The Terith Continent.
Falixan Village.
This was a remote settlement, isolated and desolate, over thirty miles from the nearest town.
Its population barely reached two thousand.
Houses built in old European style—stone and timber—stood crookedly against the howling winds, looking ready to collapse at any moment. Snow blanketed everything in sight, painting the entire landscape in endless white.
Inside a small house, a young man around twenty-five stood by the door, gazing out at the snowy sky. He stood roughly 175 cm tall, with brown hair and handsome, masculine features.
"It's been two years already, huh?" he murmured softly, his gaze distant, tinged with nostalgia.
Inwardly, he spoke, 'System! Open personal status window.'
At once, a translucent screen appeared before his eyes, hovering silently in midair.
…
Name: Lathel
Class: None
Talent – Immortal (SSS): Infinite lifespan, infinite resurrections. For every year you survive in this world, you gain 100 free attribute points.
Attributes:
STR: 210 | Enlightenment: 0 | Magic: 0 | Luck: 0
…
Indeed—he was not someone native to this world.
Everything had begun two years ago, when he was summoned here along with many others by the Church, chosen as "Heroes" meant to save this world from the Demon King.
A cliché isekai hero setup he'd read hundreds of times before. But unlike the others, he hadn't been blessed with good fortune.
While the other heroes all possessed extraordinary talents of rare grades or higher, he alone had received nothing.
In the end, the Church tossed him a few gold coins… and expelled him from the Hero's Party.
At first, he'd thought he might fit a different trope—something like 'Kicked from the Hero's Party, I Became the True Hero'—or something along those lines.
But he had been overthinking.
True, he had awakened a System—but aside from granting him an SSS-rank talent, it showed no other functions whatsoever.
And that talent wasn't even overwhelmingly powerful—it didn't make him invincible, nor destined to be a Hero.
On the contrary, it granted him only one thing: immortality.
Lathel could sum up his talent in one sentence: the longer he lived, the stronger he became.
Each passing year granted him 100 free attribute points. At first, he believed that with 100 points in Strength, he could easily make a living as an Adventurer.
But reality was cruel.
He was only a Bronze-rank Adventurer—the lowest tier. Without any proper combat training, he'd been killed countless times in battle—
Sometimes not even by monsters, but by other Adventurers themselves.
If not for his Talent: Immortal, Lathel would've died on the very first day he arrived in this world.
Recognizing the harsh reality, he had long abandoned the life of an Adventurer and moved to a small, desolate village—choosing instead to live as an ordinary man.
"Are you not cold?"
A soft, feminine voice suddenly broke the silence.
Lathel turned around and saw a beautiful woman stepping out from the bedroom.
She had platinum-blonde hair, snow-white skin, and violet eyes that were both eerie and captivating. A faint, almost… peculiar smile graced her beautiful face.
Her name was Viviane.
Like him, she had been expelled from the Hero's Party for lacking any talent. At first, she did odd jobs within the Church—enough to live a quiet, modest life.
But because of her beauty, Viviane had constantly faced trouble. Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, she fled.
By chance, three months ago, she arrived in this village… and found Lathel.
Though they shared the same house, they slept in separate rooms. Even so, the townsfolk gossiped that they were husband and wife.
Viviane didn't seem to care about the rumors. She handled the housework and cooking, while he hunted and foraged for food. And so, the two had quietly lived together for more than three months.
"No," Lathel shrugged. "What about you?"
"A little cold…" Viviane lowered her head slightly, her pale hands clutching the hem of her worn dress, as if she could tear it apart with just a bit of strength.
Then, remembering something, she lifted her gaze and said softly, "We're almost out of food."
"Ah." Lathel scratched his head. "There's nothing left around here to eat. I suppose… I'll have to venture into the Gloomy Forest to hunt some snow rabbits."
Viviane's eyes widened in alarm. "No!" she blurted out. "That forest is far too dangerous!"
Lathel sighed and shook his head. "There's no other choice. It's famine season, and winter's dragging on. If I don't go deeper into the forest, we'll have nothing left to eat."
Viviane didn't know about his immortality. Her face was filled with genuine worry.
"That place isn't just home to wild beasts. There are monsters… and Goblins. It's far too dangerous. I still have this—" she said, pulling out a small bracelet and holding it out toward him.
Lathel glanced at the bracelet, immediately recognizing its value. Selling it would bring in enough gold coins to buy food for several more months.
But then he smiled faintly, pushing her hand back. His tone softened.
"Don't worry. I'm too scared of dying to take reckless risks. Besides, if I die, who'll protect such a beautiful girl?"
At his teasing words, Viviane's cheeks flushed crimson. She bit her lip, stammering, "But… it's dangerous. If something happens to you, what will I do?"
Lathel chuckled and reached out, gently patting her head. "It's fine. I'll come back."
Indeed, with his Immortal talent, even if he were burned to ashes, he could resurrect.
For him, hunting a few snow rabbits in the forest was nothing but a trivial task.
Viviane's face turned bright red, her eyes glimmering faintly with emotion. She hesitated before whispering, "If you come back this time… I'll… I'll…"
"Hm?" Lathel grinned teasingly. "You'll what? Marry me?"
His tone was light, teasing—but Viviane didn't get angry. Instead, she lowered her head and nodded softly, her hands clutching her skirt without saying another word.
Lathel laughed heartily, then turned toward the door. He grabbed the woodcutter's axe hanging on the wall and called out with a grin,
"Lock the door tight—and wait for me to come back."
Viviane watched Lathel's departing figure, countless thoughts swirling in her mind.
Yet despite her unease, she still smiled softly—and nodded.
…
Outside, snow had piled up nearly thirty centimeters deep.
Fortunately, with his Strength stat already at 210 points, moving through it wasn't too difficult.
He glanced around. Snow stretched endlessly in every direction, and a sigh escaped his lips.
Lathel hadn't expected that in just two short years, this region would fall into such a devastating famine.
Normally, the snowfall would last only one or two months at most—but this time, it had continued for four straight months.
Not only the crops, but even the livestock had perished in the relentless cold.
And since his town lay more than thirty miles from the nearest settlement, transporting food had become almost impossible.
That was why famine spread so quickly here.
Most of the townsfolk had already fled, leaving behind only a handful of stubborn survivors.
Lathel gripped the axe in his hand.
He wore thin, patched clothing, covered only by a straw coat to ward off the chill, and began walking toward the narrow trail that led into the Gloomy Forest.
"Lathel!"
A man's voice suddenly called out.
He looked up and saw two figures standing at the forest's edge.
He immediately recognized them—Bob and Nick.
But rather than feeling relief, Lathel's expression darkened slightly, a trace of caution flickering in his eyes.
'Those two… they're thugs from the town. I've barely spoken to them before. What do they want from me now?'
Though wary, he had no desire to provoke trouble.
He tightened his grip on the axe and slowly approached them.
Bob and Nick were only a few years older than Lathel, but they had rough, brutish faces and gaunt, unhealthy frames.
"Going hunting, huh?"
Bob grinned, a quiver of arrows slung across his back.
"That's right," Lathel replied honestly. "We've run out of food at home."
At his answer, Bob shot Nick a quick glance.
Nick smirked, immediately catching on.
"This winter's been harsh," he said with a sneer. "The famine's getting out of control. You're no hunter—and feeding another mouth must be tough. Maybe you should just…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but Lathel understood perfectly.
The moment the two mentioned "another mouth," he knew exactly whom they meant—Viviane.
She was far too beautiful.
Even back at the Church, her looks had brought her nothing but trouble.
Here, in this remote, filthy town, she stood out like a lotus blooming in the mud.
It was no surprise these scoundrels had set their eyes on her.
Lathel forced a laugh.
"Haha… it's fine. I can still manage somehow. You two don't need to worry."
"Wait."
Bob suddenly stepped forward, blocking Lathel's path.
He brushed the snow from Lathel's shoulder, though his motion was a bit too forceful—clearly an attempt to assert dominance.
Thud! Thud!
"Lathel," Bob said with a mocking grin, "You're no hunter, not even an Adventurer. Having such a beauty at home is dangerous, you know?"
His tone carried both sarcasm and threat.
"Besides, tax season's coming up. If you can't pay... well, who knows what might happen? Hehe..."
Lathel's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew exactly what Bob was hinting at.
Every resident of the town had to pay ten silver coins per year.
For him and Viviane—that meant twenty silver in total.
For this wretched little town, twenty silver coins was an enormous sum—so large that the mere thought of it could make one's chest tighten.
Bob grinned, his voice dripping with malice.
"I know you don't have that kind of money. So here's my offer: let that girl of yours spend one night with me and Nick—just one night. I'll give you ten silver coins. What do you say?"
Lathel's blood boiled.
Even an idiot could tell what these scum were doing—they were threatening him.
If he refused…
The air grew tense. Just as Lathel's grip tightened around his axe—
Ding!
A notification suddenly rang out in his mind.
[Fate Choice System Activated]
Choice 1: Allow Viviane to sleep with Bob and Nick.
Reward: Bob and Nick's trust (and contempt); +10 Free Attribute Points.
Choice 2: Ignore Bob and Nick's proposition.
Reward: +20 Free Attribute Points; Random Weapon (Rank F).
Choice 3: Kill Bob and Nick.
Reward: +20 Free Attribute Points; Skill – [Basic Close Combat].