'Today is going perfectly.' I woke up on time, caught the earliest train to work, and now I'm enjoying a nice coffee during a leisurely walk. The best part? I'm only a couple minutes away from my job. Enjoying my white chocolate mocha, I sigh in bliss.. 'This is the life!'
Many who repeatedly took this way to commute waved to me as I passed them. I'm not famous or anything, I just happen to be very friendly to others.
I would often try to help the elderly cross the street, help lost children find their parents, and stop petty thefts. Not all in that order. My instinct to help others was the reason I could live so carefree nowadays. Stopping at a crosswalk, I glanced down the street. Blocking civilians from entering the area are police borders. Behind the borders watching as some adventurers fought rogue ferobeasts, are a crowd of civilians.
Ferobeasts are one of many types of monsters in this world. They're pretty easy to take down, honestly, I think I could take one down.
'Then again, why would I want to fight?'
Not that I have any plans of rushing into danger or anything. I like the life I live now. A part-time job and a stable income. The next step in my grand plan is to find a woman who makes me feel warm inside. I want to start a family, after all.
My attention was brought back to the crosswalk light as it turned green, signaling to cross.
My commute continued for another six minutes before I arrived at work. Craning my neck upward, I internally hyped myself up as I prepared for another day of needless arguments. It took me a couple seconds to hype myself up. After I was ready, I gave myself a once over before entering my workplace.
[Adventurer's Guild: Financial Assistance & Insurance Building]
Upon entering, many of my coworkers from the first floor greeted me. I was quite popular at work due to my diligence and how efficient I was.
"Yoho! Good Morning!"
"Mister Yoho, could you help me with these insurance forms later?"
"Mister Yoho, are you free today?"
Senior and junior employees alike often came to me for varying reasons, be it tax forms to insurance for weapons or adventurers. Some would come to ask me if I was free after work, it felt nice to be appreciated.
"Good morning everyone!" I greeted with a smile.
I may live a boring life to some but it was the life I enjoyed. Being a 'hero' or an 'adventurer' just didn't suit me. I smiled as I reached the elevator. Most likely she's in today as well. My good mood was elevated even further at the thought of a certain someone being here. I was a lovesick puppy around her.
"Good morning, Yoho!"
Right as the elevator doors opened, my assumption was proven correct. Standing before me, her smile made the already bright room light up even more.
"Good morning, Arka." I greeted back.
This woman is my coworker, Arka Sahn. In my eyes, she's the most beautiful woman to ever exist. Her beautiful black hair that has such a beautiful sheen, the alluring glow her green eyes give off, and her beestung lips.
She's the epitome of maturity and beauty in one.
'Oh wow, even from here she smells good!' I paused at that thought. While she was a beautiful woman with a mesmerizing body, the thought I just had felt creepy.
I walked past her in a hurry so that I could forget about what had just run through my mind. Hearing the sound of footsteps behind me, I took a glance at my rear. Arka was following me, her smile still in place. We had been walking down the hallway for at least three minutes while she continued to stare at me smiling.
'Oh, damn, she wants something.'
It wasn't unusual for Arka to want something from me—she would always do this thing where she followed me until I caught the hint—it usually involved me taking up a task for her.
"Do you need help with something, Arka?"
She immediately perked up, her smile seemed to grow even more once I finished my question.
"Yes actually," She exclaimed, happy to shirk her responsibilities. "the chairman needs someone to monitor a party that plans on going into a Dread Field."
I knew exactly why she couldn't do this assignment. I was just waiting for her to admit it.
"I still have my paperwork I forgot to fill out last week, and the week before that, and the week before…" I didn't even deign her with an answer as she chuckled in a depressed-embarrassed way.
I thought back to the last time I saw her desk, filled with over eight stacks of paper that towered over her cubicle by several feet.
"Please!" She begged, making sure to accentuate the end of the word, truly proving the request to be dire.
"Fine. I'll do it." I felt my shoulders sag as a task that wasn't even mine had been assigned to me.
She jumped onto me, giving me a tight hug.
'Geezus woman!' I could feel her body pressing against mine.
Arka could become a wrestler with the way she was crushing me. I quickly separated from her and made my way to the chairman's office.
Thankfully the office is the easiest to reach as it's on the third floor near an elevator. Stopping right before the door, I could hear someone conversing but I was unable to make out exactly what they were saying.
Making sure to look presentable, I fixed anything that would make my appearance look sloppy before knocking. A buzz to my right gave me a fright before I realized it was a standard communication device.
"You may enter." Following that I opened the door to a room filled with at least eight people. The chairman was sitting at his desk while the other heavily armed members were scattered around the room standing.
The chairman gave me a once over before huffing. I could faintly hear him mutter something about Arka being too lazy.
"Sir, I'm here as a stand-in for Arka." Because she doesn't know how to manage her time, I wanted to say. The chairman, Jang Jin-Sang gave me a soft smile before pointing towards a nearby couch.
"Thank you, Yoho. Have a seat. I should have just asked you to do this anyway." Thank you, chairman, for understanding my pain! You truly are a respectable man. The other men in this room, though…
'Why me?' Taking a seat, I directed my full attention to the chairman, hoping my assignment had nothing to do with the scary looking men.
"Yoho, this is my son, Chungho. I want you to accompany him in a dungeon." I didn't know the chairman had a son. It would have been the talk of the office for quite sometime if everyone found out.
It was even more surprising to find out that Chairman Jin-Sang would allow his son to be an adventurer, as he seemed like the protective type.
'Maybe he's letting him experience adventuring to scare him away from the career field.'
Chungho seemed annoyed by my presence. The entire room seemed tense, like at any moment someone would attack you if you made even the smallest noise.
"Being frank, I want you to accompany my son in one of his dungeon raids. I need an unbiased party who can tell me if he deserves to remain an adventurer." Now it made more sense why the party seemed adverse to my presence.
"Father! Why must some pathetic desk worker accompany me?" I wanted to be insulted, but in the eyes of everyone around me, that was true. I wear clothes a size bigger because they're comfortable and I always avoid tasks that require exceptional abilities as I dislike standing out. "He doesn't even have an ounce of muscle on him…" This little brat is pissing me off. Respect your elders damnit!
Jin Sang probably deals with this everyday if his twitching mouth was anything to go by. He directed his attention back to me.
"My decision is final and there will be no further argument!" Chungho, shrinking back in fear, was reminded why this man was the one in charge for a reason. Jang Jin-Sang cleared his throat before returning his attention to me. "I will provide the documents needed for this expedition and I also promise to provide a bonus in your pay for this inconvenience." While I was fine doing this for regular pay, I wasn't stupid enough to decline a bonus for my paycheck.
"You can count on me, sir!"
…
Count on me, my ass! I would like to rescind my previous statement. It's so obvious that these guys don't get along. I wasn't just babysitting now. Now I was going to have to prevent conflict. I watched as the group separated, not even bothering to strategize what to do once we entered the area beyond this fence.
'Maybe, I should try and help everyone get along? What would Arka do?'
It was as if a light bulb had gone off in my head. Giving my award winning, employee of the month smile, I turned towards Chungho while clasping my hands together.
"Young sir, would you and your men like me to help accommodate you in any way?"
I was ignored but that was fine with me. The light bulb could not handle the pressure and shattered.
"Alright, then. When you all are ready, please let me know so that I can log the time we entered the gate." They all gave grunts of acknowledgement before turning back to their respective groups and preparing to begin the raid. 'If only I could have said no to her… Damn you, Arka.'
It took the group about thirty minutes to be completely prepared. I managed to get a light meal because of that. Past this fence… lies a Dread Field. Most fields have names assigned to them. They get more difficult as you go up.
Basin, Active, Night, Dread, and Void.
Each field has unique properties to them and no two fields will ever be the same. Dread Fields, though, have a common superstition surrounding them. Anyone who enters them will neve leave the same. Whether it be going insane or watching your friends die. No one has ever left a Dread Field and remained sane.
I could already tell this job would be an annoying one.
'Why me?!'