1 The weakest of the weak (1)

"Atlem you dirty lowlife! Get out here!"

"He dares steal from the village food supply! Bring his head to the viscount!"

I normally wouldn't pity the person they were looking for, if only it hadn't been me!

Yes, I was the thief they were looking for and by the looks of it- I'm done for.

'I only stole enough food for one week, why are they making such a big deal out of it?!'

I hid under a house's rooftop and I must say- it was uncomfortable. I have to use my arms and legs to keep myself from falling, not to mention the giant bag full of food I have to carry around with me. You might be wondering why I stole food from my own village. It's simple really- I wanted to.

Don't get me wrong, I'm usually a person who thinks twice before making a decision but… I let the intrusive thought come on top. Never in my wildest dream would I have foreseen this coming, though… 'Why are so many people chasing me down?!' It was supposed to be a HARMLESS PRANK.

'My limbs are getting tired, I'll hold on for about 5 more minutes. It's better to let go and try to escape.'

I looked at my status and hoped a miracle would happen, but alas…

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[Name:Atlem]

[Title:Weakest of the weak]

[Title description: You're so incredibly weak that the Heavens took pity on you and decided to bestow you with a title befitting the ant you are!]

[Effect: Keeps your presence to the bare minimum, escaping even the most powerful tracking skills!]

[Level:0.1]

[Strength - Earliest stage of Mortal realm]

[Skills: None]

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'Still the same, huh.' A sigh escaped my lips as I let go and descended to the ground. My stats were considered to be the lowest of the low. Usually, even the weakest of people would have strength at the Early stage of the Mortal realm, namely - level 1. As you can see, my talent was acknowledged even by the almighty Heavens, not in an impressive way, though. That title is the only reason they haven't found me yet, it still had limitations however. For example, I obviously couldn't just walk in front of them or I'd be seen, or if they put a mark on me to reveal my location, I'd be found immediately.

I ran through the narrow streets, while looking out for anyone that might see me. I had already ditched the bag of food when I began my escape, it would only slow me down anyway. At this point I was already about 200 metres away from the main entrance (exit). And just when I thought nothing could go wrong-

"It's him! He's trying to escape, everyone, come here!" A villager shouted on top of his lungs and then jumped towards me with his fist ready to strike me.

My strength was leagues below him and although I tried to evade the attack, my skin was nearly penetrated with that punch, sending me flying and crashing into a wall. I felt my heartbeat accelerate as my body tried its best to withstand the pain.

My vision became blurry as tears fell down my face and my breathing became ragged. I vomited on the floor and collapsed on the ground struggling to stand up.

It only took one punch to reduce me to this state. That villager wasn't even that strong, merely at the Early Mortal realm.

From the corner of my eye I saw a couple shadows appear, most likely the village head and elders.

My chances of escape were already infinitely close to zero. I could only watch helplessly as they tied my hands and feet and covered my eyes with some kind of cloth. The pain continued to burn near my abdomen but I soon stopped feeling it.

I lost consciousness…