《The Irregular at the Otherworld》 V1C1 I am no genius doctor who specializes in assassinations using poisons. Neither am I someone who excels in either politics or economic management. And also, I am not a person who have any psychological issues, bent on indiscriminate massacre and genocide with no reason at all. Indeed, I do know of many variations of lethal martial arts - however, that knowledge only goes so far as to knowing their names and nothing else more. I am neither a hero nor a villain - heck, I don''t think I''m even in between. And maybe the only redeeming characteristic about me is that I clearly know that I have no redeeming characteristics at all. I had even lived a passive life to the point that only a few documents can verify my whole existence. I am just your ordinary mob character that''s supposed to never take the spotlight. ... ... ... It is true that I am fond of reading fantasy novels where the protagonist is transported to another world where magic is everything but a dream. The idea itself is uniquely interesting - but who would really want that to happen to themselves? At least I know that I wouldn''t. I would never want to exchange this very convenient world that I currently live in with another that is full of hardships where freaks of nature and monstrosities who would want you for dinner is nothing but a stone''s throw away. I repeat - NEVER! Even if the life that I''m living now is nowhere near the ideal life that most peopleof my age would dream of. I never asked for anything. ... ... ... (So what the hell am I doing here now?) ... ... ... These are the thoughts that are currently running through my head. ... ... ... It all began on that hateful day... ... ... ... Being rejected again for the 665th time, I have already accepted the feeling of multiple rejections like it was just some passing gas. At the tender age of 25, I had already accumulated a lot of battle experience that you can call me a hardened veteran of job interviews. And now, as I am heading off to war for the 666th time, I checked my battle gear once again to see if there was anything that I''ve forgotten - which is unlikely because I just checked myself last five minutes ago. On my hand, I proudly wield with me my resume - and various superfluous documents that are neatly compiled in a folder that I just bought yesterday - which contains every posible amount of data on how much I''ve been miserable and a failure at life. I''m wearing a very formal long sleeved black dress that seems as if I''m attending to your diseased father''s funeral - inside, you will find stacks of multiple layers of breast pads that is evenly distributed to both sides that should make one''s confidence and favorability rating shoot through the roof. A black round-rimmed non-prescription glasses adorned my dark-brown deadpan eyes that I only wear specifically in order to look more intellectually superior. My chestnut-brown hair that flows straight all the way down to my waist is tied in a fuller ponytail while my bangs that is cut just above my eyes is neatly combed to absolute perfection, you can measure it exactly perpendicular to the ground. On my feet is my favorite six-inch black platform high heels with several layers of insoles that magically boosts my naturally pitiful height of 154 centimeters. All in all, I dressed myself up to look more or less like what a very professional person would do. ... ... ... (With this, I should be able to triumphantly step over any competition... right?) ... ... ... The company who contacted me right away after receiving my desperate application is called World System''s Management Inc., they seem to be involved in IT related management of some sorts. I applied for the position of a product quality tester that I saw on their advertisment on the morning newspaper yesterday. It said in there that there are no said requirements for the job... and although I found it to be shady, I still sent an application BECAUSE I F***ING CAN! Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. (Is the job really that urgent for them to call me right after receiving my application via email?) (Well, if they are that desperate, maybe I would get the job this time... right?) (I truly hope so.) ... ... ... Despite being intensely nervous, I managed to arrive at the building - where I am supposed to have my interview - on time. (I can''t seem to remember this building being here before... maybe it''s just newly built, I guess. Buildings nowadays grow just like mushroom sprouting everywhere.) As I went further in, the tension only seems to rise the more I get closer to the designated room as if I''m going to be scheduled for execution. The said room is on the 13th floor and the moment I stood in front of the door, my mind reminded me of the past rejections that I received. (If I fail here again...) I pushed all of my depressing thoughts at the corner of my head and knocked a few times before stepping in. ... ... ... The room that welcomed me is a wide office with its inside walls painted white where various certificates are hanged, there is also a bulettin of some sorts that shows something like ''Employee of the Decade'' or whatever. On the back end of the room - where a wide window offers a view of the busy cityscape outside - is an office table with a man, who is most likely the interviewer, is seated behind. After I gave my greetings that I have rehearsed multiple times in front of the mirror and handing in a hard copy of my resume which he recieved without even giving it single look inside as he just placed it inside his drawer, the man who introduced himself as Mr. Smith, motioned for me to sit on the chair on front of the table. After he established his dominance over me, he finally spoke. ... ... ... "Now then... Let us talk about the employment details, shall we?" "Eh... already?" As his words finally made it through my ears, all my preparations seem to have collapsed including my composure as I was at a loss for words. (Is this a test to see gow much confident I am to take the job?) "The fact that you''ve managed to see through our advertisement and send your application to us is already proof that you''re fit for the job, no?" (Hmm... strange? It doesn''t look like some test. Maybe I should just ride on with it...) "If you are talking about my desperate determination - then, yes." "Then let''s proceed with the details... here is the contract." (He already wants me to sign the contract? Is this some sort of black company?) I carefully received the contract and just skimmed through it as I was lost in my irrelevant thoughts - and also because there are too many pages and the letters are too tiny for me to read. (Nevermind, a job is a job. As long as I get paid some cash, then that''ll be alright. Desperate times calls for desperate measures.) As I confidently signed my name on three copies of the contract, I thought I saw the man give a smirk from the corner of my eyes - as if a predator catching his prey. Ignoring these things, I carefully handed back the contract, making sure that nothing happened to it - something like a meteor suddenly falling from the sky and smashing it to oblivion - because my future employment depends on it. He looked at the page where I previously signed my name and gave off a mysterious smile. (I know that my penmanship is not that good but that signiture is what I managed to make through several hours of trial and error - please do not look down on it!) Before my feeling of annoyance show on my face, I asked him a question that every newly employed person needs to know. "So, Mr. Smith, when do I start?" "About..." He looked at his wristwatch seemingly waiting for something. ... ... ... "Now." "Wha-" After his words ended, the floor underneath me instantly vanished before I sank into the darkness without even managing to scream as I lost consciousness. ... ... ... End of V1C1 V1C2 I found myself awakened in a vast space of endless darkness. (Is it just dark or did I just turned blind?) As I recalled what happened before I got here, I felt my stomach aching despite without the occasional feeling of hunger that usually goes along with it. (Just what the f**k did I got myself involved into this time?) ... ... ... I remembered the time when I was still a university student - money was tight so the still gullible and naive me got tricked into joining some multi-level marketing group which turned out to be a cult worshiping some Evil God... was it Anri or Tilea... I can''t seem to remember the name. In the end, my money was never returned as a matter of fact and with the little allowance that I have left on me, I lived a whole month with nothing to eat but instant noodles - ever since then, I never trusted anyone else when it comes to money matters and the respect I have for instant noodles went up a notch. ... ... ... Discarding these useless thoughts aside, I tried to squeeze whatever information I can from the events that have transpired before I got here. (After I signed a job contract given by the ever mysterious Mr. Smith who works at some shady looking company, I fell into this dark place...) (Damn it! Everything is suspicious from the start. Did my desperate self ignored all of that despite my oath not to be scammed again? Money is really frightening - it can make people do some senseless stuffs...) (Was I kidnapped or something? A poor person like me with nothing on her bank account isn''t an ideal target to kidnap for ransom though. So are they going to sell me off to be a prostitute then? Or they would take whatever useful organs I have and dump whatever that''s left of me at some random cliff. Or worse... could is it both?) As my imagination began to run wild freely on thinking what would happen to me from now on... I heard it. ... ... ... ¡¶Contract Established - Initializing Phase One¡· A mechanical voice like those that we hear from text-to-speech apps, but a bit better sounding than Siri. (What is it this time? Aliens? My kidnappers are some cyborg aliens?) ¡¶Temporarily Disabling all Sensory Perception Functions¡· As those words enter my head, the vast endless darkness that I''m into seemed to turn darker as if it couldn''t get any darker than before. (My body felt numb as well as all my senses. Is this what they call paralysis?) It felt funny knowing nothing about your surroundings and not being able to respond to it. I know that feeling, this is the feeling of being useless. ¡¶Reading all Memory Data¡· (Oh~ I can still hear that voice. Is it because it is projected in my mind?) I never got to resist. Or should I say that I never got to resist at all ever since coming to this place. ¡¶Preparing Back-up Data¡· (There it is again. Ah~ I don''t care what''s going to happen anymore. Shouldn''t inducing me into a coma the appropriate thing to do here?) If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡¶Reading Complete Genomic Information¡· ¡¶Engineering Optimized Genomic Information¡· ¡¶Initializing Body Deconstruction¡· (The f**k!) Knowing that my body is going to go through a complete and thorough body deconstruction, I can''t seem ignore the pain despite having all of my senses numbed. ¡¶Establishing Changes - Begin Reconstruction¡· ¡¶Restruction Complete - Entering Phase Two¡· ... ... ... (Oh~ that was fast. Or was my sense of time numbed too?) ¡¶Extracting all Memory Data¡· ¡¶Defragmenting all Memory Data¡· (Ah~ this is good. My memories became more clear... Oh~ now I remember it. The cult worshipped both Evil Gods Anri and Tilea - they were separated by factions... I got it mixed up a bit.) ¡¶Deleting all Unnecessary Data¡· (Say what?!) The completely vivid memories that I just had before seemed to have lessened. It was as if I completely forgot something. What''s my mother''s name again? Or do I even have one to begin with? ¡¶Translating Language Data¡· (@$&#£¤¡Á€&#&¡Á£¤¡Â:#¡Â_£¤¡ñ}~}¡ñ[~£¤#;''?) ¡¶Archiving Logical Data¡· ¡¶Archiving Emotional Data¡· ¡¶Compressing Remaining Memory Data and Converting into Will & Instinct¡· ¡¶Complete - Entering Phase Three¡· ... ... ... ¡¶Incorporating Status Core System¡· ¡¶Overriding System - Injecting Observer''s Protocol¡· ¡¶Skipping Over to Maximum Level¡· ¡¶Generating Random Skills and Abilities¡· ¡¶Uploading to Core System¡· ¡¶Ending Override - Resuming Phase Three¡· (Hmmm~ what just happened? I think I blanked out for a moment here.) ¡¶Complete - Entering Phase Four¡· ... ... ... ¡¶Establishing Magic Calculation Area in the Subconscious Mind¡· (Did somebody just say ''MAGIC''?!) ¡¶Increasing Processing Power of Magic Calculation Area¡· ¡¶Optimizing Magic Sequences : Psion/Pushion Source to Mana Source Conversion¡· ¡¶Engraving Magic Sequences to Memory¡· (There it is again. At first, I really thought it was cyborg aliens, now its magic? What''s next - Talking Dinosaurs?) ¡¶Complete - Entering Phase Five¡· ... ... ... ¡¶Restarting all Sensory Perception Functions¡· (Oh~ yeah... I can feel myself again! Not in a perverted way of course, mind you.) ¡¶Equiping Company Standard - Soul Bound Gear¡· (No wonder, deconstructing and reconstructing the body means that I was stark naked this whole time? PERVERTS!) ¡¶Preparing for Transfer - Selecting Coordinates¡· (Looks like I''m finally getting out of here. Freeeeeedo-) ¡¶Beginning Dimensional Transfer¡· ... ... ... As I was interrupted by the mechanical voice who I decided to name Bob despite completely sounding like a female''s voice, the world and everything itself completely turned white. ... ... ... End of V1C2 V1C3 In an unknown world at an unknown location where a vast, grassy plains can be seen as far as the eyes could normally see - a rift in space opened up, disrupting the surrounding mana flow within a hundred mile radius. Just a few seconds after the rift opened, something... or someone came out of it - as if Gordon Ramsey spitting out disgusting food at your face or like a mother giving birth to her first child - and accompanying the thing that emerged was a scream. "-doooooooooom!" ... ... ... The identity of the thing that came out of it was a questionably human female of about 14 years in age. Questionably human, because despite being thrown out of the rift at a high speed that she left skid marks on the ground as her body lifelessly rolled and tumbled - her body still managed stand up seemingly unscathed with almost no evidence of her previous accident aside from a few blades of grass that got stuck in her hair and some dust on her clothes which was easily removed as she patted it off. ... ... ... Looking at my surroundings, unlike the the endless space of darkness from before, what welcomed me was a vast expanse of grass. "Well, at least they didn''t took my organs, is what should be the correct response... right?" (Although I am grateful that they left me alive, what should I do now?) This could be considered a peaceful scenery if not for me being here at all. As far as my eyes can see, there''s nothing but grass here... except for what should be those seemingly desolate mountains, miles away in to the east and a huge forest all the way to the west. ... ... ... "First things first..." Observing myself from top to bottom - which is totally imposible because I can only see myself starting from my chest all the way down to my foot, I can''t even see my face because I don''t have a mirror while it is a fact that I cant see my back at all due to the limited range that my neck could allow for my head to turn. I still wear a semblance of the clothes that I wear during the interview except it was a bit more of a casual look right now. Black, off-shoulder dress with its sleeves covering my arms up to my wrists. Its pleated skirt is cut about six inches above my knees. A wide, white sash wraps itself around my waist and is secured as it is tied in a bow. Compared to the cheap stockings that I wore before, my legs are now covered in luxurious looking thin black lace top stockings. Instead of shoes, now I wear black leather ankle boots with three studded belt straps on each sides - although they are still both six-inch platform pumps. My hair is still tied in a pony tail even after rolling in the grass earlier. The only thing that changed in my glasses is that it seemed a bit heavy and sturdier than before. And the only addition to my attire is a silver ring on my left index finger with intricate engravings and a black stone embedded on top. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ... ... ... (Hmmm?!) Feeling as if there''s something wrong with my body, I started cupping myself from top to bottom. Although it may seem a bit indecent doing it in an open place like this - as there are no one else nearby, I am currently free to do as I wished. As my hands moved in from my neck to my chest... I felt it... Or should I say that I didn''t. Not just the paddings are gone... M-my breasts... All those years of drinking milk despite being lactose intolerant. Every morning and night doing those rigorously exhausting chest exercises. Seeing all of my efforts go to waste - the tears just couldn''t stop forming at the corner of my eyes. And here I thought I was supposed to forget all unnecessary memories... it seems that they weren''t all that worthless at all. ... ... ... Although I can''t remember every detail of it, I know that I was born a poor child. Lacking in proper nutrition as a child, my breasts also grew poor in size. I started my training regimen when I was 16 years old. Despite lacking in funds, I still kept some in reserve so that I can have a dose of milk every morning. I researched about other ways, and that''s the time I started doing those chest exercises. Although there were people who told me that having someone you like - massage them for you will definitely make them big - as I don''t have anyone like that, I just did it myself. And then after nine years, I finally graduated from double A''s to only a single A on the borderline of becoming a B. Those were my gloriest days in life where I had proven that given the effort - despite having the talent for it - one can still achieve success. ... ... ... "And now they are gone... all gone." (This is all that Mr. Smith and his contract''s fault! If I ever see them again, I will-) ... ... ... I didn''t know how much time I spent on lamenting on my life before my inner monologue was disturbed by a frighteningly loud roar. I looked around me to see where it came from but instead I found nothing. (That''s not how I sound when I''m hungry so that''s probably not me... yeah, not me...) The grass underneath my feet began to sway wildly like those scenes I saw on television where helicopters are about to land. Realizing that, I looked up and saw... ... ... ... "A Dinosaur?" ... ... ... "FOOL WHO DARES ENTER UPON THIS KING''S NEST, JUST HOW MUCH AUDACITY DO YOU HAVE TO TRESPASS ON THIS PLACE?!" ... ... ... "Correction - a talking dinosaur." ... ... ... End of V1C3 V1C4 "Well, did you send her off as planned?" The man who asked this question was undoubtedly the one who wields the most power and occupies the uppermost room, or should we say, the entire top floor of the building where World System''s Managment Inc. is located. In other words, he is Mr. Smith''s boss - and as of now, this extends to Kaori as well too. A man who is around 70 years old. Despite looking quite aged with his pure white hair - his back is still as straight as a sword and with his demeanour that seems to wield unparalleled wisdom that could be seen in his deep black eyes - only shows that he is befitting of his current position. He is dressed in a white tailored suit while reading the documents he had in his hands - looking closely, it was the resume of Kaori who they hired just recently. "Indeed Sir. By this moment, she should be transferred to a safe zone located nearby a human settlement and has probably begun her work." The man who assuredly gave his reply was none other than the one who has been assigned to evaluate their new employee - Mr. Smith. He too, wears a white suit just like his superior but only gives off a bit less grandeur. Though this was only just because he is standing in front of his boss that his being noble demeanour is being downplayed. If he is placed in a crowd of humans, with his blonde hair and blue eyes, he would surely stand out as being attractive. "Is that so? As expected of you Mr. Smith. Though I might say, she is quite courageous despite not having any training nor experience. Too bad all of our interns died while training and now had no other choice but to pick someone else to do the job." "She is not only courageous but she also has an undying will and determination. Despite knowing the fact that we will send her off to a dangerous place, she still proudly signed the contract without even batting an eyelid. I believe she will exceed all of your expectations." Needless to say, they are currently speaking about their new employee - Ms. Kaori Yamizawa. "If you think so, then I''ll believe you. I''ll leave her supervision to you and also the handling of new interns. We almost missed the deadline this time, let''s make this a learning experience and not make the same mistake ten years later. Give the incoming interns more intense training while secretly ensuring their safety. Also, increase the number of recruits this time around, we can''t have them all die on us again." "Understood, Sir. As what was stated in the contract, we''ve equiped her with our current top-of-the-line equipment. And while it is the truth that she is quite lacking in some specific areas, with the mind and body modification that we''ve done with her combined with the abilities she gained through our core system linked into her, I believe that she will make it through the ten year duration of the contract without any troubles." "Hmmm... although we''ve splurged quite a bit on her, it can''t be helped since we''re out of time. Should we just deduct it on her salary then? Oh... by the way, how did you manage to get her? Our new employee, I mean." "Ahem... I believe that it was not stated in the contract Sir so we can''t just deduct it on her salary... Going back to the topic Sir, I sent several recruitment advertisements that are magically enchanted so that only those people with a very strong determination can see it." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Haha... that is indeed true, I guess. Hmmm... is that so? Then can you use that method again to recruit new interns? We don''t need people who are only strong on the outside and break when encountering unexpected situations. I''ll entrust this now to you, is that fine, Mr. Smith?" "I understand, Sir. I will ensure to you that there would be no troubles." "Then it should be fine now. You can go Mr. Smith. Dismissed." "Thank you Sir. Then I''ll be off." As the closing doors shut itself after the figure of Mr. Smith left the room, a deep sounding sigh can be heard coming from the boss himself. "I truly hope that everything will be alright..." ... ... ... A deep grunting sound can be heard coming from inside a deep cavern located at the tallest mountain in the Draconian Mountain Range. This is an area populated with many dragons and their kin, the dragonewts. And at the top of their food chain is the Ancient Crimson Dragon Lord - a very powerful dragon with a length - spanning from its head to the tip of its tail - of more than a thousand meters and wingspan of about two thousand meters. Characterized by its crimson red scales that was as hard as adamantium - the hardest metal known to man - this dragon is known to have lived thousands of years and is capable of burning down citadels down to ashes with its dragonic flame... although it chooses not to. Not because he fears the inferior species, but because he values their existence. Who else would make the all the valuable and shiny treasures for him to take as his own if he indiscriminately killed them all, no? Unprocessed ores holds no significant value to him and only several artifacts can make him know the tiniest of feeling of greed. He is trully a collector at heart. This time however is a bit different. With just the movement he made as he stood up, the whole cavern shook as debris and whatnot fall from above. (A disturbance in the mana? Hmmm... could this be a treasure perhaps? Although the others would not be able to sense it as fast as I could, once they get wind of this, they would surely come running here with their puny armies.) (Well, who cares if they bring their army with them? The more they bring, the better. Have them kill each other with their treasures and then, I''ll kill them all for intruding on my territory. Everything belongs to the victor.) As he deliberated on his decision, he began walking as he headed out of his dwelling and flew to the location where he felt the disturbance. ... ... ... Nearing his destination, the dragon saw an unexpected figure. (A human? Here? No... those things she wear... hmmm... I can smell it... treasures.) (So it''s wearing MY treasures on MY territory? Quite the impudent creature now, are you? Maybe I should play with it a bit.) ... ... ... As the puny human finally noticed my grandiose presence, the act had finally begun. "FOOL WHO DARES ENTER UPON THIS KING''S NEST, JUST HOW MUCH AUDACITY DO YOU HAVE TO TRESPASS ON THIS PLACE?!" As I roared while still hovering in the air, I glared at the tiny human who is now having a stupid look as if it had just choked on an ore. ... ... ... End of V1C4