The Price of Zero Charisma
As I reappeared at the village fountain—again—I sighed and dusted off my basic leather armor, which looked more like a discarded rug at this point.
This is like my fifth try now. The skill set I've got? You could say it's as useful as a screen door on a submarine!
My first foray into the game's virtual world hadn't gone quite as expected. Instead of facing a bunch of cute, squishy slimes like every other newbie, I had to take down a creature that looked like it had crawled straight out of a nightmare.
A ding sound echoed in my ears as a floating window popped up in front of me, reminding me just how bad my situation was.
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QUEST: Beast Hunting
Objective: Defeat the Wolvebeast (0/1)
Difficulty: Hard
Hint: Maybe find some friends? Or not…
Penalty for Failure: Shame. Lots of it.
---
I swiped the window away, grumbling. "Why did I think maxing out Strength was a good idea?" Oh, right. Because it was—in any normal game. What I hadn't realized when setting my stats, however, was just how much that big fat zero in Charisma would ruin my life.
Every NPC I'd met so far had treated me like dirt, offering sarcastic comments, and trying to hand me missions that were way tougher than the first one.
The guy who was supposed to give me a basic "go kill some slimes" quest? Yeah, no. He sent me after a Wolvebeast, a monster that seemed like it should be saved for players level 20 and above.
That sweet little old lady NPC who usually just asked for 10 herbal flowers (you know, a super easy quest that barely gave any XP, but was the go-to for female players during tutorials) suddenly turned into some kind of witch who could probably curse me with just a glare.
And then there was this NPC chick who normally wanted help finding her missing brother. She looked at me like I was dog poop, spat on the ground, and just walked away without saying a word. Classic!
"Hey, at least I'm getting an early start on difficult content," I muttered, trying to stay optimistic.
I tapped my inventory window to see if I had anything useful. Spoiler alert: I didn't.
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INVENTORY:
Rusty Great Sword (Equipped)
Basic Health Potion (x1)
Beginner's Rations (Tasteless)
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Somehow, even my big sword has gone from shiny to rusty.
I guess my losing streak is affecting my weapon's performance, too. What a fantastic feature—so realistic, right? (What a load of crap!)
"Great." I swiped the screen away, mentally preparing myself untuk ronde yang entah keberapa with the giant furry death machine.
Clearly, this game wasn't going to let me off easy just because I had zero Charisma. If anything, it seemed like the developers had coded the NPCs to mess with people like me.
As I wandered back toward the Darkwood Forest, another window popped up in my face.
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PLAYER STATS:
Name: Ridley
Level: 1
HP: 100/100
Strength: 18
Agility: 12
Endurance: 14
Charisma: 0
Luck: 5
Skills:
Power Strike (Active): Deliver a powerful blow, +20% damage.
Wolf's Endurance (Passive): Increased stamina and critical hit chance against beasts by 20%
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I had to admit, having high Strength did make my attacks hit like a truck, but that didn't matter much if the only thing I could hit was death on repeat karena aku terus mendapat misi yang di luar kaapsitasku.
And that Charisma stat? Zero wasn't just a number. It was a lifestyle.
I continued on my way, gritting my teeth as I ventured deeper into the forest. The last time I was here, I barely lasted a minute before the Wolvebeast turned me into virtual shreds.
This time, I had a plan—sort of. Step one: don't die immediately. Step two: figure out step two after I somehow survived step one.
As I approached the same clearing where the Wolvebeast had massacred me, I crouched behind a tree and peeked out.
The beast was still there, prowling around like it owned the place, its glowing red eyes scanning the forest floor for its next victim. Which, judging by the system, was going to be me—again.
"Okay, Ridley, you've got this," I whispered to myself, pulling out my rusty sword. "This time, we play it smart."
I opened the skills menu again, activating Power Strike to give me a slight edge.
The sword glowed faintly as the skill readied itself. I took a deep breath, stepped out from behind the tree, and charged at the Wolvebeast with all the grace of a lumbering cow.
The beast noticed me immediately, letting out a low growl as it prepared to charge. This was it—the moment of truth. I swung my sword as hard as I could, aiming for its side.
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-45 HP
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The Wolvebeast roared in pain, but instead of retreating like any sane monster would, it just got angrier. It lunged at me, claws extended, and I barely dodged to the side. This thing was way faster than it looked.
"Come on, seriously?" I muttered, dodging another swipe.
I managed to land another hit with my Power Strike, but it wasn't enough to put the beast down. Its health bar still had plenty of red left.
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WOLVEBEAST:
Level: 20
HP: 255/300
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As I frantically dodged its attacks, another system window popped up out of nowhere.
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SYSTEM ALERT:
Due to your zero Charisma stat, you have activated a hidden skill:
Enemy Taunt (Passive): Hostile creatures will always prioritize attacking you.
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"Are you kidding me?" I yelled as the Wolvebeast lunged at me again, this time grazing my arm with its claws. -20 HP flashed above my head as my health bar dropped dangerously low.
I chugged my lone health potion, buying myself a few more seconds before the inevitable.
"Alright, think," I muttered, running in circles around the clearing.
The Wolvebeast was fast, but it couldn't turn on a dime. Maybe if I used that to my advantage...
I quickly changed direction, sprinting toward a fallen tree. The Wolvebeast followed, but just as it lunged at me, I leapt to the side. The creature slammed into the log, shaking the ground with the impact.
Taking advantage of its momentary confusion, I landed a final Power Strike on its head.
The screen flashed with a satisfying Critical Hit message as the beast let out a pained roar.
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-45(+9) HP (Power Strike effect activated)
-90 HP (Critical Hit)
Wolvebeast just hit critical mode.
Wolvebeast is now paralyzed.
—
I wasn't about to let this chance slip by, so I went in for a series of jabs. Now that I knew its weak spot—the head—I kept aiming right at it.
Notifications for Critical Hits kept flying across the screen, and then finally, this one popped up:
—
Wolvebeast has been defeated!
—
I fell to my knees, panting heavily as the victory screen popped up in front of me.
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QUEST: Beast Hunting COMPLETED
Reward: 500 XP, 50 Gold, Beast Hunter Title
Bonus: You managed to survive with zero Charisma. Congrats?
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I sighed in relief, but as the dust settled, another window popped up.
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Title Acquired: Beast Hunter
Effect: Increased damage against Beast-type monsters by 20%
Additional Effect (Hidden): NPCs are now slightly more afraid of you.
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I stared at the screen for a moment, then chuckled. "Well, at least I'm moving up in this world. Sort of."