Chapter 2 - Quest? No Thanks, I'm Good.

Kazuki blinked at the quest window floating in front of him, its formatting straight out of a budget RPG that took itself a bit too seriously. **[Main Quest Unlocked!]** **Objective:** Defeat the Demon Lord. **Reward:** Eternal Glory, Legendary Title, Possible Harem (Warning: May include Yandere). **Penalty:** World Destruction. Your Fault. No Pressure. He scoffed. "Yeah, nah. Sounds like a you problem," he muttered, waving a hand in futile protest. When the window didn't budge, he poked it, gave it a light blow, and then tried the classic move—closing his eyes and counting to three. Opening them, he cursed under his breath; the window had duplicated itself. "Please Accept the Quest." "Please Accept the Quest." "Is this some kind of psychological warfare?" he grumbled, exasperated. By his side, a sword floated lazily. "Just accept it already. You're obviously the protagonist here." "I'm not the—Wait, did you just call yourself a sword?" Kazuki shot back, narrowing his eyes skeptically. "You don't look like a sword; you look like a flying butter knife." "I'm a Soulforged Blade of Destiny, forged in the Eternal Crucible of—" "Right, right. Probably cursed and definitely mouthy." Kazuki sighed and turned to the girl floating nearby, who had a cheerful disposition that felt straight out of a JRPG. "Hey, Magical Blondie. What's your name again?" "Alicia Starwind!" she chirped, her voice bright and cheerful. "Holy-class Mage and High Priestess of the Order of Lumina!" Kazuki just stared at her, utterly unimpressed. "That's a lot of titles for someone who literally just fell from the sky." "I was summoned here by the Goddess herself to guide the Chosen Hero!" "Excellent. Well, I was summoned by gravity and a slippery bathroom tile." **[Self-Awareness Skill Activated.]** **[New Trait Detected: Reluctant Protagonist]** "Not helping," Kazuki grumbled, rubbing his temples. "Okay, let's pretend for a moment that this isn't a dream. What happens if I simply don't take the quest?" Alicia blinked. "I… don't know. You're the first person to ask that." The sword snorted. "You get eaten by the plot, obviously." "Eaten?" Kazuki shot a skeptical glance at the floating weapon. "Not literally. Well, usually not! But the narrative will definitely drag you in. You might as well accept it now instead of, you know, waiting until your village is razed to the ground or your childhood friend gets kidnapped." "See? That's exactly why I don't trust floating weapons," Kazuki muttered. With a resigned sigh, he dropped down onto a conveniently placed boulder and pondered. "I was supposed to spend today microwaving leftover pizza rolls and trying to feel like a productive member of society." Suddenly, the sky shifted to a fiery crimson, and the ground trembled beneath him. Kazuki squinted upwards. "Okay. No need to panic. Probably just the world's subtle way of encouraging me…" A notification materialized before his eyes. **[WORLD EVENT: Chaos Invasion (Tutorial Version)]** **[Beginner Village 'Loria' Under Attack]** "Beginner Village?" Kazuki echoed, incredulous. "Seriously? You guys really named it that?" "It's a tradition in many fantasy realms," Alicia explained, looking almost earnest. "No, it's just lazy! Even my gacha games put more effort into naming stuff." The sword buzzed impatiently at his side. "We're wasting time! If we don't go now, the starter village will be destroyed! We can't let that happen!" Kazuki raised an eyebrow, a slow smile creeping on his face. "Wait… so if I don't go, you're saying I can skip all those tedious NPC friendship quests?" The sword stammered, clearly flustered. "N-No! That's… extremely evil!" Kazuki slowly pushed himself off the boulder, only to sit down hard again. "I'm not evil. I'm just genre-savvy." **10 Minutes Later...** Kazuki, Alicia, and the ever-chattering sword stood before a chaotic scene. The village was ablaze, people screamed in panic, and a brave farmer was valiantly swinging a rake at a rampaging slime. Nearby, a dog barked furiously at a fireball zooming overhead. Kazuki crossed his arms, taking in the absurdity. "Okay, maybe that's slightly evil." Alicia gasped, determination flickering in her eyes. "We have to help them!" Kazuki sighed but stepped forward. And then tripped over a rock, face-planting into the dirt. **[You took 3 Damage.]** **[Plot Armor Awareness Activated.]** **[Incoming: Convenient Power Awakening Sequence.]** He groaned, rolling over just in time to see a goblin charging at him with an evil little grin. "Wait! I'm not ready for—" A surge of blue light erupted from his chest, brighter than anything he had ever experienced. The goblin vaporized instantaneously, leaving a cloud of smoke in its place. Everyone froze, their collective gasps hanging in the air. Kazuki blinked, slack-jawed. "Did I just… kamehameha by accident?" **[New Skill Unlocked: "Narrative Burst" (Lv. 1)]** **Effect:** Instinctive power surge triggered by narrative tension. Unpredictable. Flashy. May cause property damage. The sword hummed joyfully, its voice filled with glee. "Finally! A sign of true power!" Kazuki stared at his glowing hands, then at the villagers starting to cheer in his direction. Alicia had genuine sparkles dancing in her wide eyes. "Wait," he said slowly, panic creeping into his voice. "Don't get the wrong idea! That was a fluke! A glitch in the plot matrix! I am *not* getting emotionally attached to this village!" Before he could finish his protest, a small girl ran up to him, holding out a cookie with wide, hopeful eyes. "Thank you, Mister Hero!" Kazuki felt a fissure form in his resolve. "Damn it!