A kid in his teens yet to bud was walking on the roads. This road further led towards the forest where he usually hunts for the food they eat. His clothes flutter as the wind blew them, especially the hunting robes that he tied on his back with a pin.
He made a promise to his parents before he left their home to come back alive and bring meat. That gave him the source of his bravery and motive to do this little hunt that he does every day.
As he trod the path, he was warned by a villager that a predator was roaming in their village every night. Knocking on their doorstep and scurrying away when not opened. A beast in orange and black stripes she said.
She also said that several villagers already died after they opened the door with annoyance on their faces. Thinking that someone was knocking on their door in the middle of the night. Their annoyance only became frightened stricken into their faces after their last breath. The woman warned him but the boy only smiled back and thanked her for the worry she gave. Further paving his way towards his initial destination without a change of mind.
The boy seemed not affected by the danger he will face, further going towards the entrance of the forest and beginning his hunt. Beast or not, he will face it head-on. Entering the forest, he disappeared into the darkness of the forest trees.
It was then, Joan fell down the portal, and seconds later he saw that he was falling from the sky.
"Ahhhhh!!! I am falling!" Joan screamed, as he tried to balance his body turning mid-air due to the speed of his fall.
As his vision kept turning around the world he was falling to, he could see the clouds and the greenery of the world that was so large and saw the continents, and the huge seas surrounding them.
As he's gets closer and closer to the ground, he saw the kingdom from afar and some of the villages. He noticed the dark, and dreary demon continent up above the said Kingdom.
He was getting nearer to the ground and saw a village below him. Now not afraid of the fall, he decided to dive some more and realized something. He wasn't living the entire time he was falling; he saw his arms almost transparent and ghost-like.
The feeling of falling from the sky was so realistic for him that he thought he was still alive with a tangible body, as he continued to fall, his soul entered a body of the kid as the kid that was motionless and laying on the ground, as his soul entered the body, there was a flash of light and then darkness.
As he slowly opened his eyes, he felt excruciating pain in his shoulders. He then remembered all memories of the past of the body that he now resides in.
His name was Joan, to his surprise he has the same name as him. And their family was the Emsworth family, a complete identical name and family name.
As memories kept resurfacing, he remembered that he was running away from something, he was chased by a monster called a man-eating tiger.
He was hunting some wild boar for food and then he encountered a surprise-attack, a creature jumped behind him, biting his shoulders almost ripping it apart.
Luckily, he jumped to the nearby cliff and dived into the river. He was then carried away somewhere near the village.
"Maybe he died of loss of blood. I should see if I can make it out alive here first." Joan said.
He healed himself with his Priest skill [Heal]. But to his dismay, he only stopped the bleeding.
Upon realizing that his skill aptitude went back to square one. The moment he used the skill, his mana was quickly exhausted. Something that added more to his problem.
"Wait? I became a beginner again and one that can't even completely heal my wound? I should train faster this time around. And my wound only stopped bleeding. At least I have a cloth to make a bandage," Joan said as he removed his shirt. Cleaning the blood on the river.
He ripped his shirt and methodically wrapped it around his shoulders as a bandage, making a first aid on himself. He saw a bow and some arrows that were probably his hunting weapons littered beside him.
The bow was still usable and there were plenty of arrows left on the quiver.
"These weapons are too much for the enemy. No, it was the other way around. From what I have seen, the monster that killed many villagers is very aggressive. Not a makeshift arrow can kill it easily. The parents of this body's owner are farmers, and their son is hunting for food. It is very hard to live as they are poor, and the lord of their village is a scum that didn't even give them any share. The last harvest is a failure, and they have to double their pay for them." Joan cursed inside.
It was not a surprise for him to be forced to hunt for food. And his parents were worried as he was young and there were monsters outside the village. He still ventured and brought meat in their house and due to his parent's poverty.
They can only thank their son for his efforts. He was a brave child that was very caring to his parents until his life ends.
So, from that day forth, he will be Joan Emsworth. Taking up his name was an honor to an old man like him.
A brave child that didn't mind the danger he will go through just to feed his parents. It almost made Joan cry of meeting a valiant child that was ready to die anytime every time he goes hunting. It moved his heart and was captivated by his story.
"I will surely take care of your parents, Joan. Leave them to me." He said in a sad voice as he looked at the boy's reflection on the water.
He took up the bow and arrow and saw on his back the man-eating tiger. A creature of orange and black stripes was seen crouching, ready to pounce at him anytime. Growling with blood still painted on its mouth. It was probably his blood that was being smelled and pinpointed his direction.
"So, you followed me here? I guess you will regret it when you let me out alive." Joan said then loaded an arrow on the bow.
"Did I say this weapon can't kill you? Of course, I forgot that it was me this time around." Joan said to him while smirking.
He draws the bow and aims it at its eye. Without wasting time, the tiger dashed towards him with its claws ready to maul his body.
Dirt was hurled on its path and Joan fired the arrow. Immediately drawing another arrow in a split-second without moving on his ground.
The tiger was struck in both eyes and it fell to the dirt on his back. Joan evading the tiger's attack in a very close call.
The monster growled and thrashed around. Without mercy to the enemy, he rained his arrow on it.
Within one second, seven arrows were propelled towards it. Using up all his arrows on the process. It was struck on its neck, shoulders, and its face but it was still alive.
He then grabbed the arrows and pulled them off. Holding two arrows in both his hands. The monster winced from the pain of the arrows that he took away and tried to fiercely slash and trash around, but all attacks were evaded.
Now that its eyes were pierced making it blind, it growled to the pain and slashed in the direction of Joan's noise. Evading his strikes, he quickly side-stepped, and leaped in the air as he aimed the arrows to the tiger again and shot it, the arrow landed on its neck. Breaking the spine.
Making the enemy paralyzed. The enemy couldn't move and only growled in vain as Joan again took the arrow away from it and now instead of shooting it, started stabbing it to death. He was bathed with its blood and the monster let out its last growl.
Slowly the paralyzed tiger spent its last breath.
Joan panted while he was on the top of its lifeless body and felt that his wound had bled again.
"Ngk!" Joan groaned and winced from the pain as he tried to stop the bleeding of his once again opened wound.
He cast [Heal] again and his bleeding stopped. Barely able to heal it with just his mana. Soon after that, he saw that the body of the monster began fading and golden light was absorbed by his body.
It soon all went into his body and the arrows were only what fell in the ground.
"Woohoo! I killed it! I avenged you, Joan! I can sleep well with it being killed." He said then slammed his butt on the ground.
He was very tired as he was not used to this kind of body. Barely able to move but it was still impressive as he knows the past Joan was training himself to hunt for food.
Not slacking in his training. He was determined to live and to survive their predicament.
After it all, he felt that he was stronger this time. His body was lighter, and he can move faster. He immediately saw that the tiger he killed disintegrated and streaks of lights entered his body.
"Wait, the monster that I absorbed. That made me stronger?" Joan said in his surprise, as he felt a sudden surge of energy.
He smiled then smirked and he can't help but be pleased by what he discovered. Soon after that, he went to find a young boar to hunt.
He easily found one who was solitarily having a bath in the river. They tend to bath as they don't have sweat glands to cool themselves.
As Joan sneaked towards it, he was careful not to alert it. Firing an arrow to its spinal cord behind its neck made it lost its life instantly in one hit.
He tied the young boar on his back and went to their village.