Thick fog shrouded the surroundings, obscuring everything in a blurry haze. The air was still and repugnant; every breath felt like another reason not to breathe. Lucky grunted as he gazed at the skyscraper looming in the sky, its presence seeming oddly inverted. He stared at it for minutes, questioning the state of his vision.
"This is Earth," he told himself, his fingers zeroing in on his temple. When he peeked at the sky once more, he arched a brow. "Or not."
After many years of existence, nothing could ever surprise him. A world of magic? A world of darkness? A world trapped in a loop? He had probably seen or glimpsed them all. The gods he knew were too creative and excited to have created so many unique universes.
So, what world was he thrown into?
[Welcome to the Land of Horrors.]
Lucky's face twitched when words suddenly appeared before him. "Like I said, can't they use more powerful opening remarks?"
[To start your mission, choose your beginner's class.]
Suddenly, an option appeared below the text, making him furrow his brows.
"What are these options?" he murmured. "Is this some sort of game? If it is, then it's such a lame one."
Lucky darted his eyes to the three options he had on the screen.
[Delivery man] [Disco man] [Warrior]
Was this even a question?
Lucky raised his hand, moving it to click the warrior class. Who wanted to be a disco man?! What was that even? But before he could even touch the option of his choosing, the delivery man option lit up.
"Hey! I didn't do that!"
[Congratulations! You've chosen your class. Now, choose your beginner's skill.]
[Fire] [Speed] [Water] [Air] [Random]
Lucky stared at the options with a grim expression. Was he even meant to choose? It seemed like whoever was behind this message was choosing for him. However, infuriating it was, Lucky calmed himself.
"I will not give you the satisfaction of seeing me lose my control," he lazily slid his arm underneath his head. "Since you're choosing for me, then choose for me."
The screen remained unchanged.
He arched a brow, squinting his eyes suspiciously. He waited for an entire minute for the system to choose for him. But nothing happened.
"Tsk." Lucky snapped his tongue, looking at the options he had. He rubbed his chin and, when he decided, raised his hand to click his chosen skill. But again, before his finger could even come close to the options, the [Random] option lit up.
[Delivery man chooses random skill. Random skill rolled. Skills cooldown: 178,900 seconds.]
His face contorted, seeing a small dice rolling in the middle of the screen. Was that supposed to mean he had to wait for two days before seeing what sort of nonsensical skill he had?
"Tch. They should've outright told me they want me to fail instead of playing me," he scoffed in ridicule, watching the screen show more text with disinterest.
[Default items placed in your inventory: beginner's weapon, accessory, wardrobe, 10 cans of Spam, 10 liters of water]
There wasn't anything that caught his interest in the list of things in his inventory.
"How do I even access them from my inventory?" he blurted out, and to his surprise, the system answered him by bringing out a guide out of thin air.
A thick-covered book slowly came into view, hovering over his face for a moment before it fell straight onto his face.
"Ah!" Lucky winced as the book's hardcover hit the bridge of his nose. "Dam —"
[You have everything you need for the day in your inventory and guide. May you bring home the glory.]
Lucky peeked at the screen, barely catching a glimpse of the text before it disappeared without a trace. All that was left was the book in his hand and the fog polluting his lungs.
"My head is killing me," he grumbled, propping his elbow against the concrete he had been lying on. When he sat up, he looked around, only to furrow his brows in disbelief.
"What in the world?" he blurted out.
Everything around him was covered with a dense fog, but he could still see fog-shrouded ruins and the complete desolation of the city. He slowly rose to his feet, studying his surroundings.
"The Land of Horrors, huh?" he recalled, nodding his head in understanding. "It's called that because this place is like a ghost town?"
Lucky shrugged nonchalantly. This was not enough to scare him. He had seen worse. With his interest piqued in the world he was thrust into, he shifted his attention to the book in his hand. Hopefully, this book will provide him with some answers.
How to access his inventory?
His mission was already known to him before he woke up in this world. All he had to do was deliver the seven packages without a hitch. What he needed were things that could help him complete his task, not a can of spam.
"Let's see…" Lucky licked his thumb and flipped the pages, skimming through the lengthy introduction of the book. "Just how many pages is this introduction?"
His finger flipped the pages even faster, trying to catch any useful keywords. But as he immersed himself in searching for the answers he needed, he suddenly heard an evil chuckle from the corner. Lucky arched a brow, the sound of the laugh almost familiar.
He turned his head, searching for the source. When his eyes landed on the ruined building, he caught a pair of glowing red eyes through the thick fog. Squinting, he saw a faint silhouette of a figure peeking at him behind the ruin.
The attentive seeker.
"An Imp?" he frowned deeply. "Tsk. Stay away, Imp. I'm busy."
"Kekeke."
Lucky shook his head, unfazed by the sight of the lesser demon. But when he took his eyes off the Imp, he heard a deep and hair-raising rumble from his side. He turned his head once again, catching sight of a three-headed animal with a strange gait approaching slowly.
"The hell? Why are you guys here?" he asked in surprise. "Were you sent to accompany me?"
The three-headed hound's growl sounded louder as Lucky continued to talk curiously. When the beast stepped into his vicinity, it let out a louder growl and lunged in his direction, its mouth wide open, ready to gnaw his flesh.
"Watch out!"
Lucky's frown deepened, looking away from the beast. He swiftly closed the thick book, holding its edge with one hand, and used it to block the deadly bite aimed at his head. A glint flickered across his eyes as he twisted his neck to face the three-headed hound, the book stuck in one of the head's mouths.
"Did I say I was busy?" His tone dropped, exuding murderous intent. "And when I say I'm busy, you play dead."
The other head on the left growled as its neck stretched, attempting to bite Lucky, only to get slapped by him. Before the other head could react, Lucky delivered a swift kick straight to its skull. In a matter of seconds, the beast dropped to the ground with Lucky's foot atop its head.
"Just when would you learn?" he hissed, shifting his glinting eyes to the Imp hiding in the corner. He crooked his finger, beckoning the trickster. "Come here, Imp. Your turn."
The Imp giggled deviously before vanishing into thin air. Lucky scoffed, gazing down at the beast beneath his foot. He then squatted in front of it, observing its growls and ferocious eyes.
"Something's wrong," he muttered, eyes narrowed. "You look like a Cerberus, but… you're strange."
"What in the world…" Lucky trailed off as he heard movements from a distance. "Right. I think I heard someone just now."
Lucky looked over his shoulder, catching sight of a man and a little girl standing from a distance. "So, there are humans… in a world where these guys walk? Fascinating."