Optimizing Your Isekai - Progression Fantasy w/ Slice-of-Life and Biz Building Elements

Why the hell is someone knocking merrily at my door. And how are they even doing that? Ugh…

The day of my first actual delve had dawned. Before dawn.

Still, after a peaceful and restful night of sleep, I was ready. I knew it was smarter to armor up when we arrived at the rift – the team was acting as an escort after all – but I wanted to look the part.

Consultant survival tip #73: Dressing to your role is simply part of the job. The way people perceive you impacts your ability to do your work. If they are questioning your competence from the second they see you, it will make things harder. People generally react better to people dressed well and will form opinions of you based on it.

Isekonsultant survival tip #16: It's very easy for people to mistake you for someone chosen for your abilities instead of your capabilities. Especially given the unique circumstances. Make sure people understand you can do the work. Plus, try to look cool. Perception is reality.

Remembering to put on at least a shirt with my night pants, I cracked the door just to see an object flying, about to strike the person at my door. Luckily, it was only at Gabor and it was merely a cleaning rag. It hit against his cheek with a soft squelch and I could smell the soap on it.

Nice, citrus-y.

As I opened the door, I saw Vana following her projectile weapon, finger extended. "You little sodus, why the hell are you knocking so loudly. I know you weirdos in the guard are 'morning people' but it doesn't mean my guests are. And we had a big night last night, lots of people too hungover to go home. Get your pet and go."

"Good morning deary, thank you for keeping Tilda in check last night and the wonderful company while we ate. Good luck today."

I stifled a laugh at her abrupt change between calling me a pet and a dear as Gabor just rolled his eyes. "Vana, if it weren't for your lovely buns, I would be upset with you." He took a bite of a breadroll and threw an extremely exaggerated wink at her. "Now, get dressed and let's get some food in you. The cart leaves from the north gate in half a bell. It's a ways of a journey so grab something to entertain yourself. I picked an awesome team but they got called away so you have a pretty annoying team; the conversation should be boring at best. Thus: entertainment."

He shoved me back slightly by my forehead before I could react and shut the door.

What to do about my storage ring? As I dressed, I fretted over the decision, finally just settling on asking Gabor. I was leaning towards hiding it in a pouch but keeping it on me. If we were waylaid, it would be easier to hide. And I didn't want to leave it behind in case I needed the ring or my tablet for some reason.

Vana had prepared another nice meal but this one was a bit more protein-heavy – 'to keep my energy up' she had said – and she included some bread and cheese for a light meal later in the day. I had finally remembered to leave my self-refilling jug out in my room so I had a huge amount of water in my ring but I carried a waterskin to again keep up appearances.

"Yeah, you want that ring on you. Did you forget about your backup supplies, including that warhammer? Plus, you might be able to practice storing and unstoring when it's not on your hand. That's tough but a neat trick. Managed to drop a shield on an enemy once that way. …Entirely on purpose of course!" Gabor resumed his full volume joking in the common room. "Poor guy looked so confused before I— well, you know."

I was mostly quiet. The thought of killing someone else still didn't sit right with me even if I knew it was likely something I'd have to do eventually.

"So, what can you tell me about the team I'm going with?"

"I don't know them well but I do know just looking at them requires a nap. Maybe that's their super power?" He let out a sharp laugh but it died quickly on his lips as he actually looked at me. "Ah, I see. Actual information not jokes… Hmm…" He looked truly pained at the thought.

"Well, the composition is pretty standard though no healer – those are extremely hard to come by as the spells are very essence channel heavy. You don't see many until Tier 3. Frontline damage dealer, frontline damage taker/distracter, archer, ranged spellcaster." He ticked off his fingers as he spoke. "All peak of Tier 1. They should easily be able to handle the wolves since they are getting weaker and don't come in big waves."

"And they work well together? And do you not call your damage takers tanks?"

"What's a tank? And yeah, I've seen a recording or two of their exploits – we were recruiting for guard reserve and they were deemed adequate if not exceptional. The 'tank' is actually their tactician, which is a bit rare. You usually want someone who can see from further away to assess. But again, I'd give them a B+ relative to a challenging Tier 1 rift. Which this is not. You'll be fine. I guarantee you'll survive or you can come kick my sickna and Tiesa will help!"

"Har har, very funny." But the joking did help settle my nerves. And the honest assessment instead of giving the rosiest picture helped too.

All the Ps: proper preparation and planning prevents piss-poor performance after all.

Vana gave me a kiss on the cheek for good luck. Then a slap on the butt for good measure. At my surprised look, she said, "What, you are going on your first delve. You want luck and something to chuckle about when you get covered in gore. You'll laugh about this later, mark my words. And we'll do a nice meal tonight when you get back."

We walked the streets, my chain shirt clinking slightly. I wasn't afraid to show my building nerves in front of Gabor so I continually shook myself off. Still, all too soon, we arrived at the gate. I was hoping for a motorized vehicle of some kind but it was a large, moderately rickety-looking cart attached to two horses.

Gabor said goodbye and walked back inside the gate, getting a salute from those on duty.

I received four alerts on my AAI of new connections.

"Hey, you the tag-along? Name's Milica, that's Vesna, he's Jovan, and the idiot over there is Stefan." The short and stocky woman stepped forward, extending a hand. I couldn't quite tell the color in the pre-dawn light but I thought she had long sandy-brown hair and green eyes that shone with an eerie glow.

"Hi, I'm Terry. I've been training to work as a frontline fighter, mostly a solo delver, but I've only been at it for a few days. I should be able to protect myself unless we get swarmed but I'm supposed to stay out of your way. This is about testing the allocation bracelets, not my ability to solo a rift."

"Smart man, I like it!" Vesna, a lithe woman with a quiver slung over her shoulder and an exquisite looking bow attached to her back stepped forward, clapping me on the shoulder. Her sharp features looked almost like someone had tried to create an elf but got the angles a bit too severe.

"Almost got the cart all good to go. Those kurac-for-brains at the stable didn't clean it out right and I swear, we need to talk to Al—" At a sharp head turn from Milica, he cut off. "Yeah, so I'm Stefan. I'll greet you properly when we're underway. I lost the lots so I had to clean up the cart but Jovan got second worst so he has to drive. Wait, shouldn't we do a new drawing since the new guy is here?" he asked hopefully.

"You realize you've already done 90% of the work so the only thing you could do is get another bad job, right?" Jovan stepped away from the animals and came forward. He was extremely built and quite handsome I could admit. Shoulder length brown hair, a neatly cropped beard, and a swimmer's build with huge shoulders.

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"Since we won't get to talk too much during the ride there, I'm the frontline damage dealer. Greatsword." At my look, he just smiled. "Storage ring. Not a weirdo that feels the need to have their weapon out at all times." He gave Vesna a smile that said this was a common argument.

"Proper preparation and planning—"

The woman cut off as everyone else shouted in unison, "Prevents piss-poor performance!"

She rolled her eyes. "So, I like to be on the lookout for danger before it happens. Why is that so weird?"

Having finally finished up with the cart, Stefan walked over. "Okay, I think the cart at least is up to the standards of my ladieses. Shall we off be on the way, your high princesses?" He gave a clumsy bow and chuckled to himself.

"Yes, because we didn't want to sit in what smelled like literal sodus, we are all prissy, prim, and proper. Don't say it!"

Vesna gave everyone a glare but Jovan and Milica just smiled and yelled together, "Prevents piss-poor performance!"

Stefan looked confused but held out his hand, which was still covered in muck. I took an involuntary step back.

"Go wash off your hand first Stefan…" Milica just gave him an exasperated look and sigh.

He returned a few seconds later. "Lucky I hadn't tossed the clean water from the bucket yet. Hi there, I'm Stefan. I'm the mage. Specialty is [Fireball] and [Lightning Bolt]. I am saving up for [Pushing Wind]. Pleased to have you with us!" He extended his hand and I hesitantly shook it but it seemed clean.

Seeing my reaction, Milica clapped me on the shoulder. "Ha, don't worry, there is a small enchantment on the bucket so it's actually clean. We have to take the carts with us most times so this is a common occurrence. We don't have a big enough storage item – or one with isolation enchantments – to store beast bodies. Special little Jovan doesn't want muck and gore everywhere in his ring." She finished in a mocking tone and wrestled with Jovan for a few seconds.

"Okay, enough of this, let's get out there. I want to get back before sundown. That should be pretty easy – three bells there, one and a half bells to clear, three and a half to four bells back." At my eyebrow quirk, which I was impressed she could see in the dark, she laughed. "It takes longer to get back because of the loaded-up cart. Plus the animals are not as rested."

"What happens to them during the delve? Are we at risk of losing the cart?" I asked as we mounted the back with all but Jovan, who climbed into the driver's seat.

"There's a pen and Struva agreed to actually send someone to tend to them. Usually we have to do that. And sometimes there are thieves but it's not too common, especially as interfering with a delve isn't just the death penalty, it's six months of forced labor then two months of torture before death." Milica said that as if it were totally normal to think about people being tortured and killed.

I guess maybe it is here…

While that soured the mood for me, the other three were chatting merrily and started playing a game of dice. Which was extremely awkward in a cart as the boards were warped. But they had fun nonetheless.

***

On the ride, Vesna and I chatted for a bit and I mentioned my language learning. She sent me a program she was using with her own daughter. She also taught me a few AAI settings I didn't know including dampen external sound so I could concentrate on my tablet or just whatever the AAI was showing or playing.

I tried out her language program to see which was better. It is certainly less aggressive than Darko Defeats his Drills but it doesn't feel like there is someone forcing me to get better. I'll give it another go on the ride back.

I tried to engage Milica in tactical conversation but she was pretty adamant that it was their job and I was an experiment, not a teammate.

Finally, she exploded at me. "Hey! I get it! You want to be a big, bad delver. But you're not there yet! If you get in our way, that could get MY TEAM hurt!" Taking a breath, she returned to a normal volume. "Don't worry about it, we have this handled. We need you to stay out of the way. We got reports that this rift might be changing more than we thought."

Vesna and Stefan both gave her a quizzical look. "Sorry, did I not share that? I just got it word of mouth last night. Something might be strange there so we need to be more on our guard than usual."

Even Jovan turned around. The cart noises were surprisingly loud so he started to shout. Milica gave him a dirty look and then he sheepishly resumed his driving duties. Vesna just mouthed something at me and I looked quizzically. Realizing I couldn't read lips in another language, she simply said, "AAI".

Slightly embarrassed for not thinking of that, I nodded.

"Milica, I promise I won't get in your way but I wasn't able to watch one of your delves. Do you primarily use verbal, AAI, or both in communicating with the team? I want to make sure I am connected in to make sure we are all on the same page."

"Yeah, that's fair. We use AAI for marking targets and modeling monster behavior but our communication is almost exclusively verbal. There's software available but it's really expensive and you have to pay literally for every <minute> used. We have been trying to move to more AAI-based as Tier 2 rifts are bigger and require more collaboration. But the mist in this rift might require us to go a bit more slowly. We'll make the call when we get there." Milica nodded like that was the end of the conversation and I decided not to push it.

Vesna helped me a bit more with my pronunciation while Stefan and Milica chatted. I told her of the funny phrases Tilda and Vana liked to make me say and she was scandalized.

Towards the end of hour two, Stefan came over and put a hand on my forearm looking earnestly into my eyes. "In a delve, a Tier 1 mage can be awesome. I'm awesome after all." That earned eyerolls from Vesna and Milica and Jovan just laughed from the front.

"But, we can also be an issue. If we burn through our mana, we are basically sitting ducks. We don't contribute to fights but are a liability. That's why I rarely actually cast. It's not that I'm lazy." Another chuckle.

"Okay, I am, but not in a fight. Just so you don't think I am any less awesome! Because I totally am. Awesome that is!" He stood up and put his hands on his hips. At least until he fell out of the cart as we hit a particularly large rut.

Running to catch up and jump back in the cart, he yelled, "You didn't see that!"

"That's great context but… we weren't even talking about it," I said, confused.

"Right, but I remembered that you'd be telling people about the delve and I want to look heroic!" He went to stand again but seemed to think better of it.

Vesna made an annoyed look and handed over two silvers to Milica.

Stefan raised an eyebrow, then looked scandalized. "You bet I'd do it again? I'm better than that!"

Both women looked away with smiles on their faces.

[I want in on that action. I bet four silvers he does it again on the ride back.] I sent to both women and earned a giggle from Vesna. Milica looked slightly sick to her stomach.

Must just be nerves?

As the last hour of the ride arrived – are we there yet? – I decided to crack open my AAI library. There was some trepidation as I was really hoping the writing on Putijama was good.

I am liking a lot about this new world but if the writing is terrible… That will just be a depressing situation. Or if I got suckered into a dud of a compilation. Nothing left but to try.

The first three books I started were ultra power fantasy-types that were poorly written but I finally found one that, while a bit moralistic in its own fashion, flowed in a way that felt right. I sighed contentedly and lost myself in a fantasy world. Well, another fantasy world, ha.

***

"Yeah, this is worse than we were expecting. We absolutely need to clear it, it's about to burst." Milica gave the rest of her team a serious look.

"But they just did some readings on it last week. They chose this rift for the experiments for a reason! Here, give me that, let me see." Vesna was reaching for the equipment used to apparently read how full a rift was.

"You don't trust me to do my job!? I put this team together, I do everything, and you don't trust me?" She was jabbing a finger in Vesna's face. I couldn't quite put my finger on why she was so angry. Stress probably? This is pretty important to not just Velez.

Vesna just held up her hands. "It's only with the information you received and now this, I'm a little worried. You know me, I am ever the curious one. Let's take a breath and go over our preparation once more, especially if it might break. I know it's only low Tier 1 but… well, you know the rest." She gave a resigned chuckle and everyone smiled slightly.

It was interesting to see what they focused on and watching Milica mimic the movements of a wolf in total seriousness while the others discussed how to deal with it. Vesna even shot a few arrows with foam on the end to bounce off the stocky woman.

"So, do we eat before we go in or after?" I asked as they wrapped up the 10 minute strategy session.

"After. That's part of why we have the bucket. Before and you might puke your guts out from working too hard or a good shot to the stomach. After, you need to at least clean your face and hands, but it's still better. Unless you like viscera as a spice." Jovan grinned.

"Makes sense. Okay, my job is to keep on the lookout, keep myself safe. Oh, and Ratmir asked me to take voice recordings of everything I am feeling and seeing. I'll keep them quiet to not attract attention. But just so you don't question why I am muttering to myself. It isn't out of fear. At least most likely." My joke fell flatter than a whoopie cushion at a funeral.

Stefan looked confused but shrugged. "Okay boss, tell us what to do."

I gave one last look to the world around – rolling hills of green and yellow swaying grass dotted with trees and a few farms along the road. A city I could barely make out in the distance. A bored looking teenager that was brushing out and feeding the horses.

This is something worth protecting. I'll do my part.

This rift felt slightly different as I entered. I got more of a euphoric feeling but then one of a strange discomfort, like there was something just a bit off.

Ugh, that felt like going on that rollercoaster when my bladder was just a bit too full.

With that inauspicious start, I looked for the team and we started forwards.