NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: Running away?
A few hours later.
"Hm? The sun's about to set?" I muttered, glancing at the dim sky, which looked like it could turn pitch black at any moment.
During these past hours, all I did was wander aimlessly. At one point, I helped a shopkeeper with a small task and earned myself a little something to eat. That something was… a chocolate bar.
"I'm doomed, aren't I?" I muttered as my stomach let out a loud, gurgling noise. It was so bad I felt like it was yelling at me for neglecting it.
At least I managed to drink some water by asking a few strangers. Though, they gave me weird looks as they handed over their bottles.
I wandered aimlessly for a bit longer until I found a public bench to sit on.
"Argh... I feel like dying," I groaned, going down heavily onto the bench, the weight of hunger pressing down on me.
Just as I was reminiscing about today, a group of teenagers, probably around 16 years old, approached me. Their leader walked up with an air of arrogance and placed one foot on the chair I was sitting on.
"One, two, three, four—" I started counting their numbers, only for the leader to cut me off.
"Get the fuck off of here," he said, his tone sharp and commanding.
"What the? Is this one of those cliché moments where the MC gets picked on? But for fuck's sake, I'm not even the main character, and I'm starving on top of that," I thought, trying hard to maintain a neutral expression.
"Do you want me to repeat myself?" the guy said again, his tone more threatening this time as he leaned slightly closer.
"And what if I decide not to?" I replied in a calm tone, though it was obvious I was faking it.
I wasn't exactly a master at acting, so it was likely their leader noticed the slight hesitation in my voice as I spoke.
"Okay, I'll leave," I said hastily, not even waiting for his reply.
I wasn't in any condition to fight a group of people, and even if I ended up dead here, the law would probably let them off easily because they were minors. That's just how things worked.
Quickly getting up from the chair, I decided to leave as quietly as possible. But as I was walking away, trying to be discreet, a sudden force pulled me from behind. I lost my balance and tumbled to the ground, rolling awkwardly.
"Ah!" I let out a small cry as my butt hit the ground hard.
"Who said you could leave?" one of the guys from the group said with a grin on his face. His tone was mocking, and the look in his eyes made it clear he was enjoying this. He stood there with his arms crossed, staring down at me like he was in charge.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. "L-Look," I said, my voice a little shaky, "I-I don't want any trouble, alright? You guys… you win, okay? There's no need to take this any further."
The leader raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "And why would we let you go?" he asked, crossing his arms.
I forced a nervous smile, my mind racing. "B-Because, uh... what's the point? I mean, beating me up won't prove anything, right? Everyone already knows you're tough. A-and," I added quickly, "if you let me go, it shows how cool and, uh, mature you guys are."
The group exchanged glances. I could see some of them considering my words, though the leader still looked skeptical.
"And if we don't?" he challenged, leaning in closer.
I swallowed hard. "If you don't… well, uh, then people might think you're just picking on someone weaker. But letting me go? That'll show everyone you're not just bullies—you're leaders."
For a moment, there was silence. Then, with a huff, the leader stepped back. "Tch, whatever. Just get out of here."
I didn't need to be told twice. I nodded quickly, muttered a "Thanks," and hurried away, my heart pounding in relief.
I kept running until I found another chair and collapsed into it, breathing heavily.
"Did I—did I really roll on the ground just from a pull like that?" I thought, my face twisting in disgust and anger, all directed at myself.
"For real, how weak is this body?" I muttered, clearly annoyed.
This whole thing showed the difference between a normal person and someone who had access to the god's sanctuary. At least now, I was more determined than ever to get stronger, and fast.
My eyelids fluttered until they finally shut, and just like that, my body collapsed fully into the chair.
[...Yo... To.. Se..]
A bell-like notification rang in my head, snapping my eyes open and making my body jolt.
"Huh, what is it?" I muttered, half awake, as I looked up and saw the system window open in front of me.
I stood up from the bench, yawning and rubbing my eyes to focus on the screen.
[Daily quest has been updated, do you want to see it?]
"Well, that's what I was waiting for, I guess?" I said, clicking on the notification.
It was 12:04 AM, and the street was empty. A cold breeze swept through, making me shiver slightly.
[Daily quest: Run for 80 kilometers.]
Reward: A jagged alloy dagger, Something to eat, A gift.
Penalty: A gift.
[The system feels sorry for you being so weak, that's why it's granting you this many rewards for a simple daily quest.]
"So, I've sunk so low that even the system feels sorry for me?" I thought, smiling at the system's screen with a mix of gratitude, though my eyes couldn't stop twitching.
"But what's with the penalty? I knew there could be a penalty on a quest, but isn't that more like a reward rather than a penalty?" I said, amused as I looked at the system's screen.
Then, I glanced up a little and re-read the daily quest, "80 kilometers? Lol, I can run that much in an hour if I focus enough." I said arrogantly.
Little did I know, those very words would come back to bite me in the ass.