The protagonist, Shuui, begins his journey in the VRMMO "Skill Rich World Online" (SRO). After a brief character creation process, he is surprised to be granted a "Skill Roulette" due to meeting specific criteria. This roulette grants him the unique skill "Skill Collector," which, while increasing all his stats by 50%, also resets all his learned skills and removes skill slot limits. This unexpected turn of events leaves him with a seemingly useless set of skills: "Hiccup," "Unnoticeable," "Lost," and "Ventriloquism."
Shuui discusses his predicament with his childhood friends, Takumi and Akane, who are beta testers. They are initially amused by his bizarre skill set but become concerned when they realize he cannot acquire new skills through normal means like skill orbs or quests due to "Skill Collector." Despite the setback, Shuui decides to proceed, hoping to find a way to make his situation work.
He registers as an adventurer at the Ton Town Adventurer's Guild. Shortly after, he is challenged to a Player versus Player (PvP) duel by a player named "Guts." Shuui, using his unique skills, easily defeats Guts, earning his opponent's money and, surprisingly, the "Disassemble" skill. This skill allows him to acquire skills from defeated opponents, particularly less common ones.
Shuui then takes on a herb gathering quest. However, he acquires another peculiar skill, "Dropping," which causes him to lose items. This skill later evolves into "Picking Up," which has unpredictable results. He also learns from Takumi and Akane about the game's economy and world, including the dangers of Player Killers (PKs).
Driven by the potential to acquire new skills and earn money, Shuui actively hunts PKs. He successfully defeats three PKs in the northern field, acquiring their equipment and, more importantly, their skills, including "Sense of Foreboding" and "Enhanced Sense of Smell." The PKs, upon respawning, are shocked by their complete loss of equipment and skills, suspecting Shuui's involvement.
Shuui sells the PKs' equipment to a shopkeeper named Nant, earning a significant amount of gold. He then visits the Guild Master to dispose of a dangerous poison bottle confiscated from the PKs. The Guild Master, recognizing Shuui as an "Outsider," acknowledges his actions and offers to compensate him for the herb gathering quest. He also expresses interest in having Shuui take on more challenging monster subjugation quests, but Shuui explains his current limitations due to his lack of basic skills. The chapter ends with Shuui contemplating his unique and challenging path in SRO, while PKs discuss the mysterious player who is stripping them of their possessions and skills.
