Ryunosuke: Combat References, Stories & Token

Even as a child, Ryunosuke showed talent worthy of the martial arts passed down in his village. The only problem was, he never had much enthusiasm for "training."

On a sweltering afternoon, the children lined up to practice under their master's watchful eye. As always, the empty spot at the front of the line stood out. Everyone had grown used to Ryunosuke slipping away, and just as used to the master returning from tracking him down, trailed by the smell of grilled meat wafting back into the training hall.

Sure enough, before long, the aroma drifted in from beyond the wall. That mop of messy blond hair vaulted into the courtyard right on cue, grinning as he handed out BBQ to his friends. The master, finally at the end of his patience, drew his real blade and unleashed a fierce thrust with full force, intending to teach him a lesson.

Without even turning his head, Ryunosuke sidestepped, casually lifting the skewer in his hand. With a sharp clang, it caught the master's blade with pinpoint precision. In the same motion, he swallowed his BBQ whole, destroying the evidence—not a single drop of juice spilled in the process.

The master was furious yet helpless, his heart churning with disbelief—if this boy ever trained seriously, who in this world could withstand a single strike from him? But instead, his hopelessly wayward disciple muttered to himself: "Graduate? Is that something you eat?"

The training hall erupted in laughter.

Time passed, and under his master's watchful eye, Ryunosuke honed unfathomable skill despite his half-hearted attitude. Yet his personality remained just as it was in childhood: he hated trouble, loved good food, and would rather lie down than sit.

One by one, his old friends left the village to chase the wider world. Before departing, his closest friend had urged him to come along. Ryunosuke, hugging a rice ball, waved him off: "Nah, not going. Sounds like a hassle."

Later, that friend often sent letters from afar, describing the vast world beyond and the incredible monster ingredients found in every region. Ryunosuke would read them and drool every time, yet he never bothered to step outside the village.

Then one day, the letters stopped. All that remained on the final page was a faint trace of rust—the smell of blood.

Not long after, the village lost a lazy young man, and beyond its borders gained a young traveler with a pack and a long sword on his back. He set off in search of his friend without even finishing his favorite rice ball.

Of course, some things don't change so easily: after leaving the village, Ryunosuke had no real plan. He simply followed names both familiar and strange, eating and drinking his way through inquiries—he sampled charcoal-grilled fish at ports, and once casually fended off a few troublemakers while protecting a pot of stew at a market. Slowly, his reputation began to spread.

"Why not try your luck with the Crimson Crest Adventurers? They've got the best information."

Some suggested this to him. Ryunosuke had no wish to get tangled up with a group of strangers, but for the sake of his friend's trail, he reluctantly agreed. By the time he reached the port, though, the Crimson Crest Adventurers were already preparing to depart for an unknown region.

Finding the paperwork too much of a hassle, Ryunosuke simply found a crate packed with top-quality ingredients and settled in for a comfortable nap on top of it. By the time he woke up, he—and the crate—had already been loaded onto an airship high in the sky.

He'd meant to find a good moment to introduce himself to the guild, but the dried meat in the cargo hold was so delicious that he ended up putting it off until the airship finally landed. When he stepped onto solid ground once more, he found himself in an unfamiliar wilderness fraught with danger.

Driven by that same trouble-averse, easygoing nature, Ryunosuke eventually slipped off the airship at the first chance, setting out alone onto the unfamiliar island to search for clues about his friend—while quietly planning to sneak back aboard before it departed.

During those days, he survived in the wilds through hunting and gathering, never forgetting to indulge his true passion: cooking. To avoid the trouble of explaining himself if he ran into the guild, he only occasionally ventured near their camp to gather information.

Then one day, Ryunosuke stumbled upon the logistics squad under attack by a monster. He hadn't wanted to get involved, but the moment he saw someone in danger, his body moved before his mind caught up. In the next instant, his long sword was already blocking the monster's attack.

The encounter was as unexpected as it was natural, though Ryunosuke still felt a flicker of unease, worried that his personality would clash with the guild's. What he never expected, however, was that his own casual "Wilderness Ingredient Cooking Notes" would become the guild's most valuable ecological survey guide overnight, instantly making him the most popular guest in the entire squad.