03 — The Adventurer’s Guild

My first spell in hand, I set out in search of a clinic that would be willing to hire a greenhorn like me, as well as someone to study under. Unfortunately, according to what Kururu said the other day, certain clinics might have me doing more chores than healing work, leaving me little time to practice the skills I really needed. Enter my business experience. I was gonna sell myself like hotcakes. Where, you ask? Somewhere that was likely to have the most need of a healer’s services: the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Ah... Convenient time for me to remember that I have no idea where anything is.”

I was a bit disappointed in myself for running out of the guild without even knowing where I was going, but surely I could find someone. I cleared my head and walked on.

An expansive road extended from the Healer’s Guild, with several alleys along the side.

“Now if I can just not get lost...” I whispered to myself.

I felt like something of a tourist who was sightseeing in a foreign country. Shops and stands selling fresh fruit and skewers of meat lined the road, but the two silver pieces I had on me weren’t exactly convenient spending money. Imagining lugging around all the copper coins I’d get back in change shot down any desire I had to pick up some food. Plus, I rather wanted to avoid painting a target on my back for pickpockets. I thought about using a silver to stock up on ingredients, but without some sort of income, I lacked that confidence. No eating out for me yet.

“But wow, these adventurers. Swords I get, but seeing them carry around those huge axes and whatnot like it’s nothing is a little freaky.”

“Wanna repeat that? Whose face is freaky?”

“What...”

I turned towards the voice to find that same scary adventurer from the day I arrived, along with two companions, looking my way. They were not smiling.

“Hey, you’re that healer I bumped into the other day, ain’tcha?”

“I-I’m very sorry about that,” I stammered. “I’ve been working hard since then and finally learned Heal, so I could use it on you as an apology, if you like.”

“Like I’m hurt enough to need that shit! We’re adventurers, pal,” he barked.

“Bazan, he’s shakin’ in his boots,” another chimed in. “You do something to ’em?”

“Oh, I heard ’im talking about adventurers and something being freaky, so it sounded like he was talkin’ trash, but I guess I misunderstood.”

“Hah! Who can blame the guy? Your face is pretty intense,” retorted the third guy.

“Zip it, Basura. So what’re you doing here, small fry?”

“Er, uh, well, I was trying to get to the Adventurer’s Guild, but I don’t know the way, so I was doing some sightseeing.”

“You were planning on going to the slums lookin’ like that? You tryin’ to get killed? Or tricked into being a slave? Slavery might be illegal here, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get robbed blind and left in a ditch.”

Apparently, my acting like a distracted tourist had me heading towards the slums without realizing it. My blood froze over.

“U-Um, you’re all adventurers, I take it? Could you tell me where the guild is? I’d really appreciate it.” I bowed, but no response came. I slowly looked up, and they looked back with the most confused expressions on their faces.

“You’re a human...right? You’re not half-beast or anythin’ are ya?”

“No, I’m a human. Did I say something strange?”

“You know we’re beastfolk, right?” one of them questioned.

“I do. This is my first time meeting any.”

“Your first time?”

“That’s right, so I apologize if I’ve done anything ignorant to offend.”

“Bazan, this kid ain’t right.”

Bazan clicked his tongue with a resigned sigh. “Fine. If we’re your first impression, guess we’ll take you to the guild.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Quit bowin’ all the time!”

“Yessir!”

“You’re gonna make the kid cry, Bazan.”

“He’s got a face only a mother could love,” the other two adventurers jabbed.

“Basura, zip it. Sekiros, you lead.”

“Sure thing. By the way, what’s your name, kid?”

“Luciel. I’ve just recently become an adult and my job is healer.”

“Luciel, eh? We’re the Lineage of the White Wolf, a B-rank adventuring party.”

“B-rank? You must be pretty strong, then.”

B-rank had to be a good deal tougher than your average adventurer.

“Eh, you know. Anyway, no more wastin’ time, let’s get a move on.”

“Yes, let’s.”

Putting my fear aside, I left my fate to Monsieur Luck and followed the beastfolk party in good faith.

“You’re a weird one, ya know that, Luciel?” the slender beastman called Sekiros smiled.

I tried to return his grin with one of my own, but the tension in my body most likely twisted it into something much less friendly. They said nothing, however, and guided me safely to the Adventurer’s Guild.

This building was more than twice the size of that of the Healer’s Guild.

“This is the Adventurer’s Guild?”

“Sure is. Walk in and there’s a desk straight ahead where you can do whatcha need to do.”

“Really, thank you so much. I’ll work hard so that I’ll be of some use if you guys are ever in any trouble.”

“Man, just go.”

“Yes, sir!”

Urged by the beastman Bazan, I prepared myself, entered the building, then froze in place. The room was packed, more so than I’d imagined, and everyone inside carried swords like they were nothing. What happened to my friendly Healer’s Guild? Why were the walls of this place practically oozing intimidation? It was like I’d stumbled into the hideout of some neighborhood gang.

So much for my mental preparation. Times like this, all you could do was think nothing, make eye contact with no one, and move on. I set my sights on the reception desk and made my way over on trembling legs. Aloofness proved to be the right choice, as no one bothered me on my way there. All I had left to do was speak to the receptionist.

“Excuse me, is this where I register with the guild?!” I managed nervously.

Then, for a split second, time stopped for me.

She was the first beastwoman I’d ever spoken to. A dark blue-haired rabbit-woman wearing a uniform that suited her amazingly well. One glance was all it took to captivate me. I couldn’t let my beguilement be noticed, though, so I stifled my beating heart, detached myself, and shifted into work mode. Maybe if I were completely deluded, people would laugh, but if I let myself appear smitten here, I could easily imagine threats coming my way. Specifically, those in the form of, “The hell are you doing acting buddy-buddy with my so-and-so?” If this prediction was accurate, my newly reincarnated life would be over after a measly ten days and that would be it. For good. No, thank you.

The adventurers here all held weapons, but that was irrelevant. Visualizing myself going up against these guys, all the size of pro wrestlers, brought only my demise to mind. For that reason, I sealed myself off, restricted myself to speaking with the gorgeous receptionist, and nothing more. Still, I believed in my heart that, one day, we would get to know each other better.

“It is,” she answered with a smile. “Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild. Please fill in your name, race, and age here.”

She handed me some parchment, almost exactly like the one at the Healer’s Guild, except without a section for birthplace for some reason. Normally, I’d ask a question to segue into light conversation and calm my nerves, but I couldn’t even manage something that trivial at the moment.

“Now, if you wouldn’t mind placing a drop of your blood or infusing some of your magic into this card...”

Paying extra attention to the details, I nonchalantly carried out the registration process. I accepted the card, poured a bit of my magic into it, then returned it.

“Thank you...Mister Luciel? I see you have the Martial Arts skill, so no problems there.”

Would there have been problems otherwise? Despite the many questions in my mind, I held back for now. Finally, I received my guild card and officially became an adventurer.

The bunny-eared receptionist then proceeded to zip through the rules and regulations of the guild. Though I nodded and responded, none of what she said really penetrated. As to why... Well, that would be the fierce gazes I felt stabbing into my back. They weren’t so petrifying that I couldn’t move, but I certainly felt threatened. Without a doubt, they demanded to know what the hell I was doing acting buddy-buddy with their so-and-so, or so my gut told me. Her very important explanation thus went in one ear and straight out the other.

What did stay in my head was that you couldn’t register as an adventurer without an attack skill, and also the most basic details on how to accept requests. Thankfully, she repeated the vital points, such as how failing a request would incur a fine.

Essentially, adventurers earned income through the completion of requests and the guild took ten percent of that for operational purposes. Even though I’d never even taken a request, I felt a chill go up my spine when she warned me about the penalties, and decided not to accept them lightly on the chance that a failure might mean the end of my days.

Obviously, I started out at the lowest rank, H. Higher ranks meant cheaper weapons and lodging, as well as being given higher priority for the more desirable requests. However, I deemed all that to be irrelevant to me, personally, as I had no intention of aiming to be the “strongest adventurer” or anything. Still, I was grateful that taking the Martial Arts skill had served some purpose.

After the rabbit-eared receptionist concluded her explanation, I internalized the important points in my head and got to the real reason I had come here.

“Thank you for explaining everything so clearly. Now, I had a question—can adventurers themselves make requests too?”

Her ears bobbed as she tilted her head. “Yes, they certainly can.”

She was indeed exceedingly adorable, but I had no room in my thoughts to spare any attention to that. For the sake of my goal and my livelihood, I ignored the tears my heart was weeping and commenced business negotiations with Miss Bunny Ears.

“Earlier, you said there was a training area underground that adventurers can use for free, right?”

“Yes, it’s open to all adventurers,” she answered.

“Great. In that case, I have a request. I was wondering if it might be possible to introduce me to someone who can train me in my Martial Arts skill.”

“I think that can be arranged, but personal training comes with a fee based on the time required for each session. Is that okay with you?” She looked concerned, which really wasn’t helping my case in the event of any misunderstandings. No, forget that, the important thing here was my request.

Just how expensive would it be? Of course, this wasn’t volunteer work I was asking for, so a fee made sense. Unfortunately, not even good old Monster Luck could hook me up with freebies all the time. Even so, if this training could increase my chances of survival, I had to do it. Without much money to my name, however, hard negotiation was my only option. Time to get serious.

First, the cost. “How much would a decent, polite instructor charge me?” I could very well end up with some hooligan who would beat me for my mistakes.

“Hmm, well, that depends on the agreement, but I would say about one silver per hour, give or take.”

That was quite the sum given my current situation. As expected, I’d really have to sell my case. I took a deep breath and activated Negotiation Mode.

“If I might make an offer, do you ever receive requests for healing here at the guild base?”

“No...I wouldn’t say we do,” she replied, slightly dumbfounded.

What this meant was that there was no precedent. Offering something one wouldn’t normally do or really notice was surprisingly crucial to negotiation. You could always go for safer and more orthodox methods, but at the risk of being easily turned down. In this instance, I judged there to be the possibility of a mutually beneficial relationship hidden away here, and prayed that she’d hear me out and take it up to someone with the power to accept. She seemed to be on the fence, so I offered an example.

“What if I, for instance, offered my healing to injured adventurers while I underwent training? Would that suffice as payment? Assuming my instructor is a staff member, I believe this would benefit both parties. What do you think?”

Now she had to take this to a higher-up, for sure. If I was declined, I’d just have to come up with something else.

“This...isn’t something I can decide myself. Could you wait here for a moment?”

“Yes, of course. Please take your time.”

I had done what I could for the moment. Now it was Monsieur Luck’s turn. To him, I offered my prayers.

The moment Miss Bunny Ears left, my Negotiation Mode wore off and the invisible daggers in my back returned. Maybe because I’d gotten full of myself and piled more work onto her? Be that as it may, this was my top priority and I had to do what I had to do. I still prayed for my safety, of course, justified or not.

By some miracle, or perhaps the fact that I did not follow her nor move so much as an inch from the counter, the hostile gazes were all I ended up having to contend with, as much as I would’ve liked for that stabbing pressure in my back to ease off. Was I being hazed? Was my waiting here for minutes on end part of some cruel rookie initiation?

Finally, the receptionist returned and I let out a sigh of relief. Or rather, I tried to, but ended up swallowing it right back down.

The rugged man accompanying her bore a scar on his face and just about drowned the room in his overwhelming presence. He was taller than me, not extremely buff, yet undoubtedly someone to be reckoned with. How else could he give off such a powerful vibe?

Despite all this, his clothes looked simple and were meant for working. He had no weapons, either. Perhaps he was just a staff member, not an adventurer.

“You the twerp that can use healing magic?” he rasped in a gruff voice. I felt myself nearly engulfed by his aura.

Aside from his face, anywhere that his skin was visible revealed scars of all kinds, from blades and monsters alike. This was all the evidence I needed to conclude that this was no ordinary man. Whether due to his lack of weapons, or because his fierce expression was still that of a human, a calm gradually came over me. One of my clients in my past life had been a CEO with a similarly frightening face, but you couldn’t judge a book by its cover. Biases hurt yourself just as much as they hurt others. With that in mind, I offered a proper greeting.

“That’s right. I’m Luciel, a recently registered adventurer. I’m looking to improve both my healing magic and combat abilities, so I was hoping I could receive training in exchange for healing.”

“Do ya now? You’re a strange one, for a healer. What, you bored with your beloved money?” His eyes pierced me like a hunter’s upon its prey.

“Beloved money” caught my attention. Cautionary stares from all around added to my suspicions. Was this how people saw healers? My God-given knowledge lacked that answer. I’d need to do some filling in of the gaps later. Right now, everyone’s gazes made me want to curl into a ball. I couldn’t even bring myself to sigh, but I managed to maintain my composure long enough to get to the point.

“Money is important, but right now I need to boost my chances of survival as much as possible. To that end, like I said to the receptionist, I’d like to undergo training while working to cover the cost.”

“Hm. I get the picture. And ya don’t seem like you’re talking out your ass,” he said. “All right. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Brod and I’m the instructor here.”

“Pleasure to meet you.”

“So, kid, you’ve got the Martial Arts skill, but what would a healer want combat abilities for?” He stared at me intently, as if evaluating me, assessing my very soul.

Putting on airs would get me nowhere. I had to be honest. “Because I’m useless in a fight. I’m not even remotely mentally prepared for it. If I ever went on a journey, even the weakest monster would be my last. I want to prevent that. I want to strive to get strong enough to defend myself.”

Brod nodded, then thought for a moment while rubbing his chin. “All right. I’ll hire you as an H-rank healer for our training grounds. You’ll be paid one silver an hour. You decide the training time and duration. When can you start?”

He actually agreed to take me on. Maybe he wasn’t so bad. “In three days, if that’s okay.”

“Got it. Nanaella, do me a favor and arrange everything.”

“Of course,” she replied. “Oh, Nanaella would be me. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nanaella, you said? The pleasure’s all mine.”

When Nanaella and I exchanged greetings, I thought—no, I knew the stares got more intense.

“Ahem.” Brod turned, coughed once, and the hostile eyes turned away from me.

My teacher-to-be sure was something. I could see myself getting a little stronger with this guy as my instructor. After thanking them one last time, I left and made my way back to the Healer’s Guild.

I found my way back safely without any trouble from the Lineage of the White Wolf or any other adventurers.

“You’re dripping with sweat; are you okay?”

Monica stood at the receptionist’s desk and I, apparently, was sweating buckets. I was so frazzled that I hadn’t noticed until she mentioned it.

“Thanks for the concern, but I’m all right. I worked up a bit of a sweat running here, I guess.” I smiled back, then returned to the room they’d so graciously lent me.

I sat on my bed while thinking about these remaining three days, and made up my mind to use them to the best of my ability. If I didn’t, true hardship would await me in this world. At least, that was what my gut told me.

“If I can’t use healing magic properly, I don’t doubt that Brod’ll leave me out to dry. The possibility’s certainly high. If that happens...”

Healers didn’t seem all that well-liked, meaning I could find myself on the bad side of some adventurers. Not to mention the chances of that happening to me would likely be higher than the average healer.

What-ifs could go in circles forever, though, so I resolved to work as hard as possible to stay on Brod’s good side and left it at that. Until one teensy little problem occurred, that is.

I’d anticipated that the amount of experience needed for skills to increase would go up with each level, but I later discovered that the amount of experience you could actually earn decreased as well. With a firm image of the wound in my mind, the very blood vessels, sinew, and bone envisioned, I cast Heal, and unlike before, my skill experience only increased by a total of four this time.

“Does this mean I need to learn more spells? No, even if I did, they’d just use up more magic.”

Thinking in this windowless room sure wore on me mentally. All the same, if I wanted to level up Holy Magic, I had to actually cast the magic.

“At least I know how many I need, so my spirit won’t break.”

My goal was set. I continued to cast Heal, and nothing but Heal, meditating and stretching while taking great care not to overload on stress. My only joy was when Kururu or Monica would bring me food. That one act alone brought respite to my heart. How long it had been since simply talking with people gave me so much happiness.

And so, with these feelings hidden away inside me, my three-day-short Holy Magic Training Camp came to an end. Unsurprisingly, I never managed to make Holy Magic level up, but thanks to my efforts, Focus and Meditation, along with various other skills, did. Some skills must have been easier to improve than others.

“I’m not gonna become some hero overnight. There’s no need to rush.”

I’d spoken with Monica about the Holy Magic skill once before. She told me that increasing it to level five by the time I turned twenty would be quite impressive.

“Ugh, I can’t believe I got all excited over some little promise about a date if I managed to do it. I mean, when you think about it she’s basically saying I’m not even on the menu unless I’m some first-rate prodigy.”

That was probably the oldest trick in the book, too...what all the beautiful Healer’s Guild receptionists used to turn people down. And there I was, giving it my all for three days for a false hope. How simple-minded could I get? I forced a wry smile, bowed in gratitude to my trusty old room, then headed upstairs.

Kururu stood at the desk.

“Good morning, Kururu,” I greeted her.

“Morning, Luciel. If you’re out of your room, then I take it...”

“That’s right. Thank you so much for these past ten days. I’m incredibly grateful to you all for helping me to reach the starting line as a healer.”

“Be grateful to yourself. You managed to actually practice magic in that isolation chamber of a room.”

“You flatter me.”

“You have a workplace settled, don’t you? It might be tough at first, but I know a hard worker like you will make a fine healer. Keep it up, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll devote myself to meeting those expectations of yours. Thank you again.”

“You work hard now! And if you ever meet Miss Lumina, be sure to thank her, too.”

“I sure will, if we ever see each other. All right, Kururu, I’m off.”

She giggled. “Safe travels.”

I left the guild building, her gaze still on my back.

The sunlight outside warmed my cheeks. Yet more beautiful weather.

“Come to think of it,” I wondered, “I’ve never seen it rain once since I got here. Though I was cooped up in that room the whole time, to be fair.”

I surprised myself with this newfound composure that afforded me room in my mind to worry about the weather. More tension than I’d even realized I had was seeping out of my body. What froze me at the sight of an adventurer, however, was fear, which I very much wished to be rid of as soon as possible.

In spite of these thoughts swirling around in my head, I arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild without incident. One deep breath later, I went inside and was met with the exact same perilous aura that had filled the place last time. Except this time I felt even more stares on me. Or was that me being self-conscious?

Regardless, the mere thought of being looked at sent my knees shaking. At work in my first life, I’d gotten similar glares when I’d had to make sales directly after my numbers came up short, but this level of dread far outclassed that.

So as not to show any more weakness than I already felt, I hastily made my way to reception.

“Welcome. Can I help you with something? Have a report to make? Or would you like to commission a request?”

To my relief, the receptionist—this time a human woman of about twenty—immediately looked my way. It seemed like the conversation would go smoothly this time.

But still, why are these receptionists always so stunning?

She noticed me freeze up, then repeated herself. Grateful for her kindness, I got to explaining the reason behind my visit.

“I’m Luciel. I made a request of Brod, who I also accepted a request from. Is he in?”

“You’re that new adventurer, yes? If I could just borrow your card for a moment to process your request...” The woman looked me over and carried out the procedures like an assembly line worker. “I’ve processed your request, Mister Luciel. Please head down those stairs. I believe you’ll find Brod in the training grounds.”

This lady really knows how to do her job, I thought to myself. Although I certainly didn’t say that out loud, I made sure to express my gratitude before going downstairs. “Thank you, I’ll do that.”

The receptionist smiled back and bowed. I followed suit, then made my way down.

A massive room extended from the bottom of the stairs, much larger than the first floor—about a hundred meters on each side, if I had to guess. Encircling the grounds was a partitioned path for running.

“This place is huge,” I muttered offhand.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind me. “Pretty nice training area, eh? Good on ya for not running, twerp.”

I spun around in surprise and there stood Brod, arms crossed with a grin on his face. I was about to ask how long he’d been there when I sensed bloodlust. My body reflexively squared off.

This is where I die.

For a moment, I genuinely believed that. My breath quickened. Never in my life, past or present, had I felt such terror. Not even when that bullet pierced my heart. Something clattered in my ears. Only when Brod quashed his menacing aura did I realize it had been my teeth, rattling together in fear.

Perhaps asking to be trained by someone like Brod, who would subject an average layman like me to such intensity upfront, was a mistake. Past me had some explaining to do. The bloodlust had lasted for only an instant, but in that instant, I’d succumbed to him. Once it was over, my trembling stopped, but my legs nearly gave out.

Still, I gritted my teeth, breathed deeply, and lowered my head calmly. “Th-Thank you for having me.”

“Oh-ho, I know you felt that just now, but you’re not running, huh? I thought you’d get scared and back out.”

“I-I need this to survive. I want you to train me properly, right from square one.”

“Prove it with actions, not words. We’re going hard on the basics right from the get-go, so no chickening out.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

One look at Brod’s smiling face, and his distinctly unsmiling eyes, was enough to fill me with regret. I bowed once more.

Training began immediately after. To start with, in order to gauge my overall physical ability, he had me sprint around the grounds. And so I sprinted. And sprinted.

“Hey, hey, hey, look alive! Run like ya mean it! You wanna be goblin food?! Well, you’re gonna be with that wussy jogging!”

I ran and ran and ran with no end in sight. Any time my pace slowed, Brod lashed me with jeers. For better or worse, he and I were the only ones there at the time, saving me the pain of any weapons or magic that might’ve come flying my way. On the other hand, Brod showed no signs of compromising in this one-on-one fitness regimen.

I really should’ve asked for someone who could teach me plain old fighting. These thoughts and more filled my mind as I ran on, enduring Brod’s verbal beatings all the while, until my fifth lap, when I just couldn’t keep up the pace anymore and he spoke up.

“Your physical limits are what they are, but don’t ever lose the drive to move forward,” he instructed. “Assume that stopping means death for an adventurer.”

My lungs burned, every breath echoed in my ears. My legs, my entire body, turned to lead. But just as he told me, I kept at it, frantically throwing my arms back and forth, and it was here that I noticed something. A burgeoning change. Where at first I had only felt pain, I now started to feel enjoyment. Why?

I knew the answer. I ran. Sweat poured off my body. I gasped for life-giving air, filled my lungs, then just as quickly spat it back out. That was all. I was breathing. I was moving. I was alive.

Compared to the last moments of my previous life, that horrible feeling of my body ignoring every one of my commands, this was nothing. On top of that, whether due to this world itself or to my returned youth, I found a simple joy in being able to move as much as I now could.

Then, my consciousness began to fade.

A splash accompanied a sudden chill washing over my face. I jumped up and saw Brod next to me with a wide grin and a bucket in his hands.

“Didn’t think that’d be all it would take for you to pass out on me,” he said.

My awareness gradually returned. No doubt, that bucket was once full of the water that now drenched me. I anxiously prepared myself for what his next demand would be.

“I’m sorry I’m a total weakling,” I apologized.

Brod heaved a sigh. “At least I’ve got a handle on that now. Let’s move on.”

“Um, move on to what?”

“We’re going to expand your range of movement. Stretches.”

“I’ve got nothing but bad feelings about this.”

“Once your body’s limbered up, we’ll move on to sparring. We can’t have you dislocating or breaking something just from tossing your arm out, kid.”

He raised an eyebrow at me, but I couldn’t help but feel anxious. My body was about as limber as a tree. As expected, only torment lay in store for me.

“Guh!”

Ah, so this was what it felt like to lose your voice from pain. So much for starting off easy. We went straight to doing splits. Even if I wanted to complain about my bursting capillaries, the intimidating aura emanating from Brod ensured that I could do no such thing.

“Your body’s too rigid. That’s how you wind up hurting yourself doing even the most basic shit. I’ll have you work in five more sets on your own later.”

As I stretched (and trembled at the thought of those five more sets), Brod went on to explain the point of all this.

“Fights are won with split-second judgments,” he began. “That’s why increasing your range of motion and enhancing your attack options is so important. If you’re dodging, you’re limited by what your body can do.”

I’d thought he was the type to spout idealism and whip me like some sort of Spartan, but my impression of him quickly changed. He really spelled out, logically, why these stretches were necessary.

“Ow, ow, that hurts!”

This did not change the fact that he was a demon, however.

“The pain means it’s working. It’ll go away in about a month.”

“A...a month?!”

“I thought you wanted to get stronger?”

“Gah... P-Please continue.”

I could only nod. I did want to get stronger. And after all that bending, I did feel nimbler than before. I also surprised myself by sweating almost as much as I had when I was running. Between a choice of clumsy exercises and stretching, I found myself thinking more highly of the latter.

“Oh, by the way, Brod... I didn’t mention this, but the truth is, the only spell I can use is Heal, and only eight at a time. Does that affect our contract at all?”

“Nah, that’ll work just fine. But it does put into question how much those spells can actually do in one go, doesn’t it? Okay, let’s test it out.”

He looked at me, a dagger gripped in his hand for some reason. Then he stuck the blade into his arm and pulled it right back out.

“What kind of test is this?! Where did you even get that from?! No, forget that, hurry and show me your arm!”

Blood oozed out as I panicked. Putting the absurdity of his actions aside, I quickly cast Heal.

“Oh, Lord, receive my energy and mend this wound. Heal!”

The bleeding stopped, but the wound itself had clearly not regenerated.

“Not bad for a spell you just learned.” Brod pulled his arm away as if satisfied with the results, but if tetanus set in, it would be no laughing matter.

“I’m not finished yet. Please don’t take your arm away. Oh, Lord, receive my energy and mend this wound. Heal!”

With my second cast, the skin cleanly closed up and I sighed in relief. While I did question Brod’s sanity for stabbing himself out of nowhere, I felt a sense of accomplishment at seeing him fully recovered.

“Good now?” he asked.

“Yes, that was just for my own satisfaction. However, could I ask you to please refrain from hurting yourself like it’s nothing in the future?”

“Sure... You have my word.” Seeing him suddenly behave a bit awkwardly froze my brain for a moment.

Did I just lecture...? I cut that train of thought off early. If hell awaited me regardless, I much preferred one of a less skin-burning temperature.

I forced a smile. “Okay, let’s continue, please.”

“Now I want you to try to hit me,” he ordered. “However you can. I’ll counter, but keep the pain to a minimum.”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

Yeah, he was mad, and I regretted making him so. I took up the gauntlet with the very clear goal of not getting myself killed.

Brod stood about three meters away, arms crossed. “Land one blow and I’ll end today’s lesson.”

“Um, so that means I can come back tomorrow, then?”

“You can. On condition that you don’t suddenly bail on us, and that you heal anyone, regardless of their race.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Then come at me.”

I promptly sent a full-force kick straight at him, which he caught mid-air with one hand, then let go as if it had never even happened.

“Are you being serious about this, kid? Or was that Martial Arts skill a load of bull?”

“O-Of course I am. And of course it wasn’t!”

“Who attacks that transparently? No feints? Straight at my stomach? Don’t tell me this is where you’re at?”

“That’s...why I made my request.”

“Er, right, sorry. So, you’ve got the drive, at least?”

“I do. If possible, I want to be able to go up against an adventurer without freezing in fear.”

He chuckled. “All right, then. Hit me with everything you’ve got and don’t stop until you can’t even lift a finger.”

“Yes, sir!”

He was right, I was a total newbie to anything related to combat. For now, I solidified my game plan and readied myself to attack—two loose fists, left foot half a step forward, boxing style. Only low kicks, to keep openings to a minimum. Where this would get me, I had no idea, but I would sure as hell do everything I could. I focused my mind and edged in closer.

“Punch! Kick! Slow! Too slow!”

That “one blow” never came. Instead, every one of my punches merely met with counter after counter. At first, he acknowledged my attempts with a gentle dodge, but with each swing, my breathing grew heavier and my tactics became simpler and simpler, until he finally started flicking my forehead and slapping me in retaliation. The lack of pain told me he was holding back, yet I still found myself passing out numerous times, only to be doused awake with water again.

“The real fight starts when you can’t fight anymore. Learn your body. Know how it moves. Focus on the present and don’t let your attacks get sloppy. Don’t get lost in hitting as fast as you can; really imagine yourself landing every blow.”

“Yes, sir!”

God, this was rough. Why was this hellish approach necessary? Where was the line between boot camp and straight-up bullying? And could regular adventurers keep up with it or did they not even bother given the lack of cold, hard money it brought? All these questions vanished from my mind as quickly as they’d appeared as I was overwhelmed by pure exhaustion.

I had never punched a person in my life. Maybe I’d done some kendo or judo for PE at school long ago, but never once had I gotten into a fight. While I understood how important visualization was, I had little grasp on my reach and attack range, so I couldn’t help but have doubts. Over and over I thought to myself how badly I wanted to give up, but my spirit did not break. If I ran here, my life would be over before it even began. I couldn’t give up.

None of my attacks were likely to reach the man in front of me. Fine. Then all I had to do was keep trying until they did. That was all I could do—attack a little closer, throw off the opponent a little more.

The joints of my body stung like fire, probably either because my body was still weak or from all the sprinting I was doing. One of the two. As the pain worsened, a light bulb went on in my head. Why didn’t I just use Heal on myself? Wouldn’t I be able to keep this up for longer that way?

“Brod, could I use Heal on myself?” I asked. “I think I should be able to fight properly once I’ve recovered a little.”

“Don’t. I’ll explain why later. All I want is to gauge your limits this time around. Now cut the chatter and come at me, twerp.”

“Yes, sir,” I replied hesitantly.

I lowered my stance, clenched my fists, and went straight for Brod’s gut. He swiveled out of the way and swept at my feet, sending me to the ground.

“Bad idea, kid. Unless you’ve got the overwhelming ability to back it up, charging straight in like an idiot’s a good way to get killed. Stand up.”

What an absolute blunder I’d made, asking this guy for help. Was this level of torment simply par for the course here? Just one hit; that was all I needed to end this. I thought of nothing else as I relentlessly threw myself at my instructor.

It didn’t work. I finally lay face down on the floor, not a single successful blow to my name.

“You held out for a good while there. You’ve got tenacity, I’ll give ya that much. Now watch what I do while you take a breather.”

I observed obediently as Brod began his lecture on the basics of martial arts.

“What do you think the most important thing to remember in combat is? I’ll tell you. Don’t die, don’t get hurt.”

“I didn’t expect to hear my own philosophy from someone as strong as you.”

“Is it that surprising? You’re not always gonna be in top condition for every fight, and sometimes you’ll find yourself in two or more in a row.”

This was true, but all it made me want to do was hole up somewhere safe in town and never ever leave.

Brod demonstrated movements at a slow enough speed for me to follow. They were well-polished and refined, that much I could tell, but the gap between my skill level and his made me wonder how helpful it actually was to see someone else doing them. He explained that learning to use my body would not only increase the power of my attacks but my ability to dodge the enemy as well, although there was an element of pure instinct to it all.

“Don’t go using what you’ve learned right out of the gate, either. Practice. Drill it into your body. Make it second nature. I assume you get why I’m telling you this?”

“Yes. A house built in a day won’t stand the rain.”

“That’s right. Watch, learn, test things out in sparring like we just did. Just don’t expect anything to actually work.”

He flashed a ballsy grin. This guy was absolutely messing with me. Then again, I didn’t doubt that he had the confidence to back up that claim. He was the guild’s instructor, after all, so he was more than likely stronger than the average adventurer in this world.

“All right, looks like your breathing’s steadied. Get ready for the second set.”

“Um, the second set?”

“The second set. Get those legs moving and start doing laps.”

“Yes, sir,” I acquiesced with a face that couldn’t have resembled anything but utter despair.

However, this would do little to stay Brod’s hand. Miss Bunny Ears came to mind, the one who had deemed him to be the man for the job. I thought I recalled asking for someone “polite” and I was noticing a distinct lack of that here. Filing a complaint was starting to seem like a reasonable response.

To be fair, he was teaching me properly nearly the entire time, and he did offer to do it for free, but still, this was pretty rough. In all my years, this level of madness was...well, not uncommon, I suppose, but still.

“Man, I’m gonna cry,” I laughed deliriously.

“Hey, get your ass going! We don’t have all day!”

“Yes, sir!”

Praying that he would refrain from turning up the heat any further in this already-sweltering personal hell, I obeyed and ran.

The second set was no different from the first. My fatigue, however, was much, much worse. As I lay flat on the ground, I looked up at Brod and contemplated my situation. Maybe this was considered civil training. It hurt to high heaven, but I wasn’t dying. Compared to adventurers who put their lives on the line every day, maybe this was the easy approach.

Thinking of it that way eased the burden on my mind slightly, allowing me to refocus on training and push on through. It still tore me down, though. That didn’t change. Would there ever come a day where that wouldn’t be the case?

Over five sets later and my body was simply down for the count.

I take back all of that earlier positivity.

I’d never imagined it would be this intense. I had vowed that I wouldn’t run away, but now death-by-exhaustion wasn’t looking too far off. Beads of sweat dripped from my brow. Anxiety filled my head, one thought after another flying around. But I had asked for this. Somehow, I roused my spirit back up.

Just then, Brod spoke. “We’ll call it here for today. Don’t want you falling apart.”

“Er...”

“What, you want more?” he challenged.

“No, no, no, I just thought it was a little early.”

“You’ll wind up hurting yourself if you keep at it in this state.”

Wow, so he really had been gauging my limits. Maybe he wasn’t so bad, but given how far he’d pushed me, he was still undoubtedly someone not to be messed with.

Wonder if I’m allowed to switch teachers... Probably not...

Actually, would I even be able to come back tomorrow? I still had to find a place to live before long, too. My future wasn’t looking especially bright.

“Oh, Brod, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“You said not to use healing magic earlier. Can I do it now?”

“No, you can’t. If you let your body do the healing naturally, you’ll build up skills for recovering on your own.”

“Really?”

“Really. If you’re hurting badly enough...well, you do what you gotta do. But if surviving’s your goal, you should avoid it for anything but when you’re really injured.”

“Understood. Thank you for telling me.”

Now there was an unexpected pitfall to recovery magic. I decided I’d check my skills later to test that information.

Brod was surprisingly well-informed. Throughout our training, he had explained the theory and logic behind everything we did, so he had to be a good guy, right? If I could build up skills by enduring this without healing, then I’d just have to prove that I could.

On another note, we’d spent a good amount of time down here, but not a single adventurer had shown their face.

“Is this place always so empty?” I asked.

“Pretty much. We don’t get many newbies this time o’ year. The low ranks don’t have much in the way of money, either, so they’d rather stick their necks out in the field over formal training.”

“Being an adventurer sounds tough. I’m not sure how much help my healing will be, but I hope I can be of some use to them.”

Brod said nothing. He just stared.

“Is something wrong?” I maintained my composure and desperately hoped that this man was right in the head.

“If there were more healers like you, the world’d be a better place, kid,” he sighed, shaking his head.

“Are you sure you aren’t exaggerating?”

“I don’t know what your image of healers is, but if someone comes to you needing healing, do me a favor and help ’em out, will ya?”

“Right... Of course.” I thought I saw a shadow cross over his eyes for a moment, but I ignored it. “So, is anyone else even going to come by?”

“They will. Soon.”

As he said that, a party of adventurers came stumbling down the stairs. It was a group of four, both boys and girls. They looked no older than I was. Ignoring me, they called out to Brod and shot off all sorts of questions, asking if the free healing was true, if it wasn’t a scam.

“So, what’re you gonna do?” Brod asked me, that intimidating aura surrounding him again.

The boy who seemed to be the leader of the group turned to me. “Could you...heal us?”

I smiled wryly at his curtness. It was just like a confused new hire looking to a coworker for help.

“Where were you injured?” I inquired.

“Right here. My right thigh.”

Congealed blood had seeped through his clothes in the shape of a bite mark of some kind.

“How did it happen?”

“We were surrounded by Forest Wolves and I got bit.”

I had no idea how strong Forest Wolves were, so I couldn’t judge whether they were too weak to actually tear off flesh or if the adventurers just had defense abilities that high. What I could judge, however, was that I did not want to tangle with those things.

Heal would probably be enough here, but did I need to see the wound itself or was the visualization part more important? I figured avoiding a sexual harassment lawsuit if I ended up working with women would be prudent, and went with the latter. Were Forest Wolves poisonous, though? Rabies seemed a likely contender for diseases they might carry. Still, I didn’t have any poison-curing magic anyway, so thinking about it would do no good.

“I see. Okay, I’m going to cast Heal on you. Oh, Lord, receive my energy and mend this wound. Heal!”

My hands emitted a pale blue light, which enveloped the adventurer’s thigh. A success.

“How’s that? Does it still hurt?”

“N-No, I’m okay now,” he mumbled as he stared blankly at me.

Was he not expecting all that much from me? Or had he thought I wouldn’t heal him in the first place? Either way, he seemed oddly shocked.

“I’m glad to hear that. Is anyone else injured?” I asked.

The others stepped forward for the same treatment. After I finished healing them all, they thanked me repeatedly on their way back upstairs. I kept my slight embarrassment from working with the girl a secret.

“Was that all right?” I asked Brod, turning to face him. “I’m not sure how it usually goes, so I tried healing with an image in mind, but...”

“How much do you know about healers, kid?” he cut in.

“Not a lot. We didn’t have any back home.”

“None, huh? You’re probably about to get real busy.”

The certainty with which he said that piqued my curiosity. But as long as I did everything I could, I’d get some nice skill boosts for my trouble. And it wasn’t like there could be all that many adventurers looking for a healer. Still, reminding Brod of my limits would be a good idea. The smallest miscommunication could create a rift in even the most well-founded trust in a relationship, and I spoke from experience. I wasn’t about to retread old ground.

“That’s fine, but Heal is the only spell I can use, and I can’t do too much of it all at once.”

“I know, and I have a proposal. I want you to heal as much as you can, right up to the point of exhaustion, then have you work out like you did today before we start training. How does that sound?”

That was, of course, under the assumption that adventurers actually came to me for healing. At the same time, he wanted me to train my butt off all day, sleep, repeat. What was this, the army? But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like there were no downsides. Back in my old life, once I’d started working, my home had become a place to sleep and nothing more. This would be no different; just replace work with militaristic combat training and studying. I wanted to refuse but could find no reason to, so I merely bowed.

“I accept.”

In order to survive in this world, I needed a certain minimal amount of strength, and although I did want to earn a profit somewhere, I decided that relying on Brod for now would be in my best interests. There was one fly in the ointment, however.

“Um, so does that mean our deal still stands from tomorrow on? Or, wait, didn’t the training already start today?”

True, I’d assumed that today would be more working out than combat, but if he was telling me that today’s session was just a basic workout, then the adventurers in this world were straight-up monsters. The fact that he wasn’t tossing me out right away must’ve been a stroke of good fortune—no, the work of Monsieur Luck.

If I wanted to get stronger, I first needed the strength to actually keep up with this training. And that was where Brod came in. Martial Arts would increase naturally with practice like today’s. In between workouts, during the breaks, I could meditate, boosting both my physical recovery and magical abilities at the same time. Two birds, one stone. Coming to this guild was definitely the right choice.

“Hey, kid, you listening? Kid!” Brod interrupted my train of thought.

“O-Oh, I’m sorry,” I answered quickly. “I was spacing out a little.”

“Maybe I whipped you a bit too hard.” He studied me with a concerned expression.

I felt a little bad about worrying him. “No, I’m okay. I was just thinking, that’s all.”

“Well, good. I’ll say it one more time. You’ve got guts and tenacity to spare, kid. I’m gonna train you for real, so stay here at the guild center. Starting today.”

He offered this up casually, but it was anything but casual to me. The Healer’s Guild had a room that I’d stayed in, so of course the Adventurer’s Guild would have one, too, but it had never crossed my mind that a place to stay would just fall into my lap. Although...were we talking for free, or did they charge like the Healer’s Guild?

“Are you sure? I was planning on staying at an inn somewhere and, just so you know, I barely have any money on me.”

Brod grinned, then continued. “Keep your money. We’ll throw in three meals a day, too. And you look like you could use a change of clothes, so we’ll find you some hand-me-downs. Washed, of course, so don’t worry.”

Excuse me? Where was this royal treatment coming from? Was I about to be sold off somewhere? Don’t tell me this guy had...other intentions. Cold sweat trickled down my back.

“This seems really fishy. Are you after something?”

“Yes. I want to help new adventurers live longer. If you’re here, I can do that. That’s what I’m after,” he replied firmly.

I sensed an undercurrent of intensity to his words. If there were lives I could save, of course I wanted to save them. Making a living as a healer in this world didn’t seem all that difficult, either. If I continued healing here, I’d likely become closer to these adventurers, who might be there to help me out if I ever found myself between a rock and a hard place. I truly believed that working here, putting everything I had into it, would make my future all the more secure.

“Brod, I want to become stronger. And I don’t want anyone to die, not just adventurers. If those are your terms, I gratefully accept.”

“Good. I’m glad. For the record, I’m putting a ban on running off in the middle of your training. Any objections to that?”

Er, is that the safest thing to agree to? I wondered, but only for a moment. If I refused, I’d lose out on training, which would open up a whole new can of worms.

“How about we renew the deal monthly. Would that be possible?” I countered.

“Works for me. I’ll get you to see just how much these guys need you.”

“Great. I look forward to this first month.”

“Likewise, kid. I’m gonna get you ready for real training by the time it’s over, so no quitting on me, got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

These weren’t bad conditions. If anything, they were nothing but beneficial to me. All I did was ask for self-defense training, and ultimately made out with not only that but free room and board to boot. This was most certainly the benevolence, the true nature, of Monsieur Luck.

But wait, was Brod even in a position to decide all this on his own? No way, he wasn’t the guildmaster, was he? Yeah, no way. Assuming a guildmaster would even spend all day instructing some newbie, the rest of the staff probably wouldn’t be calling him “Brod.”

“Hey, you sure you’re all right?”

I’d lost myself in thought again. “Er, um, yes. I was just blanking out with joy. But is this all above board? Will the guildmaster really approve everything?”

“Count on it. I’ve got plenty of weight to throw around here,” he said with a smirk.

Apparently, the higher-ups would be no issue, so I decided I’d go ahead and move from the Healer’s Guild to the Adventurer’s Guild. Considering dues were the only thing I’d actually spent money on so far, my luck seriously had to be through the roof.

Many thanks, Monsieur Luck.

“Are you able to move?”

“Yes, somehow,” I moaned.

“All right, follow me.”

He walked off and I trudged along after him, my worn-out body screaming. Up the stairs and behind the receptionist’s desk was a door that led to an enclosed backyard, in the middle of which was a hand-operated well.

“Rinse yourself off here. I’ll bring you a change of clothes,” he instructed, pointing to the well with his thumb before disappearing back inside.

“I’m bathing at a well? Sounds like torture by modern standards. Well, when in Rome, I guess...”

I pumped the lever and water soon came spilling from the spout. I’d heard of these things before, but never actually used one, so the fact that it worked properly got me pretty excited. But water may have been a precious resource for all I knew, so I grabbed a bucket, filled it up, and dumped it over my head.

“God help me...”

Freezing water splashed over me, chilling my body to the bone. It did not feel good, oh no, but the more I did it, the more I felt my head clear up.

“Yeah, that’s cold. But wow, am I tired,” I said to myself. “My body feels even heavier than before. Well, this is gonna be my everyday now, so I’ll just have to stick it out.”

“Stick what out?”

I spun around. Brod stood there, carrying my new clothes.

“Please don’t scare me like that. I meant my training.”

“Yeah? Here, your clothes. Get changed, then come to the mess. You know where that is, don’t you?”

“Yes, but does that mean I’ll have to pass a bunch of adventurers?”

“I don’t know what’s got you so worried, but don’t be. No one’s gonna come at you, kid.” He returned to the guild interior.

“I sure hope he’s telling the truth.”

I had my doubts, but ignored them for now and started changing.

“Can I just hang my dirty clothes here?” I wondered. “Eh, I’ll just come get them later if they tell me I can’t.”

After rinsing off my sweaty clothes, I draped them over a convenient branch.

“You’ll get them dirty again like that, you know?”

“Oh, Nanaella!”

I turned to see the rabbit-woman, Nanaella, standing behind me.

“Good work on your training. I hear you healed some adventurers afterwards, too. Thank you so much.”

“Oh, no, I’ve done nothing you need to thank me for. Did you need something?”

“Right, Brod asked me to wash your clothes.”

And what had I done to deserve such a lavish-sounding reward?

“I really can’t let you do that,” I insisted.

“So...you don’t want a beastperson handling your clothes, then?”

I’m sensing a misunderstanding.

“No, that’s not it at all. If anything, I’d be over the moon to have your help, but if word got out that such a pretty girl was doing my laundry, I’d be up against your fans, and I value my life,” I carefully declined with a smile. And it was no lie. Those adventurers terrified me.

“If that’s all, then allow me. I’ll hang your clothes with the rest of the guild’s laundry tomorrow. I take it you won’t have much time to be dealing with dirty clothes, will you, Mister Luciel?”

Now that she mentioned it, she had a point; my time would be very limited. Plus, leaving my own clothes out willy-nilly certainly was no skin off my nose, but it might be in the way of the people who did the laundry. This would probably be for the best moving forward.

“Okay, you win. I’m sorry to add to your workload, but thank you. If there’s anything I can do, please let me know. I’ll help out however I can.”

She giggled. “Consider these clothes washed.”

I would have to show my gratitude later somehow, even if she was doing it with a smile.

I made my way to the dining hall, enduring the menacing vibes oozing from each of the adventurers, of which there were now many fresh off the job. Despite my trembling, I arrived at the mess without incident.

“I might’ve had a hole stared into me, but at least no one came at me.”

Brod waved me over to a table already filled with plates of food. “Finally made it, huh?”

“Sorry, I was cleaning the clothes I took off.”

“Hm? Did Nanaella not catch you?”

“She did, so I handed them off to her.” Come to think of it, where did I need to go to pick them up?

“Good. Anyway, eat everything here. Force yourself if you have to.”

“Um, all of it?” I asked timidly.

There was enough on the table to feed five people, even if it did look delicious.

“You can take it slow, just eat it. When you’re done, leave the dishes and come downstairs again,” he ordered before leaving.

“Is stuffing all this food down part of the training too?”

I got to work on the task before me, only to discover that the cuisine was downright mouthwatering. I single-mindedly stuffed my face and somehow managed to clear all the plates, then headed back downstairs as directed.

I had thought there would be plenty of adventurers around, but there were nearly none after mealtime. When I arrived, I saw Brod standing in front of a room on the periphery of the training grounds.

“You’ll be staying here from today onward.”

Inside, four beds lined the walls.

“Okay. Will there be no more adventurers needing healing today?”

“None today. Get some rest for tomorrow.”

“Thank you for all of this.”

Brod replied by raising a hand as he left. I tossed myself onto the bed he’d pointed out to me and slept like a rock...if a rock had insomnia, that is. In truth, I wasn’t the least bit sleepy.

“As tired as I am, no modern person could go to sleep at 7 PM...”

My status screen showed me the time, and even if I did fall asleep, I’d no doubt wake up in the middle of the night. And that was a hard if I managed to get to sleep this early in the first place. I was exhausted, sure, but my joints ached and I highly doubted my ability to drift off.

“This place is perfect for the kind of training I did back at the Healer’s Guild, though.”

So for three hours, I drilled Magic Control and Magic Handling, practiced increasing my Heal casting speed, stretched, and meditated until the sandman finally came knocking and I hopped back into bed.

“Man, so much happened today. It feels like things have finally started to take off for me in this world. I’ve gotta keep this up.”

And so began my new life at the Adventurer’s Guild.

I awoke to yet another unfamiliar ceiling. It took a few moments before I remembered that I was at the Adventurer’s Guild.

“What a cliche. Those light novels were a bad influence on me,” I muttered.

I sat up and opened my status screen to check the time. Just past four in the morning.

“Man, I’m so used to sleeping for six hours. It’s amazing how little my muscles hurt, though. Just like my grade school days.”

Over the course of close to ten years, I’d made a habit of getting six hours of sleep every night. For all the changes my body had undergone, including how durable it now was, some things stayed the same.

“Guess I’ll get up and wash my face.”

On my way to the well, I met with some of the staff, who seemed shocked to see me.

“Good morning,” I greeted them. “Maybe you didn’t hear that I’d be staying here from now on? I have Brod’s permission, if that’s an issue.”

“Oh, um, no, all the staff knows. It’s just, many healers are very...lax with their schedules, so we were surprised to see you up so early.”

“Really? Well, I’m going to wash up a bit.”

I thought over these last few days. Healers seemed to be recognized in ability, at least, but a good portion of them must have let the special treatment go to their heads. Personally, I didn’t feel like getting the daylights knocked out of me by adventurers, so I wouldn’t dream of acting that way.

The sun still hadn’t risen, but cracks of dawn were gradually starting to brighten things up. I splashed the frigid water over my face and pulled my thoughts together.

“There’s a lot I need to block from my mind for now. I know what I have to do, and I can’t let myself get lost in overthinking things. I just need to make every effort to improve. One month and I’ll get over this fear. That’ll be my goal.”

I went to the training grounds for some morning exercise. After stretches, I started doing laps.

“Running and nothing else seems like a waste. What if I practice healing someone while running away?”

I kept my pace to a jog and cast Heal with a clear visual in mind as always. The pale blue light came out dimmer than usual.

“So, I can’t use Heal while running just yet. I’ll make overcoming that weakness another goal of mine for the month.”

As I continued my jogging and healing practice, Brod arrived. “Hey kid, breakfast! Come on.”

“Good morning, Brod. On my way.” I hadn’t worked up much of a sweat, so I followed right after him.

“While you work here, you’ll have your meals at the dining hall. Consider it part of your training, so eat up and don’t leave scraps.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. It was so delicious, I’d love nothing more.”

“Good.”

Did Brod just smile? And why did I feel a chill run down my back? I had to be imagining things, so I put it out of my mind and went on to the cafeteria. It was a small room with only four tables to stand at and four counter seats.

Thank goodness I’m being fed.

Upon entering, I discovered a giant standing behind the counter—a massive man about two meters tall and appropriately vast in width.

“Gulgar, this is Luciel, the kid I mentioned yesterday. I want you to make him three meals a day from now on, if ya don’t mind. He ate here yesterday, too, but you get my point,” Brod said to the lumbering man.

Wow, he remembered my name, I noticed. However, my surprise was quickly cut short by the absolute bear of a man before me, supposedly named Gulgar.

“Hey, there he is! Food’s all hot ’n ready for ya.”

“Um, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Luciel. Thank you so much for taking care of my meals. This may be rude of me to ask out of the blue, but what race might you be?”

A bear, right? This guy was totally a bear. Any other kind of beastperson would be a bold-faced lie, I tell you.

Unfortunately, I was mistaken. “Sure is out of nowhere, you got that right. But I don’t mind. The name’s Gulgar. I’m a wolf-man, and proud of it.”

“I see. Thank you for answering.”

I felt utterly betrayed. As we spoke, he placed dish after dish on the counter and I froze up.

“Er, is all of this...?” I trailed off.

“Brod’s paid up, so don’t you worry. You can chow down as much as ya want.”

That was not what I’d been getting at. There was even more piled onto the plates than yesterday.

“I’m not sure I can finish all of this.” In fact, I was very sure that I couldn’t finish it.

“It looks like a lot, but it ain’t so much. Oh, almost forgot, wash it down with this. It’s disgusting as all hell, but good for ya.” He pulled out a glass mug filled to the brim with some rancid-smelling purple substance that looked thoroughly poisonous.

“A-And what is that?” I stared at the ominous Substance X.

“Basically, it helps ya grow. Drink it and your muscles, endurance, reflexes, everything gets a boost.”

That sounded overpowered to me. Wait, how valuable was this stuff? Was it balanced by some kind of demerit?

“I’ve never heard of anything like that. How long does the effect last for? What are the downsides here?”

“Lasts for six hours. The only downside’s that it’s absolutely vile, don’t worry.” A fierce grin spread across his face.

“Is this stuff not expensive?”

“Nah, the Sage of Time made it. It’s totally on the house. No one wants to get strong so bad they’d actually drink the shit, though.”

Was this stuff really that catastrophically revolting? Would drinking this leave me on the floor?

“Brod, have you ever drunk...” I started to ask the empty space where Brod had been standing moments before.

“That guy’s long gone.”

He must’ve high-tailed it to get away from the stench, the fiend.

“Oh. Okay, then I’ll go ahead and dig in,” I said, redirecting my attention to the feast before me.

“Go for it. Gimme a shout if ya want seconds and I’ll whip somethin’ up!”

“Thank you.”

It was just as delicious as yesterday. I felt bad to think it, but it made the meals I’d had at the Healer’s Guild seem like peanuts. It was just that good.

I eyed Substance X as I ate. If its effect lasted for six hours, did that mean I would see it at every single meal? Surely no living being was meant to put that stuff in its mouth. I was genuinely worried about the chances my stomach had of keeping it down.

I suddenly realized that I’d finished eating while lost in my thoughts. Surprisingly, I still had room for more but judged it best not to overeat with training coming up. The wonders of a growth spurt, I suppose.

I picked up the mug and glanced at Gulgar. “Here goes.”

One sip and my brain immediately rejected all notions that it was potable. Heat spread through my body and beads of sweat coalesced on my brow. “Substance X” was indeed an apt name for this liquid horror.

The taste invaded my mouth while the smell laid siege to my nostrils, nearly sending my consciousness to the hereafter, but the bear—er, I mean Gulgar’s presence scared me into keeping it down. A thick bitterness, the stink, the pungency, spiciness, sourness, all manner of sensations took turns assailing my senses. If I let my guard down for even a moment, I’d surely black out, so I decided to go bottoms up and chug it all at once, which I miraculously managed to do. I felt a strange bubbling, a brimming sensation of some kind within my body.

“I’ll be damned, you actually drank it! Luciel, was it? Brod wasn’t lying about your nerve,” Gulgar praised me.

“Um, thank you.” Seriously, though, was that safe to drink? I took stock of my body, just in case, but everything seemed to be in order.

“Now go on and put in some hard work today.”

“Thank you for all the food.”

“I’ll have lunch waitin’ for ya too, so have at it,” he replied.

I made my way downstairs.

＊

“Luciel, eh? Can’t believe that kid chugged the whole thing,” Gulgar said to himself, looking into the empty mug. Any normal person would’ve thrown up or passed out from pure revulsion. “Oh, yeah, he’s got guts.”

He watched the boy leave the mess. He had never seen anyone but Brod manage to stomach the stuff, so the newbie was all right in his book. An idea came to him just then, but cleaning out the reeking mug took priority.