1 Chapter 1: A new start
July 2020
In a small city in the Philippines.
The night is cold. The wind is freezing and so is Vain.
Vain Crimson is smoking his last 2 cigarettes in the balcony of his dorm hoping it would lessen the worry and anxiety he is feeling. His parents just found out that he was lying to them about being enrolled in the University. Vain was supposed to graduate this year too but he is back at the starting point. Vain spent this past 5 years doing nothing but drinking, partying and playing games. Vain was a prodigal brat.
As Vain is going to light his 2nd cigarette he can't help but think how he should have done better. Vain always believed in his ability to do everything that he want no matter the field but look where he is now. His overconfidence and laziness caused this. It's like he was touched by the Sin of Pride and Sloth.
Remembering how his mom looked at him and left him in the streets as she found out the truth, he can't help the tears from falling. He remembered how his mom looked at him. She looked at him like he was a trash, her eyes were filled with disappointment as well as disgust. Vain thought it was a look that was more terrifying to look at than a dragon's stare.
Tears started to fell from Vain's eyes.
"I could've done so much better." sob sob
"I lost everything and everyone because of my wrong choices" sob sob
Vain started to cry like a new born baby.
Vain tried to make it stop.
Vain begged it to make it stop but it wouldn't stop.
Vain's tears pour like the rain. Vain remembered and regretted every wrong decision he made. Vain fell asleep crying for being the failure he became.
How he wished he could turn back time to fix everything and correct every mistake he made. He was ready to sell his soul if that's what it takes. He was thinking of ending his miserable life. He was so desperate he was clinging to something that doesn't exist, a false hope.
"Please just one more chance" Vain whispered one last time as he fell asleep
Everything turned black. Vain fell asleep. His nightmare paused.
Time passed.
Vain felt the cold breeze past right through him. He was feeling cold then he remembered how he fell asleep in the balcony.
Regretting the choice he made again Vain blurted out:
"Fuck me. I couldn't get sick. I couldn't afford to."
As Vain opened his eyes he saw that he is not familiar with where he is. He is not in his room anymore. He didn't know why or how he didn't panicked. Maybe because of how he read a lot of isekai mangas and different kinds of novels as hobby. Vain just calmly assessed his situation.
As Vain's eyes wandered through the room, his jaw dropped. It looks like he was inside of some kind of old watch tower. Calling it old was an understatement. The bricks were filled with moss and the grills of the window already super rusted. He also noticed the stairs leading down and a hanging mirror.
Vain peeked at the windows of the watch tower cautiously and he saw the best sunset he have ever seen. It was like the sun royally bidding goodbye. The orange hue shone bright dyeing the ocean orange as well.
"I could die peacefully after seeing that." Vain muttered.
Hearing what he just blurted out personally boiled his hatred for his own incompetence.
Vain punched the wall of bricks that's filled with moss from old age. Vain punched it till his knuckles were bleeding.
"No. I'm done doing everything half-assed."
Regretting the decisions he made in the past. He made a resolution to himself.
"I swear on my name Vain Crimson that from this day onwards I will now live my life to the fullest so that I would never regret anything and that I would never fail anyone that devoted their trust in me!"
This promise was the turning point of Vain and the starting point of his redemption.
As Vain calmed down he tried to remember every clue or information before he was sent to this place. He needs to know how he got there. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep crying then he woke up here already. Feeling disoriented of what just happened, then the mirror hanging at the side of the wall caught his eyes. He walked into the front of the mirror with the purpose of checking his own body.
Vain still look the same. Vain have always been considered handsome, having a dark black long hair which is messily ponytailed, a crimson eyes, a long eyelashes that the girls envy and a sleek jawline. The only thing that's different is there are game like information floating above him.
Feeling confused, Vain wiped his eyes. Fearing that he was hallucinating he started to pinch his cheeks but what he saw didn't went away.
[ Vain Crimson ]
Level 1
Title: Wanderer
Class: None
"Holy shit?! Am i in a game? What the hell is this"
Feeling flustered. Vain tried to calm himself. He tried to remember every novel and manga that he read then he came to a conclusion. He tried concentrating on his hands and luckily just like Archimedes shouting Eureka something clicked.
More game like information about Vain came out.
<<<Information Window>>>
[ Vain Crimson]
Level 1 (0%)
Title: Wanderer
Class: None
Health: 98/100 Mana: 250/250
Stat points remaining: 0
Strength : 10 +
Agility: 15 +
Intelligence: 25 +
Vitality: 10 +
Wisdom: 20 +
Luck: 30
Charsima: 10
Skills:
1. Universal Language - can speak, write and understand any form of commonly spoken language of any race.
Aptitude: No limit
Traits: One of a kind genius , Lazy (improving), Prideful (slightly improving), Depressed (improving), Lucky
<<<End>>>
As Vain checked his information window. He counted that he have a total of 120 stat points.
"Is that high for a level 1?" He tried to ask the system but no one answered back.
He didn't know if that was high or low without having someone to compare it to.
Vain thought he needed more information to make a conclusive answer. He also noticed that he couldn't add stats in luck and charisma even if he had extra stat points.
Sharing his own opinion
"Maybe I can improve them naturally just like in the novels I read"
Vain also noticed that Vitality and Intelligence stat seems proportionate to his Health and Mana if that was the case he thought he needed to allocate more of his stat points into Vitality to higher his percentage of surviving.
He also have only 1 skill but it was the most useful thing for him as he needed to converse with other people naturally to gather information and to stay low for the time being.
Vain assessed himself one more time before making a decision on what's his next move.
As he was racking up his brain he saw the stairs leading down. He decided to go down as it was already starting to get dark and he had no other choice. Vain looked up in the sky and saw 2 moons, that confused and scared the shit out of Vain.
"Am I still on Earth?" Vain questioned himself.
Feeling afraid Vain started to move before his anxiety get to him. He knew that being afraid and staying put wouldn't change his situation. He needed to take action for himself like how he promised.
Vain looked around.
"Where should I go?" Vain asked himself
Vain saw a dense forest that looks dangerous from afar. Luckily he saw a road, not a cement road he was used to but a dirt road not far from where the watch tower is located.
Vain mustered his courage as he started to walk to the road.
"There should be people at the end of the road right? or if I'm lucky maybe even a village"
Hoping for the best Vain followed the road. The anxiety each step is killing him but he forced himself to walk.
Luckily after walking for 30 mins Vain saw a village.
Before walking into the village Vain collected his thoughts and formulated a plan to not cause a ruckus. His goal is to gather information, secure a place to sleep and a food to eat for the night. He doesn't want to gather attention to him not knowing what kind of people were in the village.
Vain was being cautious and smart not like the mc of some novel he read that he hated for being ignorant and dumb.
Vain started walking nervously to the wooden gate that was manned by 3 middle aged male adults. They look like your normal hard working workers but extremely buffed for their age. He tried to converse with them.
"Where is this place?"
Feeling troubled on how to use the Universal Language skill, luckily it seems they understood as the leader looking responded dubiously with
"This is the Littleroot Town. What do you want traveler?"
