Chapter 1: A side character and a protagonist (1)
Benjamin's consciousness was squeezed by an emotionless and genderless voice as he hung in the pitch darkness with nothing in sight.
[Given your achievements in the Tartaros Online, Alentia Online, and Fantasy Conquest Online, you are eligible for a sub-class of the mythic class.]
[You have received a sub-class of the World Menace Class—Investor.]
[You have been bestowed with a mission.]
[A side character's role(???) — In the worlds haunted by phantoms of the past, present, and future—the aftermath of uncanny schemes—you are to be a side character of whom is required to propel the residents, side characters, antagonists, and protagonists of the world you are in. You have free reign in your mission. Conversely, should you just ignore it, you are to inevitably become a part of the world you have found yourself in. Should you succeed and significantly impact the world, you will be given the option to return to your world, Earth, with anything you desire being your main reward.]
Once the class and the mission were handed out to Benjamin, the voice trailed off.
All information was deeply sheltered within his mind, and he could recall it whenever he wished. It wasn't in the form of the system window he had access to in the virtual reality games that Benjamin had played and conquered alongside other humans.
Just thinking about his class was similar to opening a book in his head from which he could read about his powers.
[The World Menace—Investor(Mythical)(Subclass) - You are able to invest in anyone and anything. Passive income and boons are based on the subject you have invested in. Similarly, you can invest for any purpose, twisting the concept of investing into others and anything.]
[Bank - 0]
[You have unlocked your first skill — Farming Zone(I) - Create a one-hundred-meter zone in which you can earn income by extinguishing the lives of others. Currency is adequate to the region you are in, and its quantity and quality are based on many factors, with three main ones being age, origin, and strength.]
[Farming Zone and your side character role have a high compatibility.]
[Farming Zone has received a new passive skill — Loot box.]
[Loot box - If you are to farm with a resident or residents, you have a chance to drop loot boxes as well. Loot boxes contain items of the past, present, and future related to the origins of the extinguished lives. Moreover, those are items related to your and your teammates' classes.]
[You have unlocked your second skill — Investor's Keen Eye(I) - A passive skill that uses your life experience to give you a clear view of the world and prospects in which you can invest.]
That was all Benjamin currently possessed.
Feeling the rigid ground and a gentle breeze going past his face, Benjamin opened his eyes.
Since he was no longer hanging in the darkness, the blue, cloudless sky greeted him. A few rustling trees had waved their branches to mark their presence in the corner of his eyes, adding their piece to the soothing and calm scenery.
There was, unfortunately, or fortunately, a presence whose steps trampled on this tranquil place. No sooner Benjamin had picked up those sounds than a little hand with a thin but extended paper going past its fingers and wrist slammed itself onto his face.
It did zero damage.
"I will heal you!" said a voice belonging to the little hand.
Benjamin, however, had blown the paper off his face before any healing could have been done and shifted his black eyes to the side.
A woman was sitting close to him with her back straight and knees joined, quite a formal pose. She didn't seem to mind her clothes getting dirtied, which had only shown her earnestness to aid him.
Speaking of her clothes, Benjamin inferred those were similar to a kimono. Her entire appearance was as though she was a priestess of a shrine, of whom he had seen many in the games he had played. Still, most, if not all, priestesses wore white kimonos, with ornaments being what differed their belief from others.
In most cases, the thick ornate belts—each with a different flowery design—were more than enough to make out one's belief and deity.
This woman, however, had a black kimono with a green belt, keeping it tight around her waist. She lacked flowery patterns adequate for priestesses, which had confused Benjamin for a second.
He couldn't tell where the impression of her being a priestess had come from, but then he recalled his newest skill.
He squeezed his eyes.
'So, I can tell that she's a priestess, a wolf, not human and that she just came of age,' Benjamin inwardly commented. Apparently, the life experience he had gathered from playing three virtual reality games to the end was enough to tell him this much, including her age, making her five years younger than him.
He also could tell that she was pretty weak, at least physically.
If he were to loom over her and push her down, she wouldn't have any strength to defend herself. It wasn't like Benjamin was a criminal, so such a thought never crossed his mind. Also, she was the one looming over him with her baby face, wearing a relieved smile.
"Ah, you seem fine! You fell from the skies, so I assumed from the start that you were injured and in need of a healing skill… I'm glad I don't have to waste my talisman- No! No!" The silver-haired wolf woman shook her head a few times, sending her long bangs on a ride, "I am glad you are okay, client! Ah! No! No!" She fervently shook her little head again and again as though tossing out her thoughts inadequate to a priestess, "Believer!"
Benjamin lifted his upper body and chuckled at her, "I'd rather have you call me a client. Whether they exist here or not, I am not one to believe or follow deities."
The woman gasped, "You aren't here to visit the shrine and buy-" She wildly shook her head. "-to get blessed?"
"Nope," Benjamin smiled, enjoying the sight of the woman's reactions. She had just hung her shoulders and little head low, looking as though Benjamin had snatched her treasure.
Being so honest, even if she was doing her best to hide it, was quite a charm. She had a soothing effect, much better than the forest around them, on Benjamin, whose life had just turned upside down.
As someone quick to uptake, he had already come to terms with his new life. But that didn't mean Benjamin had sorted everything out and was ready to thoroughly start a new life.
He was alone here and without any place to call home.
That was one of many burdens, too.
This adorable woman therefore was quite a blessing to him.
She allowed him to take his first steps in this new world without much concern.
"My name is Benjamin. Though atheist I am, I'd like to use some of your shrine's hospitality. I don't even know who had sent me here and where I am, you see," Benjamin introduced himself before sharing his request and troubles, "Not for free, of course. I don't have any money on me for now, but I believe I could be of service to you."
"Um, can you fight?" The woman timidly asked, feeling wrong. Regardless of the threats creeping in the shadows, asking someone you have just met to fight for her shrine felt inappropriate. "Ah! I am Estelle, nice to meet you!"
On the other hand, Benjamin's smile deepened, "Pleasure is all mine. Who's bullying you? I can see a few troubles weighing on you since you're a protagonist."
Estelle blinked a few times, then asked, "You can tell?"
"Yeah," Benjamin nodded. This was courtesy of his Investor's Keen Eye.
Estelle rubbed her nose and eyes before complaining aloud, "They are everywhere in the forest! Evil spirits! It's because of them that no one can reach our shrine! We haven't had any clients in three years now! My elder sisters have fallen ill, too, and I haven't had anyone to talk to for two years now! They're groaning and crying in dreams while I attend to them! B-Because we can't earn, I've started taking money off savings… and I can't leave the shrine, too, so I must use a flying parrot to buy stuff from the closest village. Parri is not big and strong, so she can only carry enough stuff. I can't buy my milk and choco powder, too! For some reason, milk became really expensive, so it'd be immoral of me to buy it while there is more essential stuff! I hate water, though! It's so tasteless! And… and I must fight phantoms at least once every month, too! I hate it!"
A moment later, Estelle's head exploded with embarrassment. She was like a shaking kettle with too much of a boiling water.
She really had done it! She had gotten out a weight of her mind all at once!
Her body and soul felt so liberated, and then the realization that she had confessed all of it to a foreign man whom she had just met struck her like a lightning bolt.
"I should have bitten my tongue! I apologize!" Estelle leaped to her feet, clenched the helm of her kimono, and earnestly bowed three times.
Benjamin followed her suit and stood up, then put his hand on her head, "Hey there, you should have been more worried about me knowing about you being a protagonist. No one should be able to pry into others like that, alright?"
"Uh, okay?" Estelle didn't expect to hear the admonishing tone her elder sister had used to tell her off. A bit of sentiment had hammered on her little heart, and an inexplicable sense of trust toward Benjamin swelled that little organ. "Thank you. I'll remember that."
"Good," Benjamin was also fonder of her now that he had seen she could take honest advice.
With all of that said, the two of them headed to the shrine, and Benjamin became the temporary fourth member of it.