"Why hasn't Asta come back yet?"
Captain Yami Sukehiro looked ready to explode.
Adam stood silently beside him. Everyone had been waiting half an hour. The tension was so thick it could've been cut with Asta's oversized sword.
Don't tell me he fell into a toilet somewhere…
"Kid," Yami finally said, eyeing Adam, "your strength is no joke."
"The power of a dragon—as it should be!" Adam replied proudly.
A vein pulsed on Yami's forehead. This new brat's got zero humility.
Still… Dragon power? He wanted to ask more, but—
"Sorry, Captain! The purple snake I ate this morning turned out to be poisonous, so I, uh… had some issues!"
Asta came sprinting toward them, waving his arms and miming his bathroom disaster.
As big as a python, Adam thought, deadpan.
"You little brat, how long are you gonna make us wait?!" Yami snarled, grabbing Asta's head and squeezing like a vice.
"AAAHHH! That hurts!!"
Asta's wail echoed through the courtyard. Adam couldn't help thinking:
The days ahead are gonna be interesting.
"Captain," Finral whined through clenched teeth, struggling to hold open a swirling space portal, "can we hurry up? I can't hold this much longer…"
The blonde space mage looked like a man who'd lost too many battles—to alcohol, women, and life itself.
"Push past your limits right now, Finral!" Yami barked, punting Asta straight into the portal.
Everyone scrambled in after them.
The Black Bull Base
"Whoa—! It's huge!"
The moment Adam stepped through, he saw it: the chaotic, sprawling, impossible-looking fortress that was the Black Bulls' base.
Towers tilted at odd angles, smoke billowed from a few chimneys, and the whole thing looked one good sneeze away from collapse.
"This is the Black Bull base," Yami announced proudly.
"It's… incredible!" Asta gasped, stars in his eyes.
"Eh. Bit shabby," Yami shrugged.
"Very nice," Adam said honestly. Compared to Hage Village, even this mess looked luxurious.
And I get my own room? Heaven!
Before anyone could stop him, Asta ran to the door, shoved it open, and yelled:
"I'm Asta from Hage Village! From today onward—"
BOOM!
A fireball nailed him square in the chest, launching him back out the door in a smoking heap.
Asta twitched on the ground, trailing black smoke. "Ow…"
"Welcome," Yami said with a grin, "to the worst squad in the Clover Kingdom—the Black Bulls!"
Adam raised a brow. He says that like it's a compliment.
Still… he liked the madness of it all.
Inside the base was total chaos.
A wild-eyed man was in a magic duel with what looked like a small, angry child.
A witch lounged drunkenly in the corner.
A tiny girl happily devoured a mountain of cakes.
And in the back, a perverted man with a nosebleed admired a photo, eyes sparkling with bliss.
Adam's eyes lit up. "Captain Yami, this place is perfect! There's not a single normal person here!"
He slapped Yami on the arm. "Wuhu! This is a madhouse! I love it!"
Yami stepped aside, expression dark. Did I recruit another lunatic?
He glanced at Finral. The space mage just shrugged, still stunned that Yami hadn't thrown Adam through a wall yet.
Adam wandered off, drawn by the smell of sweets.
He plopped down beside the tiny girl. "Hey, can I have one?"
It was Charmy Pappitson—currently in full glutton mode.
Without hesitation, Adam grabbed a cake and started devouring it. "So good… I haven't eaten anything this sweet in eighteen years!"
Tears streamed down his face as he stuffed his mouth.
Charmy blinked. "Don't cry, eat! Chef Sheepy, bring more cake!"
A pile of fresh desserts appeared instantly.
"This is heaven!" Adam mumbled, crumbs flying.
Then Charmy tilted her head. "Wait… who are you?"
Before he could answer—
"EVERYONE FREEZE!" Yami's voice cracked like thunder as he punched a hole through the wall. The entire base trembled.
"Captain Yami! You're back!"
"Boss, we missed you!"
Everyone scrambled to attention, their smiles as fake as Asta's muscles.
"You're too damn noisy!" Yami barked.
"We were wrong!" they all shouted, kneeling in perfect unison.
Yami grunted in satisfaction. "Good. I brought two newbies."
Asta was still pinned under Gray's transformation magic, barely breathing. Adam just waved from beside the dessert table.
"This one's Adam," Yami said, scratching his head. "The other loud one's… what's-his-name again?"
"I'm Asta from Hage Village!" Asta roared, voice echoing.
Adam winced. "Tone it down, idiot."
Asta immediately lowered his voice. "Sorry, Adam…"
Finral began introducing everyone.
"That's Gordon—quiet type. Witch is Vanessa. The electric psycho's Luck. The brooding kid's Gauche—sister complex. That's our chef, Charmy. The shy one's Gray. The hothead over there is Magna. And that scary guy who keeps punching walls—our captain, Yami."
Adam nodded politely, mentally labeling each:
Weirdo, Drunk, Maniac, Pervert, Chef, Shy Blob, Gangster, Psycho Captain.
Perfect.
"Wanna try on the uniform?" Magna shouted, tossing a black cloak at Asta.
"It's so cool!" Asta's eyes sparkled. "I want it!"
Adam, still chewing cake, muttered, "Can we skip the fashion show? I'm eating."
Magna sneered. "Hey, bumpkin! You think you can just ignore your senior?"
Adam's eyes narrowed, his tone dropping cold. "Senior? You sure you're qualified to say that?"
The air crackled.
The other Bulls backed up immediately, grinning.
"Oh-ho, it's happening!"
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Luck practically vibrated with excitement. "I wanna go too!"
Yami sighed, lighting another cigarette. "Don't let him blow your head off, Magna…"
And thus, the madness of the Black Bulls truly began.