"Can’t I just casually start a harem?" Disappointment flooded my heart. With no other choice, I had to switch worldlines.
A brutal world filled with war… sounded terrifying. Skip.
A horrifying world that’d scare you to death… Holy crap! Just the name sent chills down my spine! Skip, skip…
A weird world… What kind of strange name is that?
After some thought—or rather, no thought at all—
Between these three, the brutal and horrifying worlds were out of the question. The only answer was clear.
The moment I chose "A Weird World," the system’s error sound vanished.
After about ten seconds, the space before me brightened gradually. Then, I saw a bizarre creature standing right in front of me.
It looked like a lump of poop—but darker, and completely odorless.
Just as I took a step forward, a prompt suddenly rang in my ears:
"Wild Slime has initiated an attack! Prepare for battle!"
Attack? Slime? Battle prep?
What was all this?
While I hesitated, the so-called Slime leaped and slammed into me, sticking to my body instantly.
Wet. Slimy.
Kind of gross.
A faint numbness spread from my arm where it clung. The system’s warning echoed beside me:
"Sustaining continuous attacks from Wild Slime. HP will decrease by 1 point every ten minutes."
Losing 1 HP every ten minutes? Seriously?!
This Slime was utterly useless!!
I wanted to rant, but losing HP sounded bad. I quickly peeled the Slime off my arm and hurled it to the ground.
*Ding!* "Slime defeated. Gained 1 EXP… 1 bronze coin… and ‘Moron’s Wooden Stick’."
As the prompt faded, the Slime’s body vanished. In its place lay a wooden stick.
Focusing on it, its info appeared:
**Item: Moron’s Wooden Stick +0**
**Type: Weapon**
**ATK: -10**
**Special Ability: Title granted—‘Moron’**
Seriously? Only a moron would use this!
Not only did it have a terrible name and reduced attack power—it came with that ridiculous special ability too!
Ahhh!! This weird world was REALLY weird!!!
And why was I even here?! I’m not the Hero! Where’s the Hero?!
I clutched my head, feeling like a stampeding herd of… something… was trampling through my mind.
I had no idea where I was.
Forests surrounded me. Only a single path lay beneath my feet, its origin and destination unknown.
This strange place felt like even a small move might trigger something bizarre.
Just as I stood frozen, a dashing man with a longsword at his waist appeared ahead.
He noticed me as I noticed him. He walked over.
"Today’s weather…" he began, "is truly lovely."
I glanced up. Yeah, it was nice.
"Hello. I’m Kline Watermelon-rind."
"…" Okay then.
"I’m searching for an item called ‘Moron’s Wooden Stick.’ If you’ve seen it—"
"Right here."
I cut him off, pointing at the stick on the ground.
"This one. I just got it from that Slime."
"What?!"
Kline stared at me in shock. With a confused look, I watched as he slowly said, "You mean… you defeated a Slime… alone?!"
"Yeah… is that a problem? Was it strong?"
Kline was acting really weird.
To me, that Slime was basically free EXP—useless and harmless.
Why did he look at me like I was some kind of expert?
Unless… Slimes were strong? Did that mean I was even stronger?
A flicker of pride swelled inside me.
But Kline shook his head firmly. "Not strong at all!"
"Then why the shock?!"
"Because my title is ‘Shocked Kline’," he said casually, as if stating the obvious.
I almost cursed at him.
If he didn’t look so capable, I’d have dealt with this lunatic right then.
"Thanks for helping me finish my quest so quickly… I’ve wandered this forest all morning without finding ‘Moron’s Wooden Stick’… How about this: come back to the Village of Egramote with me? I’ll treat you to a proper meal as thanks~"
I didn’t refuse his invitation. I agreed readily.
This world was completely unfamiliar. I had no idea what to do next. Having someone offer to show me the ropes was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.
Attacked by a Slime right after spawning… Who knew if a whole pack would ambush me next?
Better to seize this chance to learn about this world from this guy named Watermelon-rind.
