If I had known how many dang questions that tiny [Hero] was going to ask me, I would never have rescued her in the first place.
- Excerpt from my journal
-------
Erica slowly came back to the land of the conscious.
What a horrible dream. She thought as she snuggled back into her pillow.
... Except the pillow wasn’t her normal one.
She bolted upright and looked around the dark room.
She saw nothing but a pair of red eyes staring at her.
She screamed.
“Please don’t eat me,” she whimpered as she closed her eyes and huddled in the corner.
“Eat you? Why would I-” a voice answered before she cut herself off. “Oh. Right. It’s dark in here. Let me just...”
A light flipped on, and Erica slowly opened her eyes.
The red eyes that had scared her belonged to a beautiful woman... who was definitely not human.
She has horns. Horns! Why does she have horns!?
“I’m not going to hurt you, okay?” the woman continued softly. “In fact, I’m sure that you have questions, and I can probably answer them for you. As long as they aren’t anything as complex as the meaning of life.”
The unknown woman flashed her a toothy smile, giving Erica a perfect view of her fangs.
Erica gave a sharp intake of breath, and the woman frowned.
“Right. Forgot about these,” she muttered as she ran a finger down one of them. “Not exactly the best sight to wake up to.”
"N-n-no," Erica stammered out. “They’re... umm... lovely.”
The woman snorted. “I wasn’t born yesterday. I can recognize flattery when I hear it.” She gave a smile without teeth this time. “But thank you for the compliment anyway.”
Then the woman slowly got up and sat on the bed next to Erica.
“Now, questions. I’m sure you’ve got a boatload. Spit ’em out.”
“Am I in Hell?” Erica blurted out.
The woman blinked slowly.
“Uhh... no. What on Earth would give you that idea?” she asked.
“I woke up in a dark, unknown place with monsters and no one around except someone who looks like a...” Erica trailed off. Me and my big mouth! She cringed. This woman saved me from monsters and gave me a place to sleep, and I was about to call her a-
“Vampire?” the woman asked. “Demon?”
“I was going to say the second one because vampires don’t normally have horns.” Erica laughed awkwardly.
A look passed over the woman’s face, but it was gone as soon as it came.
“Well, I guess that means it’s time for your first lesson about the new world you’ve found yourself in. Humans aren’t the only race of people here. There are elves, dwarves, and even a group of people with animal characteristics called the beastborn.”
“Do they all have horns like you do?” Erica asked.
“No,” came the reply. “Some have horns. Some have extra ears on the top of their head-”
“Do they work?” Erica blurted out.
“The extra ears?” the woman asked and then thought a moment. “I think so. I don’t have any myself, so I couldn’t tell you.”
“But they’re otherwise just the same as a human? Do they pass along that trait to their offspring?”
The red-eyed woman gave her an odd look.
“I have to admit, I didn’t think your first questions would be about biology. Don’t you have some more pressing things to ask?”
“Right. Sorry! Umm...” Erica paused in thought for a moment. She could ask where they were, how she got here, about the giant ants, or about how the woman knew she was from Earth... And that gave her her first question.
“I just realized I never introduced myself. I’m Erica. What’s your name?” Erica asked.
“Titania,” Titania replied while gently shaking Erica’s offered hand.
“Titania? Like the queen of the fey? Wife of Oberon?”
Titania raised an eyebrow.
“Not exactly. There are fairies in this world, but they’re tricksters who will eat your memories, so I can’t say that I recommend meeting them.” Her next statement was under her breath, but Erica heard it anyway. “Not exactly on the best of terms with them either.” Then she cleared her throat. “My turn for a question. Where do you know the name Titania from?”
“Oh! Umm, well, there is a playwright back on Earth… or was a playwright… he was named Shakespeare and-“
“Shakespeare. Got it,” Titania replied. Then, she sized Erica up and down for a second. “Aren’t you a bit young to be reading Shakespeare?”
Erica rolled her eyes. “I’m in high school. Just because I’m short doesn’t mean I don’t know how to read.”
“Oh. I assumed that you were a junior higher or younger… my bad.”
It wasn’t very pleasant for Erica to constantly deal with people who thought she was younger than she was, but she decided she would give the woman who saved her life a pass this one time.
“So, how do you know so much about Earth?” Erica asked for her next question. “I mean, you’re talking like you know all about it. Shakespeare, knowing that Earth is only full of humans, guessing that I would assume you’re a vampire or a demon…”
Titania paused. “That’s… a bit personal. Let’s just say I’m acquainted with Earth and people being brought over from there and leave it at that, okay?”
Erica gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to pry! I hope I didn’t offend you or anything!”
Titania shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, kid. You didn’t have any way to know without asking. Now, before you get sidetracked on another tangent, I think I should finally explain those bars appearing in your vision.” She paused. “You… do have a red bar, blue bar, and green bar, right?”
Oh good. I’m not crazy. “Yes,” Erica replied. “Does that mean that everyone in this world has those?”
“Correct, but no interrupting,” Titania chided. “The red bar is for your health. If that goes to empty, you will start dying, so don’t let it do that.” Erica opened her mouth to ask another question, but Titania plowed right on. “Blue is for mana. You use that to cast spells. Based on that wand you were given when you were brought over, you’re most likely a [Sorcerer] or [Wizard].”
“The blue text said I was a [Sorcerer], but-“
“And the green bar is for stamina. You use that up when you run around or if you have any physical skills… which you shouldn’t because your class doesn’t work that way.”
As Titania finished up, she looked at Erica expectantly. “Can I ask my questions now?” Erica asked.
“Sure, go ahead.”
“What’s a class? How do you use magic? In fact, what is magic? Can you summon fire from nowhere? How does that work with the laws of thermodynamics?” Erica paused for a brief moment. “Also, I think those games my brother plays have similar bars in them. Are those related?”
Erica paled as she finally remembered the most important question that she had to ask. One that she couldn’t believe that she had overlooked in all of her excitement.
“And how do I get home?”
Titania pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “This is what I get for offering to answer questions. Well, I guess I might as well start from the top.”
--------
My decision to answer the [Hero’s] questions was met with instant regret as every question spawned innumerable more questions. Eventually, I handed her a piece of paper and a pen to write them down and told her not to interrupt me mid-explanation.
Then I explained that she was in a new world, that she could probably go back by killing the [Demon Lord], what a [Demon Lord] was, and all of the basics about the new world she found herself in.
She took most of it surprisingly well. However, magic was one area where she was simply not having it.
“So, with magic, you can just create fire out of nowhere?” she asked.
“Yes,” I replied. To demonstrate, I toggled on [Cast From SP], mentally cursed the tutorial’s effect that drained my mana for no reason, and then let a lick of flame hover in my hand.
“And that doesn’t cost you anything?” she asked.
“Weren’t you listening?” I replied. “It costs mana to cast spells.”
“Well, yes. But you also said that all you have to do to regenerate mana is rest,” Erica challenged. “So, doesn’t that mean you’re violating the first law of thermodynamics by creating energy?”
I can’t tell her that video games basically never respect the first law of thermodynamics… or the second for that matter. Things don’t go from order to disorder in a video game unless they’re specifically programmed to do that.
I shook my head and tried to think of a counterargument that didn’t involve letting the girl know we were just bits on a server.
“People already convert food to energy back on Earth, so maybe it’s just like that, but with mana.” I finally shot back.
She shook her head. “No, that wouldn’t make sense! You said that people with more levels have more mana, but do they have to eat more too?”
“No…”
“And you mentioned that my wand increases my amount of mana. So, how would that work? Just holding a stick in my hand can increase the amount of energy I can spontaneously create?”
Well. This argument’s a lost cause.
“It’s just magic, okay?” I practically growled. “I can tell you how it works, but I can’t tell you why it works. Just accept that some of the laws of physics are out to lunch, okay?”
“Oh. Umm. Sorry,” Erica replied sheepishly. “My teachers always told me I ask too many questions, and it looks like I did it again.” She gave a slightly nervous laugh.
I sighed. “Well, with that taken care of, for now, let’s move on to the next thing. Go ahead and say or think the word status.”
My own status popped up, but I was prepared for that for once and quickly flipped it closed.
“So, this thing lists all my skills and spells that I can cast?” Erica asked as she poured over her status.
“Yes, it will also tell you what sub-classes you have.” I paused. Wait. Not plural. “Be careful with that choice because you only get one. Also, you pretty much get a sub-class by declaring yourself a member of whatever profession, and it just auto-assigns it.”
“So if I said I was a baker, I would become a [Baker]?“ she asked.
I nodded.
“What if I said I was the Pope? That’s a profession, right? Can I become the Pope just by saying that?”
I frowned. This brat was asking too many questions and making me think too hard about the System and how it worked. I also had to worry about accidentally revealing too much and letting her figure out that none of us were real.
Then I paused.
Why am I going to so much trouble for her? I asked myself as I stared at the other side of the room. She’s the [Hero]. The [Hero] chosen explicitly by the System to counter me. That means that she will kill me. It’s just a matter of time.
“Sorry, I’m asking too many questions again, aren’t I?” Erica interrupted my thinking.
“There are more prerequisites to getting classes like that, but I have no idea what they are,” I replied absentmindedly. “If you wanted to become Pope, you would probably have to have a large religious hierarchy underneath you. Just like no one out there can proclaim themselves [King] anytime they want.”
“That makes sense, I guess.”
I could tell she had another question, but she managed to actually hold that one in.
I wonder why I don’t have a class for being the leader of my cult. I shook my head. Actually, I do. It’s [Demon Lord]. And that’s just sidetracking me from the important question. Why am I helping this little girl who is going to kill me one day? Shouldn’t I just-
My thoughts were interrupted by a loud rumbling from the girl’s stomach.
I looked over at her as she seemed to be desperately trying to become invisible.
“Let’s get you some food,” I sighed.
--------
Titania didn’t speak much after taking Erica to a different part of the cave that looked like a cafeteria. That, along with the never-ending supply of food, gave Erica at least a dozen more questions she wanted to ask.
Instead, she kept her mouth shut. Or at least kept it busy with something else.
I need to make sure not to annoy her. Erica thought as she chewed on a slice of pizza. Or I might never make it out of this cave. Or defeat that demon guy that she mentioned.
“Are you sure that you don’t want anything?” Erica asked Titania, who was standing off over to the side.
“I’m not hungry. Don’t worry about me,” Titania said with a dismissive wave.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! You just said that you weren’t going to annoy her! And now you’re asking her even more questions! Erica groaned internally. What will happen if she gets annoyed with you and decides to kick you out? There’s no way you can make it alone and-
“After you’re done eating, I think it might be time to get you out of here,” Titania said.
Erica’s plate clattered to the floor as she sprinted over to Titania and ineffectually tackled her.
“No! Please! Wait! I didn’t mean to offend you! Don’t kick me out! Don’t make me face an entirely new world alone!” Erica begged.
“Woah, calm down!” Titania replied as she tried in vain to extricate herself from Erica’s pleading hug. “This cave is no place for a kid, and things will go better for you once you’re on Placeholder proper. You literally just have to find whoever’s in charge, show them your status that says [Hero], and you’ll have entire nations bending over backward to help you take down the [Demon Lord].”
“I’m not ready for that,” Erica said softly. “And why do I have to kill the [Demon Lord] anyway? Couldn’t we just talk things out? Maybe he isn’t so bad if you get to meet him?”
Titania sighed. She disentangled herself from Erica, put her hands on Erica’s shoulders, and then said. “Look, the entire world is against the [Demon Lord]. He’s killed a lot of people. So, any ideas you may have about winning him over are not very likely. You’re best off getting prepared to fight because that’s why you were brought here.”
Erica looked down. “Couldn’t they find someone else and just send me back?”
“No,” Titania replied. “You’ve been chosen as the [Hero], so you’re the one who’s stuck with the job for better or worse.” Titania hesitated for a moment and then sighed. “Fine. I’ll train you a bit before you go, okay? I’ll make sure that you can at least cast some spells and not die in your first combat.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Really?” Erica asked.
“Yup,” Titania nodded. “So, if you’re done eating, let’s head back out to the main room and have you cast some spells.”
Erica scarfed down her food, and the two left the cafeteria behind.
------
If the [Hero] dies, I’ll just get a new one. So, it makes sense to keep the [Hero] at a basic level of combat so that doesn’t happen. I justified to myself. I… mostly bought that as my reasoning. In the back of my mind, I knew that the fact that the poor girl was just so… pitiful kept me from really wanting to cause her any harm.
So this is how the System counters me. I thought. Bring over a [Hero] that’s too pitiful for me to fight. That’s a pretty disgusting move, System.
My bad mood must have shown on my face because Erica interjected. “Umm, is everything okay?”
“Yes, yes,” I waved her off. “Now, pull out your wand. We’re going to have you cast your first spell.”
“Alright,” she said as she pulled it out.
I was worried that I would get even more questions about the inventory that I would have to answer, but it seemed that she was too excited about magic to think about the ridiculousness of being able to store an arbitrary amount of things in what amounted to extra-dimensional storage.
Focus, Titus- err.. Titania. And that attempt at reining in my train of thought almost caused a catastrophic derailment instead. Answering the simple question of what I should call myself inside my own head was something that I should answer sooner rather than later… which is why I decided to ignore it.
I shook my head and then cleared my throat. “Now, the first spell you’ll cast is [Mage Bolt].” I went ahead and cast the spell as I said that, and the bolt of dark mana sped off into the distance before colliding with the wall. “It’s a simple damage spell that doesn’t cost any mana, so it will be your fallback when you’re running low. Go ahead and try it.”
Erica nodded. “[Mage Bolt]!” she cast.
It was the simplest spell in the world, and it was already on her spell list. I wasn’t exactly surprised that it worked the first time.
She was, though.
“I did it!” she shouted. “What next?”
“Next, you have to get some levels,” I replied. “That should be pretty much the only spell that you know. You’ll need 2 or 3 levels, and then you’ll be able to pick up an elemental bolt spell.”
“Aww,” she replied with a frown. “That’s all you can teach me right now?”
I snorted. “You’re level 1. That’s what most [Sorcerers] start out with. You can try to learn the other spells without paying the point cost at the obelisk, but that will require a lot of work.”
“Please!” she begged. “You know that Earth doesn’t have magic! If you know any other spells, I would love for you to teach me! Even if you just show me once!”
I sighed. “Fine,” I said as I activated [Teach Spell]. “Fire, strike my foes, [Fire Bolt].” I cast via [Cast From SP]. Then, to top that off, I also activated [Suspended Spell] from my new [Magic Researcher] levels.
The end result was a whopping 25 SP cost for a single 10 MP bolt spell. However, said bolt spell hung suspended in the air before us, and Erica gasped in amazement.
I’m definitely going to get some use out of that new skill. I thought. I wanted to study it more and see its limitations, but I was busy impressing- I mean, teaching- the young [Hero].
“This is the lowest tier [Ignis] spell, [Fire Bolt],” I said. “It only does 10 damage base, but if you get the [Ignis] skill, you can multiply that value a few times.”
“Wow,” Erica said as she circled it. “I can almost… feel that spell. Even with my eyes closed.”
Has she already picked up the ability to sense mana? I asked as she continued circling it.
“And you said [Ignis]… Are all the skill names in Latin? Or is that-“
Her pondering was cut off as I accidentally lost hold of the [Suspended Spell] part of that cast. The bolt flew in the direction it was cast… directly into Erica’s face.
She fell to the ground.
“Ship!” I attempted to swear as I rushed over to her. “[Heal]!” I cast, ignoring the revulsion I felt from using that healing spell.
It was a slight overreaction. My [Ignis] skill was at level 5, which did mean that my spell likely did upward of 20 damage in the single hit… but that was nowhere near enough to kill even a level 1 [Sorcerer].
“Owww,” she muttered. Then she paused. “Wait… can you suspend that spell like you did for the [Fire Bolt]?”
I blinked a few times before complying. “[Heal],” I cast. The glowing, nauseating, light hung suspended in midair.
“Wow!” Erica murmured as she got up and started examining it. “This one feels all warm and fuzzy. But it also feels like it’s… not as put together.”
“Well, sorry for not having any skills for [Heal],” I muttered.
Erica’s eyes widened. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to insult you after all the trouble you’re going through to teach me! I’m sure that it’s a perfectly good [Heal]!”
I snorted. “Well, I’m not. I have no talent for that kind of spell.”
“Well, that’s too bad,” Erica murmured. “I think that magic that works to heal people would be kind of cool.” She cocked her head as she looked at it. “Actually…”
I wasn’t too fond of the look of concentration on her face.
It’s fine. There’s no way that she can-
“[Heal]!” Erica cast.
-cast it. I thought as the delicate glowing light flowed into me.
“I should’ve [Disrupted] it,” I groaned. Then the damage hit, and I yelled. “Son of a birch! Motherfricker! You stupid piece of sit spell!”
Erica backed up from me with eyes wide in terror. “I’m sorry! Did I cast it wrong? I thought I did it just how it felt from what you did and-“
“It’s fine,” I replied.
“-but I must have messed up, and I’m so sorry and-“
“It’s fine,” I repeated.
“-I won’t do it again, so please just don’t abandon me in here and-“
“I said it was fine!” I shouted.
… which traumatized the poor girl even more.
She was shaking and on the verge of tears.
I sighed. “Look. Healing spells hurt me, and you didn’t have any way of knowing. It wasn’t even that much damage, and I’m fine, okay?”
She didn’t reply through her tears.
“I’m not going to leave you, and I’m not mad, okay? Just don’t cast any more healing spells in my direction. Got it?”
She gave a slight nod of her head.
“Good,” I replied. “Now we can get back to teaching you spells. We still have three more bolt spells to go.” I paused. “You still want to learn those, right?”
She gave a slightly larger nod, and I took that as my cue to continue.
“Ice, freeze my foes. [Ice Bolt],” I cast with the same slew of skills active. She once again circled the spell, but this time she surprised me.
“It just feels like the opposite of the [Fire Bolt],” she said. “So, I think it goes something like… Ice, freeze my foes. [Ice Bolt]!”
Her bolt of ice flew off into the distance before clattering against the far wall.
Did she just… pick up a spell after the first time I cast it? I asked myself. Twice in a row? And one of them was a healing spell usually only cast by [Clerics]?
I laughed off my growing trepidation as I showed her [Earth Bolt]… and then [Air Bolt]… and then [Fire Bolt] again.
She was able to cast all of them. Just. Like. That.
“This is amazing!” Erica said as her most recent [Fire Bolt] exploded against the far wall. “Do you know any others?”
“Regrettably, I’m out of mana,” I stated. Technically, I was out of stamina, but I didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole with the [Hero] that I was irritated with.
“Since I need time to regenerate, I’m going to go take a bath,” I stated as I brushed past her and headed to the bathroom section of hospitality protocol. “I’ll be back in 15 minutes.”
And so, I went in there and stewed.
That’s freaking bull spit. I thought as I lowered myself into the water, which only felt lukewarm due to [Fire Immunity]. I had to work fricking hard to learn magic without purchasing it, and she just comes in and does it naturally?
I took a deep breath and relaxed deeper into the bath.
Calm down, Tit… ania. I frowned. I was already back to that conundrum that I had been hoping to table indefinitely.
So. What am I? I asked. That was already a loaded question, but it was one that I had to work through. Am I a male soul in a female body? Do souls even have genders? I paused. If I’m just bits on a server, is my gender just a bit that gets flipped, and that’s that?
That could have quickly spiraled down into unpleasant places if not for the next question I had to ask myself.
“At the end of the day, does it even matter?” I asked aloud. That was a strange question to ask to have to ask myself. I was in a female body. It should have been a huge deal. However, the more I thought about it, the more I… didn’t care.
It seems to be about as strong as any of my other bodies. I thought. That means that Placeholder probably doesn’t care about testosterone as much as level. From that standpoint, it doesn’t matter. The only other reasons it would matter would be for… what? Society? I mean, yeah, I’ll have to act a bit different from normal to try to blend in, but I’ve literally played the part of cult leader. I don’t think playing the part of “some random chick” will be hard in comparison.
What else is there? Romance? I couldn’t help but snort aloud. Yeah… that ship sailed with Megan. Add in [Asexual] to the mix, and that’s even more of a non-issue. I paused. Still hoping that I don’t get periods, or I will definitely riot.
Then I had one final thought. “Even if I wanted to change back… would it be worth it to spend enough time figuring out a spell to do it?” The answer was clear. “No. So, I’ll just live out this life, make as much progress towards the ritual as possible, and then go back to usual when I die the next time. So, as long as I’m in this body, Titania it is.”
Mental conundrum resolved, I had the fancy magical bathroom dry me off, dressed, and then went back into the main room.
Erica was sitting next to the door.
“Did you.. umm.. .have a good bath?” she asked.
“Yes, I feel much better now,” I replied. I stretched out a bit. “Now, since you’ve taken to spellcasting like a duck to water, you should be fine to leave. We’ll go ahead and get you to level 5, and you’ll be teleported out of here.”
“A-alone?” she asked. “You’re not coming with me?”
“It’s better that I don’t,” I replied. “Besides, I get less experience than you, so I would need to clear the boss to get out of here. There’s no reason to drag you through all of that.”
“I won’t just leave you behind like that!” Erica said with the most determination that she had mustered yet. “I don’t know what a boss is, but if you have to fight someone, I’ll fight them with you! You saved me, so I won’t just leave you behind!”
“That’s sweet, but-“
I looked into the eyes of the determined young woman, and my complaints died on my lips.
I’m such a frickin’ softy. I thought to myself. How will the boss fight even work with two people there? I groaned and started pacing. She bought that I got hurt by healing with little to no explanation, but I think that being able to take a swim in lava would be a bit of a tough sell. But how else will we clear that fight without me being able to rest? I don’t have enough mana to use any AOE, and she doesn’t know any yet.
I looked over at her.
Hmm. Yet.
“We might be able to make this work,” I told Erica. “But you’ll have to do exactly what I tell you, okay?”
She nodded in agreement.
-------
“Why can’t I help with any of the monsters?” Erica asked as she followed behind Titania, who had just killed yet another group.
“If you kill a monster while I’m around, things won’t go well. Just trust me, okay?” Titania replied.
“Then why bring me along at all? What are we doing?”
“We’re looking for-“
Titania stopped abruptly as a group of three larger ants entered the room. There was a momentary standoff, and then all three of them took off running.
“Come back here, you little sits!” Titania shouted as she sprinted after them.
Not sure of what else to do, Erica ran after them. Unfortunately, she was much slower than the horned woman, so she was quickly left in the dust. To make matters worse, she came to an intersection and didn’t know which way Titania had gone.
Fortunately, both problems were resolved quickly.
“Erica! Get in here and [Mage Bolt] this thing!” Titania called from down one of the tunnels. Erica ran down that way and came upon a strange sight. Titania was grabbing the ant from the back and struggling to keep it from running away.
“Today would be good!” she shouted and snapped Erica out of her reverie.
“Fire, strike my foes. [Fire Bolt]!” Erica cast as she ran to the side of the ant to get a better angle. She followed it up with an [Ice Bolt] and then a [Mage Bolt] to try to save some mana.
It worked… right up until it didn’t. The monster suddenly turned white.
“Stop!” Titania called. Erica obeyed. “Now, run up and punch it!”
“Huh?” Erica asked, dumbfounded.
“Run up and punch it!” Titania called again. “Quick! Before it gets away!”
Erica put her wand away, ran forward, and punched it with all her might.
The beast didn’t seem amused. Neither did Titania.
“You call that a punch?” she asked. “Put your body into it!”
Erica tried again, but the monster didn’t seem to be phased.
“Now I understand how Lindsey must have felt teaching me,” Titania muttered under her breath. “Okay, just back away. I’ll take care of it. After…”
System: Titania has invited you to join a party. Accept?
“What’s a party?” Erica asked.
“Doesn’t matter! Go ahead and accept it!”
“How do I-“
“Just frickin’ say yes or something! You just have to get the point across!”
“I accept,” Erica stated. Suddenly, she had more information appear in her vision. In addition to her own bars that represented health, mana, and stamina, she now had a listing for Titania as well.
Unfortunately, the delay seemed to have been a bit costly. The ant monster broke free from Titania’s grasp and tried to escape.
Tried.
Titania suddenly appeared in front of it and killed it with a single flaming kick.
Erica gawked.
“Well, that was certainly something,” Titania said. “Now, let’s head back to the obelisk and see if we can get you any spells or skills.”
Without another word, Titania went back the way she had come.
Erica turned to follow her… and then tripped and fell on her face.
------
“Don’t worry about it! It happens to everyone the first time they level up,” I said to the thoroughly embarrassed girl on our way back. “The thing that matters is that you’re level 4 now, and you can get some upgrades.”
“If you say so,” Erica murmured. “But… if levels make you stronger… how are you so strong at only level 2?”
“That’s a bit personal,” I replied.
“Oh. Sorry.”
“No worries. Now, go up to the obelisk, put your hand on it, and say upgrade.”
Erica did as I told her. “Upgrade.”
“Now, I need to know what we’re working with here. How many skill points do you have?”
“Uhh… It says I have four.”
Darn. I thought. I was hoping to have her pick up [Ignis] or something that would increase damage. I guess we’ll have to make do with [Quick Cast]. “And how many spell points?”
“Uhh… 12?” After a brief lull, she turned in my direction. “Titania?”
I didn’t reply because I was busy taking deep breaths. 3 spell points a level for the stupid, busted [Hero] class while I only get 1 point. No. It’s okay, Titania. Just relax and have her pick up something to help with the upcoming battle. “Do you see [Fireball] as an option?” I asked.
“Ummm, no. Wait… now I do. I had to go into that menu to see them. Umm.. There’s [Fireball], [Air Cutter], [Ice Shards], and [Earth Slam]? They all cost 10 points.”
“Go ahead and pick up [Fireball],” I replied. It has the best range and AOE for what we’ll be fighting and has the side benefit of not being able to hurt me.
“Done,” she replied. “Now, should I pick up anything under skills?”
“That one’s up kinda up to you,” I replied. “The only option you should have is [Quick Cast]. It will let you forego the chant for your spells while you have it on, but it has the drawback of costing more mana.”
“I think I might need that if I’m going to try to keep up with her,” Erica muttered to herself. “Okay, done. Anything else?”
“You might as well give the new spell a try,” I replied. “Go ahead.”
“Should I use [Quick Cast] on it?” she asked.
I frowned. That will tank her mana pool, but I guess we can wait an hour or two before we go to clear the boss.
“Sure, go ahead,” I replied.
“Alright, here goes… [Fireball]!” she cast at the wall.
The ball of fire flew at the wall. That was perfectly ordinary. However, there was something off about it to my senses.
“Hey, Erica,” I started as I had a sinking suspicion. “Can you flip open your skill page for me?”
“Umm, sure. What do you want to know?”
“You don’t happen to see a skill in there called [Ignis], do you?”
“No, I don’t think… Oh. Yeah, it’s right here. [Ignis] at level 2. Isn’t that the one you said was for fire damage? How did I get that without buying it?”
It took everything in me not to explode.
That’s frickin’ ridiculous! I thought to myself. I had to work and study for months to learn spells naturally, and I didn’t even get [Ignis] until I spent two frickin’ decades on an elemental ritual! The [Hero] class is grade A bull-
“Is everything okay, Titania?” Erica asked me.
“Yes,” I lied as I snapped out of my downward spiral. “Now, we’ve got a few more preparations to do before we’re ready for the boss. First off, let me take a look at that wand. I need to know how much mana it’s giving you.”
------
Erica’s wand had been giving her 100 mana. That seemed like a lot. She could cast 2 [Fireballs] with just that amount.
However, something strange happened when Titania handed her a second wand that had a capacity of 200. Suddenly, her wand was also giving 200.
A brief ugly look stole over Titania’s face when she saw that, but Erica pretended not to notice.
If she wanted to take my wand, she had every opportunity. Erica thought as she waited for her mana to refill.
Fortunately, nothing interesting happened over the long wait. Then, Erica was escorted through the tunnels as Titania fought through everything alone.
She wanted to help, but Titania insisted that Erica save her mana for the upcoming fight because they would need her “AOE.”
I wonder what that acronym means? She thought as Titania killed yet another ant with a flaming kick. Then, she charged a pair of two larger ants guarding a doorway and dropped out of the party.
“I have to drop, or you’ll hit level 5!” Titania called as she obliterated both enemies in a matter of seconds. Then, she quickly sent Erica another party invite that she accepted.
“Now, it’s going to be your turn,” Titania said as they walked into the doorway.
A stone slab closed off their escape, and words appeared in front of Erica’s eyes.
System: You have entered a dungeon boss room! You will be unable to leave by any means until the dungeon boss is defeated.
It was finally Erica’s turn to repay the woman who saved her life. She would put her life on the line if she had to in order to defeat the monsters that were coming against them. She would put everything Titania had taught her into the fight.
… Except it wasn’t quite so grand of a thing.
Sitting on the top of the hill and lobbing [Fireballs] down at the helpless ants beneath them almost made her feel bad for them. Even worse, Titania still had to do most of the work as she kept the enemies off Erica and also kept fighting even when Erica ran out of mana and was stuck casting only [Mage Bolt].
That problem became even more pronounced when they got to the second phase, which had only the “elite” ants running around.
“Is there anything else that I can do?” Erica asked.
“Nah,” Titania replied as she dropped Erica from the party again. “I can pretty much take it from here. Just stay out of the way, and I’ll finish the rest by myself.”
And so, Erica sat back and watched. She tried to console herself by saying that at least the [Fireballs] helped, but she had the sinking suspicion that Titania didn’t need her help in the first place.
“This is the last elite!” Titania called out after a while. “The next one that shows up will be a big one, so you might want to find a place to hide!”
If Erica hadn’t wanted to take Titania’s advice, the screech that echoed through the entire room and caused her to put her hands over her ears removed any doubts.
She hid behind a rock and received another invite back into Titania’s party. Then, she peeked over the top of her hiding place as she watched a giant flaming ant tower over Titania.
However, Titania didn’t seem a bit afraid, and Erica couldn’t help but marvel at that.
The giant charged her, and she met it with blow after blow from her powerful fists.
Erica was so enraptured by the fight that she didn’t realize that she was no longer hiding behind her cover.
Unfortunately, the giant also realized that.
“Frick!” Titania shouted as the monster turned and barreled toward Erica.
Erica could only stand there, frozen.
She was going to die again. She could feel it. And just like when the truck came for her, she could do nothing but stand there motionless.
Until Titania appeared in front of the ant, spun to face it, and then grabbed its pincers with a grunt of exertion.
“Get out of here!” she shouted to Erica without looking back.
Erica turned to run but then paused.
No. She thought. I’m supposed to be the [Hero]. I can’t keep being saved by other people. There has to be something that even I can do!
Fortunately for her, the System agreed.
-------
What is she doing!? I thought to myself as I continued holding the boss monster at bay. “I said, get out of here!” I shouted.
Her reply was not what I expected.
“[Shining Barrage]!” Erica shouted in a voice that still quivered just a bit.
That was enough to get me to look, and I was glad I did. Multiple beams of light shot out of Erica’s wand as the remainder of her MP vanished, along with a large portion of her SP.
The beams were also headed in my direction.
I barely managed to hit the dirt as they passed me by, and the poor boss never knew what hit it.
I had just enough time to glare in Erica’s general direction at the close call before both of us vanished.
It’s not fair. I thought. She’s weak. She hasn’t worked for any of this. And she isn’t even smart enough to follow some simple orders! I was getting dangerously close to setting myself up with wrath form again, but I didn’t care.
Why should she be the [Hero]? Why should she get that much power for nothing!? And why do I have to work so much harder for so much less!?
However, the System decided it wasn’t a case of anger controlling me this time.
System: Envy Form Set
Great. I thought.
However, again, Erica made it difficult for me to contemplate things. Based on the party link, I could tell that she had already exited the obelisk.
Well, I guess we should get this show on the road. I thought.
I didn’t change my spawn point even though I had the option. That meant I appeared in the middle of Faroff, right next to the confused [Hero].
Then, we got the standard spiel from the System.
System: The realm trembles as a new Demon Lord is born! Demon morale has been restored, and darkness begins its nefarious plans to conquer the world
The [Hero] and I were surrounded by a platoon of soldiers… a platoon of soldiers who were very confused by the sudden appearance of two women.
However, that just gave me a fantastic opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.
“People of Gram!” I shouted with [Project Voice] and [Draw Attention] active. “The [Hero] from another world has arrived! She will be the one who will slay the [Demon Lord]!”
My decree was met with doubt… and then eventually, one person started cheering as they finally recognized that the girl was not dressed like someone from Placeholder.
The cheers grew until, finally, everyone present had stowed their weapons just to cheer for the thoroughly embarrassed [Hero].
Meanwhile, I just took a step back and watched the scene unfold.
Just like I thought… No one suspects me at all. I thought with a grin. I guess playing the part of Tutorial Fairy may not be that bad of an idea after all.