I looked up from the paved ground towards the voice.

“Kid, I saw you in the Guild earlier, you are looking for a quest, yes?”

The person who spoke came into view, the sun that was obstructing my focus on him started to clear up, the one that stood there was a Demi-Human, he had two bull horns coming out his forehead, his nose was one of a bulls, his face did have bull features but it looked like a human face, he had hooves where his feet should have been, his chest was fairly large and hairy…fluffy is a better description now that I look closer, and his cow tail was swinging side to side.

“I am, what of it.”

I glared at the suspicious character, I mean his outfit of nothing but some baggy brown shorts held up by a belt just gave off the vibe of not to trust him.

“Whoa, settle down kid, I’m only wanting to help you, I’ve been given this open quest from my guild chief from this floor, it’s just a gathering quests, all you have to do is go out and gather some herbs in the forest near the lake opening.”

“Whats in it for you,”

Did he really think I was just going to blatantly trust the man.

“Fair enough, look, I just completed a hunting quest on floor 2 and came down here to have a quick rest when this quest was forced upon me, all I’m asking in return is that you split the reward money, its only 4 Bronze Bear coins but if we split them evenly, 2-2 I’ll be happy.”

So that’s his game, making me do the quest and he takes half the money, but I don’t have a choice, I have no way to gain anything in the current state I’m in, and I believe I just learnt the final currency.

“Fine, but since I’m the one doing the quest we’ll split it 3-1, you can have the 1 Bronze Bear coin, or you can go find someone else to be you quest slave.”

I wasn’t going to let him use me, I wasn’t going to let anyone use me ever again!

“You’re a feisty one kid, I like it. Fair enough, I’ll take 1 Bronze Bear coin, while you get 3 plus the Guild Points, and experience points, seems fair.”

The Bull Demi-Human gave a chuckle as he laid out what we had agreed upon, I don’t trust this man one bit, but I have no choice, I need to start some where.

“Give me the quest and tell me what direction I’m going in”

I stood up and walked over to the Bull Demi-Human in a rude manner, if he had a problem he can get someone else.

“Right, here you go kid, you’ll want to go to cross the bridge on the other side of town, take the gate leading out of town next to the Armour shop and that’ll take you right into the forest.”

“I’ll be back in a little while.”

I snatched the light yellow and beige paper from the man’s hand and walked off in the way he directed me.

“Be carful out there kid, don’t get lost, I’ll be at the Inn when you come back, come and get me.”

“I’m looking for 10 medicinal herbs that look a lot like aloe vera, the quest says they are found at the base of dark Oak trees, hmmm, there we go.”

I looked around the forest filled with Tall Oak Trees and Thick Dark Oak Trees, I looked down and saw a group of aloe vera herbs sticking out of the base of the Dark Oak Tree. So they grow out from the actual Trees roots, thats different from my world.

*2 Exp Points Acquired

Aloe Vera herb: quality: fair, a medical herb for treating light burns.

“Huh, that must be my Weak Appraisal skill, I should look at the skills I have and see what they actually do, and you can gain exp points by just picking materials”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

I focused on my skill icon and the three skills I have unlocked popped up, I focused on Weak Appraisal and read its description.

Weak Appraisal: 0/10 Mastery-Level 5 Common Skill, Unlocked: Appraise basic information of basic medicinal herbs, animals, lower level monsters and other players and non-players.

Seems pretty self explanatory to me, quite useful at least, but it said level 5 common skill and I was still a level 1. Is that what that force unlocked thing was back in town? Oh well, at least I have a somewhat useful skill.

“Seven, eight and nine, one left, it has to be around here somewhere.”

I looked around the other Dark Oak Trees and found the last one, I had acquired 20 exp points which wasn’t a lot but that was quite easy for a first quest…to easy, its only been about an hour I believe, that Bull Demi-Human could have done this by himself, somethings wrong.

Enemy detection activated, 5 enemies behind you incoming

“What was that? Arrrr”

I looked up at the voice that appeared in my mind, when a hard sensation appeared at the back of my head. I heard foot steps breaking the twigs and leaves as they came towards me, I could hear the laughter of the enemies.

“You were right boss, the No-Ranker fell right into it, what a dumbass”

“Mmmm, what is going on”

I rolled over, still dizzy from the hit I took.

“Look at the little weakling, he got this damaged from a little rock, ha! worthless if you ask me”

My vision started to focus and I could see four Bull Demi-Humans, they looked similar to that other Bull Demi-Human, just smaller.

“I told you we could get him to do it, this will teach him for trying to join our Guild”

That voice, isn’t that…yep, just as I thought, this quest seemed too easy. The Bull Demi-Human that gave me the quest was standing at my feet with a smug smile across his face.

“Listen kid, you honestly think our guild would accept a little weakling like you? You need to be taught a lesson, you dare st…”

*Bang

I wasn’t going to let him finish his arrogant monologue, it was obvious they were going to start beating the hell out of me, possibly even kill me. I leaped up to my feet and sucker punched the boss of the party. He stumbled back a little and spat out a little blood as he turned to me in a rage.

“You little shit! What coward sucker punches someone!”

Was he serious? A coward? He had brought four of his friends to come and beat up one person, whose the coward here?

“Do you have any idea who we are!? You dare lay a fist on the leader of the Blood Horns! We’ll make sure you pay!”

“Its out duty as part of the War Guild and Gurzil’s Reputation that you suffer for this!”

The two Bull Demi-Humans that stepped forward and shouted out this nonsense where ready to fight, I held my fists up ready to take them all on.

“Hold it you two! I’ll handle this myself”

The boss stood up straight and stepped toward me ready to fight.

“A one on one huh, you sure a coward like you can handle me? I mean, you need you’re little party of cows to back you up.”

I mocked the man trying to aggravate him but it didn’t seem to work.

“Did that low life human just call us cows!”

“Boss, let us join in and teach him a lesson!”

“End his life boss!”

“Make him suffer!”

I seemed to get his party riled up, as they yelled, I guess encouraging words to their boss.

“You’ll regret those remarks kid, I’ll make sure you understand just how different we are!”

The boss stepped forward and started charging towards me. Damn it! His fast, I don’t have time to dodge, but I can’t take this attack head on.

“Arrrr!”

I picked up a tree branch on the ground and swung it at the rampaging Bull Demi-Human, I landed a hard blow on the top of his head but the branch splintered into a million pieces, the raging Bull Demi-Human smashed right into my stomach causing me to splutter a mouthful of blood. That hurt! He kept on charging and slammed me into the thick Dark Oak Tree, causing more blood to splutter out of my mouth.

“Is that all you got, kid? Ha”

The Bull Demi-Human stood up straight and looked down at me curled up gripping my stomach.

“End him boss!”

“Break his legs!”

His party where hyped about how easily their boss defeated me, shouting for him to practically kill me.

“I’ll make sure you don’t ever come back!”

The boss repeatedly stomped down on my body with his solid hooves. I could feel my bones break, the blows from his hooves split open my skin, I was covered in blood now.

“We’ll take these as well, since it's an open quest we don’t have to follow the Guild rules, so no foul.”

One of the other Bull Demi-Humans grabbed the herbs I had gathered and put them in a satchel, and started to walk off.

“Remember, we spared your life right now! You should be grateful!”

The boss gave me one last hard stomp of my head, I could feel myself blacking out yet again, I watched them walk off and leave me for dead.

“Skill unlocked-Betrayed (R)”

“A new life and you are still the same weak human, why don’t you kill them? Kill everyone that stands in your way.”

That voice, its the same voice I heard right before I woke up in this strange world.

I was still blacked out, I couldn’t see anything, but, I could hear that voice inside my head.

“If it is power you seek, then why not take it by force? Use the power to destroy your enemies”

What is that about? Killing and destroying my enemies…maybe thats the way of the world, if I had done that back on earth I might have had an easier life, but in this world, it seems like its survival of the fittest.

“Yes! Give me Power! The Power to Kill!”

I shouted, well I thought I shouted, but it was just my conscious thinking it screamed out.

“Skill forcibly unlocked-Familia Creator (S), Skill forcibly unlocked-Gradual Healing (R), Skill forcibly unlocked-Monster Whisperer (C)”