Chapter 6: A Ray of Hope
[TARUN'S POV]
When I felt a sensation emanate from my head, I knew it was blood; I had been robbed and thrown here.
"Now I'm garbage huh!" I ridiculed myself for my situation. Whatever the world is, I think that I have a special connection to garbage. I shook my head and wobbled my way out of this dump.
I smelled like garbage. After walking for so long, I saw a sign of habitation.
Several of the houses were in very poor condition, making it seem like a slum.
First, I need to take a bath; I feel disgusted with myself. A group of people was sitting outside their houses, so I went to ask if there is a river or something I can use for cleaning.
I passed by a group of people who were gathered and discussing something.
"Have you heard, our king has summoned The Hero to this world?" One person said enthusiastically.
Hearing them speak of the summons made me pause.
Another asked, "How did you know?"
"You know my cousin is a soldier in Palace, right? He was there when his majesty was addressing them, and you know what, six people were summoned but they accidentally summoned one." He looked at everyone for a moment and then said, "His majesty apologized to him personally and gave him a thousand pieces of gold."
"Thousand pieces!" I heard everyone exclaim.
"And it got robbed," I said to myself, but someone in their group noticed me.
While laughing, he said, "Hey brother, you look like a shit."
Shaking my head, I asked, "Is there any place where I can wash."
After carefully examining me, he asked, "Are you a newbie here?"?
As I nodded, I thought to myself, "I am the sixth person you were talking about.".
He pointed in a direction and said, "You can find a river there."
I nodded at him and then walked in that direction, but then I had the idea to ask about the palace.
"The sixth person is the one you were referring to, right? What happened to him?"
"It seems he left the palace after that, but I doubt he can survive here in this world, he is just a commoner who has no power." He said this while pondering.
I nodded at him and left that place.
"No power, huh!" I thought and started walking towards the river.
My mind wandered back to the time when I lived on earth and laughed happily with my parents. All of that is gone now. As I shook my head to clear my mind, I realized I had reached the river.
Looking around, I saw a forest on the opposite bank of the river. It left an indelible impression on me. After taking a deep breath, I removed my clothes and jumped into the river.
My whole body felt warm. I cleaned myself properly, making sure there was no smell left on my body, then I washed my dress as it was the only thing I had on. Thank goodness the dress was still in good condition.
While I lied naked on the patch of grass with my hand supporting the head, it was still hurting badly. Taking a deep breath, I thought of my future; I have no money and no idea how the world works. Those guys might help me. But a sudden shout caught me off guard.
When I turned my head and saw a girl looking at me, her hand covering her mouth, I was startled. I hurriedly grabbed my dress to cover myself.
As the atmosphere became awkward, I cleared my throat and said,
"Would you please turn around unless you want to see me naked?"
She hurriedly turned around. I quickly donned my dress, which still was wet after washing it.
"It's ok now" I shouted while looking at her back.
When she turned around to look at me, I noticed she was holding some clothes. Perhaps she came here to wash them.
As I looked at her face, she had fair skin with black hair, an oval face, an average height of 160cm, and an appearance that was quite innocent to me.
"Um... Sorry for that, I just washed my dress, that's why." I paused for a moment. To look at her.
A giggle escaped her lips, and she said, "It's okay, you appear to be new here?"
It was awkward, as I didn't know what to say. I can't say that I am new to this world. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my head as my hand moved toward it. I screamed,
"Ah!!!"
"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.
My head shook in shame as I lied and said, "Ah!!! I don't know who I am"
After a moment, she said, "Oh sorry, you can come to my house after I finish my work here, you can rest there?" She seemed to empathize with me.
The naivety of her request to have a stranger come to her home shocked me.
"Is it all right?" I asked her.
She smiled and said, "Don't worry, I only live with my mother."
I smiled and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you to finish," and went to sit to the side.
"Wait till I finish washing my clothes," she answered as she continued with her work.
While she was washing clothes, I gazed at her for a moment and was captivated by the innocent look on her face. She was the first to offer her help to me selflessly. Perhaps she is a ray of hope in my dark times.
I don't know why, but a teardrop appeared at the corner of my eye.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone