126 CHAPTER 126(Return Trip)

Please read the author's notes. (Examples and explanation of moves and appearance+ Monster Sources)

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pat.treon:/Keanu_Eugene

CHAPTER START---

As the snowfall becomes heavier and heavier with the winter season progressing. On the deck of their ship along the coast of the main continent, a few adventurers and one god pass the time of their short ocean voyage together.

Ouka, captain of the Takemikazuchi familia is quite an imposing person for a 16-year-old young man. Standing at 6ft tall the same as Yang and being a high level-one adventurer after 10 years of fighting in the far east, wearing his standard traditional purple combat attire he is the backbone of his familia.

This reputation would never be assumed if any of the passengers were to brave the cold weather to be on deck right now. Laying on his back on the cold wooden floor beside Mikoto and Chigusa, two 15-year-old girls just halfway through level one.

The three main combatants of the Takemikazuchi familia are battered and bruised with cuts and scrapes all over their bodies. If not for the cold weather there would be a thick layer of sweat coating their bodies as they pant desperately on the floor trying to catch their breaths.

"Alright I think that's enough for today, we should be arriving soon anyway," Thalie says, the woman wearing her casual combat pants and shirt with a fur jacket. Standing over the three adventurers and giving them a slight frown.

"Thank you," they each say while forcing themselves to stand, showing respect in defeat as they were taught.

"Eh, you three aren't the worst people I've trained...actually, of the five you three are at the top," Thalie admits with a light chuckle while taking a closer look at them.

"I'm right here you know, don't be a dick," Yang's voice calls out from the sidelines, the woman glances over to him.

Yang was currently shirtless in beach shorts sitting on a deck chair and reading a book, Takemikazuchi was wrapped in a few layers of blankets on the chair beside him enjoying a hot cup of tea.

"It's not my fault you can't use a sword," Thalie says while walking over to sit on the chair beside him, she couldn't even feel anything from the day of light training Takemikazuchi convinced her to give his familia, all for them to understand what Orario's adventurers were like.

Walking over to their god, the three adventurers kneel before him and bow their heads as their captain speaks, "Master Takemikazuchi, we humbly apologize, we failed," he says with no hesitation.

"Don't be so hard on yourselves, this was fine," the god says with a smile, always proud of how honorable his children were.

Mikoto speaks up, a grim look on her face," but, we couldn't hit her once, four days and we couldn't do anything but get beat up."

"This was only about you understanding what Orario's adventures are like, I never expected you to win. Defeat will teach you more remember, don't forget that Mikoto," Takemikazuchi says in a serious tone as his adventurers rise to their feet.

"How powerful is Ms. Tsubaki?" Chigusa wonders aloud, earning curious looks from Yang and Thalie.

"You a fan of Tsubaki?" Thalie asks.

"Um...no but, she's your captain right. If you're so strong, she must be really good..."

"The last time I saw Tsubaki," Takemikazuchi places a finger on his chin as he tries to recall, "maybe 20 years ago, she was level three back then," he says.

"She's stronger now," Thalie draws all eyes to her as she continues to explain, Yang decides to focus on his book once more, "she's level five like me but I'm stronger, she's a smith so I'm not really fit to act as captain for the god of smithing, being captain isn't always about power, but in probably 90% of familias...yeah it is."

"You're level 5?" Mikoto asks, she'd never met anyone above level 1, they knew Thalie was powerful but she assumed the woman was level three or perhaps four.

"Yeah, I only fought you guys like a level one or two but I'm actually level five."

"So you're the strongest but not the captain, that's pretty strange," Chigusa points out, she was right especially for the place she grew up in, might makes right in The Far East.

"Even if it was like that in our familia, I still wouldn't be the captain, I'd be vice-captain, he'd be the captain," she gestures at Yang, only earning a small glance from the man.

"Really?" Takemikazuchi asks with complete surprise on the face of him and all his children as they openly stare at Yang," I didn't sense any kind of presence from him, not like anything more than maybe a level two."

"Uh, excuse me?" Yang gives him a confused look.

"Sorry if that sounded offensive, it's just that. People who study combat and especially adventurers naturally have a certain presence, anyone who fights can sense it, like a feeling you get when a dangerous animal is in your path," the god explains.

"Exactly," Mikoto agrees," Ms. Thalie is extremely dangerous, we knew that the moment we met her, but you seem harmless," she says with a confused look.

"Am I the only one who can't use this 'sixth sense' crap?"

Chuckling slightly at him Thalie offers an explanation, "probably because you never try to appear as a threat or see anyone as a real threat, that's what happens when you break every level up record, you skip things like this that everyone has. You've never really had to be scared of people."

"You broke every level up record?!" Mikoto asks, at this point the three level-1s pulled over some chairs to sit opposite the others.

"Yeah, it kinda just happened," Yang says, putting his book down to give them his full attention.

"And what might your records be, I recall all the records were set at one to one and a half years all the way to level 5, Gale Wind and The Sword Princess held them last I heard," Takemikazuchi says.

"Miracle boy set the bar way higher than that," Thalie laughs loudly at the old records. After being around Yang so much it seems ridiculous to hold him to such low standards as everyone else.

"Well...what are they," Takemikazuchi asks, eager as he and his familia lean forward on the edge of their seats.

"Uh...if I remember correctly, level 2 was 18 hours, level three was two weeks after that, level four was two months after that, mmm," he puts a finger on his chin trying to recall the others, completely oblivious to the horrified stares at those learning the news," level 5 was like maybe another month-ish then level 6 was seven weeks," he says.

Looking at the frozen people around them, Thalie chuckles lightly," I think you broke them."

"They'll be fine," Yang shakes his head and returns to his book.

After a minute of silent contemplation, Mikoto is the first to speak up," how did you do that?"

"That's easy," Yang says, "the world is actually ending next week and the gods chose me to defend it," he shrugs before returning back to his book.

Chigusa immediately faints at the announcement, her friends sit her up to check on her.

"He's joking," Takemikazuchi says before turning to Yang, "that was a joke right?"

"Yeah I'm just messing with them," he says before breaking into a laughing fit.

"Settle down," Thalie yells out, getting the three adventurers and their gods' attention as they sit Chigusa back into her chair, "this idiot is just really good at punching things and knowing about monsters, his magic is also really useful but that's it."

"Magic?!" Mikoto immediately snaps up and stares shamelessly at Yang, leaning and giving her best pleading smile, "can you show us please?"

"Uh..." he leans back to put some distance between his face and hers, "sure."

Snapping his fingers once, nothing happens.

After a moment Takemikazuchi and his familia look around but don't see anything.

"Is this a trick?" Chigusa asks.

"Can't you feel it," Takemikazuchi says, "it's warmer now, he made it warmer...and the snow stopped."

"Wha---," Mikoto looks around, feeling the warmth on her skin as she looks around. Over the water the snow was still falling but directly around them was warm, the frost on the deck was melting into water as she can feel her lips shaking off the cold.

"This is incredible," Takemikazuchi says in wonder as he looks toward the water to see where the snow was still falling normally. "Chantless magic..."

"Miracle boy for a reason," Thalie says.

"Yeah...what does your magic do?" Ouka asks.

"Well, it's chantless and basically always on, I control Water, Fire, Earth, Air, Cold, Lightning, and Wind, that's why I'm the Elementalist," he holds up a small blue flame in his hand before snuffing it out. "And I've got storage magic as my second slot."

"That's not fair..." Ouka mutters softly as he tries to process this reveal.

Thalie leans over to pat his shoulder gaining his attention, "if you wanna be better just focus on yourself, if you keep thinking about people like him you'll fall apart before you get anyway...also he's not normal so don't use him as a measuring post."

"I'm not that weird," Yang grumbles.

Thalie laughs hysterically at his words, "the only thing normal about you is you're horny for Freya," she jokes.

"Oh no, I don't recommend pursuing Freya," Takemikazuchi says with obvious concern in his voice.

"Too late, miracle boy already put his dick in crazy, and she didn't let go," Thalie descends into another laughing fit as Yang rolls his eyes at her, everyone else blushes at her words.

"Sigh, Freya is my girlfriend," he tells Takemikazuchi.

"Oh...oh no..." the god whispers softly.

"Yeah yeah, I know. I share a bed with a petty vengeful goddess every night," Yang shrugs, accepting his life as it is. "But all things considered, at least she's the most beautiful woman in Orario," he can't help but smile, proud of himself.

"I can't tell if you're lucky or unlucky, I suppose time will show us," Takemikazuchi says grimly.

"Hey!" Welf calls out as he waves to everyone while walking toward them. "The captain said we'll be docking in an hour go get your stuff."

Takemikazuchi and his familia members immediately thank him and get up to retrieve their other members and luggage as Welf takes a seat beside Thalie.

"Had a good nap?" Thalie asks.

"Couldn't sleep, kept thinking about what I should say to her when we get back," Welf mutters.

"Remember when everyone laughed at me for having a psychopath goddess stalking me... now you see how difficult gods can be," Yang jokes.

"Ugh...simpler times honestly," Welf says

"Hey Yang?" Thalie asks.

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you heat the deck up all the days we've been training up here?"

"Oh...honestly, I'm so used to being on fire and stuff that I forget other people aren't weatherproof, didn't even realize the heat in my apartment was off until Freya slept over," he admits.

"You're an idiot."

"Never said I wasn't... and what's with you actually agreeing to give them a test run?"

"Training you was fun, that Mikoto girl has some talent...with all the items collected I could use a hobby," Thalie admits.

"Just try not to stab her in the chest," Yang gives her a harsh glare.

"That was an accident."

"All 15 times?"

"You heal fast."

"You're both idiots," Welf says, shaking his head at their antics. "Can you get me Riveria's staff tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll go call in a favor."

"Thanks... any word on how our new spot is looking?" Welf asks.

"Tsubaki said Freya decorated everything but your forge, that was done by the instructions you left," Yang says before looking toward Thalie, "oh and Tsubaki already moved into your apartment."

"I don't remember saying she could do that..." she groans at Tsubaki's antics.

END CHAPTER---

Thinking of just increasing my upload frequency when lots of slower chapters are lined up and would take too long instead of just adding them all into one long chapter. Expect sporadic updates this weekend, testing to see how fast I burn through chapters to see if I can keep this up :p