You didn't expect this, did you? I've time-traveled again!

She knew that the two kindred spirits didn't need to exchange pleasantries.

Just take it, that's fine.

The weapons shop owner waved his hand listlessly, indicating that they could leave.

Darkness and the others then left.

PS: Darkness's current set of equipment is only temporary; her next set has already been decided.

It's the same shield that readers in the comments section are talking about, the same one as Mash Kyrielight's Noble Phantasm in Fate—[The Distant Ideal City].

That was the original design.

But I really wanted SAO to make an appearance, so I postponed it.

The storyline regarding the equipment change has already been decided, so please don't worry.

Chapter 040 Huihui's Life Hangs by a Thread (Please recommend and add to your favorites!)

Sato Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, and a Tetsujin emerged from the weapon shop.

The four walked down the street, while the iron man behind them made strange 'click' sounds.

They endured the awkward, strange looks from passersby.

"what is that?"

"drum……?"

"How could that be? It's obviously a human being."

"An adventurer...?"

"It's a knight, isn't it?"

"But why would a knight dress so strangely?"

"Uh...performance art?"

……

In the streets, whether they were adventurers or ordinary villagers, everyone who saw the iron man following behind the three pointed at it and whispered to their companions.

"Hey Darkness, aren't you being a bit too attention-grabbing?"

The stares of passersby made Kazuma Sato feel uncomfortable, and he began to scold Darkness.

"Yes, I also felt that the gazes around me were not very friendly."

"I think so too."

Aqua and Megumin both expressed their discomfort.

But in this state, Darkness was actually captivated. "Really? I find that gaze intoxicating."

"Ha...ha...that's great!" Darkness gasped for breath, her face flushed.

"hateful."

Sato Kazuma cursed lowly.

Darkness's level of perversion has reached an unprecedented level, and there's nothing he can do about it.

Honestly, Kazuma Sato didn't want to be so conspicuous at all.

Although he craved attention, he hoped that others would look at him with admiration, not contempt.

Damn it, I have to think of something.

"Hey you guys, let's get out of here right now!"

Kazuma Sato rushed out first, leaving the others behind. "I don't want to become famous, so I'm going first."

"Nigerudayo!"

After saying that, he rushed out of the beginner village.

"Hey, wait!"

"Kazuma, you despicable scoundrel!"

Seeing that Kazuma Sato had slipped away, Aqua and Megumin quickly sped up to catch up.

After seeing the three of them run out, Darkness started running after them, making a clicking sound.

As he ran, he muttered, "You...you actually...you actually left me all alone! I want to see...I want to see my pathetic state! Kazuma, you're such a monster—!"

Finally, he shouted, "Great job!"

These bizarre remarks caused passersby to stop and stare, curious about who Kazuma, the person Tetsuo was referring to, really was.

Kazuma Sato's original intention was to leave quickly and avoid attracting attention, but in fact, his actions only made Darkness more attractive to passersby, thus exposing her completely.

But Kazuma Sato was completely unaware of all this!

I really don't know what kind of suffering awaits him.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The group ran south from the starting village, heading towards the quest location of "Slaying the Forest Wolves".

"Kazuma... Kazuma, let's rest for a while, I can't run anymore."

Huihui, leaning on her magic wand, asked Sato Kazuma, who was still jogging ahead, for a break.

Hearing Megumin's call, Kazuma Sato stopped in his tracks.

"A rest?... Hmm, then let's rest for a while." After looking at the sun and the distance, he agreed to rest there for a short time.

Darkness, who was following behind her, quickly ran up and said with concern:

"Huihui, can't run anymore?"

Huihui sat on the ground, looking at Darkness, whose expression was normal and whose breathing was steady, and asked in confusion:

"Why isn't Darkness tired at all? Despite wearing such heavy armor and carrying such a giant shield."

Darkness scratched his helmet shyly after hearing this and said in a simple voice, "Well, although I'm not good at attacking, I'm confident that I can rival anyone in terms of endurance."

Upon hearing Darkness's words, Kazuma Sato nodded in deep agreement.

But when he thought about her problems, his face showed disgust.

Their own Crusader possessed unfathomable strength and endurance far exceeding that of ordinary people, but his inhuman, freakish level of ability was also unmatched.

Just as he was struggling with his inner conflict, he suddenly saw Aqua slacking off at the back of the group.

"Hey, Aqua, what are you doing?"

Despite constantly complaining about being tired and exhausted, Aqua didn't grumble at all; instead, she had a happy expression on her face.

That's very suspicious.

Hearing the shouts, Aqua hurriedly replied, "N-nothing! I was just walking a little slower!"

How suspicious!

There's definitely something wrong!

Just as he was about to go over and take a look, he heard a beast's roar.

"Roar~!"

That's the roar of a tiger!

Moreover, the voice was full of domineering power and was extremely intimidating, causing countless birds and beasts to scatter and flee, awakening the quiet forest.

Everyone was startled.

"What happened? What's wrong?!"

Kazuma Sato, suppressing his panic, asked his teammates, "Are you guys alright?"

"it's okay no problem."

"I'm fine."

"What on earth is going on?" Huihui gripped her magic wand tightly in fear.

Darkness stepped forward, her expression grave beneath her helmet. She said in a low voice, "I'm afraid she's a rookie killer."

What is a "newcomer killer"?

Kazuma Sato hurriedly asked, "Please provide an explanation quickly!"

"The rookie killer is a giant tiger."

Darkness didn't mind his rudeness, and instead explained to him:

"Rumor has it that it has devoured many people. Many novice adventurers who came to hunt it were instead swallowed by it. Because it is very strong and likes to roam around the novice villages, everyone calls it the 'newbie killer'."

Sato Kazuma's face was grave. "Isn't anyone going to come and defeat it?"

"The Adventurers' Guild's quest log always has its quests."

But it was just too powerful, and novice adventurers simply couldn't defeat it, so in the end, the matter was left unresolved.

We never expected to run into this.

After the explanation was made clear, Darkness also became slightly serious.

"Looks like we're in big trouble today."

Kazuma Sato frowned, then turned to her and said, "Megumin, it's your turn to shine. Unleash a perfect burst spell."

"My name is Huihui, and I am a Grand Magus who is proficient in explosion magic!"

Huihui shook the cloak behind her. "Leave this little thing to me!"

"Oh, please."

Kazuma Sato thought to himself: Although the archmage in the team has some mental issues, his strength is undeniable, so there shouldn't be any problem... right?

Little did he know, he had inadvertently set a fatal flag.