“Help! I’m the Chosen One (and I Didn’t Sign Up for This)!”

It all started with Lyria's innocent observation: "Why is it so warm today?"

They were trekking through a dense jungle, the air thick with humidity and the occasional screech of some unseen monster. Kazuya was sweating buckets, Mika looked ready to torch the entire forest, and Lyria… well, Lyria seemed unaffected, as always.

"It's a jungle," Kazuya grumbled. "What do you expect?"

"No, I mean warm here," Lyria said, tugging at her collar and fanning herself.

Kazuya turned, and his brain short-circuited. Lyria's magical priestess outfit, usually modest and flowy, seemed to be… shrinking?

"Um… why are your clothes—"

Before he could finish, Mika let out a yelp. Her armored top, always a snug fit, was suddenly struggling to stay together. "What the—?!"

Kazuya slapped a hand over his eyes. "What's going on?! I didn't sign up for this!"

The Curse of the Jungle

A low growl echoed through the jungle, and a spectral figure emerged from the shadows. It was a woman cloaked in vines, her glowing eyes locking onto the group.

"Who dares enter my domain?" she hissed.

"Great, a forest ghost," Mika muttered, trying to adjust her armor without letting anything slip.

"We're just passing through!" Kazuya said, still covering his eyes.

The ghost ignored him, her gaze narrowing on Lyria and Mika. "You have trespassed upon sacred ground. You will bear the Curse of Humility!"

"Curse of what now?!" Kazuya shouted.

The ghost raised a hand, and a wave of green light washed over the group. Kazuya braced himself for pain, or at least some dramatic transformation.

Instead, when he opened his eyes, Mika and Lyria were glaring at him.

"What did you do?!" Mika snapped.

"Me?! This is not my fault!" Kazuya protested.

Lyria looked down at her outfit, which had now transformed into a ridiculously skimpy jungle bikini. "Ooh, this is breezy!" she said, twirling.

"STOP TWIRLING!" Kazuya yelled, his face beet red.

Mika's armor had morphed into a crop top and shorts that barely covered anything. She crossed her arms, glaring daggers at Kazuya. "If you even look at me, I'll kill you."

"I'm not looking!" he said, turning away.

Trying to Break the Curse

"Okay, how do we fix this?" Kazuya asked, trying desperately to focus on the trees instead of his companions.

"The Curse of Humility can only be broken by proving your worth," the ghost said. "Or by solving my riddle."

"Riddles! I love riddles!" Lyria said.

"Fine. Give us the riddle," Kazuya said, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach.

The ghost smiled. "What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees, up, up it goes, and yet it never grows?"

Kazuya blinked. "That's it? That's literally from The Hobbit. It's a mountain."

The ghost froze. "Wait, what? No, it's—"

"It's a mountain," Kazuya repeated.

The ghost sighed. "Fine. You're free to go."

As the curse lifted, Lyria's and Mika's outfits returned to normal. Kazuya let out a sigh of relief.

"I can't believe you knew that," Mika said grudgingly.

"Sometimes being a nerd pays off," Kazuya muttered.

The Ambush

Just as they thought they were out of danger, a group of bandits burst out of the underbrush, weapons drawn.

"Hand over your valuables!" the leader barked.

Kazuya sighed. "Of course. Why wouldn't this day get worse?"

Mika stepped forward, cracking her knuckles. "You've got ten seconds to run before I barbecue you."

The bandits hesitated, clearly unnerved by the dragon-girl.

Lyria, meanwhile, had already tripped over a vine and was accidentally casting random spells. One of them hit the bandit leader, turning his pants into a swarm of bees.

"MY PANTS!" he screamed, running into the jungle.

The rest of the bandits panicked and fled, leaving the group alone again.

Back to Chaos

As they set up camp that night, Kazuya stared at the stars, wondering how his life had become such a ridiculous mess.

Mika sat by the fire, sharpening her spear. "You were surprisingly useful today."

"Thanks, I guess?" Kazuya said, unsure if it was a compliment or an insult.

Lyria was roasting marshmallows over the fire, her face sticky with melted chocolate. "Today was fun!"

"Fun?!" Kazuya exclaimed. "We got cursed, ambushed, and traumatized by a ghost!"

"Exactly!" Lyria said, smiling.

Kazuya groaned and lay back, covering his face. "I'm never leaving camp again."

The jungle, as if on cue, let out an ominous growl.

"Get ready," Mika said, standing up.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Kazuya muttered, reaching for his sword.