Journey to Godhood Begins in Frieren

Early the next morning, Shichen woke up feeling short of breath—something was covering his face and he was nearly suffocating.

He opened his eyes to total darkness, though the soft sensation pressed against his cheeks was unmistakable.

What the—?

He pushed away whatever was hugging his head and discovered it was Aqua.

Sitting up, he eyed the sound-asleep goddess and frowned in thought.

They certainly hadn't fallen asleep in this position. Shichen distinctly remembered holding Aqua in his arms when they dozed off; now, somehow, she was the one cradling his head.

Since he hadn't moved, she must have been the restless one. And he'd slept straight through her antics? Maybe he trusted her too much.

Aqua lay there, mouth open, snoring softly. Shichen shook his head—aside from her looks, she had none of a woman's grace.

Well, she had begged to share his bed for a better night's sleep; he couldn't expect much more.

With a sigh he got up to dress.

Aqua's appearance eclipsed every woman he'd met so far, yet one night beside her was honestly less restful than sleeping alone. Even getting an accidental "foam-cleanser" experience at dawn didn't stir him.

Still, that wasn't a bad thing—it proved he wasn't swayed by looks alone. Men as "upstanding" as him were rare indeed.

Not bothering to wake Aqua, he finished dressing and slipped out.

The inn was quiet, only faint clatter from the kitchen. He skipped breakfast for now and strolled outside; Axel was big and he'd never explored it properly. His spatial transfer only worked where he'd been before—it couldn't cross time or jump between worlds. Whether the limit was dimensional or simply his own power, he didn't know. If he could overcome it, he might take everyone on a multiverse tour.

Perhaps one Familiar would someday give him that ability—but ordinary girls lacked the affinity needed to awaken it, and he still didn't know which fragment housed that beast. He'd have to test them one by one.

Aqua's blood definitely qualified—but harvesting from a fool felt morally off. Better treat her kindly first; the guilt would sting a bit less. Conscience: present, if limited.

After wandering most of town he returned to the inn, roused everyone, and they ate breakfast together. No one seemed to know he'd slept with Aqua—though Yunyun looked tired, sporting faint circles under her eyes and yawning often.

"Bad night's sleep, Yunyun?" Shichen asked.

"Ah? Mm… a little," she replied shyly.

"Megumin keeping you up?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Megumin huffed.

"You two share a room; who else would cause it?"

"Hmph! I fell asleep right away—so don't blame me."

"Then why?" Shichen asked.

"N-nothing serious—I just went to bed late," Yunyun said, waving it off. (Truthfully, thoughts of Shichen's embrace had kept her awake.)

"Alright. Let's finish a quest this morning and take the afternoon off."

"Okay!"

They headed to the guild and—once again—took the Giant Toad Subjugation Quest. It remained perfect for them; other requests either required high levels (beyond everyone but Megumin) or called for skills the group lacked. Shichen wasn't chase-level-ups; the EXP benefit meant little to him.

"Toad hunt—let's go! This time you must let me fight!" Kazuma, now proudly armored, marched out the gate.

Armed heroes, after all, itch to grind.

Outside on the plain, multicolored Giant Toads dotted the fields—peak breeding season: bad for farmers, great for adventurer wallets.

"Big Bro, I'm going in!" Kazuma charged the closest lone toad.

"With Aqua here you don't have to fear death—she can resurrect you," Shichen called.

"Seriously? Aqua's that strong?"

"You dare doubt me? No buff for you!" Aqua snapped.

"Sorry! My bad!" Kazuma bowed.

"Go on—but remember, dying hurts," Shichen added.

"Got it!"

Kazuma hacked at a Toad's belly; the blade bounced off the fatty hide. "Huh? Why doesn't it work?!"

"You're only level one—your strength is trash. Keep hacking," Shichen advised.

"Argh!" Kazuma darted away, then steeled himself for another swing.

"That one's yours—we'll handle the rest."

"What?! Don't abandon me!"

"Don't you want levels?"

"Fine! Come at me!" He turned back to his foe.

Shichen warped Yunyun to the far side of the herd. "Same plan—left side for you, right for me."

"Okay! Fireball!"

She focused, flinging a mid-tier spell.

"Lightsaber!"

Their spells felled Toads in droves. Megumin and Aqua could only spectate—one a support caster, one a single-shot cannon.

Soon the field lay littered with carcasses, though Kazuma was still dueling his single target. Aqua, having learned yesterday's lesson, stayed put.

With a final two-handed chop to the head, Kazuma finished his Toad. "Big Bro, I did it! And I leveled up!"

"Nicely done. Let's head back."

"Tomorrow I'll take down two!"

"Why stop there—make it three."

"E-er… maybe later."

As yesterday, Shichen floated twenty-odd Toad bodies in a neat line behind the party—though today he didn't have Aqua on his back. Townsfolk cheered their parade.

"Good work, Shichen! Keep those Toads in check!"

"You're the pride of Beginner Town!"

Inside the guild the mood was tense.

Adventurers clustered around, faces grim.

"Shichen-san, you're back! Excellent. You didn't run into trouble, did you?" Luna hurried over.

"Trouble?" Shichen glanced at the crowd. "What happened?"

"A High-Rank Demon appeared in the forest," she said gravely.

"A High-Rank Demon? This close?" Yunyun blanched; she knew their threat.

"Witnesses say it's searching for a giant black beast," Luna explained.

"A giant black monster… The so-called 'newbie-killer,'" Shichen muttered—extremely dangerous.

"Why would a demon hunt that creature?" Megumin frowned.

Luna shook her head. "I'm sorry—we don't know."

"I see."

"Please stay inside the walls, Shichen-san. A High-Rank Demon is far too dangerous," Luna urged.

"Is there a demon-slaying commission?" Shichen asked.

"Eh?" Luna blinked. "You don't mean—"

"Yes. We'll go exterminate it." Shichen smiled.

"W-what?!"

~~~

Patreon(.)com/Bleam

— Currently You can Read 120 Chapters Ahead of Others!