Chapter 2

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002 - Despair and Resolve

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"Something terrible! Someone jumped off the cliff!"

The hero pushed Jun off the cliff and made it look like Jun had jumped.

The news quickly reached Mira's ears.

"Jun!?"

The hero grabbed Mira's arm as she rushed out.

"Let go, it's Jun, it's Jun—"

"It's too late. The bottom of that cliff is a raging river. If you fall, you won't survive. Besides, even if you did survive, the river flows into the Forest of Demons. He's already been eaten by monsters."

"No, that can't be—"

Mira collapsed on the spot and burst into tears.

Why did Jun jump off the cliff? Why didn't he talk to her?

"He was apparently struggling with his job being garbled," the hero said.

The hero's words cut deep into Mira's heart.

While Jun was struggling, she was celebrating becoming a mage.

She decided to go to the capital without Jun.

If she had been more supportive and listened to Jun's troubles, he wouldn't have committed suicide.

"Aaaaah... Jun..."

The hero comforted Mira, hugging her shoulder as if it were natural, whispering soothing words in her ear.

No one suspected that the hero had killed Jun. After all, he was the hero.

No one thought the hero would do such a thing.

"Hehehe. Now Mira is mine. What, taking Jun to the capital together? How ridiculous! There's no way I'd let a guy join my harem!"

The hero's party consisted of a Sword Saint, a Holy Knight, and a Holy Maiden, all beautiful women.

He had already seduced the Sword Saint and the Holy Knight and had physical relationships with them. Now he was trying to seduce the Holy Maiden.

Mira, the mage, was to join them. Of course, Mira was also to be part of his harem.

Dominic was the hero, but he was a hero who was drowning in lust.

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Jun, who had been pushed off the cliff, lost consciousness the moment he hit the raging river.

He was carried away like a leaf but was luckily rescued when he got caught on a fallen tree.

He was now lying on a bed in the house of the person who saved him.

Sunlight streamed through the window onto Jun's face. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a status board floating in his vision.

"......"

● Status

【Job】Efficiency Chef

【Level】0

【Experience】0/10

【Health】1/10

【Mana】5/5

【Strength】9

【Stamina】8

【Intelligence】10

【Resistance】8

【Dexterity】10

【Agility】9

【Skill】Chain Score

【CHSC】0

【Status】Wanderer

【Rewards/Punishments】

"I... got a job..."

Despite having the job he had longed for, he felt no sense of accomplishment.

The hero's words had been more shocking.

Was he such a burden to Mira? Did she hate him so much that she wanted him dead?

His thoughts circled back to the beginning, trapped in an infinite loop.

"Mira... you..."

The hero's words echoed in his ears. He blamed himself for not dying when he had the chance.

He tried to sit up.

"!?"

Pain shot through his body, and he let out a soundless cry.

His entire body was wrapped in bandages, making him look like a mummy. There was no way he could get up.

"Someone saved me. But I wanted to die..."

A faint first love. The future he had imagined with Mira. All those dreams and hopes were shattered when the hero said Mira had asked him to kill Jun.

He felt no sense of life. He had no will to live. He wished the person who saved him hadn't.

"There's no point in living..."

"What are you saying?"

"!?"

The door to the room opened, and an old woman with a hooked nose like a witch stood there.

"Did you save me?"

"Yes. Do you know how much trouble it was to pull you out of the river?"

Who had asked to be saved? He almost said something resentful.

"You don't know what happened, but life isn't something to be thrown away easily. Think about how many people can't live even if they want to."

"......"

The old woman's words hit home, but the wounds in his heart were not so easily healed.

"I'll make some soup. Eat it and rest."

With that, the old woman left the room.

After a while, the old woman brought the soup, but Jun couldn't move.

According to the old woman, he had no broken bones, just bruises and numerous cuts all over his body, which would take about ten days to heal.

However, with his entire body bruised, he wouldn't be able to move for a few days.

The river flowed through the Forest of Demons, where monsters lived. The old woman smiled, saying it was a miracle he had survived.

Jun thought she was kind, but her kindness didn't reach his heart.

The old woman fed him the soup. She did so in silence, and Jun drank it in silence. The only sound was the slight noise of Jun drinking the soup.

"What's your name?"

The old woman finally spoke.

"...... Jun."

"Got it. I'm Charmaine. You can call me Grandma Charmaine."

Two days later, he could drink the soup on his own. A few more days, and he could stand on his own.

"So, are you feeling better?"

"A little."

"Hmph, you're young. Don't think about dying. You can always start over."

There were things that couldn't be undone, even if he wanted to.

The wounds in his heart were a heavy burden.

"Where is your home? When you can move, I'll take you there."

"Home...?"

The house next door was where Mira's parents lived. How could he face Mira's parents? Was it his fault that he had made Mira uncomfortable?

He was afraid to face people he knew. He might be targeted again.

The hero was a being who brought peace to the world, and Jun never thought he would lie. He wanted to believe Mira, but the hero's words contradicted that.

The first time he met the hero, he believed that Mira had asked him to kill Jun.

This was because the hero had the skill of Charm. Due to the effect of the Charm skill, many people believed the hero's words.

For a level 0 Jun, resisting the hero's Charm skill was almost impossible.

Grandma Charmaine took care of him, being kind and sometimes stern.

Thanks to her, he began to think about living again. But he feared being targeted again.

Besides, no one was waiting for him at home.

It wasn't wrong to be cautious after nearly being killed.

However, he wanted to retrieve the mementos left by his parents.

Grandma Charmaine, who had been taking care of him, said he should take his time to think about it.

A few more days passed. Jun recovered and could move normally.

However, some scars remained, including a noticeable one above his eyebrows.

"So, have you decided to go home?"

Grandma Charmaine asked while they were having breakfast.

"I've been nothing but a burden to you, Grandma Charmaine. I'm really sorry."

"That's fine."

"I don't intend to go home."

"Your family must be worried, right?"

"My parents have already passed away, and I have no siblings. So it's fine."

The only thing he regretted was the mementos left by his parents. But he was afraid to go back.

"...... But what about your friends and acquaintances?"

"To be honest, when I turned 15, my job became garbled and unreadable, so the villagers looked down on me."

"Hmm, your job was garbled?"

"Yes. So I think the villagers are relieved that I'm gone."

"I see. But can you see your job now?"

"...... How did you know?"

"I was the same."

"......"

Grandma Charmaine said she had also had a garbled job in the past.

"When your life is in danger, your job becomes readable. I call this awakening."

"Awakening?"

"Yes, awakening. Your job is etched into your soul. When your soul is heavily burdened or injured, your job awakens."

Jun's soul was deeply wounded by Mira's betrayal and the hero's attempt to kill him. This led to his job awakening.

Grandma Charmaine, who was sitting across from him, eating bread, had also experienced something similar. This made him feel a sense of kinship with her.

"What's that look for? I'm not like you, moping around."

"Am I moping?"

"Yes, you are. It's annoying."

"I'm sorry."

"Now that you've awakened, why don't you train your job and show those who looked down on you what you're made of?"

"...... Show them?"

"Yes. You can show them, or even get back at them. Or you can ignore them and aim higher. If you're alive, you can do anything."

"...... Yes. I want to aim higher!"

Grandma Charmaine's words resonated with him and touched his heart.

Perhaps it was a sense of camaraderie, knowing that she had also had a garbled job.

Seeing someone who had overcome the same problem gave him courage and made him believe he could do something too.