Chapter 4 - Weakling

Paul’s eyes widened as he saw the body of a bald, thin man dressed in black leather armor. Shocked, this was the first time he’d encountered a dead body, but he quickly managed to calm himself.

“This is strange… It’s my first time seeing a dead body, yet I’m adapting so quickly. Is something wrong with me? No, it can’t be. Something must have changed in me since arriving in this world, making me adjust more easily to its situations. If nothing had changed, I’d probably have lost my mind or died before reaching this point.”

Paul approached the body and examined it closely. The man’s face was pale, his lips were purple, and a foul smell emanated from his mouth. Paul quickly recoiled. “Poison, huh?”

Paul said a brief prayer and began searching the body. The clothes were slightly large for him but better than his current tattered outfit. He also found a leather pouch containing 5 gold, 8 silver, and 35 bronze coins. He put the gold coins into the ring and left the rest in the pouch. Additionally, he found a letter that he couldn’t open no matter how much strength he used. All he could discern from it was “Mrs. Onca.” After gathering everything into a pile, Paul dragged the body a few meters into the forest, took a branch, scratched the dead man’s arm, and left it there with the thought:

“If any creature comes to smell the blood and feast on the body, it will be poisoned and die. I’ll then take the creature’s body.”

Remembering his original objective, Paul realized, “I need to clean myself… I probably smell like a dead animal.” He rushed to the river and began washing off the blood, sweat, and odor.

After two minutes, he emerged from the water and tried on the new clothes. The shirt was similar to his old one and fit him well. The pants, however, were too long, so he had to rip the ends a bit. The black leather armor he found was too big, so he stored it in the ring and attached the pouch to his belt.

Entering the village, Paul decided to rest and eat. While eating, he checked his bracelet for updates, having been too focused on escaping the forest to look earlier.

**Stats Update**

Due to your recent actions, the following stats have increased:

- +10 Agility

- +3 Strength

- +10 Stamina

- +5 Health

- +5 Fighting Spirit

- +1 Luck

He also noticed some skills had leveled up and that he had acquired a new skill called **Detective**.

“I wonder what that is… Show skill Detective.”

**Detective (active/passive) - Beginner LVL.1 (58%)**

You can find what you are searching for more easily. Clues that your subconscious notices will faintly glow white to your eyes.

“Wow… I wonder if Sherlock Holmes had this skill.” Paul laughed at the thought and decided to review the rest of his skills.

**Skills**

- Humble Mask

- Aura Shift - Beginner LVL.1 (80%)

- Memos

- Identification - Beginner LVL.6 (0%)

- Mana Sight - Beginner LVL.6 (10%)

- Creature Tamer - Beginner LVL.7 (0%)

- Perception - Beginner LVL.3 (24%)

- Running - Beginner LVL.8 (10%)

- Climbing - Beginner LVL.1 (14%)

- Naturas - Beginner LVL.3 (29%)

- Focus - Beginner LVL.2 (44%)

- Detective - Beginner LVL.1 (58%)

After resting and eating for thirty minutes, Paul went to check on the body. His eyes widened in shock as he saw that the body had vanished, replaced by three creatures: two grey wolves and a black one. Paul recognized them as the same wolves he had seen earlier. The wolves had followed his scent to the body, which had been a trap.

The wolves had consumed the poisoned body, and the poison spread quickly through them, killing them within minutes. Paul approached cautiously, aware that there might be other wolves nearby. After putting the bodies into the ring, he hurried towards the village.

As Paul neared the village, he was impressed by its size and the imposing wooden fence. At the gate, two guards stopped him.

“Halt! State your business in Farhav!”

“I was hired to deliver a letter.”

“Oh really? And for whom might this letter be?”

“Mrs. Onca.”

The guards blushed and coughed at the mention of the name. Paul was surprised by their reaction. His bracelet sent him another message indicating he had learned a new skill: **Deception**. He didn’t check it immediately, as he understood what the skill entailed.

The guards let him in and even provided directions to Mrs. Onca.

Paul maintained a calm exterior as he entered the village, but inside, he was excited. He had finally arrived and, thanks to the letter, entered without any issues. The village appeared even larger from within, with various types of houses—some wooden, some stone, some large, some small. In the village center, he saw several significant buildings: the inn, the general guild testing facility, the brothel, the barracks, a guild called Sun Star, and a gate leading to the crafting market.

According to the guards, Mrs. Onca was at the brothel. Summoning his courage, Paul headed there. Upon entering, he was greeted by a beautiful young woman dressed in revealing clothing.

“Welcome, handsome. How can I make you happy?”

“I have a letter for Mrs. Onca.”

“Wait here. I’ll let her know.” She ran to the back and up some stairs into a room. Five minutes later, she returned and informed Paul that Mrs. Onca was waiting for him in her office. She led him to the door, opened it, and told him to enter. Paul walked in, and the door closed behind him.

Inside, the room smelled pleasantly. A tall, strikingly beautiful woman with long black hair and green eyes stood by a table. Her figure was slim yet curvaceous. When she spoke, Paul’s heart skipped a beat.

“I heard you have something for me.”

“Huh? Oh, yes. A letter.” Paul handed her the letter, which she opened effortlessly. After reading it with a serious expression, she looked at Paul and smiled seductively. In an instant, she vanished.

Paul was stunned, staring at the spot where she had been. Suddenly, a knife appeared at his neck from behind. He froze, aware that any wrong move could be fatal.

A voice whispered in his ear, the same voice as the woman who had disappeared. “Don’t move. Answer all my questions truthfully, and I might let you go.”

“I understand.” Paul knew better than to lie or offend her.

“Where did you get this letter?”

“From a dead body I found outside the village.”

“Did you kill him?”

“No!”

“Do you know who did?”

“No, but he was poisoned.”

“Poisoned, you say… How do you know that?”

“His lips were purple, and his mouth smelled really bad.”

“Hmmm…”

“I’m telling the truth.”

“I know.” Paul relaxed slightly as he felt something soft and warm against his back. He realized it was the woman’s body—specifically, her breasts. He blushed deeply as she released him, chuckling softly.

The woman assured him she wouldn’t harm him and asked if he was okay.

“I’m fine, but I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“I see you’re wearing only thin clothing.”

“Yes. What’s your question?”

“Where did you keep your knife?”

The woman burst into laughter, continuing for several minutes. As she laughed, Paul noticed an increase in his stats:

- +15 Fighting Spirit

- +10 Charisma

Once she stopped laughing, she introduced herself. “I’m Onca Nori. A pleasure to meet you, handsome. I’m the owner of this establishment.”

“My name is Paul Silver, and… you’re very beautiful.”

Paul blushed slightly, and Nori did too.

“Oh, brave, funny, and charming. Everything I want in a man. Since you helped deliver the letter, I’ll assist you in any way I can.”

“Was that letter important?”

“Yes. It was from a friend in the capital, informing me that a small army will arrive sooner than expected. We need to be prepared.”

“Prepared for what?”

“For the possible arrival of an adventurer in this village.”

“Why send an army for just an adventurer?”

“Don’t you know? Every adventurer who arrives in this world is at least Class A, and they sometimes destroy the villages they appear in. To prevent this, the kingdom sends small armies to every village to restrain and escort the adventurer to the nearest fort, evaluating if they’ll work for the kingdom.”

“And if they refuse to work for the kingdom?”

“They’re removed from this world, obviously. But some are too powerful and escape the army, becoming considered criminals.”

“How do they identify an adventurer?”

“When they arrive, they often go berserk. Additionally, they can be identified by the lack of a bracelet. Adventurers typically don’t have one.”

“What if they get one?”

“That’s almost never the case. If they do, the army locks down the village, not allowing anyone to leave and checking everyone’s stats.”

“They lock down the village? For how long?”

“They’ll arrive tomorrow to start preparations. The second sun will appear next week, which means the adventurer can appear anytime the second sun is visible. The second sun usually remains visible for about

three months. No one is allowed to leave the village until the second sun disappears.”

“So, for the next three days, no one can leave the village for quite some time?”

“Yes. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare for the army’s arrival. I’ll arrange a room for you. Just return in two hours and find the girl you met earlier. She’ll lead you to your room.”

Paul left and headed to his next destination, the guild testing facility. The building was empty except for an old lady at a desk. He approached her.

“Hello. My name is Paul Silver. I’d like to know a few things.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just ask your questions.”

The old lady’s tone was gruff.

“What can you tell me about the guild testing facility and process?”

“Are you an idiot? Did you live under a rock or something? Well, the guild testing facility was created to test the strength of wannabe adventurers like you. The first test is free. After that, you need guild points to retake it. Higher guild ranks require more points.”

“How do you earn guild points?”

“Another stupid question… Well, there are a few ways. First, do quests from the quest board by absorbing the quest into your bracelet. You can only take quests that match your class or are lower. Second, take quests directly from individuals; these are absorbed automatically by your bracelet. Third, kill living beings. After killing them, touch them with your hand and say ‘Slayer’s Touch.’ The stronger they are, the more guild points you receive. Finally, discover new places like dungeons or ruins. Your bracelet will know when you discover such a place, and you’ll earn guild points accordingly.”

“Can I take the exam now?”

“Sure. Just place your hand on that crystal ball and say ‘UPDATE.’ It will scan your stats and rank you. Your rank will then appear on your stats.”

Paul walked to the crystal, activated **Humble Mask**, and lowered his luck to 10. He placed his hand on the crystal, which warmed up, then glowed brightly as it scanned his stats. It cooled down and returned to its original black color.

His bracelet shone briefly. Paul checked his status.

**Status**

Name: Paul Silver

Title: Weakling

Guild Rank: H

Guild Points: 0

Health: 17

Mana: 24

Strength: 14

Agility: 20

Endurance: 3

Stamina: 20

Wisdom: 32

Intelligence: 38

Charisma: 15

Leadership: 0

Luck: 329

Fighting Spirit: 20

Fame: 0

“Oh, it worked… huh? What is this?! Why is my title WEAKLING?! I’m not that weak.”

The old woman, now laughing, added, “+1 Fame – An old lady will remember you as the weakling until you prove otherwise.”

Embarrassed, Paul left the building hurriedly, still hearing the old lady’s laughter.

He returned to the brothel to find the accommodation promised by Nori. The young girl from earlier greeted him.

“Please follow me, Mr. Silver. I’ll lead you to your room.”

“Just call me Silver.”

The girl blushed and quickened her pace, guiding him behind the brothel to a rundown cottage. She pointed toward it.

Paul thanked her and entered. The interior wasn’t so bad—a single large room with a table, a chair, and a bed. The table held enough food for two days. His stomach rumbled loudly at the sight of the food.

“I should eat as much as I can and then get some rest. Tomorrow the army arrives, and I need to be careful with my actions.”

Paul ate until he was full, then went outside to see the moon shining brightly. He stared at it for a few minutes before going to bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep.

The next morning, he felt as though he was floating on clouds. Still sleepy, he reached out, trying to grab the cloud. Instead, a loud moan filled his ears.

“Aaaaah… not so hard… you pervert!”

Surprised, he opened his eyes to find that he was squeezing someone’s breasts. For a moment, he forgot and focused on the soft, warm sensation in his hands. Then he blushed deeply, yanking his hands away and falling from the bed in his confusion.

Looking up, red-faced, he saw the woman he had been groping.

“You… what? What happened?! Wh-why are you here?” he stuttered, completely embarrassed.