I Guess Healers Are In Demand!

Seconds went by where my vision was clouded by darkness until I could hear something, though I couldn’t make out what it was.

Is it an angry dog? Or a lion’s roar?

It took a bit, but my hearing was getting better.

Wait, those aren’t animals I’m hearing. Those are people!

And from what I heard, they were celebrating!

Please tell me they’re cheering because they successfully prevented the Lich Queen from being resurrected. Or better yet, I hope they’re cheering because they got rid of the Lich Queen for good!

If I could cross my fingers, I would.

Instead, I was stuck ‌listening to people's chatter among themselves.

That being said, I didn’t mind after a couple of minutes. It beats being in a quiet, dark void.

A few moments passed, and I could feel my fingers twitch.

My body! It’s back!

It took a bit, but when I could ball my hand into a fist and wiggle my toes, I had the courage to open my eyes.

“Woah…”

I was in a wooden tavern of some kind. A large one at that. On the left side was a bar and a bunch of tables where people in armor and adventuring outfits drank to their heart's content and played ‌cards.

On the right was a counter where I’m assuming business took place. Something like a bank, if I had to guess.

It was a sight ‌you’d see straight out of a video game.

I guess that’s what the author of the series took inspiration from.

I didn’t mind it at all. In fact, I was glad. After all, if I got sent to a hardcore fantasy world that the author made up from scratch, it’d be over for me.

But I’ve dabbled in a couple of RPGs, so the scenery was a tad bit familiar–though for the record, I’ve never finished a single RPG in my life. I would get too caught up with the latest games to ever go back to one and finish it.

Plus, I like multiplayer games that I can play with friends. Like FPS games, for example. I played those the most.

“…”

Oh, man.

The fact that I’ve never finished an RPG was getting to me as a trickle of sweat slid down the side of my face.

I’m so screwed, aren’t I?

Reality was setting in. I couldn’t help but stumble a few steps back.

“Woah, watch out,” a man said, side-stepping to get away from me.

“Sorry,” I said back.

I made my way towards one of the small benches near the front doors and took a seat.

Let’s calm down now. Deep breaths.

I focused on my breathing.

Just being in this tavern, in this new world, was eating at me.

I wish I were home. I want to play games. I want to talk to friends. Hell, I even want to do homework now!

And I was never the kind of guy who enjoyed homework. Was there even a person out there who did?

I glanced at my clothes. It wasn’t the same outfit I wore to school today. Instead, I was wearing clothes befitting an adventurer.

I won’t lie though, I’m liking the medieval aspect of this outfit. It's cool! Even though it feels like something you could only wear at a cosplay event.

I was admiring my new clothes for a bit longer when I heard chatter at one of the business counters.

“Greetings, ma’am, I’d like to register as an adventurer, if you could show me how.”

“Of course!”

There were long lines at every counter. Man, I didn’t realize how crowded it was when I first opened my eyes, but I kept them peeled for the tall guy in the front.

I couldn’t miss him, no matter how hard I tried. Part of it was because of his height, but the main thing was that he had this gigantic sword just chilling on his back.

That thing has got to be 100 pounds, at the very least!

I gotta say; I was both impressed and intimidated.

The woman, who I’m guessing was the Guild Receptionist, did a bit of paperwork with the guy and got him all registered before leaving the counter for a bit.

Hm? Where’s she going?

A few seconds later, the lady was back with some sort of crystal ball. 

“Please hover your hand over the crystal so we can appraise your stats.”

Stats? As in game stats?

I watched a few more people in line register and get their stats appraised before finally deciding to get off the bench and join in.

It seemed like the right direction to take after being plopped into this fantasy world.

I waited in line and went through the paperwork, though I was a nervous wreck.

I spoke with an embarrassing stutter that I couldn’t control for the life of me.

“U-u-um, I-I’d like to register as an adventurer…”

The receptionist smiled as if she were taking pity on me.

“O-of course,” she said.

Geez! Just strike me down! I’m a mess! A total mess!

But I persevered. Lucky for me, I could read the language. I guess when I materialized I had this world’s language and writing hard-coded into my brain.

“Now, sir,” the lady said, pointing towards the crystal ball on the counter. “Could you please hover your hand over the crystal ball so we can appraise your stats?”

“O-of course…”

This is it, I thought. It was time to see how strong I was.

Slowly, I hovered my hand over the crystal.

As the ball glowed to read my stats, I had just one thought bubbling in the back of my mind:

Please let this be an OP power fantasy! Please let this be an OP power fantasy. Please, oh please let this be an OP power fantasy!

I don’t think my heart can take it if I don’t have enough power to rival the gods of this world!

Because how am I supposed to go against the Lich Queen’s army if I have to start from the bottom?!

As the glow from the crystal ball started fading, I took a nervous gulp.

On the counter in front of the woman’s hands was an adventurer’s card, which the remaining light from the crystal ball jumped towards in order to print my stats.

When the light faded and the numbers were in place, the receptionist held my card up to get a good look at my numbers.

“Oh my,” she said with a hint of concern.

“What is it?” I asked.

Were my stats horrendous? Please tell me that’s not the case!

“It seems here that you’ve already dabbled in the realm of adventuring,” the lady smiled, handing me my card. “Are you here from another city?”

Woah. I was not expecting that sort of question.

“Um, yeah. I guess I am.”

If you count cities from another world, that is.

But back to the case at hand.

I already have experience in adventuring? Like fighting monsters and stuff?

No, no, no. That couldn’t be me.

Of all the responses I was expecting to hear, such as her asking if I was new to this sort of lifestyle, I never would’ve expected the one that the receptionist just gave me.

Though, thinking about it, if I got sent into the world of a light novel and had an actual angel talk to me about that whole Lich Queen business, then it would only make sense that I had experience if I took over the role of the protagonist.

“Hm…”

I shook my head from side to side. Enough of the theory crafting. There were other things to worry about.

The receptionist told me about how having multiple adventurer cards would cause problems with gaining skills, but after I told her I didn’t have one on me—which was the case—she was glad and sighed as if a thousand boulders flew off her shoulders.

I guess customer-service workers have it rough even in fantasy worlds.

But with that out of the way, I thoroughly scanned my adventurer’s card and winced.

I was level 6, but my physical attack and defense didn’t reflect that. They sucked!

“Sigh.”

My hopes of being overpowered from the jump were crushed right then and there. But it made sense. I was never the sort of guy to work out.

With that being said, my stats on the right side of my card erased all the sad thoughts I had about my physical stats.

I pointed down at my stats as I spoke to the receptionist.

“My mana and magic defense seem pretty high for my level,” I told her. “Plus, it also says that I’m a healer.”

“That’s correct!” the receptionist said as she clapped her hands together. “You have the same amount of mana as someone who is level 10. It’s a great fit for any healer!”

“Whoa, really?”

“Mhm!”

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t smiling.

I think her compliment is overfeeding my ego. Oh man, I hope I don’t appear pretentious.

“Well, thank you for the compliment!” I told her. Gotta have good manners after all, even if I’m in a fantasy world.

The receptionist chuckled.

“Of course,” she said. “Will that be all for you today, sir?”

“Oh, actually, I have a couple of questions.”

Well, more than a couple, actually.

She filled me in on the basics, such as joining parties and taking on quests. She even told me about Isle City, which is where we’re at.

“Thank you for being so patient with me!” I said, bowing.

Embarrassed by my sudden action, the receptionist held her hands up as she nervously chuckled.

“It’s no problem. Really.”

It seemed like she just wanted to move on with her work instead of dealing with my theatrics. I understood it completely and apologized for the inconvenience before moving on.

I really wish I could tip her, but I didn’t spawn with any gold on me.

What a shame, I thought. She deserved a bit of extra cash in her pocket.

I should give her some gold when I finish a quest.

That seemed like a sound idea.

***

“Alright,” I chirped, walking away from the receptionist area.

I’m making good progress. And I did it without going insane.

Pat on the back for me!

I thought I’d do a lot worse given how sudden everything had been.

But with one problem gone, another arises.

Sitting at an empty table, as I took in the smell of grilled meat and booze, I lowered my head and sighed.

“How am I gonna join an adventurer party?”

Was there anyone who was gonna let me join their crew on such short notice?

The short answer was yes.

Because right after I said those words, a man with heavy steps stopped right in front of me.

“Hey, you there!” he yelled, with bass and toughness to his voice.

“Hm?”

I raised my head. It was the guy with the giant sword on his back!

“Um, yes?” I squeaked.

Oh man, I sounded so dumb, but the guy came out of nowhere!

“I heard you wanted to join a party,” he said, before placing a hand on his chest. “How about joining mine? I overheard your talk with the missus at the counter. We could use a healer on our team.”

Way to jump the gun! 

I guess healers were always in demand. Makes sense now that I'm thinking about it, but still...

I scratched the back of my neck as I chuckled nervously .

“I don’t know…” I laughed. “I’m a pretty low-level healer. And I have almost no experience when it comes to quests and all that.”

“It’s no problem!” the man said, edging closer toward me. “We can show you the ropes and get you leveled up fast!”

Too close! I thought. You’re making me uncomfortable!

Even though he had a promising offer, he was coming on a bit too strong.

Raising my hands with another nervous chuckle, hoping the guy would respect my boundaries, I needed to let him down easy. I can't have the guy walk all over me on such a major decision.

“I’m sorry, sir, but—”

“—Quit nagging that poor individual.”

Hm?

The buff man and I stopped what we were doing.

Who said that? I thought.

Our attention turned to who I’m guessing was a low-level mage with glasses behind us.

He pushed the bridge of his glasses upwards, staring at the buff man as if he were someone below him.

Right out of the gate, he seemed like a jerk.

“What did you just say?” the buff man asked, getting angrier as he stood face to face with the mage.

“I’m telling you to stop bothering that young man over there. It’s obvious he’ll never want to join your party no matter how much muscle you have, so drop it.”

The buff man snorted as he raised his thick hands and cracked his knuckles.

“Oh, I’ll drop something alright.”

“Getting violent now, are we?”

The mage sneered.

Uh oh. This isn’t gonna end well.

I scooted closer and closer to the edge of the bench, hoping to get away from what I assume was gonna be a battle between muscle and magic when the mage leaned away from the buff man’s figure—which I was using as a cover to make my getaway—and called me out.

“Do you see the kind of man this guy is?”

The mage chuckled.

“And to think that he wanted you to join his party. All he’ll do is belittle and abuse you.”

“Huh?!” the buff man grunted.

Ignoring the man, who was well over 200 pounds of pure muscle, the mage stepped away from him and—believe it or not—was walking towards me!

Woah! Get away! I wanted to shout.

Instead, I kept quiet when I saw the giant man turn towards us with violence in his eyes.

And it was all because of this arrogant mage in front of me!

With his arm outstretched, the mage declared his proposal.

“Join my party instead. My friends and I will treat you way better than Musclehead over here.”

Was this guy serious? After all that, did he seriously think I would join his party?

I wanted to know what this mage thought of himself from his perspective. Did he think he was cool? Or that he seemed like a nice leader?

Because it wasn’t coming off that way to me. In fact, he seemed just as bad as those bullies from school!

I took a deep breath. I wasn’t gonna let him down easy.

And I for sure wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.

From the bench, I stared at the mage. His face clearly showed his anticipation. It was as if he knew he had won me over.

But…

“No thanks,” I said, with a blank stare and monotone voice. “I’d rather join a party full of toddlers than with you.”

From those words alone, the mage’s cocky attitude shattered, and he stumbled back in shock.

“I-I’m sorry, but you’d rather be with inexperienced and weak babies than join a party with me…?”

“Bahahah! You heard the healer!” the buff man said, shoving the mage to the floor. “He’d rather be with me than with you!”

“I didn’t say that,” I said quickly, just to make things clear. “I don’t want to join either of your parties.”

And with those words, the ‌buff man’s confidence depleted to 0.

“Join my party then!” Some guy yelled from behind. “We’d love to have you as our healer!”

“A healer?!” I heard a drunk man yell from the bar.

My body shivered.

“Uh oh…”

Within seconds there was a horde of guys around me, pushing and even punching each other so they could get the chance to invite me to their party.

There’s so many people. And there’s so much movement…

My head was getting dizzy.

Somebody… save me!

I was being pushed around by a handful of men until my prayer was answered.

“That’s enough, boys!” said a woman from my left.

She placed her hand on my shoulder and, for a second, I could smell her vanilla perfume.

My eyes turned towards the woman and grew wide the instant I got a good look at her.

She had short brown hair and bright hazel eyes.

That, along with her crop top and whatever that thing was on her neck… this lady was much more than gorgeous.

She was one of the ‌female leads from the light novel!

Was this how the protagonist and her met in the story?!

I was thinking about it as the woman faced the horde of men in front of us.

“Can’t you see that you’re overwhelming this poor baby?” she said, squishing my cheeks. “I mean, look at him. He looks like his brain is gonna melt!”

My face was heating up.

Is it really? How embarrassing!

Please, just get this situation over with!

And that’s when I noticed how quiet everyone got. I thought they’d ignore the lady and keep swarming me, but no.

Their eyes were all glued to her. Though I couldn’t blame them…

Squishing my cheeks even more, the protagonist of the novel leaned forward, showing a bit of her bare cleavage as she conjured her most convincing puppy eyes.

“So can you boys please leave this poor baby alone~? Pretty please~?”

The men who were once shoving each other stood up straight, with some of them puffing out their chests and flexing their muscles.

“Of course!” one guy laughed.

“Will do, ma’am!”

“Sorry for all the trouble!”

The lady smiled and thanked everyone with a cutesy voice that was 100% forced.

She knew what she was doing, and she was damn good at it.

I had to respect it.

***

When the horde of men went away, I heaved a sigh so great, you’d think that I had just got out of something awkward, like hanging out with someone I was “just classmates” with.

“Thanks for sticking up for me,” I said. “I thought the wave of party invites was never gonna end.”

The lady chuckled.

“Well, I’m glad I could help!”

The female lead smiled, and I realized then just how close her face was to mine. Just a few inches away.

Man…

She’s so pretty! I’m sorry! I wish I could say more about her looks, but whenever I even get a glimpse of her face, my mind turns blank.

“So,” the female lead said as she pressed her arms against mine, leaning towards me as she slowly lifted my adventurer’s card towards her chest. “Is it true that you’re a healer?”

Those words brought me back to reality.

“Yeah, it’s true.”

The woman smiled.

“And your card confirms it. After all, you can’t make up stats on this thing.”

She said, waving my card around.

After that, she handed it back to me as her eyes met mine.

“So, Mr. Healer~,” she went on. “How about joining my party?”

“Okay,” I said.

My response was blank and direct.

“…”

The female lead blinked about 2-3 times. It was clear that my answer took her by surprise.

“Really?” she said. “You’re willing to join my party just like that?”

“Yup,” I nodded. “You did help me out after all.”

Plus, if I joined her party, then I’d gain at least a bit of plot armor since she’s one of the female leads of the story.

So we’ll both get something out of this.

Of course, I wasn’t going to say that out loud, but from that cheeky smile of hers, I’m sure that she knows I’m getting something out of joining her team.

“Well, alright then!” the lady said. “Welcome to the party, I guess!”

Still staying close to me, she reached her hand towards mine.

“I’m Mia.” She smiled.

I shook her hand.

“I’m Tai. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” she said.

And with that, I joined the most important party this fantasy world had to offer.