" ": You talking

'' : You thinking

* *: Narrator/Voice-off

Your POV:

???: Satou Kazuma-san... Welcome to the afterworld. I'm Eris, the goddess who'll guide your way. Your time in the mortal world is up.

Kazuma: ... I see... I have died again, haven't I ? Well, this isn't the first time, so...

Kazuma: 'That's weird... Why do I feel like I regret these guys...'

*F-TWOOOOOOOOOOM*

A few hours earlier:

Kazuma: ... I want money...

"Tell me something I don't know. And more importantly, something I don't agree on."

Kazuma: Lots of it... I want money...

"Yeah, yeah... I know..."

Aqua: Anyone would want that. It's the same for all of us too... By the way, aren't you guys being too useless ?

"Here's a pot, here's a kettle, figure the rest out yourself."

Aqua: To let a goddess like me stay in the stables, don't you have any shame ?! If you get it, let me live more luxuriously ! Spoil me ! Take better care of me !

Kazuma: You heard anything ?

"Nope. Just a weird blue thing that keeps getting us to pay her drinking debts."

Aqua: H- Hey !! This is all thanks to me we could beat that Dullahan !

"And it's all thanks to you ruining the town's wall we have no money, putting this back to zero, and leaving what you did before. You're the one pulling us down in the red all the time."

Kazuma: Do you even know why we crave money so badly ?

Aqua: The elegant and wonderful me couldn't possible understand what a couple of Neets like you are thinking about. You're after the funds you'd need to keep being shut-ins forever, isn't that it ?

Kazuma: they say love makes you blind, but it looks like ego makes you deaf as well. It's debt.

Aqua: D... Debt... ? What kind...

"Wasn't I clear enough already ?"

Kazuma: it's debt alright !! Because of the money you owe, the reward from that quest was completely gone ! My brows were frozen when I woke up in the stables this morning !! The other adventurers are already renting rooms in the tavern to sleep ! If we keep sleeping in the stables like that through the winter, we'll freeze to death ! Get a grip, now is not the time to say stupid things like, "I'll return victoriously after defeating the Demon King !"

"Can't believe the 300 millions from defeating Beldia were gone even before we got them because the flood damaged the walls... But it's true we probably couldn't beat him without that, so I won't hold it against you too much."

Aqua: See ? Now this is more of a way to address a goddess-

"Now maybe we should talk about the 5 million tab you accumulated at the tavern ?"

Aqua: Uhhhhhhh...

Kazuma: if only we could take some easy quests, but because of the winter, all the weak monsters are hibernating, so only the really dangerous ones are still active...

Aqua: Well, that couldn't be helped ! How unreasonable to just throw the debt at us without a word of thanks ! If not for my superb performance, this town would've been destroyed ! This is ridiculous ! I'm gonna complain to the counter staff !

"Don't trouble them with that they've got nothing to do. If you want to complain, do it to the one in charge of the guild directly, and tell them how outrageous it is to pay for what you broke."

Aqua: What about you ?! You were just running around before I weakened him enough ! I even got the finishing strike before you just decided to spare his head for some reason ! Praise me more ! Respect me ! Don't stop worshiping me ! Everyone in the guild should adore me as a goddess and respect me !

Kazuma: You annoying egotistic idiot ! Stop acting arrogant or I'll put you in your place ! Fine, I admit the incident was settled all thanks to you ! So you'll get all the credit for it, are you happy now ?! Now go clear all the debts alone !

Aqua: Waahh, wait ! Sorry, I was wrong ! I apologize... So don't abandon me !!

Undyne: Really, kids, making a scene so early in the morning. Everyone's watching... No, they aren't. Looks like everyone's already used to your shenanigans.

"Haaaa... Winter is way more rough than I expected... And I'm starting to run out of trees to blast for firewood..."

Kazuma: Wait, so that's what I've been hearing every morning ?!

"No one here had to hand back their rewards, so the inn's full... Dammit."

Undyne: Bah. Because everyone is taking it easy, the entire quest board's for you. Have fun.

"... Dying is no fun."

Darkness: Oh, you guys are up early. Did you find any good quests ?

Megumin: Yo, are you ready to go ? We haven't found any jobs so far, so there's no need to rush it. We can wait for you to join before going quest hunting.

Kazuma: What would it accomplish. Just look around, it's morning yet everyone's just getting drunk already... The reward for defeating the Deon army's general has been paid out to everyone who took part in the battle. The quests are open for picking, but...

"Yep. They do have great bounties... Even so..."

*Hunt down the White Wolf pack attacking the farm, 1,000,000 Eris*

*A "One-hit Bear" has woken from hibernation. 2,000,000 to kill it, 500,000 for chasing it away.*

Kazuma: Taking out a wolf pack ?

"I've done some research, these things are raptors with fur, not wolves. And I ain't getting anywhere close to a thing called 'One-hit-bear'."

Darkness: How about this one ? "Mobile Fortress Destroyer is approaching, recruiting scouts for reconnaissance regarding it's route of advancement"...

"Destroyer... ? I think I've heard that somewhere before... What's that ?"

Megumin: The destroyer is the destroyer. The huge and fast mobile fortress. It rampages around and is strangely popular among the kids.

Kazuma: I see, I didn't get it...

'... if it's just scouting, maybe it's something I could do... Let's keep this one for lat-'

Papyrus: Ah, fellow adventurers and friends ! Up and ready early for some good deeds, I see !

"GH- ! Ahhh, my poor heart... Paps, what gives ?"

Papyrus: I am here to pick quests, of course !

Kazuma: Do you need to ? You should have enough funds to last through winter.

Papyrus: It's not about the money ! Adventurers are supposed to help those around them, regardless of the time ! Be it raining, snowing or a thunderstorm, our job is to make everyone safe !!

"... Why can't you be like him ?"

Aqua: Hah ?!

Kazuma: Hey, what's this ? "Snow sprite hunt" ? That doesn't look very strong, and each one of them got a bounty of 100,000 eris...

Megumin: Snow sprites are weak monsters. They can be found in places with lots of snow, and will shatter when hit with a sword. But...

Aqua: Hunting snow sprites ? They aren't dangerous, and defeating one of them will allow spring to come half a day earlier. I need to prepare for a quest like that, just wait here.

"... Well, I think that settles it... Snow sprites extermination is it."

Papyrus: Be careful. On the meantime... I think... yeah, toads...

Darkness: Snow sprites... Mmmmh~...

"... Kazuma..."

Kazuma: Yeah, I saw that too. We better be careful, if something about that quest managed to get to her masochist side... Maybe it won't be as easy as we expected...

"So... These are the snow sprites, huh ?"

"Cute."

Kazuma: How can something that looks so harmless have such a high bounty ?

"Beats me. But hey, all the more money for us. And if they really cause spring to arrive, you bet your ass I'm about to go Genocide on theirs !"

*F-TWOOOOOOOOM*

Kazuma: ... That aside, there's something else that concerns me... What the hell is up with you guys' attire ?

Aqua: What do you mean ? I want to catch the snow sprites and put them into these bottles ! If I put one together with a beverage in a box, I'd be able to drink ice-cold neroid at any time, even in the midst of summer ! It'll be like a fridge ! What do you think , I'm smart, right ?

Kazuma: ... I can already see how this'll end... And where's your armor ?

Darkness: Still being repaired.

Kazuma: It was battered after the fight with the demon king General, but is this kind of equipment really okay ? I don't think the sprites will attack, though...

Darkness: It's fine, don't worry. It's a bit cold, but this is like a cold endurance contest. It feels nice...

Kazuma: 'Maybe hot-headed perverts really have a high body temperature, too.'

*F-TWOOOOOOOM*

Kazuma: AND STOP JUMPING IN FRONT OF HIS ATTACKS !!

"Okay, so far I've got 4 sprites and a crusader ! Be careful, they're nimble little things, it's hard to hit them ! The sprites, I mean !"

Aqua: What a harvest ! Look, Kazuma !

Megumin: They're too fast... Darkness and I can't hit them... Can I use Explosion to blow up the area ?

"Wouldn't that attract unwanted attention from stronger enemies... ?"

Kazuma: It's fine, I can keep a lookout with Enemy Detection. Get them all, Megumin.

https://youtu.be/ERKnkHq-6XA

Megumin: How delightful ! Let me show you, the complete power of the greatest and foremost mage of the crimson demons ! EXPLOSION !!

*SCHBROOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

"Haaaaaa... I just love the smell of Explosions in the morning."

Megumin: Eight ! I took out 8 ! And I raised a level too !

"Great ! Although that would've had a bigger impact if you weren't lying face down in the snow."

Kazuma: So with this, I've got 3, Megumin got 9 including the one she managed to take out with her staff, you got 4... Hey, that makes 16 in total.

"And with Aqua's catches, we've got ourselves about 2,000,000 eris. Ka-ching !"

Kazuma: That would make for 400,000 each, quite a large haul for just an hour of work.

"Remember, this doesn't even cover half of Aqua's booze tab."

Kazuma: Right... I mean, she'll pay for it herself.

"But... Don't you think it's strange ? If it's so easy and profitable, why won't anyone take that quest ?"

Kazuma: Wait... That's right...

"Okay, so I'll go right away and jinx it all. 'What could possibly the danger that drives people away ?' And now we wait for impending doom."

Kazuma: ... ... ... I don't think...

Darkness: Ah, it appeared.

Kazuma: ... I couldn't use Enemy Detection... It was so fast...

Megumin: ... ... ...

"She's playing dead... What's going on, and should we be worried about our physical integrity ?"

Aqua: Guys, let me tell you why the adventurers don't take on quests in the winter, especially this kind of quest. You two stayed in Japan in the past, right ? When you were young, you must've heard this name during this season in the weather reports and news, right ?

Aqua: The master of the snow sprites, and the symbol of winter itself... that's right, this is the Winter Shogun.

*Winter Shogun: Japanese personification of winter, roughly analogous to General Winter, or Jack Frost.*

"... This is stupid ! People, food, even monsters ! Everything in this world is stupid !"

*KRLANG*

Darkness: Ugh ?! Ahhh ?! My sword... ?!

Aqua: The Winter Shogun, one of the special monsters with a high national bounty. The fairy of winter... That doesn't have a physical body, like all fairies. It manifests itself according to the unconscious descriptions and images of the people it meets.

Kazuma: You mean to tell us... That thins thing is here because some idiots from Japan went "When you think about winter, you have to think about the winter Shogun ?" Why did they think such troublesome things ? What should we do ? Can we fight the Fairy of Winter ?!

"It shattered Darkness' sword like a twig. The latter seems rather dim, I'd say. We're about to get boned."

Kazuma: This is not the time !

Aqua: Guys, listen to me ! The winter Shogun is a merciful being ! If you apologize properly, it'll let us go ! Prostrate ! Prostrate yourselves, quick ! Everyone, throw your weapons away ! Apologize ! Hurry up and apologize !

"... Okay ! Darkness ! Hurry up and kneel !"

Darkness: Ugh... Even I have my pride as a crusader ! Even if no one is watching, as a knight, I can't lower my head to a monster because of fear- GAH !

"I don't wanna hear it ! Your goal in life is being ravaged by monsters, so don't go shouting about pride now ! Head down !"

Darkness: S- Stop ! Ugh, I don't want to lower my head, but you're still forcing me down, and my face is touching the ground... What a reward... ! Hahaha~... Ah, the snow is so cold~... !

"You're getting the blaster if you behave !"

Darkness: Yes please~ !

Shogun: ... ... ... ...

'... Phew... It really did ignore us... We're good-'

Aqua: Kazuma ! Your weapon ! Throw the weapon in your hand away now !!

Kazuma: Hah ?!

"What ?! Kazu- !!"

*SCHWING*