"Oh no..."
I immediately shifted my gaze to the shocked Kira behind me...
"How can this... be...?"
She then forced herself to smile again as she pointed towards the other crystal and said:
"Ok at least let's measure your affinities!"
I slowly walked to the other hollow crystal and placed my hand over it...
"..."
"..."
"..."
Nothing happened...
"What?!"
Kira looked completely shocked... I on the other hand... was kind of expecting this...
"You have no affinities? I have never seen anything like this before..."
"..."
I have heard these words in other contexts before but I couldn't help but feel saddened... 'How can I be so weak...' As I was submerged in my own dark thoughts, I suddenly felt a warm embrace, similar to that of an older sister comforting her saddened brother. 'What's with this change in attitude?!'
"Do not worry..."
'What?' Why is she hugging me? My stats are horrible! I'm completely USELESS!
"I'm useless you know...?" I said timidly as I was on the verge of crying...
She then shook her head and continued with a comforting voice:
"No, you aren't..."
I looked up to face her... She was smiling honestly towards me... It was comforting...
"How... can you be... so sure...?
"I simply am..."
She then proceeded to explain her heartbreaking story... Her little brother had died out of weakness when they were younger... I cried all the way throughout her story... In the end, we remained hugging for at least an hour... 'So this is how care feels...?' I thought as I let a long lost smile...
※
It has been 5 days since I started working in the adventurer's guild. I am currently an F-rank adventurer. Following some of the knowledge the angel gave me, the ranking follows as such:
F rank → E rank → D rank → C rank → B rank → A rank → AA rank → AAA rank → S rank → SS rank → SSS rank and finally SSS+ rank.
Apparently, this ranking applies to monster threats as well in order to match capable adventurers according to the threat that different monsters pose.
Anyways, back to the main topic... I have been fulfilling small quests that Kira has specially recommended for me after seeing my -ahem- 'disabilities'.
I have been performing different types of collection quests for medicinal plants or common materials which aren't too difficult to extract. However, since these quests are so simple to fulfill, the pay received from them is also not great... I receive about 5 bronze per quest I manage to complete. Sadly, that amount is not enough to justify my daily expenditure... Which means I'll either have to diminish my quality of living or task myself with more difficult quests.
Currently I'm already reducing my quality of lifestyle as low as I could possibly go without jeopardizing my health, but even so, it's not enough. I'll have to increase my income if I want to keep living in this world... As such I have decided I will take a subjugation quest for basic monsters, Goblins specifically. These subjugation quests give about 20 bronze upon completion which well over my current income.
But with my poor status, skills and others... I'll need to get some gear since all I have been wearing for the past days has been my school uniform, which is in a terrible state right now.
※
With the remaining money given to me by the king, I managed to buy myself some basic gear. My total purchases ended up costing me around 50 silver coins, so it wasn't that cheap I guess.
In the end, I bought a cast a greyish shirt, a white belt, a white jacket, which suited me nicely, and finally some shorts for mobility. 'I finally look like an adventurer!' but now that I think about it, some people at the guild did look at me weirdly when going off to quests wearing my uniform...
IGNORING THAT! I also managed to buy a small cast iron dagger as a secondary weapon. Finally, my main weapon was a typical mass-produced short-sword. While my gear seemed on the poorer end, I was proud of it.
"Alright, I'm ready!"
I said out loud as I Kira stamps the quest paper I have just given her. She starts giving it to me but stops midway before I could take it. I look at her confused only to meet those words:
"Stay safe..."
Those words, while normal to most, are a treasure to those who have gone throughout their lives without care or love... 'I will make sure I do not disappoint her'
"Don't worry, I'll definitely be back!" giving her a warm smile and leaving the guild.
※
After nearly 3 hours of walking into the 'Umbra Forest', which housed many monsters near the Everidian Kingdom, I finally hit the open field which housed the goblin's den. When I caught sight of the den, I immediately crouched and hid behind a bush silently.
"Wow, they sure are ugly"
I instinctively whispered. BUT SERIOUSLY! THEY ARE UGLY! They have a short stature of about 3 ft, ugly green skin, and smell indescribably bad... There were about 20 goblins in the area using branches, worn out knives or even bones as weapons, it looked kind of intimidating.
In the end, I was scared... 'I can't kill THAT!' It will most likely kill me instead... 'I'm scared...' Those were the words that appeared in my head as I doubted my abilities... But before I had the chance to repent and back away, I remembered some warm words...
Stay safe...
With all the resolve I could muster I unsheathe my sword...
"I'll do this..."
With all of my being, I ran towards the nearest goblin. Its back was turned towards me. I didn't waste any time and I thrust my short sword into its back, piercing its heart. After immediately pulling out my sword, the globin dropped dead...
I must admit I was shocked by my first kill, but I didn't have time to be shocked. The other goblins had already noticed that one of their companions had died and were already rushing towards me.
The first goblin to reach me attempted to slice horizontally but I managed to parry the attack and swiftly pierced the chest of this other goblin as well, killing it on the act.
Three other goblins realized what had transpired and decided to surround me. 'I guess they are more intelligent than what pop-culture pictures them, huh?'
They moved together and they all attempted to slash at me but I managed to back away since they weren't very fast. Without missing a beat, I rushed towards the goblin furthest from the other two.
"TAKE THIS!"
The goblin taken aback didn't have time to protect itself and was killed as well. I then turned to face the other two goblins left attacking me but I really wasn't expecting what I saw next...
Standing in the middle of entrails, blood, and organs, a sole person standing... He was wearing a platinum armor, and a golden sword with beautiful gemstones engraved into it. He was approximately 6,1 ft, had blond hair, blue eyes...
"Seiichi..." I muttered
Who I now had before me, was no other than Seiichi, the one who has dedicated to turning my life in a living nightmare... He then turned around to face me and gave me a wicked grin.
"Hello there, girly... Longtime no-see"
"..."
"I'm surprised you aren't dead yet, you know?"
"..."
"What! Won't reply to your old friend?"
"you are not my friend..." I muttered softly.
He simply laughed at my attitude and responded...
"Well, that much is obvious, I wouldn't be friends with someone who is a mistake, garbage, useless and MORE IMPORTANTLY POWERLESS!"
The moment he said those words something inside me snapped...
Being abandoned, being hated, despised throughout my life, being sent to another world, being shunned, ridiculed, thrown out of the castle for having no talents at all, being weaker than the normal person in this absurd world, never being able to be with Sakura, getting mercilessly bullied, getting beat up daily...
At that exact moment, the hatred, frustration, and anger inside me flowed out...
Without speaking a single word I unsheathe my blade and take a fighting stance...
"Hou〜, going to fight me are you?"
"..."
Without responding I charged at him and sliced vertically. He is startled by my sudden attack but manages to dodge. My blade missing his neck by a hair's length...
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOI-" He yelled surprised.
Without waiting for him to finish his sentence, I immediately thrust my sword directed at his left knee...
*CLANG*
'...It connected...' Yet I didn't hit any flesh... The armor was simply too tough for my sword to pierce it.
"Ha〜, with your puny sword and non-existent strength you will never be able to even hurt me!"
"..."
He then took a fighting stance and charged at me as he prepared to attack me. He swung his golden sword towards my neck at an unprecedented speed, I wasn't expecting his speed to be so great, but I managed to block the attack.
It seemed like he was surprised by me blocking his attack but he slashed vertically after being blocked. I was forced to step back in order to avoid being killed. But... he predicted this and had begun thrusting his sword towards my chest...
"Wha-"
It was too fast...
His sword pierced my chest...
*panting*
I pull the sword out of my chest and blood comes gushing out...
Dropping my sword, I fell to the ground in a dying state...
"..."
It feels warm, cold, sad, happy...
'It hurts...'
'I am going to die' is the thought that passed my mind...
I attempted to use all of my remaining strength to get up...
It was futile...
I, at death's door, turned to face a grinning Seiichi Akiyama.
"I guess I'll finally do what I should've done ages ago!" He said while letting out an evil laugh.
I had nothing else to do...
'I couldn't do anything'
'I'm useless...'
I felt blood pouring out of my chest... I was weak... I couldn't breathe properly...
My frustration, hatred, resentment, all of my negative emotions had reached their climax.
'I don't want to die at the hands of this person!'
'I DON'T WANT TO DIE'
Unexpectedly I then heard a bell sound which completely snapped me out of my blind hatred...
*DING*
[Conditions met, Do you pledge your SOUL to Boukyaku?]
'What...?'
It's similar to the transparent screens displayed by my status or the crystals at the guild...
My blood kept gushing out blurring my consciousness and sense of self...
'It seems dangerous yet, something in me makes me want to confirm the pledge...'
'I don't know what to do...'
"Yes you do" a female voice I had never heard before whispered...
"..."
I wasn't fazed by the voice... It felt natural...
'I don't want to suffer anymore...'
"Yes... accept this gift and you'll never suffer again..."
My consciousness slowly fading away urged me to accept...
As if I had no other choice I began to feel compelled...
'I don't want to be hurt anymore'
"Accept and you won't be hurt again..."
'Won't be hurt anymore...? Won't suffer any longer...?'
'I'll do it...'
"Yes... Do you pledge your SOUL?"
'I do'
Without much of my noticing, Seiichi now had his sword over his head ready to strike down...
"Well, it wasn't a pleasure. Goodbye GIRLY!"
A sword came down beheading a young man in the middle of the Umbra Forest, tainting the nearby vegetation with a crimson liquid...
'I died...'