Chapter 3 : The One Who Saved Him

"I have a headache..." Shame murmured, as he slowly got up from the hard, cold ground of the forest where he had lost consciousness. Dawn was slowly breaking, and he took a moment to look around, especially toward the center of the plain.

"It's horrible..." he murmured before vomiting, still traumatized by what he had just witnessed.

"How am I even still alive? This makes no sense," he added, examining his body. To his great surprise, he was unharmed, as if he had never been injured.

"W-What...?" Shame was incapable of understanding what was happening to him.

[Greetings, Envoy ‘Shame’! You have been aligned with the Star of the Guilty. Would you like details on the skills, magic, and progression of your constellation?]

A voice echoed in the young man's head.

"What? Who are you!" he shouted, on his guard. He knew nothing of this mysterious voice and preferred to stay cautious. But no answer came. He looked around and wondered how he would survive in such a place: a forest, another world… everything felt foreign to him.

And there was no other survivor to explain how things worked in this place.

[Opening the status of Envoy ‘Shame’...]

"Stop! I didn’t ask you for anything! Take me back home!" he shouted, but once again, there was no answer. He remained panicked all the same.

[ Name: Shame

Divine Name: None

Orb Level: 1

Status: Rejected

Skill: None

Celestial Alignment: Star of the Guilty ]

"What is this thing!" he complained, seeing a sort of window appear before him, like in a system.

"And the others... where are they?" he suddenly screamed, thinking that the ‘system’ might have answers to all his questions.

[Envoys of the 96th wave: Only 1 left alive.]

Upon reading this message, Shame shivered and took a few steps back.

"N-No… I… I killed them..." he murmured, falling to his knees. His frail body was trembling; he struggled to accept this reality.

"Let's try to stay calm..." Shame murmured, analyzing his surroundings. He was in a forest, and to him, it was clear he had to leave immediately; this place was populated by monsters.

"I’ve been sent to a place where I understand absolutely nothing..." he said, closing his eyes to try to calm his heart, which was beating wildly.

"I’m not dead... yet, I think," he said, even as his heart continued to race faster and faster. He even began to doubt the reality of these events.

"On that floating screen, it says my name is Shame... I don’t like that name..." he grumbled, but he ended up resigning himself to it. "Whatever, it’s better than nothing."

"Tell me, system, were the people who were with me also from my world?" Shame asked, intrigued. To his surprise, the answer left him perplexed.

[Envoys come from all worlds! Would you like to open information on your celestial alignment?]

"Still so vague..." he grumbled.

He stopped for a few seconds to think before deciding to move forward. After all, he had spent his whole life in an alley, so he knew he had to gather as much information as possible to survive.

"Open that thing for me," he said coldly.

Suddenly, an immense page appeared before him.

[ Star of: ‘Guilty’!

Alignment Level: 0 -> 1 |Level up! You survived the Ceremony of Rewards!|

Skill: None -> {Guilt}!

Condition for Alignment Improvement: Unknown ]

Shame took a few minutes to examine the information before suddenly realizing that…

"I understand… nothing at all, damn it," he said, frustrated. For someone familiar with video games, it would probably be easier to understand, but he had spent his life in an abandoned alley.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Okay… What is this? Guilt?" he said, looking more closely at the skills column.

[ Guilt:

Skill: Passive

Information: Those who wish to be punished for their crimes shall be punished. The attention of all hostile creatures will be directly and continually drawn toward the one who possesses this skill.

Rarity: Cursed ]

Even without knowing much about video games, what was written remained fairly clear.

"W-What, so first I get sent here without wanting to, and then I’m cursed? What the hell is this mess, who’s after me?!" he complained, yelling, but he calmed down immediately, remembering that the forest might still harbor monsters.

And he wasn’t about to waste the life he had fought so hard to preserve.

"For now, I have to get out of here. I can’t stay; it’s too dangerous," he said, reasoning with himself. Indeed, it was best to leave this place; that’s what was advised after obtaining his power.

Though being the only survivor of this ceremony for obtaining power was… something unique, it would soon attract individuals he had no desire to meet.

"Alright, I’m getting out of here," Shame muttered, his gaze determined despite the fear knotting his stomach.

He began to walk through the forest. He walked, and walked, again and again, but his exhausted body was beginning to fail him. His skin, pale as snow, his body fragile as glass… his survival in this place seemed highly improbable.

"There has to be a way to get back…" he murmured. In fact, every Envoy can return to their world of origin if they wish.

As he walked, a message appeared before him.

[Envoy ‘Shame,’ do you wish to return to your world?]

Seeing these words, his eyes lit up. A huge smile spread across his face, an emotion of happiness he had never felt before in his sixteen years.

[Yes / No]

"Yes! Yes! Yesss!" he shouted, overjoyed.

But, seriously… did he really think they’d let him leave that easily?

[Unfortunately, the return option has been disabled… Our sincere apologies!]

A dead silence fell, and Shame stood still, his eyes fixed on the ground. Hope had vanished in an instant. He was far too despised to ever hope for freedom.

A chilling shiver suddenly brought him back to reality.

"And what next…" he murmured, scanning his surroundings. The trees seemed to close in around him, as if to suffocate him. A strange feeling of being watched gnawed at his insides, becoming increasingly unbearable.

He quickened his pace, casting glances around him. The sounds of branches snapping echoed in the darkness, accompanied by light, stealthy footsteps behind him.

"Who's there!" he shouted, but no response came. He kept walking, each minute stretching into an eternity. Yet the subtle footsteps continued to follow him, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

Then he began to run, as fast as his fragile legs would allow him.

"Leave me alone!" he screamed, casting fearful glances over his shoulder. But nothing… nothing but shifting shadows. His mind was wavering. Was he losing his mind?

"Why does this only happen to me… All my life, I’ve felt hated…"

He stopped abruptly, almost convinced that all this was just a delusion. But, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of two red dots glowing in the darkness, while the surrounding bushes began to rustle.

"No! I’m not crazy! There’s something there!" he assured himself, resuming his run, adrenaline pushing him to continue. His eyes had seen it; he couldn’t turn back.

Behind him, the creatures finally appeared: a horde of undead, zombies, and skeletal figures, ready to devour him. At the sight, he forced himself to run with all his strength, ignoring his weaknesses.

Shame tripped over a branch on the ground. At the last moment, he rolled to dodge a creature lunging at him. His survival instincts, sharpened by fear, urged him to spring up and run again without looking back. Behind him, the creatures were relentless, screaming in fury.

"What are these things! Help! Please, help!" he shouted, abandoning all attempts at discretion. After all, every monster in the forest was already pursuing him.

"It’s because of my skill, isn’t it?! Damn magic, damn world, damn life!" he cursed, pushing deeper into the branches that scratched his skin, leaving streaks of blood behind.

"Run, run, run! Don’t stop!" Repeating these words like a mantra, Shame gave himself courage and managed to increase his speed. But the creatures did not relent, their eyes burning with a malevolent gleam.

Suddenly, a deep voice, that of an old man, resounded in the forest. It overpowered Shame’s cries and drowned out the screams of the undead.

"BOY! TURN RIGHT AT THE THIRD TREE YOU SEE!"

This unexpected voice gave him confidence. He knew he had nothing left to lose. Maybe this stranger was his only chance.

"First tree... Second tree... Third!" he murmured, still running full tilt.

He made a sharp turn, exhausted, his clothes and skin covered in sweat and mud. A shadow zoomed past him at high speed.

Then suddenly, an explosion shook the forest. Silence fell, dense and complete. Shame turned around, trembling, to discover an immense crater where the creatures had been pursuing him. The undead were gone, annihilated in an instant.

At the center of the crater stood an old man in gleaming white armor, holding a massive sword. His face bore the marks of many battles, his dark eyes piercing the horizon, and his hair, though whitened by age, was meticulously groomed. He looked like a hero from a story.

"Kid, you did well to listen. Running from a horde of monsters like that—it’s no small feat," he said with a faint smile.

"Y-You saved me…?" stammered Shame, his eyes wide with admiration. For the first time, he felt a deep respect for someone.

"No need to say it like that, I'm old. I need to make myself useful to you young folks somehow," said the man with a tired laugh, his voice warm with kindness and wisdom.

"Th-Thank you!" cried Shame, ready to turn on his heel and take off again.

"Young man, are you planning to leave in this state? You’re covered in wounds. Let me take care of you for a while, alright?" offered the old man.

In any other situation, Shame would have found the offer suspicious. But his gratitude toward his rescuer was simply too great.

"Got it, old man!" he replied with a faint smile, letting his suspicion melt away.