On this day, the Crimson Demon Village exploded.
[Demon King Army Alert! Demon King Army Alert! All available members, please gather in front of the griffin statue at the village entrance. Estimated enemy count: approximately 200. Please respond immediately. Repeat—Demon King Army Alert! Demon King Army Alert!]
Accompanied by the clanging of bells, the broadcast echoed harshly across the village.
In any other town, such a broadcast would have sent people into a panic. But in the Crimson Demon Village, alerts like this were fairly routine. The Demon King's Army often showed up just to make a fuss, leave behind a few unfortunate souls, then flee.
Zunzun had gotten used to it.
Following his sister's instructions, he tossed away the wooden stick in his hand, stood up, patted the dirt from his rear, and strolled home at a leisurely pace.
Although these attacks rarely caused serious damage, they were still a nuisance. What if the army attacked in the middle of a romantic moment with a girlfriend?
Then again, many Crimson Demons actually looked forward to these skirmishes. It gave them a chance to flex their magic and rack up experience points. Some even proposed turning the village entrance into a monster tourism spot to boost the economy.
Honestly, it was an idea that really pushed the limits of creative thinking.
That said, the Demon King's Army wasn't to be taken lightly. Especially since their headquarters wasn't too far from Crimson Demon territory. Without strong defenses, the village could fall quickly.
That settled it.
Time to get stronger!
Zunzun made a secret vow... and then—
Day One: Played in the mud.
Day Two: Played in the mud.
Zunzun! Zunzun!
How could you degenerate like this?!
Have you forgotten your noble resolve to become stronger? As Mencius once said, "One thrives in hardship, and perishes in comfort." You can't just wallow in mud all day!
Day Four: Played in the mud.
…Well, can you really blame him?
Life here was just too cozy. That kind of ease multiplied inertia. It's said that peaceful lands bury heroes. The ancients knew what they were talking about.
"Zunzun, time for your bath!"
"Coming!"
Hearing Soketto's voice, Zunzun happily scampered toward the bathroom.
This laid-back life continued… until the Crimson Demon Village was rocked by another explosion.
This time, it wasn't the Demon King's Army.
And it wasn't the village entrance that got bombed—it was the forbidden zone.
According to Soketto, the seal of the Evil God with the power to destroy the world had been lifted.
At the Evil God's tomb, a massive meteorite crater had formed. It seemed the freshly awakened Evil God got a bit too cocky, and the heavens responded by dropping a meteor straight on him—blowing him to smithereens.
Zunzun hadn't cared much about the Evil God's seal being lifted.
But when he heard that a meteorite had struck again and vaporized the Evil God, cold sweat soaked his body. Dinner tasted like wax. He chewed and chewed, but it had no flavor.
A meteorite. Another meteorite!
Zunzun felt an overwhelming, indescribable sense of doom.
Meteorites were worse than the Sword of Damocles. You couldn't see them. You couldn't hear them. You didn't know when or where they'd drop. That made them the ultimate nightmare.
Just imagine: living peacefully, playing in the mud, humming a tune—then bam, a meteorite ends your life. Who could accept that?
At the very least, you needed to be strong enough not to die from one.
Get stronger. You must get stronger!
When it came to getting stronger, the first person Zunzun thought of was his sister, Soketto.
He told her his thoughts.
"You want to get stronger? I didn't expect you to say that at your age. As expected of my little brother! Excellent! In that case, you'll start training with me tomorrow!"
"Thank you, Sister Soketto!"
He was so excited to get her approval that he couldn't sleep that night—just like a kid before a school field trip.
…Though he was technically the right age for primary school, there weren't any schools in the Crimson Demon Village. So that was that.
The next day.
Soketto led him to a small hill and handed him a little wooden sword.
Zunzun blinked.
"...What's this?"
"A weapon! Since we're training, of course we're using swords! First step—split this mountain! Don't worry, little brother! I'll make you a mighty swordsman!"
"But… Crimson Demons are born to be powerful magicians!"
Utterly deflated, Zunzun collapsed to his knees.
He knew his sister was obsessed with swordsmanship. She'd even bought that wooden sword on a whim.
But come on! Crimson Demons are mages by birthright!
Swordsmanship? What kind of path was that?
Then again… maybe Soketto just thought he was playing around. Maybe she didn't take his desire seriously and wanted to humor him.
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
Seeing her brother look so defeated, Soketto seemed genuinely surprised.
"What's wrong? You don't like it?"
"I don't like it!... I mean, not exactly."
Afraid of upsetting her, Zunzun changed his tune quickly, though he tried to be tactful.
"It's just not what I expected. Sister, aren't Crimson Demons all naturally talented mages? Shouldn't I be learning magic instead?"
"Hmm…"
Soketto looked momentarily embarrassed.
That's when Zunzun remembered—his sister was only twelve and hadn't entered school yet.
Without enrollment, she couldn't open her profession card. Without skill points, there was no way to learn advanced magic.
No wonder she turned to swordsmanship.
She must've bought the wooden sword to comfort herself after realizing she couldn't learn spells yet.
Oh no!
He'd accidentally hurt his sister's feelings!
Realizing his mistake, Zunzun hurried to make amends, even if it meant telling some white lies.
"It's fine, Sister! Swordsmanship is great too! Let's start training. Our goal—swordmaster!"
After much persuasion, Soketto, who'd been on the verge of tears, finally cheered up.
And so, Zunzun spent the entire day hacking at a mountain wall with a wooden sword.
It felt like some kind of punishment game.
His body ached all over, and his arms had gone numb from the repeated shocks—but his growth?
Practically nonexistent.
Well, maybe if there was a system screen, it would say:
[Physical +1. Strength +1.]
…Useless! Absolutely useless!
This won't work!
I must learn magic!
Thankfully, despite Konosuba being dangerous, it was pretty newbie-friendly. Even Level 1 adventurers could switch to advanced professions like Arch Wizard, Crusader, Sword Saint, or High Priest.
As long as they had the right stats.
Crimson Demons had naturally high Intelligence and magical affinity. They were born to be mages.
"Profession cards…"
Crimson Demons could only unlock their profession cards upon entering school at twelve. For six-year-old Zunzun, the only way to get one early was through the clan leader.
Yes, that clan leader—the one who had declared at his birth that Zunzun might one day destroy the world.
To be honest, Zunzun didn't have a great impression of him. Even after living here for six years, he still got uncomfortable thinking about that ominous statement.
But if he wanted to get stronger...
Well, at least the clan leader hadn't said, "This boy is so terrifying that he must not be allowed to stay!"
Besides, Crimson Demons were known for their dramatic flair. Might as well get used to it.
Actually, Zunzun was quite excited to unlock his profession card early.
That way, he could grind his levels like crazy and maybe even become the Sword God of Shilipo before ever leaving the village.
Just imagine—Aqua and Kazuma arrive in the Lower World only to find that the Demon King's already been defeated!
Their faces would be priceless.
Zunzun laughed out loud at the thought.
But—
Dreams are lovely. Reality is… disappointing.
When Zunzun went to the clan leader full of hope, imagining himself hailed as "the Crimson Demon Clan's once-in-four-thousand-years genius" after toppling the Demon King, reality slapped him in the face.
His request to open his profession card was flatly denied.
And his path to power ended before it even began.
-End Chapter-
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