The big house in the center of the village was two or three times larger than the others, its architecture a bit more imposing. Just one glance, and you could tell—it was different.
This was the home of the Crimson Demon Clan Chief.
And the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa inside was pursing his lips and frowning. Even after six years, Zunzun still remembered that face.
Still so annoying!
Zunzun felt his blood boiling, his eyes practically glowing red. If there were a system, it would definitely flash a [Warning: Red Temperature Overload] alert in his mind.
The more he stared at the middle-aged man across from him, the angrier he got. Finally, he couldn't hold it in anymore and blurted out:
"You'll regret this!"
"I'm the clan chief, Zunzun!" the man replied sternly.
Zunzun couldn't take it anymore. He snorted coldly, spun around, and stormed out of the house.
Once he'd walked a fair distance, he glanced back at the chief's mansion and muttered, "He's not even that old—why is he so stubborn?"
The dramatic outburst of Danzo-template just now had been Zunzun's last-ditch effort to get permission to unlock his profession card early.
He hadn't expected the clan chief to be so immovable.
No matter how Zunzun reasoned with him—coercion, sweet talk, even emotional blackmail—none of it worked. The chief was even colder than a certain indifferent goddess who never gave anyone hope… though admittedly, still better than those people who don't like you but keep stringing you along.
Zunzun understood the reason behind the refusal. The chief had made it perfectly clear.
He was afraid Zunzun would become a "filler baby."
Apparently, someone from the Crimson Demon Clan had once made the same request—to unlock their card and choose a profession before the age of twelve. They were smart, too, like Zunzun.
Back then, the clan chief had agreed.
And that kid, filled with a sense of invincibility after learning magic, ran off on his own to provoke the front lines of the Demon King's Army.
He never came back.
Ever since that incident, the clan ruled that no one could unlock their profession card early. Everyone had to wait until they turned twelve and entered school for basic education.
As expected of the Crimson Demon Clan—a whole village full of chuunibyou. Even their mistakes were dramatic. Who goes to the Demon King's base camp to provoke him personally?! That guy really was fearless… and terminally dumb.
Zunzun wanted to say he wouldn't do that.
But then again, the Crimson Demon Clan was full of eccentrics. It was no surprise they didn't trust one of their own.
Actually, that wasn't the only issue.
In Konosuba, your profession was determined by your innate qualities. While the Crimson Demon Clan was naturally suited for great mages, many of them didn't meet the requirements for advanced magic until they matured. That poor kid who ran off earlier? He'd only qualified for Intermediate Mage before charging into enemy lines.
After hundreds of years of data, the village had concluded that a person's "quality" stabilized around age twelve. That was the best time to unlock a profession.
…Come to think of it, in the original story, only Sato Kazuma (who was sixteen when he reincarnated) and Aqua (whose age is... debatable) had profession cards earlier. Everyone else—Megumin, Darkness, Princess Iris—had theirs at twelve.
So doesn't that mean that if you max out your qualities before twelve, you could land a top-tier profession?
It wasn't certain. But it was worth a try.
Besides, Konosuba allowed secondary class changes. Even if you started with the lowest-tier Adventurer class, once your stats were high enough, you could switch to something stronger—Mage, Knight, Priest. With effort, you could even reach a superior profession.
Which meant a new goal:
Max out my qualities before the job change! Unlock every achievement!
As for magic…
Magic, in essence, was just the manipulation of mana to produce observable changes in the world. If he couldn't use this world's magic, what about magic from other worlds?
Magic = Spell + Mana.
Simple enough. He didn't believe he couldn't make it work with sheer effort!
The next day, in the eastern forest...
"Oh Lord! Mask of flesh and bone! Universe! Wings that beat and soar! Bearer of the name of humanity! Turn to ash and burn—Hado #31: Red Fire Cannon!"
"Si! Wei! Shen! Hai! Wu! Yin! Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"This is the flame of origin and the flame of end! The forbidden power from the past, present, future, and the far cosmos! O Flame! I, the Destroyer—cold-blooded and ruthless—offer my flesh and blood to violate the commandments of the ancient gods… Explosion!"
"Zazas, Zazas, Nasnazas—show yourself!"
…
No matter how many cool lines he shouted, Zunzun's right hand remained quiet.
Could it be that JoJo logic didn't work here?
No, he'd been too optimistic.
Forget otherworldly magic—even local spells didn't work. No matter how clearly he recited the chant or understood the theory, nothing activated. He couldn't even feel mana circulating in his body.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Zunzun sat down on a rock, resting his chin in his palm like a philosopher.
Where had it all gone wrong?
Was the magic too advanced for his level? But he'd already tried beginner spells from both other worlds and this one—still nothing. Maybe the formula was flawed?
Magic ≠ Spell + Mana?
He couldn't make sense of it.
…Forget it. It's not like he had high hopes in the first place.
If incantation-based casting wasn't working, maybe he could try something more straightforward. Like the Rasengan, Kamehameha, or a basic magic missile. Spells formed not from words, but from raw visualization and control.
No harm in trying.
He steadied himself and got into position, crouching into a bow stance. With his left hand gripping his right wrist, he began forcefully channeling energy into his palm, trying to shape it into a spiraling mass.
The Rasengan—a ninjutsu with no hand seals!
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
His shouts grew louder. Muscles tensed. His eyes burned red with effort. Sweat dripped from his brow as he poured every ounce of strength into the attempt.
Wasn't it said that boys have it easy the first time they "release"? So why was this so hard?!
Well, there was a reason.
Konosuba magic was all about structured mana output. No one had ever tried brute-forcing it like this—pure visualization, pure willpower. The success rate was laughably low. But…
If anyone could pull it off, it would be him.
Zunzun's heart swelled with ambition.
He was still a Crimson Demon, after all. His chuunibyou instincts kicked in hard, and he threw himself into the effort with a do-or-die attitude.
"I can feel it! I can feel it! The power sealed within my right hand—my… my King's Power—ohhhhhh—eh?"
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone peeking out from behind a nearby tree.
A girl.
Eyes full of emotion. Face brimming with relief and pride.
No… it couldn't be...
"Sister?!"
"It's happening! It's finally happening!" she cried. "As expected of you, Zunzun! You're truly one of us Crimson Demons! You've awakened at last! I'm so proud of you, little brother! Go! Your right hand definitely contains incredible power! I believe in you!"
"...Wait! Wait!! Misunderstanding! Total misunderstanding!! I—I'm not a chuunibyou... Soketto, please believe me, I'm not a chuunibyou!!!"
Zunzun wailed at the top of his lungs, but it was too late.
He had been seen.
And worse…
He had been believed.
-End Chapter-
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