The second they stepped through the rift, they all felt it.
The air was different. Heavier, but alive. It buzzed beneath their skin, like the whole world was humming a song only it could hear.
The sky stretched out high above them—two suns shining down on towers and cities that didn't belong to their world.
They'd made it.
Ephemeral.
Not their home.
But the second his boots hit the ground, Arthur felt something deep in his chest.
He felt like he belonged.
They stood just outside a city that looked like it had jumped out of a dream.
Massive towers etched with glowing runes scraped the sky. Streets buzzed with magic and noise and life. It was like fantasy had spilled into reality and never stopped.
Arthur's eyes went wide.
Elves with silver hair and robes made of light strolled past like royalty.
Dwarves in gear-powered armor stomped around yelling over the grind of forges.
Beastmen darted between crowds with glowing blades strapped to their backs.
And flying overhead—
A dragon.
A real one.
Arthur froze. Mouth wide open.
"Oh. My. God."
Camila looked over. "What?"
He turned to her slowly, his Sloth Eyes lighting up.
"Camila," he whispered. "We're in an isekai."
Camila blinked. "A what now?"
He grabbed her shoulders. "An isekai. Fantasy world. Magic. Dragons. Quests."
Camila stared at him. "You're an idiot."
Amelia crossed her arms, looking at the dragon. "It's... different."
Arthur took a deep breath.
The air even smelled different—like magic and fire and some kind of spice that didn't exist back home.
The city pulsed with life. Not war. Not ruin.
Real life.
Real magic.
He grinned like a kid in a candy store.
"Best. Day. Ever."
The excitement didn't last long.
As soon as they hit the main gate, reality punched them in the face.
Camila scanned the signs around them, reading the ancient script like it was nothing. "First priority—we need a place to sleep."
Satoshi nodded. "Right. Base of operations. Every good party needs one."
Amelia, of course, went straight for the real issue. "Do we even have money?"
Cue silence.
Camila dug into her pocket and pulled out a handful of their world's gold coins. They gleamed faintly in her palm, etched with familiar markings.
She stared at them. "I... don't know if this works here."
Satoshi shrugged. "I mean, it's still gold, right?"
Camila didn't answer. She grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him to the nearest merchant.
The dwarf behind the counter was stocky, bearded, and looked like he'd seen a few centuries. He was selling enchanted daggers and rune-marked belts.
Camila slapped a coin on the table. "This work here?"
The dwarf squinted, picked it up, bit it, then scoffed.
"This?" He tossed it back. "This is trash."
Camila blinked. "It's pure gold."
"Maybe where you're from. But here? No enchantments. No divine grade. No kingdom mark. Useless."
He waved them off. "If it doesn't have a traceable mana source, it might as well be dirt."
Amelia crossed her arms. "So what counts as money here?"
"Guild tokens, enchanted currency, divine-stamped silver, hell—even bound souls have more value. But that junk? Worthless."
Satoshi turned slowly to Camila.
"So basically... we're broke."
Camila didn't respond.
Amelia sighed. "Wonderful."
Camila rubbed her temples. "Alright. New plan."
Amelia looked over. "Please tell me it involves not starving."
"We find work."
Satoshi's eyes lit up instantly. "Wait. Wait. You mean like—"
Camila didn't even look at him. "Yes. Adventurer's Guild."
Satoshi practically vibrated. "Oh my god. It's happening."
Camila raised an eyebrow. "What now?"
"We're literally broke in a fantasy world and about to join a guild. This is peak isekai."
Amelia gave him a look. "You're too excited about this."
"You're not excited enough."
He spun in place, arms wide. "Quests! Bounties! Magic loot! Let's go!"
Camila walked ahead without responding.
Satoshi grinned and followed. "This is going in my mental highlight reel.
The guild was chaos. In the best way.
Mages throwing practice spells. Warriors showing off scars. Beastmen growling over bounty boards. Somewhere, someone was already drunk.
Arthur, Camila, and Amelia were at the front desk, filling out the last of their paperwork.
Arthur was practically glowing.
"This is perfect," he whispered. "Peak anime vibes."
Camila didn't even look up. "Try not to embarrass yourself."
He leaned in toward her. "Now's the part where someone picks a fight with the new guys."
Amelia raised an eyebrow. "That's stupid."
Then—
A shadow fell over them.
"Oi."
Arthur grinned. "Called it."
The guy was massive—scarred up, armored, beastman ears twitching. The kind of guy who'd been in way too many fights and thought that meant he owned the room.
His sword rested lazily on his shoulder, but his eyes were already sizing Arthur up like he was a bug to squash.
"Newbies don't get to act cocky," he growled. "Show some respect."
Arthur's grin only got wider.
Camila sighed. "Don't engage."
"But it's tradition," Arthur whispered back. "You gotta earn street cred."
Amelia muttered, "This is stupid."
The beastman sneered. "You deaf or just dumb?"
Arthur turned slowly. "You talking to me?"
"Bow. Or get crushed."
Arthur was practically vibrating. "Ohhh, it's happening."
The warrior lifted his sword.
Camila: "Don't."
Arthur: "Just a little?"
Camila: "No."
The guy swung.
The guy swung hard—like he was trying to take Arthur's head clean off.
Arthur didn't even blink.
He stepped to the side. Easy.
The blade whooshed past him, missing by a mile.
Another swing—this one faster, more desperate.
Arthur ducked under it, hands in his pockets.
Third strike, diagonal.
Arthur tilted his head and the sword missed again, passing so close it made his hair ruffle.
The guild had gone dead silent.
The beastman was breathing heavy now, confused. Frustrated.
Arthur yawned. "This is great."
"WHY ARE YOU SMILING?!" the guy roared, swinging again.
Arthur leaned backward. The sword cut nothing but air.
"Because every anime has this scene," he said, beaming. "And I've always wanted to be in one."
Camila crossed her arms. "Are you done?"
Arthur sighed. "You're ruining my moment."
But then—
The beastman made a mistake.
A big one.
"Tch. Figures," the beastman spat. "Cowards like you probably had a pathetic mother too."
Silence.
Everything stopped.
Camila's eyes snapped up.
Amelia froze.
Arthur... didn't move.
His grin disappeared.
The temperature dropped.
A pressure slammed into the room, heavy enough to knock the wind out of the nearest adventurers.
The beastman blinked. "What the—"
And then it hit.
Killing intent.
Real, suffocating, soul-crushing malice.
People screamed. Some collapsed. Others couldn't breathe.
Arthur just stood there, eyes still, the smile gone.
And the beastman knew—
He messed up.
The guild shook.
It wasn't an explosion. It wasn't magic.
It was just—Arthur.
The weight of his rage flooded the room like a tidal wave.
The beastman hit the ground, face pale, eyes wide, gasping like the air itself was poison.
People around him passed out. Others dropped to their knees, shaking.
Some tried to run and immediately tripped over their own feet, their legs refusing to move under the pressure.
Even the receptionist stumbled back, grabbing the edge of her desk for support.
Outside the building, the effect rippled.
Merchants froze mid-sale.
Guards reached for weapons without knowing why.
Children started crying. Animals went silent.
And then—alarms.
All across the city, alert horns rang out.
In the distance, the royal palace flared with divine magic.
Because to them, it was obvious:
A demon-level threat had just arrived.
And it was standing in the middle of the Adventurer's Guild, casually dodging sword swings with his hands in his damn pockets.