At the end of the voice, I sighed with relief and closed my eyes.

“Good, I can go home now… As soon as I get back…”

I closed my eyes while holding my blood-dripping left arm.

“I need to go to the hospital…”

As soon as I thought my vision went dark, I was in my usual home, staring at the ceiling. Fortunately, my smartphone was in my bag. I couldn’t move another step, but I managed to muster up the last of my strength to turn on my smartphone from my bag.

I called Tanaka-san.

(Please… pick up… I can’t take it anymore…)

My wish seemed to have come true when I heard a gentle voice as soon as the sound of the phone being picked up reached my ears.

“Hello, is that you, Kai? What’s wrong?”

“I’m glad… I’m sorry, I’m about to die, please help me ── My address is…”

I somehow managed to tell him my address and closed my eyes right away. I was sure Mr. Tanaka would do something about it.

……

I don’t know how long it had been, but it felt incredibly long. I could hear some noises, but I couldn’t tell what they were.

“Kai! Midori, start the treatment right away! We need to take him to the hospital!”

“Got it!!”

◇

“… Is this the rumored unfamiliar ceiling?”

I woke up on a hospital bed.

Bright red blood was connected to my body through tubes.

It seemed that I was being given a blood transfusion.

“I’m glad… you’re awake, Kai… I thought my heart was going to stop…”

When I looked toward the voice, Mr. Tanaka was sitting there. He had left work halfway to be with me and was working on his PC in his suit next to me. I felt sorry for bothering him while he was busy.

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble… but I’m glad you came right away. I was about to die.”

“Really, if it hadn’t been for Midori’s emergency treatment, you would have been in real danger. By the time we got there, you were almost dead… but I’m really glad… Ijuin-sensei said that the external injuries can be healed without any problems and that you don’t need to be hospitalized since there’s enough blood from the transfusion. But… the burn scars on your left leg won’t disappear. Healing won’t work because some cells are dead.”

“Is that so… well, it’s a badge of honor for a man!”

I answered with a laugh.

I looked at my leg, and it did look like a burn scar, and I thought that it would stay with me for the rest of my life, but I didn’t think it was worth worrying about, so I laughed it off.

“… You’re strong. Midori was worried too, but she had another treatment today, so she went home.”

“I need to thank her.”

“I thought you’d say that, so I told her that you don’t need to thank her. Midori is happy that she could repay the favor, so you don’t have to worry about it. I wanted to ask you a lot of questions, but let’s wait until you’ve calmed down. Rest for today. Let’s go eat lunch tomorrow, you need to eat meat to replenish your blood.”

“Haha, I’m sorry. Please take care of me.”

Tanaka-san gently stroked my head, smiled, and left the room.

Maybe it was due to exhaustion but, I fell asleep again.

◇ The next morning.

I slept so much that I felt completely refreshed.

In Nagi’s hospital room, I talked about everything that had happened so far, even though I didn’t get a response.

It was lonely not receiving any reaction, and maybe Nagi was still asleep.

“Well then, Nagi, I’m going. I think Yamaguchi-san will come to see you again, so hang in there a little longer.”

I kissed Nagi on the forehead and left the hospital, having been granted permission to be discharged. I wanted to clean up the bloodstains at home, but the tatami mats that should have been stained with my blood had been replaced with new ones. It’s probably Tanaka-san’s doing; I should thank him.

I called Tanaka-san.

“Hello? It’s me, Kai!”

“Ah, you’ve been discharged, huh? Is your body okay now?”

“Yes, thanks to you! And thank you for the tatami mats!”

“No, no, it’s fine. I thought about cleaning the room too, but that would be an invasion of privacy. About the promise we made yesterday, can you come to our office around 11 o’clock?”

“Roger that! I’m starving, I feel like I’m dying!”

“Haha! That’s good, then. Give me a call when you get here.”

I wondered if I should eat something, but Tanaka-san said he would treat me to something delicious.

It would be a waste to fill up beforehand, so I decided to endure it with just water in the spirit of frugality.

Since I was dirty, I took a shower and changed into a shirt. Although it was my usual Uniqlo clothing, I wondered if I looked like a businessman with black pants and a white cutter.

And then, I headed to Toranomon, where Tanaka-san’s guild headquarters is located.

“What will Tanaka-san say when I tell him everything…?”

I was waiting in the lobby on the first floor of the Avalon headquarters.

It’s called a guild, but it’s just a corporation, a company in essence.

A company that deals with monsters and Cubes.

If the giant organization called the Dungeon Association, which is run by the country, is like the police, then I suppose the guilds are like security companies.

That being said, all the clearers belong to the Dungeon Association and also to a specific guild. In that sense, maybe it’s similar to how doctors work – they obtain a national license and then work individually or in large hospitals.

Among them, Avalon is the largest guild in Japan and is also ranked in the top 20 worldwide. The majority of the top guilds in the world are in superpowers like China and America. Considering their military power and population, it’s no surprise that their power is immense.

It’s said that their magic power is on a different scale, and I’d love to see their stats once.

By the way, an S-class existence is one with a magic power of over 100,000. There might be someone with 1,000,000, but it’s hard to imagine what kind of monster they would be.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Kai-kun!”

“Tanaka-san!”

As I was waiting in the lobby, Tanaka-san came down. The floor was buzzing, but at least today I wasn’t wearing shorts and a T-shirt, so I didn’t feel embarrassed.

“You look quite dashing today. …Has your body changed? I didn’t notice yesterday because you were in that state, but you’ve become quite impressive in just a month since we last met. Is it the influence of magic power?”

Tanaka-san grabbed my shoulder and squeezed. In fact, I had been thinking the same thing – as my magical power increased, my body seemed to improve significantly from what used to be a beanpole-like figure. Maybe the fact that my abs started to show a bit is because I was working hard and eating more.

“That’s right, I’ve become sturdier somehow…”

“It must be the effect of magic power. Our bodies are our assets, so it’s a good thing. Let’s put on more muscle then!”

“Yes, sir!”

I was taken by Tanaka-san to our destination. Where would he take me? Could it be a sushi place in Ginza?

After about a 10-minute walk, we reached a huge hotel a little away from the office district. It was a gigantic skyscraper, comparable to Tanaka-san’s company.

“Wow, this is a fancy place. Is it a hotel?”

“No, it’s my home. Its only merit is its height, though.”

“This is a condo? Rather, one of those billion-yen condos, huh?”

What I thought was a hotel turned out to be a luxurious condominium. I followed Tanaka-san past the high-end hotel-like reception.

“Honestly, the elevator is slow every morning, and it takes a while to even go to a convenience store. It’s a hassle in more ways than one, just being tall. But since I hold a position, I need to live in a place that reflects my status, or my subordinates wouldn’t respect me.”

I understood that it was part of his image. Indeed, it would be disappointing if one’s boss or the vice-president of the company lived in a shabby apartment. To inspire motivation in his subordinates, Tanaka-san has to live a dream-like lifestyle.

“I used to be poor, so I can’t really relax here. I actually feel more at home in a place like where you live. But I was fortunate to gain this power and make my way up. That’s all there is to it.”

Tanaka-san was being humble, but I knew his status was on the lower end of the A-rank. Even though it’s rare, there are many stronger people out there. So, it wasn’t just his magical power that got him to where he is today. It’s his charisma and character that I have come to trust and rely on even though we haven’t known each other for long.

You could also say that’s having a good personality, I guess.

We passed through a dazzling lobby and took an elevator that seemed to climb endlessly, making me feel the pressure difference in the air.

The elevator had a window where people below appeared to be the size of grains of rice.

“As expected, it’s the top floor.”

“The view is great, and I can use the rooftop too. Today, we’ll have a barbecue up there, so no one will overhear our conversation.”

“That sounds fantastic!”

I entered Tanaka-san’s home under his guidance.

Midori-san was living with him, but she wouldn’t be home until late at night due to work.

“I’ve never seen a spiral staircase inside a home before.”

“Lately, I’ve been just jumping down to save time.”

With Tanaka-san’s status, a height like this must be nothing for him.

The house was stylish, filled with unrecognizable paintings, art objects , and electronic devices. I didn’t know what most of the items were, but that just showed how different our worlds were.

“Can you help me? We sometimes have BBQs here with guild members.”

He led me to a balcony. The space was well-prepared for barbecues, ready to start at any moment.

The BBQ felt like dining at a restaurant, comfortably grilling meat while seated. Although the summer sun was strong, the area was shaded, and a large fan dispersed the heat and smoke.

“The meat is delicious and seems expensive.”

“Eat as much as you want. There’s rice too; I bought too much.”

Tanaka-san and I enjoyed the BBQ while engaging in small talk. We talked about my home and Tanaka-san’s past, each sharing our dark histories, but the meat helped us digest those heavy topics.

Tanaka-san had lost his parents in a dungeon collapse. They didn’t get caught in it, but instead, they fought to protect the defenseless citizens and Tanaka-san until the very end.

“That’s why I aimed to become an explorer too. I also wanted to know: What are the Cubes? What is this magic power that changed the world?”

“Is that why you joined the Golden Cube expedition, even though you’re the vice president?”

“Haha, that’s embarrassing. I got all fired up and like a child swatted down all of my subordinates’ objections and participated. ‘Curiosity killed the cat,’ you know? I really did come this close to dying. I was only saved thanks to you.

While having that type of small-talk, I finally decided to admit the truth.

“Tanaka-san, may I talk to you about something?”

“Of course, anytime. I invited you here intending to listen to whatever you have to say.”

Tanaka-san smiles while grilling the meat, probably to show that he wants me to feel free to talk. Relieved by his expression, I decide to tell him everything I’ve kept hidden about that day.

“That day, I was teleported. After you all left, the monsters were released, and I closed my eyes. But when I opened them, I was in another room.”

“I see…”

“And then I was told that I had cleared the dungeon and, as a reward, I would be granted the 『Eye of God』.”

“You cleared it… So, your final choice wasn’t wrong after all. And what is this 『Eye of God』? It has quite an impressive name.”

“Yes, may I borrow a piece of paper and a pen?”

“Sure.”

I took the paper and pen from Tanaka-san, then read and wrote down his status. He looked at me curiously but waited silently.

“With the power of the ‘Eye of God’ given to me by that voice, my perception of the world has changed.”

“The Eye of God… You mean, like the one in that mural?”

What Tanaka-san recalls is the eye symbol in the center of the triangle drawn on the door. It’s known as the Eye of Providence, a famous symbol representing the omnipotent eye of God.

“Yes, and this is the power it granted me.”

I showed Tanaka-san the paper with the written status.

“No way…are you telling me…this is…”