes."
Kazuma pointed at Zach.
"That's the problem."
Zach ignored him.
"Everyone outside."
Aqua groaned.
"I am a goddess. Gods aren't supposed to wake up this early."
"You've been doing this for weeks."
"And I still don't like it!"
Megumin slowly sat up.
"Why must a great arch-wizard perform mundane physical exercises?"
"Because you collapse after one spell."
Megumin frowned.
"That is unrelated."
"It is completely related."
Darkness stood.
"I suppose I should participate."
Zach smiled.
"Good attitude."
Kazuma looked at her.
"Don't encourage him."
The Morning Routine
They stepped outside.
The streets of Axel were still dark.
Zach stretched.
"One hundred push-ups."
Kazuma sighed.
"Here we go."
"One hundred sit-ups."
Aqua complained.
"Again?"
"One hundred squats."
Megumin sighed dramatically.
"And ten kilometers."
Kazuma dropped to the ground.
"I've changed my mind. Darkness, you can have my position as the tank."
Darkness looked confused.
"What does that have to do with running?"
"Everything."
Zach started counting.
"One."
Everyone moved.
Darkness performed the first push-up.
Then another.
Then another.
Zach watched.
She was strong.
Her physical strength had clearly been developed through years of adventuring.
But she wasn't used to sustained conditioning.
By fifty push-ups, her arms were trembling.
By eighty, she was breathing heavily.
At one hundred, she collapsed onto the ground.
Zach looked at her.
"Good."
Darkness looked up.
"Good?"
"You finished."
She smiled.
"I see."
Kazuma stared.
"Why does she look happy?"
Aqua nodded.
"She always looks happy when she's suffering."
Darkness's face reddened.
"Please don't say it like that."
Kazuma pointed at her.
"You're proving my point!"
They continued.
The sit-ups.
The squats.
Then the run.
By the time they returned to the apartment, Darkness was exhausted.
She dropped onto the floor.
"This party…"
She breathed heavily.
"…is much more intense than I expected."
Zach handed her water.
"We train because we don't want to depend on luck."
Kazuma looked at Aqua.
"We definitely depend on luck."
Aqua looked offended.
"I have amazing divine blessings!"
Kazuma sighed.
"Not for us."
Zach sat down.
"The Ground Dragon taught us something."
Everyone became quiet.
"We were strong enough to fight it, but we almost lost."
Zach looked at the others.
"If we hadn't worked together, we'd have been finished."
Darkness nodded.
"You're trying to eliminate weaknesses."
"Exactly."
Darkness looked around the group.
"So this is what you've been doing every day?"
Kazuma answered.
"Unfortunately."
Aqua raised her hand.
"And Zach makes sure we don't skip."
Megumin nodded.
"He is relentless."
Darkness smiled.
"I think I will enjoy training with you."
Kazuma looked horrified.
"No."
Kazuma's New Trick
Later that morning, the party went to the guild.
Kazuma approached Zach.
"Hey."
"What?"
"I've been thinking."
"That's dangerous."
"Very funny."
Kazuma crossed his arms.
"Everyone else has their special abilities."
He pointed toward Aqua.
"She's a goddess."
Aqua smiled proudly.
He pointed toward Megumin.
"She's got Explosion."
Megumin proudly raised her staff.
Then he pointed toward Darkness.
"She's… Darkness."
Darkness nodded.
Kazuma finally pointed at Zach.
"And you've got all that weird Ki stuff."
Zach nodded.
"So?"
"I need something."
"What?"
"A skill."
Zach thought about it.
"You already have good luck."
Kazuma smiled.
"Exactly."
"Your luck isn't a combat skill."
"It can be."
Kazuma had recently begun working on improving his magic and combat abilities.
But there was one particular skill he had heard about from other adventurers.
A skill that fit his personality perfectly.
Steal.
Kazuma approached an adventurer who had experience with basic skills.
After some explanation and practice, Kazuma attempted it.
He raised his hand.
"Steal!"
A flash of magic appeared.
Nothing happened.
Kazuma stared.
"…Did I do it wrong?"
Zach shrugged.
"Maybe."
Kazuma tried again.
"Steal!"
Another flash.
Still nothing.
He tried again.
"STEAL!"
A small flash of light appeared.
Then something flew through the air.
Kazuma caught it.
He looked down.
Everyone stared.
He was holding—
A piece of underwear.
Silence.
Aqua's face turned red.
Megumin blinked.
Darkness looked confused.
Zach slowly looked at Kazuma.
"Kazuma."
Kazuma stared at the underwear.
"I didn't choose this."
Aqua shouted.
"WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT?!"
Kazuma immediately pointed at the skill.
"It was the skill!"
Zach tried not to laugh.
"Your first successful Steal…"
He looked at the item.
"…was underwear."
Kazuma looked horrified.
"Whose?!"
The adventurer who had been teaching him suddenly realized.
"My underwear!"
Kazuma dropped it immediately.
"WHY?!"
The adventurer grabbed it and ran away.
Darkness stared at Kazuma.
"You actually managed to steal something."
Kazuma looked at his hand.
A grin slowly appeared.
"It worked."
Zach sighed.
"It really did."
Kazuma suddenly looked proud.
"I have finally found my calling."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Stealing."
Zach shook his head.
"This is going to become a problem."
Kazuma smiled.
"I prefer 'valuable utility skill.'"
Zach's Next Step
That afternoon, Zach went somewhere outside the city.
He needed space.
For weeks, he had been developing his Ki.
His control had improved tremendously.
His physical abilities were stronger.
His Ki blasts were more powerful.
His movement had become faster.
But there was something he still couldn't do.
Fly.
Zach sat alone on a hill.
He closed his eyes.
He remembered something from his old life.
Gohan teaching Videl.
The basics.
Feel the energy.
Don't force it.
Don't fight against it.
Let the Ki flow through your body.
Zach opened his eyes.
"Okay."
He stood.
He focused his Ki.
Nothing happened.
He concentrated harder.
His feet lifted approximately half an inch.
Then—
THUD.
He landed.
Zach frowned.
"Again."
He focused.
Ki flowed through his body.
Instead of forcing it downward, he imagined it surrounding him.
Supporting him.
He remembered Gohan's explanation.
Don't think of flying like jumping.
Think of it as controlling your Ki.
Zach took a breath.
He released his tension.
His feet slowly left the ground.
One inch.
Two inches.
Six inches.
Zach's eyes widened.
"I'm doing it."
He rose another few feet.
His heart began pounding.
He was actually floating.
"Yes!"
He tried moving forward.
His body tilted.
He immediately lost control.
"Whoa—!"
BOOM!
Zach crashed into the grass.
He lay there for several seconds.
Then laughed.
"Okay."
He stood again.
"I know how now."
The system appeared.
[Ki Control Analysis Complete.]
[New Skill Requirement Identified.]
[Flight.]
[Prerequisite: Advanced Ki Manipulation.]
[Prerequisite Met.]
[Flight Training Initiated.]
Zach smiled.
He tried again.
This time he rose slowly.
He moved forward.
A little.
Then more.
Then faster.
Within an hour, Zach was flying above the hill.
It wasn't graceful.
He nearly crashed several times.
But he was flying.
He looked down at the ground.
A grin spread across his face.
"I can fly."
The system responded.
[Skill Unlocked: Ki Flight — Level 1.]
[Description: User utilizes Ki to achieve sustained aerial movement.]
[Current Mastery: Beginner.]
Zach looked toward the sky.
He laughed.
"Finally."
The Crimson Demon
When Zach returned to Axel, he found the others gathered near the guild.
Megumin looked angry.
Very angry.
Kazuma was standing beside her.
Aqua looked confused.
Darkness was watching with curiosity.
Zach walked over.
"What happened?"
Megumin pointed.
"That."
Zach followed her finger.
A girl with crimson eyes and dark hair stood nearby.
She wore a mage's outfit and carried a staff.
Zach immediately recognized her.
Yunyun.
The self-proclaimed rival of Megumin.
Yunyun noticed Megumin.
Her eyes widened.
"Megumin!"
Megumin crossed her arms.
"Yunyun."
Kazuma whispered to Zach.
"Who is that?"
Zach quietly answered.
"Her rival."
Megumin stepped forward.
"You dare appear before me?"
Yunyun frowned.
"I was just passing through!"
"You have challenged me again."
"I didn't challenge you!"
"You have come seeking battle."
"I haven't!"
Megumin pointed dramatically.
"Then I challenge you!"
Yunyun froze.
"What?"
Megumin raised her staff.
"I challenge you to a duel!"
Zach sighed.
"Here we go."
Yunyun looked around.
Everyone was watching.
Her face turned red.
"Fine!"
She pulled out her staff.
"I accept!"
Kazuma leaned toward Zach.
"Should we stop them?"
Zach looked at the two Crimson Demons.
"No."
Kazuma nodded.
"Good."
Aqua looked at them.
"Why not?"
"Because they'll probably do this every time they see each other."
Darkness watched excitedly.
"This should be interesting."
The two girls stepped away from the crowd.
Yunyun raised her staff.
"I won't lose this time!"
Megumin smiled.
"Prepare yourself, Yunyun."
Zach watched carefully.
Yunyun began casting.
Magic gathered around her.
Unlike Megumin, there was no enormous buildup.
Her magic was controlled.
Efficient.
Zach immediately noticed the difference.
"She's good."
Kazuma looked surprised.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Megumin also noticed.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Yunyun…"
Yunyun smiled.
"You didn't expect me to improve, did you?"
Megumin raised her staff.
"I expected nothing less."
The two mages exchanged spells.
Fire.
Wind.
Lightning.
Defensive barriers.
Yunyun's versatility was impressive.
Megumin was clearly frustrated.
She specialized almost entirely in Explosion.
Yunyun had studied numerous spells.
Eventually, Megumin stopped.
She lowered her staff.
Yunyun looked confused.
"What?"
Megumin smiled.
"I don't need many spells."
She raised her staff.
"I only need one."
Zach's eyes widened.
"Oh no."
Kazuma sighed.
"She's going to do it."
Megumin shouted.
"EXPLOSION!"
Zach immediately moved.
He activated his Ki.
He flew upward.
A massive explosion erupted.
BOOOOOOOOM!
Zach flew above the blast and looked down.
The battlefield was covered in smoke.
When it cleared—
Megumin was lying on the ground.
Yunyun was standing several meters away.
She stared.
"You really are ridiculous."
Megumin smiled weakly.
"And you're still my rival."
Yunyun sighed.
"I suppose I am."
Zach landed.
"You two are going to keep doing this, aren't you?"
Megumin nodded.
"Of course."
Yunyun hesitated.
"…Probably."
Kazuma stared at Zach.
"Why did you fly?"
Zach smiled.
"Because I can."
Kazuma's eyes widened.
"You can fly?!"
Aqua looked up.
"When did you learn that?"
"Today."
Darkness stared at him.
"You simply learned how to fly today?"
Zach shrugged.
"Ki control."
Kazuma looked offended.
"I've been trying to learn useful skills for weeks!"
Zach smiled.
"You learned Steal."
Kazuma froze.
"Don't remind me."
Yunyun looked at Zach.
"You use Ki?"
Zach nodded.
"Yeah."
"That's interesting."
Megumin sat up.
"Don't get distracted."
Yunyun looked at her.
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not!"
"You are."
Zach sighed.
"They're starting again."
Aqua smiled.
"I think Yunyun would make a good friend."
Megumin immediately shouted.
"She is my rival!"
Yunyun shouted back.
"I'm not your rival!"
"You accepted my challenge!"
"You challenged me!"
"Exactly!"
Kazuma sighed.
"Same difference."
Darkness looked at the two girls.
"I think they're friends."
Megumin and Yunyun both shouted.
"WE ARE NOT!"
Zach laughed.
For the first time, he looked around at the entire group.
Kazuma was improving.
Aqua was becoming a better support.
Megumin was becoming more disciplined.
Darkness was adapting to their training.
And Zach had just unlocked flight.
The party was changing.
Growing.
Getting stronger.
But the strangest thing was—
Zach no longer felt like he was simply following the story he remembered.
He was creating something different.
Something of his own.
The system appeared.
[Party Development Updated.]
[Kazuma: Skill Acquired — Steal.]
[Zach: Skill Acquired — Ki Flight.]
[Darkness: Training Integration — 3%.]
[New Individual Encounter Recorded.]
[Yunyun — Crimson Demon Arch-Wizard.]
Then another notification appeared.
[Create Your Own Legend Progress: 15%.]
Zach stared at it.
He smiled.
Fifteen percent.
It wasn't much.
But it was progress.
And for the first time, he realized something.
He wasn't trying to become Goku anymore.
He wasn't trying to become Vegito.
He wasn't trying to recreate Dragon Ball.
He was Zach Grace.
A human martial artist.
A Ki user.
And now—
A flying one.
Zach looked at his chaotic party.
Then at Yunyun and Megumin arguing in the background.
He smiled.
"Yeah."
"This is definitely my story now."