Welcome, interns, to your very first class on how to be an Isekai Protagonist Agent! My name is Wei Jin and I was an IPA for about 57 years before I semi-retired. I can’t promise I’m not as cooky as the department head, but I definitely won’t ‘tee-hee’ at you, alright? Let’s hop into it!
Our first lesson will, of course, be on your first interaction with an Isekai Protagonist - or an IP, as I’ll be referring to them often. This is an extremely important take, so make sure you pay attention carefully.
As an IPA, you’re the only representation an IP has with this company. No other department - besides Legal, but that’s another matter - has as much interaction with an IP as us agents do. This means that the first meeting counts. A good and stable relationship with your IP makes a world of difference for their performance and your paycheck.
There’s a brief period between the time of a candidate’s Incident - that’s what we in the biz call taking a candidate from their old world - and when they have to leave for their new home. Depending on their incident, it can range from thirty minutes to three days. Sometime during that brief period, you’ll have your first meeting with an IP.
Be patient with your IP when they first come. You have a time limit, yes, but they did just get suddenly - and often violently - transferred out of their old world. Take the time to call them down if they get a little hysterical, joke around a bit. Make them comfortable around you.
I know, I can see it on some of your faces that that sounds creepy. And, in hindsight, it is, but it works. Future meetings with your IPs get easier to manage when you’ve first shown them you guys can be friends.
But don’t take too much time being buddy-buddy. You’ll still have work to do.
On the IPA Handbook, page 23, you should see a mirage of a file. That’s an example of an IP’s old-world information. Memorize the layout and what’s needed in each slot, because you’ll have five minutes to copy down the email sent to your account when a sorter sends an IP your way.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Once the IP is of stable mind, you’ll discuss the acts of their old-world life - see that in the large box on the bottom of page 23 - and tell them how much karma they’ve gathered because of it. Don’t lean too hard into the whole karma thing; it’s BS made up from another company long bankrupt but the idea stuck around and so we keep it. The way we decide where an IP is going is based entirely on their personality and the estimations of profit our sorters think they’ll bring in.
Anyway, you’ll have to tell them about Transmigrator’s Licenses. We’ll talk about those in the next class but, essentially, you’ll explain what the licenses are and what it lets them do. The Handbook suggests you lay it on thick about how they’re gonna be great once they get to the new world but anybody is gonna sniff the phoniness out of your spiel quick as can be, so keep it short, sweet, and simple.
The very last part of your first interaction with an IP comes with the contract. You must understand that if the IP does not sign that contract, we are not allowed to sign them on as a client. Likewise, it is strictly forbidden to threaten to send an IP back to their old-world if they don’t sign the contract. First off, that’s impossible; if they refuse to sign the contract, their souls will fade back into the Great Beyond, where they’ll promptly be snatched up by another company. Second, even if you did manage to get the IP to sign the contract through threats of violence, it’s very likely it’ll turn around to bite us back in the butt.
An IP becomes powerful after they’ve defeated their Big Bad. Trust me when I say you do not want to get on the bad side of some monstrous murder hobo who’s looking for revenge on the pipsqueak agent who forced them into being isekai’d. We have Overseers to make sure that doesn’t happen, of course, but they’re not completely infallible.
Just thinking back on the incident of ‘88 makes me shudder…
But enough of that. Back to the contract. Turn to page 34 and you’ll see it. Study those clauses, memorize them, ingrain them into your memory. Some of them may seem odd, especially in the business we’re doing, but the rules are there for a reason. Very little leeway for IPs - or yourself - is allowed when handling these contracts.
If there are no questions, that’ll be the end of class. I’ve got some, uh, stuff to do, so I’m letting you all early. Enjoy the time to study or do whatever. I’ll see you tomorrow!