5. Curses

“Oh, I didn’t know you were a King in your past life. Not many humans manage the requisites to be granted such a title.

Matheus didn’t know what to say. First he felt shock, then anger. Now he just felt powerless.

Of course it wouldn’t be that easy to escape. His “title” was with him everywhere he went, ever since the first video. Ever since Natalia.

What a big surprise that even in his second life, it followed him.

“What are you waiting for? At your current Connection level, you need to equip it to get a full description and list of benefits.

Matheus didn’t want to do it. Would this appear right below his name to anyone who analyzed him? He grimaced, already anticipating the jokes and taunts. But he still didn’t have any skills, or weapons, or anything. He wasn’t in a position to refuse any advantage, just because it hurt his pride.

He wanted his second chance, didn’t he?

He equipped it.

The King of Losers.

The failures! The underachievers! The screw-ups, the nobodies! Everyone needs guidance, and the losers are no different. You are their King!

The bearer of this title will receive the following benefits:

+1 Strength, +1 Intelligence, +1 Might

The “Vassals” Attribute! The “For Honor” skill!

You are a King! All Kings have access to the “Kingdom’ System.

This Title has Divine tempering. You’ve been bestowed with… A Curse! The “Loser Court! You’ve been bestowed with… A Curse! The “Out of the Spotlight!

“Did I just get cursed twice? What the heck!” Matheus grumbled out loud. What kind of reward was that?

“Those are probably limitations to some of your skills, to balance your new abilities” “The Entity explained. “It’s not rare for a Champion to be cursed once or twice on their journey. You were warned of Divine tempering.

“I had no idea what that was! Aren’t you my Guider or something? It said so in your title. Guide me! Warn me before I get cursed.” Matheus said with exasperation.

“I didn’t know it was a Curse, I thought it would be a Blessing.” She explained, also showing some irritation. “Far more common to be Blessings, especially in the First Trial. But as I said, it is not exactly rare… just very uncommon. I am sure it’s just to balance your new abilities. Shouldn’t you check what they are before complaining?

Matheus grunted. He decided to leave the curses to the last. He was tired, his body sore, and he needed some good news. He hated confronting bad situations, clinging to his happy moments to the very last second, as though any moment they would be taken away.

His mother even quarreled with him all the time, because he would always start his dessert before eating his dinner.

He noticed the Kingdom tab on the left corner of his eyes, so that was the first thing he checked.

You’ve unlocked the Kingdom System! Warning! A minimum Race level of 25 is needed in order to use this Tab.

That was interesting, but level 25 was crazy. Until he managed to get 24 levels it would be completely useless, and that was quite some time. He would have preferred something that helped him now. Why give him a blocked Tab? Very annoying, but at the same time, it was a Kingdom System! Matheus couldn’t help and feel a little excited about the future, very much looking forward to starting to build his empire.

You’ve acquired the Vassals Attribute!

Your Vassals are people that have pledged their loyalty to you. You can increase your party size, 1 spot to every 5 Race levels and 2 Might levels.

You have 0 Vassals. Available spots: 0

You’ve been granted the “For Honor” Skill!

For Honor Skill Level: 1 Current Boost Time: 10 seconds. Effects: A temporary boost to all your allies, decided by their individual level multiplied to your Might level.

Those were very good advantages, especially the Vassals Attribute! Matheus’ mind was racing with the different possibilities. He could build an army! Badass mages, fearless warriors and capable healers. If he managed to get enough heroes to join his party, he would be unstoppable!

He felt a weight being lifted from his back. Matheus didn’t want to admit it, but he didn’t think he could really do something like this by himself. Everyone else always seemed stronger, faster and smarter. It was good knowing he could get help on his journey.

Now, it was time to face the poisoned spoiled food that was his main dish. But Matheus was feeling optimistic. Whatever those curses are, he was getting an army! Anything would be worth it in exchange for that.

Loser Court Curse: All members of your Court, may they be Allies, Companions, Familiars, Vassals or Supporters, have to fulfill the following requirements:

Be at a lower level than the threshold of an area. Be limited, crippled, damaged and/or cursed. Be a loser*.

*You know, pathetics good-for-nothing unfits, doomed to fail and mostly likely virgins.

Now what the hell was that? And why did the System add that part at the end like that?

This curse would fuck up all his plans. It would pretty much guarantee he never had a strong Vassal, and it made the For Honor Skill pretty much useless!

And to put salt in the wound, his next notification was questionably worse.

Out of the Spotlight Curse: You are unable to receive any Legendary Spell, Skill, or Ability, and unable to use any Legendary equipment, item or improvement of any kind.

Now he was permanently blocked from getting anything with a legendary classification? Matheus didn’t even know there were classifications, but legendary items and abilities were always game changers. What was this title even good for?

“I’m not keeping this” Matheus said, unequipping his title immediately.

Except, nothing changed.

“The curses are still here” Matheus said miserably.

“Of course. Curses and Blessings are always with you. They can be broken, but I wouldn’t count on it. You’ll need to learn to adapt with what you have.”

‘That was a terrible reward!! It was not even a reward, really, it was a punishment! It is not fair.”

“Do not presume to know what is fair and not. You dare to think yourself wiser than Gods? She asked, tone suddenly very serious.

Matheus trembled slightly. Being on the wrong side of Gods seemed like a terrible idea.

“No, I… was just expecting something else.” As she said, he would have to deal with it. It wouldn’t be really a problem for now either way. It was annoying, but he would do his best to ignore it.

The Entity seemed to have taken some pity on him. “As I said, this is a generous bounty, even though it may not seem like one now. There are thousands of different paths to victory in this Contest, you shouldn’t worry if some are blocked to you. You need to find your way of winning.”

“Right. I understand it.” Matheus answered defeatedly. No point in beating a dead horse. If there’s something Matheus was good at, it was accepting good things being taken away. His fault, honestly, for believing otherwise this time.

They stayed in silence for a few moments.

“You know, there were seven different ways to pass the first trial. You learned the movements of the platforms and used it to your advantage…without Analyzing the Souls moving in front of you, which would have given you all the information you needed and more. A show of abundance and lack of cleverness at the same time.”

Matheus blushed a little. The idea had totally slipped from his mind. He had forgotten completely about the System during the chase.

He cursed himself. Those long minutes observing and calculating, while the Bunny went farther away. He felt foolish.

“There’s never only one answer. And there will always be dozens of different ways to look into the same situation. When you think you’ve understood something, assume there is still more to it. Find out what you are still missing.”

Matheus had no idea how to answer that.

“Now, all the preparations are done. You have your Bounty. You have your item. Before anything serious can begin, though, you still have to be worthy as a Champion. You need your lore”

“My lore?” Matheus asked, getting confused.

“You are still missing your backstory.” The Entity said, as if it explained anything. “Consider it an opportunity to train and get stronger, before the real battle begins. During this time, try to get familiar with the mechanics of the Contest, seek for powerful abilities and hone your skills.

“You must be ready to face the other Champions when the time is over.

Matheus felt anxiety creeping back in. That was right. He had barely started his journey. Would those other Champions have gotten powerful advantages on their Trials? He hoped everyone was cursed, just like him. But Matheus had a dreadful feeling he was a special case. Not many people had his luck.

No point in ruminating on it forever.

“When do we start this “training”?

Now that Matheus stopped paying attention to the System, he took a better look at his surroundings, and was surprised to find the scenario made sense. No floating platforms extending to the infinite, no eternal darkness, no images beyond human comprehension.

Just a glade. Some trees, grass and a blue sky.

“We’ve already started” The Entity answered and disappeared, leaving Matheus alone.