Vol. 1 Chapter 1: A Day in the Life of a Government Employee

My alarm would ring once it hits exactly 6 o’clock in the morning. Depending on my mood, I’d either snooze five more minutes, or turn it off and get on with my day. Well, for today, I didn’t feel particularly lazy, especially when it was Friday. After all, Fridays were always ‘good news’ to employees like me. This was the only day in the week that we could ‘laze off;’ tomorrow was ‘Day One’ of the two-day weekend.

Maybe for some, they would fix their beds. Not for me. Once I leave the house every morning, I come back to exactly how I left it earlier. I lived alone, so being messy didn’t concern me. Nor do I have someone (like a mother) to nag on me. A few splashes of cold water to my face ‘wakes’ my head. Then, once my thoughts ‘cleared up’, I head to the kitchen for breakfast. And yes, I would never forget the complimentary washing of my mouth to go along with the routine.

I don’t want to get into some nasty accidents whenever I prepare for work.

“…”

Living alone certainly had its benefits. For one, I only worry about my expenses, though I send part of my salary to my parents in the province. Second, unlike my co-workers who had children, I never cared for kids. I have the entire day for myself, and I spent it how I see fit. But, of course, it had disadvantages, too. Unlike when I lived with my parents, I constantly worry about my bills. Also, no one would be there to prepare my breakfast while I slept. Once I got my head off the bed, I make everything; from coffee to food to clothes.

However, it’s not like living this kind of life is bad at all.

“…”

I always turn on the television whenever I start my day. As the face of the newscaster greeted me and her other viewers, I prepare whatever I would have for breakfast. Grab some frozen stuff in the fridge, or any leftover food from yesterday, if there was any. Sit on my dining table while I make some instant coffee, my eyes pasted on the television screen. My interest was not in the news, often about the usual politics and criminal bullshit the reporters gathered throughout the night. But having the television on was more of a ‘way’ for me not to feel ‘too lonely.’ It was like someone talking to me, because even when I like living alone, having someone talk to wasn’t that bad.

Any cases, after cooking a pair of fried eggs, heating a cup of rice and making a mug of coffee for breakfast, I took a bath while waiting for those to cool down. Not a fan of ‘scalding hot’ food, so I take time for the heat to dissipate before eating it. After all, I eat fast, and didn’t like the feeling of my throat being seared by my food. Sitting at the toilet, I would browse some of the posts on my social media, occasionally looking at the time. My official work begins by 8 a.m., so I still got plenty of spare time before I actually head off to work.

By 6:45 a.m., I finished my shower. The ‘heavy’ news stuff already gave way to the more ‘lifestyle’-related segments of the morning shows. Joined by other hosts of the program, the newscaster now talked of stuff I usually don’t care about.

“French celebrity adventurer Lady Henrietta Temaire Louise has just revealed that she is coming to the Philippines this week. According to her manager, she and her adventurers’ party are looking for a fifth member to fill-in a vacant position.”

“If I remember, her party, the Iscariot Bloodline, is one of the top ranked groups in the international listing.”

“Yes, and the only one to have conquered two high-level dungeons in the past!”

Ah, the usual showbiz talk. Well, that didn’t concern me, so I just turned off the television. My breakfast was a bit cooler now, too, so I’d better eat these now.

-----

My apartment was at the 2nd floor of an old, rundown building in a city called Dasmarinas. Dasmarinas a city in one Metro Manila’s southern neighboring provinces named Cavite, and my job was also in this place. See, being near the capital, Dasmarinas and other cities and towns surrounding urban Manila had a perennial problem with traffic jams. Small, narrow roads worsened by potholes, corrupt traffic officers, and undisciplined commuters and drivers stopping everywhere they wished; everyone was contributing to the bad situation. Good thing when I looked for work, I found this apartment. Borrowing my brother’s motorcycle from the province, I never worry about coming late for work.

“Hey! ‘Sup, Junie! Got some coins to spare?”

I handed my neighbor a few extra coins, a routine we do every morning. While I love this place, of course, it was far from the idyllic, peaceful exclusive village house we working people strive to buy at some point later in our lives. Here, I got friends who ask for ‘alcohol’ money, street children who’d play pranks on my apartment, and old ladies gathering every morning and afternoon to exchange the latest gossip. We call them the ‘CCTVs’ of this place, since they were aware of everything that was going on.

A typical suburban life…I always have to adapt to my community.

And living in such a place had its share of hazards, like for example…

“Oi, Junie! Watch out!”

I didn’t notice it while I head to my motorcycle parking, located a few blocks away from my apartment. A lady cleaning her balcony accidentally bumped into one of her potted plants, sending it hurtling to the ground. Good thing she called out to me, and…

“!!!”

A quick movement away from my spot saved my head from being cracked open by the falling pot. However, by reflex, my foot caught the plant halfway to the pavement, carefully balancing it on my toes. Then, with a fast jerk, I sent it flying to my hand, ensuring the plant’s ‘well-being.’ When I realized what I just did, many of my neighbors had already witnessed the feat. Impressed, they clapped for me.

“Junie never ceases to amaze me…”

“It’s always a treat to see him do martial arts!”

“I want to be like Junie, too!”

Well, I was not used to praises. So, after thanking them and playing along with the accolades, I put the potted plant at my neighbor’s door, and hurried to my motorcycle. Nevertheless, I was happy my reflexes never dulled just yet.

-----

I arrived at my destination around 7:30 a.m., thirty minutes earlier than my official time. Whenever that happened, I’d stay outside the building chatting with my other co-workers; all of us had no desire to enter our respective offices before eight. The topics usually ranged from family matters, as many of my office mates had family, to more silly issues like girls, and money rackets. Conversations would be like that until the building’s alarm rang, telling everyone that another day for work has begun.

“To all new adventurer applicants, please follow this line. To those who will file their reports, to window 5.”

“Is this the Adventurers’ Agency Dasmarinas Branch?”

“Yes, haven’t you read the sign outside?”

By the way, I work at the Adventurers’ Agency of Dasmarinas City, under the Adventuring Reports section. The Adventurers’ Agency was an office under the national government’s employ, and our job was to assist adventurers in their expeditions. Our branch, in particular, was the one responsible for managing adventurer parties within our city borders. That meant helping them in paperwork, securing logistics, and ensuring the safety of their operations; though, because of the nature of adventuring, death and grave injuries were still commonplace.

“Kyaaa!!!”

“!!!” My thoughts dissipated when I felt someone bumped unto me. Turning around, I saw a cute girl wearing the student intern uniform of our agency. At her feet were papers, which she frantically picked while apologizing.

“It’s okay,” I reassured her; after all, my ‘regular’ uniform screamed ‘don’t touch me!’ to interns like her. To further alleviate her worries, I helped her gather the scattered documents.

“Miss Carla!”

Oh, I know that voice. Looking up, one of the faces of our Information department, a guy named Zac, walked towards us. Based from his expression, he was pissed.

“Hey, Zac! I’m just helping our intern,” I told him. “She bumped unto me and the documents fell from her hands.”

“Yeah, I can see that; no need to state the obvious,” he replied, yanking the papers from my hands. He turned to the intern, “Miss Carla, your responsibilities are within the Information department. There’s no need for you to come to the Reports section.”

“Yes, Sir Zac, I’m sorry!” the poor girl apologized once again.

Not wishing to make a big deal out of the situation, I said nothing. Yes, Zac’s contempt for me—no, I bet this was for our entire section—was clear. However, the feeling was mutual, and I won’t risk losing my civil service license for this idiot. We only get to deal with brainless beauties of their department whenever there was work, anyway.

But yeah…once I get an opportunity, I’ll kick every single ass in the Information department.

-----

Like the usual modern government bureaucracy, several departments and sections divided the Adventurers’ Agency. The Information department was one, where every single information and news—including dungeon intelligence, passed through them for dissemination. With such function, it was common sense to put employees with ‘pleasing attitude’ and ‘good appearance’ under their wing. After all, anyone would pay attention to a beautiful demon than listen to an ugly angel, right?

My section compiled adventurers’ reports, a boring but required paperwork for adventurers after they came back from an expedition. After all, no other reliable way existed to estimate the ever-shifting risks of our dungeons, aside from those who experienced it themselves. The results of these reports often gave other parties the idea of the dangers they might face once they went on an expedition, greatly reducing the casualties.

“Junie!”

My thoughts dissipated when I heard a familiar voice. Turning towards its direction, I saw a short lady of about 50 years of age coming to my cubicle. I sighed; after all, no one wanted to be called by their boss early into the workday. Still, when her face appeared above my partition, I flashed a smile. “Yes, Ma’am Flor?”

Our department head, Florentina Rey, or Ma’am Flor, handed me a bunch of papers. “There’s a group of students coming for a tour later. Can you take them around?”

“Huh?” I skimmed through the memo. Even when I didn’t understand a thing, hearing it from her made my stomach churn. “I just learned of this now! Do they have a complete permission from the Information Section?”

“Yeah, they got their papers complete. Information guys just gave that memo to me yesterday, a few minutes before we went home,” my boss sighed. “Well, my hands are full as of the moment, so I’ll have you do it for me.”

“Can’t someone from Information do this? It’s their responsibility!”

“You know the people there; they will only move if it’s someone ‘big time,’” she lowered her voice, looking around as if wary someone listened to us. “These are just students, so they don’t care much. Any case, get your ass moving, or the director will give us an earful.”

Well, I couldn’t really refuse the work they gave me. The ‘right’ didn’t exist, because I had nothing else to do. The Information guys ‘outsourced’ their responsibilities to us because our department was one of the few that has nothing much going on a regular day. Adventurers were big ‘lazy bums’; it would normally take us several reminders just for them to submit their after-expedition reports. Complaining about it was useless; the government promotes ‘efficiency,’ their other word for ‘overlapping duties to other departments so there was always surplus budget.’

Nevertheless, I didn’t agree to this arrangement. I expected my Friday to be relaxing, and those fuckers from Info just ruined it for me. They got the extroverts; beautiful ladies and good-looking guys, yet they threw these on shy blokes like us in the Adventuring Reports section.

-----

Our student visitors arrived sometime around 10 a.m. And it was quite a disappointment. I expected it to be a bigger group than the eight people in front of me. Three boys and five girls…and I could tell from their faces that they were forced to come here. Nothing much could be done, though. This was a part of their high school studies, since some of them might become adventurers when they graduate.

No wonder the Information Section passed it to us; their few numbers were just an inconvenience to them. But of course, being a professional, I should always wear my ‘business smile.’ So, taking a deep breath and summoning my courage, I greeted, “Good morning! Welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild Dasmarinas City Branch. You can call me Sir Junie, and I will be your guide today. Ask me whatever piques your interest!”

No reaction. The students answered with blank stares, which I already expected. This was not my first time doing this, and this was also the reason I hated being a ‘guide.’ I had to keep them ‘entertained’ and ‘informed.’ But I was not cut to be a teacher, so I gave up on the idea I’d be a great tour guide within the Adventurers’ Agency. In my mind, I kept repeating to just do my part and be done with it.

The faster, the better.

We began with the good, old history lesson. The Adventurers’ Agency succeeded the Adventurers’ Society, which also succeeded the Adventurers’ Guild of pre-League of Nations and United Nations years. The original Adventurers’ Guild was a private organization of mages and ‘ordinaria’—humans that couldn’t use magic, founded in France in the years before the Napoleonic Wars. See, adventuring was already a ‘profession’ as old as ‘soldiering,’ since the two were connected. Well-trained soldiers were adventurers once, and young adventurers were nurtured by countries in preparation for times of war.

Emperor Napoleon spread the idea of Adventurers’ Guild through his wars, and other countries realized the potential of such system. So, everyone copied it, resulting to our society today. Though arranged like the usual bureaucratic mess of our government departments, the Adventurers’ Agency still does its responsibility of safeguarding adventurers’ lives whenever possible.

“But adventurers can still die inside dungeons!” One of the students pointed out after my history lesson.

“Well, yes,” I replied, trying to keep my voice down. His voice hinted sarcasm, and I didn’t like his line of questions and statements. “That is one of the dangers of adventuring. Dungeons are forever changing, so we take time to study it before allowing parties to explore. Look, imagine if there are no Adventurers’ Agency. I’m sure that the casualty rates will even be higher than now.”

“There’s no study proving that!”

“Isn’t it the obvious?” I pointed out. “We provide dungeon intelligence, logistics supplies, and even training and lodging for adventurers. So why do we even need to conduct studies about its efficacy?”

“Yeah, all of those things, and the famous OyasumiSe7en still died, isn’t it?”

“That’s—”

“I’m sorry,” another student finally intervened in our heated conversation. “This guy is a fan of OyasumiSe7en. He’s really mad at how that party ended up.”

“H-Hey! Why are you speaking for me?”

“Because I want this tour to continue and not dwell on the past! If you want, you can stay here. But we want our assignment done!”

Well, that shut the first student up. Though he may not say it, but he was trying to lead me on. Good thing the second guy was excited to finish the tour. And I refuse to be tricked. Kids nowadays think highly of themselves just because they knew more. Heh, calm down, boy. I may just be a simple government bum, yet I’m already kicking asses even before you are born!

-----

The tour lasted for a few hours, well into lunch. Government offices allowed no ‘lunch breaks,’ though we could ask for a ‘reliever’ so we won’t compromise our health in doing our duties. Fortunately, Ma’am Flor sent another co-worker to take over from me, so I gladly handed the students to him. And, as it turned out, that guy earlier was a handful. He gave my co-worker a bad time by asking questions meant to make him look like an idiot.

I’m just happy that I never got to experience that.

“…”

Well, no matter…

Even before the long hand of the clock hit the number 12, I already stood in front of the biometrics machine. The official time out was five o’clock in the afternoon, yet I was two minutes early at my spot. Well, it didn’t matter much anyway, as we were a government agency. The management was somewhat lax, so long as the top brass wasn’t looking for promotion, or trying to impress their own bosses.

Around this time, our office winded down from its daily operations. The licensed adventurers had long learned not to come at least 15 minutes before we close, or they’d face the wrath and rudeness of the disgruntled, underpaid government staff. I couldn’t blame my colleagues; everyone was excited to go home. Fortunately, my section gets an early time-off. By 4 p.m., we already packed our bags and cleaned our workstations.

Hey, I’d be clear; I was thankful for this job. Yes, it was boring and monotonous; there were times the government fucks our compensation in favor of filling their pockets. But I wouldn’t trade this life for the ‘exciting’ and ‘fast-paced’ adventures our clients get to experience. Sure, adventuring had always something new, but…

“The Dark Lords Party suffered three deaths from friendly fire. I heard they will file a criminal case against the Coffee Tea members once the Investigation Department is done.”

“The pointman of the Red Clan Aces went missing in the Salitran dungeon two days ago, according to the report filed by his party members. Now, another party found his dismembered remains near the boss room; legs are eaten.”

“Have the police filed the report about the adventurers’ party from Pasay City that was wiped out in the Paliparan dungeon?”

Yep, I’d rather stay in the comfort of an air-conditioned office, warming up my worn-out swivel chair, than risk my life in those dungeons just for fame and money. The danger was just not worth my investment.

Ah, only 15 seconds to 5 p.m.

“Junie! Junie!”

My world suddenly came to a screeching halt when I heard Mam Flor’s voice once again. And, having worked for her for about a year now, her calling my name just before I logged off my work meant something bad. Well, my boss would always shove shitty stuff to me, but this one was extra disappointing, and downright annoying. Just 10 seconds away to freedom, and I’ll be free…

“Junie, I know you heard me,” she grabbed my shoulder, slightly pulled me away from queue of employees eager to leave for the weekend. “Any case, we have an emergency. Good thing I saw you here!”

“Emergency? What?”

“We got some distinguished visitors coming on Monday. Help me fix our office; the director didn’t say who, but he said to prepare. My suspicions tell me that the guests are from the main office. I can’t see the others; come on, Junie, you’re the only one who can help me now.”

Honestly, I was frustrated. My fellow co-workers must’ve caught wind of what was going to happen, so they hid themselves in other places and waited ‘till ‘time out’ there. But…Ma’am Flor was kind to us, anyway; I didn’t like to disappoint her. Helping her for a bit wouldn’t hurt.

“…”

My eyes fell on the biometrics clock as my heart sank. Oh well, shit happens…