Chapter 138: Chapter 137: Water Cooler Conversations

Upon exiting the harem man's room, I was greeted with a bustling sight reminiscent of the Adventurer's Guild. There were warriors, rangers, rogues, and all sorts roaming about in this lobby area. Some were drinking at a nearby tavern, others were going to a receptionist counter, and there was one really long line with a single girl at the start, doing something to their water containers. That must be the water cooler. Hmm… do I go straight to her or just enter the line? I feel like waiting. Queues are a fun way to waste time. 

I go to the back of the queue, right behind a warrior equipped with golden armour that looks too big to be even remotely movable. I've noticed that the gear of the folks in this Reincarnator's Organization are high-end stuff. In fact, I notice that Christie's emblem is on some of them, meaning these guys also have connections to the Wall of Weapons. It makes sense, I guess. The True Wall had a symbol in it that was all over this place. On banners, on the walls, on the windows, and probably on the underwear of the receptionists.

"What a weird thought." I looked at the golden armour warrior, who had turned to me. "Do you always monologue out loud?"

"Apparently so."

"Quite the quirk, then." He held out his hand for a handshake, which I gracefully accepted. Handshakes are cool, kids, trust me. "My name is… well, it doesn't matter. So what brings you to the RO? We don't get many maids that aren't yelling at the receptionist because their noble master was angry with us again."

"I was sucked up into an abyssal wormhole alongside my girlfriend, my party, a giant hand, the idiot who made the wormhole, the shattered pieces of an entire royal palace made out of glass, a beheaded dragon, and a giant rock lobster. After that, I somehow ended up in the Court of the Crimson King."

"There's…" He had a troubled look on his face. "A lot to unpack there. Let me ask a question with a simpler question. Why are you in this line? You don't have a water container."

I leaned over to look at the girl at the front of the queue. Me and the warrior had made some progress in the queue while conversing. "That girl in front is Erwin Kunis, right?"

"Yeah, she is. Smitten by her?"

"Not really. I just have a list of reincarnators whose eyes I have to look into."

"Oh. I see."

"Not gonna question it?"

"Nope. I don't think I'm important enough to ask questions."

"Not important enough?"

"Look around the lobby." I looked around. The scenery was still the same, just generic adventurers bumbling about. "Generic adventurers. That's exactly what we all are. Generic reincarnated adventurers. That's what I mean by not important enough. The RO makes it a point to teach new reincarnators about the nature of narrative roles."

"But how can you tell I'm important? For all you know, I'm a maid."

"Multiple reasons. You came out of Fuller's quarters with your clothes still being neat, you don't look like anyone else here, thanks to your maid dress and bright orange hair, and you're just very weird. Like, weird in both speech and mannerisms, and that's by Mendass standards."

"Observant, huh."

"Haha… yeah. It's my cheat power. I'm just more observant than others. Not the best combat skill, but it certainly helped me here in Mendass. Just being able to notice things helps with surviving."

"Cheat powers? Cheating is bad, especially if it's in Go Fish!" Damnit, Myka, I'll figure out your cheating one day!

"Don't worry, we just call it cheat powers because that's what they're usually called in stories. In reality, they're all minor. Heightened senses, proficiency in a weapon, or enhanced mental capabilities. Nothing big. You can probably analyse combat capabilities. Tell me what you think of the people here, and tell me who you'd think you would have trouble with the most."

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Most of the people I see are… too weak. B ranks? Compared to Mel, who is S rank, they all seem like they'd be taken down with a single arrow. One foot tap is all it'd take for me. "Hmm… you all suck. No one would give me any trouble."

"Geez, way to cushion that." We reached the front of the line. The warrior handed his water container over to Erwin, then faced back to me. "How about Erwin here? I know her cheat is different from the rest of us."

"Huh? What about me?" The girl looked at me while handing back the warrior's water container.

"Hmm… she doesn't seem like much, but… can I look at your eyes first?"

"Umm… sure?" I leaned forward and made firm eye contact. Why? Why not.

Water Cooler You can lower the temperature of water. Side Note: I like water coolers.

"Hmm… yeah, she can't do anything to me in straight combat."

"I'd rather not fight."

"But she could assassinate me. She'd have a bigger chance of killing me than everyone in this building, except for maybe that little kid I left with Mel and the Crimson King." At that moment, the building went silent, staring at both me and the water cooler.

"How exactly does she have a better chance of killing you than everyone else here? We're all combatants, unlike her."

"You're all Otherworlders. You guys should know a thing or two about human anatomy. What was that popular fact that we Mendass natives went wild over a few years ago? The body has a lot of water?"

At that moment, I could feel so many moments of realisation come to the people in the building, followed by shivers in their spines as they stared at their water cooler, who had a grim expression as she figured out what she could do.

"Anyways, I need to find one last guy and my girlfriend." At that moment, a random door was slammed open, and out came Mel, who was panting heavily whilst carrying a sack that looked like it would burst, and the little kid, who seemed fine despite countless blades piercing him. I guess I found my girlfriend.

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Character profile: Erwin Kunis

Sacred power: Water Cooler

Favourite drink: Water. Stay hydrated, kids.

Description: The beloved water cooler of the Reincarnator's Organization. Compared to the average Mendass denizen, Erwin's life has been pretty uneventful. She lived a normal life before, died of natural causes, reincarnated in Mendass, was recruited into the Reincarnator's Organization as a receptionist, and has lived pretty comfortably since. There's really nothing much to Erwin. She's just your average girl who unfortunately ended up in Mendass. The most excitement she gets in life is when she goes home, as she lives with a family of slimes and is particularly close with the eldest daughter. They live with her because her Sacred Power can cool them down, which they like.

Chapter namesake: Water Cooler Conversations by Blemjin

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