Chapter 001 - 1. My Life Was Like a Weed
My life was like a weed.
I was originally a slave working in agriculture.
When the sun rose, I worked like an ox, and when the moon came up, I slept as if I had fainted.
I had no family or relatives. And since my nature was silent, I had almost no friends.
Then the war broke out, and I was dragged into the army.
The expression "sold" would be more accurate. I was just a meat shield to fill the headcount.
Instead of a plow, I gripped the handle of a sword, and instead of grass, I cut off the heads of strong men.
Unexpectedly, soldiering suited me.
I always fought like a crazed demon.
Even when my bones were broken and my flesh torn, I moved forward, never kneeling to any strong enemy.
Even when the bleeding was so profuse that my vision blurred, I would stubbornly stand up and drive my sword into the enemy soldier's heart.
There was only one reason. Survival.
Did this struggle please those in high positions?
By the end of the war, I was no longer a slave, but a regular soldier.
Looking back, that period was the happiest.
I had comrades, and I received compensation for my work, even if it was a meager salary.
And most of all, the best thing was not starving to death.
After rolling around in battlefields for about another ten years, an order came down from above to die.
They didn't explicitly say "commit suicide."
But the content of the operation we were thrown into was ridiculous.
To ask a single platoon to stop an army of Outer Gods was laughable.
It was the height of absurdity, but I obeyed the order.
Because it was a job someone had to do eventually.
What happened next, well, is an obvious story.
I fought. I fought to survive as I always did.
I was covered in blood and guts to the point of drowning. I cut down the enemies blocking my path.
My comrades fell one by one. When I regained my senses, I was the only one left.
Still, I kept moving forward.
Until that moment when the end came.
When I could no longer see or hear anything, this thought crossed my mind.
Will anyone remember me?
Will there be any proof that I existed in this world?
That couldn't happen.
And so, I died.
My body was not recovered.
My burnt and broken bones crumbled just like that upon the soil of a foreign land thousands of miles away.
It was a life like a weed.
Bloomed by the roadside and disappeared suddenly.
I, a terribly ugly weed whose name no one remembers, not even myself.
The self-introduction of the DLC additional character, "The Nameless Warrior," ended there.
The armored man returned silently to his place.
As I stared at the screen in a daze, system messages appeared in succession.
『※ Ending self-introduction of the soul "Nameless Warrior".』
『※ This introduction was created based on the soul's final memories. The will of the "Nameless Warrior" himself was not reflected.』
『※ Returning to the character selection screen.』
Soon, the viewpoint that was focused on the Nameless Warrior zoomed out, and the character selection screen that appears when starting a new game emerged.
In the hall of a magnificent palace, more than ten characters full of individuality were lined up.
A huge man covered in muscles struck the axes in his hands against each other with a resounding noise.
"Come with me! This Wolf of the Great Plains will teach you the meaning of destruction!"
"Nonsense. I, the Master of the Blue Magic Tower, am the only one qualified to enjoy the blessing of regression. I hope you make a wise choice."
This time, an old man wearing antique robes sent a silent greeting.
Playable characters that could become the protagonist of this game.
Everyone was trying to catch my eye.
Except for one person.
"......"
The Nameless Warrior, who had returned to his spot unnoticed, just lowered his head without saying a word.
He was in a corner that the light didn't even reach.
Because of the helmet he wore, his face wasn't visible.
When I placed the mouse cursor over him, a short introductory phrase finally appeared.
『The Nameless Warrior. A withered weed.』
It was completely different from the phrases of the other characters.
No long background, not even simple self-promotion.
A withered weed, huh.
I couldn't stand it and shouted with a voice full of emotion.
"......This is epic!!"
That wasn't enough, so I jumped up from my seat and clapped enthusiastically.
Even if I looked like a lunatic, it couldn't be helped.
He performed his duty to the end and then withered away, a warrior everyone forgot in their memories.
Isn't this a setting that truly sets the heart on fire!
"The DLC didn't take a long time to release for nothing. It was worth the wait."
They say excessive immersion isn't good, but you can't help innate nature.
I calmed my excitement with difficulty and sat back in the chair.
The game I dedicated my life to after retirement, "Way of Return."
Genre: Open World RPG.
It was famous for having a charming world, high freedom, and high-quality character storylines.
A great mage loved by the stars.
A barbarian warrior from the highlands who devours the abilities of his enemies.
A witch of demon lineage with a strictly amazing body.
In addition to other characters who stand out in their respective fields.
The player's goal was to choose one of them to go back in time and live a new life.
The Nameless Warrior was the additional character in the DLC released today.
"It's going to be the Nameless Warrior without a doubt."
The other characters were attractive too, but none had an impact like the Nameless Warrior.
There was no reason to choose them in the first place.
Why? Because I had already tried them all.
I chose a suitable name and entered character creation earnestly.
No need for appearance customization.
Since it's a game where the protagonist regresses (goes back in time), that feature didn't exist originally.
All I could do was say: "Wow, beautiful, cool!" or "Looks ugly as hell. Did a blind person design this?".
The Nameless Warrior uncle was wearing a helmet which made me a little worried, but since he's a male character anyway, it didn't matter.
"Okay. I wonder what the Unique Trait is?"
The really important part starts now.
Checking the Unique Trait.
In "Way of Return," various attributes and skills can be acquired through gameplay, but the Unique Trait possessed by each character can never be replaced.
It wasn't just performance; it was also a concept defining that character, so the character build is usually done according to the Unique Trait.
"I smell trash already..."
Honestly, I didn't expect much.
Given the concept, there was a high probability it would be a lousy trait.
The initial stats were also just slightly better than an average person.
Click.
When I clicked the mouse with a heart devoid of expectations, the information appeared.
『Weed's Persistence: Growth speed increases every time you overcome adversity.』
It was a sentence as simple as his self-introduction.
I blinked my eyes then brought my face closer to the screen.
I was afraid I had read it wrong.
The moment I realized there was no problem with my eyesight, curses came out automatically.
"What is this craziness?"
Chills ran down my body.
The majority might think it's a bad trait.
But I knew this was an unbelievable "cheat" (OP) trait.
The proof was the lack of trivial additional explanations.
It wasn't a brazen commercial trick like the 50% discount coupons we see often these days (Maximum discount of 500 won when buying for 100,000 won!).
"No limit? Really?"
Usually, growth traits have clearly defined limits.
Because if a character becomes infinitely strong, the game balance would become worse than chewed gum.
Of course, this trait must have a penalty.
Maybe the initial growth speed is slower than a snail with Lou Gehrig's disease.
But even taking that into account, this was a good enough trait.
"Amazing. The protagonist is a protagonist after all."
Dopamine spiked suddenly.
I haven't started yet, but it's already fun.
My head is already full of ideas about building the Nameless Warrior character.
This uncle was never material to wither like a weed.
He just didn't have luck.
Furthermore, what if he is a weed?
As long as I start raising him, he is not a weed.
I was confident I would make this weed bloom a flower the size of a house.
"To hell with the title 'Nameless Warrior'. I will make you the 'Famous Warrior'."
I muttered that and pressed the game start button.
Click. The screen transitioned.
The illustration that appears every time a new game starts appeared.
This time, the Nameless Warrior was kneeling on one knee with his sword stuck in the ground.
The blade of the sword was completely chipped.
Dark green moss covered his shattered armor.
Suddenly, a small message window appeared at the bottom of the loading illustration.
【The Last.】
It was a short but disturbing sentence.
I didn't recall seeing anything like this with other characters.
What did it mean by "The Last"?
Flaaaash-!
The moment I felt doubt, a bright light exploded from behind the screen.
"These lazy bums are like maggots! Won't you get up immediately!"
What woke the boy up was angry screaming and kicks from someone.
"Ugh!"
Thud! He felt a strong impact on his backside.
The small body flew.
The boy rolled twice and stood up staggering.
The moment his shaking vision stabilized, he saw a huge man screaming with veins bulging on his neck.
"Don't think you can slack off because the Captain left the fortress! You are slaves! Carve the fact that laziness means death into your brains like a tattoo!"
He was holding a club in his hand.
His muscular forearm was as thick as the boy's waist.
The boy groaned, not yet comprehending the situation.
The spot where he was kicked hurt too much to be considered a dream.
'Captain? Slaves?'
The boy looked around slowly.
He was standing inside a dilapidated wooden building.
The smell of rotting wood filled the air. Sunlight was leaking through a small window.
At first glance, it looked like a building used as a barn or warehouse.
"Ugh... Ooh..."
"Another day has started..."
There were about ten men gathered around him.
Ages ranged from boys his age to white-haired old men.
Everyone was wearing filthy rags and bound by shackles, and it didn't take the boy long to realize he was wearing the same clothes.
Suddenly, the huge man opened the barn door.
"Start working immediately! Farming team, move!"
"Move!"
At that, a middle-aged man raised his hand and echoed the order.
The middle-aged man passed the giant and went out of the barn, followed by two men.
How did this damn thing happen?
While the boy was racking his brain.
"Bran! What are you doing, aren't you going?"
A whisper came from behind him.
When he turned his head, he saw a blonde, pale-faced boy.
He was looking at him and the giant holding the club alternately, with an expression of terror filling his face.
"...Ah."
After a moment, the boy's eyes widened.
He seemed to roughly understand the situation.
Bran. It was a familiar name.
He shook his head vigorously to correct his vision and ran towards the door.
"I'm late! I'm sorry!"
"Won't you wake up and pay attention to yourself! Huh?!"
The giant waved the club, panting in anger.
Fortunately, he didn't get hit.
As soon as he stepped out of the door, the interior of a fortress surrounded by massive walls appeared before him.
It was a familiar scene. So much so that he could draw a map of it if he had a pen and paper.
Except that the place where he saw this scene previously was his room where the computer was.
The blonde boy's words were spinning in his ears.
"Bran, he said."
It was definitely the name of the character he named.
And so, the man became the Nameless Warrior.
To be precise, he became the poor slave boy before he withered and became the Nameless Warrior.
Bran, who realized once again that this was not a dream, laughed cynically.
"I'm screwed."
Occupation: Slave.
Workplace Name: Blackstone Fortress.
The headquarters of the "Black Crow" bandit gang, notorious in the region.
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