Kazuma Satou, now a veteran of inter-dimensional travel and the self-proclaimed 'conceptual strategist' of the Nexus Seven, was back in his natural state: utterly miserable and deeply in debt.
He, Aqua, and Megumin had accepted a mind-numbingly simple quest from the Axel Guild: 'Exterminate ten low-level Forest Goblins from the nearby ruins and collect their ears for proof.' The reward was barely enough to cover a single night's stable fees, but it was money.
"Listen up, you two," Kazuma instructed, adjusting the straps of his worn leather armor. He clutched his precious Portable Pocket Dimension ring. "The key to success is low-risk, zero-effort, and maximal profitability. Aqua, no purification blasts that vaporize the entire goblin and the proof. Megumin, no 'Explosion' that levels the entire forest."
"WAAH! You have no respect for the artistic display of divine energy!" Aqua wailed, dramatically flailing her arms, causing a nearby puddle to instantly purify into crystal-clear, utterly useless water.
Megumin, already twitching with anticipation, chanted quietly, "Lalatina, Lalatina, Lalatina... just one small blast for flavor, Kazuma-san?"
"No! We are focusing on efficiency! Remember the humiliation of the Hot Spring? We need money to buy our way out of the next cosmic prank!" Kazuma reminded them, shuddering at the memory of the Water Sprite.
As they entered the damp, moss-covered ruins, Kazuma felt the familiar, cold dread of his Perpetual Bad Luck, but now it was amplified, laced with residual chaos from the Nexus Core. The sheer incompatibility of his existence with the fate of the multiverse was causing localized reality hiccups around him.
The first goblin encounter was an immediate, inexplicable disaster.
A goblin, armed with a rusted dagger, charged Kazuma. Kazuma performed a flawless dodge—a skill perfected over years of running from high-level threats. The goblin's dagger, however, didn't simply miss. As it flew past, the Nexus contamination kicked in: the residual Conceptual Pinpoint energy from Gojo's Limitless technique, still clinging to Kazuma's clothes, caused the dagger to instantly, impossibly rotate ninety degrees mid-air and cleanly slice the ear off another, unseen goblin hiding behind a pillar.
Kazuma stared at the severed ear lying at his feet. "I... I got a drop. Without even fighting."
"Kazuma, you're a genius!" Aqua cheered.
"No, I'm cursed!" Kazuma yelled. "This isn't luck! This is Conceptual Chaos! My misfortune is now operating on an inter-dimensional level!"
The goblins in the ruins were suffering from similar, random afflictions:
One goblin tried to climb a rope, only for the rope to suddenly become heavy with Jin-Woo's Authority and snap under the nonexistent weight.
Another goblin, attempting a sneak attack, was momentarily overcome by the scent of profound, literary melancholy (Dazai's residue) and simply sat down to weep over his meaningless life.
A third goblin tripped, and upon hitting the ground, suddenly gained a fleeting but terrifying psychic vision of Turbo-Granny telling it its fashion choices were 'uncool' (Okarun's spiritual contamination).
The quest was proving easy, but deeply, existentially terrifying.
Kazuma realized he needed to stabilize his own concept. He desperately sought an anchor, a piece of high-grade dimensional technology to counteract his low-grade luck. He remembered his trophy, stolen from the most powerful being in the Nexus Seven.
He pulled out the small, sleek, black tin from his Pocket Dimension: the Conceptual Stabilizing Clay (Gojo's hair wax).
"I remember Gojo-sensei saying this stabilized his existence! If I apply it, maybe I can stabilize my luck!" Kazuma reasoned, popping open the lid. The wax had a faint, sterile scent of ozone and ego.
He smeared a small amount into his own messy brown hair.
The effect was not stabilization. The effect was catastrophic.
The Conceptual Stabilizing Clay, designed to anchor the infinite power of Limitless, reacted violently with Kazuma's Bad Luck concept. Instead of stabilizing him, it created a hyper-focused Dimensional Magnet aimed at drawing the single most complex, high-energy entity from the nearby dimensions—the exact opposite of Kazuma's luck-based defense.
The ground began to shake violently. The goblins stopped crying and scampering. A powerful, terrifying pressure descended upon the ruins, freezing the air with a bone-deep, metaphysical cold.
"W-w-what's that noise?" Megumin stammered, abandoning her chanting.
From the deepest shadows of the ruins—shadows that suddenly seemed unnaturally deep and absolute—an entity emerged that should not have been possible in this low-level world.
It was an Arch-Lich of the Abyss, a Special-Class Undead that usually only spawns in the deepest, highest-level Gates. It had been unintentionally pulled across the void by the focused instability of the Conceptual Stabilizing Clay.
The Lich's eyes glowed with pure, concentrated Mana. It surveyed the ruins, ignored Aqua and Megumin, and fixed its terrifying gaze entirely on Kazuma.
"I sense the impurity of a multi-dimensional paradox. Your essence is a stain upon existence. I will cleanse your soul from the fabric of reality," the Arch-Lich hissed, raising a staff that crackled with necrotic energy.
Kazuma, faced with true, existential dread and an enemy that would actually vaporize him, didn't freeze. He reacted with the most powerful emotion his Nexus link could generate: Absolute, Unmitigated Terror and Despair.
This is it! I'm going to die! All that effort, just to be killed by a skeleton! I need a bigger, better, angrier skeleton!
Kazuma's panicked, full-throttle despair instantly resonated with the one being in the Nexus Seven whose entire existence was defined by shadows and the concept of Killing Intent.
In the Arch-Lich's shadow, a new, deeper shadow materialized. The air in the ruins instantly dropped to a temperature far colder than the Lich's ice magic.
Jin-Woo stepped out of the Shadow Domain, fully armored, radiating a terrifying, focused Monarch's Authority. He looked around the damp, mossy ruins, his gaze locking instantly onto the terrified, brown-haired figure covered in moss and hair wax.
Jin-Woo sighed, the sound like the rush of wind through a deep canyon.
"Kazuma Satou," Jin-Woo's voice was low, cutting through the Arch-Lich's Mana. "I was in the middle of a critical meeting with the Japanese Hunter Association. You interrupted the proceedings with... this low-level absurdity."
The Arch-Lich, completely ignored by the new arrival, finally recognized the terrifying, high-concept Mana signature of the Shadow Monarch. It immediately collapsed its staff, dropped to one knee, and started trembling.
"M-monarch of Shadows! I was unaware that this dimension was under your authority! I apologize for the intrusion!" the Lich pleaded, its terrifying facade dissolving into professional terror.
Jin-Woo didn't even look at the Lich. He walked toward Kazuma, who was now weeping with relief and terror.
"The hair wax," Jin-Woo said, pointing to the spot on Kazuma's head. "It is drawing conceptual energy. Get rid of it."
Kazuma frantically wiped the wax off his head. The Dimensional Magnet effect vanished instantly.
Jin-Woo gave the collapsed Lich a curt nod. "You are an unacceptable level of distraction. Return to the Abyss."
The Arch-Lich vanished in a clean, terrified pulse of dark energy.
Jin-Woo turned back to Kazuma. "This world is conceptually too weak for our stable presence. Stop trying to use my wax to fix your Bad Luck. Find a low-concept solution."
Jin-Woo raised his hand, gathering his intent, and before Kazuma could even thank him, Jin-Woo vanished back into the Shadow Domain.
Aqua and Megumin stared at the space where the terrifying Shadow Monarch had stood.
"That was... utterly terrifying," Megumin whispered, recovering her staff. "But the power... it was magnificent!"
"WAAAH! He looked so rude! He didn't even acknowledge the presence of a Goddess!" Aqua complained, crossing her arms.
Kazuma, however, noticed something else. Where the Arch-Lich had been kneeling, a single, glowing Abyssal Mana Stone lay on the ground—a priceless, high-level material worth a fortune in this world.
"We did it," Kazuma whispered, scooping up the glowing gem. "We successfully completed the Goblin Quest... by accidentally summoning an S-Rank Shadow Monarch to scare away an Arch-Lich and leave us a fortune."
He looked at the tiny, worthless goblin ears and then the massive Abyssal Mana Stone.
"This is the worst, most terrifying, and most profitable quest I have ever taken! We need a better system for calling him."
He realized the Nexus link was now their ultimate weapon and their greatest financial risk. He needed to find a way to control his own emotional triggers.
The Nexus link is officially a viable, albeit chaotic, form of transportation and rescue. Kazuma's desperation saved him, but the contamination is proving too dangerous.