Chapter 4: The Guild's Most Hated

"...This is a problem."

I tried to get the Adventurers' Guild to introduce me to a party, but it turns out that the person known as Lloyd is more hated than I could have imagined.

When the introductions failed, I thought I'd try to find a party myself. However, whenever I approached an adventurer who seemed unacquainted, others would interfere, making it impossible to join a party.

Soon, I realized that no one would come near me, and those who did would quickly retreat as I approached.

I thought the problem might be my rough appearance, so I let down my spiky blonde hair to reduce my intimidating look, but that wasn't the issue.

This must be Lloyd's true standing in the guild. If you're constantly harassing and taking out your frustrations on other adventurers daily, it's no wonder you're disliked.

...I haven't done anything myself, but this must be my fate for reincarnating as the villain.

Even so, being hated this much is quite a blow.

"It can't be helped. I'll have to operate solo for a while."

With those words and a sigh, I left the adventurers' guild alone.

---

And so, I found myself in a forest a little ways away from town. 

Lloyd's knowledge about the town and directions to the forest were in my head, so I managed to get here without getting lost.

I was about to face my first battle with monsters since being reincarnated in this world.

Even though I've never been in a real fight before, I had a feeling I could manage against monsters on my own.

"Status."

When I chanted that, a small screen appeared before me, displaying the following:

Level: 46

Attack: 453

Defense: 365

HP: 423

Magic Power: 389

Speed: 372

"Yeah, Lloyd's not just some minor character. He seems to have decent combat power."

Lloyd might not have the overpowered skills that Kane does, but he's got the strength of at least a C-rank adventurer.

He can use both swords and magic, making him quite a versatile character.

So, I figured I wouldn't have much trouble dealing with the monsters that appear in the forest near the town.

It seems I was right.

With these stats, I won't be easily defeated by monsters.

"Now, the question is about skills."

I let out a wry smile as I glanced downward.

There, information about my skills was displayed:

Skills: "Blade Slash," "Quick Blade," "Basic Magic," "Intermediate Magic," "Steal"

"I see. Not bad."

In this world, magic is categorized as one of the skills.

For instance, "Basic Magic" includes spells like "Fireball."

Moreover, only those with a talent for magic can use magic skills, and only those with a talent for swordsmanship can use sword skills.

Therefore, Lloyd, who can use both, is quite rare in this world.

Due to being able to use both magic and swords, characters like Lloyd are often referred to as heroes.

Lloyd's already privileged to be a hero, and on top of that, he possesses unique skills.

That misuse is probably one of the reasons Lloyd is so hated throughout the guild.

"Stealing people's skills with 'Steal.' This is really inhumane."

Lloyd's "Steal" isn't the kind of thief skill that takes people's items.

Lloyd's "Steal" is a cruel skill that robs people of the skills they've worked hard to acquire.

Lloyd used this "Steal" to take the skills of those he didn't like or who defied him, silencing anyone who opposed him.

No wonder he's hated.

Thinking about this, I glanced at the bottom of the status screen.

There, the following text was displayed:

"Skills acquired through 'Steal'"

Seeing the long list of skills, I couldn't help but let out a voice of disbelief.

"Wow, just how many skills did Lloyd steal?"

The list included skills like "Mighty Shield" and "Healing," which you can't have without the right aptitude, as well as skills like "Appraisal" and "Alchemy," which didn't seem to be taken from adventurers.

There's no way I could bring myself to steal so many skills from people.

"...But wait. Isn't this actually a pretty sweet deal for a reincarnation?"

Despite being appalled by Lloyd's heinous actions, I couldn't help but entertain the thought.

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