I woke up in the dirt. I haven't eaten in two days. As I lay on the street with no idea what to do, I soon realised that I was fucked here, as I did not know the language and was basically illiterate.
I can not understand what scribbles are written, and thus, basically, I am illiterate, with no food and also no idea who I am.
Also, I know the knowledge about the previous world of mine, but I do not know how to utilise it.
FUCK YOU, ROTTEN EDUCATION SYSTEM!!!
I cried inside my heart as people walked past me, stepping around my crumpled body like I was just another drunk passed out from cheap beer. A boy even tossed a copper at me. It hit my forehead and clinked on the ground.
"Oh, great," I muttered. "Now I'm officially a beggar."
I grabbed the coin anyway. Hunger makes you shameless.
And then—
A flicker.
A noise in my skull like a notification ping.
[CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ACHIEVED CLASS, BEGGAR]
[Lv.0→Lv.1 Beggar]
[STATS UNLOCKED FOR BEGGAR CLASS
PITY: 5
Charisma: -10]
[SKILL CHART-
UNIVERSAL HEARING LANGUAGE TRANSLATION
BEGGING]
Then it was over, my whole head was spinning, and I puked on the side of the road. After a while, my mind calmed down.
I wanted to laugh. I wanted to cry. Instead, I slammed my head against the cobblestones.
"FUCK YOU, EDUCATION SYSTEM! FUCK YOU, VIDEO GAMES! THIS IS NOT HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO!"
People walked around me, shaking their heads. A woman whispered to her friend, "Pitiful addict…" and they both giggled.
And yet—when they spoke, I understood every word. The letters on the stalls were still alien scribbles, but their voices made sense. The skill worked.
Universal Hearing.
I sat there, dirty, starving, hated, mocked—
And now officially a Level 1 Beggar, but at least I have a coin, it was a bronze, with this I could at least buy something, so I pocketed it.
"FRESH LAWAB! Two bronze, chew slow, cry slower!"
"Knives sharp enough to split a rat's hair!"
"Salted krakensquid, chew till your teeth rot!"
I stormed the shops with my precious coin to find something that I can afford but also can eat.
In my gaze, I also saw different kinds of people like those in fantasy books occasionally, for example, animals walking in human mannerisms and wearing clothes were such magnificent things.
Finally, I stopped at a shop selling food I can afford to eat.
"Blue snake meat, 5 pieces for 1 bronze coin," said the old woman.
I gave her the money, and finally ate something. The roasted snake meat was oily, the skin blistered and crisp where the fire had licked it too long. The first bite was rubbery, almost stubborn against the teeth, as if it refused to be chewed. Then came the flood—an earthy, almost swampy tang, somewhere between fish and overcooked chicken. The fat clung to the tongue, slick and bitter, leaving a taste like burnt herbs and iron coins.
It wasn't pleasant. But it was food. And when the charred edges cracked under the teeth with a smoky snap.
WHY THE HELL AM I DESCRIBING THIS IS SHIT
After filling my stomach, I stood down on a random street in a random city, as I looked at the passing horse carriages, but I could not lie down like this anymore.
I swallowed my pride. I had nothing else.
I stepped toward a woman buying vegetables. My throat burned as I forced the words out.
"…spare something?"
Her eyes flicked over me—filthy tunic, cracked boots, hollow cheeks.
For a heartbeat, pity glimmered. She almost reached into her pouch.
Then her husband dragged her away, muttering, "Don't feed the addict. He'll just waste it."
I stood there, hand outstretched, frozen.
[BEGGING FAILED.]
[-1 DIGNITY]
"What the fuck is dignity?!" I shouted at the air. "I didn't even have any to begin with!"
Hours blurred. The sun crawled across the sky. My knees gave out. I ended up back in the dirt, weaker than before.
[CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ACHIEVED SHAMELESSNESS]
Effect: Your begging attempts are 10% more likely to succeed, because you no longer care how disgusting you look.
Warning: Dignity will never regenerate naturally.
[-30 DIGNITY]
"Never… regenerate…?" I croaked. "So I've basically gone bankrupt on being human?"
The voice didn't answer. It never did.
I stared at my single coin pouch. Empty. I stared at the marketplace, alive with smells I couldn't afford: spiced lamb skewers, fried dough sizzling in oil, even roasted nuts. My mouth watered until it hurt.
And then I realized something terrible.
If I didn't start begging properly… I was going to starve.
I wiped my mouth, smeared with snake grease and dirt. My pride was gone. My dignity was negative thirty. My new class—beggar.
"Fine," I whispered. "If this is the game… I'll play."
I stood again. My vision wavered, but I steadied myself. The crowd bustled around me—merchants yelling, guards marching, carriages clattering. For a moment, I thought of home, of cities with asphalt and horns and neon lights. Then the thought was gone.
This was Ironvale.
And I was no one.
AS I SCREAMED," ACTIVATE SKILL SHAMELESSNESS!! "
Then this rich-looking guy walked past me. Fancy shoes, neat hair, the kind of face that had never tasted poverty—disgusting.
"Sir, spare some change," I said.
He shook his head and kept walking.
Wrong move.
I got up, sprinted ahead, and sat down in front of him.
"Spare some change," I repeated.
He frowned. "No."
I gasped as if he'd slapped me. "No? You think I'm here for fun? You think this is a hobby?"
He tried to sidestep. I sidestepped, too.
He zig-zagged left, I zig-zagged left.
He spun around, and I spun around.
At this point, it looked less like begging and more like a street dance battle.
Finally, he groaned, pulled out a coin, and dropped it in my cup.
[CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ACHIEVED CLASS, BEGGAR]
[Lv.1→Lv.2 Beggar]
[PITY: 5
Charisma: -10
DIGNITY:-30]
[SKILL CHART-
UNIVERSAL HEARING LANGUAGE TRANSLATION
BEGGING
SHAMELESSNESS]