The initial storyline, which was quite different from typical isekai stories, gave some readers a refreshing feeling, but they weren't overly surprised. After all, this was the Porter's work. Given his style, pulling off some crazy twists wasn't exactly unexpected.
After all, there had already been a hilarious series like Cautious Hero. Though the ending of that story left some readers unsatisfied, the earlier chapters were filled with humor.
Daniel settled in and continued reading.
After a flash of light, the protagonist Kazuma and the goddess Aqua were transported to the other world.
There were no cars, no telephone poles—just rows of red-brick buildings resembling a medieval European town.
In most isekai stories, this is the point where the protagonist begins their overpowered journey, conquering challenges with ease.
However, Daniel suspected that the Porter wouldn't let Kazuma have such an easy time.
Given the previous storyline of Cautious Hero, where the quirky goddess mostly served as comic relief, it seemed likely that Aqua would play a similar role as a "clumsy sidekick."
But then again, Daniel thought, what if the story suddenly flipped like Cautious Hero? Maybe a powerful minion of the Demon King would attack right in the starting village.
But no, Daniel's guess was wrong.
"Wait, this is a classic trope? That's odd," he thought.
Kazuma and Aqua set off to register at the Adventurer's Guild, which was quite standard for isekai stories. Daniel was surprised the Porter followed this typical plot.
Things soon took a twist. Kazuma's stats turned out to be terrible, making him suited only for the most basic adventurer class.
Unlike other stories where the protagonist shows hidden talent and amazes the guild, Kazuma was just average.
"Could this be another anti-trope twist?" Daniel scratched his chin.
Since Cautious Hero introduced the trend of flipping typical plotlines, a lot of new works had popped up, featuring weak protagonists who became legends by relying on others' creativity and luck.
As Daniel pondered, the story continued.
And then, the screen shifted, leaving readers baffled.
Kazuma and Aqua began working manual labor jobs, like construction.
Indeed, no matter the world, money is essential.
But weren't they supposed to be defeating the Demon King and saving the world?
Instead, these two were working jobs, partying, eating, and bathing like ordinary laborers.
They had completely forgotten their original purpose for coming to this world!
Not only did the readers notice this, but even Kazuma himself realized it and brought it up to Aqua.
Upon hearing Kazuma's reminder, Aqua looked confused for a moment. After thinking for a while, she said:
"Oh, right! That's true! I got so wrapped up in the joy of work that I forgot. Kazuma, if you don't defeat the Demon King, I can't go back!"
The fans were collectively exasperated.
Wow, these two had really forgotten their whole reason for coming here!
Indeed, in the Porter's works, no protagonist or goddess was ever normal!
After working construction and painting houses, Kazuma and Aqua finally decided to do something adventurers were supposed to do—hunt monsters to earn money.
Their next task was to hunt giant frogs.
Normally, at this point, one would expect a scene where the protagonists heroically save a damsel in distress and embark on a grand adventure with a new companion.
However...
"Ahhh! Help! Aqua, save me!"
Yes, you read that right. Not only did they fail the hunt, but Kazuma was being chased by a giant frog, red-faced and teary-eyed.
As for Aqua, she stepped forward, confidently striking a heroic pose.
This made sense. After all, while Kazuma had weak stats, Aqua, as a goddess, had top-tier abilities!
Unfortunately...
A few moments later, Aqua was gone, swallowed whole by the giant frog.
The only clue to her fate was a white cloth-like thing hanging from the frog's mouth.
That "white thing"? It was Aqua.
At the start of chapter two, the story took a turn that left Daniel and many readers wide-eyed, their jaws hanging open in shock.
What kind of isekai story was this???
So, both the protagonist and the goddess were utterly useless in combat?
How were they supposed to save the world?
Daniel felt his entire worldview being flipped.
He checked his fan group chat. Everyone was buzzing with disbelief, their comments echoing his own astonishment.
And yet...
Despite the absurdity, the story was strangely entertaining.
While many fans were stunned by the lack of combat skills, the story itself was undeniably funny.
Daniel realized that he hadn't stopped laughing the entire time.
After all, the story had been promoted as a comedy, so fans were more forgiving about Kazuma's lack of power.
Following their failed attempt at monster hunting, Kazuma and Aqua finally understood the need to recruit more companions.
At this point, many fans grew excited again.
Given the story's comedic nature, they eagerly anticipated the arrival of some equally quirky new teammates.
Then they met Megumin, a young mage with a severe case of chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur), from the Crimson Demon Clan. Oh, and she was so poor she couldn't afford to eat for days.
However...
Despite her eccentric behavior, Megumin's combat power seemed promising.
After a moment of confusion, Kazuma and Aqua decided to bring Megumin along to fight the giant frogs.
With Aqua acting as bait, Megumin began chanting, and the air around her crackled with energy.
Her overwhelming magical power left Daniel thinking, "Maybe this girl is actually useful?"
But deep down, he suspected the Porter wouldn't be so generous.
With a loud shout of "Explosion!" the ground shook, and a blinding light filled the sky. The frog exploded, scattering blood and guts everywhere.
Then Megumin collapsed.
Yes, Megumin was a one-hit wonder! Although her explosion magic was immensely powerful, it drained all her energy in a single attack, leaving her unable to fight any longer.
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