Vol. 1 Chapter 3 - The Villain and the Forest of Lost Paths

Gripping my one-handed sword, I head into the Forest of Lost Paths. While there are monsters here that a level 1 character can defeat, given how weak Titan is in the game, even these monsters could instantly kill me.

 

This one-handed sword is just for self-defence. Titan at level 1 has a strength (STR) of only 4…!

 

In this world, initial stats are indicators of one’s talent. It makes sense because, in “Kagurazaka Academy,” the overall increase in stats upon levelling up is the same for everyone.

 

This means the higher your initial stats, the higher your final stats will be. Hence, having high initial stats is considered to show talent.

 

By the way, my brother Orf’s STR at level 1 is 24. Are you kidding me!? There’s no way I can compete! The protagonist starts with all initial stats at 30, so it’s still better in comparison, but…

 

My STR of 4 clearly shows how weak I am. The weakest monster in this forest, a slime, has an attack power of 12!

 

“Seriously, this is too hard… oh, here it comes.”

 

As I grumble, I hear a rustling in the nearby bushes. Focusing on the sound, a slime jumps out from the undergrowth!

 

**Titan’s preemptive attack!**▼

 

**0 damage to the Slime!**▼

 

My one-handed sword bounces off the slime, which quivers as if unaffected… yeah, I knew this would happen.

 

“Run away!”

 

**Titan fled!**▼

 

The man who can’t even hunt the weakest monster is here: Titan. I run away at full speed. Not even realizing it was attacked, the slime quivers in place.

 

The slime’s defence is 8… my “Iron Longsword” adds +4 to my attack, making my total attack power 8!

 

So, there is no damage to the slime, right? 8 minus 8 equals 0, a simple calculation even an elementary school student can do, manifested in reality.

 

Since this was reality, there was a chance I could cut through it, but no luck…

 

By the way, no monsters with lower defence than the slime exist. Well, I’m screwed.

 

“Wait, is there any simpler dungeon with weaker monsters than this one?”

 

A sudden thought sends chills down my spine. Did I just hit a dead end?

 

Why couldn’t Titan have a bit more talent in STR!? Why does he have stats suggesting he’s all about intelligence (INT) but starts without any magic spells, Titan!?

 

Complaints keep coming. In an interview, I remember the developers saying, “We made Titan really weak because he’s an annoying noble villain. We thought it’d be satisfying for players to easily defeat him, lol.”

 

Why did I reincarnate as Titan… did I do something bad in my past life? I only remember playing this game repeatedly, and I’ve forgotten my past life’s name and appearance.

 

I’m too weak to defeat enemies, which means I can’t level up and stay weak. A vicious cycle…

 

In the game, there’s a scene where Titan joins the protagonist’s party and leeches off them, only levelling up after that.

 

At first, I thought, “Level 1!? So weak! Come back after training, Titan!” But now that I’m Titan, I understand.

 

“Was my life doomed from birth?”

 

I understand why Titan would use his noble status to do whatever he wanted at the academy. His life was already doomed… assaulting the cute commoner heroine was him acting out in despair.

 

“Well, I’m not one to give up so easily!”

 

How much did I play this game? I know everything from where the strongest weapons drop to hidden quest solutions, secret boss strategies, and even the heroines’ measurements. I’m that much of a gentleman!

 

A little setback like this is no big deal.

 

“So, let’s start with gathering materials in the Forest of Lost Paths…”

 

There are plenty of ways to defeat monsters. It’s just that the straightforward method didn’t work because I’m too weak.

 

If the straightforward method doesn’t work, I’ll use an unconventional one.

 

“Fixed damage, here we go!”

 

I smirked as I picked up a stone lying nearby.

 

Players who cleared the cuckoldry route thought, “How can I clear the dungeon without giving Titan a weapon?”

 

The answer is in my hand. The correct method is to collect a ton of stones, which are worthless items found everywhere in the field, and make Titan throw them at enemies during battles!

 

Titan, it’s more efficient to make you throw stones than to swing a strong one-handed sword… how sad is that?