You’ve realized by now that the vortex wasn’t killing people. If it was, this would be a very short and uninteresting story, and I wouldn’t be here to tell it to you now, would I?

Oops. That brings attention to the fact that I am alive and writing this, so it’s a minor spoiler. And I’m off on a tangent again. Focus Titus. Focus.

Anyway, what was happening instead of dismemberment by evil vortex was transdimensional quantum hyperplane relocation... You should’ve seen the look on your face. Sorry. I couldn’t help but sneak a quantum pseudoscience term in there after reminiscing about Mr. Monotone last chapter.

The layman's definition for that nonsense term is “we took people from a different universe, and put them over here.” And that about sums up what happened, but enough about that. Let’s get back to the story.

---

My first thought upon regaining consciousness was that my stomach was in dire need of evacuation. So I immediately puked my guts out. I heard other people doing the same, so at least I wasn’t alone in that.

My second thought was that I hurt. Everywhere. Even places that I didn’t know it was possible to hurt. Fortunately, that died down quickly as I started moving around and got to my feet unsteadily.

My third thought wasn’t much of a thought. A more direct translation would probably be along the lines of internet dial tones.

I was utterly stunned by my surroundings. Instead of an auditorium, we were now in a dome-shaped cave. The room we were in easily dwarfed the auditorium in size. However, instead of a natural cave, it looked mostly like someone copied and pasted the same exact pattern of cave rock over and over again until they had enough area to make up a room.

That being said, there were a few distinguishing features. Our lighting was courtesy of torches placed on the wall at regular intervals around the cave. There was also a platform in the middle of the room with an imposing 30-foot-tall grey obelisk on top. An obelisk that I had spawned in next to. And accidentally puked on. Oops.

As for the people in the room, if you guessed that everyone looked like the character they had created, you would be entirely correct. I saw people with animal ears, graceful elves, sturdy dwarves (who were stumbling around due to the change in height), and boring normal humans. Boring normal humans that were now much more fit, but I digress.

All of us were wearing the same basic adventuring gear with sturdy boots, light brown pants, and a rough green shirt (though it looks like the [Berserker] class forwent that last item. And before you ask, no, the female [Berserkers] were not running around topless as they had on bras made of hide that actually covered up decently well).

As I took my look around the room, I eventually realized that people were staring. Why are they staring? It’s not like I.. Oh! Special class and special race! Right, let’s see what I got! I looked at my reflection in the obelisk and screamed.

---

Jake’s first thought upon waking up was that he really felt like he was going to hurl. Fortunately, he was able to hold it in.

His second thought was that his entire body hurt like it would after a particularly sadistic workout.

His third thought was, What happened? Is everyone okay?

After looking around and seeing the video gamish sights, he quickly concluded that they must have actually been put in the game. But what was that orb thing? Maybe we were already in VR when all that was happening? His thoughts were interrupted by Titus screaming.

Jake quickly rushed around the obelisk to see what was wrong.

The sight of Titus’ character stopped him short.

---

My face still had the same basic shape, but the eyes staring back at me were dark red, not blue. I also had black scars along my face, and I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like my canine teeth were much more pronounced. Yes, I know I should have called them fangs since that is what they were, but I was busy freaking out.

To top it all off was the most apparent change, but the one my brain processed last because it simply couldn’t handle it. On the top of my head that was now topped with dark red hair, I had two black horns that were about 3 inches long.

Seeing that was my new appearance, could you blame me for screaming?

Okay, calm down, Titus. Calm down. You obviously are in a game, and you’re the designated villain, right? Not your favorite but no need to freak out. The fact that I was able to puke and feel pain just means it’s a very realistic game. Very, very realistic. I reassured myself mentally as I stared at my reflection.

I heard Jake shout something and then come running towards me. Wait a second. Did he get shorter? It took a few moments for me to realize that he didn’t shrink. I had just grown a few inches.

Jake looked startled for a second and then finally said, “Titus... Is that you?”

“Ye.. yeah,” I managed to reply.

“Are you okay?”

I stared back at my reflection. “I should be. It’s just a game, right? It’s just a game.” I continued reassuring myself when all of us received a message on our screens.

Not that we had actual screens. Screen is just the easiest way I can think of to explain it since it is weird when your Heads Up Display is actually superimposed on your vision.

Anyway, each of us received the following message.

System : As you may have noticed by now, the feelings of these new bodies are hyper-realistic, almost as if they were your real bodies. For all intents and purposes, they are. Congratulations Comic-Con VIPs, you have been successfully transported to another world. Yes, just like the stories all of you have no doubt read.

Access your status screen by thinking or saying “status.” You will exit this tutorial cave when you hit level 5.

The message was punctuated by a deep rumbling sound as all around the cave slabs of stone slid downward and revealed tunnels to explore.

At this point, it should have been more natural to believe we were in a game and not a different world, but somehow all of us knew that the message was telling the truth. Throughout the room, everyone started looking at their statuses. Most people burst out into cheers.

Meanwhile, after opening my status, I turned my back to the obelisk and slowly slid down it until I was on the floor.

I covered my face with my hands and moaned softly.

Jake knelt down next to me and asked quietly, “Titus, what did it assign you? Are you okay?”

Status

Name: Titus

Level: 1

Class: Demon Lord

Race: Demon Lord

HP: 100/100

MP: 0/50

SP: 150/150

Age: 24

[Demon Lord]. Two words that you probably guessed if you cared to read the title of this book. Just two words, but they were powerful enough to rock me to the core.

I’m not an idiot. I knew that they set me up as the villain. I would go along with that if this was a game, but making this my reality? My head was spinning. Also, a class like [Demon Lord] means I’m not just a villain. [Demon Lord] means I’m the villain. I’m the head honcho. The final boss. The villain that sends lesser villains out to do his bidding. The guy that sits back and laughs while his underlings go out torturing people, destroying towns, and kicking puppies. Can I change it? I must be able to change it. Somehow. Maybe?

I was jarred out of my thoughts by Jake shaking me lightly. “Titus, what did it assign you? Are you okay?”

My initial thought was to just tell him. And I was about to when I received another message.

System : Warning, as the demon lord, your class has several downsides.

You don’t get to use skills, magic, equipment, or the inventory The Hero is duty-bound to kill you

It is recommended that you do not reveal your class to anyone. A recommended cover story is that you are a Half-Demon as that is not technically a lie if you count your brain as both human and as one “half” of you.

Uh, okay? I thought weakly. I received two more messages after that.

System: “System “ has set your race display to “Half-Demon”

System: “System “ has set your class display to “Half-Demon”

Wait! Is there a way to change my class?! ... Hello?!

---

Jake was worried. Titus looked like he was about to respond to his question, but he suddenly froze and paled even more, a feat which Jake was surprised was possible.

The silence was getting uncomfortable, and Jake was about to repeat his questions when Titus responded quietly, “[Half-Demon].”

“What?”

“I’m a [Half-Demon]. The system also says I don’t get equipment, skills, magic, or an inventory.” Titus paused and then buried his face in his hands again. “That means I have to fight hand to hand with no assistance. Great.”

Jake started thinking quickly, “It’s okay, buddy. Uhh. Here! Join up with me then! I got a [Hero] class, so it’s probably OP. We’ll just power level you until your class can do stuff. Right?” Jake quickly went back into his status screen and searched around a bit before finding what he was looking for. Ah, party! There it is. He quickly opened up “party” and then invited Titus.

He was a bit surprised when Titus hesitated.

“Oh. Uh, you don’t have to join if you don’t want to,” Jake said. “I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that my party section is greyed out,” Titus said unconvincingly. “I don’t think I can join.”

“Well, give it a try! Let’s see what happens!”

Jake received a notification.

System: “Titus, Half-Demon, lvl 1 Half-Demon” has joined your party

“Titus, why does this say you are a Half-Demon [Half-Demon]?”

“It turns out they set that as both my class and race,” came Titus’ reply.

“Ah, gotcha.” Jake was already moving on mentally, though. That’s one party member. A [Hero’s] party needs at least four, right? Well, I already know number 3.

“Garrett!” Jake shouted. “Get your butt over here and join my party!”

---

Garrett’s first thought upon regaining consciousness was that he hadn’t had a drink in years, so why was he waking up wanting to puke? Unfortunately, he couldn’t hold it down, so he turned over on his side and let loose.

Garrett’s second thought was that he hurt everywhere.

Garrett’s third thought was, Is that kid lost?

The last one was because he saw a little kid with short brown hair and dog ears who looked like he was on the verge of tears.

He walked over to the kid. “Hey, is everything okay? Are you lost?”

---

Tim’s first thought when he woke up was that his tummy felt bad.

His second was that he hurt all over.

His third was that he didn’t know where his dad was and that he was scared and alone. He definitely did not start crying as he started looking around and calling out for his dad.

His fourth was that he was walking without even realizing it. He was walking!

His not crying was interrupted by a big scary guy with no shirt on and scars all along his body.

Tim started screaming.

---

Garrett heard a scream from the middle of the room at the same time that the little kid in front of him started screaming.

Garrett backed up a bit, got on one knee, and tried to reassure the kid. “Woah there. Easy tiger. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Tim eyed Garrett suspiciously.

“In fact, I think I saw you earlier with your dad. You’re looking for him, right? Why don’t I help you?”

Tim nodded reluctantly.

“Alright, what’s your dad’s name?”

“Andrew.”

“Alright, let’s start looking.”

They both started calling out for Tim’s dad but stopped momentarily when they received the system notification. Their reading was interrupted when a dwarf started stumbling over to them.

---

Andrew’s first thought when he regained consciousness was that he thought he was going to be sick.

His second thought was, There’s no time for that! Where’s Tim?!

Ignoring the pain, he looked around frantically. He tried to run but kept stumbling over himself. Looking down, he realized why. Cursed dwarf body! Why’d I have to let Tim pick my race and class?

He finally heard two screams, one of which he recognized. “Tim! I’m coming!” He took off like a heavily unbalanced rocket towards his boy. He saw the system notification but didn’t spare it a single thought.

When he finally saw Tim, he saw him walking calmly next to a [Berserker] with both of them calling out his name.

Then Andrew’s mind caught up to what he was seeing. Wait a second. He’s walking!

He stumbled to Tim, called out his name, and then finally wrapped him in a hug.

“Tim, I was so worried about you! But look at you! You’re walking!”

Tim giggled, “Yep! And dad, you’re only a foot taller than me now. I’m really gonna catch you soon.”

“Oh, hush you,” Andrew said while ruffling Tim’s hair. Andrew suddenly remembered the giant in the room. He gestured toward him, “And who’s your friend who helped you look for me?”

Garrett reached down a hand. “Garrett. Nice to meet you, Andrew. Glad you two were reunited quickly.”

They heard someone call in the distance, “Garrett! Get your butt over here and join my party!”

Garrett chuckled and said, “Well, sounds like Jake is getting impatient. I gotta go. See you around, little guy.” He gave Tim a quick fist bump and then started walking towards the center of the room.

Andrew was no longer concerned about the fact that they were in a different world. If that was what it took for his little boy to no longer need a wheelchair, that was fine with him.

---

I was still moping on the ground by the time Garrett got over to us. He and Jake started exchanging a few whispers, but I had a lot to process, so I didn’t exactly mind being left out at the moment.

Any time now, I’ll just wake up and think about what a crazy dream I had, right? I pinched myself. Nope. Had to check, though. So, let’s go over the facts.

I’m in an entirely new world that looks like it’s based on a fantasy RPG I have been chosen as the [Demon Lord] of that fantasy RPG world I don’t know of a way to get home There’s no way that you can take someone who isn’t in a game and put them into one, right? So.. Am I even real? Do I even exist?

I immediately tabled the fourth thought. I.. Can’t dwell on that last one. I shook my head. Wait. All of this is solved if I find a way home, right? And don’t heroes tend to be the ones who find that way home in stories? My mood was rapidly improving. I’m also in the [Hero’s] party! So, as long as I just ignore the fact that I am a [Demon Lord] and stick close to the [Hero], I should be able to make it home just fine!

My plan made, I finally stood up and greeted our new party member.

---

Jake noticed that Titus looked deep in thought, so he stepped away to talk with Garrett.

“What’s this? Not an hour in, and you’re already picking up strays, eh?” Garrett elbowed Jake.

“Oh, Titus? Well, not exactly. We actually met when we were both late for Comic-Con. We also both got special classes. Oh yeah! I will have you know that you are the third member of the [Hero’s] party!” Jake shot Garrett a grin that faded just as quickly as it appeared. “But poor Titus got stuck with some stupid [Half-Demon] class. He doesn’t have a weapon and can’t use magic or skills.”

“Wow. That is rough. I can forgive you for giving up my first invite privileges in that case.” Garrett nodded. “I still want to make a good party, though, so we can’t be too charitable with our remaining slots.”

Jake laughed, “That’s rich coming from you, ya big softie. Anyone looks at you like a lost puppy, and you’ll change your tune in a heartbeat.”

They both chuckled, and Jake was about to continue when he noticed Titus standing up and walking towards them. He still looked a bit troubled, but much less than before.

“Oh, hey Titus, this is Garrett, my friend, and guardian. Garrett, this is Titus, a friend I met just before all of this started.”

They shook hands, and Titus gave a one-word question, “Guardian?”

Jake looked back at Garrett and realized something. “Ah. It’s even more difficult to tell age now, isn’t it? Anyway, Garrett over here’s a geezer. Incredibly old. A wise sage you might say-”

He was suddenly muffled by a headlock from the [Berserker]. “And Jake, here is a spry spring chicken. Barely a baby.” He let him go after a final noogie.

Titus looked more confused than before. “We’re both kidding, though it isn’t a joke that there’s quite an age gap between us,” Jake said after recovering from the noogie. “I’m 22, and before all of this happened, I was a college student. Garrett over there is thirty-three years old and-”

“Thirty-four actually,” Garrett interrupted briefly. “Don’t remind me, though.” He sighed.

“Okay, thirty-four years old and was a middle manager at a lumberyard. Now that we’re in a game, or I guess in this world, it’s even harder to tell, isn’t it?” Jake followed up, “What about you? I never asked, did I?”

“I’m 24, and I’m a programmer,” Titus answered a little tersely.

He seems a bit preoccupied. Well, I can’t blame him. He didn’t exactly get the best welcome into the game. Jake thought. Also... The system.. It mentioned a tutorial, but what exactly is that going to look like?

Jake pulled up his status and noticed an interesting section labeled “help,” so he activated it. A little ball of light appeared.

As soon as Titus saw it, he groaned. “Really? A tutorial fairy too?”

“Looks like it!” Jake chuckled.

The fairy spoke directly to his mind. The tutorial cave gives adventurers from another world a chance to get used to their classes and bodies in a relatively low-risk environment before releasing them into the world.

“Sweet!” Jake exclaimed aloud. “What else can you tell me about the tutorial?”

The fairy gave him a few different options to choose from.

Jake was about to pick when he realized that no one else could hear the fairy and that he was attracting a few strange looks for talking to himself.

“Garrett, do you have a help section in your status?” Jake almost facepalmed as his status opened, and he quickly closed it.

“A what?”

“Right. That answers that. Help me gather everyone up. I think I may be able to get us started on the right track.”

Jake got Titus and Garrett to help round people up near the obelisk platform so that he could give everyone critical information about the new world they were in.

---

Allow me to summarize what we learned since the conversation itself was very important but not exactly exciting.

First, resources (aka resource pools, or pools). Every adventurer has three primary resources: health (HP), mana (MP), and stamina (SP).

HP is the most important. If you lose all your HP, you are unable to do anything. If you are at negative HP, your HP starts slowly going down by itself. If it hits a negative amount equal to your max HP, you die. For example, if you have 50 max HP and you hit -50, sayonara. MP is used to cast spells and is primarily used by mages. There is no penalty for being out of mana except that you can’t cast any more spells. SP is used to perform physical actions. Most simple actions like running or attacking drain SP slowly, but certain skills use up more at a time. Like MP, running out of SP means you can’t take any actions that use it.

Next, levels. The starting level is level 1. You gain levels by defeating enemies. Higher levels make you stronger, faster, and increase your resources (HP, MP, and SP).

Third, spells. Spells are abilities that require a specific chant and enough MP. For low-level spells, the chant is often the spell’s name.

Fourth, skills. Skills are also split further into active, passive, and toggle. Active skills are similar to spells, except they don’t require a chant to activate and usually cost SP instead of MP. Passive skills just provide a general boost of some kind (like the [Swordmanship] skill increases damage when using sword-type weapons). Toggle skills are like passive skills, except they have to be activated. Skills also differ from spells because they have levels to them going from 1 to 10 (e.g. [Swordsmanship] at level 1 means almost nothing. [Swordsmanship] at level 10 means that you really hope that guy is on your side).

Fifth, items. Each class has items that they can equip to make them stronger. Most classes have restrictions on what items they can equip. For example, [Warriors] cannot equip wands, and [Wizards] cannot equip swords. Items are stored in an invisible, internal inventory and can be brought out at any time. However, heavier items take longer to pull out. The total amount of stuff you can carry is limited by weight (unfortunately, we didn’t get any information about how much weight we could carry).

Finally, the party system. There are a limited number of slots to each party, but being in a party gives several benefits.

The ability to see your party member’s HP, MP, SP, class, level, and race in the top left of your “screen” Any kills made while in a party share experience between all party members As long as you are in a party, you can sense your other party members' general direction

---

My thoughts turned glum during our little tutorial session. I dutifully went through my status, and just like Jake was mentioning, there were skills, spells, parties, equipment, and an inventory. Unfortunately, I had access to none of it. Focus on the positive Titus. You’re in the [Hero’s] party, you should be outta here in no time... Right?

After Jake finished, everyone broke up and began looking for party members if they didn’t already have a party. Jake was included in that.

“Com’on guys! We gotta hurry before all the good party members are snatched up!” Jake started frantically looking around.

“And... How do we know which party members are good ones?” I asked, a bit puzzled. “We’re all level 1, and we have no idea what anyone’s like. It’s not as if you can just look at someone and see if they would be a good fit.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, kiddo,” he grinned cheekily at me while pointing finger guns. When he saw my blank stare, he coughed and then continued. “I actually have a skill to help with that. It’s called [Eye for Talent].” He put some air quotes around his skill name. “It seems like when I have it active and look at people, they glow brighter or dimmer. Not exactly sure what it bases it on, but it should help us at least narrow down candidates.” Jake started scanning the crowds when he said, “Actually, I think I found our first candidate over there. Let’s go see if she wants to join.”

Jake took off while Garrett and I looked at each other, shrugged, and then followed him. Ahead of us was quite the scene.

Four guys were surrounding a poor girl with cat ears and long brown hair. It looked like they were trying to pressure her into joining their party. Of course. First pick. Well, he does have the [Hero] class. Let’s see what he does to break this up.

He didn’t have time to. An arrow suddenly came streaking towards the guy in front and hit him square in the foot. He immediately jumped up and down and screamed, “WHO THE HECK SHOT ME?!” (Yes, heck... Well, you’ll see later).

An elven woman with long blonde hair and deep blue eyes strode confidently forward with another arrow already nocked on her bow. “Consider that a warning shot. The next one will go somewhere.. much less pleasant.” The guys broke away from the catgirl while muttering things under their breath that I didn’t catch. I couldn’t help but think that her glare seemed familiar.

The elf now had the entire room’s attention, and she made good use of it. She marched to the center of the room and hopped up on the obelisk platform. “Anyone who tries to force a woman to join them or treats a woman as anything less than an equal is going to answer to me. Are we clear?”

As her eyes swept the room, I finally recognized her. The woman who sat in front of us in the auditorium. “Still just as scary.” I shuddered. “Hey Jake, shouldn’t we go politely, very, very politely, invite that girl that you were going to ask to join the party?” I said while pointing over at the catgirl.

Jake looked over. “Her? Oh, no. I meant her.” He said, pointing up onto the platform.

I looked back up at the elf and snorted. “Her? Well, good luck with that. I’m gonna just stay over here out of range. Thank you very much.”

I missed an almost imperceptible nod between Jake and Garrett and suddenly found myself being dragged backward by them. “Com’on ya scaredy-cat.” Jake chuckled.

I tried pulling away a few times but eventually just gave up and let them literally drag me to the obelisk.

“Yo! We’re a party with 3 melee fighters and are looking for some ranged damage. I’m Jake, [Hero] and party leader, this brute is Garrett, and this shy guy’s Titus. Would you care to join our party?” Jake paused slightly at the end, and I realized he was probably sending her the party invite.

She looked like she was about to reply when she suddenly stopped. I saw her mouth the word “hero” before shaking her head briefly. She gave a hmmph noise before saying, “I suppose I can make do with your party for now. You may call me Emilia.” She humphed again and turned her head away from us. What on earth was that? It’s like… she’s reading off a bad script for the part of tsundere[1] girl or something? I didn’t have long to determine what was happening before Jake interrupted again.

“Alright! Party of four. Let’s see if we can get some spellcasters in here... Wait a sec. I think I see a candidate or two over there!” He turned and took off towards another pair of girls. Garrett, Emilia, and I looked at each other for a second and then followed.

It was a fairly odd scene. The two girls stood in front of the other, and they made quite the strange duo.

Standing in the back with ramrod straight posture was a tall young woman with bunny ears coming up out of her medium-length black hair. She held her shield and sword in a somewhat relaxed stance, but you could practically feel the nervousness radiating out of her.

Standing in front of the knight was a young woman with cat ears and short red hair. She was waving her wand around menacingly as if daring anyone to approach the knight. It would have been a more intimidating sight if it wasn’t for the fact that she was maybe 5’4 (and that’s being generous). She turned her wand towards Jake at his approach. “If you’re planning anything for her, you’re gonna have to go through me!”

Jake replied. “Actually, we’re wondering if you wanted to join our party. We’re a bit light on spellcasters at the moment. I’m Jake, [Hero] and party leader. The big lug is Garret, our [Berserker]. Emilia’s our [Ranger]. Titus is another melee fighter.”

“Wait. You’re asking me?” The red-head turned towards the other woman who gave a brief, barely visible nod. “I’ll join, but only if you also invite her. Okay?”

Before I could object based on the fact that we were trying to get more ranged people, Jake replied with a quick, “Of course!”

The shorter girl gave us a wide grin. “Well, in that case, I am Sam the [Sorcerer] and the beautiful princess behind me, though I guess her class is [Knight], is Lindsey, nice to meet you.”

After noticing Lindsey still had yet to say a word, Jake pulled Sam over to the side real quick and whispered, just loud enough that I could barely hear, “Are you sure Lindsey’s fine joining up with us? She seems really nervous.”

Sam whispered back, “She’ll be fine. She’s just shy. Just give her some space and don’t expect her to talk to you directly.”

That seemed to satisfy Jake. “All right! 2 ranged damage dealers, several melees acquired. Next, we need a healer!” He looked around briefly. “I think I see one!” Jake took off in yet another direction leaving the rest of us to once again follow behind.

This time, Jake wasn’t the one to make first contact as the [Cleric], and his little boy noticed us coming.

Tim waved, “Hey, Mr. Garrett!”

Garrett smiled and waved back, “Heya Tim.”

As those two started chatting, Jake walked up to Andrew, introduced us, and asked if he wanted to join our party.

Andrew thought for a second and then frowned. “I’m sorry, but I think I’ll just party up with Tim. His safety has to be my first priority.”

Jake thought for a second. “Hmmm.. Well, maybe Tim could join us too then? We have quite a few melee people, so we should be able to keep a spellcaster safe.”

Garret and I were both about to object since we weren’t sure about taking a kid along, but before I could, Tim ran over to his dad. “Me?! Join the [Hero’s] party? Can I, dad!? Please, please, please!?” Puppy dog eyes mixed with literal puppy dog ear scored a critical hit on Andrew, Garrett, and me. My objection died on my lips, and Garrett’s turned into only a long sigh.

Andrew lasted 5 seconds under the relentlessly cute onslaught before giving in. “Oh, alright.” He sighed. “I need everyone’s help protecting Tim, though. I couldn’t bear to see anything happen to him.”

2 more members were added to the party amid Tim’s cheers.

Jake then turned and looked at us, “We have ranged damage, we have tanks, we have a healer, we’re good to go! Let’s do this!”

His proclamation was greeted by nods, grunts, and cheers. As Jake took off in the lead towards one of the tunnels, everyone followed behind.

Trailing at the end of the group, I looked over our party and thought for a minute. You know, that was kind of a whirlwind recruitment, but I think the [Hero] did a pretty good job now that I have some time to go over it. The only class we’re missing is a [Rogue], but we should be fine in the tutorial without it.

Usually, [Heroes] in this type of story end up being inexplicably surrounded by beautiful young women, but he also managed to surprise me and actually recruit some guys. I grinned. Yeah, we have Andrew and Tim... Who are too old and too young for the girls, respectively. My grin slipped a little. Garrett... Who’s his best friend, will be his wingman, and might also be too old for them. My grin vanished. And then there’s me. And I doubt any of them are interested in someone who looks like me. I facepalmed before I could stop myself. How did I end up letting this happen!? At this rate, it will devolve into a stupid harem story. All the girls will fall for him inexplicably, and he will somehow be completely oblivious to it all!

I looked over the girls in our party again with a different eye. Face the facts, Titus. You already let him party up with Emilia, the tsundere, Lindsey, the quiet/shy one, and then Sam who is.. I trailed off a bit. The tomboy? No idea yet. Either way, the party’s stuck with them now, so the only hope is.. I know! A [Rogue]! If we can get a [Rogue] in the party, that might be enough to avoid the trope! Girls often fall for the [Rogue], right?

Armed with that knowledge, I knew that I just had to convince one to join the party.

Unknown to me, a [Rogue] had already picked us.

---

Similar to the rest of us, the thief dealt with the nausea and the pain in turn.

The thief’s third thought, however, was about all the wonderful marks that were wandering around.

Thief, in this case, being an occupation, not a class.

And, unlike most people, the thief immediately looked at skills and found the one they were looking for. [Steal], a skill that allows the user to take items from another’s inventory if they maintain contact long enough.

The [Rogue] went to work and stole from people while they were distracted with nausea and pain, stole from people while they listened to that [Hero] guy talking up on the stage, and stole from people who were trying to put together their parties. It was altogether too easy.

But it was also altogether unrewarding. The thief was tired of getting only a few gold coins or a potion here and there.

And so, the thief’s attention turned to the [Hero] again. He would be a great mark, both him and that demon-looking guy since, surely, special classes would get special items.

Smiling, the [Rogue] moved in.

---

“Oof!” A human woman with short brown hair wasn’t watching where she was going and ran straight into Jake. Jake stopped but remained standing while the woman fell backward to the ground with a thud.

“Oh! Sorry! Didn’t see you there.” Jake was quick to apologize and offer the woman a hand up.

“Oh, that’s okay! Clumsy me.” She flashed Jake a quick smile. She wobbled a bit as she stood up, so Jake held onto her hand for an extra second or two before she stabilized.

The woman’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, but before any of us could catch it, her smiling facade was back. She started shaking Jake’s hand vigorously and said, “Nice to meet you [Hero]! I’m Megan.”

Jake was growing less and less comfortable with the woman who seemed to be attached to his hand. “Uhh. I’m Jake. Nice to meet you too.” He tried twice to disengage, but her grasp held firm. Finally, reaching his limit of the awkward situation, he asked, “Uhh. Could you please let go of my hand?”

As if she just realized what she was doing, the woman nearly jumped and said, “Oh! Sorry about that! I was just so excited about meeting the [Hero]! I’ll let you get back to your adventuring!” She started walking backward in my direction while waving at Jake. “Bye, [Hero]! Nice to meet you!”

Clumsy person, walking backward. I think I know how this ends up. She was just a few feet away from me when she validated my guess and tripped over her own two feet. Fortunately, I was able to catch her before she went down. “Careful, okay?” I said as I helped her back upright.

“Aww, you’re a sweetheart. Thank you.” After getting fully back upright, she gave me a look that I couldn’t quite comprehend, but it quickly turned into a smile before she walked off. I couldn’t help but watch after her.

She’s a little clumsy and seems like a bit of a ditz. But dang, she is cute. She caught me looking at her, and I quickly turned away to catch up to the group.

---

Megan was slightly panicking. Not from the first mark, that had actually gone reasonably well despite her having to embarrass herself. It was the message she got when trying to steal from that demon-looking guy that had her freaking out.

System: Steal Skill Failed

What could cause the skill to fail? She snuck a furtive glance over at him and saw him looking back her way. Does he know? Why isn’t he saying anything? She breathed a sigh of relief when he turned away and continued walking with the party.

Okay, disaster averted. Now, why did it take so long to steal that sword from the [Hero]? I get that it’s a special item, but even so...

She opened her inventory to take a second look at the item. Oh no.

Hero’s Sword (stolen)

A unique weapon only usable by the Hero. Deals extra damage to demons and boss monsters. Scales in power with the Hero.

Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself. Definitely a score, but not one I wanted! It’s like stealing a painting only to find out afterward it’s the Mona Lisa! What am I supposed to do with this? I can’t sell it! I certainly can’t use it! And if he’s the [Hero], he probably has demons he needs to kill with this thing! I don’t want to be the reason the bad guys win!

At this point, she noticed a certain demon-guy looking at her once again. Her panic didn’t reach her face, but all of her hard work calming herself down was undone. He knows!

---

I caught up to the party, and we continued marching while Megan was busy having a crisis, but Garrett, fortunately, stopped us before we did something stupid. “Shouldn’t we, you know, come up with a formation and some basic tactics? Also, Jake, get out your weapon, bud.”

Jake stopped and noticed the [Berserker] had his two-handed ax out, Tim had pulled out his wand, and even Andrew, our healer, had pulled out a mace. “Both excellent ideas. See! This is why I keep you around, ya geezer!” After concentrating for a few seconds, Jake had a puzzled look on his face. “Okay. Total noob question. Your weapon was just in the inventory section, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Soooo... what if I don’t see one?”

Jake’s confusion spread to the rest of us.

Garrett answered, “Uhh. Try going out and back in?”

“That’s the first thing I tried! All I see is gold and a health potion!”

Silence fell over the party, but after a couple of seconds, I started laughing, “Well [Hero], looks like you are stuck with me in the hand to hand combat crew!”

Jake grumbled, “Man, this sucks! What kind of [Hero] doesn’t start out with a cool weapon?”

After finishing my chuckle at Jake’s expense, I looked back at Megan and caught her watching the party. “Hey [Hero], on a different note, do you think she wants to join our party?” I questioned while pointing at the staring woman. “She's been acting super weird, so she might just be too nervous to ask.”

Jake put his lamenting over the lack of a cool sword on hold for a minute to look over. “Lemme check her out with [Eye for Talent] really quick.” After pausing a second, he continued. “Yeah, she would be a good pick. What class do you think she has?”

Garrett looked over at her too. “No idea. I don’t see her weapon out, and that’s the only distinguishing mark I’ve seen.” He paused. “Why don’t you just ask her?”

“Good idea.” He then walked towards Megan and shouted, “Yo, Megan! What class are you?”

---

Megan was debating what to do and whether or not she was caught when she heard Jake’s question. She froze for a second, and her brain went into overdrive. Should I tell him the truth? It would be hard to impersonate a different class since I can’t exactly use the sword I stole. But is he trying to trap me, or is he just curious?

Not hearing an answer, Jake repeated his question. He was also getting closer. Times up then! Just answer! “I’m a thie-- Err.. [Rogue]. I’m a [Rogue].”

Jake’s eyes lit up. “And were you wanting to join our party? We’re actually just missing a [Rogue], and we’d have someone from each class! Well, except [Warrior], but I think I count as one.”

Join their party? Is that what they thought I was doing? She mulled it over. Wait! I can use this! Perfect! Why steal from the [Hero’s] party now when I can steal from them later after they have way more gold?

“Of course [Hero]! I would love to join your party! In fact, I had already prepared my resume!” Megan made a quick flourish with her hand and pulled out the Hero’s Sword. It was a thing of beauty with a long silver blade, a gold cross-guard, and a white handle. Everyone admired it for a full half-second before it promptly phased through her hand and clattered on the ground. Looking a bit embarrassed, she quietly said, “So that’s what it means when you can’t equip an item.”

Jake looked at the sword. Then he looked at Megan. He looked back at the sword. After pausing for a second, he finally answered. “Wait. That’s mine?”

Internally, Megan barely kept herself from facepalming, but outwardly she laughed. “Yes, [Hero]! I stole your sword while we talked for the first time. That’s why I had to make such a fool of myself.” Her tone went down to a stage-whisper, “Apparently, you are very difficult to steal from.”

Jake picked his sword up and started giving it some practice swings. First one-handed, then two-handed. “Yes! I knew heroes had to have cool swords!” Jake paused for a second, and then Megan received a party invite, which she quickly accepted.

As Jake was introducing her to the rest of the party, Megan only paid half-attention since she had their names on the party screen anyway. It seems like they bought it. Megan let out a huge sigh internally. That was pretty close. I don’t know what I was thinking! The initial euphoria of her heists was quickly watered down as she realized how bad of a plan it was. No escape route. No fence. And if I had been caught, it would have just been me and 1000 people who would no doubt hear about it immediately. Also, I think the notification said we have to get to level 5 before we can leave? What if I was stuck without anyone willing to take me in a party? She shuddered.

At least I got away with it this time. I don’t think any of them noticed... She trailed off as she was introduced to Titus, who seemed to be staring at her a bit harder than the others. Except maybe him. But if he did, why didn’t he say anything? Megan’s suspicions grew.

What is your game, Titus?

---

I was so excited that we got the cute [Rogue] in our party that I was late realizing that my plan was ruined. No! When I said we needed to get a [Rogue], I meant a male one! You were supposed to bring balance to the party, not leave it a harem! I sulked.

At least she’s cute. It’s unfortunate that she’ll probably get sucked into Mr. [Hero]’s isekai protagonist harem-aura, but hey, maybe the [Hero] will actually pick one, and then I’ll have a shot.

It was finally my turn to introduce myself when I thought back to her first interactions with me. Does that mean that she was trying to steal from me? My eyes narrowed a bit in suspicion at her while we shook hands. I thought a bit more and came to my conclusion. Ah. She was probably just trying to add to her “resume” but didn’t know that I have no inventory, much less any items.

I was brought out of my thoughts by Jake clapping his hands and saying, “Alright, everyone. Planning time. Let’s hear about everyone’s equipment, skills, and magic and come up with some formations.”

Standing around in a circle, we got into the serious work of planning.

[1] Tsundere (tso͞on'dər-ā) is a common anime character archetype where the character is cold/indifferent/mean until they later warm up OR they are a character who has trouble expressing their feelings and acts rudely and embarrassed towards someone they like