Volume 2 Chapter 5 Mental Training
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Yuko moved fast after hearing the story from Zofie-san. By the next day, a message was waiting at the Guild, and we met up on Yellow Day¹ the following week. Since she was on the clock, I made my way to a spot near the castle to grab lunch with her.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but she hit me with such a relentless wave of venting that I actually recoiled. It was like she was completely reeling from the culture shock—or maybe she just hadn’t adjusted to the “common sense” of this world yet. I’d figured that if we met on her day off, I’d be stuck listening to her complain until the sun went down, so this was definitely the right call.
”There are no smartphones or internet here, so there’s no way to kill time. I can’t catch a break!” she groaned.
”Yeah… sounds rough,” I replied. I’ve heard that when women vent, they’re looking for a shoulder to lean on, not a solution, so I just nodded along quietly. She’s from that “STEM girl” generation² everyone made a fuss over, and she’s got a ton of pride, so talking back would be a nightmare. She doesn’t seem to realize how arrogant she actually is, though.
”How about you? Araya-kun, you’re working as an adventurer, right?” she asked.
”Yeah, more or less. I’m finally getting the hang of it. Also, you can’t use surnames here, so I’m just going by Daisuke,” said Daisuke.
”Right, I forgot. So, is Daisuke-kun okay?”
”Go for it. I’ll call you Yuko-san, then,” replied Daisuke. Based on looks, she’s basically a high schooler, so “Yuko-chan” would fit her appearance, but using that for a woman who’s pushing forty on the inside? (Just imagining her in her old body makes me feel sick. I think my creep of a boss used to call people that, but she was only in her early thirties then. Even then, it’s a stretch. There’s no way I’m calling a middle-aged woman ‘-chan.’)
”I feel so much better getting all that off my chest,” Yuko said.
”Glad to hear it,” I replied. (Meanwhile, I’m the one taking the mental damage.) She’s always looked down on me—or maybe she just lacks any sense of tact—and she hasn’t changed a bit. Still, she was always a hit with the brass, especially the older guys, so she was a favorite. Back when I didn’t click with my direct supervisor, she’d swoop in to “intercept” or take me out to eat. In a way, she was a real piece of work. If she plays her cards right here, she might actually live a decent life. Not that I care.
”Is monster hunting really that hard?” Yuko asked.
”Yeah. At first, it took five of us just to take down a rabbit, and carving open a goblin’s gut to pull out a Magic Stone was brutal. They might not be smart, but they look human. The Kobolds after that were the same. There are tons of humanoid monsters, and I hear there are giant bugs too. It’s a lot to handle if you aren’t used to it,” I said.
I wasn’t lying. I’m used to it now, so it doesn’t turn my stomach, and my Butchery Skills make it a breeze, but if I told her that, she might demand I take her along. Honestly, that sounds like a massive pain, so I’m setting up boundaries early. Level 1, pathetic stats, zero combat skills—she’d be nothing but dead weight. If this were a paid escort gig, fine, but she’d probably expect a free ride.
She isn’t the type to be humble enough to offer a reward. She’s basically a parasite. If I had any feelings for her, maybe I’d do it gladly, but her? I have zero interest in dating or marrying her. If it wasn’t for Zofie-san, I wouldn’t have even wanted to see her. Heck, I’d already forgotten she existed.
”I see… it really does sound like a lot. I don’t think I could… So, how’s Daisuke-kun’s private life?”
”Nothing special. I’ve only been here a month, so I don’t have the luxury of playing around. Besides, with my Titles’ effects, it’d probably be a waste of time anyway,” I said.
”I guess so.” Ugh. That was a subtly annoying reaction that confirmed she thinks I’m “undateable.” Well, it’s not like I want anything to happen with her, so I’ll just suck it up. (For the record, the brothel isn’t about romance, so that doesn’t count. But if I told her, she’d just mock me.)
”It’s good that I haven’t run into any s*xual harassment from the old farts, but being surrounded by nothing but women is its own kind of annoying. And I can’t talk about this stuff at work. It’s so nice having someone like Daisuke-kun who shares the same background and values to talk to—the conversation just flows!”
”So-ssu,” I said. (Not for me, it doesn’t.)
”I feel a bit more settled now. I’m going to go back and show them what I can do by getting some real results,” Yuko said.
”Keep at it.” I’m just glad she’s feeling motivated. Of course, when I say “Keep at it,” what I really mean is “Deal with it yourself.” If I actually wanted to help, I’d have said, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
Alright, that’s enough. I don’t want to take any more damage. “Your lunch break is probably ending soon. Shouldn’t you get back?”
”Oh, is it that time already? Let’s do this again sometime,” Yuko said.
Let’s not. But it’d be bad to refuse outright. She built up a month’s worth of bile that fast; it’s clear she isn’t fitting in at work—or with this world in general.
”Sure. Maybe in another month or so, we can do the same thing,” I said.
”Sounds good.”
”Got it. I’ll cover lunch today.”
”Oh, thanks!” Back home, she would have insisted on splitting the bill because she hated feeling indebted, but here she must be really strapped. She accepted instantly.
”See you around,” I said.
”Yeah, see you.”
I gained absolutely nothing. I just lost time and money. This was either some kind of mental training or straight-up torture. I really hope Zofie-san gives me a “reward” later.
[Requirement for experience points met. Acquired Skill: “Depression Resistance.”]
[Requirement for experience points met. Acquired Skill: “Fortitude.”]
[Requirement for experience points met. Acquired Skill: “Mental Attack Resistance.”]
Wait, for real?! If I’d kept going, would I have actually gotten depressed?! I mean, Fortitude is fine, but Mental Attack Resistance? You… were you actually attacking me?! Without even trying, I ended up in a hardcore training session. I don’t know whether to be happy or sad.
* * *
I spent the afternoon researching at the library. There’s still so much to look into. I want to check everything, but maybe I’ll start with past Heroes. Aside from the “Hero of Greed Incident” and the “Poisonous Count Castel Territory Incident,” there might have been other big events. On the bright side, there’s the first King of Maultasche and the inventor of the Appraisal Stone.
I went back to the library and had the beautiful librarian show me where the books were. Even though I know it’s just her “customer service smile,” as a guy, it still makes me happy. Her rear view was as plump as ever—it’s great. I don’t even know her name, but I bet she’s popular.
As I dug through the records, I found that for a while after the Hero Summons started, the people being brought over weren’t always Japanese like us. Well, based on the world’s population ratios, that makes sense. And, as expected, there were Heroes who screwed up. Quite a few of them, actually. Let’s look at some examples:
The Hero of Freedom
This guy apparently loved guns. He tried to take down the Demon King using firearms in this world. But in this world, guns aren’t really affected by stat growth or skills from leveling up. They might work on a goblin, but they barely scratch stronger monsters. Basically, they’re garbage-tier weapons. The Hero refused to admit it and tried everything to make them work, but he failed. If he’d had more time, maybe he could have done something, but the deadline for the Demon King subjugation was fixed.
He eventually gave up, switched weapons, and succeeded. But he didn’t stop there. He was obsessed with human rights and campaigned against slavery. I get the sentiment, and I think it’s a good thing if you can pull it off, but his methods were terrible. He’d barge into slave markets and pick fights, threaten masters into freeing their slaves, and even lectured the kings of the countries he visited.
In a world with a strict caste system, that only bred resentment. Instead of getting his way, he “died of illness” immediately after the Demon King was defeated. I have a feeling he was from a certain country that’s relatively friendly with Japan.
The Apostate Hero (Provisional)
Apparently, he was a religious fanatic in his old world. He denied the existence of the Seven Pillar Gods and tried to spread his own religion. I don’t care what he believed, but it’s amazing he had the nerve to do that when he was clearly reincarnated by some kind of “divine power.”
Considering the scope of his influence, he was struck by Divine Punishment and died within a month of being summoned. Because of that, he isn’t even officially recognized as a Hero—hence the “(Provisional).” A replacement was summoned immediately, so the Demon King hunt stayed on track.
The Hero of Equality
He seemed similar to the Hero of Freedom, but he was totally different. This guy claimed that “all people should be equal.” He tried to build a society where talent, Class, and birth didn’t matter. I’m guessing he was a hardcore Communist? Weren’t those big around the World Wars? They’re rare in our world now, but they still exist; however, over here, that’s a direct denial of the entire social and national order. Naturally, he pissed off every world leader and person of power. He also “died of illness” right after the Demon King was defeated.
The Hero of Self-Righteousness
This Hero was a woman. She didn’t deny the gods or the government, but she couldn’t stand the idea of polygamy—specifically, one man having multiple wives. She thought it was “pitiful” and that “women were being oppressed.” But in this world, the gender ratio is skewed, so the women here either accept it or actively want it. She was basically telling women who were happily married that they were “oppressed” and needed to divorce. Naturally, everyone just looked at her like she was crazy. Eventually, she either figured it out or gave up, and she stopped talking about it.
The Hero of Wrath
He always had a bit of a temper, but he apparently had an extreme, uncontrollable reaction to specific patterns. He’d flip out even if those patterns were on national flags or noble crests. He’d bark things like, “How dare you use this pattern!” and demand they change it, threatening to quit the Hero gig if they didn’t. He managed to kill the Demon King, but this was back before Heroes were automatically made into nobles.
His behavior was deemed unacceptable, and he was executed for Lèse-majesté. Unlike the others who “died of illness,” he’s the only one whose execution is explicitly recorded as a “death penalty.” Half his party members agreed with him, so they were executed too. The ones who didn’t were just fined.
The Hero of Sloth
All he did was hit on women instead of hunting monsters. After half a month of doing nothing, he was hit with a Divine Punishment of “Sloth.” He was cursed so that he couldn’t stay in any one town for more than three days, which finally forced him to move. If you think about the Seven Deadly Sins, he was more about Lust, but I guess the gods didn’t care about that. Even after the Demon King was gone, the curse wasn’t lifted, and he supposedly wandered the world until he died.
The Hero of Taboos
Technically, it wasn’t the Hero, but his party members who were the culprits. One was apparently a telecommunications engineer and tried to develop radio-based communication tech. In this world, that tech is a Taboo. The Yellow God in charge of Taboos even sent an oracle to warn them. They ignored it and kept building.
As a result, a Divine Punishment wiped out the entire city they were in. People from distant villages reported seeing a pillar of yellow light reaching into the sky. After that incident, the education and monitoring of Heroes became much stricter.
Heroes who mess up have a high frequency of “dying of illness.” In this world, the power of royalty and nobility is on a totally different level than politicians back in Japan. I need to be careful. Maybe I should pick up Poison Resistance just in case…
On a different note, there was one country that tried to use a Hero for war and got slapped with Divine Punishment. The king who summoned the Hero was an expansionist and tried to invade neighboring countries using the Hero’s power after the Demon King was dead. But an oracle came down saying, “A Hero’s power is for the Demon King; it is not to be used for human greed or conflict.”
There was a temporary ceasefire, but the king didn’t give up. When the war stalled, he ignored everyone’s advice and sent the Hero in. Divine Punishment struck, the king died, and the Hero retreated immediately. The king’s death caused total chaos, and the country spiraled into a civil war over succession.
However, that country eventually pulled itself back together, conquered its neighbors, and became the current Souveraineté Empire. It’s the country next to Maultasche. Mercedes mentioned that Heroes can’t be used for war because of past Divine Punishment—she must have been talking about this.
* * *
I stayed until the library closed. On my way back, I ran into Dietlinde, the receptionist from the Adventurer’s Guild.
”Good evening, Dietlinde. Fancy meeting you again,” I said.
”Good evening, Daisuke-san. Do you need something?” she asked. (Man, she’s cold.) We see each other and talk every day, but I don’t feel like we’ve gotten any closer. Still, I can’t help but talk to her. It’s definitely not because I find her saltiness a turn-on.
”No, nothing in particular. Just wanted to say thanks for working so late,” I said.
”It’s my job. If you’ll excuse me,” she replied.
Yeah, we aren’t getting closer at all. The effects of this “Ordeal” are brutal, God.
—
Summary:
Daisuke meets with Yuko, a former colleague from his previous world, and endures her constant complaining, unintentionally leveling up his mental resistance skills. Later, he researches the history of past Heroes in the library, discovering a pattern of failed Heroes who were eventually killed or punished for imposing their old-world values on the new world. He also observes the expansionist history of the Souveraineté Empire before a cold encounter with the guild receptionist, Dietlinde.
—
Trivia:
- Yellow Day is a day of the week when Yuko works.
- Daisuke is under the effect of an ‘Ordeal’ Title which likely makes his interactions with Dietlinde and others difficult.
- Past Heroes have attempted to introduce guns, communism, and modern human rights, usually resulting in their ‘death by illness’ (likely assassination).
- Radio technology is considered a Taboo by the Yellow God.
- Daisuke gained ‘Depression Resistance’ just from talking to Yuko.
- The Souveraineté Empire rose from a country that was punished for using a Hero in human warfare
—
Character Insight:
Daisuke shows a very pragmatic and somewhat cynical survival instinct; he sets boundaries with Yuko to avoid being her ‘parasite’ victim and is actively looking for ways to avoid the ‘death by illness’ fate of past Heroes by researching their failures.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author uses the ‘Hero’ history to satirize various real-world ideologies (human rights activism, communism, religious zealotry, modern feminism) by showing how they clash catastrophically with a fantasy world’s internal logic and divine laws.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Zofie – A beastman woman and a Civil Servant. Friend of Mercedes. She is approximately 165cm tall with long indigo hair and a standard build.
• Yuko – Civil Servant (Level 1) with high Intelligence, formerly a colleague of Araya. A woman in her late‑20s/early‑30s, now 17‑year‑old after reincarnation, appears as a high‑school student. Formerly a 40‑year‑old Earth professional who married, had a child, and died in a train accident. She seeks a non‑combat role at the castle, wears a half‑up hairstyle, thin chest armor, 160 cm, standard build, speaks politely but lacks motivation.
• Mercedes – Brown semi‑long hair, thick chest armor, and a self‑styled ‘pure maiden‑knight’ look, now in a white frilled one‑piece. A high‑spirited Royal Knight of the Maultasche Kingdom, she mediates, teaches shield techniques, leads the party, despises goblins and orcs, and seeks a boyfriend. Intelligent, elite in combat and destruction magic, she knows guild mechanics and sees dungeons as divine trials.
• Dietlinde – Noble lady and Adventurer’s Guild receptionist, a slender sheep‑type beastman with white curly hair and horns. She coolly and saltily greets Daisuke, even seeing him off at the chapter’s start.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply