This was just sad.

It was bad enough I’d been thrown into this world, but they couldn’t have given me one usable skill?

Okay, maybe that’s a bit greedy—not even a good skill, but something functional.

Literally anything. A healing ability? Too much to ask?

How about a combat skill? That’s pushing it too?

Alright, maybe just something to keep me safe? Out of the question, too?

What about a buff? A debuff for monsters? Not a chance?

So tell me, then—what are my options?

I imagined myself talking to whoever was in charge of skill distribution, and it looked something like that. But as if to mock me, or to prove there were worse options, I got “lucky” with the gift of…ooze.

This game and I were going way back, so I thought I knew every trick and every lesson it could throw at me.

And yet, right here, right now, it was reminding me it could still surprise me—in the most ironic ways.

I took another look at the skill description, hoping I’d misread it the first time. But nope.

https://i.imgur.com/JfkGHsV.png [https://i.imgur.com/JfkGHsV.png]

[Ooze - Lv.1]

[Ooze allows the user to produce a small amount of sticky, inert slime.

This slime has no immediate practical applications;

it is not adhesive enough to be used as glue, nor is it potent enough to be used as a trap.

It simply oozes out and sits puddled on the ground.]

[Usage: Primarily used to create small, annoying messes that are difficult to clean.]

[Mana Cost: 1]

“Yeah, I’m dead.”

With this, there was absolutely no way I was going to make it.

Usually, even if a skill wasn’t great, I could come up with a handful of ways to make it work. But this time? I had nothing.

It didn’t do any damage, so fighting anything was out.

It didn’t defend against attacks, so blocking was a no-go.

It wasn’t a buff, a debuff, or a healing skill, so good luck finding a team that would even let me join.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

I could’ve made something of this if the slime were at least sticky. If it were, I could maybe hold down enemies or at least slow them. But no. Not even that.

This skill was just a one-way ticket to an early grave.

“Ha! Ha! Ha! Oh, this is priceless. It’s been ages since I’ve had such a good laugh! Truly made my day.”

“...” Oh, so this jerk is just loving this.

“Well, officially, you’re now a skill-holder, so congrats—but really, my condolences seem more appropriate. May god bless you in the next life.” said the man, half-sighing, half-pitying.

“P-pfff! Just when I’d stopped laughing!” the woman burst out, laughing all over again.

“Bahahaha! Sorry, sir! I couldn’t hold it in! HAHAHA!” Their laughter echoed through the tent, and even the guards—who normally kept stone faces—were trying to hide their smirks.

“Oh! One more thing!” the man called after me, still holding back a grin. “Now that you have a skill, you get access to your character window. Just focus on your body’s capabilities, and a little ‘window’ will pop up with all your details.”

Not interested in sticking around for more laughs at my expense, I left the tent as quickly as possible.

“Hey! What happened in there? I heard a lot of laughing.” asked the clerk managing the line as I passed him.

“…”

I ignored him, walking faster to escape that whole scene.

Finally, I was out of the arena. The event would run all day, and judging by how early it was, people would still be lining up for hours.

I figured I might as well take their advice, so I focused on this “character window” they mentioned.

“Oh!”

Just like that, a floating window appeared, hovering in front of me with all my info. It looked exactly like it did in the game—simple, clear, and impossible to ignore.

[Leon] Level: 01 Physical: 05 Mental: 10 Skill Owned: 1

As I gazed at the window, I found that the information displayed was exactly what I would expect in the game.

However, what truly surprised me was my physical stat. Normally, new characters started with a minimum of around 10, but mine was a dismal 5.

This clearly reflected my physical weakness, most likely due to malnourishment and a lack of muscle development.

My mental power, though higher than my physical, was still not impressive; it was average, the baseline where most characters started.

"Ha~"

I was in the worst possible situation.

It felt as if I had been mistakenly placed here, and to correct this error, I was given the body of someone who was almost guaranteed to fail—effectively erasing the mistake.

"What now?"

I paused, realizing I needed to carefully consider my next move.

Since today was the ceremonial acquisition day, it had to be the 1st of the month—it only happened then.

This meant I had less than 24 hours until the dungeon opened. If I couldn't figure out a way to survive inside, I was done for.

I furrowed my brows, trying to concentrate.

Shatter

Shatter

"Ugh!"

But it was hard to think properly amidst the chaos. The busy area was filled with the sounds of countless individuals, and their chatter shattered my concentration.

"I need a quiet place to think. Let's head back home."

With all of Leon's memories at my disposal, I knew exactly where he lived.

I started making my way to his residence—or more accurately, what was barely more than a rundown shack.

I sat down on the floor mat, which was one of the few possessions Leon owned, and lay back. Finally, in the quiet of this humble shack, I could think.

The sparse room offered little in the way of comfort, but the silence was a welcome relief from the noise of the crowd.

Here, I could focus, strategize, and perhaps find a sliver of hope within the grim reality of my new existence.

The challenge wasn't just to survive; it was to somehow turn this apparently useless skill into a tool for survival.

"Think! How can I survive this..." I muttered to myself, the gravity of my situation pressing down on me.