[SYSTEM NOTICE]
"You have successfully defeated the Angry Dwarves."
[CLAIM REWARD]
1. [Yes]
2. [No]
3. [Maybe]
—Maybe? Well, it doesn't really matter.
Froggy pressed Yes.
[You selected (Yes)]
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"Congratulations. You have obtained the skill Unfortunate Misfortune."
—What is that even supposed to mean?
[UNFORTUNATE MISFORTUNE]
Description: You may transfer your misfortune onto a specific target for 10 seconds. Helps them feel pity for you.
Skill Rank: SSR
Cooldown: 3 weeks after use.
—Three weeks?! That's robbery...
The dwarves were already beginning to stand, slowly recovering their sight. Froggy rose as well, sore like everyone else, with a few bruises just like some of the dwarves, but nothing truly serious.
—TRUM CRAK! —a dwarf shouted.
—Uh… yeah…
He started running to get away from them, but the ground felt strange, like some kind of jelly. It caused him to slip and crash back onto the ground.
—It's shaking! —Froggy shouted, realizing what was happening.
The dwarves noticed it too.
Everything seemed to tremble—the ground, the rocks. As if the whole world were moving at once.
Then it stopped abruptly, leaving everyone present with more questions than answers.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
"A new source of hostility has been detected."
—Another one?
But he had no time to think about it.
The dwarves were right on his heels.
Of course, he ran slowly—almost painfully slow.
But they did too.
Neither side had the strength for a long chase.
Panting heavily, the dwarves collapsed again, gasping on the ground.
Twar was wheezing. His companions were too.
But the demon was still there.
They had to kill it before it endangered everyone… before it threatened the city.
Yet they no longer had the strength to do it. They had exhausted themselves fighting him.
Nothing had gone as Twar wanted.
All because of that demon.
He raised his axe toward the creature.
But it kept reappearing no matter how solidly they struck it.
An immortal demon…
And they were exhausted.
Under normal conditions, he would have crushed it. But now the axe felt unbearably heavy.
He was tired.
It was a cunning demon—leading them for hours until they were spent, forcing them to fight one another.
What a vile creature.
The demon stared at them, making gestures with its hands.
—Twar. Perhaps it's better to return to the city. That tremor is not a good sign...
—That doesn't matter if that bastard escapes. Everything we did will have been for nothing.
—But we can't kill him.
—Doesn't matter. We have to try.
Twar charged once more, driven by fury, by the hatred he carried toward the beings who had taken his homeland.
But he stopped before reaching the demon.
That hideous creature.
Twar was selfish… he knew it.
Pathetically selfish enough to prioritize revenge over the city.
But still—
He stopped.
—Let's go!
—But the demon!
—Let it crawl back to whatever hole it came from! We're returning to the city!
The dwarves picked up their weapons and began walking slowly back toward the city, weary and defeated.
But to their surprise, the demon followed them.
Every time they stopped to rest, it remained at a distance.
Whenever they moved again, it followed.
Twar felt rage rising into his skull.
—DO YOU MIND LEAVING?! YOU ALREADY GOT WHAT YOU WANTED!
He picked up a stone and hurled it at the demon with all his strength.
It did not reach.
Froggy continued following the dwarves.
Of course he wanted to escape.
But for once, he thought rationally.
Where would he go?
The plan had worked—but he realized freedom looked far less appealing than that straw bed back in prison.
Of course, he also did not want to be beaten by dwarves again, so he kept his distance.
He had few options.
But the system had given him something useful:
That skill.
It did not seem bad.
Maybe if he used it on the dwarf chief, something like this would happen:
—I am a poor hero… Help me! —Froggy crawled to the chief's feet.
—Poor hero! I shall help you! —said the chief.
And help would come.
It was not a brilliant plan.
But it might work.
—What do you think, System?
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
"Intelligence parameters require recalibration."
—Speaking of you, let's check my sheet. Stats.
[HERO STATS]
Name: Green Froggy
Level: Maximum
Skills:
Unfortunate Misfortune Lv.1
Active Traits:
(1) Tetanus Lv.1
(2) Beauty From Another World
(3) Evil Alignment
Strength: 3
[You can lift a backpack...]
Speed: 2
[You are as fast as a turtle.]
Dexterity: 2
[At least you're alive, right?]
Agility: 1
[What is dodging?]
Endurance: 14 + 1
[Not bad... You might survive... a little.]
Luck: ???
[Your fortune is a miracle. And miracles… are accidents.]
Willpower: 101/100
[Is this legal...?]
—My endurance increased? How?
The system did not answer.
But he began drawing his own conclusions.
Maybe it was simple—like real life.
If you practiced something long enough, you improved at it.
That was a law of life.
And that meant...
—I can improve all my stats.
Not everything was lost.
—Now all that's left is to find Star again.
Star was a very strange man, but he did not seem like a bad person.
Bitter, perhaps.
But not the kind who abandoned others.
Though one question remained:
How exactly was Star going to get them out of this mess?
He would find out soon enough.
—Maybe he convinced the dwarves to get us transportation...
Did cars even exist in this world?
The thought of a dwarf driving some giant oversized car made him laugh, like those vehicles used in exhibitions.
But clearly this world was nothing like what he thought he knew.
Though, of course, he lacked enough information to prove anything.
—Ah... I know that cave.
They were close now.
The ground trembled again.