As Nick, Seo-ah, and the other weary adventurers left the frigid arctic base through the rift, the harsh winds died down, and the biting cold dissipated, replaced by a sense of relative warmth and familiarity as the sun began its descent towards the horizon. They stepped out onto a ramp made of magically grown vines created by Jason of the Branches of Yggdrasil.

Even though Nick had only been in the other world for a day or two at most, his body had already adjusted to the frigid cold of the other realm, and his home world suddenly felt like a sauna even though it was winter. Breathing felt both easier and more difficult at the same time as his lungs adjusted to the warmer air.

The city around them was full of the signs of recent chaos and destruction from the Endless Night invasion. Half-collapsed buildings stood with jagged edges where they had been smashed by the dragon or burned by the dragonkin. Still, amid the remnants of devastation, the recovery efforts carried on. Excavators and loaders moved rubble while the rest of the city recovered from the attack.

Jason stood at the bottom of the ramp, his eyes scanning the rift for danger, his hands ready to collapse the bridge and drop any dangerous monsters into the deadly pit dug beneath the rift. When he saw Nick and the others, Jason smiled and waved as they made their way down the verdant path.

As they descended, Nick noticed other adventurers on guard at strategic points around the area. Members of different guilds stood vigilant, their weapons at the ready, their eyes sharp and alert. Among them were officials and agents of the Dungeon Oversight Association, some wearing black suits while others wore advanced-looking mechanical armor reminiscent of what Jennifer Zhou’s company made.

The media was also present, their cameras capturing the scene while reporters detailed the valiant efforts of the adventurers that saved the city, the loss of life from the mysterious monsters that invaded, and what the destruction would mean for those left homeless just as Christmas arrived.

Nick shook his head at the reminder that it was Christmas Day. He felt like weeks had passed since their Christmas party with all of the running around and fighting that he’d done. The life and death struggles to secure earth’s future and prevent the Endless Night had seriously skewed his sense of time. Nick made a mental note to have gifts sent to all of the emergency shelters set up by the federal disaster agencies for the children who lost their homes.

As everyone dispersed, heading to their homes and families, who had likely been worried sick since they all rushed into danger, Seo-ah pulled Nick to the side.

“So how many days do you think we have until we have to start fighting dragons?” she asked.

“Probably about a few months . . . maybe a year at most?” Nick guessed, recalling the vision of the future he had received from the Black Witch on the other side. He had seen clearly what would have happened if her fortress had fallen to the ursine siege, and in that vision he had also seen the dragons that would have inevitably overrun them too, destroying everything in their wake.

“Well, that gives us some time . . . but are you sure training is what you should be doing most? I mean . . .”

“Mr. Gallows!” a tired-looking twenty-something blonde woman in sneakers that didn’t match her pencil skirt or button-down blouse called out as she ran toward him. “Mr. Gallows!”

“Darleen?” Nick asked inquisitively as he turned his attention to his late grandfather’s personal assistant, noticing the concerned look on her face as he studied her features more. “Is everything okay?”

“Of course everything is okay, I just was in the middle of tackling a few tasks when I got the notification you were returning, so I didn’t have time to properly wrap things up and prepare your welcome—”

“Yeah . . . I’m sorry about that,” Nick apologized as Darleen paused for a long breath.

“No, no, it’s okay. I ran here from the office when Kaylee sent the message that you were coming through,” Darleen told him as she took one last deep breath, finally regaining her composure.

“From the office? The Gallows building is halfway across town. You ran all the way from there to here?” Seo-ah blurted out, voicing Nick’s own confusion since Kaylee and Nick had only decided on Nick returning a few minutes ago, or at least it felt like only a few minutes ago.

“Yes, of course, young miss future Gallows,” Darleen said with a smile as she brushed the hair that had fallen in front of her face to the side, tidying up her appearance with a single gesture. “It would have taken too long to hail a cab given the current condition of the streets; however, I did instruct the driver to be here soon. They’ll be picking us up momentarily.”

“Excellent job then,” Nick said, deciding not to question the sanity of the woman running the entire way rather than just calling him and coming with the driver. “So if you’ve called the driver, what’s first on the docket? Can you get a hold of Ms. Wilson?”

“Ms. Wilson first? You don’t want to go take care of that issue with your cousins and the will?” Seo-ah asked, looking at him a little confused.

“It’s exactly because of my cousins and the will that I need to visit Ms. Wilson first,” Nick explained to her. “I don’t remember much about how legal stuff works, but I do remember that if a fortune is contested, it can be held up in court for ages. If we’re going to keep paying S-rank mercenary guilds to stay on the other side of the rift so we can maintain our expeditionary force in the new world, we’re going to need to make sure our finances are shored up. No matter how altruistic those dungeon divers are, they aren’t free. They gotta eat.”

“Right . . . so shouldn’t we be trying to solve the issue without letting it get to court first?” Seo-ah pressed. “Family wills need to be settled fast.”

“We’ll do our best, but on top of working capital, we are also going to need a lot of potions for the new realm. With the size of the last two fights, we probably have under a third of the original stock remaining,” Nick explained.

Seo-ah looked a little confused. “Huh? I have been with you the whole time. How come I didn’t hear about that issue?”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Oh, I just . . . I was assuming that, given how tough the fights were, how many people we brought, how many healers we had . . .” Nick began to lay out his assumptions one after the other, only to sigh. “Sorry. I’m using assumptions from my old timeline. I often got stuck divvying out supplies and potions near the end when they were short-handed during fights.”

“The end?” Darleen asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Nick replied, brushing off her question, not having the time to explain to yet another person the full extent of his trip back in time. “Can you have the driver take us to Ms. Wilson’s first? I need to get our supplies squared away and organize steady deliveries to the dungeon.”

“I can absolutely do that, Mr. Gallows; however . . . I should advise you that I am fully able to handle the deliveries and your accounts with Ms. Wilson. In fact, I already reached out to her personally and informed her you might be making such a request soon when you first went through the rift with your expeditionary unit. We didn’t know exactly when you’d be needing a resupply, so I informed her to build a single inventory ready for shipment, and after it’s delivered, she’ll begin preparing the next one. We can use the frequency of the deliveries to adjust the rate at which we need to produce the expeditionary potion supplies.”

“Oh . . . that’s great,” Nick said, feeling both relieved that the issue was taken off his plate but also a little uneasy at the same time, a small sinking feeling weighing down any happiness over a task well done. “Then I guess the next order of business would be to take care of weapons, armor, and camp supplies. We have a lot of material from the other side that’s going to need to be processed, so—”

“Already taken care of, Master Gallows. I communicated with Kaylee this morning, and we were able to sort out the exact armor, gear, and weapon needs of the current expeditionary force. We even considered those who might show up for the expedition from other cities, towns and even countries as time goes on. As far as the processing of materials, Reggie said he’s going to work with us during his six-hour shift, but to compensate for what he can’t handle personally, we’ve already started talks with the Fire Hearts guild to handle additional material processing.”

“I see . . . You really are the best,” Nick said, wondering to himself, If the secretary is this good, what do I as the leader do? He then addressed Darleen again. “Well, we also have to worry about the food—”

“She’s already taken care of it,” Seo-ah stated before Darleen could answer. “I’m sure she’s even built a perfect meal regimen with Kaylee, creating a balanced diet for everyone and even creating a backup supply of long-lasting staples just in case something happens to the rift itself.”

Darleen was unable to hide her smile as Seo-ah jokingly answered about how everything was already done. Then she said, “It is as she said. Exactly.”

If she’s this good at the dang job, why isn’t she the one running the Gallows corporation? Who even needs me? Nick sighed as he shook his head.

“Alright, Nick, what else do you want to stall time doing? Or can we just get in the car and go take care of the family stuff?” Seo-ah asked, her face showing her impatient as she lowered her right brow in frustration.

“Well . . . I, uhh . . .” Nick scratched his head. Things really had been squared away neatly. The food situation was taken care of, the potions were set to be restocked, and the armor and equipment situation was set. He had already handled the construction deal too. There were literally no pressing issues besides the will. There was no escaping the next job on his checklist.

“Darleen, you really are the best,” Nick said, acknowledging the woman’s aptitude.

“You know, you’d be surprised at how little time it actually takes to do everything we’ve covered. It was one phone call to handle Ms. Wilson, who wanted me to let you know how much she misses you at the lab, and your contributions. The material processing and armor requirements from the Fire Hearts only took five or six calls. There were several competitors, but I assumed you’d prefer quality over price, so we went with the best-tested and highest-rated craftsman guild, and the food situation only took a single email. We already have a much larger food distribution network in place to handle the company’s in-house meals. It was no problem at all to just double the orders,” Darleen explained, downplaying her own contribution.

Even if all of those things were easily handled, the fact she did them without asking, anticipating Nick’s wants and manifesting them into reality before he could even think to ask, was what made her great.

It was, as his grandfather had once told him, initiative that separated the man on top from the man on bottom in a company. Anyone can take orders, as he put it, but only those who act before orders are even given excel since they’ve already finished the race while the man waiting for the orders has yet to even start running. She must have learned that from him too . . . Nick thought, but then he kicked himself since, while they had both been told the same thing, she had been the only one to take it to heart.

“She’s so good at preparation she might even pass one of your backpack checks,” Seo-ah chuckled as she took his hand. “Come on, let’s go get in the car. We got wills to solve, and I’ve watched enough Korean dramas with my mother to know exactly how to handle upper-class family feuds.”

Nick blinked. “You’re not . . . You’re not actually excited about this, are you?”

Seo-ah looked a little guilty as she put a hand over her mouth. “What? What?! No! Absolutely not,” she responded, but then her chuckle at the end betrayed her. “I . . . Okay, just a little. I want to see a rich, spoiled mother-in-law try to slap someone, one of the brats throw a public tantrum—all of it.”

“You know we’re going there to handle important business, not to watch a drama, right?” Nick questioned her, shaking his head.

Seo-ah shrugged. “Maybe, but I only have a single day off before Elizabeth’s medicine ball of doom makes me work nonstop for months—maybe even a year—and it’s not like we can stop rich, spoiled heirs from being rich, spoiled heirs. Might as well have fun, right?”

“I believe the young miss is correct,” Darleen opined. “There will be an unavoidable squabble for which I have already prepared all of the legal paperwork, witnesses, and power of attorney to make sure you remain uncontested, so you may as well enjoy the drama. However . . .”

Nick’s eyebrow rose as he looked expectantly at Darleen. “However?”

“I would appreciate it if you put your animosity aside for his funeral,” Darleen continued. “I know of the situation between your grandfather and you, and while I dare not assume you’d be so discourteous as to besmirch his name at his funeral, especially after he saved your life, it would mean a great deal to me if you could say some nice words on his behalf. Your words will dictate how the world remembers him, so please consider their weight the price of my service.”

“So you’re saying that, if I don’t say something nice, you won’t work for me?” Nick asked, a little shocked at how forthright she was with her demand after being so pleasantly accommodating before.

“I only made a request,” she replied, “on behalf of a man who saved my life and gave me the opportunity to succeed above all others. We’ll be going to the funeral soon, so please consider it.”

“I see.” Nick nodded to himself as the driver opened the door for him and Seo-ah, Darleen getting into the front of the long luxury limousine. He hadn’t actually planned to badmouth the old man since it wouldn’t gain him anything but would potentially lose him the favor of others, yet now he was even more confused about the situation. He sat down in the backseat, feeling a little shell shocked by her request.

“So I guess mentioning the old bastard threatened to kill my family to try to get you to dump me since I was too poor is probably off the table?” Seo-ah muttered as she stared out the window.

“That was never an option. I’m sorry. The only thing that matters is stopping the end times,” Nick told her, putting a hand over hers, “so that you and I can have a long and happy future.”

“If you keep talking about a future, I’m really going to want that ring one day,” Seo-ah replied, smiling and gripping his hand a little tighter. “And not the one that Darleen probably already prepared for you.”

“Of course, Future Mrs. Gallows,” Nick joked as the car drove toward the next destination.