" F ranked get your ass over here!!!!" The healer of our party said

  "Damn! Not only is the guy worthless but he's stupid as well."

  "Alright I'm coming." I said as I neatly ordered the undead Skeleton remains , sorting them into the bag. This was a better group then usual, no one has tried to assault me, yet so i thanked my lucky stars. A bunch of c rankers that were raiding a D+ Dungeon. Things like this were a common occurrence , most of the time raiders did a dungeon below their level to ensure they all lived.

  It was standard procedure I picked up stuff then got yelled at ,rinsed and repeat until we eventually they killed the big baddy. I got a small percentage of the loot then we went our separate ways.

  No, I wasn't in the party so I didn't get any experience but the reward was enough to feed my old parents and that was more than enough. Usually if they decide to pull any funny business, someone on their team always sneaks me a few items.

  I've been rank F 99% exp for a few months now. But like humans none of the parties I've joined have let me actually join. They must just like seeing my “stay in my place” as some called it. Some people in this world were like that but because of all the kind people I've encountered I knew only some were. Even if it was the majority, the fact that it wasn’t everyone was good enough for me.

  What did it take to make the world a better place? I wondered. We raged war, and the strong conquered the weak. The people called me a coward but I was raised under religion of Zenith

  , meaning I was more of a pacifist type than anything. Though i wasn't a true pacifist , i came as close as you could be in a world ruled by blood. All that most people knew was the violence ,but was gaining money and power in order to abuse people a worthy use of your time? I thought of most people as misguided, but then again i could just be conceited.

  Sighing I remembered the story that my dad told me when I was a kid.

  [Kid Flashback]

  "Son you know legend has it that God came down from paradise to be on Vernan once , but in an act of hubris humans decided to seal his soul in a tower. "

  "But why would anyone do that?" the younger me asked.

  Hearing the words from a na?ve kid my dad simply let out a low chuckle

  "They believed that God had to be all powerful and if he was not then they had no need to follow him"

  "What did God say?"

  " that , his creations were irredeemable"

  (Flashback end)

  Looking at the group in front of me threatening and slandering one another I could see his point. Though I wondered if God had to live the life that we had to live would he carry the same sentiment In truth i thought he was the irredeemable one for putting us in this predicament , then coming down to judge us. I would never admit this to my father but I had no faith in the Zenith deity since , in all likelihood, he was the hero and the villain. I mean if he had such knowledge then why did it end up like this.

  It was all the same people lashing out because of weakness. Trauma creates trauma and the cycle continues endlessly.

  "Didn't I tell you to get your ass over here??" The female voiced screamed at me again

  "Give it a rest he's a F raker but at the end of the day he's is a human being just like us" a male swordsman said

  "Your soft Dane , make him earn his keep"

  I didn't want them to argue, especially not over this.

  "Thank you for your patience I'm coming "

  When I reached them ,there was a lizard beast that they wanted me to descale. It was relatively big and was a rare catch in a dungeon like this one.

  "You understand what to do?" Dane asked me

  "Yes" i answered trying to put my best foot forward

  " Alright well get to it, don't give them more of a reason to cause you trouble " He said while winking and walking away.

  I knew how to scale a lizard perfectly , I was hardly a stranger to jobs like these. It was just like scaling a huge fish, only a lot tougher.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  While lost in thought I accidentally forced the knife a little too harshly, cutting the palm of my hand.

  Ack ttt that really hurt

  Looking at the red blood being released from the wound, I inwardly sighed knowing I would have to call the healer or risk attracting unnecessary monsters. What was her name Reynalie I think?

  "Reynalie I accidentally cut myself, please heal me"

  " oh you cut yourself? Boohoo are you a child? Why should I heal you?" she answered back in typical Reynalie fashion.

  People like this were part of my daily life, she knew that the scent of blood attracted monsters but felt that it was beneath her to heal me. Gazing into her eyes I could see a cold callousness that was difficult to explain. Why did she constantly feel the need to berate me? Perhaps she feels that it elevates her status but in my opinion putting down another is akin to putting down yourself .

  I could see that not everyone in the crowd agreed with her worldview. Healers were hard to come by so no one said anything. Some people might think of them as immoral but I understood. They gained nothing from helping an F rank but could piss off the only person that could save their lives.

  "Heal the boy , you aren't hot shit cleric" an older mage women said in my defense

  "Oh really now? How are you going to make me?"

  "I could blow you up in an instant , don't get full of yourself "

  Did they really need to argue over something like this? Both of them had their own sense of how the world should be , but for some reason they couldn't co exist. When egos get involved things get blown way out of proportion. Those two were friends a few days ago now one is threatening to kill the other. The world was a sad place .

  "Tch now I'm really not going to help that fucking F ranked. Do you think I'm a veterinarian or something "

  Shaking my head, her insults didn’t phase me but I could see where this was going. I tried to pour water on the fire before it spun out of control.

  "It's OK, Reynalie . Sorry for being clumsy, the cut was shallow , I can just tend to the wound the old fashion way."

  The rogue of there party appeared behind me and handed me a healing potion

  "What a bitch amirite"

  Chuckling, I took the potion with gratitude. Reynalie didn't seem to be happy with the comment but largely chose to ignore it. Finally we can just move on .After finishing the rest of the lizard we moved on.

  Walking behind the group I tagged along . A few didn't hate me but I understood the vast majority of them thought lesser of me. We made quick progress through the rooms of the catacombs ,these adventurers had experience, and something resembling discipline when things got real. The last boss was some sort of elephant with swords but with coordination , tactics and a few fireballs the team made quick work of it.

  A chest room opened up containing copious amounts of treasures, more than previously thought.

  "Wow we sure did get lucky " Reynalie eyes full of greed

  "Yeah " the team stopped dead in their tracks turning to her

  "You know this is nothing personal right?" Dane said making an effort to draw his sword

  "You're not seriously thinking about doing what I think you're thinking " Reynalie said while backing away slowly.

  " oh not me but, you know as they say watch your back”

  Agggh UUGHH I heard a pained groan. The rogue appeared behind the cleric clearly trying to assassinate her. Blood dripping down her chest she used her last breath not to say that she loved her friends and family but to utter racial slurs.

  “God damn elves no good shit fac-” she collapsed mid sentence

  Watching this made me recoil in horror but I knew not to show any signs of emotion. I didn't like her much but I thought his reason for defending me was that I was a human being , was she not also a human being?

  "That teaches that stuck up cunt "

  Turning to look at me the warrior Dane just started laughing " Don't worry we won't kill you , but you don't really think we're giving you any loot right?

  This was bad but nothing I haven't encountered before. Slowly removing the bag I was holding, I gently put it on the floor. Not before removing a higher grade healing potion and slipping it into my pocket.

  "I'll pretend I didn't see that, " the rogue said, grabbing the bag.

  And just like that they left us .me and the dying cleric.

  The moment I thought the coast was clear I immediately went to the dying cleric ripping open her robe. Taking out the greater healing potion I made sure to feed her half while pouring the other half Into her wound. Please, please I begged the universe, i didn’t expect it to answer though.

  Suddenly I heard a cough , Reynalie was coughing up blood lots of it but that was a good sign. Placing my hand on her chest careful to avoid the wound, I felt her heart rate. Her breathing was stabilizing.

  "YOU!... You saved me, why. I berated you and caused you misfortune" Reynalie said while still laying there seemingly in shock

  Why did I save her? Why did i save her? Taking a long pause i said

  " Why did I save you? Earlier I was asking myself was the world such a terrible place but now I understand .It was because of us. The ones who committed the harm, and the ones powerless to stop it. no one is perfect , you simply did what you knew was normal to you. We all change and grow daily. Do not worry about causing misfortune to me , things like that happen to all people. I know no one really cares in this world of ours but Besides, if I want to live I'm a better world , then we must create a paradise here on Vernan.

  Those words were stuck repeating in my head. Where was i?

  Slowly opening my eyes my vision was blurry. Above me I saw the most peculiar thing, the creature named Alioth. Pitch black bark like skin, with purple hair and voids for eyes was shedding black tears. They were for me weren't they.

  At times like this normally I would call him a pussy but I couldn't bring myself to insult him. I now know even his most intimate secrets and feelings.

  Feeling around I noticed he held me in his lap like one would do a close acquaintance . Grabbing his arms I felt the rough skin on his palm.

  I took time to contemplate his life. Someone born from a poor family trying to do his best even given the lopsided circumstances . In many ways he was hated for simply being born but he didn't let that destroy his spirit. Not once did he fall into depression but tried to make his world a better place. Even after what I did to him ,he still has me in his lap and is holding me fondly. It's not like he's dumb either , he fully understood the risk of dealing with me but did it for me, his goblin and dragon friend.

  Closing my eyes once again I realized something he was far from weak. He probably thinks we're so alike but we're nothing alike. I was weak and he was strong. Not strong in muscle mass , skill , technique or in any conventional sense.

  His strength came from his ideals, and to me that meant he had inner strength that i did not. This experience unlocked a new range of emotions in me, ones long forgotten.

  I was leading him down a path of hatred…

  Honestly I am ashamed

  A feeling that I never had before were washing over me like waves on the sea’s shore. Calmness, a slight bit of happiness, and a lot of desire. Desire to change . That entering of his memories was something of a call to action for me. Did everything i ended have such a complex life, was i really stuck in a cycle of hurt. When was the last time I felt anything other than adrenaline or anger, and lastly why wasn't I happy.

  This man in front of me deserved my utmost respect, he now to me seemed like a messiah amongst men who claimed to be powerful.

  Reaching out and holding his gentle hands i asked my friend.

  “Alioth , Do you still believe in creating a paradise here on Vernan”

  Taken aback by the question he laughed. This was probably the first time i ever seen him happy .putting his nose on my nose he said

  “Only if we try”