Take on The World Substory - Ken Kaneda Part 1

"There's no way I die here. Not here. Not now" I thought to myself. They attacked me on my way home, with pipes, pieces of wood, and even brought those things you used to punch harder. Those bastards from Kaneshiro High School. Ahh. No one is waiting for me back home anyway. Mom died after years of torture from dad, who drank himself to death. I could have another sibling if mom didn't kill herself. Her stomach is on the verge of bursting. "Hey, Kaneda. Do you think we'll let you scot-free after you wrecked two of our classmates? I thought you would be stupid, but not this stupid" Like hell! You were harassing my old friend and her girlfriend. You knocked 2 of his teeth and now, he's in a hospital because of you damn insect. "Stand down. I'll take care of him" "But..." "He's bleeding, he's on the ground. He shouldn't be a danger anymore" "But he's still dangerous" "Shut it. I'll savor this" He grabbed my hair and I see his face, thanks to the moonlight. The blood from my head and the rain is trickling down my face. But this is I can't back down now. Not until he pays. Tenfold. No. Thousandfold. Gin, you spoiled rich prick. Your stupid smile, your stupid dreadlocks. If only my hands are not broken, I'll punch your teeth in. I'LL BASH YOUR HEAD IN! "I don't give a damn about your friend. All we care about is the hottie next to him. He put up a fight. If you can call that a fight. Too bad the local called the police. We have to beat him first before getting away" THAT'S IT! I'LL BASH ALL YOUR HEAD IN! "Argh. The bastard literally used his head. You still have the will to stand up, huh?" It's no good. My legs are shaking, I can't move my hand. Headbutting them would be too predictable. What should I do? What should I do? "DIE!" I have no choice. I'll use my legs. The kick I land is weak, but it is enough to make him stumble backward. "Boys. Do the rest!" Shit. They are attacking all at once. There's no way I could defend myself this way. I managed to kick 3 students back, but I took a blow to my legs and my head. Everything is red, and spinning. Am I really going to die here? Don't think that! C'mon. Get back up. "This fucker is persistent" I have to use my hand. I could still use my elbows. I can use my body. Left first, then behind, then right. I knocked the rest of them. Only Gin and I remain. "St-Stay back!" "Why? Are you afraid? Your lackey cannot beat me. Now Let's see how you fight without your boys" I walked to Gin, but my limp made me move harder. Slowly I walked to him. Head. Yeah, I'll use my head, to bash his head in. I am only a few feet away from him when I heard a footstep on a puddle of rainwater. *THWACK* Coward, all of you. Now, everything is really spinning. Until I feel a sharp pain in my chest. Fuck! He brought a knife. I can't breathe. So. I will die. But not before I headbutt him. Heh. I broke his nose. Everything is dark. So cold. Ah, well. 15 years of living. After all, I went through, I guess this is nice. Goodbye, Kenzo. Live happily. "Hey. Wake up" A deep voice? Is this the voice of the angel of death? "I can read your mind. I'm an angel, yes. I'm from Archangel Division" Archangel division? He can read my mind? "Yes" Oh. "Oh indeed. Now wake up" I open my eyes and I'm sitting on a chair. I hear clicking around me. From the sound of it, it must be a computer. In front of me is a person. A male? A female? This person is really indescribable, or rather, an angel. They are wearing suits. All of them. Probably some sort of uniform. "Well, we Archangels are non-descript. And yes, this is a work uniform. Any other inane question you would like to ask?" "N-no" "Right. Let's get to it. Last name Kaneda, First name Ken. Age 15. Died June 3rd, 2 days before your birthday. Cause of death is punctured lungs caused by a sharp object. Am I correct so far?" "Y-yes. Who are you?" "I told you already. I'm an Archangel" "I-i mean, what is your name?" "Not important" He's started typing on his keyboard. "You were a delinquent, and attracted a lot of enemies, but both you and your friend quit your delinquency, for no reason. You started studying diligently. Not exactly top of the class, but you were definitely smart" "Excuse me, but can you make your point already?" "Straight to the point, eh? Good. You endured hardship and in the end, you achieve nothing. We're here to offer you a second chance at life. What do you want to be, be a hero, or a nobody, we do not care. All that matters is will you be joining this program?" "What if I refuse?" "Then you'll get sent to judgment first. Heaven or Hell, that kind of stuff" "Then, What's this you're offering?" "A new life in a new world" "New world?" "Not to your world. We're going to send you to a world where magic and monster exist. I'm sure you played games, right? Drag*n Quest, or Fin*l Fant*sy?" "I don't, but I used to read manga about another world" "Then, Do you agree to this?" I would need to think this through. Monster? Magic? It sounds like a weeb dream. "I agree. Great. Then, I have a survey you would need to fill. Do you fight? If you do, what weapon you used?" "I do. I usually used my fist" "I'll put cestus under it" A cestus? What is that? "Alright. Second question. Are you a person of academic interest?" "I wasn't much of an academic guy, but I did study hard in school" "...I'll just put yes. Third question. Do you handle finances well?" "Uh. Not exactly" "Fourth question. Do you strive on being renowned or anonymous?" "I don't know. Maybe?" "Neutral answer. Fifth question. Do you seek power?" "Only to protect me is enough" "Good answer. Sixth question. Will you use your power to do good or evil?" "I'll use them for myself" "Seventh question. Are you religious?" "I guess so? I prayed that my mother would rest peacefully" "Alright. Last Question. Reincarnation, or Summon?" "What's the difference?" "Really? *sigh* Reincarnation is when you are born again. Summon is when you are called by a kingdom?" "Oh. Reincarnation, then. I hate being ordered around" "Fine" The Archangel in front of me is typing something, then followed by clicking a paper that comes out. Oh. A printer. "Here. Take a look. This will be your status in the new world" I took a look at the paper. Let see.

Heaven Beaucratic Order Personnel Transfer Request Name: Ken Kaneda Age of Death: 15 Cause of Death: Stabbing Method of Transfer: Reincarnation Bonus Perk: Peak Human Physical Condition, Accelerated Learning, Magic Aptitude, Egotism, Martial Artist Knowledge I Class: Fighter With this paper, I, Ken Kaneda, knowingly agree to be transferred to another position from Earth to Terra.

Signed

___________ Ken Kaneda

Egotism? "Egotism means that you can't form a party, but the experience will be doubled, and loot will be yours only. If you formed a party, your experience will be halved and your stats will decrease, though not by much" "Look, if I go down there, I don't know what should I do first" "It's a good thing you're a reincarnate. So you'll learn everything from the beginning" This is too sketchy. But I can't back down now "Right. Now put your signature here. And I'll submit them to my superior" Alright. Just my signature here. Oh, that's right. "Do you know what happened to the one who killed me?" "Your friend becomes a lawyer and persecutes everyone that is involved in your death. Now they are serving life in prison. Feel good, doesn't it?" "Eh, Kinda? I'm dead, so whether they are in for life doesn't matter. But it does feel good that my friend is living his life" "Alright. Wait here" Archie is what I called this person, left to an office with the paper. I waited for about 5 minutes. I see around that there are thousands, maybe millions of desks and dead souls. Then Archie came back. He hands me the paper, with an approved stamp on the right corner. "It has been approved. Now, let's go. Follow me to X-Rei. Don't ask too many questions, just follow me" I stood up and follow him into a room. Dilapidated. Huh, maybe it hasn't been used in a long time "Right. I need to tell you this before we transfer you. You won't remember things in your first several years, like most babies. But, wherever you end up, you will live. I assure you" "Right. Thank you, Archie" "Live your life to the fullest" Then he chants something I don't quite understand. Then everything around me went dark. "Archie, huh? I like that" Archie was right. I don't remember anything from birth. I don't remember how I ended up in this orphanage, in some kingdom called Iberrin, in a city called Havila. All I remember is that every meal is always lacking. Bigger kids get a bigger portion, while we get hard bread and jerky that I wasn't even sure is from a cow. I wasn't even sure this was from an animal. But the nun was lovely. Caring and warm. One of the young nuns has big breasts, and her warmth is even...warmer. Starting at 5, I was practicing my martial arts behind the orphanage. I was using a tree as my dummy. When I turned 7, I am able to punch a hole into a tree. 2 punches is enough to bring it down. "Kenny. Where are you?" "I'm back here" Damon, My roommate from the orphanage. He's a year older than me, but he's a great cook, only when we have extra ingredients. "What are you doing back here?" "I'm exercising. What do you want?" "Sister Haga asks me to collect firewood. Can you help me?" "Eh, if it's firewood, why don't we chop down these trees for wood?" "Dunno. Something about a permit" "Are you afraid of going alone?" I tease him a little since he's the only friend I made here "...yeah" Oh. I guess I should accompany him. "Alright. But we shouldn't go in too deep" "I know, I know. Geez. You're treating me like a kid even though I'm older than you" "You're a kid, Damon. Shut up" We went into the forest. While gathering firewood, we banter and laugh. We wondered if life could be different than what it is. A topic that is a bit sensitive for me, a reincarnate, but I didn't stop him. It was fun hearing him talk. Gathering firewood takes a little bit more than half an hour. The sun is already set so we gather what we could and go back. The walk back to the orphanage is normal until we heard a howl. From the pattern of his howl, it's a grey wolf. Before we got out, the grey wolf blocked our exits. It was alone. Damon, having no fighting experience, is terrified. Honestly, I am too. But the only thing standing between us and the orphanage is this wolf. "Damon. Hide. I'll try to kill it" "But...But..." He's crying, pissing himself. I too understand what he feels. I feel like running. But, the longer we linger here, we'll be surrounded. "Behind the tree. Hurry!" Damon forces himself to hide. Crying for help, but we're still too deep in to be heard. I have no choice. I have to kill this wolf. "Come here, bastard!" I shouted. No less than 2 seconds I shout, and he charged at me, He was ready to maul me. I punched the wolf in its stomach. The punch connects, but it also scratches my shoulder. Not enough. I need to do this again. He charged me again, but he does not jump. I punched this wolf in his forehead, and the hits connect, but this time, the wolf's skull caved in. He died instantly. "Damon. It's over. You can come out" Damon peeks his head. He sees that I'm bleeding, but the wolf is dead. "You...killed it" "We can eat this, right? Can you cook it? I believe the orphanage will be eating well tonight" "You're bleeding?" "Huh, Oh, right. It stings a little. Now the adrenaline's gone, it kinda hurt" "Let's go back to the orphanage" "Right" Damon and I went back to the orphanage, carrying firewood and the wolf. Damon ran straight to Sister Haga, asking for help. Sister Haga is understandably shocked. She sees me carrying firewood and a wolf carcass. She gasped in shock. "Kenny! Are you alright?" "I'm fine, Sister. Look what I got. Can we eat this tonight?" "You're an idiot! Why did you endanger yourself?" I told Sister Haga everything. She seems more understanding, but angry nonetheless. She is not really angry at us. She's just worried. Sister Haga uses her healing magic, to heal me. It feels numb at first, then it is tingly. "From now on, when there's a monster, run. Don't fight it" Eh, I don't really care either way we run or fight. There are more important things like can we eat this or not. "Sister, It seems that this wolf meat will be a waste if we don't use it. Can we use it for supper?" "Well, we cannot turn away god's bounty. I'll see what I can do" Great save, Damon. We went inside the orphanage. I help sister Haga carry the wolf carcass. The other orphan and the sisters are shocked we carried a wolf. I asked Sister Haga not to tell them about my involvement. She made some excuses about how the wolf is dying and she decides to kill it. Well, we had meat for supper. After supper, we offer our prayer, and went back to sleep. I can't sleep, this blanket are too thin and had holes. Whatever. I'll go get a glass of water first in the kitchen. "This can't be! If they cut our funding, how are we going to feed these kids?" "I'll think about it. I could offer healing for fee" "Maybe you can ask the kids to work or to hunt?" "Don't even think about it. They're just kids" "I apologize. It was a lapse of judgment from my part" Uh oh. Sounds serious. "We can sell the wolf fur Kenny brought" "Will that be enough?" "Only for tomorrow, I'm afraid" This won't do. I'll help them. Maybe I can register at Adventurer's guild. For now, let's rest. "Kenny. Wake up" Huh. "Kenny. Come on" "Huh? Sister Haga, What are you doing?" "Are your wound still sting?" "No. Not at all" "Thank god. Come on. We're having breakfast" Breakfast? Can we still afford it? "We have to ration everyone's portions, but you would still have enough" Rationing? Uh oh. Someone's not eating. True enough, someone is not eating. The sisters are fasting, though not by choice. Alright. That's it. I'm going to register. After breakfast, I rushed to the Adventurer's guild. The building is not big, but the inside is spacious enough. When I enter the building, the place is still quite empty. Only a handful of people are already inside at this time of the morning. The adventurers are eyeing me. Looking like I don't belong here. Whatever. I'll just go straight to the counter. The counter was attended by an orc woman. Muscular, big, green and fangs from her lower jaw. probably more muscle than breast. Errh. I shouldn't think about that. Let's register. "Are you lost, boy?" "No, I came here to register" "Huh? A young boy like you?" "Yeah. You got a problem with that?" The clerk, laughs at my bravery. No, I think she is laughing at my bravado. "Look, Kid. Adventurers are not games. You'll be throwing your life away at your current age" This bitch is sure annoying. "Oh yeah? What do I have to kill to assure you I'm serious?" The clerk attendant, looks condescendingly. "Sure, sure. Bring me 5 wolf and a manticore. Then I'll consider it. Maybe I'll pay you when you're done" I'd say bring it on. I turned back outside, the adventurers and the clerk are still laughing even on my way out. Let's not waste any time. As I'm outside, one person, maybe adventurer, from his getup approach me. "Hey kid, why are you signing up to be adventurer's for?" "My orphanage funding was cut. I need to repay them back" "Oh my god, you're seriously thinking about killing them, are you?" I didn't say anything. I just stare at him. He knew I was serious. "You should give up. If you're still insisting, take these potions" He hands me 5 clean, bright red potion. "This is an elixir. Replenish your health, and magic energy" "I'm not receiving any handout" "Idiot!" He hit me. He hit me on my head. Goddamn, it hurts. "You're not going to survive if you're this stubborn" There's a slight pause between him and me. "I'm not giving you a handout. I'll sell it to you for 10 silver, I made them, after all. What do you say?" "I don't have any money" "Pay me when you have registered" This might be useful, I don't steal or receive handouts. I know it sounds ironic since I lived in an orphanage, but still. "Alright. Deal" So I went to the forest. The wolves are regularly found in the forest. For an hour I scoured the forest. Until I found the wolves, well, the wolves found me. I let the wolves charge first, but this time, they charged together. I hate being ganged up. Well, whatever. I dodge the charge altogether, they managed to scratch and bite me. I punch the wolf on the right on its stomach. This time, it died, unlike last time. Then the second wolf, then the third until they are all dead. My clothes are ripped and blood are everywhere. I used an elixir that the adventurer gave me. It is quite refreshing. I don't have an item bag, so I have to manage to carry all of this back. Now the issue is the manticore. It's dark all of the sudden. Before looking back, I was hit by the claw on my back. "AAARRRGGHH" It fucking hurt. I looked at the source of the attack. The manticore front head and the snake head are looking at me. Big. So big. I don't know if I could beat this. But since it is already here, let's finish this. I dodge the attack from the front and tried to attack from behind, but the viper bit me. Urh. I feel dizzy. So I used the elixir again. I tried to attack from every direction, but they seems to anticipate my attack. There's only one elixir left. I can't attack from the front, the back, up, or even the side. If I tried under, I'm sure I'll be crushed. 2 heads mean 2 visions. Wait, that's it. I tried to flank the Manticore from behind, the snake is trying to bite me, but I caught it, and ripped them out. The body is gushing blood. Now there's only one head, I can attack it from behind. I keep attacking until it weakens them. The manticore rams me and sends me flying through the trees. I feel really weak, so I drank the last elixir. This is it. My last chance. I tried to use all my martial arts power and send magic to each fist. The magic is so concentrated in my fist, it's raw power made my fist glow blue. I rushed into the manticore and punched its face, and it slashed my face. Great. A scar that forever is engraved on my face. The Manticore is down, but it's still moving. So I punched its face, over, and over, and over again. until its face is unrecognizable. "Huft. huft. Finally, URK!" I just realized that it slices my shoulder. It only stings, for a moment, but once the adrenaline sets down, I'm sure it's going to hurt. The sun is already on the top and the bell has ring twice. I have to bring them back to the Adventurer's guild. I don't have a cart, nor anything to help me carry all this. So, I use the remaining of my magic to strengthen my body. I carry all 5 wolves and manticore on my back. Every citizen that passes me is gasping. A 7 bloody year old carrying 6 monsters on his back. If I was them, I would be too. Step by step, I walked to the guild. Once I enter the guild, everyone is terribly shocked. Now where's that old orc fart? Whatever. I just walked to the counter carrying all the carcasses. "Where's the orc?" "Wha-Huh?" "Where's the woman orc that is attending this counter this morning?" "I'll get her for you. Burzhal! There's someone looking for you" Burzhal, huh? What a stupid name. The clerk replacing Burzhal are calling her toward the back. I see Burzhal rushing back to the guild. Heh, that stupid face. I won "I won, you stupid orc. Now where's my registration" "No way. You killed all this by yourself?" "What do you think? Now give me my registration and my money" "Heh. Stupid kids. Either you're brave or an idiot" I smiled, but with an exhausted expression on my face. Can this stupid orc hurry up already? Burzhal smiles back, but her smiles are not out of maliciousness. It feels...warm. Her smile is only a smile from a proud mother. "Put your fingerprint here with your blood" I wiped my bloodied face and stamp my thumb on the card. "Congratulation, Brat. You killed 5 class D wolves and a Class A manticore. You're an adventurer now. Here's 5 gold for the wolves, and 500 for the manticore." "Thanks. Can I exchange one gold for silver?" "Yeah, but what are you going to do with it?" "I need to pay something. And go ahead and charge me for the registration fee" Burzhal smiles. She went to the back to get the money. All in all, I got 554 gold and 60 silver. I saw the adventurer that gave me the elixirs. I paid him 10 silver coins. "Thanks for the elixir. You really saved my life" "Don't worry kid. But don't ever do that again, okay?" "Heh, no promises" He smiles. I went back to the orphanage, still bloodied and my clothes are ripped. Sister Haga, who is doing laundry outside, saw me. "Oh shit" She approaches me. Every step she takes resonates with fury. No, Worry. She slapped me on my face. Which stings a lot after the manticore scratch. "How could you? You made us worry! What have you been doing, Kenny?!" If I haven't been in trouble last night, I have now. "Sister Haga, I'm sorry to have worried you" "What if you're killed? Do you really hate living?!" She takes my hand and drags me to the sister's lounge. The other orphans are looking at me like I'm a troublemaker. The other sisters are scared since my face is slashed and my shoulder is lacerated. "Sisters. Help me heal him!" The other sisters nod and heal me. This time, their healing is hot, like burning charcoal on my wound. The wound closes, but the scar remains. "Now tell me what were you doing?" I looked down. I don't have the balls to talk to them proudly. So I explained the situation. "Last night, I overheard you that the funding is cut, so I registered as an adventurer to help with the funding" Sister Galiel, the head of the orphanage, and the oldest sister here raises a question. "Now, was it worth it?" I put the coin pouch on the table. They are shocked to see that many coins on the table "I don't know, Sisters. Is this enough?" I asked not to brag but sincerely asked the sister if this would be enough for the funding. Sister Haga covers her mouth, and her eyes are teary. Every sisters looks at me suspiciously. "You didn't steal them, right?" I showed them my identity card. "No, sister. I'm not a thief" It's this spinning again. My vision feels blurry, my head feels light. I was pretty sure that the poison from the manticore snake is already gone with the elixir. My body feels numb, and my vision grows dark. Before I noticed, I collapsed. When it's dark, I see a familiar figure that is hiding behind the shadow. It's Archie. "You forced your body too much. You are only 7. Why are you insisting on forcing yourself?" "I...don't know" "You do know the answer. You just don't want to admit it" Do I? "Yes. Now, there's something I forgot to mention. There's one bonus we forgot to add. You should be able to use inventory storage. The storage will be limited, but if the same items are stored, they will stack. There should be no limit for one item stack, but you could only have 12 different items on the menu" "So for example, I could stack a limitless amount of carcasses on my inventory if it's one type of carcasses?" "Yes" "That's convenient. Thanks. But I gotta ask. What is this Accelerated Learning perk?" "It's as it said. You will learn at an accelerated speed. When you study, your brain will function much more than a normal human's. When you wake up, go ahead and say 'menu'. You can access your status, your level, and your inventory. It's a gift from me" This sounds more and more like a cheat ability. "Because it is. The road you will take might be the easiest one. But I look forward to the fights it took to achieve your goal" "Is this my destiny? My fate?" "Fate and Destiny don't exist anymore. Ever since the director gives you human free will, the one who decides your own story is you humans. Not me, not the director, but you. Now, wake up. I'm sure the land of the living is looking for one missing person" With the snap of his finger, I woke up from my sleep. My body feels heavy but not physically. Heavy as in I ran through a wall and struggled to push the wall. "Menu" It really did pop up. I can see my name, my age, and my level is...27? Is accelerated learning means I could raise my experience several time higher than any people? Never mind that. I see that I could raise my skill levels. Let's see. Peak Human Physical Condition can only be raised to 10. Magic Aptitude to 10, Martial Art Knowledge to 10, and 10 to egotism. So I raise my Physical condition to 10, Martial Arts to 8, Magic Aptitude to 7 and Egotism to 2. There are other Skills I could be learning, but I rather raise the core skill first. I walked out of the bed and open the window. It's Dead in the morning. If only I had a watch. Well, whatever. It's not like I can get out to the guild. There's a curfew for kids, after all. I wonder if I could make money from the adventurer's guild for the orphanage. Well, no use thinking about it now. I'll go to bed for now. "Do you think he's sick?" "His body is heating up. Bring me more compress" How noisy. I wanted to see what is going on. But...My eyelids are heavy. I can't move a muscle, not even open my mouth. I forcefully tried to move, but it was almost too heavy. Almost like a boulder is pinning my body down. Is this...'Kanashibari'? No, wait. I leveled up a lot yesterday. I read a manga that significantly leveling up took a toll on your body. 'Level Up Fatigue' they called it. "Here's the compress, Sister Haga" Sister Haga puts a cold, water compresses on my forehead, but I barely feel anything. "It's evaporating!" Evaporating? Just how high is my body temperature? "Fill the bath with water, quick" Thank you, Sister Haga. That was the logical solution. Sister Haga tried to carry me to the bathtub. "Ow!" "What's the matter, sister Haga?" "I burned my hand" "Wrap him with a blanket, sister" "I'll help you sister" Damon? Is that you? "Thank you, Damon" They carried me to the bathtub, with blankets still wrapping me. "The bath is ready, sister" They set me down in the bathtub. "The bath water, it's boiling, sister!" "Quick, add more water and cast ice magic on the bathtub" They pour 5 more buckets of water and the sisters are casting ice magic on the boiling bathtub. The ice they cast on me turned into steam, and I feel like I can move a little bit. It's...working? They keep casting ice magic until the water no longer boils. As the water cools down, it is easier for me to move again. I opened my eyes, to see all the sisters sweating, breathing heavily, and some kneeling down in exhaustion. I got out of the bathtub, but my body is still steaming. Any water my clothes absorbs evaporates. I looked at Sister Haga who is kneeling down, with her hand still red from elbow to palm, burn marks from carrying me. I can't fathom how painful to be carrying me with these burn marks. I try to hold her hand. I don't know any magic chant, so I try to make it up as I go. I closed my eyes and thought of a skin recovered completely. "Rejuvenation" The greenish-white glow radiates from my hand and I touch sister Haga's hand with my magic. As I wipe my hand from her elbow to her palm, her burn marks slowly disappear. "Are you all okay?" "We will be" "Thank you, sisters, for healing me" "We are glad you are okay, but please don't endanger yourself anymore" "Yes, sisters. Thank you very much" Of course, I don't listen to what Sister Galiel said. I keep adventuring and earning money for the orphanage. I took on a different kind of quest, from collecting from escort, and sometimes, I killed monsters on my way questing I keep doing this every single day and donating the money to the orphanage directly. The city continues to withhold our funds for the next 8 years. Well, whatever. I can keep earning money for the orphanage. Hell, I even saved up some money to buy armor and a cestus, they called it in this town. What it is really is a brass knuckle. I even have more saved up. Damon, ever the smart one, got adopted by a merchant family. I wished him all the good luck. However, on some afternoon, a city noble, probably the son of the city Earl, keeps visiting sister Haga. One day, he stormed out, with a frown. He looks livid. Well, whatever. Nothing to do with me, although, I'm a bit worried. "Haga, Get out here this instant!" What's going on out there? It's already night. People need some sleep, especially me. I just completed an escort mission. Sister Haga, with quickly ran toward the nobleman and her knights. They argued and I hear sister Haga pleading with the nobleman. The Nobleman is having none of it. The knights are getting off the horse. I got a bad feeling. Wait, No. NO! They stabbed her. They all stabbed her! "Burn it. Burn it all!" The knights cast fireball toward the orphanage. I woke everyone up and told them to get out of the orphanage. The fire spread faster than I thought. I warned the sisters to get out, but the fire is getting too big, I failed to warn sister Galiel. The nobleman saw us getting out and ordered his knights to kill us. No more. I refuse to be ganged up again. I told the sisters to get the orphans out of here. Luckily, I still have my brass knuckles on my item box. The knights are swinging their swords toward me. I dodged and punched the first knight to my left in the stomach, I barely recognize that my punch is tearing a hole into the armor. The first knight dropped dead. The rest of the knights, although I cannot see their faces, I can feel their fear as they recoiled back. I take them down one by one. Crushed their helmet, lariat their shoulder, breaking their legs, until they are writhing in pain. The nobleman's son, clearly disturbed and afraid, ran back to the castle they lived in. That's right. Sister Haga! I rushed to her side and cradle her in my arms. I tried to heal her, but her soul is already leaving her body. Her heart stops beating, so there's no way for me to heal her. I had enough of this, so I headed toward the castle. It is understandably heavily guarded, but I don't care. I made my way to the front of the gate. The guys protecting the castle gate are dead. So will the guards inside the gate. I make my way through to where the son of a bitch of a nobleman is. The guards did their best to stop me, but they are dead. I opened the door and see the cowardly noble, crying his ass off. "S-stop! GUARDS" No guard came for reinforcement. They are dead. All of them. I walked to him. "P-Please spare me! W-what is it you want? Money?!" He needs to shut up. I kicked him down. Once he is on his back, I grabbed his collar and raised my fist. "What I want?" "Yes. Money? Women? Power? Anything, please!" Does he think that all that will tempt me? How much longer is he going to insult me? Well, whatever. Right now, what I want is... "TO BASH YOUR HEAD IN!" I punched, and punched, and punched, and punched, and punched, and punched, and punched, and punched, and punched, and punched, and punched, and punched, and punched, and punched him again until there's no face to be recognized anymore. With each punch, he pleads to spare his life, until the sixth punch. His face caved inside his skull, it left only a mush of blood and brain. Before I realized it, the Earl, along with his soldiers are surrounding me. The Earl looked over his son's dead body. He kneeled in sadness, and he cried loudly. Giving order to his men to kill me. They cast all sorts of attack magic toward me, even my strengthening magic is not enough to repel the attack. So I jumped from the window and run as fast as I can, but I wounded myself when one magician cast that ground magic into every part of my body. I can see the soldiers are chasing me, so I ran with magic powering my legs. So, just like that, I'm a criminal now. I killed a noble who killed sister Haga, and I'm the criminal now. What a fucking farce! But I remember that the sisters are taking away the children. I don't know where, but once I slipped into the town, I see one of the sisters still standing beside the orphanage. So I took a coat from my item box, and give them the remaining of my gold. All 500 of them "Please bury sister Haga for me. It's not much, but please take it" The sister is confused, but as I took off, I feel that she knew who I was. I can feel her prayer blessing me and tears fall down my face. I have no choice but to leave the country. With my Peak Human Condition, I might be able to slip past the guards. I climbed the wall and reached the top, but one of the guards saw me. They rang the bell, alerting the guards. The guards that are chasing me are approaching this wall quickly. I can't take them all. Not in my current condition. I jumped off the wall to the outside of the wall and rolled. I have a small window before they caught me, so I used my healing magic to get this pain off of me. The magic works, but it doesn't heal me completely. With my current condition, I might be able to run faster than most humans, but I can't outrun horses. So I tried to run as fast as I can, and once I hears the horses' hoofs, it would be better to hide. So this is it. I'm alone, I'm wounded, and I'm hungry. I still have a meat jerky from my previous mission, but I doubt it would fill my stomach. Wait. I hear hoofs. There's no forest around, the only option is for me to hide behind an averagely-sized boulder. As the sound gets closer, I peek at the source of the sound. It was not the knights, but a rushing wagon of a merchant. I tried to run to him, to ask for a lift. "Stop! Stop! Please!" The carriage stops for me. She unsheaths her swords, thinking I'm a bandit. The woman riding the carriage has a red hair, a bit short, around mid-twenties. "Please. I'm not your enemy. I'm not here to hurt or rob you?" She scans me from head to toe. She sees that I'm hurt. Still cautious, she still holds her sword. "Who are you?" "My name is Ken. Please, I need a ride" "Why should I give you one?" "I could give you the wolf pelt I still have on me. I can give them to you. All I need is to get out of here" "I don't believe you" I took the pelt out of my item box. Hold them in my hand and give it to her. Hoping that she would help me get out of there. "Please. All I need is to get out of here. I will protect this carriage, no fee" She seems to think for about a moment. I hoped that she will take me out of there. "Fine. Hop aboard, but any signs you will try to hurt or rob me, I will not hesitate to kill you, if I have to" "Thank you" I hopped on the wagon and she gave me a ride. But I'm not off the hook yet. I need to get out of this kingdom. With the rest of my magic, I healed my wound, but I still feel a sting, but it is better than before. "Who are you, Kid? Why are you out here?" "My name is Ken. I'm an orphan. I need to get out of here because some nobleman burns my orphanage, and hunted down every orphan and Sisters" "That place that's on fire, That was your orphanage?" "Yes. They killed Sister Haga. The only person that cares for me in that orphanage" "I...I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sorry I pulled a sword on you" I'm sorry, too. For giving you half-truths. I can't tell you that I killed the nobleman's son that burned down my orphanage. "Why did he burn your orphanage anyway?" "Honestly, I don't know. He showed up at our orphanage, called Sister Haga, and stabbed her. I lost my saving and my adventurer's identification" "That is awful. How are you wounded?" "I was trying to get the orphans and sisters out of there. The knights surrounded me, I tried fighting them, but I was no match for them" "I have heard a rumor from the merchant's guild there. The Earl seems a just person, but his son could be really cruel" I tried to look at my status. My magic points are almost depleted, and my health is half the bar. I checked on my inventory. There are some magic stones left, from dungeon extermination. I wonder if I could sell it to her? "I'm afraid I don't know your name, Ma'am. May I ask yours?" "Ma'am. Do you think I'm old?" "Uhh..." "I'm Valeria Teresia Ramires de Santos, but Val is enough" "Thank you, Ms. Val. Are you willing to buy some magic stone from me?" "Do you have some?" "I'll give you a discount. I lost my money in the fire" "Let's see. How much do you have?" I have 5 green magic stones, 10 Yellow, and 4 Red" "How much you're willing to give me a discount?" "Half" "You're willing to give me 50% for them?" "You helped me, I think this much is fair" "No, it's not. Whenever you do business, you only give 50% if you have a surplus. I'll take a 10% discount since you lost everything" "Are you...okay with that?" "These magic stones are valuable. Even if I buy at a 5% discount, I still profited" "Please buy them from me" "Let's see. With 10%, everything will be 150 gold. Will you be okay with that?" "Yes, please" "Great. Give them here" I put the magic stone beside her, on the coach. And she gave me a pouch of gold. "Thank you, Ms. Val" "You're welcome" "Where are you going?" "I'm heading to Puerto de León. It's a port city" "I've been there on an escort mission" As I said this, I tore my adventurer's guild card and threw them out. "Go ahead and rest, kid. We'll arrive at sunrise" "Thank you, Miss. If you don't mind, I'll take a rest" I sleep inside the wagon. Tonight, everything has changed a lot, it's exhausting. I dreamt of Sister Haga, Damon, and Sister Galiel. An orphan turns into a criminal. This was a common story even back in Japan, hell, it's even a common story around the world back on earth. I can't believe it applies here too. As my mind goes blank, I drift deeper into my sleep. "Ken. Wake up. We're here" The light from the sunrise penetrated my eyelids. It's still early in the morning, but a fresh morning is what I need. "Here we are. Puerto de León" A city, busy with people, where goods and money shift from one to another really fast. I need to get myself a ship out of this country. "Kid. From your story, the knights are still looking for you, right? There's a hidden compartment in my wagon. Lie there until we passed the gate" I nod to her plan. I see a loose wooden plank behind the coach. I opened the plank and hide inside. She's nearing the gate, and the queue is very few. Ms. Val hands her registration and papers. The knight takes a look inside the carriage and confirms the cargo she is carrying. He didn't see me behind this hidden compartment. After a few checks and questions, the knight hold some sort of orb and Ms. Val channel her magic and the orb glows white. They let her inside. "Don't get out yet" She said to me. After a few minutes of riding, she stops. Is this really a good spot? Is she reporting me to the knights? "Alright. You can get out now" I get out of the hidden compartment carefully. She put her carriages in a quiet place. "Thank you, Ms. Val. You saved my life" "No problem. I arranged a ship for you. The captain is my employee, he will smuggle you out of the country. Have a safe trip, kid" I nod to her. In times like this, I feel thankful that there are still good people in this world. The Ship Captain ushers me into his ship. I waved at her one last time, hoping to meet her again. Once the carriage is inside the ship's cargo hold, we set sail for Kingsport, Theovan. Sister Haga, Sister Galiel, please watch over me from heaven. From now on, I'll live by myself.