Humiliation

Haruki strode through the front doors of the adventurer’s guild, making his way to the front desk.

“I’ve come here to become an adventurer,” he announced. He heard a snicker from somewhere behind him, but didn’t pay it any attention.

The lady at the desk stared at him for a moment, before sighing.

“Alright then, I’ll need you to hold this to test your magical power.” She handed Haruki a small glass orb with a tiny red gem in the center. “Channel your magic power into it, you need to at least be able to make the gem at the center glow purple to qualify as an adventurer.”

Channel my power into it? he thought, unsure exactly how to do such a thing. Maybe it’s just an intuitive type of thing…

Haruki held the glass orb between his palms and closed his eyes, focusing as hard as he could on the little orb in his hands. After a few seconds he opened his eyes again.

“Is that it?” she asked with a neutral expression, resting her cheek in her hand as she leaned on the desk. “It didn’t even glow red, let alone any nobler colors. You don’t have any magic, I’m afraid.”

Haruki was irritated. What do you mean I don’t have any magic? Of course I do!

“No, I definitely have magic powers. They just haven’t awakened yet, I’m sure,” he countered.

A large adventurer clad in armor stepped up from a table behind Haruki.

“Look kid, we get a lot of hicks like you who show up here wantin’ to be adventurers, thinkin’ they’re hot stuff,” the man said, with a hint of spite in his voice. “You best get back to your little farm and live a normal life, let real adventurers like us take care of the adventurin’ around here.”

Haruki turned around, incensed by this man’s words. Who does this guy think he is?!

“There’s no need to bother with this boy, Gerrick.” A flash of golden hair appeared from behind the gruff man. It was the beautiful maiden Haruki had seen earlier. “I can tell from his scent, he doesn’t even have a drop of blood from any of the magic races in him. He’s a pure human.”

“Even if I don’t have magic, as long as I’m strong enough I can be an adventurer,” Haruki retorted.

“Oh? So you think you can take on monsters without even usin’ magic, huh?” Gerrick taunted back. “I’m feelin’ generous today, if you can beat me right now I’ll let you join us on our next adventure. Here, you can have my sword, and I won’t even use any magic against you.”

The man held out his sword to Haruki by the end of its sheath, Haruki eyed him and hesitantly pulled the sword by its handle, unsheathing it.

The sword wasn’t particularly large, but it still felt heavier than he had expected in his hands. Characters in anime and video games always swung around their swords so effortlessly it was as if they were as light as a feather, but the real thing had his center of gravity off balance.

“Gerrick, you really shouldn’t bother with someone like him,” the golden-haired girl interjected.

“Quiet, Selina, I feel like puttin’ this brat in his place today. Don’t worry, I won’t rough him up too much.”

Haruki had had enough of these two looking down on him. He raised the sword up above his side and charged at the large man before him.

As he neared the man he swung the sword down in a diagonal path. Gerrick didn’t even react, he just calmly kicked his foot to the side, sweeping Haruki’s forward leg out from under him and sending him spiraling face-first into the floor.

Haruki didn’t even know what happened to him before he was on the ground, disoriented and his nose now bleeding.

Gerrick knelt down beside him. “Listen here kid, you can’t take on a monster without magic. I’m tellin’ you this for your own good; don’t be stupid by goin’ and gettin’ yourself killed out there. Even someone like me can’t take on a monster without magic.”

Gerrick grabbed his sword and returned to his seat. Haruki just lay there on his hands and knees, his body quivering as his mind swirled with anger and indignation, unwilling to accept what just happened.

He stood up and wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve, then promptly stormed back out through the entrance. As he made his way out he heard that witch Selina laughing at him from behind.

His eyes began to tear up as he left the building, he had been thoroughly humiliated.

***

The next few days Haruki struggled to get by. The people of the town were unwilling to give him any food or drink since he had no money to pay with, nor were any of them willing to give him anything in exchange for his labor. He had to get by only on water from a dirty creek outside of town.

He had begun to think that rumors may have spread of what happened to him at the guild the other day, but even if not people were starting to notice the homeless vagrant that was now residing in their town.

He was starting to sense that he couldn’t stay in this town any longer, so he asked someone for directions to the next town over and headed off by foot.

The distance to the next town was nearly 80 kilometers this time, which would not be an easy distance for someone to cover after several days without food and poor hydration. Nevertheless, he had no choice but to try his luck elsewhere.

After the first day of walking he had covered maybe a quarter of the distance. He couldn’t stop thinking about the events that had transpired at the guild, which combined with his hunger and sleeping outdoors made it hard for him to get any sleep.

Despite what had happened, he couldn’t give up on the idea that he was destined to be a hero, that he was a real isekai protagonist. This was the only little piece of hope he had left in this harsh new world, it was the sole thing keeping him moving.

He may not have magic or strength, but all that means is that he will be the underdog. As long as he can survive, he will eventually discover some special power, or else grind his way to the top like in video games.

One day, I swear I will be looking down from above at all those a-holes at the guild!

The next day, he encountered a slime. His first instinct was to flee like before, but upon seeing the creature he thought this would be the perfect opportunity to prove himself… and if he’s lucky, maybe he could even level up.

The slime didn’t jump around as he was used to in games, but rather slowly rolled as a gelatinous mass, leaving behind it an empty trail of dirt where grass had been.

This small, slow-moving creature was surely no match for him. After all, slimes are the most basic enemies in every video game for a reason. All it would take is one good kick to its membrane to send it splattering.

Haruki ran up to the slime and swung his boot into it, but instead of its body giving way to his foot, his foot sank straight into it.

His entire foot instantly began burning intensely. He yanked it back out as soon as he realized what had happened, but by that point his boot had already dissolved and the skin across his foot was seared.

He immediately recognized what had happened to him, it was an acid burn.

Before Haruki dropped out of college, he took a class in organic chemistry for his science credit, which oddly was the only class he got somewhat decent grades in. He was reminded of an experiment where his professor dissolved a chicken breast in some acid, that was what had partially happened to his foot.

He managed to hobble away before collapsing to the ground. He could no longer stand, the pain was too intense. He tried crawling a distance, but quickly became too exhausted to continue on.

Thunder roared across the sky, and it suddenly began pouring rain. He lay there beside the road, unable to move, the ground below him quickly turning to mud.

Haruki wanted to cry, but he didn’t even have the will in him to do such a simple action.

I’m no hero! I’m hardly even a person. It’s exactly the same as before, I’m a worthless nobody! Why’d I ever think things would be any different this time around? I’m not special. I’m destined to suffer and be humiliated, and to die like garbage, just like in my last life.

If life was just going to be the same even in this isekai world, then he hoped he’d die, and this time never be reborn again.

As the darkness of night and the cold of the rain seeped deep into his body, he contented himself to this fate. He just wanted to get it over with.

He closed his eyes, and slowly drifted off into a deep unconsciousness.