”This is bullshit!” Ghimli said after we left the camp.

“What’s wrong?” Amanda asked.

“Look at your tablets.” The angry voice still present.

We took our tablets out of the bag and looked at them for a while, trying to spot what was wrong.

Name: Doc

Class: Paladin

Level: 3

STR: 07

DEX: 07

CON: 11

INT: 03

WIS: 07

CHA: 13

I stared at it, and then I saw the issue: Level 3. I nudged the dice symbol on the screen, but nothing happened—my stats were frozen. “This is bullshit!” I echoed Ghimli’s frustration. “We leveled up but didn’t get any stat increases!” Amanda and Bea quickly joined in with the new catchphrase.

“Maybe it only happens on even levels?” Amanda suggested. “Think about it—if we got stronger with every level, we’d be overpowered way too fast.”

“You might be right, but it’s still not fair,” Ghimli grumbled. “They could at least give us points to allocate. You know, like in a proper video game.”

“Yeah, we need that sense of progression to stay motivated,” I added. “We should bring this up with Fabio.”

“Doc, I know you love talking over rules with Fabio like you used to, but I don’t think he has that kind of control here,” Amanda said, patting my shoulder when I didn't answer for a long time.

“Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about what the baseline stats must be in this world. From what I’ve gathered, only summoned mercenaries have these tablets, though some folks here seem to know about them. It’s like they’re guides for us.”

“There’s no point thinking it over now,” Bea said. “We’re almost at the mansion.”

We looked up and saw it—one of the most beautiful houses we’d ever seen.

At the edge of the forest stretched a vast, green lawn with a path of carefully placed stone slabs leading up to the house. Wooden furniture was scattered around—picnic tables and finely crafted benches—and instead of the usual ceramic gnomes, there were colorful wooden sculptures, each painted with a delicate hand. A small lake shimmered nearby, ducks gliding across the water, while fish jumped to catch insects hovering above. But the house itself was the real masterpiece.

Standing four stories tall and made entirely of wood, it was breathtaking. The path led to a grand front door at the center of the house, which branched out symmetrically in all directions. Every window was meticulously placed, and the floorboards aligned perfectly. The second story was smaller, with balconies that we assumed belonged to the bedrooms, and the third floor featured an enormous glass panel, something more common in modern times but an absolute marvel in this medieval setting. And finally, atop it all, a small room that looked like what we’d call a “mage’s study.” It was a striking sight.

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We had barely stepped onto the path when a booming voice echoed from behind us. “This is private property. Identify yourselves or I’ll have to take action.”

We looked around, but no one was in sight. Even with Bea’s high perception, she couldn’t pinpoint where the voice was coming from. I slung my shield onto my back, raised my hand, and answered, “We were sent by the Adventurer’s Guild in Kethlen to investigate missing persons. We mean no harm.”

“Sheath your weapons and sit on the bench next to you. I’ll be there shortly.” The voice responded, and not wanting to cause trouble, we complied.

The bench was exquisite—sitting on it felt like we were resting on cushions, though it was bare wood. After a week of traveling and sleeping on the ground, it was the most comfortable seat we’d had in days. After our sleepless night, we were all too keen to take a quick nap, I fought the drowsiness as much as I could, but, after a few minutes I felt my mind drift and my eyes shut with the weight the had left my shoulders.

Bea nudged me awake. “Doc, we’ve got company.” I opened my eyes, startled, to see a small man standing in front of us. He had a kind smile, thin white hair combed neatly back, a clean-shaven face, and half-moon glasses perched on his nose.

“Sorry to wake you, but it’s almost lunchtime,” he said in a voice that perfectly matched his appearance. “You’re welcome to join me for a hot meal while we talk about why you’ve come all this way. I’ll be inside—just please take your shoes off before entering. I’ve just cleaned the floors.” Without waiting for a response, he shuffled toward the house, moving slowly with the help of a cane.

“This is... awesome!” Amanda said, excitement in her voice. “I am not eating another ration if I don’t have to!”

Bea agreed. “Yeah, they taste like dirt.”

“I’m sorry, it was the best I could afford,” I said in mock indignation. “But forget that, I’m ready for a hot meal too—and maybe a shower. We all stink.”

Ghimli raised his arm and took a sniff at his armpit. “Yeah, smells like a dead kobold. You think the old guy has a Onsen?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” I said, standing up from the bench. “Worst case, we’ll bathe in the pond. A bath is a bath.”

With that, we headed toward the house, excited for a hot meal and maybe a bath, though the missing persons were still in the back of our minds.

----------------------------------------

Fabio

I stormed into the call center—a small room with a receptionist at her cubicle, and a modern door with a plaque reading “Hector” on it dividing the space.

“Hello, Katia,” I said through gritted teeth. “Is Hector in?”

The middle-aged woman looked at me with fear in her eyes, her messy bun halfway tied and a pen in her mouth. Her large-framed glasses hung from a cord around her neck. “He’s not available, but I can tell him you were here and pass a message.” She darted her eyes nervously between me and her tablet.

“No need. I’ll wait.” I swept her crochet dolls off the desk and sat on the now-empty space.

“Please, sir. I could get fired for this.” She pleaded.

“Katia, look at me. Do I look like I care?” I leaned closer, grinning. “Besides, if Hector gets fired or demoted, maybe you could take his place.”

Her eyes sparkled at that, a grin matching mine spreading across her face as she glanced at the door behind her. “He’s asleep. Go in quietly.” She pushed away from the desk and headed for the door. “Oh, look at the time! It’s my lunch break. Union rules, you know—I can’t push it back too far!” With a wink, she left, leaving me smiling.

I took a deep breath to steady myself. I didn’t like this persona—normally, I was a shy guy—but desperate times called for a different side of me. I approached the door and checked for traps, out of habit. There was an amateur alarm tied to the handle, which I easily deactivated. Could be a decoy, though. I checked again. Nothing. I turned the handle and opened the door to a dark room filled with the sound of deep, rumbling snores. Hector’s snoring was so loud it made the pictures on the wall rattle—it was a wonder I hadn’t heard it from outside.

I glanced at the sofa by the wall and sat down, considering my next move. In the dark, I planned how I’d make the giant snoring in front of me tremble with fear.