"Wait! Your stats might be impressive, but at level 1, there's no way you can defeat a griffin and a manticore!"
Luna quickly reached out to stop him, but Eiji was too fast—vanishing in the blink of an eye, leaving Luna frozen mid-gesture like a certain iconic meme.
"Level 1, taking on a griffin and manticore extermination quest?"
"Luna, you're not pulling our legs, are you?"
"The hunk's doomed!"
The guild erupted in collective despair, everyone's faces etched with sorrow.
Griffins and manticores—if measured by adventurer levels—were legendary monsters that required top-tier adventurers above level 40 to handle!
"This is where we step in!"
Darkness suddenly perked up.
Shedding her earlier nervous demeanor, she radiated an invigorating energy.
"Everyone, let's go save him!"
Now, her sturdy armor finally had a purpose!
"Darkness is right! As a goddess, I'll make a dazzling entrance to rescue him. Then, he'll surely be awestruck by my grace and beauty, becoming a devout Axis Cult follower who'll pamper me with free meals every day!"
Aqua had an epiphany, rubbing her hands together with unbridled enthusiasm.
"The fact that you can openly admit to wanting your followers to feed you for free is... impressively shameless!"
Kazuma stared at her, dumbfounded, unable to resist a sharp retort.
"Heh, griffins and manticores? As foes for the future Explosion Master of the Crimson Demons, they're perfectly adequate!"
Megumin dramatically flipped her cloak, raising her ruby-studded staff as her eyes gleamed crimson, letting out a sinister chuckle.
"Right!"
"We can't let the hunk die!"
"Let's all go together!"
"Kazuma, are you coming too...?"
Megumin turned to ask for Kazuma's opinion.
"Let's move out immediately—not a second to waste!"
Only to find Kazuma already strapping on his shortsword with utmost seriousness.
"...Did he turn you?"
"Absolutely not!"
After Darkness's rallying cry, female adventurers in the hall flocked to the cause.
The male adventurers, swept up in the momentum, surged out of the guild hall like a tide of fervor, rushing toward the city gates.
"But will those two really be in danger?"
On the way, unlike the single-minded rescuers, Kazuma fell into deep thought.
Everyone else had been seduced by the hunk's looks, but Kazuma—who particularly despised normies—noticed something: the hunk had black hair and black eyes, and Ms. Northern Hemisphere had referred to him as "Mr. Nangou."
That likely meant he was another reincarnated cheat-user, just like that Mitsurugi Kyouya guy from before.
When tearing the sheepskin parchment, the hunk had looked utterly unfazed, as if supremely confident in his strength.
"The odds of him being in danger are probably low."
Kazuma glanced at the three distinctly styled beauties sprinting ahead of him.
Then, he grinned viciously.
"If there's no danger, we'll just create some! Hahaha!"
...
"Griffins and manticores often fight fiercely. The quest suggests we can finish them off when they're both weakened from the battle."
On their way to the outskirts' hills, Eiji was reviewing the parchment in his hand.
"Just ignore that."
Airi dismissed it with a wave: "A mere griffin is no match for me. Even if a few manticores join in, I can handle them!"
The Oni Archmage, dual-classed Battle Caster, spoke with unshakable confidence!
"By the way, are you sure about this disguise?"
Eiji casually let go of the parchment and gave her a sidelong glance.
"I've had this dream since childhood!"
Airi lifted her chin excitedly.
"If I become an adventurer, I must reclass as a monk! Fist-to-flesh combat is the epitome of romance!"
She swung her black fingerless-gloved fists energetically. Her jet-black hair was tied into a low ponytail at her nape with a white ribbon, her spirited eyes darting around brimming with excitement.
"Most girls wouldn't find that romantic."
Eiji stated matter-of-factly: "Could your extreme tomboy nature be why you're still single?"
"THWACK!"
A devastating punch came flying his way.
"The hell?"
Eiji's eyes narrowed as he caught her fair fist mid-air.
"Muscle memory, my bad."
She sneered and decisively threw off her cloak.
As the twin Oni horns on her forehead were revealed, her stunning figure came into full view.
Gone was the previous mage robe with garter belts - replaced by a skimpy bandeau top and denim shorts.
Her alabaster legs gleamed under the sunlight, their flawless curves from thigh to calf to ankle irresistibly alluring, the skin so supple it seemed dewy.
The bandeau barely contained her chest, exposing her toned midriff, delicate navel, and exquisite collarbones - a vision that would make any man drool.
Admittedly, this outfit was far more revealing and eye-catching than before.
This ensemble was probably the old Demon King's suggestion - that geezer truly understood aesthetics!
But when Eiji's gaze landed on her flat chest, any risqué thoughts instantly evaporated.
Flatter than a moralist's principles.
"Hey, you just looked at my chest with disdain, didn't you?"
"Did not."
Airi cracked her knuckles menacingly, itching to pummel him.
"SCREEEECH!"
A piercing cry split the sky as a massive shadow descended!
An intimidating monster emerged - with an eagle's razor-sharp head, a lion's muscular torso, and enormous wings spread wide.
"That's one huge griffin!"
Eiji whistled, looking up at the descending beast.
The creature was nearly the size of a cottage, measuring about ten meters from beak to tail. Its gleaming talons and overwhelming presence would paralyze most humans with terror.
"My turn!"
Airi's eyes sparkled with excitement.
She leapt up, delivering a mighty punch straight at the griffin's descending claw!
"BOOM!"
With a deafening roar, the massive shadow was suddenly sent flying.
Airi's slender body plummeted from the sky like a cannonball, crashing into the dirt.
"Damn, she actually went toe-to-toe with such a huge monster?"
Eiji raised his eyebrows with interest.
Suddenly remembering something, he pulled out his adventurer card and tapped the avatar.
As expected, a new skill appeared.
"Learnable Skill: Superhuman Strength. Requires 10 skill points."