The next morning, a heavy fog hung over the town. Dew clung to the cobblestone streets, and the scent of freshly baked bread wafted through the air. Inside the guild hall, the Truck Survivors gathered around a long table, still bleary-eyed from last night's drinking and storytelling.
Ms. Sato (sipping tea): "Alright, everyone, settle down. It's time we get serious."
Aiko: "About what? Breakfast?"
Ms. Sato: "No, about why we're actually here. Don't forget, we weren't isekai'd here to become adventurers for fun."
Her voice cut through the morning haze like a sharp blade. The room fell quiet.
Jun: "Right… the Demon Lord."
They all exchanged uneasy glances.
Nobu: "We've been messing around with easy quests. If we don't start training and getting stronger now, we'll never be ready to fight him."
Takeshi (leaning back, arms crossed): "I'm plenty ready. I got my Shogun, unlimited fuel, and guts."
Miki: "Takeshi-san, you can't drive your way through a Demon Lord's castle!"
Takeshi: "Bet I can."
The table collectively sighed.
Aya: "Seriously though, we need a plan. We've only had one real battle with those goblins, and Takeshi's the only one getting combat experience when he runs over bandits."
Hiroshi: "Hey, those goblins nearly took my ear off."
Daichi: "And I nearly puked when we saw the insides of that one."
Ms. Sato clapped her hands.
Ms. Sato: "Alright, no more fooling around. From today on, we stick to our groups, but we focus on combat training, battle quests, and leveling up."
Aiko: "But shouldn't we start slow?"
Ms. Sato: "Slow won't cut it. The Demon Lord isn't gonna wait for us to get comfy."
The guild receptionist, Rina, approached with a stack of quest papers.
Rina: "If you're looking for tougher quests, these just came in. Perfect for training. A pack of lesser wyverns spotted in the hills, a haunted ruin full of animated armors, and a wild ogre near the riverbank."
Jun: "Now we're talking."
Each team picked a quest:
Team 1: The haunted ruin.
Team 2: The lesser wyverns.
Team 3 (Takeshi's team): The ogre.
Haru: "An ogre sounds dangerous."
Takeshi: "Exactly why we should do it. Time for the Shogun to stretch her legs."
Miki: "You're not driving that thing into a forest!"
Takeshi: "Try and stop me."
Later That Day
The teams prepared their gear, weapons sharpened, spells memorized. Takeshi did routine maintenance on his truck, checking the oil, adjusting the mirrors, and polishing the headlights.
Nobu: "Why are you polishing the headlights? It's a battle, not a car show."
Takeshi: "A clean truck is a lucky truck."
Meanwhile, Ms. Sato held a quick strategy session.
Ms. Sato: "Remember, fighting monsters isn't like the classroom. Stay sharp, back each other up. We survive by thinking smart, not just charging in."
Hiroshi: "We're not gonna die, are we?"
Aiko: "Not if we stick to the plan."
Ms. Sato: "And most importantly — we didn't come to this world to be average. We've got a Demon Lord to kill, and a way home waiting at the end of it."
The room went silent again, the weight of their situation settling over them.
Takeshi (smiling): "And if any of you get scared, just remember — you've got me and my Shogun watching your backs."
Jun: "You're impossible."
Miki: "But weirdly reassuring."
With new resolve, they headed for the gates.
The Truck Survivors might've been thrown into a world of swords and sorcery by a cosmic accident, but now they had a goal.
They weren't just adventurers.
They were Demon Lord hunters in the making.
And as Takeshi revved his engine one last time before departure, the townsfolk muttered:
Villager: "Is he really bringing that thing into battle…?"
The answer was yes.