Chapter 225: The troubled team! This rabbit is damn cute!
In a corner of the Adventurers' Guild, the helpless Yunyun stared fixedly at the man walking towards her, her mind blank.
The most she had ever spoken to in her life was the marimo she kept at home.
Communicate with an unfamiliar male?
The difficulty of this was comparable to slaying a dragon; she simply couldn't do it!
"Hello, my name is Arthur, and my profession is Lord of the Sword. You..."
Before Arthur could finish, Yunyun, whose internal alarm bells were ringing, suddenly stood up and bowed almost ninety degrees in apology.
"Yes! My name is Yunyun! My profession is Archmage, but I only know intermediate magic! I'm very sorry! I'll learn advanced magic right away!"
Arthur raised his hand in a placating gesture, a wry smile on his face.
"Calm down first, I haven't even asked anything yet."
"Eh?"
Yunyun looked up blankly, her watery eyes filled with bewilderment.
This was the first time she had announced her name without immediately being met with ridicule or strange looks.
Arthur took the opportunity to sit opposite her. After sensing the considerable magic power within Yunyun, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
"With your magic power, you can only use intermediate magic? Is it difficult to level up alone?"
Yunyun's shoulders slumped, and she shook her head dejectedly.
She hesitated, wondering how to explain, afraid of being disliked by this teammate who had finally taken the initiative to approach her.
Douzhinosuke, the black cat that had been curled at her feet, now lightly leaped up and let out a soft whimper towards Fou, who was feigning sleep on Arthur's shoulder.
"(＞ ^ ω ^ ＜) Meow ~"
"(〃 ^ ω ^) Fuwu?"
The two fantasy creatures seemed to reach a consensus in an instant, both scrambling onto the table and rolling around, playing.
Yunyun didn't have time to stop them and could only cautiously observe Arthur's expression.
Only after realizing he was just quietly watching the two pets did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
Arthur raised his hand to summon Fou back, and Douzhinosuke also followed him step by step, looking up at him with innocent eyes.
"A black cat with wings, is this your familiar?"
Yunyun quickly shook her head: "No, it's my friend's familiar. She's out on a quest with her party, and I'm looking after it temporarily."
As she spoke, she gathered the stretching Douzhinosuke into her arms, using the downward motion to hide the fleeting disappointment on her face.
"I see." Arthur retracted his gaze. "To make a long story short, would you like to join my party?"
"Yes!"
Yunyun practically shouted it out, nodding frantically, as if Arthur would disappear if she waited another second.
Arthur subtly glanced at Douzhinosuke, who was lazily rolling on the table, a playful curve on his lips.
"Then I'll take you to meet my teammates. They're a bit eccentric, but they're not bad people."
Yunyun nodded, half understanding, hugged Douzhinosuke tightly, and followed Arthur back to the dining area.
By now, the commotion caused by Kazuma had long since died down, and Chris and Darkness had also left together.
"Kazuma, Aqua, I've recruited an Archmage who specializes in long-range attacks."
"An Archmage!?"
"Those eyes, is she a child of the Crimson Demons?"
Yunyun nodded nervously, quickly pulled out her adventurer card from her pocket, and handed it over with both hands.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Yunyun of the Crimson Demons, who recently arrived in this town! Please, please allow me to join your party!"
While Aqua was educating Kazuma on the glorious history of the Crimson Demons, Arthur gestured for Yunyun to sit down and introduced them concisely.
"These two are newbies who registered on the same day as me. The one with light blue hair is the High Priest Aqua, and the other is the adventurer Kazuma."
At this moment, Kazuma and Aqua had also finished looking at Yunyun's information, handed the card back, and their faces were filled with flattery.
"As expected of Big Brother! To be able to recruit an advanced class member!"
"Mm-hmm! People of the Crimson Demons are naturally cut out to be Archmages, choosing her as a companion is definitely the right choice!"
"Um... actually..."
Yunyun looked down and fiddled with her fingers, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn't.
Arthur rested his chin on his hand and casually added for her.
"Yunyun's profession is indeed Archmage, but she can currently only use intermediate magic and needs to level up more to become stronger."
Yunyun nodded repeatedly: "Yes! That's right!"
Kazuma and Aqua didn't take this temporary minor flaw to heart; instead, they joyfully held a small welcome party for their new companion.
The best way to get a party to gel is always through real combat.
After a short rest, Arthur and his party of four accepted a request to investigate an anomaly in the forest and left the beginner town.
...
In the lush, dense forest path, the chirping of unknown insects and the rustling of swaying leaves intertwined, echoing among the overlapping tree shadows.
Arthur walked at the front with his sword, casually hacking away at obstructing bushes, leading the party deeper.
It was unusually quiet along the way; let alone monsters, not even traces of large beasts were found. This smoothness made Kazuma's heart pound.
"Big Brother, I heard from adventurers at the guild that this forest is full of slimes and moles, but now..."
Arthur shook his head dismissively, reassuring the three greenhorns behind him.
"It's precisely because the monsters from deeper within are moving towards the town, causing a sharp increase in the pressure on the town's defenses, that the guild issued this investigation request."
Kazuma still looked around suspiciously, his palms sweating from nervousness.
"According to RPG game tropes, when such an abnormal situation occurs, there's definitely a big boss secretly at work!"
Aqua, the only one in the party without combat power yet the most fearless, stood with her hands on her hips, her face full of disdain.
"You're so useless, Kazuma, actually trembling from your own delusions."
"You useless goddess..."
"Shh!"
Arthur raised his hand to stop their argument, his gaze fixed on the bush directly ahead, from which a rustling sound was coming.
"Is it a monster?"
Yunyun, standing at the back of the party, also became alert, quickly drew her magic staff, and a faint green wind blade solidified at its tip.
Arthur nodded steadily, then thrust and flicked his sword, pushing aside the bush.
What appeared before everyone was an adorable little rabbit, entirely white with round red eyes.
Its only difference from a pet was a slender horn on its head.
Arthur immediately recalled the information from the guild's bestiary and accurately stated its name.
"One-Hit Kill Rabbit. Could the anomaly in the forest be that these guys have also entered their breeding season?"
Yunyun was instantly captivated by its fluffy appearance and gentle, harmless demeanor; the magic at her staff's tip simply wouldn't release.
"So cute... Arthur, did you make a mistake? It's so cute..."
Before she could finish, the One-Hit Kill Rabbit, which had been hopping closer to the group, suddenly lowered its head, powerfully pushed off with its hind legs, and lunged forward like a white blur!
Clang!
A cold sword light flashed and disappeared in an instant; the One-Hit Kill Rabbit, which had launched a surprise attack, was cleanly cut in half by Arthur.
But at the same time, from the bushes all around, countless rustling sounds erupted in unison!
"Be careful, everyone! These rabbits use their appearance to gain sympathy, then launch a surprise attack. However, their strength and speed aren't particularly strong."
Hearing the warning, Kazuma, who had just learned a new skill, gripped his short sword, his confidence greatly boosted.
"Don't worry, Big Brother! I won't lose to a bunch of rabbits!"
Yunyun also put away her excessive sympathy, her expression grim.
"I, I'll try my best too!"
"Ah—!!! So scary!"
Accompanied by the scream that never disappointed her teammates, Aqua clutched her head and frantically rushed out from the very back of the party.
Behind her, a large group of red-eyed One-Hit Kill Rabbits followed!
"Help! Mr. Arthur! Mr. Kazuma! Miss Yunyun! Please save me!"
For a moment, the goddess's desperate cries for help even drowned out the sounds of the rabbits' relentless assault.
Arthur's eye twitched wildly, and Yunyun was speechless.
Only Kazuma, without a word, erupted in curses!
"When did you, you idiot goddess, run behind us again?!"
No sooner had he spoken than a One-Hit Kill Rabbit leaped high, its shining horn aimed at Kazuma's face, distorted with anger!
Kazuma: = ͞ ͟ ͟ ͞ ( ꒪ ᗜ ꒪ ‧ ̣ ̥ ̇)