Chapter 2: Why on Earth?

My head throbbed with pain.

What on earth is going on?

“The ability to steal from others…”

Why wasn’t it a skill or something useful?

Why was it the Obsession of the Villainess instead?

I opened my status window and glared at Absolute Theft.

In stories like this, isn’t stealing the opponent’s skill the obvious first step?

“I don’t even have the energy to get angry.”

It wasn’t because of the situation—it was because my head was pounding.

“Is this some kind of penalty for my skill?”

There was no other reason my head would hurt this much so suddenly.

It had to be because of Absolute Theft.

At the same time, I realized something.

“Maybe if I raise her favorability, I could steal skills too.”

Or perhaps even her Gift.

Abilities like this, which involve stealing conceptual things, usually have an incredibly high ceiling.

“But before that…”

My head was throbbing too much.

I needed to rest somewhere nearby.

“Luckily, I have one gold coin.”

That should be enough to get through the night.

[Quest Complete!]

Half-asleep, I vaguely recalled seeing that notification after renting a room at the inn and collapsing onto the bed.

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was an unfamiliar ceiling.

At the same time, the events of yesterday came flooding back to me.

Wait—was it even fair to call it a disaster?

Well, what’s done is done.

There’s no going back.

“I don’t usually get involved in things like this.”

After all, my motto is to live a long and uneventful life.

I’ve never liked getting caught up in unnecessary trouble.

Yesterday, I must have acted impulsively due to the shock of being dragged into this game world.

“What’s done is done.”

Getting marked by the game’s iconic villainess on my very first day—it really couldn’t be helped.

As I ran my hands over my face, something caught my eye in the corner of my vision.

[Please check your reward ???!]

Oh, right.

There was a reward.

I should check it properly.

“Please…”

I prayed silently.

“Please don’t let it be anything weird. And give me something that’ll let me live comfortably in this world.”

With a desperate hope, I checked the reward.

[You exceeded expectations by leaving a lasting impression on the villainess, Lucia.]

[You have acquired a Gift!]

[You have obtained the Gift: Fatal Allure (A).]

It sounded like a very ominous Gift.

Swallowing nervously, I checked the details of the Gift.

[Gift]

Fatal Allure (A)
Like bees drawn to honey.
◇ Whether you want it or not, you attract individuals with peculiar tastes.
◇ You instinctively know the most fatal weak point of your target.

“Please don’t do this to me.”

I really meant it.

Whether I sighed or cried, nothing would change the fact that I now had three Gifts.

The damage was done, and I needed a plan to deal with it.

“Lucia is already interested in me.”

What’s the best course of action now?

The most sensible plan would be to distance myself from the villainess, Lucia.

“I have no desire to get involved with her.”

After all, why does the word villainess follow her around?

It means she’s a dangerous figure.

“Normally, in typical clichés, a villainess like her gets defeated by the forces of good.”

If I wasn’t careful, I could get swept up in her schemes.

Or worse, she might treat me like a toy and play with me.

That’s why the best course of action in this situation was.

“Should I head to [The Cradle]…?”

The Cradle was a place jointly established by the Empire and the Kingdoms, humanity’s last refuge.

I’d heard that there was a [Labyrinth] there, where hero candidates were trained.

“It’s funny how all that chatter from my friend has left me with a decent amount of game knowledge.”

If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve listened more carefully.

Or better yet, I wouldn’t have touched this game at all.

“Anyway, let’s get moving.”

At the very least, if this is a tutorial area, there should be a path leading to the Cradle.

If not, then whoever designed this world is utterly heartless.

The real problem was whether I could handle what awaited there.

Killing monsters or, worse, taking someone’s life—things like that.

I stood up.

Staying here wouldn’t accomplish anything.

“The problem is identification papers.”

Still, since this was a medieval setting, I might be able to figure something out.

I stepped out of the inn.

Since I’d spent 2 silver coins for a night’s stay, I had 98 silver coins left.

“Time to scout the area.”

As I wandered around, I came across a flyer.

[Come to The Cradle!]

That’s what it said.

“It’s strange, but I can understand the language here.”

I could even read the text.

The flyer’s contents were simple:

“Kill monsters in the Labyrinth, mine mana stones, and become rich.”

In other words, it was an invitation to chase wealth.

I wasn’t particularly fond of this approach, but the flyer seemed designed to attract eager fools.

And below the flyer, there was a map.

I didn’t know how to read maps, but Thief’s Pinnacle helpfully taught me how.

“It really is all-purpose, isn’t it?”

After studying the map, I realized something.

“Wait, it’s close?”

It was fairly nearby.

By my estimation, it would take about three days to reach.

“Can I make it on my own?”

[Main Quest]

You have discovered the existence of The Cradle.

Find a way to reach The Cradle and start living there.

Reward: ???

Failure Penalty: None

I stared at the blue screen.

Even though there was no penalty for failure—

“There’s still a reward.”

If S-class resources were so rare that even nations found them hard to come by, then A-class ones, while less rare, were still quite exceptional.

Even this flyer emphasized that:

[Priority given to A-class Gifts or higher!]

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

What’s the motto of my life?

To live quietly and for as long as possible.

That’s because I find being the center of attention uncomfortable.

I prefer working behind the scenes, pulling strings like a hidden mastermind.

“Still… let’s go.”

Regardless of my preferences, I needed to survive in this world.

That meant choosing the path that would help me grow stronger quickly and comfortably.

For now, I should gather some information around here and figure out my next steps.

I headed down to the first floor of the inn.

Despite it being broad daylight, people were sitting around eating meals.

Growl.

Seeing them eat made me realize how hungry I was.

“Maybe I should eat something here and gather some information while I’m at it.”

Normally, the information you get from tavern gossip while drinking isn’t very reliable.

But since I knew nothing about this world, even that would be useful.

“A meal costs one large silver coin.”

I handed over a large silver coin, getting change for the gold coin I used earlier.

The meal turned out to be a simple sandwich.

I found a seat, and as I ate, I listened to the conversations around me.

“Hendrick’s clan in the labyrinth city…”

“I heard the Saintess candidate is already standing out this time.”

“Looks like the Sword’s successor hero for this generation is already half-decided.”

“The Thief Hero candidate tried to oppose the Shadow King and ended up dead, apparently.”

“The Adventurer’s Guild is recruiting adventurers again this time.”

“Guess they’re sending another large group into the labyrinth.”

“Tch, those moths to the flame… It’ll be the same story as always.”

“Right, and now the market prices are…”

“Why is there so much information?”

Unlike the fragmented, generic lines you’d get from NPCs in a game, the information here actually seemed valuable.

“So, the Adventurer’s Guild is recruiting adventurers to explore the labyrinth.”

That seemed like pretty important intel.

I mentally filed away the details, then headed to the market district to purchase the supplies I needed.

“That’ll be 18 silver coins and 70 large copper coins.”

I bought a cloak, a robe, a backpack, and some emergency provisions, just in case.

“They really do overcharge people who want to become adventurers.”

But I didn’t have much of a choice.

After wandering around for a day, I felt like I had a rough understanding of the local economy.

Here, one gold coin was roughly equivalent to 10 million won.

One silver coin was roughly equivalent to 100,000 won.

“That’s truly a blessing.”

I silently gave thanks to the bald man who unknowingly “donated” his gold coin to me.

If I ever meet him again, I’ll repay him several times over.

It was a stroke of luck that I managed to steal that gold coin.

“Now, to the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“It’ll be 10 silver coins.”

Getting an ID at the Adventurer’s Guild was surprisingly easy.

The cost? A mere 10 silver coins.

“How do I get to The Cradle?”

“If you’re headed to The Cradle, there’s a carriage leaving this afternoon.”

A carriage leaving this afternoon?

Was this how the Adventurer’s Guild recruited people?

“That’s unusual—a noble from the north becoming an adventurer.”

“…?”

A northern noble? Why is that coming up?

“Ah.”

Looking around, I caught sight of a mirror.

The reflection staring back at me was completely different from the face I remembered.

“Who’s this ridiculously handsome guy?”

Dark, melancholic eyes that shone with a mysterious depth.

Jet-black hair.

It was the very appearance I had customized in the game.

“So that’s why they think I’m a noble?”

That would make sense.

After asking the guild staff where the carriage would depart, I headed there.

The area was already bustling with people.

One by one, they were boarding the carriage.

“Lucky me.”

I climbed aboard the carriage.

What caught my eye was a woman with orange hair sitting ahead of me.

I instinctively knew she wasn’t an ordinary person.

“Wait, isn’t she one of the characters from the game’s title?”

There were four prominent characters featured on the game’s title screen.

And now, I had already met two of them.

“This isn’t good.”

It was really not good.

Because.

[Encounter Quest Triggered!]

This message appeared.

I felt an overwhelming urge to cover my face with both hands.

“Please, not again.”

Still, there was some hope left.

Yes, I might look decent, but hero candidates were always impossibly handsome or beautiful.

There was no way my looks alone would catch their attention.

[Encounter Quest Triggered!]

You have encountered Erme, the Sword Hero candidate.

Capture her attention or avoid it entirely.

Reward: ???

Failure Penalty: None

“So her name is Erme.”

The name felt familiar.

Where had I heard it before?

“Ah.”

After racking my brain, I finally remembered.

It was one of the names my friend had enthusiastically mentioned.

Erme, the Sword Hero.

“A classic web novel overpowered protagonist,” he’d said.

The kind of character who slaughters obstacles in her way, while showering kindness on potential allies.

In other words, she was the main protagonist.

“Please, just ignore me.”

I prayed fervently.

Nothing good would come of catching her attention.

After all, wasn’t I a Thief Hero candidate?

It was only natural. Hero candidates were essentially like heroes already.

“If someone like her notices me…”

She would undoubtedly try to recruit me.

Even though Absolute Theft had ended up stealing something weird like Obsession of the Villainess, I still had two S-class Gifts, which were exceedingly rare even across the continent.

For someone like me, whose motto was to live a quiet and uneventful life, this was poison.

“I’m just a passing tree.”

“I’m just a passing tree.”

I repeated the thought to myself, hoping she would overlook me entirely.

“What the…?”

I felt slightly dizzy.

It was proof that a Gift had been triggered.

I instinctively realized that [Fatal Allure (A)] had activated.

At the same time, I could feel Erme’s gaze sweeping over me.

In the dim light that filtered through the carriage’s roof, a reddish glow began to shimmer in Erme’s eyes.

“What the heck? Why is someone like this still left?”

What was she even talking about?

As Erme, a Sword Hero candidate, made her baffling comment—

[Quest Complete!]

[Please check your reward ???!]

“Huh? What…?”

Why on earth?!