Chapter 005: Images are for Reference Only

On the plains outside the town of Axel.

Megumin held her staff high, aiming at a giant toad in the distance. Her expression was one of intense focus as she chanted an obscure, cringe-inducingly dramatic incantation.

"Darker than black, darker than darkness, I entrust my true crimson golden light to thee!
The time for awakening has come, the corrupted laws of the absurd church, manifest as an intangible distortion!
Dance! Dance! Dance!
The collapse of my source of power, an incomparable collapse, burn away all the phenomena of heaven and earth, descend from the abyss!
Behold!
This is humanity’s strongest means of attack, the ultimate offensive magic!
Explosion——————!"

Suddenly, a violent gale erupted, sending sand and stones flying as the sky turned dim and ominous. A terrifying mass of light coalesced in the heavens. A vast amount of mana surged from Megumin’s body, followed by a bolt of lightning descending from the sky.

A blinding, intense radiance, shockwaves that rattled the surrounding air, and a fierce storm pushed the members of the party back several meters.

BOOM!!!!!!

In the distance, the dark red sphere of light detonated, the rising dust and smoke blotting out the sun. Endless sand and wind, accompanied by the pulverized remains of the giant toad, scattered in every direction, leaving nothing behind but a massive crater. Even the edges of the crater had crystallized from the extreme heat, and a suffocating, scorching air lingered in the aftermath.

"So... so strong... Is this truly a height that humanity can reach?"

Sato Kazuma’s legs went weak, and he let out a pathetic groan.
What do you mean, a human-shaped walking nuclear bomb?! (Leans back tactically)
Language cannot describe such a shock; only by seeing it with one’s own eyes can one understand just how terrifying the power of the explosion magic released by Megumin truly is. If that had landed on his head, he certainly wouldn't have even been left as a smear.
As he thought, his previous decision was correct. If he wanted to live comfortably in the future, he would have to butter up this chuunibyou little girl.

*Thump!*

Having released her magic, Megumin collapsed face-first onto the ground.

"Eh?"

Sato Kazuma was startled. "Megumin, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just out of mana," Megumin said, sounding limp and listless.

Aqua also realized, "I remember now. Explosion magic is an ultimate spell that drains all the caster's mana and physical strength. It's normal for her to react like this."

"What? Is that how it is?" Sato Kazuma let out a sigh of relief, then added, "Megumin, your magic is indeed very strong, but it’s very easy to accidentally hit teammates, and it puts a huge burden on your body. It's better to avoid using it in the future. If you want to contribute to the party, just use other spells."

"I don't know any."

Megumin answered very bluntly.

"...What did you say?"

"I said, I don't know any. I only know explosion magic. I don't know any other magic at all."

"Really?"

"It's true."

Sato Kazuma was dumbfounded. He had mistakenly thought that Megumin was using this move because she wanted to show off her explosion magic. He never expected that it wasn't a choice to avoid other spells, but that she simply couldn't cast them. Are you kidding me?! A grand mage who only knows how to use explosion magic—does such an outlandish person actually exist?!

"Then you should learn..."

"Don't you dare make me learn other magic!"

"But learning other magic would make adventuring a bit easier, wouldn't it?"

"I don't want to! Not even if I die! I only learn explosion magic. I was born for explosion magic, and I won't learn other magic even if I die! I only love explosion magic! Even if it’s only once a day, I will be an explosion mage!"

Megumin’s declaration rang deafeningly in their hearts, and the entire party was stunned. Such stubbornness and obstinacy! Despite having such great natural talent and being able to easily achieve great things on the path of a grand mage, this chuunibyou little girl refused to do so even at the cost of her life. Given how resolute her tone was, it would likely be very difficult to convince her to change her mind.

Aqua and Darkness, however, were quite appreciative of Megumin’s persistent efforts. Especially Darkness, who prided herself on training her body to be as tough as metal; she found a deep resonance with her.

"Great! That's a great idea!"

"That's right, Megumin, I have high hopes for you!"

It's over! Sato Kazuma secretly thought things were going south. If this continued, they would form a united front on their own, and the party’s troubles would only increase accordingly. He quickly looked at Kobayashi.

"What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Kobayashi-senpai, didn't you say Megumin’s magic was very strong?"

"Isn't it strong?" Kobayashi tilted his chin, signaling him to look at the terrain that had been altered by the explosion magic.

"It is strong, it is strong, sure!" Sato Kazuma didn't know how to describe it, saying anxiously, "But don't you feel like something is wrong? Her strength is very problematic!"

"I told you, as far as explosion magic goes, I’m willing to call her the strongest, but as for anything else..."

Kobayashi didn't continue, but Sato Kazuma understood.

"You mean she's worse than an ordinary person?!"

"Without a doubt, she is a total burden."

"You're lying..."

Looking at Megumin, who was being poked by Aqua with a small wooden stick, Sato Kazuma had already labeled her a problematic child who was of no use.

Kobayashi hoisted the limp and listless Megumin onto his back and said to the female knight beside him, "Alright, next up is Darkness."

"Eh? M-me..."

Darkness’s cheeks turned slightly red, and she spoke with a stutter.

Aqua patted her on the shoulder. "Don't be nervous. It’s just to show off your specialty and strength. Darkness, you can do it."

"I'm not nervous."

"...Huh?"

"Darkness, you..."

Although they hadn't conducted the test yet, everyone clearly realized that Darkness was a problematic child on par with Aqua and Megumin in terms of personality. Kobayashi, of course, would not let the perverted knight get her way. He had been prepared for a long time.

"Darkness, in order to unleash your full potential, I have specially selected an evenly matched opponent for you."

"An evenly matched opponent?"

As soon as these words were spoken, they instantly piqued the curiosity of the party. Although Darkness’s personality might be a bit perverted, the armor she wore and the stats on her adventurer card didn't lie. Everyone had high expectations for just how strong an opponent who could go toe-to-toe with her would be.

...

The farmland west of the city.

Sato Kazuma covered his forehead with his right hand, disappointed. "I was looking forward to this, thinking it would be some powerful monster, but isn't this just a wild boar?!"

"Correction, it's a rampaging wild boar," Kobayashi countered.

In the nearby farmland, Darkness was confronting a furious wild boar with bloodshot eyes. The boar’s angry, grunting growls stood in stark contrast to the heavy breathing of the red-faced, excited blonde knight.

"Grrrrrrr—"

"Hiss—ha—hiss—ha—"

Darkness gripped the thick tusks with both hands as the boar thrashed its head from side to side. But no matter how it shook its head, it couldn't shake off her strong, powerful grip. Her grip strength was astonishing! Incidentally, this situation had already been going on for two hours. Being able to reach a stalemate with a rampaging wild boar was enough to show how terrifying Darkness’s stamina was.

Sato Kazuma, however, couldn't wait any longer. He shouted loudly, "Darkness, stop dawdling and hurry up and finish it off!"

"I can't! I can't do it!"

An answer identical to someone else's.

Sato Kazuma was furious. "Just use your longsword to stab it! How can you not do it?!"

But he didn't know that Darkness had a fatal flaw. That was, she simply couldn't hit her enemies.

"I am very confident in my stamina and defense, but my hands and feet are not agile, and I can't hit the enemy at all! So, I can't do it!"

"Are you kidding me?! What kind of knight is that!"

No wonder when they first met, his internal danger detector had sounded a warning. It turned out that, just like Megumin and Aqua, Darkness was a hopeless, problematic child, both inside and out!

Just then, an incident occurred in the field. The boar suddenly and cunningly lowered its front hooves, causing the force they were pushing against to vanish, and Darkness, losing her balance, instinctively stepped forward. The boar seized this opportunity to suddenly exert force upward, and Darkness was instantly launched into the air.

"Waaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!"

"Darkness!"

"It's dangerous! Help her!"

"I can't! I can't use magic!"

The party members were suddenly thrown into a panic, but they couldn't think of anything to do.

"Grrrrrrr—"

The boar held its head high, like a winner, emitting a triumphant grunt.

However—

What it didn't expect was the sheer impact that a girl in full steel armor falling from the sky would bring.

"Waaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!"

*Thud!*

Amidst her startled cry, she slammed squarely onto the boar, instantly crushing it to death. Yes, it was just that dramatic.

They had expected the blonde knight falling from the sky to be severely injured, but to their surprise, she dusted off her rear, wobbled, and stood up as if nothing had happened.

Sato Kazuma was left completely speechless.

"Kobayashi-senpai..."

"As you can see, the hardness of Darkness’s body can indeed be compared to the hardest Adamantite in the world. I didn't lie, you know."

"Is this a matter of whether you lied or not?!"

Sato Kazuma couldn't accept it. It was like a product that was packaged beautifully, with descriptions so tempting they seduced you into buying it, only to find out after opening it that it was completely different from what was advertised, sometimes even falling far short.

"Sato-kun, there is a saying in my country."

"What?"

"Images are for reference only; please refer to the actual product."

"...Isn't this just fraud!!!"

Sato Kazuma, unable to accept this, roared at the sky.