"This Skill description..."
Seeing this familiar yet strange Skill, Adam was reminded of Riveria Ljos Alf, whom he had briefly associated with before, and her skill Alf Regina, which was essentially the same thing.
Perhaps it was because of their noble status that their Skills were so similar.
Though this Skill stirred a hint of wistfulness in Adam.
But there was no denying it — this Skill was incredibly powerful! Yunyun's and Megumin's Skills perfectly complemented each other. They were natural partners.
〚Crimson Demon Crown〛not only enhanced the power of Megumin's〘Explosion Magic〙but also converted the residual magical essence into spiritual energy for Yunyun to absorb.
Sustained combat and burst damage — a perfect combination.
Adam had always viewed Megumin as the team's trump card. However, her limitation was clear: after unleashing her powerful burst damage, she became a vulnerable mage requiring special protection from the team.
With Yunyun as her partner, this weakness could now be perfectly addressed.
"Um... my Falna..."
"Ah, sorry for worrying you."
Adam's prolonged silence had made Yunyun anxious about her abilities.
His next words, however, restored her confidence.
"Yunyun, you should realize that not everyone possesses Skills — let alone ones as powerful as yours. Your Skill is stronger than anyone else's in the team... including Megumin's."
"Really?!" Yunyun beamed with joy.
When she joined the 『Hero』 Party, defeating the Devil King had been secondary; adventuring with Megumin was her true priority.
The prospect of finally 'defeating' her rival filled her with delight. Adam's words confirmed that her talent surpassed even Megumin's!
"Well, you each have your own strengths." Adam said diplomatically, careful not to upset Megumin, "Megumin's 'Magic Burn' perfectly enhances her Explosion Magic, while your 'Crimson Demon Crown' excels in sustained combat rather than instant magical bursts."
His explanation clearly outlined each person's strengths.
"Hmph! So my Magic Burn is still stronger!" Megumin, who had been dejected earlier, instantly regained her boastful attitude upon hearing that her Skill suited her perfectly.
After all, she cared a lot about her title as the "Number One in Explosion Magic".
Yunyun, showing her competitive side, wouldn't back down. She pointed at the attributes column on the parchment and declared, "My Crimson Demon Crown is an excellent Skill too!"
"I'm stronger!"
"No, I'm stronger!"
"No, I'm even stronger!"
"It's me!"
...
The two continued their playful argument. While it demonstrated their close friendship, Adam knew he needed to intervene.
Before he could speak, Kazuma burst in from outside.
"Everyone! I've discovered something amazing! My 'Acceleration' Skill has a major…" He stopped mid-sentence, his excitement faltering as he spotted an unfamiliar beautiful girl wrestling with Megumin, "Hm? What's going on?"
"Kazuma-kun, you're back?" Adam was surprised to see him, since he'd been staying at home lately but had been absent from the lord's mansion today.
He'd assumed Kazuma would be at the Succubus Cafe until morning, yet here he was, appearing unexpectedly before them.
"Ah, right! Kazuma-kun, come meet our new team member."
"Hm...?!" Kazuma stood stunned.
He couldn't believe that in just half a day's absence, the team had gained a new member — and a beautiful girl at that!
"Let me introduce you — this is Yunyun, Megumin's childhood friend. As you can see, she's also from the Crimson Demon Clan." Adam gestured toward Yunyun, drawing attention to her distinctive red eyes.
"Um... hello, I'm Yunyun, pleased to meet you!"
"Oh… oh! I'm Kazuma Satou, pleased to meet you." Unlike her shy demeanor, Kazuma remained casual, a reflection of his mischievous nature.
"Now then, back to our previous topic." Adam turned to him, "What were you saying about your 'Acceleration', Kazuma? I'm interested."
"Ah, right! About my 'Acceleration' Skill — I made a huge discovery!" Kazuma's excitement returned at the question.
"Oh? What is it?"
"Well... it's hard to explain here. Let's go to the plains, I'll show you."
"Hmm... alright, if you insist. It's a good chance to test Yunyun's Skills too, let's check them both out."
They headed to the plains at Kazuma's suggestion, which Adam saw as an ideal opportunity to evaluate Yunyun's abilities.
✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧
On their way, Adam learned that Kazuma had been absent from home because Chris had invited him on a quest — during which he'd discovered the true power of〚Acceleration〛.
"Alright, Kazuma-kun, show us what you've got."
"Right! Watch this!"
Kazuma separated from the group and positioned himself at the front, facing several Giant Toads that Megumin's explosion had awakened earlier.
Drawing his short dagger, he focused on a lone Giant Toad in the distance. With a quick lick of his lips, he charged forward!
The group watched as he darted to the Giant Toad's feet with surprising speed. In one fluid motion, he kicked off from the creature's blind spot and leaped upward, driving his dagger cleanly into its forehead before the clumsy beast could react.
Giant Toad, dead!
This was... how to put it? It could only be described as… ordinary.
Though Kazuma's speed was impressive and his execution smooth, there seemed nothing particularly special about it. He had simply managed to defeat monsters without using bait (Aqua, Megumin, Darkness) as he'd needed to before.
But these were just Giant Toads — among the weakest monsters in the plains!
"Um..."
"How was that? Cool, right?!"
Kazuma's shameless attitude left Adam speechless.
Still, it marked progress — he could now openly fight monsters that previously required his 〔Lurk〕 skill.
"No, no! You've misunderstood!"
Seeing everyone's awkward smiles, Kazuma realized they hadn't grasped his point and hurried to explain.
"My 'Acceleration' — at first I thought it just increased movement speed, but after testing I discovered..." He paused, then continued, "It's not just movement and attack speed. It increases recovery speed, chanting speed, even thinking speed and experience gain!"
"What did you say—?!!!"
His words truly shocked everyone.
✧✧✧
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