Most Wanted Salaryman

The air smelled like old burnt wood and metal. Everything looked completely ruined and worthless.

Toshio Tanaka stood paralyzed, staring down at his matte-black Oxfords. Thick red blood was already pooling around his soles. 

I just bought these shoes last week.

Will this count as a corporate expense? No, HR will never approve a footwear replacement for "unforeseen bloodstains." His mind was still in office mode

His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird, his pulse roaring in his ears. He was terrified, genuinely terrified. But years of surviving high-pressure client escalations, sudden layoffs, and catastrophic system crashes had beaten a weird kind of autopilot into him. 

When panic threatened to drown his brain, his corporate conditioning took over, forcing him to analyze the damage, assess the bottleneck, and look for a way out.

The room is huge. Why am I the only one here? He thought while not counting the very dead looking person in front of him.

Moments ago, he had been staring at a soul-crushing sales report at his desk in Tokyo. 

Now, the glowing monitor was gone, replaced by a shattered obsidian throne and a seven-foot giant slumped upon it in gold armor. The portrait behind the throne proved the guy was important

A broadsword, humming with a faint blue glow, pinned the titan to the stone like a grotesque display specimen.

Toshio adjusted his crooked glasses with a trembling hand. 

Think, Toshio. Think. But his brain rejected his order, very painfully.

"Ugh..." He turned around to the painful sound.

The massive king on the throne coughed. A wet, rattling gasp that echoed off the stone walls. His rough hand fumbled toward the sword’s hilt. 

Toshio’s stomach twisted in fear, but his mind frantically searched for a resolution. I should probably help. I have to help!

"Sir, stay calm. Let me help." Toshio stuttered, stepping carefully over the dark pool of blood. He grabbed the glowing hilt with both hands.

I should have done more pushups in high school. He thought while trying to pull out the sword,

The giant’s eyes snapped open—golden, terrifying, and full of agony.

Before Toshio could react, a massive hand clamped around his collar, squeezing with godly force.

"You..." The King rasped, blood dripping at the corner of his lips. 

"....You....YOU!" The King screamed with last of his breath.

"Sir, I'm just an assistant manager!" Toshio squeaked, his voice cracking in sheer terror. The grip on his neck was getting tighter.

I can't breath...

His hands slicked with sweat and blood. He panicked, lost his grip, and the heavy broadsword plunged back down with a sickening, wet crunch. It went deeper than it was originally stuck.

The golden light in the king’s eyes vanished. His massive hand went limp, dropping Toshio to the marble floor.

Toshio stumbled back, staring at the dead monarch in horrifying realization. 

I just killed him. I actually just killed him. I'm having panic attack. 

BANG. 

He turned around.

The heavy oak doors has exploded inwards. A dozen of knights in silver armor stormed into the hall, halberds raised. They surrounded the throne and Toshio with it.

"He killed the High King!?" Some of them shouted in disbelief.

"The summoned devil assassinated his highness!" An old knight roared with tears in his eyes. 

"We gave you respect of a hero and you..You! You wretched killer...How could you kill the merciful grace." His eyes turn red with bloodshot. It seems he knew the king as a friend.

"Wait!" Toshio held his hands up defensively, his voice trembling even as his brain tried to negotiate a way out. 

"This is a misunderstanding! Let me explain." He backed away while looking at them.

The knights charged. Ignoring his pleading voice.

Toshio didn't wait. 

He spun on his heel and sprinted down the grand corridor, his dress shoes squealing against the polished marble as magic spells hit the air behind him. 

They have magic! So cool. Wait not cool. His curiosity almost killed him. He continued running.

He reached the end of the hallway. Only to face a dead end dominated by a massive stained-glass window. It had the portrait of the Great King. One who just died.

"Time to turn!" Toshio yelled.

He tried to brake, but his bloody soles betrayed him. He skidded across the slick floor, crashing right through the glass. The glass shattered like snow. 

He flew out into the open sky. I'm so dead.

Below him lay a huge two thousand foot drop ending in a churning, dark river. It was surrounding the whole castle. 

He looked around. A city. Oh there are some mountains. reminds me of the company trip. Wish I could have went adventuring in them...

Toshio was regretting his luck. 

I finally came to another world and now I'm going to die. This should be speedrun.

Even he knew, that the speed he was falling won't save him just because there is water below. Water will hit hard as concrete. It's an instant death.

*BZZZRRRT*

A neon-blue holographic interface snapped into existence right in front of his face.

[WARNING : SYSTEM PENALTY CALCULATED]

[CRITICAL VIOLATION] : User Tanaka Toshio has eliminated a high priority user.

[PENALTY CALCULATED] : -999 Levels 

[CURRENT STATUS] : Cursed till death.

"Negative nine-hundred and ninety-nine?!" Toshio screamed. What did you save one level for? Discount? His sense humor only gets better the more terrified he becomes.

A wave of catastrophic, dark-purple energy erupted from Toshio's chest. He became unconscious. 

The system penalty turned his body invincible for few seconds. That was enough for him to hit the water at safe speed. A soft splash and he went straight into the deep water

Up in the ruined throne room, Prince Grace the second, stood over his father's corpse. His face twisted in cold rage. 

"Who was he?" Grace hissed, while closing his fathers lifeless eyes.

A terrified scribe shuffled through a stack of glowing parchments. "I... I found the ritual registry, Your Highness!" He carefully walked around the bodies of dead knights. He needed to be useful to stay alive.

"The magic designated his class as a commoner... but his profession is listed as a Salaryman?" He said as if asking.

"What is a salaryman? Some kind of new class of warrior?" Grace grabbed the scroll from his hands. He wiped his blonde hair red with blood. He has just cut down entire King's Guard platoon who couldn't protect his father. Even the old Knight who was King's best friend.

Some blood dripped in his eyes from his forehead.

Cough! Cough!

Toshio gagged, spewing mouthfuls of freezing water.

Did I swam up by myself? His memories were betraying him today. 

The air here was thick with the stench of stagnant water, moss, and decay. He was inside a huge metal pipe sewer. He could see dozens of them across the swamp. Everything was dead and silent.

Below the pipe lay a sprawling subterranean labyrinth of wooden huts and flickering green lanterns. The dark slums where the continent's poorest hid beneath the shadows of the elites above.

He sat back against an iron pipe, shaking uncontrollably from adrenaline and cold. He pulled off his right shoe, pouring a steady stream of sewage water onto the metal surface.

Squish. 

What is this soft thing. He poked his finger inside the shoe.

A tiny, gelatinous purple slime hopped out of his shoe with a soft boing and ran off into the darkness. 

He was too stunned to react. What did I do to deserve this?

Toshio stared down at his soaked, sock-covered feet. His tie was gone. His suit jacket was covered in dirt. His memories were fuzzy and he was hungry.

High above, magical amplification arrays mounted on the surface towers began to boom across the sky:

"CITIZENS OF THE CONTINENT. OUR BELOVED HIGH KING WAS BRUTALLY MURDERED. THE INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBLE IS THE SUMMONED DEMON KNOWN AS TANAKA."

A massive, glowing crimson bounty poster projected across the clouds, casting a blood-red light over the subterranean slums. It displayed a terrifyingly accurate portrait of Toshio, wire-rimmed glasses and all.

Just now he realized his glasses were gone. Ah well, not like I need those blu-light specs in this world. There are no PC here.

"HE IS DECLARED THE ENEMY OF THE NATION. A REWARD OF TEN MILLION GOLD PIECES IS PLACED UPON HIS HEAD. DEAD OR ALIVE."

Toshio stared at his reflection in a dark green sewer puddle. 

What a scary magic system. 

Not realizing those magic projections were setup for The King's speech all around the world. Today was his birthday. 

He looked around. Found his tie. Wore it as he does everyday before work. Adjusted his mud covered hair.

Lets get to work shall we? He murmured to himself. 

Like all the kids growing with anime and novels, he had bit of hero syndrome.

For he has just became the Most Wanted Salaryman...