Chapter 1: Chapter One – Party Wipe

 

 

“Gyaaah!”

The death wail of the Goblin Leader filled the chamber of the second floor of the Great Zoma Labyrinth.  It shouldn’t have been anything special to a seasoned adventurer, but having only been in this world of Dungeons, Labyrinthia for barely longer than a month, to me this victory was both monumental as well as devastating.  I let out a scream from the fabric of my being denying my inevitable death, yet it was drowned out by same scream of my enemy’s very own which instead was exchanged in my place.

I stared at the corpse-filled Boss Room and a great despair filled me.

“Kyros…  Jung…  Marta…  Relenna… why…?  Why did this happen?”

I, who had not yet achieved my first proper class change and who had been depending on these four to help me reach the appropriate level so I could, was now the last remaining survivor of the Red Hawks party.  

I… was the survivor of a Party Wipe. 

I held tightly in my hands an iron spear tipped with blood. It was the same spear which belonged to our party’s Lancer, Relenna, only minutes ago.  Our party had consisted of a Knight, a Scout, a Mage, and a Lancer.  There was me of course, still only a Novice.  Hardly useful in a fight, though that was supposed to have changed after this fight.  After this fight that we were all supposed to have survived.

Since I was still a Novice, I acted as the group’s porter while leeching experience in their party in return on my journey to reach the tenth level of experience.  It was only upon reaching said level that I could visit the Unified Temple and obtain a proper class, ideally a support-type.  All of my now deceased party members lying stock still on the floor of the dungeon boss’s room were all recently promoted as well, and it was considered common knowledge that any party who wanted to dive into the dungeon needed a proper support in their party.  

In truth, that was my aim as well in the recent weeks.  I had decided to take on the role of their support, since I wasn’t exactly the most fearless and combative person in terms of ability or personality.

Not too long ago, while still on Earth before ending up here, I was a bit of an uncle.  One Randell Heart, age twenty-nine.  Never even held hands with a person of the opposite sex if not counting my mother.  When I awoke here after what was only a foggy memory that led me to believe I had died somehow, I was shocked to find I was in my body, but the one I had back when I was nineteen.  One a full decade younger.

No, that’s not true.

There was a time I dated a girl back in high school for three whole days.  It was done only as an act by her to get the guy she actually liked to finally look her way.  Though she held my hand and said sweet things to me during that short time, I was summarily discarded afterwards once she got the attention of the person she loved, and I was left never really trusting a woman ever again.

It’s not like it should have been a huge deal, she wasn’t even really my type.  I was just going with the flow, because no man, especially a horny teenager, wants to be the forever alone kind.

The first person to take my hand since then, was the Red Hawk’s Lancer, Relenna.  It was thanks to her I wasn’t already dead, and my second lease on life had begun in this strange world.  Except that lease had now expired for her, and the rest of my now… former companions.

Boss Rooms were a considered a unique magical space within the Great Zoma Labyrinth.  If it had to be compared to something, perhaps saying it’s similar to an instance dungeon is the closest example.  While the floor leading to the boss room is communal for everyone and it is quite common to run into other dungeon diving parties hunting monsters, challenging the floor’s boss was something that could only be done on a party level.

I mean you could be a party of one and solo it, but that was akin to suicide.  You could also go in with one or more strangers, but that was even more risky at times. 

There were also special situations regarding the floor bosses of the dungeon I was in, such as that on every tenth floor where progressively, as one delved lower, the bosses got harder and so more parties were allowed to challenge the boss in tandem.  

What was commonly referred to as a Raid.

The one immediate benefit to clearing a Boss Room was that once cleared, it would never have to be challenged again, though it was freely possible to do so if desired.  From that point on, there was a magical teleportation circle that existed past the sealed door that unlocked upon the death of the floor boss and led to a space between floors.  Activating each teleportation circle allowed the dungeon diver to transfer to any point in the dungeon previously accessed.

The Floor Boss that was defeated would be naturally restored one day later, no sooner, and anything that remaining behind in that instanced room would be absorbed by the dungeon when it was reset.  While there existed certain magic which could resurrect the dead, quite frankly no one at our experience level had either the reputation or the coin necessary to have such a blessing performed.  Even a healing potion cost a full silver coin, and that was big money for an individual party to earn on the first two floors.

In terms of our status as a party, we were all considered low-level trash.  Essentially, anyone below the fifteenth level of experience were considered no less than the rats of the Dungeoneer’s Guild.

There was only one thing to do in this situation and it was simply a moral decision of mine to make and nothing else.  To loot the bodies of my companions and to submit the Guild Cards they carried back to the Dungeoneer’s Guild.

It was a small mercy that the Guild provided, in such that if dungeon divers fell in a dungeon and someone came across a guild card, for the sake of informing the families of the fallen divers, the guild would make an effort to contact them and let their family know of their loss.

It’s entirely possible that family heirlooms consisting of mighty and magical weapons and armor might have been lost to this world’s history in a similar way.  For when the bodies of the dead aren’t looted, some mystical force within the dungeon would absorb them along with all the equipment worn at the time when absorption occurred, and have them repurposed into treasure chests which were strewn about randomly within the dungeon.   

This was one such reason that cities were often built around dungeons in the first place.  The lure of treasures and riches which spawn infinitely in exchange for the risk of life in diving the dungeon for them.

Dungeon ecology and cohabitation was the only established science in this world to my knowledge, and while not all of it was yet known, there were valid established theories which had been observed over the centuries. I was still a small fish in a big pond when it came to learning about these theories, as it had been barely over a month now since I arrived in this world.  

I was given a few days when I first arrived into the strange city known as Zoma on the Estark Continent of Labyrinthia, by way of appearing in the Unified Temple on something known as the Central Dais.  Once awake, a kindly older priest had looked after me, and with great patience answered as many questions about the world that I had which he could, to the best of his ability.  

Then, there’s also the matter of my status, and here’s what it looks like currently:

 

【Name:  Randell Heart】

【Age: 19】【Sex: Male】

【Class:  Novice】

【Level:  10↑(Lv. Up!)】

【To Next Level:  2250 EXP】

【Unique Skill:  <???>】

【Chosen Skills: (3) 1 Point(s) Unspent】

【Novice Weaponry Lv.4】

【Novice Item Box Lv.4】

【Novice First Aid Lv.1】

【Status: (+45) 5 Point(s) Unspent】

【Power:  5+10】

【Dexterity: 5+10】

【Vitality: 5+5】

【Mentality: 5+5】

【Faith: 5+15】

 

By simply thinking about seeing my status, I am able to see what is essentially the overall interpretation of my capabilities in this world by way of a translucent screen that is overlaid onto my vision.  I can even see it with my eyes closed in my mind as well.  In my case, as a Novice, I am considered a jobless rookie until my first available class change at the tenth level.  Now, that’s not to say I am actually classless…  

When I first arrived in this world, I wasn’t even a Novice yet.  The Unified Temple acknowledges that from time to time people from other worlds do get summoned here to Labyrinthia.  Every otherworlder arrives in same exact way, as I had, at the temple.  From the moment we arrive, counseling is received from the priest who finds us until we are fit to undergo a basic Class Change one week later, to either a Combatant or Non-combatant class.

I used to play video games with great frequency when back on Earth, and I’ve also read tons of novels about this sort of thing, being “Isekai’d” so it never once occurred to me from reading those wild power fantasies, that things would actually be so grim and difficult.  I thought I’d be a bit of an overpowered cheat like in those same stories and games I loved, but I couldn’t have been more mistaken about it.

This world was reality, even if it wasn’t the Earth I knew, it was still a reality, just one which happened to allow the use of Magic and Skills.

The special priest who found me in the Unified Temple was also at a loss for what to do with me at first.  This world doesn’t have computers, so it’s not like that kind of profession was available if I chose a non-combatant class.  I held a bachelor degree in computer science, and so was without a single useful vocational skill that could aid me when choosing a Non-combatant class.

So, hoping for the best and not giving that decision the due deliberation it truly deserved, I ended up choosing a Combatant class.  Though there are exceptions, almost always the initial class is that of the Novice.  I thought I might try my hand at being a hero, but I would quickly discover that any talent I might have in that endeavor was sorely lacking. 

After many failed attempts in diving the dungeon, barely escaping with my life each time even when being careful on the first floor, my only hope was to slowly reach level ten and be allowed to make an important decision.  I had one mulligan available to me.  I could reset my stats and take a Non-combatant class, choosing to start over again at level one, or I could decide to advance further into a more useful class.

I won’t lie and say I’m not afraid here.  I’m afraid.  I’m very afraid!  The dungeon is a fucking scary place, and I’ve almost lost my life more times than I care to count in just the first few days alone of being a Novice, but seeing my party get wiped out in what should have been a boss encounter that we, by all rights, should have been able to defeat…  Right now I’m overwhelmed by a great feeling of despair and at a complete loss now in how to proceed.

With nothing left to do but make my way out of the dungeon and report the loss of my party, I’ve arrived a major crossroads in my life.  I was also incredibly low on funds as well, so with a prayer sent to the Pillars – The Gods and Goddesses who govern this world, whoever they are, I began stripping my companions of their equipment and storing them in my Item Box.

I ended up with a Mages’s Robe, Tourmaline Birch Staff, and Leather Pouch which contained some low-grade tonics and other catalysts from Marta, the Mage.  A Damaged Chainmail, Longsword, and Iron Shield came from the body of Kyros, the Knight.  A Shortbow, a Quiver with six remaining arrows, a Pair of Daggers, and some Leather Armor were taken from Jung, the Scout.  And lastly, the Iron Spear I now held that had rolled away from the corpse of Relenna, the Lancer. 

The same iron spear which I used in a desperate gamble to save my own life by piercing from behind the Goblin Leader which had wiped out our party all by itself.  The same one that didn't bother to check that I was still alive before turning it’s back to me, believing full and well that I was among the fallen dead and no longer posed any threat.

The truth is, I had played dead like a coward and waited for the right moment to present itself.

It’s not to say that I wasn’t injured.  I was!  I took a nasty blow from the back of the axe it wielded viciously and it took all I had to hold on to my consciousness while I lay prone and in intolerable agony.  If not for the fact that the Goblin Leader prioritized its disgusting plans to defile the body of Relenna after her death over making sure that all of us were truly dead…

I summoned all my courage at the only chance I might have ever had to save my own skin.  I somehow rose to my feet quietly, an easy feat since I wore basic light leather armor and I carefully took hold of the spear and with all of my strength thrust the spear forward and pierced its heart though its chest from behind while its back was turned to me as it was kneeling over the body of Relenna.

The reason I had found for the Red Hawks party finding worth in someone like me was primarily because I had invested quite a few Skill Points into the Item Box skill.  It was the first Skill I had chosen as a Novice, and it seemed like a logical decision to choose it first, since I could keep all my important items and money stored in there, thus increasing my personal safety.  It was only upon my physical death that the contents could be ejected and become loot.  Not even a thievery-type skill could steal from it, according to what the special priest explained.

So, it was a must-have, or at least I thought so.  Truthfully it wasn’t as important as the Novice Weaponry skill at the lower levels of experience.  But you live and learn… if you’re lucky.

That being said, there were certain rules to using it, and one such rule was that no living beings could be put in there.  Also, at my current Item Box’s Skill level, I had just enough room to fit all four of my party members, what I had looted from each of them, what was already looted from the dungeon that we had hunted so far today, and even the proof of subjugation from the Goblin Leader: His nose, complete with nose-ring.  I didn’t have enough for his entire body as well, or I would have taken that, too.

Submitting the proof of subjugation for the Goblin Leader of the second floor was enough to advance me upwards one rank from the lowest rank that I was, which meant little because the bottom three ranks were all essentially the baby tiers.  True dungeon divers were only really acknowledged after having reached the Boss Room teleport circle on the tenth floor and then making themselves available for a raid.  

That was the real proving ground, and I was a long way from it.

While I had looted their bodies, taking the few remaining coins they had as well as their most valuable equipment and guild cards, I didn’t strip them naked.  Not Marta, and especially not Relenna.  She was in a loving relationship with Kyros, and I wouldn’t have felt right desecrating her body by taking more than I already had from her.  Especially not her dignity post-mortem.  Instead, I prayed that she and Kyros might find each other in the next life and have a better go at it.

Incidentally, the only reason I knew they were all dead and not just barely hanging on, was because they were able to enter my Item Box.  Nothing which was considered alive could enter it in the first place, so I couldn’t cheat the system and kill monsters by just putting them in there.  It was an ironclad measure of that skill in question.  Otherwise, I would have done what I could to bring them back to Zoma City even on the brink of death.  Life should be valued, or so I truly believed.

When I was ready to move on, I passed through the door leading to the third floor and to the Safe Room which existed between floors, where the magical teleportation circle was engraved on the floor that allowed me to be teleported back to the entrance.

I was battered, bloody, and quite clearly traumatized… but I was still alive.

~Still alive, still alive~

Heh.  Heh heh heh.  Ha ha ha hah haaaa hahaha!

My first stop once out of that place of death was over to the Dungeoneer’s Guild, where I had to submit a report on what had happened, and turn in the proof of subjugation as well as my party’s guild cards.  Like the Unified Temple, the Dungeoneer’s guild also had something of a counselor that helps out in cases like these.  Dungeon diving was a vital industry to Zoma, and the guild did their best to weed out unstable elements where it could.  It wasn’t by any means a perfect system, and there were plenty of crazies and psychopaths who got through the screening, but it was still something, and that was better than nothing.

In the special room within the building which was where monsters would be dismantled, I ejected carefully from my item box the four corpses that were my precious fellow companions for most of the month and few days I had been here in this world.  I also handed over their guild cards to the receptionist Myria, who had been looking out for our party and who was here alongside me to verify their deaths.

“It’s such a pity.” She said with a sad voice.

The four of them were companions long before reaching Zoma, having come from some village outside the city.  They were all orphans and because of that, there was no one really to report their deaths to.  They would be cremated by one of the priests from the Unified Temple so that their souls could be sent to the gods the next time one came to visit the Guild.  Had I left them in the dungeon, they would have been absorbed and become nothing but nourishment for that accursed deathtrap.

What I did was considered a noble service, or so I was reminded by Myria, the receptionist who had basically been handling our party’s slow but steady and promising growth.  She was also acting as a friend right now, something I was in in a desperately short supply of.

“So, what are you going to do now, Randell?”

I could only shake my head at her question.

“I was thinking about going to the temple to change my class.  I don’t know if I should continue to be a dungeon diver or if I should just try something else.  I nearly died again, and if not for everyone doing their best, and having Relenna in our party to distract that perverted Goblin Leader at the end… I probably would have.”

“Such a pity…  This shouldn’t have happened.”

“It really is.  We… didn’t have to go in to fight it today.  I mean, killing the boss gave me the experience I needed to push me into the tenth level of experience, but the cost was just too much.  I… don’t want to die like that, you know?”

She placed a hand on my shoulder.  “Care for some advice from someone who’s been in this business for some time now and has seen this scene far too many times?”

I nodded.

“Go visit a brothel before you decide anything.”

“A brothel?”

“Yeah.  You’ve been exposed to a party wipe, Randell.  There’s nothing as sobering as facing your own mortality.  I mean, when it’s over, it’s over, you know?  But the opposite of death… is life.  Or in our case as humans, the act of creating life, even if it’s only an illusion of doing so.”

“So, you’re telling me to release my urges as a way to compensate?”

“That’s not exactly what I meant.  What I mean is that you should go to a good brothel.  One with a beautiful girl that’s just your type who will tell you how wonderful you are.  Even if it’s a lie bought with coin, sometimes that lie is what you need to hear, to keep you from going numb and making an even worse mistake because of it.  You need to be balanced even for a moment before you make a decision of that magnitude.  Deciding on how to wish to continue, whether as a combatant or not, will decide the rest of your life.”

“Have you ever gone to one, Myria?”

“That’s a rude thing to ask a lady!”

“Ah, sorry.”

“Just… trust this older sister’s advice even if it’s going to be for the last time, ‘kay?”

I nodded.

She patted me on the back, and saw me out of the guild.  With the coins I had obtained that once belonged to my now deceased party members, I could put off selling the weapons and armors I had taken from them for now.  I decided to heed the receptionist’s advice about not impulsively going to the temple just yet as well.  But as for going to a brothel, I wasn’t exactly sure about that either.

I returned to the Inn our party was lodged at, mainly to gather what items that may have been left behind in their rooms.  It sounds shitty doing that kind of thing, but that’s just how it was in this world.  If I didn’t take it, either the inn or someone else would.  However, as it turns out there wasn’t much left behind. Just a few changes of clothes and some trinkets, and to be honest, I didn’t need them.  So, I decided I’d eventually sell them as well if I could or donate them away to the charity arm of the temple that does work with orphans and such.

Unlike in other fantasy stories I had read, the church here was genuine and actually did a great many good deeds for the underprivileged.  If there was corruption, it wasn’t even remotely visible.  The Priests of the Unified Temple were commonly self-sacrificing, and didn’t disdain the sick, hungry, or impoverished.

They were good people.

That however did not extend into the area of free resurrections however, since that wasn’t an easily obtained skill even for the high ranking priests, but they’d easily throw around a heal or two without much of an issue if it helped.  Donations were, as a matter of course, always accepted.

The rooms our group lodged in were pre-paid for a few days longer, but I simply asked the Inn’s Missus if she would credit my room for the remaining days of the others while I got my affairs in order.  As it was a party wipe I had been a part of, she was magnanimous enough to do so.

The Blue Robin Inn was the name of the inn I was currently staying at, and had been as well for the entirety of my time as an adventurer.  In fact, it was when I was eating dinner one night soon after arriving and securing lodgings after a harrowing dive involving nearly dying to a trio of Kobolds which led me to meet and eventually get to know the members of the Red Hawks in the first place.

I looked like I went through the ringer, and they extended an invitation to me, who was eating alone, to join them at their table and swap stories.

One of the perks of this place was that the daughter of the owners had a bit of magical skill and had acquired both fire and water magic.  Greasing her palms with a couple of copper coins, she was more than happy to fill a basin with water, heat it up, and let me enjoy a nice soothing bath.  And that too, was something I needed right now.  

I had passed on eating dinner, not thinking my stomach could handle it.  But, what Myria the guild receptionist said still circulated in my mind clearly.  For the first time in my life, and even now in my second …  I thought about it.

Being comforted by a woman for money.

I eventually got out of the bath, dried off with my sweat cloth, and dressed up in something decent.  It turns out Jung’s clothes fit me quite nicely since we were of similar size, and his were better than anything I currently owned.  

Wearing his clothes, I found myself leaving the inn.  Everything I owned was already in my Item Box, so it wasn’t an issue if I left my room locked up or not.  Almost unconsciously, my tired feet carried me to the entertainment district.  

Adult entertainment.

The age of consent here in Labyrinthia was fifteen, but with the sensibilities I had ingrained in me from living on Earth, I had no plans on touching anyone who wasn’t at least eighteen.  That was just my own morality on the matter.

When I finally found my feet stopping, it was in front of the a brothel called Alurian’s Bosom.  It was a place which I once heard Jung talk about having visited before.  Alurian was the name of the Goddess of the Loving Embrace, and one of the main pantheon of gods called Pillars, of which there were thirteen.  

There were lesser gods and goddesses as well, but not all that well known.  Of the thirteen pillars, it was said that healing touch of Alurian’s adherents were always just a bit better than all the others.

In my opinion, if she’s going to be called the Goddess of the Loving Embrace, her heal shouldn’t feel anything less enjoyable than being hugged by a soft pair of great tits.  And if that just so happened to be the case, I’d consider becoming an adherent as well.

I originally though about becoming a Priest or Cleric or whatever class I could obtain that was nearest to it for the Red Hawks as their support, initially.  My last few levels were spent putting points into the Faith stat for that very reason, since the Faith stat affects divine skills, and why I’m sitting at twenty total status points in it.

Entering into the establishment, there was a receptionist here to greet prospective customers, and no shortage of activity.  I greeted her at once and she began her pitch.

“Welcome to Alurian’s Bosom.”

She stared at my blank expression with a practiced customer service smile.

“Is it your first time here?”

I nodded.

“I see, shall I tell you how it works?”

“Please do.”

“We have a number of girls available by the hour, depending on your needs.  While we have many girls to choose from, do be aware the ones on the top ten ranking cost significantly more than the others.”

I held up a hand.

“I uh… came on a recommendation from Myria from the Dungeoneering Guild.”

Saying that seemed to spark some recognition from her.

“Oh, are you by chance Randell Heart?”

“You know who I am?”

The receptionist kept her professional smile before excusing herself.  “Will you please wait here for a moment?”

“Um, sure?”

She left the desk she was attending and went to summon a woman who had to be in her late forties over.  That woman was a bit overweight, though wearing a seductive dress along with shoulder length curly red hair, a few wrinkles on her porcine face, and touting a decorative fan in her hand.

“So, you’re the unfortunate boy she mentioned.”

Did Myria contact this particular brothel by chance?  I wonder how she knew I would wind up at this one?

“Uh…, might I ask how you knew I would be coming here?”

She also smiled at me, but not exactly with sincerity.

“You have the scent of Alurian all over you, boy.”

“I-is that so…?”

That was strange because I wasn’t an adherent of any of the gods of this world thus far.  I hadn’t prayed to any specific god, and when I did, it was only in a non-committing way to any that cared to save my ass from dying any number of times since I began dungeon diving.

“I have prepared someone for you, boy.  You can take as long as you need tonight, but the fee will be five large.”

By that she meant five large silver coins, which was by no means a small sum.  It was more than enough to stay at the inn for a two full weeks with meals included.  It was also half of my new remaining fortune.

“You say as long as I need… what does that mean?”

“It means until the sun comes up and I chase you out.”

“Am… I going to need that long?”

She fanned herself.

“Shall I be honest with you?  Yes, you most certainly will need it.”

“Right… then, I’ll listen to your suggestion.”

We both stood there not saying a word until she made it clear what I was forgetting to do.

“Five large.”

Ah, it was one of those pay-upfront kind of deals.  Excuse me for not knowing in advance, Madame.  

I pulled out the equivalent amount, having only two large silver coins and thirty small silver coins.  She quickly slid the money from the table and into her hand, and pointed at a certain room at the top of the stairs.  

“Do enjoy your stay, boy.”

I thanked her, and headed up the staircase and towards the door in question, which I knocked upon.  The door opened and a very cute girl who I questioned if she was eighteen or older at all, had opened it.

She was wearing a silver slip, and not much else.

“H-hello,” I greeted her, “I’m uh, I’m Randell.  I talked with the lady downstairs and um… I’m here for as long as I need?”

She scanned me up and down with her eyes and let me enter, closing the door behind me once I did, and I was left standing in the room feeling awkward.  It didn’t help that she seemed a bit awkward about it as well.

“So, Randell.  Is there something you’d like to begin with?”

I shook my head.

“It’s my first time um… coming to a place like this.”

She held my hand.

“Are you nervous?”

“Y-yeah.  Sorry, it must not be manly to hear that from me, but that’s just how it is.”

“Since you’re going to be my only partner for tonight then, would you like to start off with some conversation instead?”

“Yes!  Please!  I think… that would help.”

“Hmm, then what should we start with?”

“How about… your name?”

“I don’t have one yet, since I haven’t debuted.”

“Oh. Do you only use fake names here?”

“Well, it’s that kind of place.”

“I’m sorry, I had no idea…”

I must have looked disappointed.

“Kokoro.  You can call me Kokoro then, for today.”

“Oh, sounds Japanese…”

She looked at me with wide eyes.

“You know about Japan?”

“Eh?  Uh… yeah?  I mean I’m not from there, but I am from Earth, so I know about it.”

She clasped her hands over mine.

“Earth?  Really!?  Where were you from?  Is this your original body?”

She was a thin, frail, pale skinned girl with short brown shaggy hair, eyes somewhere between hazel and emerald in color and didn’t look one iota like any Japanese girl I had ever seen, and I was familiar with what they looked like, even though I lived on the other side of the world.

“I guess… though it’s from when I was ten years younger.”

“Hee~ So, where were you from?  America? Europe?”

“America.”

“Is Randell your name from there as well?”

“Ah, yeah.  Randell Heart.  Actually, isn’t your name similar to mine?”

“What do you mean?”

“Doesn’t Kokoro mean heart as well?”

“Maybe?  I didn’t learn all that much English, I’m afraid.”

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“Huh…? aren’t we speaking English right now?”

She shook her head.

“I thought you were speaking Japanese…?”

“Huh…?”

“This world is still somewhat mysterious to me.” She stated openly.

“Me too,” I admitted, “I’m only just now getting my bearings on how things work around here.”

“I wonder if I ever will...  My name is Satori Kokoro by the way.  Kokoro is my given name and Satori is my family name.”

I nodded. 

“I’m familiar with how Japanese naming sense goes.  But that’s amazing!  Your body is beautiful, but there isn’t a trace of any of the Japanese likeness at all.”

“I know!  When I arrived at the Unified Temple, I was in this body instead of my own.  It’s still taking me time to adjust to this being me now.  But I’m not disappointed with it, since at least my breasts are bigger than before.”

That wasn’t saying much, but the rumors of some Japanese girls being flat as a board must have a bit of truth to it.

“I wouldn’t have minded either way what size they are, but don’t get me wrong, I’m not a lolicon or anything like that.  To be honest, the next question I had was how old you are.”

“Mm… I don’t know the exact age of this body, but before I came here, I was twenty if that makes things easier?  I remember going out drinking with some friends because I was finally old enough to, but I think that was when whatever brought me here happened.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.  It did, very much, make things easier.

“That’s good.  I was twenty-nine, and I’m almost certain I died, but when I woke up in the Unified Temple, I was back in my body from when I was nineteen.”

“So, you were an ossan?”

“Eh?  You just spoke Japanese!”

“I told you I’ve been speaking it.  What word did you hear?”

“Ossan.  That mean’s something like uncle or old man, right?”

She nodded.

“Yeah, I guess I was something like that.  Before I knew it I was coming up on my thirties, but I hadn’t done much with my life.  When I came here, I thought this world was like a video game, you know?  I made a dumb decision and chose to be a dungeon diver.”

“Oh.  You… you too… huh?”

“Eh?  You did as well?”

She nodded.

“Yeah… I was in a party and everyone ended up dying while doing what they could to protect me.  I had just reached the tenth level and I knew I didn’t have it in me to go back into the dungeon anymore.  I ended up at the Unified Temple hoping to reset my class and I um…”

“You were able to?”

“I was.  T-the thing is… um… something happened there, and when I class changed my class was set as… this.”

“You mean… a sex worker?”

“Something like that, yes.”

“You couldn’t select your class?”

“No.  Furthermore, when it was done, the Madame was there to collect me after being reset to a Non-combatant.  I was told she’d be the one to look after me from now on.”

“Is that kind of thing supposed to happen?  That’s pretty messed up, isn’t it?  You can’t be okay with it, right?”

“It’s not like I can do anything about it now, and I think it was in respond to my heart’s desire.”

“Your heart’s desire?”

“I can’t help anyone being a dungeon diver, but quite a few of them come to brothels since it’s a life and death occupation. I figure maybe I…. can be the last good thing they have before they die, or maybe I can inspire them to live and return.”

“Haah.” I sighed.

“What?”

“Maybe it’s not a coincidence I met you tonight.”

“What do you mean?”

“I… earlier today, my party wiped on the second floor boss, Goblin Leader.  I was the only survivor.”

She put her hands across her mouth.  “I’m sorry…”

I shook my head.

“It’s not like there was anything you could have done, and I… was a bit of a coward in the end as well.  I had pretended to play dead when I knew neither our scout or I would survive.   When the Goblin Leader was going to defile one of our female party members corpses afterwards, I stabbed him in the back with the spear from our Lancer.  They… they were a good bunch.  The Red Hawks, you know?  They carried me from level five to level ten just so I could class change into a support for their team.  They thought they could beat the boss today, since everyone but me were all over the tenth level and in good condition to fight him.  Killing the boss was going to push me over as well, and from then onwards, I could really contribute to the team…”

She led me to the bed and sat me down, then she climbed on to my lap and though she was a full head shorter than me, she felt like she weighed practically nothing.  Her arms wrapped around me and she gave me a very warm hug.

I hesitated a bit before my own arms wrapped around her thin body.

“Two lost humans from Earth who both experienced the same thing.  I think I understand why I’m here.  I’m sure now that my job… is to heal you.”

“You have a healing skill?” I asked.

“Un.  Don’t you know that all women have a natural healing skill, Randell Heart?”

At first I didn’t know what she meant, but her arms came apart and she took my hand, bringing it to her small but beautiful breast.  

Soft.

Were breasts supposed to be this soft?

I had lived twenty-nine years and didn’t have the first clue.  Nor did I know how warm a kiss was supposed to be, yet when her lips touched mine, I felt all my worries begin to fly away.

She pulled away and I could see a bashful smile on her face.

“Feeling better?” she asked almost coquettishly.

I nodded enthusiastically.

“Tee-hee~☆”

She stuck out her tongue and lightly tapped her head with the knuckles on her closed fist.

I… was pretty certain she just used some kind of charm skill.

They exist… I think.

Probably?

“So, Randell, would you like to talk about your friends for a bit longer?  Why don’t you tell me what you liked about everyone.  Think of it as a good send off to their memories.”

Somehow it felt easier to talk with her now.

“C-can I um…”

“Un.  Go right ahead and use them as much as you want.”

With two hands gently touching, rubbing, and carefully squeezing her breasts, I began to talk about the Red Hawks.  She also intermittently talked about her party who all sacrificed themselves to save her, though not to the Goblin Leader.  They were called the Wind Walkers and were an all-female party.

I talked about Kyros, our Knight who was also our party leader and a good guy.  He was obviously in love with Relenna, who by all accounts was the real leader of the Red Hawks, and when they looked at each other you could just see it… The genuine kind of love for each other that made you wanted to root for them.  Jung, our scout was a bit of a pervert, but also real jokester.  He was someone with whom you could have a drink with and feel a sense of real comradery.   Marta was a bit quiet at times, but she was dedicated to her craft, going so far as to try and teach me the basics about magic, since if I wasn’t able to become a healing-type support, there were plenty of other mage classes that offered all kinds of beneficial support as well that would be just as welcome to the party.  

And then there was Relenna.  She was the glue which held the party together.  Everyone loved her.  They were all childhood friends from the same orphanage, and even though I was an outsider, she was the most accepting of me.  The reason I was laid out by the Goblin Leader in the first place was because I tried to help her because she was that important.  

My helping her might have also been the reason why she died, I don’t exactly know because I was struggling not to die.  When I finally was able to lift my head and body, the last person alive, Jung, he… didn’t last long against that guy.

“Without them looking out for me, I know I wouldn’t have survived.”

“They sound like good people.  My party was too.  They were all locals to Zoma, but they were a cheerful bunch.  I… I don’t know why they bothered to save me either.  They could have saved themselves by abandoning me, and since they died, I can’t even ask.”

Before I realized it, at some point during our conversation her slip had slid down and I found myself groping and even kissing her medium buds in order to comfort her back, as well.  She put her hands around my neck and kissed me wherever she wanted to, on my face and my shoulders and in return let me do whatever I wanted to as well.

My shirt soon came off, and then she went for my breeches.

“Randell, I um… hope you enjoy this.”

I was in what I thought was expert hands, and my first fellatio was given by her.  I couldn’t judge on the technique, but everything she did felt amazing.  It was all new territory for me–being with a woman like this.  So, I just let her do what she wanted.

I thought it was common courtesy to let her know when I was about to let it out, and she surprisingly let me do it in her mouth.  It felt incredible with a real woman.  I don’t know if Jung was telling the truth about all the things he did with women from here, but I’m glad he mentioned this place to me after all.

This was an uplifting experience.  Myria the receptionist was completely right.  I needed this.

I was panting a bit afterwards.

“That was amazing, Kokoro.”

“I’m glad.  I wasn’t sure how I’d compare.”

I laughed.

“There’s nothing to compare it to, you were the best!  If it’s alright with you, can I… do that to you as well?”

“Un.  You can do whatever you want.  I’ll heal you up just as promised.”

“I just want to say, that your healing is the most effective I’ve ever felt in my life.”

And it was.  I should know because I was healed once before when I got a long gash on my arm back when I was level two at the temple for a donation of five copper coins.  It felt itchy feeling my skin knit back together magically and it stayed itchy for almost an entire day afterwards.

I lifted her easily onto her bed and removed her panties, slowly.  A small trail of thin golden hair revealed the maturity of her body.  What I gazed upon was a beautiful and orderly looking pair of lightly colored folds which beckoned me into the boss room of a dungeon far more dangerous than what existed in the center of Zoma.  Though I wasn’t entirely sure what to do at first, it was like an instinct that drew my face there, to her entrance.  My mouth moved to her lower lips and I gave it an adult kiss, my tongue flicking around within those hidden lips as I pleased.

If I hoped for her to say something embarrassing like “Iya, don’t… it’s dirty~” it didn’t happen.  She let me have my way with her and even helped to guide me by pulling on my hair, I think.  For the first time in my twenty-nine years of life, I went this far with a woman and even to my disbelief had made her climax once from it.

I only know it because she let me know.  I felt proud of myself for doing that much.  I hoped it wasn’t a lie, but I got the feeling she was a genuine person and wouldn’t feel the need to fake it with the completely inexperienced me.  After all, a man takes pride in being able to please a woman he likes in that way.

After that, I was more than ready to go again, but I felt the question needed addressing.

“Does this world have condoms?”

She giggled.

“Nope.  We don’t need them!  Every week there is a priest who comes around and gives all of us girls a certain blessing to stave off conception.  To my knowledge there aren’t any venereal diseases either, but if there were I’m sure there’s a spell to get rid of it.”

“How handy.  I wish Earth had that kind of magic, then there wouldn’t be so many unfortunate children, and well, the risk of catching something...”

“Right?  Well, um, I guess it’s time for the main event.  Is there any position you are interested in?”

“I’d kind of like to see your cute face while we do it, if you are comfortable with that?”

“Un, that’s fine with me.  Will you be gentle with me at first, Randell?”

“I’d like nothing more than that.  This is what they call the girlfriend experience, right?”

“Hehe, right.  Until the night’s over, I’m your cute girlfriend who will pamper you lots!”

She then laid down on the bed and spread her legs.  I moved in between them and she reached down to take hold of that part of me, moving it to where it needed to be to enter her.  Then with her other hand, she reached for my own and we locked our fingers together.

“I hope this will help you find your way again, Randell.”

And like that, my first step into adulthood happened in a lovey-dovey way with a cute girl from Earth who lost everything like me then ended up working in some brothel in another world after a scene of brutal carnage that killed the people who tried to helped us both survive.

Kokoro to her credit was incredible, and she didn’t judge me poorly for my performance, though I didn’t know if I had done poorly at all, since I had no prior experience to use as a reference.  For the entire night, I embraced this cute girl and we talked about many other things between sessions.

She was a fan of gyaru culture, though she wasn’t one herself.  She mentioned being taller in her previous body on Earth, and that she liked all kinds of things, loving sappy romance novels the most.

I told her about my past as a college graduate going into a computer sciences field, and my love of Japanese culture even though I had never managed to go there.  I had always wanted to race go-karts in Shibuya Scramble Square.

She laughed when she heard that.

“I always wanted to go to Nezumi Land in America.  I had a friend back in middle school who went and she said it was a fun experience!”

“Oh, I used to live close to it back on Earth.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, when I was younger my family had yearly passes, we used to go all the time.”

“So lucky!”

She let me hold her from behind, and even though she was a sex worker, she felt like the perfect fit in my life.  Maybe it was due to the situation, but I, perhaps for the first time in my life, felt like both my sexual and emotional needs were full.

“I’m glad you came to me tonight, Randell Heart.”

“Thank you for healing me so well, Satori Kokoro.”

Neither of us knew at that time what we meant to each other, but she gave me a new lease on life, and I had done the same for her.  At the end, she told me to promise if I ever felt down, to visit her, and she would heal me up as much as I needed.

I swore to visit her more often than that.

I fell asleep holding her, my heart which was depressed and close to despair earlier now remedied, and when I woke up, it was to an overweight woman making some throat clearing noises.

“Feeling better, boy?”

I shot up awake quickly.

“Yes.  Time’s up, right?”

“Obviously.”

“I feel amazing.  Thank you for letting me be with her last night.”

A satisfied smile crept across her face.

“You will of course come again when your need arises?”

“Absolutely.”

“Good.  This time was a special service, you understand?”

I nodded.

“Can I uh… have just a moment to say goodbye to her?”

“You may have five minutes.”

“Thank you.”

She flicked open her fan and breezed herself with it.  The overweight, curly-haired Madame left the room, and I gently shook Kokoro awake.

“Huh…?  Oh, Randell….?”

“I’m afraid my time is up, Kokoro.”

“Y-yeah.  Um, I really enjoyed spending the night with you.”

“Likewise.  I will come back as soon as I can afford it.  I decided that I’m going to class change into a support class and join a new party and make my living that way after all.”

“I see.”

“I know it’s dangerous, and I could die, but I’ll do my best not to.  After all, now that I know there’s someone wonderful like you, how can I not want to do my best to return?”

She threw her hands around my neck and kissed me again.

“I wish I had met someone as nice as you back on Earth, or even here before…”

“Me too.  I guess being half a world away would have made it nearly impossible for us to have met, but had I the confidence to meet a girl like you, I would have asked her to married me in a heartbeat.”

“Then, rather than being a boyfriend for the evening, if you come see me often you’d be more like my commuting husband.  After all, you’re the only person from Earth that I know besides myself.”

“This feels like a doujin.  I’m a commuting husband who is married to a sex worker.”

“Pfft.  Yeah, I guess it’s impossible, isn’t it?  It’s not like I’m marriage material anymore being in this line of work.”

“Why not?”

“Huh?”

“When I come back, you’ll only be better at healing me up, right?”

“Un.  I guess that’s one way of looking at it…?”

“I’ll see you later, Kokoro.”

“Wait.”

“What?”

“You… really mean that?”

“Last night was the first time I’d ever been with a woman in my life.  I know… what it means for you to be in this line of work.  I also know how unreasonable it sounds, but I think to me… you are the perfect kind of fit.”

“You were a virgin back on Earth, Randell?”

“It’s not something I’m proud of, but yeah.  I just never had any luck with women.”

“Randell.”

“Yes?”

“If you really mean that, then if you can obtain my contract from the Madame and still wish to have me as a wife… I’d be willing to marry you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah but… you understand I can’t do anything about… what happens until then.”

I smiled at her.

“Do you regret your decision to change classes?”

“The one having regrets here would be you, right?  That you would have a wife who did this sort of thing…”

“Since it can’t be helped, why not use your situation as an investment then?”

“What do you mean?”

“Be… be so good at healing me, that I couldn’t possibly be satisfied by anyone else!”

“You’re crazy…”

“I think I’m in love, actually.”

She pulled my head into her breasts and hugged my head as they rested against her healing softness.

“Here’s a special magic to keep you safe until you return to me.”

“I can feel it working already.”

She let me go close to the five minute time limit the Madame set, and I got dressed and said farewell once more to her before exiting the room.  It had been longer than five minutes, but I appreciated the Madame who was waiting outside clearly let the mood be that good.

As she escorted me out of the brothel which was now essentially closed since the establishment’s main operating hours were over and I was a late straggler, she took a moment to pull me aside near the entrance to the street.

“She’s one large silver an hour, when she’s available.  You get it, boy?”

I nodded.

“Don’t worry, Alurian rewards her beloved children.”

“I’d like to believe that.”  I answered her a bit lacking in the faith needed to believe those words, and left the brothel with my next destination being the Unified Temple.

With Kokoro’s help last night, I firmly decided on my future.

I would be a support to others and I’d never let another party wipe happen if I could.  In return, should times get tough, I would rely on Kokoro’s touch to heal me when I am emotionally unstable, lonely, or even nostalgic for Earth, and I would take her from that place and find my happiness together with her.

Of course, I would visit her as much as possible as well until then, but I was also aware that dreams were dreams, and it’s entirely possible everything said in there was only lip service.

But I still thought long and hard about it as my feet carried me to the Unified Temple.

I’d be happy to have her as a wife, even if she had to travel that path.  If she would be happy with a guy like me, I could overlook it.  There was all kinds of magic in the world, and maybe there was even a kind that could return the two of us to Earth.  Maybe… our bodies weren’t gone over there.  Maybe the two of us could be each other’s firsts back in that world, though that didn’t matter to me all that much now.

She was my first anyway.

Even if her body wasn’t.  Her heart was, I felt assured of that.

She was in my Heart, and I was in her Kokoro.

If Alurian was truly the Goddess of the Loving Embrace, she would want us to be happy together, right?

What does it matter how you find love, so long as you do?

I want to be the one to give her a happy life in exchange for her possibly saving my own just now.  I owe it to her, and to my former party members to continue on and live this extra life given to me to the fullest.  For me, and for all of us Red Hawks.

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