At night, a monstrous scream pierced the silence in the distance.
Li Ang jolted awake, a chill creeping through him as he listened, his forehead damp with cold sweat.
He reached for a small bottle beside his bed, pulling out an explosive pill he had prepared for emergencies.
Peering out his window, he tightened his grip on his sword, ready to defend himself if the anomaly's killing instinct triggered.
Running seems like a worse option; he wasn't sure he could outrun the anomaly, and even if he did, other, more dangerous creatures might lurk in the darkness.
This reaper ghoul—a twisted entity that appeared only at night—stand about two meters tall. his face had only a mouth, stretched wide and grinning. His frame is slender, with unnaturally long arms and legs, and his hand had claws harder than stone. Its scream could induce delusions and make one's body sluggish, leaving victims vulnerable to attack.
Normally, the entity avoids well-lit areas and is drawn to the scent of blood, but tonight it was approaching Li Ang's house, even though it was intentionally lit with torches.
the anomaly stopped screaming, which means he is about to attack.
Li Ang swallowed his pill, then jumped out of his window, and slashed with his sword towards the anomaly, cutting his stretched out arm.
The creature retaliated with an ear-splitting scream, sending a wave of pain through Li Ang's head and slowing his movements.
Li Ang almost fainted, and he knows he couldn't endure the fight any longer, so with great strength he slashed toward the anomaly neck, successfully decapitating it.
the headless body fell to the ground.
This was Li Ang's first time killing an anomaly and experiencing a life-or-death situation. He was only a 3rd rate warrior who had some development in skin refinement of the body refining stage. Without the explosive pill and the need to protect his home, he would never have dared attack such a creature.
In fact, Li Ang wasn't originally from this world. Before he came to this world, he was just a college student crossing the road until getting crushed by a crazy car driver, dying, and getting reborn into this world.
old memories stirred up from his throbbing headache.
He had always been unlucky in this world.
His mother died after giving birth to him.
He missed the best age to practice martial arts at the age of 6.
At 8, fogs surrounded the whole county, darkening the days and increasing the number of strange anomalies year after year, travelers no longer come to this county, and the local people who tried leaving this place returned with most of their companions dead, saying even a grandmaster died while trying to leave this place.
At 10, his father disappeared, and he took up his father's job in the mines.
At 12, he searched and stole a martial arts manual from a corpse, along with a medicinal bath recipe, and finally began his training in martial arts.
At 16, he spent his life savings for a few short months of swordsmanship training at a second-rate dojo in the city.
Finally, today, at 18, he swallowed the explosive pill that's burns the future potential of a martial artist for a temporary boost in strength.
Now, in front of his vision, a portal appeared before him, revealing a world entirely unlike his own. A bright, fogless sun illuminated rolling green hills, birds gliding freely across a clear sky.
'Are my delusions showing me what I've always wanted to see?'
Whether or not he was delusional about the portal, the strong smell of blood required him to snap out of his thoughts. Otherwise, another anomaly could be attracted to the smell of blood, potentially leading to Li Ang's demise.
He quickly wiped his body from blood and dug out a hole. After making sure there is no other corner with blood, he buried the corpse together with his blooded clothes in the hole.
Naturally, Li Ang didn't forget to search for the reason the anomaly was attracted to his house.
After a careful search inside his room, he found a dead rat behind his bed. Seeing the stab wound on the rat's back, Li Ang couldn't help but frown, thinking someone intentionally stabbed the rat and hid it behind his bed.
Li Ang is wary of a potential assassination plot against him, but he is not sure who wants him to be dead and why.
After dealing with the rats, and his headache finally subsiding, Li Ang stared at the portal which was still around for some reason.
Concentrating his mind, Li Ang was able to move the portal to a different direction.
Li Ang throws a rock to see if it passes through as an experiment.
The rock entered the portal and landed in the other world, making Li Ang stare with disbelief.
Li Ang pushed his finger inside the portal with curiosity. After feeling safe, he push his arm, then leg, and finally he entered the other side of the portal.
Warm sunshine, clear skies, and fresh air fill the day.
Li Ang finally finds hope for a peaceful life. Li Ang stared back at the portal and was reluctant to return to the other world.
There's no doubt this world is 100 times better. It shouldn't be worse than the other world, where evil creatures roam freely during the day.
'Even if the portal started disappearing right now, I wouldn't care.'
Soon after Li Ang had that thought, the portal disappeared, leaving a levitating mirror.
…
Wait, I was just joking. I'm still new to this world. Please return!
contrary to Li Ang wishes, the portal didn't return while the mirror stays in its place.
Li Ang's finger was about to touch the mirror when it suddenly got sucked into him.
Li Ang was startled but tried to concentrate his mind about the portal, but the mirror appeared in its place.
Li Ang was speechless and helpless. Li Ang touch the mirror again, making it vanish, thinking it could summon the portal of the past world again, when it somehow recharged.