First Encounter

Max had been abandoned by the world for a second time, he had hoped that he could gain fame and power even if his divination was C ranked, but not even the goddess of fate seemed to take pity on him, instead not even allowing him to be linked to a divination, however weak it was.

His classmates in opposition were probably currently assigned luxury chambers to sleep, and they would be allowed to freely explore the world in search of power and recognition.

And him...?

He was sent to a dangerous place the system informed him was the "Flavip Forest", far from civilization and anything remotely close to what you could call home.

"Is there any information about this place, did they seriously send me here without even saying anything... I'm gonna fucking kill that elder..." Max cursed at all the people who wronged him, yet he knew none of them could hear him, and they probably wouldn't care to do so either even if he was in front of them screaming.

[Weakness is a curse, isn't it?]

"I guess so..." he answered, which made him realize just how sad his life had gotten, his only company was now a moving screen after all.

 [There is no civilization in the "Flavip Forest" as it is rated 2 out of 5 stars on the dangerous scale, so nobody but strong adventures explore it to fight monsters and acquire materials to sell.]

"Thanks for the info, but I do wonder just how bad the 3, 4, and 5-star rated ones are..." Max wondered, carrying a sense of desperation that even affected his mind.

The sun was shining, yet most of it was hidden as the tree leaves blocked most of the sunlight, he couldn't even imagine what it looked like at night as the place was already fairly dark.

[It is time to leave host, if weakness is a curse, then there is only one solution.]

Max sighed and nodded, he didn't expect this system to be such a motivator but it worked as he resumed walking in the direction he started heading to.

He had no divination, but it didn't mean he could just abandon any hope of living a normal life like he planned to from the beginning.

"What a shitshow..." he cursed, "I wish I had a divination, but it seems that my luck has always been absolute trash."

And just like that, the boy continued walking forward, unaware of the dangers that lurked in the shadows.

***

After a while of walking, Max finally found a stream of water, and he immediately went to drink some of it.

"Phew~," he wiped his mouth and sat down, he was tired of walking and didn't know if he could continue, "Man, this forest is a joke, rated 2 out of 5 my ass, I haven't met any monsters in the thirty minutes it took to get there"

Max reassured himself, it wasn't to mock the forest or the system but to give himself a flicker of hope that he could get out of here alive, even though his stats were garbage and he had no skills.

[The privilege of living isn't deserved by everyone, or so it seems]

It was upon reading those words that he heard the bushes around him shake, and right after that...

"RAAAAWWWRRRR~"

A loud roar echoed through the forest, and Max jumped up in surprise, his face turning pale as he understood that something was close to him.

"Oh fuck..." he mumbled, not knowing what to do, he had talked way too soon, it almost felt like the goddess of fate was playing a farce on him now.

He tried to step back, but the monster that had noticed his presence came out of its hiding place, and Max couldn't stop but wonder what that was.

It was a massive bear with red fur and claws twice the size of Max's arms, it was easily bigger than a car and looked incredibly menacing, and it was staring directly at him, drool falling from its mouth.

"Grawr rawr groul~~" It almost seemed like it was talking, but in a tongue, the poor human boy couldn't understand, even monsters have a way of talking after all right? They aren't just speaking random nonsense.

But as Max looked up, he saw another screen above the beast's head.

[Fire Bear - Level 5]

"What the fuck is a fire bear?" his eyes widened in shock, but it was at that moment the monster opened its mouth and a trail of fire came out of it, almost burning the boy's hair, "I guess I know now..."

[Congratulations Host, you have been pitied by me and granted a skill!] 

[S Ranked Skill: Perception]

[You can now see the level of monsters, note that it doesn't give you any idea of their stats.]

An S-ranked skill for someone without a divination would make anybody scream in joy, but the situation didn't allow the average-looking boy to do anything but try to find a way to survive this encounter.

He didn't have a weapon, and his speed stats were surely lower than the bear's, meaning he had to find a solution now.

He looked around him, the only sight was rocks, trees and the river he drank from, nothing that could be used as a weapon or to defend himself against the beast.

The bear growled after a bit, now sure that his target would be a feast, and jumped at him.

Max proceeded to try and dodge, but the only thing his pathetic [speed: 3] stat allowed him to do was survive the attack, as the firey claws ripped the shirt he was wearing, causing a bit of blood to spill from his skin.

He was lucky that the beast was kind of slow even though his stats were low, but it was still stronger than him, and he couldn't keep up with the game of cat and mouse forever.

"Come on, come on, think Max, think!" he tried to use his brain, but the adrenaline rushing through his veins made it hard to concentrate.

In the end, he saw the bear rush at him again, opening it's mouth, ready to launch fire that would surely burn him now that he was at point blank.

But the precision of the beast was catastrophic as the boy crouched and the fire trail hit a tree that was behind him instead, making a branch fall from that same tree by some twisted miracle.

"That's all?" he despaired, he thought luck had finally been on his side, but is that all they are gonna give him?

[Anything can be used as a weapon when you are an assassin, Host.]

Max didn't understand what was all that bullshit about being an assassin, but he still grabbed the sharp stick and got ready to fight back.

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[Author Note]

We're finally getting started, sorry if it took awhile to set everything up, but now Max finally has to fight for his life.

I hope you enjoy this book, please send powerstones if you do