Chapter 28 - Qualification for the System is to be a Fool?
’How could one have such a useless body?’
Looking towards the status of that kid, I wondered how he even reached the 1st layer.
He looked to be about 16 years old, yet had those trashy stats.
It was evident why he was in this slave market.
[ Leon, No Bloodline, Rotten Marrow Physique, No cultivation, No Qi ]
’....Don’t support him, idiot.’
Seeing how the system displayed my status, my mouth twitched visibly as I clenched my fist.
It was clear that the system was trying to mock me, especially by pointing out how that boy’s physical condition was far better than mine and that I had trashy stats here.
"Stop the carriage," I called out, feeling a bit of sympathy for the boy, but not for free.
That boy was going to lend me his internal energy to extract gold coins or items from the dimension rings or pouches that these six had.
Given that all six of their dead bodies, including Kyle’s, possessed dimension rings or pouches, and knowing I couldn’t use them without internal energy, I decided to seek help from that boy in exchange for saving him.
The carriage came to a halt, and I sighed before exiting.
Despite being a slave market, there were only few reactions from others, as a noble carriage was a regular sight for the people who came here to purchase slaves.
"You filthy waste!" that woman yelled again, causing my ears to ring.
I rubbed my ears as I made my way towards her.
"I should have purchased a better slave—"
"Hey, you buffalo slave, move aside before I shit on you," I said with a frown, mimicking her earlier aggression while still feeling the itch in my ears.
"Huh? Sit on me?! How dare—"
The woman turned, her face angered but then softening as she laid eyes on me.
She looked me over from top to bottom, and suddenly I noticed a red blush forming on her face.
"Cough, ahem, if Young Master wants to sit on me...."
’Heh?’
I feared that she was ignoring my earlier insult about her being a buffalo slave.
After understanding her confusion due to a mispronunciation, my mouth twitched visibly.
Exhaling, I realized her IQ was quite low, on par with the arrogant bat fairy.
I stated, "Lady, I would like to purchase that slave for you," while pointing towards the boy.
I didn’t want to take the opportunity to kill this woman, as her falling down might cause a small earthquake.
I definitely didn’t want to destroy the nearby shops.
’She must have thought I intended to sit on her due to her size being like that of a sofa.’
:: You body shame others? Is it good to laugh at someone’s physical appearance? ::
’....You know this world doesn’t have diseases like diabetes or thyroid?’
Hearing that small insect’s voice made me consider her perspective.
She arrived, taking a seat on my shoulder, her voice reaching my ears.
I understood she was right; I shouldn’t mock others’ bodies.
But the primary issue was, unlike in the previous world, this one didn’t have diseases that caused obesity.
In this world, mainly those who were fat were due to negligence or possessing a strong physique.
I couldn’t see her possessing any such physique, only laziness and a body which seems to fatten after eating away who knows how many slaves.
But again, this insect was right—I shouldn’t mock others’ appearance.
’So, how does it feel to have a size of a mosquito, Reaper?’
:: You are dead the moment I get my powers, filthy human! ::
’Now you’re mocking humans.’
Knowing our argument would go on, I decided to focus on the boy lying down.
He looked at me with confusion.
"Huh? Handsome young master, why would you want this boy?"
The lady seemed genuinely confused, shifting her gaze between me and the boy.
But soon, some onlookers began to stare, curiosity piqued as they saw someone from the Arcutus family interacting with a random lady.
"I just want him?"
I didn’t have a specific reason to give this woman.
Mentioning any advantages would only raise the boy’s value and make me appear desperate, allowing her to take advantage of me.
So, I simply stated the first normal thing that popped into my mind.
Gasp!
’Ah fuck.’
As my eyes landed on the boy, he crossed his arms to cover his body, declaring me as gay in his mind.
’Boy, you better be of some use...’
With my mouth twitching at the misunderstanding, I realized that my attempt to help had taken a wrong turn.
He looked at me as if I were someone he needed protection from.
It made me realize that helping others had its issues in any world.
[ Boy? Host, she is a girl though. ]
’Hm?’
Hearing the System’s voice made me pause, my eyes widening in surprise.
I gave one last look at the boy, whose name was Zhao Ren.
Malnourished flat body, useless stats, and now I discovered he was a girl.
’How many disadvantages does she have?’
[Yes]
"What, but young master—"
"No, I don’t want her. It appears there was a misunderstanding."
There was no way I was going to take this kid after knowing she wasn’t a boy.
It removed the last shred of sympathy I had for her.
I swiftly turned, moving towards the carriage without a second thought.
I realized my mistake; she was useless in every aspect, and I was already surrounded by too many women.
I didn’t want my brain to rot further.
At least a boy could do errands and use his brain to a certain extent.
"Eh!? Wa-wait!"
As I was about to board the carriage, I suddenly felt my waist being hugged tightly.
I looked down to see the same flat-chested girl, wide-eyed and yelling in a voice that, upon closer inspection, really seemed to belong to a girl.
It appeared as if she were trying to act like a boy by mimicking his voice, but upon closer inspection, one could find the difference.
If not for the system, I would have seen nothing that categorized her as female.
"Don’t leave me!" she called out, causing me to look at her for a moment, my expression softening.
I then lifted my gaze towards the lady, who appeared surprised by the scene.
Ignoring her, I smiled as I felt the girl’s face brighten, thinking I might support her.
I stated to the lady, "Lady, can’t you teach this slave not to touch others like this? Please take her away and beat her well."
Shoo!
"Y-YOU MONSTER!"
The last thing I heard was a sharp scream from the girl as she nearly broke my eardrums.
My eardrums were about to burst with blood any moment, trickle as I looked down at her shocked expression, her hands releasing my waist just as the lady stepped forward.
The lady grabbed the girl by her hair, pulling her back and causing her to stumble and fall.
"Urgh!"
The girl winced, holding both of her hands to the lady’s hand that was tangled in her boyish hair.
Her eyes looked towards me, but I ignored it as I boarded the carriage.
I couldn’t help everyone, could I?
"Y-YOU USELESS PEOPLE! How can you all treat me like this! It’s wrong! You all are not even humans!"
’...Hm?’, Before taking the seat, I halted, my eyes turning towards that girl who was being pulled by her hair by that lady, dragged along the ground.
Despite all this, what I particularly noticed was that even after everything, there was not a single tear in the girl’s eyes.
’Hey system, would I be a fool to help her, right?’
[You are my host; your basic qualification for it is this....]
’...Yeah, correct.’
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