"Did you get those papers finished up?"
Claire asked, her smile lighting up the dull office space.
Her fluorescent blonde hair glowed beneath the harsh ceiling lights, framing a pair of sharp, obsidian eyes. Combined with her calm, almost immaculate demeanor, it was no wonder she was the boss's favorite.
"As bright and radiant as usual," I muttered to myself, though something about her expression felt… off.
"Yeah, just need to get them to the boss," I replied, rubbing the exhaustion from my eyes.
I had finally finished the towering stack of paperwork that had been suffocating my desk all day. The monotonous clatter of keyboards filled the office, blending with the sterile hum of fluorescent lights overhead. My entire body felt drained.
"Now… all I have to do is hand these over to the boss…"
"Leooo~! Wanna go out for some drinks after we get out of this place!"
Kita's voice cut through the dull atmosphere like a trumpet.
"I'm totally burnt out today. Maybe sometime soon?" I said with a tired sigh.
Hanging out with my best buddy never ended in a bad night, but today my energy had completely evaporated. Lately I'd been feeling sluggish—mentally and physically.
Kita looked momentarily defeated, like someone who had just been rejected a little too bluntly. But, as usual, it didn't take long for his attention to wander elsewhere—specifically toward Claire, who had just passed by our desks.
I sighed.
I suppose that's just how life had been lately.
Unremarkable.
Repetitive.
Quite frankly, exhausting.
Just as I began packing up my belongings, Claire approached me again.
"Th–the boss would like a moment of your time…"
Her voice was quieter than usual. Her eyes remained fixated on the floor.
A strange chill ran down my spine.
"I didn't make an error on one of the documents again, right…?" I said, quickly scrambling through the papers in a mild panic, scanning for any mistakes.
"I wish that were the case," Claire muttered under her breath.
I paused.
Something about the way she said that made my stomach sink.
Still, I gathered my things and made my way toward Mr. White's office. Each step down the hallway felt heavier than the last, a growing sense of trepidation settling in my chest.
I knocked gently before opening the door.
"H… hello, sir. What's up? I hope I didn't mess anything up in the documents I was working on…"
"Listen."
Mr. White's voice carried an unusual weight to it.
He folded his hands on the desk, avoiding eye contact.
"Recently we've had to lay off a couple of employees due to budget cuts from higher-ups."
A brief pause followed.
"And here at SoftWorks, after careful consideration… we've decided to let go of you."
My heart dropped.
"...Sorry, kid."
The words hung in the air like a verdict.
For a moment I couldn't even respond. Months of late nights, endless paperwork, and constant exhaustion—all dismissed with a single sentence.
It felt like a knife twisting in my gut.
After everything I had poured into this job, this was how it ended?
Even if the work had been overwhelming, it gave me something important.
Purpose.
And now that was gone.
I walked out of the office in a daze, barely registering the familiar surroundings.
"What am I going to do…?"
My voice came out as a quiet mutter.
"What am I going to do… I'm going to end up homeless at this rate…"
Thoughts spiraled through my mind—rent, bills, my parents back home, the humiliation of telling them I had been fired.
I barely noticed how dark it had gotten by the time I was nearing my apartment.
Then suddenly—
My mind went blank.
BANG!
A deafening crack tore through the silence.
For a split second I saw nothing but white as a violent force slammed into my skull. My body collapsed before I even understood what had happened.
Cold pavement met my cheek.
My vision faded.
But the question burned through my fading consciousness.
Why?
I had no enemies. I kept to myself at work, rarely attended company outings, and lived a quiet, forgettable life.
So who would kill someone like me?
And why?
Just as I desperately searched my fading thoughts for answers…
I opened my eyes.
"Welcome… traveler."
The voice was gentle. Almost comforting.
But something about it felt deeply wrong.
I looked up.
Standing before me was the very definition of beauty.
Her presence was radiant—almost divine. Long flowing hair shimmered like liquid light, and her figure seemed to glow with an ethereal brilliance.
Yet the longer I stared, the more uneasy I felt.
Looking into her eyes was impossible.
It felt as if countless unseen gazes were staring back through them, as though something vast and ancient watched me from behind that beautiful face.
Every instinct in my body told me to run.
Yet strangely…
I couldn't look away.
"Your name is?" she asked softly.
"L-Leonal… Leonal Markon," I replied, my voice unsteady.
"It's a perfect name for my new to—"
She paused.
"I mean… our new hero."
A small smile curved along her lips.
For a brief moment, something flickered in her expression—something sharp. Something calculating.
But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.
I could tell something was off.
Yet the strange warmth radiating from her presence slowly dissolved my fear.
It was comforting.
Too comforting.
"Th-thank you, ma'am… Is there any reason why I'm here speaking to you right now?" I asked, my body still trembling slightly.
"Well, my child," she said warmly, clasping her hands together, "you have been summoned to another world."
She tilted her head slightly, watching my reaction.
"I'm sure this happens quite frequently in the media of your world, yes?"
"Yeah… this situation is really common in the anime I watch," I admitted.
Though even as I said it, the unease returned.
There was something about this goddess that didn't sit right with me.
"Now then," she continued, pacing slowly in a small circle around me.
"Before I send you to this world, there are a few things you must know."
Her voice remained soft.
Almost nurturing.
Yet every step she took echoed strangely in the empty void around us.
"First off, this world is currently amidst a massive war between criminals and the rest of civilization."
She stopped in front of me again.
"And to combat this..."
A slow smile spread across her face.
"...I've made sure to give you a very special gift."
For a brief moment, the warmth in her eyes disappeared.
Replaced by something far colder.