Chapter I

Second Chance

"Oliver Sabishii, welcome to the afterlife. I regret to inform you that your time on this earth has come to an end," a gentle voice said.

Oliver blinked once, then again. He found himself standing in a pure white room, nothing but white void visible in all directions. It was a sudden change from what he had been experiences a moment before, though admittedly a pleasant one.

"My apologies, but the goddess who would usually handle you isn't available at the moment, so I'll have to process your soul for now," the voice continued, drawing the boy's attention as he turned around. Before him was a simple office desk and chair, with an angelic figure seated at it. She was practically the textbook definition of an angel, in fact, with white robes, long golden hair, and a halo and wings to top it all off.

"I, uh, it's okay," Oliver responded reflexively, still trying to process what was happening. Of course, he was clearly dead, but... well, he was sort of expecting either eternal hellfire or pearly gates, not a wooden desk. "So... do I, um, need to sign something?"

"No, no," the angel said with a slight giggle. "I'll be handling all the paperwork; you only need to make a single choice."

"That's very kind of you," Oliver replied politely, mostly functioning on autopilot as he took in his current situation. "If the choice is heaven or hell, uh..."

"Not quite," the angel replied, leaning back in her chair and picking up a clipboard. "Going to heaven is one of your choices, but the other is to be reborn as a baby without any of your memories," she explained. "So, you can either spend the rest of eternity with your ancestors, or you can try for a second chance at life."

The boy paused for a moment, thinking hard. This didn't seem like the kind of choice to be taken lightly, after all. "You're an angel, right? What's heaven like?"

"Well, it's not the most exciting place," she admitted. "A few of your myths about heaven have a shred of truth to them, but for the most part, it all boils down to just standing around with everyone who died before you. Forever."

"Isn't there anything to do? Maybe some board games, at least?" he asked worriedly.

The angel only shook her head, tapping her clipboard with a pen. "I'm afraid not. You don't actually get to keep a physical form, either, so there's not much you can do in terms of interaction."

"You just stand around with an infinitely-increasing number of strangers, with nothing to do but awkwardly stand there, forever...?" he muttered. "That sounds sort of terrible... uh, sorry," he quickly apologized to the angel.

"It's alright. I understand that it's not the most appealing option for most people who die at your age," she replied with a knowing smile.

"So... what can you tell me about reincarnation?" Oliver asked, trying for the other dialogue option, so to speak.

"You don't get to keep any of your memories, as I mentioned before. So, you get a fresh start at doing pretty much everything you can remember from when you were born until now, all over again. With a few variations, I guess."

The boy glanced down at the blank white floor, shuffling his feet nervously. A complete reset? Considering how his last playthrough of this particular game called life had gone... "That, um, doesn't sound very good either," he told the angel quietly.

"I understand," the angel repeated, looking upon the boy's downcast face with some concern. "Someone who... left their world, as you did... well, I wouldn't blame them for not wanting to go back," she told him softly.

The angle paused there, waiting expectantly, but the boy only stood before her silently, contemplating which might be the lesser of two evils.

"I can offer you a third option, if you'd like," the angel offered tentatively, breaking the silence.

"Really?"

"Yes," she confirmed, flipping to the next page on her clipboard. "There's a special protocol in place for this, now, but..." the angel paused again, glancing up at him. "I think you qualify."

"O-oh, good," he replied, relief filling his voice.

"Yes," the angel nodded along, glancing through a few more papers on the desk. "Actually, you're almost a perfect fit. In fact, your interests and history check out quite well," she murmured, looking back up at the boy occasionally.

"Um... I'm glad?" he said nervously. On one hand, this third option sounded neat, especially compared to the other two. But on the other hand, if it happened to be hell, then being a "perfect fit" might not be such a positive thing.

"Tell me, Oliver," the angel said with a grin. "Do you like games?" she asked, catching him off-guard with such a seemingly random question.

"I mean, sort of..." he told her, nodding. "Usually RPGs and stuff, when I wasn't busy with college. So, uh, not as much, recently," Oliver explained, regret creeping into his voice.

"I see. How would you feel about being able to live one of those fantasies?" she asked, her clipboard glowing slightly as it morphed into a thick, leather-bound book. "If you'd like, you could choose to be reincarnated– with your current body and memories –in a world straight out of one of your games," she explained.

"T-that sounds a little dangerous," Oliver responded quickly, taking a cautious step back. "Aren't there monsters? And a lot of, uh, fighting?" he asked, glancing down at his skinny frame. He'd never lifted a weight in his life, much less a sword. If he had to characterize himself in RPG terms, Strength would easily be his dump stat.

The angel leaned forward, reassessing the boy. "Not so much recently. In the world you'd be going to, the 'final boss' has already been defeated. Yes, there are monsters, but you'd also receive a gift to help you become a hero to the people of that world," she continued, especially stressing the word 'hero'.

"A gift?"

"Yes. A divine weapon, item or power to set you apart from the regular people of that world. To set you apart as someone special, who can help make the world a better place," she told him with a smile. Though something about the way she was emphasizing all the heroic, make-the-world-a-better-place stuff set Oliver a little on edge.

Still, this nice angel girl was making him the offer of a lifetime. The chance to live in a world straight out of a tabletop RPG like Dungeons and Dragons... well, even if it was a little dangerous, how could he possibly pass that up? This was an opportunity for him to live an exciting life, and live it to the fullest.

A second chance.

Maybe... just maybe... this time, he could even make some real friends.

A slight smile crossed the boy's lips as he thought about the possibilities. "Alright, I'm in. You can count on me," he assured the angel brightly.

"I'm certain I can, Oliver," she said, returning his smile. "Now, about your gift..." she said, sliding the book across the desk to him. "Take your pick."

The boy attempted to pick up the heavy book, averting his eyes from the angel in embarrassment as he tried and failed to lift it. "I-I'll just keep it here on the desk," he said quietly, flipping it open. Hey, it was a huge book! Like, five dictionaries put together, at least!

...Maybe he was exaggerating a little to make himself feel better, but it really was a hefty book.

The leather-bound tome itself was filled with all kinds of abilities and powers. Effectively a list of cheat codes for starting off the game with already-overpowered gear and/or stats, the tome of gifts from the gods seemed a little... broken. All of this stuff was completely unbalanced, from what Oliver gathered.

"Doesn't this stuff seem a little... too powerful?" he asked the angel, skipping over an entire section on armor that made the wearer completely invulnerable to physical damage.

"Well, yes. Some time ago, it was meant to aid adventurers in slaying the Demon King himself," the angel explained. "You can choose whatever you'd like, so don't be shy!"

"Whatever I'd like...?" he asked slowly, looking up at the angel. "Then... could you do me a favor?"

"I'm not an option!" the angel shrieked suddenly, hopping back out of the chair and hugging her wings close to her body. "You can't take me with you!"

"W-what? No, no!" Oliver exclaimed apologetically. "Nothing like that!"

"Oh, thank goodness..." the angel muttered, calming down significantly.

"Has... someone done that before?" he asked curiously, noting the angel's relieved expression as she sat back down.

"Well, yes, once. And it turned out rather well, actually," she admitted. "B-but I don't want to be banished from heaven!" she begged.

"Don't worry, I'd never do that! That sounds like a terrible thing to do to an angel!" Oliver assured her.

"Or a god," she agreed. "Anyways, what was the favor you wanted to ask, then?"

"Oh, uh..." Oliver paused awkwardly for a moment, pushing the book of cheats back to her. "I'm, uh, really bad at making choices," he admitted embarrassedly. "You seem like you have a lot of experience with these things, so I was wondering if you could... choose for me?" he asked tentatively, grinning and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh!" the angel exclaimed, picking the book back up and smiling at him. "I think I could definitely do that for a nice boy like you," she told him, flipping through the book and quickly selecting a suitable item.

"G-great, thank you," Oliver replied, glancing away from her. He wasn't really used to receiving compliments; especially not from cute angel girls. Heck, he couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken to a girl who wasn't family... if it weren't for the shock of being, y'know, dead, he probably wouldn't have handled that entire conversation nearly as well as he had.

"Now, you'll already know this world's language– both written and spoken –upon arrival, so there's nothing to worry about there," she assured him. "So, when you're ready to go, just say the word!"

Oliver gave the angel a quick thumbs-up, which felt incredibly awkward the moment he realized he was doing it. "Okay, I'm ready! Goodbye, then."

"Goodbye, and good luck!" she replied, smiling as the boy was obscured by a soft wave of blue magic appearing beneath his feet. The intricate circle of runes and holy magic grew in both radiance and power, until it vanished suddenly, along with the boy inside.

The angel sighed with relief as Oliver disappeared, sitting back down at the desk. Any successful reincarnation that didn't end with her being dragged along with them was a good one, right?

She sat there for a few minutes, relaxing and thinking about that nice boy. In all her time being the substitute for the goddess who usually handled these things, she'd met some pretty rude people, so coming across someone like this was always refreshing. However, the angel's eyes suddenly opened wide with panic as her wings fluttered about, looking back down at the open book of cheats.

"Oh, shoot! I forgot to tell him what his gift was!"


Oliver Sabishii would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous.

Even beyond the expected shock of dying and finding out there wasn't any particular divine judgement after death, he was about to enter an entirely new world. What if he'd made the wrong choice? From what he could tell, this was a pretty final decision. A wave of anxiety washed over him as the blue light began to fade.

He couldn't go back... the finality of his choice was finally hitting him. If he began to regret his decision, or royally screwed something up, there were no do-overs. If his life in this world turned out the same way as the last one did...

Well, he could always get himself painfully and horribly killed by a terrifying monster, so there was always that.

Though for whatever reason, Oliver didn't find that option particularly appealing.

The teenager took a deep breath as his surroundings began to come into focus, trying to calm his nerves. He could do this. He had to make the best of his second chance.

Yeah, this was an opportunity, not a mistake! He was going to be an adventurer! It was finally time for Oliver Sabishii to become someone better than before! To live a life he could be proud of and enjoy! No longer would he be an introverted, antisocial college student, who didn't have any close friends or family. He was going to be a hero, and people would actually like him!

Oliver tried his best to muster a confident smile as the world came into focus around him... a smile which quickly faded as he felt something sticky and wet soaking into his sneakers.

The first thing the boy noticed about this new world was that he'd started off shin-deep in a puddle of mud by the side of the road.

"Just my luck," Oliver muttered dejectedly, all that hope and confidence from just a few moments ago quickly fading.

Looking around, the next thing that caught his attention was the town just down the road, surrounding by tall stone walls. Probably a necessity, in a world filled with monsters. The settlement sat in the middle of a large green field, surrounded by grassy hills and a forest to the south. Metal grates in the walls allowed a river to run through town, stretching across the fields and beyond. In the opposite direction of the town, he noticed several frogs hopping around on a hill nearby... or were they really big frogs, on a faraway hill?

Squinting and adjusting his glasses, Oliver decided it was best to leave the amphibians of indeterminate size alone for now, especially with his current equipment; or rather, lack of it. Taking inventory of his current gear while stepping out of the mud puddle, he seemed to be wearing the same clothes he had been wearing when he died: Sneakers, jeans, a plain green t-shirt, a bluish-gray hoodie over that, and his glasses. Oh, and a long orange scarf... that was new.

"Is this my gift...?" Oliver thought out loud, feeling the soft material of the scarf. As he squinted at it, he almost thought he could see the slightest glimmer of light dancing across it and weaving through the fabric... but other than that, the clothing item didn't display any particularly cheat-like properties.

At the very least, it was comfy. Though the sun was shining and the temperature was pretty warm, Oliver didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable after wrapping the scarf around his neck. The boy had almost always felt cold in his last life, no matter the temperature; maybe that had something to do with it.

Doing his best to brush the mud off of his jeans and ignore his soggy socks, Oliver quickly decided that investigating the town was his best option. He wasn't sure how long the days were here, but if video games had taught him anything, it was that you didn't want to be outside in the dark in a world with monsters.

Taking a few steps down the road, however, he froze. There would be an awful lot of people in a town like that...

"Are you seriously considering getting torn apart by monsters as an alternative to having to talk to people?" Oliver scolded himself, continuing toward the town.

Before long, the mud-spattered boy arrived at the town gates. He could only hope that the angel's promise about being able to speak this world's language would come through.

"Halt! Stop right there!" one of the guards commanded, barring the gate with his spear. "State your business! And don't come any closer!" he shouted, stopping Oliver in his tracks before he could come closer than twenty feet.

"A-ah, sorry!" he apologized instinctively, throwing his hands up in the air. "I'm, um, seeking shelter. And maybe a new pair of socks," he added, his feet squelching uncomfortably as he shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously.

The two guards shared a look, then turned their attention back to Oliver. "What's your name, and where do you come from?"

"I'm Oliver Sabishii, and I come from... uh... a faraway land?" he replied awkwardly.

"Odd name; weird clothes; unwillingness to state his homeland. He's definitely one of 'em," one of the guards said to the other under his breath. "Go get a couple of warriors from the guild," he ordered the other, who disappeared inside the gate. He then turned back to the oddly-dressed boy. "What's your power?"

"Power?"

"Yeah, we know your type! Now what's your power, or gift, or whatever you want to call it?" the guard ordered. "Tell me what your power is!"

Oliver took a nervous step back at the harsh order. "I–um, it's this," he said uncertainly, waving around the end of his scarf. "I don't know what it does," the boy admitted.

The guard, however, was unimpressed. "Sure you don't... sure you don't," he said through gritted teeth, eyeing the boy suspiciously.

"I'm really sorry if I've offended you," Oliver began, holding up his empty hands in a peacemaking gesture. "I promise, whatever I did, I didn't mean to do it. If it's really this much trouble, I... I can try to find somewhere else to sleep, how's that?" he offered, glancing around. If this guy was acting all suspicious and calling in armed reinforcements, he definitely wasn't welcome here.

"Doesn't sound like a half bad idea, kid," the guard replied, his expression softening slightly. "You don't seem like a threat, but we've been tricked one too many times," he sighed, reassessing the pathetic, mud-spattered boy. "Now, you'd better get going before–"

The guard was interrupted as the gate behind him slammed open, barely managing to keep his face from hitting the dirt as he was knocked aside.

"Heheh, so one of you cowards finally got the guts to show up," a voice chuckled as its owner emerged from the gate. The first thing Oliver noticed as he scrambled back was the huge, wicked-looking axe the warrior held, sharp and menacing... and the figure wielding it matched that first impression perfectly. Clad in a suit of gray armor, decorated with a tattered purple and silver insignia of a double-sided axe, the warrior loomed at least a head taller than he did. That armor had several scratches and dents, implying that– first impressions aside –its wearer had been through their fair share of tough battles already.

Oliver couldn't even muster the courage to speak, stumbling back from the towering warrior.

"What, are you just gonna stand there looking scared?" the axe-wielder taunted, grinning menacingly down at him. Looking up at the warrior's face, Oliver was struck by the sudden realization that the terrifying figure before him was, in fact, female... as if he needed any more reason to be scared witless.

The warrior's smile quickly turned into a sneer as Oliver took several shaky steps back.

"Really? So scared you can't even talk?" she asked, taking several slow, menacing steps forward that easily matched his.

"Katie, the kid's leaving, you don't have to–" the guard began nervously, only to be cut off by the warrior.

"He's trying to run away, huh?" she talked over the guard, her axe gleaming in the sunlight as she glared down at Oliver. His heart began pounding even faster as her face split into a terrifying smile. "I won't let this one get away," she growled, shifting into a fighting stance as she slashed at the defenseless boy.

"Ah!" Oliver yelped as he ducked under her swing, barely avoiding the razor-sharp blade of the axe. This girl was exactly the type of person he'd spent all of middle school and high school trying to avoid! You know, minus the axe and truly murderous intent. Stumbling back, Oliver tripped over a rock behind him, ending up flat on the ground as a vertical swing sliced apart the air where he'd been standing a split-second before.

"Come on, at least try to fight back!" Katie snarled gleefully, bringing her axe down yet again as the boy barely managed to roll out of the way. "You're gonna die anyways; might as well not go out like a coward," she spat.

Oliver responded to this by scrambling to his feet and trying his best to dodge yet another strike. A single hit from that axe would likely take his head off, he knew; though the fear of imminent decapitation wasn't exactly helping him think clearly.

Katie studied the boy for a moment, pausing her onslaught to glare at him. "Fight back, or just stay still!" she ordered, lunging forward. Panicking, Oliver stumbled back as the blade of the axe tore a large gash in his shirt, searing pain burning into his skin as a wide cut opened in his chest. He'd managed to avoid the brunt of the attack– hence the fact that he was still alive at all –but Oliver could already tell where this fight was going. Glancing down as he clutched at his chest, he suddenly felt dizzy as he saw the blood staining his hand.

"H-hey, Katie! Back off!" the guard ordered, running forward. "He's leaving, okay? Leave the kid be! He didn't even do anything!"

Katie didn't even bother to look back at the guard, clutching her bloodstained axe tightly. "Oh, really? I don't think so," she said softly, grinning at the injured boy. "I think he made a pretty clear mistake, actually."

"W-what? I didn't do anything, l-like he said! I promise!" Oliver squeaked, trying to remain standing despite his wound. Sure, in games, your character can keep fighting until they run out of HP, but... well, not so much in real life. The pain in his chest was enough to nearly put him on the ground already, despite it only having been one strike.

But if he let himself hit the ground now... well, Oliver got the feeling it wouldn't matter how much HP he had left. This girl would stomp his skull into the dirt.

"You made the mistake of being my enemy, and you're gonna pay," she growled, savoring the look of pure terror that had come across the wounded boy's face. "Y'see, this guy right here?" Katie asked, turning and grinning at the guard. "Tell me what happens if he dies; right here, right now. What happens?"

"I–well, I mean–" the guard stuttered, but Katie kept talking right over him.

"You called me out here to deal with a threat: I'm dealing with it. If this kid dies, you know what happens?" she asked one more time as she hefted her axe. "I get free XP," she said darkly, grinning gleefully as she swiftly turned and slashed downward, chopping right where Oliver had been standing with deadly accuracy and force.

Emphasis on had.

The oddly-dressed, bleeding, mud-spattered boy was nowhere to be found.

"Where. Is. He?" Katie growled as her axe bit into the dirt, turning back to face the guard. "You distracted me on purpose!" she shouted, stomping up to the guard and grabbing him by the shirt. "WHERE IS HE?" she roared, lifting him clear off of the ground.

However, an oddly stout look had come across the guard's face. "I don't know," he lied, mustering an annoyed expression to mask his fear.

"Huh." The warrior stared at the guard for a moment as her face became entirely neutral, all of her anger seemingly gone in an instant. "Well, I'll find him eventually," she said casually, dropping the guard in a heap before stalking back into town. From the way she said that, it sounded more like she was going to meet an acquaintance for lunch than kill somebody...

The guard sighed, trying to calm his pounding heart as he sat up. He glanced worriedly back at the gates as they closed, the other guard finally returning to his station alongside him. He hoped he'd made the right choice, choosing to ignore the brief flash of grayish-blue that had slipped inside the gates. The boy didn't seem like he meant any harm... and besides, if he'd had any dangerous cheats, he would've used whatever powers he had when Katie had been about to chop his head off.

"Well, I did my job," the guard muttered, trying to reason with himself. "I determined whether he was actually a threat, and decided whether or not to let him pass accordingly. Case closed."

Honestly, he was just glad he didn't have to watch some kid get chopped to bits.


Oliver wasn't sure what he was really expecting when he arrived in this world. Some starting equipment, maybe? Perhaps even entering the game inside the town?

He certainly wasn't expected to have to face a high-level enemy and be mortally wounded in the first ten minutes.

The defenseless boy had dashed away and through the gates for that brief moment Katie was distracted, taking advantage of what was pretty much his only opportunity for survival.

Some tutorial, huh...

Just taking off down the road hadn't been an option. For one thing, someone with his stamina would be easily caught by someone half as tough as that warrior. For another thing, if spending the night had been dangerous before... well, with a wound like this, it was practically suicidal.

Limping through the streets and trying not to attract any attention, Oliver grimaced as every step sent a stab of pain through his chest. He needed to find somewhere to get this taken care of, or else no matter where he ended up crashing, he'd bleed out before sunrise. Tugging off his tattered hoodie and wrapping it around the wound the best he could, he glanced around for anywhere that looked remotely like a hospital or infirmary.

"Wish I'd at least started with a map," he mumbled, drawing a couple of odd looks as he made his way down the street. He spent nearly half an hour wandering around... but there wasn't anything of the sort in sight; only shops, an inn and various other basic town structures. Plenty of houses, a town market, and... an adventurer's guild.

Clearly the place to go. If he was going to find some kind of healer, that would be the place.

Oliver had just taken a few steps toward the guild, when the door slammed open, a familiar purple-clad figure coming stomping out. Oliver ducked behind a nearby cart as she approached, his heart pounding as he heard her armored footsteps coming closer and closer.

S-she wouldn't just kill him right there in the middle of the street, right?

Somehow, Oliver wasn't entirely confident that she wouldn't.

After a few terrifying moments, he heard the footsteps move away. Too terrified to move, he waited there for another minute before peeking around the cart.

Katie was nowhere in sight.

"Hey! You there, with the weird trousers!" a man's voice said, startling the boy.

"S-sorry!" he apologized instinctively, struggling to stand. "I didn't mean to bother you!"

The man harrumphed, putting a hand on the cart. More likely than not, he was the owner. "Ya didn't take anything, did ya?" he asked, glaring at the boy.

Oliver quickly shook his head, backing away. "N-no sir, I didn't touch anything," he said truthfully.

"Then scram!"

Doing as he was told, Oliver moved on from the cart as quickly as he could. These people seemed awfully suspicious of him. Had he already messed something up without realizing it? He would've thought people would be more sympathetic to someone as injured as he was...

Wait.

Unwrapping his makeshift bandage and setting it aside for a moment, Oliver reexamined his wound. It wasn't hurting nearly as badly now, but he'd thought he was just getting used to the pain. When he looked at it... well, the injury wasn't gone, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it should have been, either. Sure, his shirt was all damaged, but the wound underneath had slowed to just a trickle of blood. By looking at the injury, Oliver would've thought he was grazed with a kitchen knife, not slashed with a battle axe!

"Huh. Does this world have different laws when it comes to healing?" he muttered to himself, pulling his shirt back down. He only just then noticed the odd looks he was getting from passerby, and decided it was about time he went inside.

Entering the adventurer's guild (conveniently identified by the large sign outside) he slid his hoodie back on. It was a little more bloodstained than his t-shirt, but it was a big building, and it was a little too drafty inside for his taste. It seemed to consist mostly of a large hall filled with tables, walls and pillars decorated with what appeared to be trophies taken from large monsters. There was a big board near the back that was practically covered with flyers and advertisements, which he could only assume to be a quest board of sorts. Finally, there was a sort of reception counter, where several adventurers were queued up, likely to sign up for quests or take rewards.

As he stepped in the door, Oliver could immediately feel several pairs of eyes turn to watch him. Pulling up his hood and wrapping his scarf around his face, the boy shivered nervously at the thought of so many people watching him. Their gazes almost felt... hostile.

Still, he pressed on, approaching the counter and hoping he wasn't drawing too much attention to himself.

After a few minutes of waiting, it was his turn. Oliver stepped up to the counter, steeling his nerves as the woman greeted him.

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?" she asked politely.

"I'm here to, uh... become an adventurer?" he replied awkwardly, his tone turning it into more of a question than anything else.

"You're here for registration, then? Wonderful!" she said brightly. At least she was fairly polite. "There will be a registration fee, however. I hope that's alright?"

"W-well..." he stuttered, reaching into his pockets. He didn't have any money on him at all... not that his world's currency would be much help here anyways. "I'm from... uh... a faraway place, and don't actually have any money," he told the receptionist apologetically. "How much is it?"

"That would be 1,000 eris. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to come back when you can afford it," she told him regretfully.

"O-oh... that sounds like a lot..." he muttered. "I know it's not really your job, but do you think you could direct me to some kind of part-time job I could sign up for?"

The woman stopped for a moment, considering his question. "I'm sure there's always something you can do around town. Though, someone like you might not have the easiest time finding work," she said to herself, frowning as she peered under his hood.

"That's alright, I didn't mean to trouble you," Oliver said quickly, turning to leave as she tried to examine him closer. He didn't want to inconvenience anyone, after all. "I'll figure something out myself, don't worry."

"I'm sure, but... wait. Oh, I hope I don't come to regret this," she muttered, waving the boy back over. "If you'd like, you can work here at the guild until you can afford the fee," she offered kindly. "If you'd like, you can even stay in one of our rooms for the time being; I'll just take it out of your pay," the receptionist explained.

"T-that's really generous of you! Are you sure?"

She studied the boy's hopeful face for a moment. "Yes, I am. I'd like to think I'm a decent judge of character, and you seem like the trustworthy sort. What's your name?"

"My name is Oliver Sabishii," he told her.

"I'm Luna, overseer of the adventurer's guild. I hope you enjoy your stay here," she welcomed him, smiling warmly.


What a day.

Soon after his impromptu hiring, Oliver had been given a key and told to go rest in his room, as he'd be "put to work bright and early next morning" by the head of staff. Collapsing on his bed almost instantly, the exhausted boy had barely stayed awake long enough to think about the day's events.

It wasn't exactly a warm welcome. It definitely wasn't ideal.

But somehow... it felt right.

Oliver Sabishii had never considered himself to be a particularly lucky person.

In fact, several happenings just today went even further to prove that point.

But as he relaxed and thought about what might come next... he felt very lucky indeed to have been given the opportunity to come to this world.

Sure, the first day had kinda sucked.

The first ten minutes had really sucked.

But when you're already stuck in the worst-case scenario...

Doesn't that mean things can only get better?