The Forsaken

IN THIS WORLD , there existed the concept of "levels."

All living creatures started at Level 1 and leveled up by collecting Spheres,

earned by defeating the monsters that ran rampant through the land. However,

these monsters were incredibly dangerous, and not just anyone could defeat

them.

People capable of taking down monsters were called "adventurers"—men

and women who wielded powerful attack skills. "Skills" were unique, special

gifts from the gods awarded at the time of one's birth. Everybody had at least

one, and they lived by the use of its power. Thus, those with strong skills were

those chosen by the gods. That was what my dad taught me before he died.

My skill was Gluttony. As a skill, it was nothing but a problem, because all it

meant was that I was eternally hungry. In the village where I was born, they

called me a deadbeat and bullied me because of it.

In this world, I was unnecessary. I was one of the forsaken.

My dad had been my protector, but when illness took him, the village drove

me out on account of my useless skill. I ended up in the Kingdom of Seifort. At

the time, my heart was full of hope. I was certain there'd be something I could

do in a city so big.

But I couldn't find a decent job, so I ended up working for daily wages as a

castle gatekeeper. It was grueling work standing guard through rain, wind, and

snow. On top of that, the pay was abysmal.

Truthfully, gatekeeping wasn't the work of commoners; it was supposed to be

carried out by the kingdom's holy knights. However, because gatekeeping was

considered "3D"—dirty, difficult, and dangerous—high-ranking knights often

hired day laborers to work in their stead.

"Hey, gatekeeper! You better not be slacking off on your shift, you hear me?"

The young trio of holy knights grinned, striding toward me in their glorious

armor. They were the three siblings of Vlerick, one of Seifort's five esteemed

families. They were also my bosses. The one who spoke to me was Rafale, the

eldest. The tall figure to his right was his younger brother, Hado. Behind them

was Memil, their sister and the youngest of the three. Each was an outstanding

holy knight in their own right, and the sight of their purple-haired heads sent

chills everywhere they went.

Among adventurers, holy knights were masters of special skills imbued with

holy attributes. Moreover, the title of "holy knight" was an honor bestowed

upon only those of the highest status. With their powerful skills, blessed by

divinity, holy knights could fight the strongest monsters and reach the highest

levels. In this world, when the powerful rose in level, their status and renown

rose as well. Compared to peasants like myself, holy knights were on an entirely

different plane of existence. This meant that angering them was inevitably

dangerous.

"Yes, Lord Rafale Vlerick," I said.

Rafale disgusted me. I couldn't stand him. I knelt and bowed before him all

the same.

"Here's your daily wages."

Rafale tossed a few copper coins at my feet. His siblings chuckled at the

display of power.

"Well, better hurry," he said. "I don't pay full rates to the lazy, you know."

He knew as well as I did: these wages were my life. I scurried to pick up the

coins, but as I reached for the last one, Rafale stepped on my hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is that a hand? It's so filthy, I couldn't tell."

He bellowed with laughter as he crushed my hand beneath his foot. Oh, yes,

so unintentional.

"Don't forget," Rafale continued, "that useless cretins like you work because

of us . You are replaceable. Do you understand? Or is the concept too difficult

for a half-wit to fully comprehend?"

"That's right!" Hado said to me. "You're slacking off. Gatekeeping is a job of

great honor that you're doing by our blessing. It used to be a volunteer position,

but we're paying you out of the goodness of our hearts. So show those copper

coins more respect, gatekeeper."

"It really is just as my brothers say, you know," said Memil. "Your mistakes

become our problems. If you make a single one, we won't let you off lightly."

This was their idea of education. They crushed me into place. They drilled my

status into the very marrow of my bones; I was the tiniest and weakest of living

creatures, and because of the Vlericks, I was allowed to keep living. Until I

agreed with that, I wouldn't be permitted to pick up the last coin. If I fought

back, I could say goodbye to gatekeeping. And if they even thought I was

resisting, it might be goodbye to life, too.

These master-slave conversations had gone on for more than five years. But if

I tried to quit, Rafale and his siblings would go crazy with rage. They'd find some

groundless accusation to pin on me. That was who they were.

I was full of an anger that had grown and simmered within me over five years.

Being forced to obey enraged me, and I resented the powerlessness that left

me unable to do anything but listen.

Just then, my Gluttony awakened and let forth a rumble from my stomach. A

menacing look crossed Rafale's face, and he began berating me.

"You wretched, loathsome mealworm. You're not even worthy of a

gatekeeping position. Are you trying to tell me we don't give you enough to

eat? Are you trying to cast shame upon the great Vlerick family?!"

With that, Rafale kicked me in the stomach. Not using his full power, but it

was still the kick of a holy knight. The difference between Rafale's stats and

mine was like the difference between the sun and a guttering candle. The shock

felt as if the kick had forced my insides out. I writhed on the ground, heaving up

my guts as I struggled to catch my breath.

In the pulsing, dizzying blur of my wavering consciousness, a voice I

recognized as Memil's drifted to my ears.

"Ew, how disgusting. He's like a maggot."

"On your feet, gatekeeper! If you can't do your job, you'll make us look bad in

front of the other holy knights." Rafale placed his foot on my head. "I said, on

your feet!"

But it was impossible. The difference in our strength was too overwhelming. I

couldn't stand until Rafale lifted his foot. He knew that too, and he clearly

enjoyed watching me struggle under his weight. He leaned down further. My

head felt like it would split from the pain.

"Rafale, stop that immediately! You'll kill him. He's one of the people you're

supposed to protect. Such behavior is unbecoming of a holy knight."

Rafale grunted. "Roxy Hart… So you're next on duty today."

Roxy Hart was different from the other holy knights. She believed in

protecting the weak from those who abused their strength, and her golden hair

flapping in the wind was the very image of courage and valor.

She had just saved me.

The Harts were another of Seifort's five esteemed families. They were wellknown for upholding the values of honesty and justice. For that reason, the

public adored Lady Roxy, and naturally I was among her many devotees.

As Lady Roxy glared in their direction, Rafale, Hado, and Memil threw curses

and left. But as they did, Rafale looked back at Lady Roxy with a defiant grin. I

knew that look, and I knew that face. It was spiteful and vindictive. Rafale was

no doubt already considering how to get his revenge for this humiliation.

Roxy paid Rafale no mind. Instead, she took my hand, helped me to my feet,

and wiped my bloodied forehead with her handkerchief.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," I said. "It's…it's always like this. Thank you for helping me, Lady Roxy."

"No need for thanks. We're both gatekeepers. This is the least I can do.

Anyway, your shift is over. I'll take it from here."

I bowed deeply and passed Roxy my spear. It was adorned with a flag, upon

which the royal family's coat of arms was embroidered; this spear was the sign

of the gatekeeper. Roxy took it with due gravitas. She treated even "3D" duties

like this with respect and honor. It made her different from the other holy

knights.

It was this Roxy who took my hand in hers and spoke with a worried look. "If

anything like this happens again, I…"

"No, I can't cause you any further trouble. I'll be fine. Thank you."

Lady Roxy still wanted to say something, but I left before she could. I didn't

want her getting involved with the Vlerick family any more than she already

was. There was no telling what underhanded tactics they'd use to get to her,

and just imagining it sent me into a spiral of despair. I wanted Lady Roxy to

forge ahead on her own path. I knew that whatever she ended up doing, it

would be for the benefit of the people.

I headed off to the local tavern to drown my sorrows. The moon was high in

the sky by the time I arrived. Late nights were busy times for taverns. All

manner of people—from merchants and travelers to harlots and the like—sat

drinking until their faces went red.

I took my usual spot at the counter, where the barkeep poured my usual wine

without my saying a word. It was the cheapest wine available and horribly

acidic. Its sole purpose was getting one drunk enough to forget one's sorry lot.

"Bread and soup, barkeep."

"You got it."

My dinner was hard rye bread that had been left out for too long, and

tasteless soup made with vegetables left over from other dishes. I hadn't tasted

meat in at least five years, and the last time I'd done so, it was a sliver of jerky. I

couldn't even remember the aroma.

Though my Gluttony skill meant I was always hungry, I didn't have the money

to satisfy my cravings. The best I could do was put off the hunger pangs by

eating my food as slowly as possible. While I nibbled my bread and sipped my

wine, the barkeep came over.

"How's the gatekeeping going?"

"It's rough."

"I see… Well, I'll be praying that you don't end up like the guy before you."

I didn't reply. It was said that the gatekeeper the Vlerick family hired before I

started had died of overwork. He hadn't been too different from me—just

another guy with barely a skill to his name. Over those relentless, punishing

gatekeeping shifts, he became skinny and weak, and one day he simply

collapsed and died like a puppet whose strings were cut.

The guy had died still doing his duty. But when the Vlericks found him, they

trod all over his corpse and called him useless. The barkeep said he'd seen it

with his own eyes. He said that, even now, he couldn't forget that tragic sight. It

was burned into the very meat of his mind.

So what's going to happen to me…? I wondered.

If Roxy hadn't stepped in while Rafale "educated" me, I might've ended up as

just another version of that awful story. I'd survived the day…but at this rate,

my future didn't look as though it would be a long one.