So this is close huh?

Just how long had the sun been up already?

It was as if he was back in school again, waiting for his miserable class to end whilst staring at the clock. When he watches the second hand move ever so monotonously in its cycle, the entire world slows down its pace.

Sigh...

I wanna go home…

It never matters where he is or what he is doing, sometimes he just wants to go home—to shut his doors to the outside world and just sleep forever.In a way it’s almost like a superpower. When those doors are shut and the lights closed, it’s as if nothing is real anymore. In that space the only limit is your own imagination.

It's just a feeling that hits everyone sooner or later, of course some more than others, or at least that's what Kichirou wants to believe.

Didn't do so well in an exam? No, actually he was always at the top of his class, he excelled at every subject in school and got into the best university in Japan, with offers lining up for any opportunity he wished.

His favorite tennis player fumbled two match points and failed to capture another Wimbledon title? No, in fact he closed it out with an ace, solidifying his reign as the best player of all time. He even sent Kichirou the racket from that match.

Girlfriend of two years suddenly leaving Japan and leaving him behind? No, he got her to change her mind at the end and she took other opportunities in Japan instead. In fact, they are still together till this day.

Childhood dreams crumble right before his eyes as life passes him by? No, his new game just won game of the year and his company is literally the hottest new thing on the block. His name is plastered everywhere as he is known as the genius of the industry with talents that could be matched by no other.

A string of crazy events leading to the death of his friend? No, actually Kichirou was reconnected with all his old pals and is a part of all their lives again. In fact, he is going to visit Ryuta’s family and catch up some more, just like the good old days.

Kichirou snapped out of it when a loud popping sound rang in his ears, it was as if someone had popped a balloon right next to his head.

The carriage came to a sudden and bumpy stop as the horses were too startled by the sudden sound.

The carriage door opened with curious heads poking out.

Zakin spoke: “Are you guys alright?”

“Yea we are fine, what happened?”

“It's nothing to worry about, we just rolled over a slime, I’ll just get it off the wheel and we can go.”

“A slime???” Everyone joined in unison.

“Guess you folks didn't have these back at home either huh? Well these guys don't do much, they kind of just roll around and exist.”

All the curious souls gathered around Zakin as he removed what looked almost like green jelly pudding off the carriage’s wheels.

“That thing is alive?”

Anyone who ever played video games would know that slimes are the quintessential basic monster, they exist pretty much only at starting areas for beginners to try out the controls and such for the game. They are peaceful mobs who either do no damage at all or just a tiny bit, in turn they would have little to no loot and give only a miniscule amount of experience.

Just like in video games these guys are probably useless in this world as well.

“Eeeek!” Aoi shreaked.

A clear slime was at her feet.

“Hah, cmon Aoi they are harmless.”

“They are cold ok, and I don't like things sneaking up on me like that.”

“Come here little guy.” Karin picked it up and held it in her hands, it was like she was holding a translucent bag filled with water.

“This is crazy, it feels like I’m holding on to cold water, but it's like solid you know?”

“Wow, that actually doesn’t make sense.”

“Hahaha why don’t u hold it and try to describe it?”

“Fine, give it here.”

“Woah, this is crazy, how can this thing hold itself together?”

Just why are they so interested in that thing? It’s just a stupid slime. How are they acting as if nothing had happened, as if this was still just a normal fantasy world where everything is all peachy?

Sometimes things are simply meant to be the way they are, obsessing over it would not change the past, nor would it change the future. They only act as baggage weighing on the mind, only to eventually break it.

How ironic.

With a heavy sigh Kichirou closed his eyes and laid down atop the carriage.

“Why are they different colors?”

Who cares?

“They get their color from whatever material they’ve absorbed. Since they tend to spawn around grassy areas, they are mostly green from all the vegetation they absorb.”

“So if I feed that green one something else would its color change?”

“I'm not sure actually, we can try it out with a silver coin if you want and see if they change color.”

“Would that work?”

“I’ve heard that they are able to dissolve small amounts of metal and absorb them.”

That would mean that slimes could have some rare herb or metal solvents in them, making them not so useless, so it would appear. Everyone has their time to shine after all. But in order for them to have such rare materials in them, those materials have to be in the area in the first place, so rather than a treasure on their own, they would serve as an indicator that such rare materials exist in the area. Kichirou made a mental note of that information as one aspect of this world.

The world is just as important as the game play, Kichirou would always say, it matters not how good the game play is, or how awesome the mechanics in the game are. If the world building itself is lacking, the game wouldn't be complete. Spending endless hours exploring the world, finding hidden quests and secret lore—nothing beats the sensation of finding some unknown unique rare mob or materials.

Everytime they started a new MMO Kichirou would always be the last one to complete a zone. When Ryuta and Furuya would be at max level running end game content, he would still be off exploring in the low level areas. They would always yell at him to hurry up and just level, those were the days.

One of those times, he could remember it as if it was just yesterday. By sheer luck while exploring an unpopular undersea area, he accidentally stumbled across a rare mob that droped a unique item that unlocks a particular mount. That mob had a super long and erratic spawn time, ranging from a day to a couple months. On top of that it also had a sporadic spawn location that ranged over several areas—effectively making it one of the rarest mobs in the game. Hundreds if not thousands of players were actively hunting for it at the time as the mount was worth a ton of money. Many people were actively trying to buy it for about 200,000¥, but of course, with Kichirou being Kichirou, he used the item rather than selling it.

Showing off rare collectibles was one of his favorite pastimes after all.

It's only been a few years, but it feels a lot longer than that, don't it Furuya, Ryuta?

“Huh it didn't change much. Can you guys see a difference?”

“Uh, I do think it's like a slightly lighter shade of green, and it's kind of glittery don't you guys think?”

“Kind of I guess?”

“Aight everyone that's enough, get back in the carriage, we wasted enough time, let's move.”

“Can I take this one with us?” Schnee asked.

The glittery green slime wiggled slightly in her arms.

“Yea sure why not.”

“Come on guys hurry it up, we got to go if we want to make it to Oriban before the sun sets.”

“Then we can finally get some food and water.”

“And a good night's rest.”

A good night's rest, as if the only reason they would be able to sleep wasn’t due to complete exhaustion. Well, for some of them anyway, just a single day and night isn't enough for someone who dwells in that darkness.

With a slight bump as a reminder, the carriage carried forth once more.

As the steady motion of the carriage carried forth, he could feel the presence of someone inching closer to him: “Hey Shiro, are you still there?” This time his voice was a lot lower.

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“Yea?”

“Do you think it exists?”

“Well, what do you think?”

“I’m the one asking you here.”

“Well you already know my answer, of course it does, why wouldn’t it.”

“Yea I thought so as well, why do you think Zakin seemed to be so upset at the very topic?”

“Who knows, in any case it only suggests further to that of its existence.”

“Well I mean the only reference we have would be, I can't believe I’m saying this, but in most games isn't a body required…?”

Even with his hushed tone he was still avoiding the word just in case Zakin overheard this little conversation. Zakin couldn't expect them not to talk about it after the way he reacted, but still for formality's sake Kichirou would have to play along.

“Well that would be the case for it, most of the time anyways.”

“Then…?”

“It's gone up in flames like everything else back in that town.”

“But it's possible then.”

“There are instances where as long as the soul is still in existence, resurrection could work. Let's just hope that the rules of this world play along those lines then.”

“What’s the plan?”

“Still the same as before isn't it, to get us back home.”

“You know damn well that isn’t your plan.”

“And what if it isn't?”

“You know Shiro, sometimes just its better to let others in and be honest with ourselves.”

… And what has it gotten me?

“It's still something that I’ve always admired about you, never to bend.”

“Yea…”

“You don't even seem worried.”

“Well when there isn't a reason to worry, why would I?”

“Come on dont say that now, I’m sure you would have turned things around.”

“I don't know about that.”

The two sighed in unison.

“Do you think we can actually do this?”

“Do what exactly?”

“To bring back Ryuta, and get everyone back home.”

“To be honest, no. I don’t think it's possible, odds are we are just gonna die here.”

“Hah of course you'd say that, why I’d even bother asking, I’ll never know.”

“I’m sure you were hoping to hear something else, but that's the truth.”

“... Yea I know, that doesn't mean we’d just give up. This is for everyone’s sake, even Ryuta.”

“Of course.”

Hah just not yet…

“No matter what we’ve got to make it home."

It's easier to not give up when you can't even fathom the true wall that lies before you, to work endlessly towards the goal step by step. But reality often hits sooner or later, the realization that you aren't so special, that you’re not the one who’s destined for greatness. That you’re just an average potato, and no matter how hard you work, it simply will never be enough. Only then would it break you down little by little until there's nothing left.

Perhaps that is their fate, after each and every one of them become more adept in the mystical arts of this new world.

Yes, that would be a fitting tragic end, that he had always pictured it to be.

As crushing as that sounds, it's still not dark enough, it doesn't render all hope to be null and void in the most devastating way.

Perhaps the humiliation in the world of old wasn't quite enough, this new world was just another place to demonstrate his worthlessness.

I'm sure what this world has in store for me would be much more elegant and elaborate than that. Yes, of course. Afterall it did somehow bring that one back into my life.

“By the way Shiro, what would you do for the time being? Since we won't be going anywhere for now.”

“I didn’t even figure that out back home, what would I do in this one, honestly I got no clue.”

“How about sticking with me and picking up the way of the sword for real this time? With the state of this world, some actual forms of training would go a long way.”

In a world such as this, being an able combatant could be the difference between life and death, but compared to dragons and mythical creatures, or even another human like Swizze, it still wouldn't amount to much.

Nevertheless something always beats nothing. That’s one thing for certain, on top of that, in times like these soldiers tend to be paid quite well, it should also serve as the stepping stones for them to enter the realms of magical arts, as sorcery and combat does go hand in hand.

With this there was the possibility of going into direct combat with Bereene and bring them closer avenging Ryuta. Then, to top it off it would also serve as a natural excuse to get the hell away from her—killing an endless amount of birds with one stone.

But with all things considered, the only major downside was that these types of military services tend to have mandatory service contracts which could last until they reach a certain age or until their discharged for losing the ability to fight.

This could turn out to be a lifelong commitment. The very thought of that was scary enough, but at least he would have Hiro by his side.

“So how about it?”

“Ah fine, why the hell not.”

“Good, haha. It's funny how I already long for that day. I swear, we will avenge Ryuta.”

Of course, he’s never gonna let it go, that's just how he is, and for good reason. It matters not how that idea does not stand to reason, for Kichirou knows full well that if it had been him who had befallen the same fate, they would be doing the same for him.

“Yea, we will avenge Ryuta.”

If resurrection is not possible and by some miracle they could make it home, none of them would be able to face Ryuta’s family otherwise, nor would Kichirou be able to live with himself if not.

“If you must go down that path, then I would definitely recommend enlisting when we reach the capital. Although I’d still beckon the two of you to reconsider, there's no way to live only for vengeance.”

It was supposed to be a conversation just between them, but they must have spoken louder without even realizing it. Kichirou and Furuya looked at each other in surprise, and laughed. Although it was only a moment ago, the watershed was already far behind them.

“Would we be able to enlist like that?”

“Yes, in Reinocha enlistment is open for all, it matters not of nationality or gender, the army accepts any who are willing. However, they will go through a basic background inspection, as long as you aren't a wanted criminal it should be no problem.”

“That's good news for us I suppose.”

“Although there's much wealth and glory down that path, do heed my words. Reinocha takes pride in its military strides, it will not be a transient position, once enlisted it would take the better part of your life.”

“For all its rewards, it's a small price to pay. Then again, we could find a way home early and ditch in the middle of our service.”

“Well unless you can escape to your far away homeland, I would certainly not recommend desertion under any circumstances. It would be considered a crime against the kingdom, and depending on the situation, it could be punishable by death.”

“Good to know. But if we can get home, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“How would we sign up anyways?”

“There are two main recruitment centers across Reinocha, one would be in the capital Eisene which is responsible for fielding men and women from the southern part of the kingdom. The other is the fortress city of Tor Heraltu which garrisons and trains soldiers in the north. I have heard from many soldiers that the training in Tor Heraltu is much more intense and includes live combat with many of the creatures that call Heraltu mountain their home.”

Efficiency versus practicality—standard training then facing the might of this world versus actual live combat with monsters. How lame would it be if he were to die to a beast while still training? Rather than to be remembered as a journeyed hero, he’d instead be a dud who is forgotten before he could even be remembered.

“Huh sounds like we should go to Tor Heraltu to enlist instead, what do you think Shiro?”

“Do you really want to go that far? We need to be in the capital to find ways to return home anyways, and what about everyone else? We’ve already lost Ryuta, why would you want to split up again?”

“Yep, yep, you're right, we will stay in the capital then.”

“Regardless, you two wouldn’t be seeing your friends for a long while. You will spend almost every hour at the training camp for the first few months, then, only after you become a fully fledged soldier would you be allowed free time to visit your friends—that is to say if you are even fortunate enough to be stationed at the capital.”

“We will find some way to keep in touch, it won't be at the touch of a finger, but it's alright.”

“What happened back in Mercini isn't part and parcel of living in Reinocha, but for some it alters their lives forever. At least try and live a normal life, just work for me and find another job at the capital, don't be so eager to throw your young lives away.”

“It doesn't have to be the military per say, any other establishment or institute that could provide some sort of combat training would work. Even if the capital is supposedly safe or safer in comparison, after what happened back at the town, knowing our way with the sword could end up saving lives.”

The illusion of peace.

“I certainly can not object to how you feel. Then again I wasn’t going to stop you guys anyhow. I do know of a few masters of the sword, but the only one I know of personally has been long retired and hasn't taken a disciple in years. He has a sword shop in the capital if you guys wish to visit.”

What is this supposed to be? The young heroes meet an old master. The master will notice something with the youngsters and decide to take the two as his last apprentices. They would go through maybe a year or two of time skip training to return as different beings and take up their journey to avenge Ryuta whilst going through lots of crazy things along the way—like they were some kind of main characters in a manga or something.

Hah.

“Think you wanna check it out, Shiro? Could be useful.”

“Yea sure.”

Huh, or maybe the old master would bestow upon us legendary swords and we would train on our own in the wilderness, slaying great orcs or even dragons, and while we are looting we find some ancient relic that could revive a soul. Yea, yea that would work.

No matter what it takes, I’ll show them all.

The myriad of voices would always call out to him, even in the muddled noises he could still hear her voice so clearly—so clearly that his blood would boil. If not anything else but that alone gave him his purpose in life.

This is no time to be the dud he always had been, not anymore. This time it's not just for himself anymore, everyone else is depending on them, especially for Ryuta, they will find a way.

Or at least die trying, that's life after all.

“Stop the car!” Karin shouted, as the carriage door swung open. Before the carriage could come to a full stop she had already leaped out and rolled along the dirt road.

“Karin! Karin?!” Everyone shouted with visible confusion.

Before Kichirou could even stand upright, Furuya already leaped into action and knelt beside Karin with everyone else trickling to her from the carriage.

“What's wrong?”

She opened her mouth to reply, but instead she gagged and puked all over.

“Morning sickness huh Karin?” Calbi remarked.

“Really? Who's the lucky guy?”

Is she really?

Although it wouldn't surprise Kichirou in the least if she was, to bear a child when you're still so young, to just ruin the supposedly best portion of her life like that, it's rather silly when put in that perspective.

Then again, Ryuta did the same damn thing.

“No you asshole, I’m just a bit car sick.”

“Are you sure you're ok? Your knee is bleeding.”

“It's nothing, just give me a second and I’ll be fine.”

“What cha got there?”

Everyone turned their attention to the man in the grass camo sitting amidst the grass staring right at them. Why is there a man dressed like that out here in the middle of nowhere?

“What?” asked Calbi.

“Let me get a closer look.”

The strange man leaped up towards Aoi and reached for her. Furuya being a pace faster than everyone else, was the first to react, grabbing the stranger's arm before they could reach Aoi.

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” Furuya asked.

But the man didn't even seem to notice that his right arm was in the firm grasp of Furuya, his eyes still focused entirely on Aoi. The wily gleam in his eyes were rather unsettling as if he was transfixed only on his desires, much in the way of a rodent who has spotted food.

Furuya must have noticed it as well, and threw the man down, pressing his arms against their back in one swift motion.

“I won't ask you a third time, what the hell do you think you're doing?”

The look of disgust on Aoi’s face prompted everyone to quickly gather in front of Aoi, breaking the stranger's line of sight, to shield her from this man who clearly is a pervert of some kind. Even to Kichirou this type of behavior is nothing short of unsavory, this type of behavior is simply barbaric and only fit for subhuman like creatures disguised in human flesh. The only time he had seen such an act in the open was with a foreigner, goes to show even in modern times such creatures still exist.

Only after his eyes lost track of Aoi did he seem to notice the predicament he was currently in.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch, please let go of my wrist, help me! Someone help! I’m being robbed!”

The words he uttered were shockingly inappropriate for his own actions, and they left everyone in the vicinity utterly speechless.

Being dead is just like being stupid, the pain is only felt by others, and in this case for him to be so oblivious it was painful to watch.

“You do know that you're the one who came out of nowhere and tried to grab my friend right?”

“Friend? You’re friends with a slime? I’ve never heard of that before, it's not like they have the capacity to think, much less to consider someone as it’s friend.”

“Wait what? Werent u just trying to reach for that girl?” Furuya asked, pointing at Aoi.

“No, no, no not the girl, who cares about her, I wanted to see that slime she's holding. It has a faint glow to it and I wanted to inspect its properties for my research.”

The look of disbelief was written over everyones face, however the man’s tone appeared genuine enough to suggest that he was telling the truth.

“Can you get off of me now?”

“Ah yea sorry about that,” Furuya apologized.

Even though there was no need to apologize at all, he did question the man twice before pinning him down, which is more than fair. Even if he hadn't, someone else would have done the same or even worse if the man tried to get any closer to Aoi the way he did.

Furuya helped the man up, and as the man dusted himself off, some of the grass on his outfit fell off.

His appearance was unkempt, much like a homeless or an elderly man who's not being cared for. There wasn't much distinction between his disguise and his actual outfit, that all seem to be covered in dirt, it was even the same for his hair. The man’s features suggest that he was probably not that old, perhaps in his mid thirties.

But there's just something about him that made him seem older, like a man in his forties that has seen his fair share of it all, Kichirou couldn't quite put his finger on it.

“Ah, I should introduce myself I suppose. My name is Gordon, Gordon Rohfell. I am a…” He hesitated for a moment before continuing. “A slime researcher... yes.”

This world is supposedly full of wonders, with magic and monsters of all kinds, with probably limitless possibilities and this man chooses to research slimes? It's so lame in comparison. Although researching monsters does carry it’s own risks, for a non combatant to research things like slimes does seem much more reasonable when taking that into consideration.

Could that really be what this man is doing out here? Even his outfit is out of place, using camouflage to study slimes, slimes don't seem to fear humans as they were able to just pick one up right from the ground.

“Why do you choose to research slimes?’ Kichirou asked.

Gordon’s eyes seemed to flich as he murmured: “It’s none of your business.”

Though his voice was barely audible, the hostility it carried was unmistakable.

The awkward silence that pursued left a strange tension in the air, only to be broken by Zakin.

“Hey, what are you guys still doing? Let's get moving already!”

“Uh we’re gonna leave now,” Calbi uttered as he backed away slowly.

As they slowly stepped backwards towards the carriage, Gordon suddenly picked up the clear slime that Aoi dropped earlier and ran back for cover in the woods.

“What's up with him?”

“Who knows, but we need to keep an eye out for things, we can't afford to risk anything.”

Zakin crooked his eyebrow and asked : “Who was that guy?”

“Just some weirdo.”

“You guys are all ok?”

“Yea we’re fine, let's go.”