After three days of getting used to this world and ingratiating ourselves with the locals, Aqua and I now stood outside the city of Axel, ready to hunt down giant toads—just like in the anime. The wide-open fields stretched before us, with a few trees dotting the landscape and the distant croaking of frogs signaling the start of our hunt.
"Hey, Gil!" Aqua called out to me, her voice carrying a mix of curiosity and frustration.
"Hmm? What is it?" I glanced at her, slightly amused.
"What's that thing you put on the guild's board?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion. I couldn't help but smile at her inquisitiveness. She had been getting more curious with each passing day, and for once, there wasn't a hint of boasting in her tone. It seemed my presence was starting to influence her behavior.
"That was a hiring notice," I explained, keeping my tone light but patient.
Aqua blinked, clearly not satisfied with the answer. "Then why are we out here, going on a quest, if you're just hiring people? Shouldn't we wait for them to come to us?"
I chuckled at her question. She was starting to think things through, which was impressive, "We need at least some glory to our name to attract strong and useful allies. People aren't going to follow us just because we post a notice. They need a reason to believe in us."
Aqua pouted, sounding slightly angry now. "Then what was all that stuff we were doing before? All that talking to people and scouting around the city?"
I grinned, enjoying her frustration. "That was preparation. You wouldn't want to get eaten by one of these frogs, now, would you?"
She visibly shuddered, her face twisting in disgust. "Ugh, no way! After all the stories we heard about those frogs, I'm actually glad we asked around. I can't believe how many adventurers end up covered in slime!"
"Exactly," I said, my voice taking on a more serious tone. "We need to be smart about this. We're not just here to get stronger; we're here to build a foundation. The more glory we gather, the more resources and influence we'll accumulate. And once we have that, recruiting powerful allies will be much easier."
Aqua seemed to mull this over, nodding slowly. "So, we're not just going after frogs because it's an easy quest. We're doing it to make ourselves look good and get stronger allies?"
"That's right," I confirmed. "In this world, reputation and power go hand in hand. We need both to succeed."
Just as I finished speaking, a loud croak echoed from the nearby brush. A giant toad emerged, its bulbous body glistening with slime, and its beady eyes fixed on us. Aqua immediately took a step back, her face paling.
"Y-You deal with it!" she stammered, gripping her staff tightly. "I'll support you from here!"
I smirked at her reaction, stepping forward confidently. "Don't worry, Aqua. Watch closely, and you'll see why preparation is key."
Drawing one of my treasures from the Gate of Babylon, I prepared to face the creature. This was just the beginning. Soon enough, both this world and Nazarick would tremble under my control, and these insignificant challenges would be nothing more than distant memories.
With a swift motion, I unleashed my weapon, striking the toad with precision. The battle was over almost before it began, and Aqua let out a relieved sigh as the giant creature collapsed in a heap.
"See?" I said, turning to her with a smirk. "Preparation pays off."
Aqua nodded slowly, her expression a mix of awe and slight embarrassment. "Okay, okay, I get it now. Let's just finish this quest and get back to the guild. I don't want to end up like one of those slimy adventurers we heard about."
I chuckled, leading the way toward the next target. This was just the start, and I had no intention of stopping until I had achieved everything I desired. *Ding* a notification sounded in my mind as One of my templates progress once again giving 45% of kazuma's abilities and traits, granted I got to still do some things to make all of the spells the chris taught kazuma to be useful to me
So I actually met up with Chris and get her to teach me and use a binding vow to increase the power I can get from the template. The binding vows condition requires me to actually learn steal,bind and lurk from Chris to enhance them granted it wasn't a big boost but I still would take small eventually builds up after all
And it appears that they still didn't know of my hijinks or didn't care enough to make immediate actions. Which works for me you don't mess me and I don't mess with you- anymore than I have