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Mark signed his forty-third document.
Scratch.
Forty-four.
Scratch.
Forty-five.
His hand stopped.
Mark slowly lifted his head and stared at the mountain of paperwork in front of him.
It looked exactly the same as it had thirty minutes ago.
He leaned back in his chair.
"…I think the pile is growing."
Leon adjusted his glasses.
"That is mathematically impossible."
Kai looked at the stack.
"…Actually I think he's right."
Darius calmly flipped through another folder.
"It appears additional forms have arrived."
Mark's eye twitched.
"Additional?"
Joy walked back into the office carrying another stack of papers.
A much smaller stack.
But still a stack.
She placed it neatly on top of the mountain.
Mark stared at it.
Then slowly looked at her.
"…What is that."
"More paperwork."
"I thought there were six hundred."
"There were."
"Were?"
"Yes."
"How many now?"
Joy casually checked the folder.
"Seven hundred forty-two."
Mark leaned back and looked at the ceiling.
For a moment he considered several options.
Option one: burn the building.
Option two: fake his death.
Option three: migrate to another country.
Option four: destroy the government.
All of them seemed reasonable.
He pointed at the stack.
"…If I kill the person who made these forms, does the paperwork disappear?"
Joy slowly raised the belt.
Mark immediately lowered his hand.
"…Just asking."
Kai whispered to Leon.
"She's been doing that all morning."
Leon nodded.
"An effective motivational tool."
Darius added quietly,
"Historically speaking, Mark has always feared that belt."
Mark snapped his head toward them.
"I do not fear the belt."
Joy raised it slightly.
Mark went back to signing.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Silence filled the office again.
For about two minutes.
Then Mark stopped.
"…Joy."
"Yes?"
"…Why are there forms for monster liability?"
Joy flipped a page.
"In case someone dies during a guild mission."
"People always die during guild missions."
"Yes."
"Then what's the form for?"
"Legal protection."
Mark stared at the document.
"…So if someone dies, this paper saves me."
"Correct."
He slowly placed the pen down.
"Then I should probably sign it."
Scratch.
Another form.
"Guild financial declaration."
Scratch.
Another form.
"National hunter registry confirmation."
Scratch.
Another form.
"Magical disaster insurance."
Mark stopped again.
"…Why do we need magical disaster insurance?"
Joy didn't even look up.
"Because you exist."
Kai coughed.
Leon turned away.
Darius pretended to read something.
Mark stared at them.
"…I hate all of you."
Joy raised the belt again.
Mark resumed signing.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Time passed.
The sun moved across the sky outside the window.
Mark's signature slowly became worse.
At first it looked neat.
Then rushed.
Then barely readable.
Then something resembling a dying snake.
Kai leaned closer.
"…Is that even your name anymore?"
Mark didn't look up.
"It's a symbol of suffering."
Another form.
Scratch.
Another.
Scratch.
Another.
Then suddenly—
Mark slammed the pen down.
"I refuse."
The room went quiet.
Joy looked up slowly.
"…Excuse me?"
Mark stood up dramatically.
"I am the strongest swordsman alive."
Kai nodded.
"That's true."
"I have defeated dragons."
Leon nodded.
"Also true."
"I have cut hurricanes."
Darius added,
"Technically two swings."
Mark pointed at the mountain of papers.
"And I refuse to be defeated by paper."
Joy slowly lifted the belt.
Mark sat back down.
"…But I will continue trying."
Scratch.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Kai sighed.
"This may take weeks."
Leon shook his head.
"Months."
Darius closed the folder.
"Possibly years."
Mark whispered quietly as he signed another page.
"…I should have stayed a lone hunter."
Joy placed another stack on the desk.
Mark stared at it.
"…Where did that come from?"
Joy smiled.
"Government compliance forms."
Mark slowly turned toward the window.
And for the first time that day…
He seriously considered jumping out of it.