I am Benedict Hammond, 23-year-old salaryman extraordinaire on the brink of being fired for my lax attitude despite the fact that I still manage to get everything done on time, even if it's all done in a last-minute whirlwind.
Of course, the reason I'm being fired could be different. It could be my chronic depression, for example. The boss might come up with some bullshit reason about how I'm affecting workplace morale with my constant gloomy mutterings- which isn't really bullshit since it's actually true- but I don't know yet.
Anyway.
My day started fairly normally. I woke up to a dubstep remix of In the Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg blasting in my ears, at which I opened my eyes and stayed in my bed, staring at the plain white ceiling with nothing but dark premonitions in my head. Who'd have known some of those would come true?
After thirty minutes of silent introspection, I rolled off my bed and onto the cold faux wood floor, wearing nothing but my white briefs. There I spent 15 minutes contemplating whether I should just go back to sleep and hopefully catch a rampaging strain of cold that would kill me, and then got up for breakfast. Breakfast was invariably heated cup noodles, because dear reader, not only was I- and I still am, really- extremely depressed, I was also incredibly lazy. I always looked up 'cup noodles' on OnlineCart, the e-shopping service I used, and ordered a box of whatever was at the top of the list. Every month this ritual would be repeated, and a box containing the goods would arrive in front of my door.
After imbibing the spicy, artificial flavoring-laden treat, I started getting dressed, lay down on the bed halfway through, and after almost falling asleep again finished getting dressed. I then walked out of my apartment into the chilly autumn air.
My workplace was mercifully a mere 5-minute walk from my apartment, which is why I loitered for as long as possible before embarking on my grand journey to the caverns of hell, or GenCorp. GenCorp was one of those companies that everyone knew yet nobody really cared about.
Speeding up time to reach this current moment, I'm standing in front of the boss's pointlessly extravagant desk, where he is sitting with a grim expression on his face, while holding something pink.
It's The Pink Slip, the horror dreaded by many an office worker. I must escape now, before the boss engages his unique skill, 'Destructive Speech'.
Oh no, he's already started. It's super effective! Benedict is in critical condition!
The boss makes up some speech about how he's sorry to let me go and yadda yadda yadda. Really, why even talk when you don't mean it? Fucking dumbass.
As I walk through the doors, my feet feel numb. As though I'm not really walking, but floating. Gliding above the ground. I'm wandering aimlessly. I don't really have a destination in mind. I can already feel the depression setting in again. It embraces me tenderly, giving me a lover's kiss. And it doesn't take its mouth off mine. My chest feels tight. I'm suffocating. It's been a while since I seriously contemplated suicide. Of course, my body's current state would make that exceedingly easy. Subsisting on nothing but cup noodles takes a toll on the body, and my laziness makes sure that I only eat when my body is crying out for it. This means that my body is extremely sickly-looking, with extremely pale, sallow skin, a near-skeletal frame, and dark bags underneath my dull eyes. My black, neck-length hair is almost perpetually greasy-looking, and there is a layer of stubble on my chin at all times. It's the kind of body that would make children run to their mommies and cry about how a strange man stared at them.
I walk out into the road, staring fixedly at the ground in front of me. I don't care if I get hit by a car, I just want to keep walking. Forever, hopefully. But hope is a lying piece of shit.
And suddenly everything goes black.
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When I open my eyes, I'm in a black room. No, I don't think it's a room. Either I've gone blind, or something's obscuring my vision.
And then I see a woman in front of me. No, more of a girl. A little girl. But little girls don't have tits that big. What is this, some sort of fucking anime? I'm not a protagonist, dammit. I'm not protagonist material at all. My idea of a good time is lying down and contemplating the futility of life, not going around and killing monsters for the sake of peace. Who the hell thought that making a big-breasted little girl a goddess was a good idea?
"Welcome, Benedict Hammond! I am-"
"Shut up and send me back."
"Huh?"
She seems surprised by the fact that I interrupted her, but I don't care. I want to get back to the semblance of life I had before this happened, and since I'm depressed anyway, being killed by a vengeful goddess is just a walk through a park.
"Look, whoever the fuck you are, little girl, send me back to Earth, assuming that this isn't Earth in the first place."
I never really liked anime. The few I watched failed to interest me, although it might be because I swore my loyalty to books a long while ago. The same applies to movies and games, although when I was a child I was rather interested in Pouch Monsters, a game where you collect cute little pixelated monsters and force them to engage in brutal gladiatorial combat against each other. In short, perfect marketing material. Regarding movies, the only one I ever voluntarily watched was the adaptation of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Marvin, a depressed, extremely intelligent robot, is to this date my favorite character of all time.
"Do you even realize who you're talking to?"
Good. Get mad. Lose control of reason. Hopefully send a burst of killing intent my way so I can die peacefully.
"Are you trying to make me kill you?"
How'd you see through me that quickly?
"How'd you see through me that quickly?"
She sighs, and the sheer cuteness of the act makes me want to throttle myself. Is this the power of what they call moe? Truly terrifying.
"It doesn't matter, anyway, since you're already dead."
----------------------------------------
"How'd I die?"
I really hope I wasn't hit by a truck. I'm not going to appease the God of Tropes (if he even exists) just because I'm a fictional character.
"They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll show you what happened."
The girl waves her hand, and a giant screen appears right in front of me. I can see myself walking into the road, and I see a truck barreling towards me. Fuck, so I did die in a trope-y way. But then the truck veers to the side, crashing into a building instead, and I just fall forwards, faceplanting on the road, while everyone's attention is riveted on the truck stuck in the wall of some fancy cafe.
"What the fuck was that?"
I think you can excuse me for being angry in this situation.
"You were walking on the road, when due to your lifestyle your already frail heart simply gave out and you collapsed. The truck has nothing to do with it."
Fuck.
Fuck!
FUCK!
The girl makes an annoyed face at that.
"Language! You know I can hear all of your thoughts, right? I'm a goddess, after all."
Wait, really?
"Yes."
Then did you hear what I said about you being a big-breasted little girl?
"Mhm."
Oh, fuck. That's another moment to add to the Benedict Hammond Embarrassing Moments collection.
"Don't worry. I get that a lot. After all, lots of the people that I have to deal with are incurably morally corrupted otakus who salivate at the sight of me."
That sounds stressful.
"Tell me about it. Do you even know how scary it is when an overweight, panting man stares at you with lustful eyes? It makes you want to go and strip the skin off your body!"
Ugh.
"Indeed."
So, why am I here? I'm not overweight, nor am I an otaku.
"Well, you died, and you were a suitable candidate for reincarnation, so I brought you here."
A suitable candidate? What the fuck? In what way am I a suitable candidate?
No, before that, reincarnation?
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am the Goddess of Rebirth, Saisei."
Wait, isn't that just rebirth in Japanese?
Here you might wonder just how I know what that means. Well, Japanese was my choice of a second language to learn- I'd wanted to learn an Asian language, and had originally considered Korean, Chinese and Japanese. Korea I simply did not have much interest in, and the complexity of Chinese characters drove me away, so the obvious choice was Japanese. Don't mind the fact that Japanese borrows a lot of Chinese characters. Shhhh.
"Yep."
What the fuck? Why?
"I have no idea."
No wonder why otakus are so enamored with you. And here I was, trying to sympathize with you, when it's all your own fault.
"Hey!"
I'm not going to be respectful to a big-titted kid. What do weebs call it? 'Oppai loli'?
The girl starts pouting, and my heart nearly melts. Focus. You're the depressed, socially dysfunctional Benedict Hammond. You are utterly heartless and dense to the point that you don't notice anything.
"Well, anyway..."
She coughs into her hand, and I start wondering if everything she does is designed to be cute. Probably. After all, men who are smitten are easier to sway. At that, she shoots me a dirty glare, but continues talking anyway.
"Would you like to be reincarnated into the fantasy land of Aithora?"
"No."
No. Nein. 싫어. いいえ. 不. Whatever 'no' is in Icelandic.
"Well, you don't have a choice. 'No' in Icelandic is 'Nr', by the way."
Thanks for the information, but why don't I get a choice?
"Because fuck you, that's why."
Weren't you the one admonishing me for my foul language just a few moments ago?
"I don't recall anything like that."
How convenient.
"If you keep making me mad like this, I'm not going to let you choose a power before you get sent there."
Sure.
"Really? You're going to be going there blind. And dumb. And deaf."
Why not.
"Stubborn fool."
Tsundere act?
"Now you sound like an otaku."
The horror.
"Walk over to me, and put your hand on this crystal ball."
She waves her hand again, and a floating crystal ball appears out of nowhere. Neat goddess powers.
"Thanks."
As soon as I touch the crystal, a giant blue box pops out of it. It is, unmistakably, an RPG-like status screen.
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Name: Benedict Hammond
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Titles: [Embodiment of Depression], [The Powerless]
Level: 1
Health: 100/100
Mana: 100/100
Strength: 1
Dexterity: 1
Endurance: 1
Intelligence: 50
Wisdom: 1
Charisma: 1
Luck: 1
Skills: [Examine]
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What.
The fuck.
What is with these stupidly low stats?
The loli goddess is holding her sides while she laughs, and I can see that her face is already red from laughing so hard.
"Hahahahahahahaha! These are the lowest stats I've ever seen! The only reason that they're not 0 is because you're not dead- or rather, your soul isn't dead!"
She takes a big gulp of air, and cackles.
"Although your Intelligence stat is higher than the others. In fact, it's incredibly high! What are you, some sort of genius? I suppose that makes up for the rest. And those titles!"
She's completely gone. Captain! We have lost contact with the U.S.S. Saisei!
"Oh, I almost feel bad about this. It's like sending a baby into a forest to deal with wolves!"
She coughs, the lingering traces of the laugh still in her voice.
"Well, bye!"
Wait, didn't you say something about a power?
"You declined, didn't you?"
Fuck.
And then she waves her hand, and my vision fades to white.
----------------------------------------
I'm in a forest. I can see the sky, so it's a clearing. I can feel the soft blades of grass tickle my neck. Another trope. Add it to the tab.
I'm probably going to die soon. My weak body is already a handicap, and without the divine power to balance it out, I have nothing. Literally. Nothing but the clothes on my back. Saisei could have at least given me some beginner equipment. Maybe a sword. And badass armor. I'd rather have been reborn as a baby, as long as I get born into nobility, so I can live a comfortable second life.
And she didn't even mention any goals. That means I'm free to do whatever I like, right? No? Dealing with an entire nation of demons isn't my thing, and in lots of webnovels I've read the demons are portrayed as wronged victims of prejudice.
Unbeknownst to me, as I brooded over my hopeless situation, the vegetation in a short radius in front of me had begun to wither and die. And then, a giant, earth-shaking roar comes from somewhere near me, shaking the trees and sending birds a-flutter. Of course, I don't care about this, being as preoccupied with my thoughts as I am.
The source of the roar is quickly revealed, as a giant, golden lion bounds out of the woods. And by golden, I mean golden- it looks like it's actually made of gold. If I had bothered to [Examine] it, I would have known that it was a Level 56 Felinoid Aurum. As it is, I simply lay on the ground, eyes closed.
As soon as the lion came near me, it suddenly began trembling, and then it collapsed after futile attempts to steady its shaking knees, and after a series of rapid, loud gasps, simply died. Again, something had transpired without my knowledge- I had gained a skill. My constant depression had given me [Aura of Despair], which had somehow forced the Level 56 monster to its knees and had even killed it, despite me being a pitiful Level 1 with minimal stats. After the lion's death, though, I had jumped to Level 32, which also gave me 155 unallocated stat points, 5 for each level. After the lion's death, a veritable horde of monsters attempted to attack me, but was given the same treatment. A giant, four-winged gryphon, another Felinoid Aurum, a giant black wolf with blue markings on its fur, etc. All of them were about the same level as the lion, and my Level jumped again to 64. Of course, I was still unaware of the bodies slumped around me.
That was a summary of events up to around 5 minutes ago. I'm currently slack-jawed, staring at the bodies around me. For 5 minutes, I had thought some other, terrifying monster had come and killed all the others, and then I realized that I was the only living thing here. After some fiddling around (read: a lot of fiddling around, involving abruptly cut off shouts of "Status"!) I figured out that I can see my status again by thinking [Status]. Hopefully I can just say skill names in my head, too, or this would get really embarrassing, real fast. After hurriedly reading through my status, I found that I had indeed been the one to kill all those monsters. Being a sensible person, I put my 315 stat points into each stat evenly, which made my stats change by quite a lot. And then there were the repressed blue notification boxes that had popped up, but had been ignored, and is being perused by me right now. The first informed me that I gained [Aura of Despair]. I also found that I could use [Examine] on my skills, and I promptly did so on [Aura of Despair] and [Examine]. (Thankfully, I didn't have to shout "Examine" every time I used it.)
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[Aura of Despair]
Toggled: YES
An ability that projects the user's own depression onto beings around it. Has different effects depending on how depressed the user is.
Cost: None
Hey, wait, isn't that extremely overpowered? And here I was thinking I'd die as soon as I arrived here! Of yourself, the possibility of some kingdom trying to use me is still there, so I better not get my hopes up. Not to mention, staying depressed is actually beneficial to my health, at least in this world. Thank you overly emotional past self that landed me in this stupid loop of depression!
[Examine]
See a detailed summary of a target.
Cost: None
I also gained the titles [Monster Killer] and [Big Game Hunter].
[Monster Killer]
Requirements: Kill 25 monsters
You have started down the path of hunting monsters. However, you must beware- for those who slay monsters may become one themselves.
Effects: +20 Charisma
[Big Game Hunter]
Requirements: Kill 25 large monsters
You are not afraid to track down and kill colossal monsters. You are truly mighty.
Effects: +20 Strength
After allocating my stat points, my stats look like this:
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Name: Benedict Hammond
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Titles: [Embodiment of Depression], [The Powerless], [Monster Killer], [Big Game Hunter]
Level: 64
Health: 9100/9100
Mana: 4600/4600
Strength: 46 (+20)
Dexterity: 46
Endurance: 46
Intelligence: 96
Wisdom: 46
Charisma: 46 (+20)
Luck: 46
Skills: [Examine], [Aura of Despair]
----------------------------------------
This, I hope, will remove the setback that the lack of a divine power has given me. Now that I've checked my stats a bit more, each level of Endurance seems to give me 200 extra Health, while each level of Intelligence gives me 100 extra Mana. I'm still miffed that I started with 100 Mana despite the fact that I had 50 Int, but oh, well.
After that, I check the two titles I started out with.
[Embodiment of Depression]
Requirements: Unknown
Your thoughts are constantly filled with depression. It is a wonder you have not committed suicide yet.
Effects: Grants the skill [Aura of Despair]
[The Powerless]
Requirements: Decline Saisei's offer before being reincarnated.
Stupid!
Effects: Saisei gets to call you an idiot every time she talks to you
Thanks, [Embodiment of Depression]. That makes me feel so much better. Even if you gave me that incredibly convenient skill I can't forgive you for making fun of my depression. That being said, though, why does the description for [The Powerless] feel like something that annoying titty goddess would say? Must ignore. Maybe if I pretend it doesn't exist it'll go away.
But still, stupid title or no, isn't having this many titles kinda strange for someone who just landed in a strange new world? Unless everyone on this planet is so bogged down by titles that the average citizen has 10, I don't think this is normal. That reminds me, can other people see status screens? Is it something exclusive to me? Saisei did mention that there are more reincarnators, so maybe not? Well, to find out I'll have to go to a town, accept some stupid low-level quests like every RPG-themed webnovel, and run into an incredibly beautiful teenage girl that falls head-over-heels for me. Yeah, right. I don't even need to take a look at myself to know that I am ugly. These muscle-less, toothpick-thin arms! These veined hands, skin so thin the bones take up more space than flesh! The outline of my rib cage pressing against my chest, as though an errant chestburster has taken up residence there! I'd be concerned for the mental health of anyone who thinks me attractive- they'd need to be either a skeleton or a zombie.
Hey, if my Strength stat went up, why am I still so... Skeletal? Does it only apply to actual strength, not external muscle mass? I'll have to test that out later. For now, my more pressing concern is my stats. Are they average? Do other people have higher stats? I'd imagine so, since the titles I got just casually throw around +20 to my stats. Also, why do the answers to many of my problems involve entering civilization?
There's a problem with that last one. For one, I've been thrust into a forest with a large number of creatures that are deadly to me, if not the other residents of this world. Finding my way out could take a long time, and without anything to cut the hide of these monsters I'll starve real quick. Hah! I bet you expected me to worry about the dangers posed by the monsters, didn't you! My [Aura of Despair] seems to be able to handle them pretty easily, so I'm not worried about them. But really, is monster flesh even edible? Are there non-monster animals in this forest?
The second problem is the fact that there's a Race section in my status. Does that mean that there are non-human sentient beings in this world? What if I've been dropped in a forest near or in the territory of those who oppose humans? I'd rather not have to kill everything I meet, and even with [Aura of Despair] on I can't protect against ranged attacks. Though, I might be able to convince them I'm not human. All I need to do is pour a bucket of blood and giblets on my body and I'd make a great zombie. Too bad zombies are probably considered monsters.
Oh, dear me, I've gone rather off course, haven't I? Just standing around thinking, when I should really be trying to find a way out of this damn forest. For now, I'll deactivate [Aura of Despair]. No point killing plants, since nature's one of the few things I can appreciate. If only I could direct the skill at a single target instead of using it like a dome surrounding me. You know what? Sorry nature, but I need to do some experiments! First, I use [Examine] on all of the trees around me! just in case I accidentally kill some ultra-rare plant essential for survival. Thankfully, they're all normal trees like elms and oaks. It's good to know that this world shares some of the species my own has. Now, time to kill things (plants)! My [Aura] has already killed off the grass in a roughly two-meter radius around me. I'm not sure if I can increase the radius later or not, but for now, unless someone charges at me with an absurdly long sword or a spear I'll be fine.
I concentrate on the most negative emotions I can find inside me, and try to target the nearest tree. It's not easy to target something with emotions, but I try anyway. To my surprise, it works- although I already sort of guessed it would, since [Aura of Despair] seems to be a mind-based attack. The problem is, the skill keeps working on the grass around me, which is a rather large problem. This time, I focus on getting the emotions I'm broadcasting stopped, and the grass stops dying, and returns to verdant health. I don't notice it though, since the emotions originally directed at the plants are now stuck inside me. I can feel the depression again, this time it's caressing me from behind, its hands slowly rising to my neck. It's obvious that the panic-induced suffocation is going to kick in again, but I won't let it. You think you're tough? I've lived with you in my head for a decade. Sure, I'm still going to be depressed as fuck, but I'll be damned if I let depression kill me. Or that's what I want to shout at it, if not for the snide little voice in my head that reminds me of how I actually died. Good thing that when you're in a forest, nobody can see you blush.
But still, in the interest of my sanity, I should keep the [Aura] going on a single target constantly. One of the numerous therapists I've talked to told me that bottling up emotions isn't good, and the pressure's gonna make me explode when I don't want to. So instead, if I let out the pressure in small jets, I should retain my sanity while continuing to be depressed, which is fine with me.
Also, if this world is a bit like a RPG, does that mean I have an inventory? Let's check it out. I put my hand on one of the dead bodies and think [Inventory], and a screen much like my status screen pops up in front of me. Well, that wasn't what I was trying to do, but that's useful anyway. Now, do I have to think [Take] or [Put in Inventory] for this...? Oh, [Take] works. Great. Less effort. And the giant corpse only takes up one slot, so that's great. How many slots do I have, anyway? Is that a scroll bar? You know what, I'll explore this later. I think I might faint if I realize just how overpowered the new me is. As I go around taking the corpses, I realize that corpses from the same type of monsters stack. That's good, although judging from my previous experience I have more than enough inventory slots for everything I need.
Now that I'm done with everything that needs to be done, time for a leisurely stroll.
----------------------------------------
I've been walking for at least a full hour now, and the novelty of being dropped in a new world is wearing off fast. Three more giant monsters went and tried attacking me, only to be killed by my fearsome [Aura]. It's getting much easier to control now that I know exactly how to do so. Plus, I got a new level, so I'm fine with this.
And then, as I'm wandering aimlessly, I come across another clearing. What a surprise! If this goes according to common tropes, this clearing will contain some sort of incredible monster that's the 'lord' of the forest, who is either wounded and wants a worthy successor/is incredibly strong and accepts me as its disciple. Before entering the clearing, let's take a peek...
Huh?
That wasn't what I expected. It's still a trope, but marginally less common.
Before me is a party of adventurers, sprawled out on the ground with various degrees of injury, with what looks to be a giant green horned frog standing in front of them. Seriously, what is with this forest and giant things? Oh, yeah, I have [Examine]. Let's try it!
----------------------------------------
Name: None
Age: 254
Gender: Male
Race: Frog Lord
Titles: [The Wizened Frog]
Level: 183
----------------------------------------
That's interesting. So this 254-year-old frog's stats aren't visible to me? Too bad. Well, I'm sure [Aura of Despair] will work on it, just like all the other monsters I've tried it on.
Surprisingly, the frog doesn't drop immediately. I can almost feel it struggling, then I feel a loud, booming voice in my head.
'How dare you attack me so brazenly, human?'
Don't tell me you're another one of those thought-reading types.
'I am indeed a telepath.'
Fuck. Well, how's the depression I'm sending your way?
'It- I have never felt such negative emotions before. Thi- this is-'
Well, now we know that not even super-old giant frogs are immune to depression. Truly a force to be reckoned with.
The frog gets more and more desperate as the depression forces it closer and closer to the edge, but of course, I ignore all the pleas. And then, it dies. Thank you, Wizened Frog! I am now Level 67! Ooh, now I have a new title, [Lord of the Mystical Forest]!
[Lord of the Mystical Forest]
Requirements: Kill the previous Lord
You are recognized as the lord of the Mystical Forest, a giant forest at the southern edge of Silvena which is filled with monsters. Monsters residing in the area will not attack you.
Effects: Max intimacy with the monsters of the Mystical Forest
I place my hand on the edge of its giant horn, and think [Take]. Hopefully this carcass is worth something. And then a whimper shakes me out of my thoughts, and I realize that the adventurers are (mostly) still alive. Hmm. Should I kill them? [Examine]!
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Name: Carlie
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Titles: None
Level: 37
----------------------------------------
Name: Lanir D'Avarron
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Race: Elf
Titles: [Princess of Avarron]
Level: 42
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Name: Johnnie
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Titles: None
Level: 35
----------------------------------------
Name: Luke Elyfern
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Titles: [Minor Lord of Silvena]
Level: 33
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I sigh with exasperation. These idiots really thought they could just challenge this forest with levels that low? None of them have levels higher than the Level 56 Felinoid Aurum I killed, and there are only four of them. My guess? Privileged rich kids who begged their parents to buy them some fancy equipment and then charged into the nearest monster hideout they could find, only to have their asses kicked. And what's with the cliched composition? A princess, a minor noble, and two nobodies. Well, whether they live or not is up to the cleric-looking girl- that Carlie- since I don't know how to do anything about it, and I say as much.
"Oi, you brats. Take care of your wounds yourself, since I don't have any skills to help you. I've already done enough by killing off that stupid frog, so I'm leaving now. Bye."
Killing them would be a bad idea, since one of them's a princess. Don't want an entire country to put a bounty on my head, no sir. And then I realize that the princess brat is crying. I wonder why, then I look at Johnnie and realize that he's dead. Oops. I guess [Examine] doesn't differentiate between dead bodies and living targets. Well, not my problem.
And so I leave the party of three lying down on the ground, covered in bruises and deep gashes. What? You're annoyed with me? I'm not a goody two-shoes. It's not in my best interest to go helping everyone I see. And besides, if I helped them I'd probably be sucked into the stereotypical light novel storyline, which I want to avoid for as long as I can.
----------------------------------------
Lanir D'Avarron had been utterly confident her small circle of friends would be able to come back out of the forest victorious. After all, they were fresh graduates from the Avarron School of Magics and Combat, an elite school in the elven country only for those with great potential, and they had the best equipment money could buy, courtesy of her father's treasury. Sure, they had been warned that the forest was dangerous, and that there were incredibly powerful beasts in there, but they had ignored the warnings, instead choosing to rely on their bravado. And now that Johnnie was dead, the fact that they were still very small fish in an incredibly large ocean was hammered into their heads. The princess had been extremely close to Johnnie, even if marriage between the two was impossible to the difference in social standing. This was why Johnnie had been determined to accumulate incredible achievements, hoping to one day be worthy of asking the elven king for his daughter's hand in marriage. And now he was gone, never to look at her with his intense yet soft gaze again. Her thoughts wandered as her fingers slowly reached for one of the last health potions on her belt. Who had been that strange man who had come in at the last second and rescued them? He was unlike anyone she had ever seen, looking as though he had been locked in a basement for centuries. He had killed the monster without even touching it, and had somehow made it disappear. She would suspect a storage ring, but there were none that could store a monster of that magnitude. And if he was that powerful, surely the man would have accumulated some sort of fame, but she had never even heard of him. And his attitude! Sure, she was not wearing any telltale marks that indicated her as royalty, but the man had treated them as though they were little kids caught sneaking into a brothel. Her fingers tightened on the neck of a glass bottle filled with a red liquid. Whoever he was, she would find him, although whether she would thank him or have him arrested was a different matter.