In a World Where Death Is Cheap, I’ll Get Back at the Goddess Who Dumped Me—with My “Self-Destruct” Skill [Dropped] - Chapter 01: Thrown Away Like Trash
Act 01: The Beginning of Payback
Chapter 01: Thrown Away Like Trash
After dying in a sudden accident and being reincarnated as a Hero by the goddess, Taiga Orikami was now running for his life through a forest packed with magical beasts.
Because the “Hero bonus” skill he received—Self-Destruct—didn’t please the goddess, she had dumped him here like trash.
Right in the middle of a deadly forest crawling with monsters.
“Goddess? More like that damn bitch! You’ve got to be kidding me!”
The look of disgust she gave him still burned vividly in his memory.
So, while desperately fleeing in a frantic game of tag with magical beasts, he kept cursing her under his breath.
“Haah… haah… This is the worst situation ever… and somehow my body’s stronger than it was back in Japan. That just makes me more annoyed!”
Before reincarnating—back when he had just been a normal high school student in Japan—Taiga hadn’t exactly been athletic.
Long-distance runs in gym class used to leave him completely drained.
There was no way he could have sprinted through a forest like this for long.
But after becoming a Hero, it seemed his physical abilities had improved, at least a little.
That small boost was the only reason he was still alive.
Of course, with better strength and stamina, he would have loved to fight back against the magical beasts chasing him.
Unfortunately, he was still just an ordinary high schooler with zero martial arts experience.
Facing real monsters charging at him was far beyond his abilities.
If he had even one decent skill, maybe he could have gathered the courage to stand his ground.
But when your only skill is Self-Destruct—
Fighting back was basically the same as committing suicide.
“Still, I can’t afford to be picky. I need to get out of this forest before I collapse. First things first—escape!”
With that single goal in mind, Taiga kept his legs moving, desperately hoping to make it out alive.
How long had he been running?
He had no idea how to properly navigate a forest.
All he did was head in whichever direction the monster cries sounded faintest.
Which meant he had no clue whether he was moving toward the edge of the forest… or deeper into it.
But strangely, the farther he ran, the fewer magical beasts chased him.
“…Phew. If I go this way, they stop following me. I don’t really get it, but I’ll take it.”
He accepted it as pure luck.
After being thrown into a deadly forest without warning and forced into a life-or-death chase, his brain didn’t have the energy left to question why the monsters avoided this direction.
His only concern was survival.
“Should I keep moving before they come back… or take a break… huh?”
Just as he was deciding what to do next, he heard something.
It wasn’t a monster’s roar.
It sounded like… voices.
“…but… that person… maybe…”
“A human voice! There are people in this forest?!”
Taiga focused all his senses on listening.
When he strained his ears, he could faintly make it out—
Voices.
Actual human voices.
Someone else was in this forest.
The moment that realization sank in, joy flooded through him.
Without thinking, he dashed toward the sound.
He found the source quickly.
It was a woman who looked about his age—maybe a little older.
She seemed completely out of place in such a dangerous forest.
Just as Taiga was about to call out to her, she noticed him first and spoke before he could.
“Are you a Hero?”
“Eh? H-How do you know—?”
The sudden question caught him off guard.
But seeing his reaction, the woman appeared to reach her own conclusion.
“That reaction… so this is your first reincarnation. And you were sent here? Does that mean your starting skill is strong?”
As she continued analyzing on her own, the way she looked at him gradually changed.
Her gaze grew more suspicious by the second.
Finally meeting another human, only to be treated like a suspicious character, was the last thing Taiga needed.
He hurried to explain himself.
“N-No, that’s not it! I got dumped here because my skill was a dud!”
“…They treated a Hero like a disposable pawn? Suspicious.”
“It’s true! Please believe me!”
“…Then tell me. Who is your patron deity?”
“Pa—patron deity? Uh, um… the goddess who reincarnated me said her name was Urza!”
“Goddess Urza?!”
The instant Taiga spoke the name, the woman’s eyes widened.
It was obvious—
She knew that goddess.
“I see. If it’s that goddess, I can believe she’d treat her Hero like a disposable pawn.”
“So you believe me?!”
“I believe you.”
“Thank goodness!”
The suspicion in her eyes finally faded, and Taiga let out a relieved breath.
But that relief didn’t last long.
“Still… that’s exactly why I’m going to kill you.”
“W-Wait, what?”
“I can’t allow a Hero chosen by that goddess to live. Sorry.”
With those calm words, the woman drew the sword at her waist.
Before Taiga could even react—
Before his enhanced Hero eyesight could track the movement—
She swung the blade down at a speed he couldn’t even see.
