I sat back down under a barrage of clapping. It was a bit embarrassing, but I was more distracted by my new job. Out of curiosity, I decided to change my job from White Mage to Hero. I found I could do this easily with a thought.

{You have unlocked the Hero skill: Return.} 

I ended up gaining a skill. What was Return, anyway? This world didn’t seem to have anything like a tutorial or status bar. That meant I’d need to start writing down everything, as I only had one chance and afterword I’d just have to remember. I had a lot of questions, though. For example, could I use my skills without my job being equipped?

“Weak Heal,” I whispered, targeting myself.

I had never targeted myself before, but I assumed it would work. Nothing happened. I reequipped my White Mage job and tried again.

“Refresh,” I said.

Blue magic swept over me. Instantly, I felt like I had been dosed with cold water. Before, I was a bit groggy and tired, but now I was completely awake. I’d need to remember this Refresh spell more often. It really was refreshing. While I was tinkering with that, the mayor was finishing his congratulations speech.

“Now that all of the awards have been handed out, we need to talk about this new threat to our town. One month ago, a dungeon appeared a few miles outside of town. We sent one of our stronger parties there two weeks ago. Not only did they not return, but an army of undead came to our doorsteps. I do not believe this to be a coincidence.”

“Can we confirm that the dungeon is, in fact, full of the undead?” A large man with long hair asked.

“Since our scouting party did not return, we do not have any intel on the dungeon, but assuming the army of undead was sent from the dungeon, the answer is probably yes.”

There was a bit of mumbling.

“Should we send out another scouting party?” someone else shouted.

“If we wait long enough to confirm their success or failure, we could be looking at an even bigger attack next time. The first wave is usually just a test.” A woman in robes and a pointy hat declared.

“The dungeon is clearly hostile, we cannot allow it to continue, nor could I imagine the disaster if we blocked the entrance and allowed it to boil.”

The mayor nodded. “I agree… I’ve put out a decree for the dungeon’s destruction.”

“That means dungeon divers… are there any close enough to take the call?”

“I’ll do it!” A proud sounding voice came from the door.

A man was standing there wearing far more luxurious clothing than anyone in this lot. He had shiny armor and a thin mustache. His nose was stuck up in the air, and he had an arrogant way about him. Standing behind him were three animalkin. Two of them were men of about middle ages, but the third was a girl, perhaps a year or two younger than me.

Every one of the animalkin had their heads down, and a collar wrapped around their necks. The girl had a large pack on her back that looked difficult to carry. 

“Who are you?” The mayor asked, his mouth twitching.

“I am just a young noble passing through.” The man declared. “I saw the battle of undead attacking your village, and realized your town seems to be in need of rescuing. I, Lord Tibult, will graciously remove your dungeon problem and become this town’s hero.”

Ah… accepting the position was a mistake after all.