Monsters.

  They fill the world dungeon, ranging from ones as weak as a goblin to stronger than a demon. Regardless of the type, adventurers fear and desire to encounter them for loot and experience points. However, over time, as humanity ventured deeper into the dungeon, they encountered members of monster races that were not only sentient but sapient as well.

  The Council of Adventurer's was tasked with determining what should be done about said monsters. Some believed they should be sin just like the others. Others said that they should be left alone unless they attacked mankind. Finally, the idea that won out, was to bring them under the banner of humanity and assimite them into our society if they so wished.

  Thus, the Bureau of Assimition was born.

  Elves, dwarves, fairies, beast kin, and more soon made homes and entire cities under the watchful eyes of the Council to ensure their compliance with the restrictions imposed upon them.

  Agents, new ones like me, are tasked with individually showing these monsters how to live in human society, how to behave, and helping them learn how they may contribute to it.

  From what I could tell, the Bureau was retively successful in this endeavor, but that didn't make me feel any less nervous about my first day on the job. I swallowed hard as an elf woman with a bck bob cut told me that the Guild Director was ready to see me now. I thanked her for that, and she politely smiled, gesturing to the foreboding wooden door behind her desk.

  Closing the door behind me, the room was dimly lit by magic orbs of light zily floating around the simple room. There was nothing there except a few bookcases, a couch, and a rge polished wooden desk at the other end of the room where a behemoth of a man sat. His face was completely covered in white hair with streaks of grey in contrast to his scarred-up bald head. Despite his obvious muscur frame, he wore a tight-fitting tunic and tie that made him look like a polite yet rough barkeep.

  Standing off to the side, with her back to the wall and arms crossed was a curvaceous white-haired woman with pointed ears. She wore a ribbed leotard, bck thigh-highs that went into a pair of metallic boots, and a scowl that formed across her face when I approached. Another thing about her was her size, she was tall, most likely had a head over me. When I made it in front of the Director, she turned her head to look out of a nearby window.

  Yikes.

  "Welcome, you must be Kael Mond. I am Guild Director Reynold Jak, in charge of the West Gate entrance to the world dungeon and your boss here with the Bureau." He was nicer than I had first assumed, his small beady eyes exuding kindness, yet something told me he could switch that off instantly. You don't become a Guild Director without a ck of skill, that's for sure.

  "It's nice to meet you too, I'm not sure how well I'll do, but I'm looking forward to working here," I said with a slight bow. The woman off to the side scoffed.

  "Please tell me you're not going to pair me up with this...lesser man." She finally spoke up, her voice dripping with disdain for my very being. Her voice, however, sounded old. She had an accent that I couldn't quite pce, unlike any of the nguages from the other monster races. Director Jak let out a heavy chuckle and apologized on her behalf to me.

  "Is there something wrong?" I asked, looking between the two of them, "I know I'm only a D-Rank adventurer, but I thought that was acceptable for the Bureau?" The Director waved my concern away.

  "You're correct," he sighed, "Truth be tol,d my boy, I'm afraid I've bamboozled you." I raised my eyebrows.

  "Pardon?"

  "This young dy here is Terrsa, and despite what her appearance might suggest, she is not an elf...she is a Fallen Angel." The revetion came at me like I'd been shot with an arrow. My initial instinct was to shield myself, or run, not that it would do any good. Fallen Angels were one of the first sapient entities humanity stumbled upon...with disastrous consequences. Nearly all of their stats were off the charts, with even an average one comparable to a B-Rank adventurer. But there was something wrong with Terrsa, and a question gnawed at me.

  Where were her wings? Just as the Director said, she did resemble an elf, a dark elf really, to be specific.

  "I think Terrsa has a point, you'd be much better off getting a high ranker to take care of her instead of me."

  "Hmph, guess he has some sense in him after all," Terrsa said as she stood up straight to give me a proper appraisal. After looking me up and down once, she shook her head and smmed her hands down on the Director's desk. "Get me someone else." The Director smiled before his face became stern as he uttered one word.

  "Kneel." I watched as Terrsa's body slumped to her knees as she tried in vain to use her arms to keep herself from fully prostrating in front of the desk. It was a sight to behold; there weren't that many Word Casters, and most of them usually weren't sitting behind a desk all day. It was fascinating to see him use his magic with such control that I was left unaffected by it. "Apologies for this, Kael. She's a colorful character, let's leave it at that."

  "Um, no worries." What else could I say?

  "To be straight with you, there is no one else to pair with her. Everyone else quit on her after a week or so...so despite your low ranking, I figured I could get you to accept." I asked him why I would accept essentially teaching a low goddess how to act like a human being. He raised his hand and tapped his forefinger and thumb together with a mischievous smile. "Money." He couldn't be serious? "All the other A-Ranks and even a few S-Rankers whom I initially wanted for this are all well-off and don't need the money. But you? A novice? Why, a thousand gold a year would be something, no?" I gulped. The amount of money he was offering would let anyone lead a life of luxury for at least five years if they were careful with their spending. To illustrate his point, he picked up two bags of jingling coins from behind his desk and dropped them ceremoniously onto it.

  And when my eyes darted to them, it became increasingly difficult to not accept this request. It's not that I was a greedy man, there was something I needed to do that required capital.

  A heck of a lot of it.

  "I protest this!" Terrsa rumbled from the floor, "And let me go, you uncouth man!" With a loud ugh, the Director released her, and she took a few deep breaths before standing up again. She turned to me again and frowned so hard I'm surprised her jaw didn't break. "Why can't I just live alone and mind my business?" She asked defiantly.

  "You know that's not how this works, Terrsa. If you want to live among humanity, you've got to py by the rules. And if I can be frank, my dear, you don't have a choice in the matter." Director Jak said sternly as I felt the mana shifting around him once again. Terrsa grumbled to herself and crossed her arms as she shot an angry look my way.

  What the hell did I do?

  "Well...what are your orders, sir?" I asked politely in an attempt to get around the awkwardness in the room. The Director smiled again, those white teeth of his fshing even in the dimness of the room.

  "How do you feel about having a roommate?" he asked with a mischievous grin on his face. I looked over at the angelic woman as her face twitched, evidently doing her best not to have another outburst.

  "Is that a... wise choice?" I asked quietly.

  "It's standard protocol for new arrivals from the world dungeon. We at the Bureau feel that new arrivals should be inundated with human cultural practices and norms in all aspects of daily life and living with one is the best way to get that done." His smile was unflinching, making me uncertain of whether he was genuinely a happy fellow or constantly putting up a kind facade.

  "Well, my room at the inn only has a single bed, but I don't mind sleeping on the couch for a while if that's what it takes. With what you're paying me, I think I can put up with it for a while." Terrsa rolled her eyes at this and began to speak, only to be cut off by the Director saying Silence.

  Whatever opinion she had died then and there. At this point, I was hoping she wouldn't take this anger out on me ter for what the Director did.

  "That's the spirit, boy! I knew I could count on you, you're a real lifesaver!" The director stood up abruptly, startling me both with his actual height and his impressive aura that seemed to push outwards from his body now that he was active. He reached over and grabbed my hand from across the desk and shook it roughly before sitting back down. "Ah, two more things before you go help get Terrsa here settled in."

  Of course, there's always a catch.

  "All that gold? While you will be getting all of it over the course of the year, a portion of it will be taken out to pay for any incidental expenses like...destruction of property and paying off angered citizens." He gave me another award-winning smile, and my stomach flipped. He pyed me. The only reason the pay was as high as it was, was to entice me to accept. If Terrsa decided to flip out, I'd lose more and more of my wages. "You can take this for now." He said as he took out a few dozen gold coins from one of the bags and offered them to me.

  "That's, I mean, you tricked me, sir," I said, not hiding my frustration as I noticed Terrsa chuckle silently as I took the gold.

  "Oh, don't be so upset, d, you're doing a good thing here. Besides, I will be more than happy to foot the bill for your lodging and meals. At the very least, you'll have a roof over your heads and food in your bellies, ahaha!" I sighed internally but thanked him for that at least. He then released his magic on Terrsa, and she looked between us for a moment before settling on the Director.

  "And the second thing?" I asked, and he got serious for a second.

  "No one can know that Terrsa is a Fallen Angel. Could you imagine the stir something like that would create? And no, you can't ask any questions about it, that'll be for Terrsa to decide. Understood?" I nodded, and the Director smiled once again.

  "Is there no other choice? It must be him?" Terrsa interjected.

  Ouch.

  "Now, now, give the d a chance. Give it a week, and then we can reassess, sound fair to you two?" The Director asked, and we nodded, albeit Terrsa did so more reluctantly. "Great! Now then, off you go. Take the day to get acquainted, and Rosaline will give you the guidebook to help you with your day-to-day activities. Your training was extensive, Kael, but you'll need plenty of help for this one, ahaha!" Terrsa turned and scoffed as I said goodbye.

  The Elf woman, Rosaline, asked how things went, and when I hesitated with a gnce towards Terrsa, she gave me a knowing smile and presented the guidebook to me.

  "This will help you pn out your daily, weekly, and monthly activities. Everything in this book is designed to prepare anyone, regardless of species, for what to expect when communicating with and living with humans." I nodded, grateful for it. Most of my training consisted of learning about the different dungeon species, how they lived, what foods they ate, norms, and self-defense.

  "Thank you, Rosaline, this is very helpful. I appreciate it. If I need further assistance, may I come see you?" The Elf blinked a few times like I had just spoken in Orcish.

  "You'd want to speak with me, not another human?" she asked, a blush on her face.

  "Should I not...ask for you?"

  "N-No!" Adventurers around us turned to look at us with confused expressions after Rosaline's sudden burst of emotion. She cleared her throat before continuing. "Yes, I'll be happy to assist you. Don't hesitate." She said with a smile that was less formal than before.

  Terrsa and I left the guild hall, and she followed me silently, yet I could feel her eyes boring into the side of my head.

  "Do you often flirt with random women like that?" She finally said, breaking the silence. I looked up at her and shook my head.

  "I was just being polite." It was true, I mean, I wasn't ugly by any means, but I was simply being kind to the Elf.

  "If I had known you were going to be so unprofessional, I'd have fought harder against that oaf of a man in pairing me with you." Not wanting to get into a fight so soon, I shrugged off her insult and kept quiet until we made it to the West Hall Inn, the only home I've had. When we entered, I saw the owner, Agatha, polishing mugs behind the bar with no patrons in sight.

  That wasn't uncommon, given the time of day, most folks were either trying to make their coin in the world dungeon or working less dangerous jobs on the surface.

  "Well, look who's back already, who might this tall ss be, Kael?" Agatha questioned as I pulled up a chair for Terrsa and me to sit down. She paused at the gesture before sitting in, her back completely straight as she watched Agatha work.

  "This is Terrsa, a...Dark Elf, and my first assignment." I lied, and Agatha gave me a look, the same look she gave me when I was a young boy, when she could tell something was up. Thankfully, she shrugged her shoulders and let it be.

  "Terrsa, eh. Never met a Dark Elf before. But let me give you some advice girl, don't stand out. Humanity tolerates dungeon species, doesn't mean we like you, no offense. Me? I don't give a shit who you are as long as you got the coin, she does have coin, right Kael?"

  "I can speak for myself, woman. And yes, I have plenty of gold." Terrsa snapped, but the old woman smirked in response.

  "Good, then you are welcome here, Your Highness."

  "That. Is not. My name." Terrsa said through gritted teeth as Agatha cackled to herself.

  "Okay, leave her alone, Agatha. Can I trouble you for an early dinner? And before you say anything, I just got paid upfront, so it won't be an issue, you stingy old woman." We shared a ugh, and I gave her two coins, enough to cover a week's worth of lodging with meals included for two. She squirreled the money into a small bag that clinked against her hip and told us that our food would be ready in a few hours. I thanked her and led the way upstairs to my room, good old room number five.

  Immediately upon entering my humble lodging, Terrsa ughed derisively.

  "This is how you live?" I frowned as I closed the door behind me. The only things in the room were a bed, a firepce, a small table for eating and writing, a chest for my belongings, and a walled-off section for my bathroom. It wasn't much, but I had grown accustomed to it.

  Terrsa sat down on my bed and crossed her well-defined legs and stared at me, appraising me once again. Ashamedly, I couldn't bring myself to look directly into her eyes in a setting as intimate as this. And as unprofessional as it was to think, she was gorgeous. Her proportions would drive even the most chaste priest mad, given her bust and the way her hips dipped into her strong, thick, and powerful legs.

  Focus, Kael, she'd probably kill you if she knew you were already thinking such stupid things. You've got a job to do.

  "Show me your status, now," Terrsa said bluntly.

  "Uhm, no? Why would I do that?"

  "I'm trying to figure out if you can be useful for what it is that I want to do if I am to, ahem, co-exist with humanity." Okay, aside from the snide remark, this was good. And here I was thinking I'd have to pry out from her what she wanted to do for work. Helps tremendously in figuring out how I would go about teaching her.

  "First of all, we usually don't insult people when we want them to do something," I said gently, and she looked at me like I had grown a second head.

  "I know what basic manners ar,e you fool, I wanted to insult you."

  Well, fuck me, I guess.

  "Well, if you're going to be difficult about this, I'll have to find out for myself." Without bothering to expin, Terrsa held out her hand and said something in Angelic. A second ter, I felt an icy chill spread throughout my body and felt as though a piece of my soul was gripped by something ethereal, and out popped my status for her to see.

  Name: Kael Mond

  Age: 27

  Race: Human

  Level: 1

  HP: 100

  DEF: 10

  STR: 10

  INT: 50

  DEX: 100

  SPD: 100

  Abilities: Fsh, Dash, Ghostly Barrage

  "How in the world are you only level 1 at this age? You're fast and smart, I'll give you that, but by the Gods above and below, why are you so pathetic?" She said incredulously, and I forcefully closed my status.

  "Never do that again." I gasped, feeling her magic dissipate. "And secondly, my personal issues are to be left alone, understand?" Terrsa smirked, clearly enjoying herself, and said it would only depress me if she shared her stats at this point. However, she did mention that she was level 20, how strong that was for a Fallen Angel, I had no idea.

  "Hmm, your terrible stats aside, your speed might prove useful. Tell me, how should I go about getting an adventurer's license? That oaf Jak refused to let me get one until I was partnered with someone willing to let me get one." Her unasked question hung in the air, as much as I hated being pushed around like this. I would be foolish not to indulge her. If this is what she wanted out of living on the surface, I'd be happy to show her the ropes.

  Easier said than done, of course.

  "We can get that sorted tomorrow. As for today, I think we should go over the basics of human interaction. I'm not sure how Fallen Angels like yourself communicate, so let's start with something easy. When you meet someone for the first time, how should you address them to get their attention?" I quizzed her.

  "Oi, I need something."

  "No, you'd say something like, 'Sir or Ma'am', and follow up with whatever you wanted to say or ask. Next question, when addressed by an official like the Guild Director, what should you do?"

  "Ask what the hell they want from me." Terrsa sighed as she leaned back on the bed. I pinched the bridge of my nose at that and shook my head.

  "You're not taking this seriously, are you?"

  "Obviously? I told you, I know how to conduct myself, I just choose not to. Simple as that."

  "You do know that's a problem, right? You won't be able to become an adventurer if you are a..." I hesitated. She stood up in a fsh and looked down at me with a predatory gaze.

  "Go on then, finish that sentence. What am I?" She challenged. I gulped, watching as her red irises swirled around her pupils like a typhoon, mesmerizing and frightening all at the same time. When I said nothing, she chuckled and began walking back to the bed.

  "Tough talk for an angel without their wings," I muttered. No sooner did those words leave my mouth did one of her hands csp around my throat and lift me into the air.

  "Don't ever fucking mention my wings again, you pathetic excuse for a human! You are nothing but an insect to me! If I willed it, I could level this entire city without breaking a sweat!" She yelled, her sharp fingernails dug into my throat, threatening to end my life at any second if she squeezed just a bit harder. I punched her hand as the world began to turn bck around me. And just as my body started to go limp, she let me go, letting my body fall in a heap to the floor.

  I cast a minor healing spell on my throat, thank the gods everyone had this ability, or I'd be screwed. I mustered up the strength to get back to my feet while clutching my throat.

  "Look, I apologize for what I said. Maybe we just need some time apart to adjust, regroup. I'll go downstairs to see Agatha, and you can hang out here. But remember, don't leave...as strong as you are, I think Director Jak can handle you." If she could spit venom at me, I think she would have given the look she gave me. "Don't worry, though, I won't tell him about this. You have my word." Her eyes softened slightly at that, but she waved me of,f and soon I found myself downstairs and let myself into the kitchen behind the bar.

  "Gods! Don't just walk in here like that, Kael, you're not a child anymore. And no, your food isn't ready yet. I've got to prepare for the dinner rush. You know, adventurers ' always eating a family's worth of food." When I didn't give her a retort in response, she leaned in close as she plucked feathers off a chicken. "Are you alright, boy?" As crude as she was, she had been a mother to me for the past twenty years.

  "I'm fine, Agatha, let me help you cook. Just like when I was that boy you used to boss around." I fshed her a smile, and she chuckled.

  "Perfect, you get started on the stew, I've got my hands full with poultry. And Kael?"

  "Yeah?"

  "You're a shitty liar." I ughed and grabbed an apron.