Haa… haa…
What is happening? Where am I? What is this place?
Thud! Thud!
A young gentleman, clad in a half-torn black double-breasted vest and matching pants, raced through a vast forest teeming with bizarre, sentient plants. Each leaf and vine seemed to watch him with a strange, fearful stillness, as if they were all too aware of a lurking danger.
Thud!
Suddenly, a monstrous creature landed in front of him, forcing him to halt in his tracks. The beast towered at least two meters tall, its elongated arms dragging down like heavy weights. Its eye sockets were hollow, teeming with writhing worms and oozing pus, while its mouth gaped open, revealing jagged teeth that resembled sharpened daggers. The creature's skin was pallid, reminiscent of a corpse, with patches where flesh had rotted away, exposing bone. It looked as if it had crawled straight out of a coffin.
"Ahhhhhhhh!" The young man screamed, terror gripping him as he stumbled backward, his legs giving way beneath him. He fell to the ground, accepting his fate. Whatever will be, will be. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to block out the grotesque sight before him and the horror of what was to come.
Crunch!
The monster bit down, severing the young man's head from his body, leaving a gruesome spectacle on the forest floor. The creature continued its gruesome feast, its maw opening wider than its head, devouring the remains with a ravenous hunger.
Crunch!
With each bite, the creature consumed more of the young man, relishing its macabre banquet.
Crack!
Suddenly, a rustling from the nearby bushes interrupted the monster's feast. It paused, its head snapping toward the sound, but found only silence. After a moment, it returned to its meal, oblivious to the unseen observer nearby.
On the other side of the forest, another young man sat gasping for breath, trying to compose himself after the frantic escape. I'm lucky it didn't see me; otherwise, I would have been its dessert today…
He appeared to be no more than twenty-three years old, his skin smeared with dirt, yet his features were striking. His eyes were a deep black, resembling voids that swallowed light, and his short black hair was neatly styled. His lips, stained crimson, suggested he had just feasted on something bloody. He was of average height, an embodiment of what many would call a divine creation.
Rising to his feet, he glanced back at the path he had taken before turning his gaze forward. His eyes landed on the ruins of an ancient building, reminiscent of a cathedral from a forgotten era. Once a majestic structure, it now stood as a mere shadow of its former self, with crumbling pillars reaching toward the sky.
There's nothing here, he thought, frustration bubbling within him. What happened to me?
Just moments ago, he had been in the modern world, surrounded by civilization, only to awaken in this desolate ruin, dressed in clothes from a bygone era. His voice sounded different, his hairstyle altered—he couldn't remember the past few days or how he had come to be here. Panic had gripped him, but he had managed to calm himself, accepting this new reality. He resolved to gather information, whether this was a prank or a bizarre twist of fate.
As he searched for clues, he stumbled upon the terrifying scene of the monster devouring a human, prompting him to flee back to where he had first awakened.
If this is real and not a prank, then I must have transmigrated, he mused, disbelief washing over him. But why did my spawn point have to be here?
Taking a deep breath, he steeled his resolve. I need to explore the ruins and find a way out before the sun sets.
After wandering through the crumbling remnants of the ancient structure, he found nothing of value, which only deepened his frustration. He decided to return to the spot where he had first awakened, convinced that the answers he sought might lie there.
As he retraced his steps, he halted before a solitary pillar, the only one still standing amidst the ruins. It was adorned with creeping green vines, a testament to its age and resilience. This was the place where he had first opened his eyes, and though it appeared unremarkable, he felt an inexplicable connection to it.
He reached out, touching the cold stone, searching for any hidden mechanism or clue that could explain his sudden arrival in this strange world. But after a thorough examination, he found nothing—only the ancient pillar, standing silent and unyielding.
Defeated, he lowered his head, despair creeping in. It's just an ordinary pillar…
Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently beneath him. Rumble! Rumble!
The earthquake struck with a ferocity that sent dust and debris cascading from the ruins. The world around him trembled, and he braced himself against the pillar, heart racing as he realized that whatever forces had brought him here were far from finished.