Chapter 5

Whirr~

I held the vine with the stone attached and swung it in circles.

“Ugh!”

This is harder than I thought! My body kept swaying in the direction the heavy stone spun, and just maintaining my balance was a struggle.

[Outcast]

Fortunately, thanks to the blessing’s effect, my trembling legs quickly stabilized.

But only for a moment. Comfortable, uncomfortable, comfortable, uncomfortable… It kept repeating: getting exhausted, then recovering.

Perhaps I was starting to understand how to use the Outcast’s Blessing? I just needed to fight hard enough not to die.

“Meat!”

“It’s meat!”

Whirr~ The stone spun, cutting through the air, making a sound that drew the fantasy hyenas closer.

“…Shall I try it?”

There was no fear.

My mind told me to run because it was scary, but my body was completely calm, without even a tremor.

“Meat! Mea—Gah?!”

I slammed the stone into the head of a hyena that charged recklessly.

Crack! The fantasy hyena, knocked down by a forceful blow driven by centrifugal force, couldn’t get back up.

“Danger! It hurts!”

“It’ll get tired soon! Meat!”

“Stone! Throw stones!” The hyenas of the fantasy world were incredibly cowardly and annoying!

As soon as they saw their kin fall so easily, they changed their strategy.

They kept a safe distance, picked up stones lying on the ground, and hurled them at me like fastballs.

Thud! Thud! Thud! “Ack?! Cowardly bastards!” It hurt immensely with each hit, but I endured.

These bastards, they outnumber me, aren’t they too sly?!

I took the hits unprotected, enduring, then feigned exhaustion.

“Human meat!” “My dinner…!”

“I’m first!”

Though intelligent, the hyenas lacked patience. As soon as I showed a weakness, they dropped their stones and charged.

So honest with their instincts.

I stopped acting and powerfully swung the stone again.

“Meat! Mea—Ugh!” “Chew the bo—Ack?!” Wouldn’t it have been dangerous if they had charged all at once from the start? Their strategy wasn’t bad, but they were exhausted from being cautious and throwing stones, so they were no match for me. Time was on my side! Their blabbering about their plans in front of me was also a misstep. I understood everything, you know?

“Meat! Scary meat!”

“Where are you running?!”

“It’s talking meat?!”

Thwack!

The stone hit the back of the head of the last one trying to escape. That ended the situation.

Some died instantly from concussions, but most were unconscious or disoriented. “Phew…”

Anyway, I survived.

I couldn’t return to my beautifully suffocating, smoke-filled home planet Earth, but surviving for now was important.

A certain god slightly raises the outcast’s evaluation.

“That’s stingy!” I survived thanks to an overpowered divine blessing, but isn’t that evaluation a bit too stingy, even as a polite empty compliment?

I immediately took out the dagger from my pocket and started the experience grind. “Let me—Gurgle?!”

Stab!

In this savage world where the loser gets eaten, I had no intention of leaving any loose ends.

“Meat? Why…?”

Still, I left one relatively intact to get information. I kept a slight distance to prepare for its counterattack and positioned myself to throw the stone at its head at any moment.

“Hey. Don’t move.”

“Talking meat?!”

“If you don’t want to get hurt, tell me where humans live.” It might be a meaningless question. There’s no guarantee it won’t hold a grudge against me and lie.

But that’s okay. I can improve the accuracy of the information by capturing another hyena and verifying it.

This is just the beginning. A certain god says you’ve become quite a cheeky outcast. “Men are naturally like that…” It’s a male instinct to get conceited even after a small victory. “Male? Masculine?” “You just answer the question. Where do humans live?” “That way.” The fantasy hyena pointed with its fingertip in the direction the sun was setting. Is that west? I don’t know the natural laws of the Fantasia dimension, so it could be east. Anyway, it’s definitely the direction I need to go from now on.

Next question.

“What race are you?” “Meat is stupid?”

“If you don’t want your head smashed, just answer the question.” “Gnoll.” “Gnoll, huh…” I think I’ve seen polygons that looked similar to these guys in a game I briefly enjoyed.

So, did the hero’s curse translate it as ‘Gnoll’? Or is the race’s name really Gnoll?

“Meat! Save me!”

“Anyway, thanks for teaching me, and goodbye.”

Thwack.

I never promised to spare it if it answered honestly, so no problem!

A certain god tells the suspicious outcast that they are Gnolls. “I found that out, didn’t I?”

Gnoll. According to the fantasy knowledge in my head, gnolls are bipedal monsters resembling hyenas. The reason I didn’t immediately recall it despite knowing was the visual difference between 3D and 2D, reality and virtual.

The gnolls in general-audience games, made for commercial appeal, looked as cute as ‘puppies.’ On the other hand, the real gnolls that charged at me, shouting “meat” every time they saw me, were murderers in hyena’s skin! They had the appearance of native creatures from the beautiful fantasy world.

A certain god advises that gnoll pups are cute. “Oh! Thanks for the useless information!”

I diligently ran in the direction the gnoll had pointed.

My level…

It remained unchanged.

Fantasy works are set in the pre-Industrial Revolution medieval era.

Why?

Because that era appears the most romantic in human history. It would be troublesome if my prince on a white horse died absurdly from a bullet fired by an ugly fiancé, wouldn’t it? If a nuclear missile falls while an overpowered protagonist is in the mill, the story won’t progress.

Now, a question. What’s the level of civilization in a real fantasy world where magic exists? “A chamber pot, really…” “No shampoo or conditioner.” “I liked it though?” “You too? It was really great!”

The opinions of the heroes who had enjoyed a splendid banquet and spent a night in the fantasy world were dramatically divided.

“She was really pretty.”

“I hope she does it again…”

“It felt like a dream.” The minors who had experienced being bathed for the first time in their lives had an attitude of ‘the rest doesn’t matter!’ You could say they were like enlightened sages. “My body feels grimey.” “It’s not a flush toilet…”

“I feel like I haven’t showered.” However, the heroes with weak stomachs had very unpleasant expressions after dealing with unavoidable bodily functions. “Why? There are good points too, aren’t there?”

“You have to put up with a little.” “It’s the Middle Ages, after all.” Some heroes, recalling the handsome young men who massaged them in the morning, defended the fantasy world. Conclusion: there are pros and cons! For now, that was the prevailing atmosphere for evaluating the first day of fantasy. It wasn’t as if complaining would immediately improve anything.

“Heroes. Did you sleep comfortably last night?”

“Yes!”

“It was excellent!”

“It was great!”

Prince Arthurs, who had greeted the heroes gathered after eating a light breakfast in their respective rooms, proceeded with today’s schedule. “Heroes who wish to pursue the path of a swordsman, please follow me from now on. Don’t worry too much, as you can change at any time if you find it doesn’t suit you.”

“Prince. What about magic?” “Where do we learn magic?”

The Prince grimaced at the heroes’ questions.

“It seems Princess Ethena overdrank a little last night. She’s a diligent person, so she’ll be here soon.”

“Ah, okay.”

“I see.”

The heroes who wanted to learn magic stayed behind, and the rest followed Prince Arthurs. And only one.

There was a boy who belonged to no group and was excitedly running in an unexpected direction.

“Hehe! I knew it!”

Hero Oh Han-woo’s steps towards the outside of the temple were very light. This was because he had obtained a “special blessing” befitting a fantasy protagonist.

[Name] Oh Han-woo

[Level] 1

[Blessing] Hero F, Special F

[Curse] –

[Share] 1.17

The gods of the Fantasia dimension must already know.

That while many heroes have been summoned to save the world, there is only one true hero who can defeat the mighty Demon King.

This was the proof.

[Special]

▶ You are the protagonist of the most special destiny in the world!

▶ Only you can see and feel this special blessing.

The protagonist of the most special destiny!! The answer was clear, wasn’t it? “Choi Kang-min probably thinks he’s still the best, right? Work hard. Then you might get a position like Protagonist Rival A. Hahaha!” Hero Oh Han-woo, the ‘protagonist,’ who had left the temple, energetically entered a building that rough men constantly frequented.

“Welcome. What brings you to the mercenary guild?” A cute receptionist greeted the unfamiliar boy with a business smile. Oh Han-woo suppressed his pounding heart and replied bravely. “I’ve come to register as a mercenary!” Mercenary! The classic route adopted by many fantasy protagonists.

It’s a job that could be called essential if you don’t want to be tied down to any particular organization.

Just then, a cheerful woman’s voice called out to him.

[Special] “Hey. This isn’t a place for greenhorns like you. Do you want to die early?”

Turning slightly, he saw a beautiful girl with a sword at her hip. “Ah! This development is…!”

“…Don’t talk nonsense and go back to your hometown right now. I’ve seen many boys like you who became mercenaries out of bravado and died.”

Good! Oh Han-woo was convinced the blessing’s effect was working properly.

This meddlesome mercenary beauty must be a princess or noblewoman from a hidden kingdom.

The protagonist, having discovered the beautiful girl, knew exactly what to say. “I don’t want to go back?” “Really…”

“If you’re so worried, why don’t you accompany me for a while? It’s not a good habit to judge people by their appearance. Don’t you agree? You must have experienced it often…”

On Earth, Oh Han-woo couldn’t even speak properly in front of female students.

[Special]

However, this special blessing imbued him with immense confidence. “…..You got me there. Alright.”

As expected!

Hero Oh Han-woo, who had absolutely nothing, smiled triumphantly.

A certain childish chief god clutches their stomach firmly, laughing.

“Talking meat!”

“Meat! Strong!”

They say a good start is half the battle. At first, I fought the gnolls desperately and won, but the more times I won, the simpler the hunt became.

That’s right.

This was a simple hunt. I, who was once easy prey, became a skilled hunter overnight. Do I have hidden talents…? No way.

[Outcast] If it weren’t for the blessing, I would never have progressed this much and would have died early. How many fatal injuries did I sustain? My infinite recovery made victory almost a given, but I still suffered countless failures in the process. And each time, I learned about ‘fighting’ by regretting and reflecting.

“Meat! Mea—Gah?!” “These guys, they’re surprisingly honest.”

Is it because their thinking is simple? The gnolls I’ve encountered so far haven’t lied. Or if they did, it was very clumsy.

“We don’t live in the west! Meat!”

“Meat village! Not there!” “Village! That way is far!” The human village is in the west. I’ve confirmed it by asking numerous gnolls, so it must be true.

I don’t know the remaining distance to the destination, but I’m definitely heading towards the human village.

A certain god grumbles that it’s very regrettable.

“Do you want me to die?”

A certain god says it doesn’t matter. They’re saying harsh things!

Still, they’re a much better conversation partner than the gnolls who only look for meat.

“It’s meat!”

“Human meat!”

I learned something from squabbling with them all night: gnolls have a highly developed sense of smell, making it impossible to shake them off completely.

The gnoll blood on my body.

They’ll keep coming until I wash it off completely.

“Sigh… These guys never end, no matter how many I kill.”

The smell of gnoll blood clinging to my body was constantly attracting new gnolls. The silver lining, if any? My body never gets tired. As long as I don’t get surrounded, I’m confident I can win any number of fights.

Thump!

I plunged ‘Blue Cutter’ into the heads of the gnolls who still treated me as prey.

Blue Cutter. This is the name given to the dagger in honor of its previous owner, ‘Blue Moon Meat Cutter.’

“Ugh?!” “Cough!” “It’s strange. How did you guys level up?”

[Name] Kang Han-soo

[Level] 1

[Blessing] Outcast F

[Curse] Hero E

[Share] 3.15

No matter how many gnolls I caught, my level didn’t increase at all.

What’s the problem? A certain god feels uneasy.

The ill-tempered god suddenly displayed a strange message. Just as I was about to ask the reason for their unease, I heard an indecipherable conversation from afar.

“… □□□□□.” “OO OOOO.” …Elves again? I crept slowly towards the source of the voices, wary of elf arrows. …..Ah!” People!

A mercenary party consisting of two burly male swordsmen and one slender female archer.

These were the native Fantasians I had been searching for all night. “OOO?!”

“□□□□□!” “□□□□?”

The mercenaries, who spotted me a beat late, all drew their weapons. “Wait! I’m trying to find the village… Ah! They don’t understand me.” Then it’s do or die! Whoosh.

I put ‘Blue Cutter’ in my pocket and raised both hands high.

Surrender!

No violence!

This alien doesn’t bite people!

“□□□…?” “?” “.” The mercenaries slowly began to lower their weapons.

Good! Feeling confident, I pointed to my chest with my fingertip and shouted.

“Kang! Han! Soo!”

I prayed my body language would work on these fantasy barbarians.

A certain god compliments that it was a bit funny.

What a truly ill-tempered god.