Afterword

I want to start off by thanking those who stayed with me during this fic's duration. There were those who followed the story from the start and made sure to leave lengthy reviews every chapter. I admit that I faced some slumps and blocks, but knowing that I had a core following of readers encouraged me to keep going until the end.

It's a strange feeling, writing fanfiction. Konosuba is not my story. The credit goes entirely to Akatsuki Natsume-sensei. However, I still feel a strange connection with these borrowed characters, and the world Akatsuki-sensei has created. It is indeed a wonderful world, no matter how comically ludicrous it may appear at times. There is a certain ingenuity in the creative, yet nonspecific style of world building in Konosuba. For example, the class system and skill point acquisition is fascinating, but we are never given a direct explanation of it. We aren't even privy to the levels of the characters, only an approximation is provided. There's a lot of mysteries in that world, starting in the humble town of beginnings, Axel. Giant Toads are seen as typical mobs meant to help noobs gain EXP, but why are they so darn OP? They have nearly impenetrable physical damage nullification, leaving magic as their only weakness, and yet, magic-users are supposedly rare among rookies. How are noobs supposed to take those things down, and with beginner level equipment, at that? And what in the world are Neroids and how do they produce a Cola-like substance when their 'essence' is extracted?

For me, along with the off-beat comedy inherent in the series, this intriguing world building is what drew me to Konosuba. Every episode, every Light Novel chapter, felt like an adventure with friends that, in reality, don't exist, yet seem to encapsulate the unique people in our own world. It feels like there's a real Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin and Darkness somewhere, out there, casually living their lives while being the degenerates they are. Maybe bits and pieces of these characters even exist within ourselves and the people around us, and that is why we feel a sense of familiarity and attachment to them. They are good, well-written, characters. Konosuba is seen as a parody and deconstruction of the Isekai genre, but instead of a direct parody or even a mockery of those works, I view Konosuba as an attempt to humanize, to improve upon, the pitfalls associated with those stories. Each character started off with their own gimmick, but they weren't pigeonholed into those same gimmicks, they continued to grow beyond their first introductory scenes. There are no flat characters in Konosuba, except maybe Megumin, but I'm not referring to her characterization.

As I stated in the Epilogue, this is the end of the main story. I don't want to keep dragging the main story on forever, only to get burnt-out down the road and drop the story without a satisfying conclusion, or even any explanation for why I dropped it. I feel like this is a good place to stop. Coincidentally, with the announcement of Volume 17 of the Light Novel, it seems the real story will reach its end, too. What a remarkable coincidence! This just reaffirms my decision to end this fic, in my eyes. However, I do see that there is some demand for slice-of-life short stories based on this fic. If that is something you guys want, I can certainly try and publish a short story series. Each chapter will be short in terms of word count. I don't think I'll be able to write 10k words-per-chapter anymore, and there will be a lack of a major overarching plot, as I haven't planned anything out, story wise, beyond the initial outline I made for the main story. If people are interested, I can certainly try my hand at a short story series. Please make sure to tell me if you are interested, so I can gauge the readership interest.

Again, thank you for your continued support. I was able to provide my own twist to a story I love, and I was enabled to do so by the thousands of people who read this fic. Thank you, and may goddess Aqua bless you all!

-BoringBone