Chapter 3

“A certain god asks why you’re alone.”

The reason I’m alone. It’s because of that damn goddess who kidnapped a civilized person like me, who was living well on Earth. But I can’t confess that fact so easily. This being, who’s questioning me with such peculiar speech, might be a friend of that wicked goddess. “Please, just save me first!” A large amount of blood flowing from my thigh, where the arrow was lodged, was staining my uniform red.

And it hurts like hell! That’s the most important thing. “A certain god hesitates.”

It seems this isn’t a good god who helps people in crisis unconditionally. What about the other gods…? They probably don’t even know of my existence, having crash-landed in a place that isn’t the temple where the saintess, who’s supposed to help heroes, is waiting.

Anyway, only this god was isolated. “An outcast, perhaps?”

“A certain god wonders what an outcast is.” Oops! A slip of the tongue. An outcast is short for “Outsider,” meaning someone who wanders outside a group.

If I explain what an outcast is, won’t I be punished by heaven for blasphemy? I pondered how to gloss over this to safely avoid trouble. Ah! It came to me. “An outcast means a lone wolf galloping through the wilderness.” A lone wolf! It has a very good sound to it. “A certain god likes the meaning of ‘outcast’.” Good. I got away with it.

“A certain god is convinced they are an outcast.” Uh… Is this going to be okay?

I feel like I’ve made a monumental mistake, but it must be my imagination. “Please save me.” “A certain god asks if you’re an outcast too.”

No way! I’m not an outcast; I’m an “insider.” Short for Insider, the opposite of Outsider.

Even though all the kids in my class turned out to be unfilial brats, making me seem like an outcast, I am definitely an insider.

Nevertheless, “I’m an outcast too. That’s why my comrades were summoned to the temple, and I was dropped here alone.” To survive! To get revenge! I cast aside my pride and identity and chose to lie.

“A certain god ponders whether to help the pitiful outcast.” “A certain god recalls a bitter past and hesitates.” “A certain god looks around cautiously and wavers.” “A certain god…”

This small problem could be easily solved with a snap of the god’s fingers, aren’t they being too meticulous? This won’t do.

Once those fantasy hyenas chase away the barbarians, it’ll be my turn next.

The arrow lodged in my leg was quickly eating away at my life force. In other words, there’s no time. So, let’s try a subtle hint. “It’s human nature for outcasts to help each other, but I suppose that doesn’t apply to a god, does it?”

“A certain god says there is no nobility or baseness among outcasts.” “Oh, right. Yes.” Being an outcast isn’t something to be proud of, but right now, it doesn’t matter! “A certain god decides.”

“A certain god decides to help the pitiful outcast. How?”

Before I could even utter that question, a change occurred in my body. Swoosh. “Wow! So they really were a god!”

A remark that would deeply displease the god who helped me spontaneously escaped my lips.

But what could I do? I had just witnessed a “miracle” before my eyes: the wound on my leg and the pain completely disappearing. This was a surreal phenomenon that couldn’t be explained by physics or science. It was truly a divine miracle. “A certain god looks on with satisfaction at the healthy outcast.” “Thank you for saving my life… Oh? My fatigue’s gone too?” Although the location had changed, it felt as if I had been returned to the moment just before I crash-landed in this forest and was chased by hyenas. And I naturally became aware of the “power” I had newly acquired.

[Name] Kang Han-soo [Level] 1 [Blessing] Outcast F [Curse] Hero [Share] 2.98

“Outcast’s Blessing…?” A name that reeked of being hastily concocted by the god who saved me. The detailed description of the blessing was also, as expected…

[Outcast] ▶ All conditions of the outcast, except death, are reset. ▶ Terrible things will happen if the lone wolf leaves the wilderness!

It seems the “lone wolf galloping through the wilderness” really resonated with the god. My strange remark caused the blessing’s description to become strange, but it wasn’t incomprehensible.

All conditions reset. This must refer to the miracle that occurred in my body, which instantly returned to normal after I was on the verge of death.

And the second sentence. It seems if I stop being an ‘outcast,’ it’ll be considered a betrayal, and divine punishment will be inflicted.

“That’s harsh.”

I’d felt it ever since the god deliberated for a long time about whether to help me, but this god had very little generosity.

“A certain god explicitly states they only help outcasts.” “Ah, yes.”

I have no complaints. Even though I’m forced to be an outcast because of this condition, I can’t communicate with the native Fantasians anyway. Aside from these monsters, I’m pretty much out of luck making friends.

“Let’s go for now.”

Thump.

Pushing off the ground with my palm, I stood up and started running in the opposite direction. At full speed, without worrying about stamina distribution.

[Outcast] Regardless of the regrettable name of this blessing, which I guess is my karma, its performance was solid.

My stamina would reset and recover quickly every time it decreased.

“Lunch! Running away!”

“Human meat! Let’s talk!” “Meat! Fast meat!”

As soon as the hyenas, who had been fighting the elf group, spotted me running, their eyes lit up, and they started chasing me.

However!

“Huff, huff…”

The hyenas, exhausted from fighting the elves, couldn’t match my speed.

And that’s not all!

“Die…!”

“Meat—Gasp?!”

I forcefully kicked a fantasy hyena that, like me, was retreating after being hit by an elf arrow.

An injured person? Cowardly? I had no mercy to spare for those who were trying to eat me…

A stone, flying from a blind spot, struck my unprotected head with force.

A vulnerability created by losing my school bag, which had been protecting my head.

“Gah!”

My mind became hazy from the concussion, and my body instantly went limp. But that was only for a fleeting moment. [Outcast] The god’s blessing was magnificent. The concussion miraculously disappeared, and I recovered to my original state, running again as if nothing had happened.

“A certain god watches with a pounding heart.” “This is amazing, isn’t it?”

It wasn’t just lip service. This blessing didn’t just restore physical injuries and fatigue. All conditions. It seemed to even suppress emotions like the fear of death.

Strictly speaking, the principle was to reset to a ‘normal state’ before being swallowed by fear.

To summarize this Outcast’s Blessing…

Infinite vitality! Status effect immunity! Infinite stamina! I’m sure there’s more if I look, but it was incredible even now. Are all divine blessings like this? It’s completely overpowered. “The meat is strange!”

“Lunch! My lunch!” “It won’t die! Meat!”

The hyenas, who had been careless until now, thinking they could easily capture me, began to charge all at once.

Did I somehow offend them?!

“O! □□…!” “… □…” Many fantasy hyenas died from elf arrows, but the elves were not entirely unscathed either. A very few elves, hit by the hyenas’ stone-throwing, fell from the trees and were being dragged away. “OOOOO!” “OO! □□□□□”

The elves didn’t just idly watch from the trees as their kin were reduced to food for the cannibals.

Whoosh~ Whoosh~ They climbed trees with the agility of monkeys, pursuing the fantasy hyenas that were chasing me.

A chase!

Thanks to the blessing, I could maintain my composure, but a shiver ran down my spine knowing what would happen if I was caught. “You brats! Just give up!” “Talking meat!”

“Meat! Strange meat!”

The fantasy hyenas, drooling at the sight of me, seemed intent on following me to the ends of hell.

I even heard threats that they would kill me painfully if I didn’t stop.

“Hmm. Should I just bite my tongue?”

Perhaps it would be wiser to commit suicide early, before being captured by those cannibals and suffering a gruesome fate?

I’m a coward who can’t even self-harm, but with my fear suppressed right now, I feel like I could do it without hesitation.

“A certain god advises that won’t kill you.”

“Thanks for the grim advice!”

All conditions, except death.

It seems even fatal injuries are reset if I don’t die instantly. Then what about this?

“What a dizzying cliff.”

I had been running aimlessly without a clear plan, and now I was blocked by a steep precipice. There was nowhere left to run. “Can I survive?” “A certain god congratulates you, saying you’ll die at this height.”

What a heartless god!

I, who had hoped for angel wings on my back, glanced down at the bottom of the cliff.

Whoosh~

If a deep river flowed below, there might be a chance of survival, but it was bare ground with no cushioning. This was 100% certain death! As I pondered at the edge of the cliff, the fantasy hyenas surrounded me, as if to corner me.

Cliff in front. Monsters behind. There were two choices. Jump off the cliff before being captured by them, or fight them all off and endure here. Yes. I’ve decided.

Hero “Alright! Everyone, listen up! I’ll give the best-tasting part to the one who catches me first!”

“Talking meat!” “The most delicious human?!”

“My meat! Delicious part!”

“Meat! It’s mine!” Thanks to the hero’s curse, the fantasy hyenas, who perfectly understood my words, charged all at once.

Such simpletons.

Grab! Grab! Grab! Grab…! They began to embrace my body tightly with their grey fur-covered arms. Lick~!

There was even a pervert licking my cheek and neck with a long tongue. “Hahaha!”

Laughter naturally escaped me. What was becoming of my life, kidnapped into a fantasy world? I felt like I was quickly going insane.

“Meat!”

“Meat…!”

They love my meat. I don’t dislike their obsession either.

Thump! So, we decided to embrace each other and stay together until the end.

“Meat! Are you crazy?!” “Lunch is falling!” “Crazy meat?!”

“Hahaha!”

Bound together by love and friendship, we plunged down the cliff as one lump.

To tell you the result, I didn’t die and was perfectly fine.

My whole body felt like it was crushed flat from the intense impact, but it must have been my imagination. [Outcast] Getting up as if nothing had happened, I checked the condition of my friends who had fallen with me. “C-crazy… meat…”

“Meat… my lunch…”

The vitality of these cannibals, who kept shouting “meat,” was incredible. Even though I used their bodies as cushions and barely avoided instant death, they didn’t die despite hitting the hard ground with their bare bodies. Are they really monsters? They weren’t perfectly fine, but it was astonishing that they were still breathing after falling from that height.

“A certain god marvels at the outcast’s survivability.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Without the Outcast’s Blessing, I would have been a living corpse like them. “Meat! Fresh as ever!” “Human meat! Fresh meat!” “I’m jumping too!” A few of them, who saw me alive and well on the cliff, attempted to fall individually.

Thud!

Thump!

But the result was a miserable failure!!

The fantasy hyenas, seeing their kin die in vain, stopped their reckless actions. “Strange meat…!”

“Elf meat! They’re coming!”

“Damn it! Meat!”

They glared at me with faces full of regret, then gave up and left the cliff one by one. Now, then… “Oh! This looks good.”

Grab.

Covered in the blood of the cannibals, I picked up a sharp stone I had just found. It was time for a review. This is a fantasy world full of dreams and hopes. Anyone can level up and become the strongest, the best, regardless of talent or social status.

If luck is on your side!

“Meat…”

“Weak meat…”

“My lunch…”

From that perspective, I’m pretty lucky. I survived against strong opponents. The status windows of the creatures I hadn’t paid attention to until now, busy surviving, came into my view.

[Name] Blue Moon Meat Cutter [Level] 3 [Blessing] – [Curse] High

Level 3. The level of the cannibal monster ‘Blue Moon Meat Cutter,’ holding a dagger in its hand, was higher than mine. The other two surviving ones were the same. “What a romantic name?” But this guy would never get to cut meat under the blue moonlight again.

Meaning. I raised the stone. There’s no reason to hesitate.

According to the goddess’s explanation, I can level up with experience points gained from hunting, just like in a role-playing game. It’s time to get stronger.

“Thank you. You saved my life. So, goodbye.” “M-meat…” “I’m meat…?”

Whack!

With all my might, filled with dreams and hopes! It’s time to raise my crappy level.