Darkness enveloped Maximus in a suffocating embrace, light and eternal. His memories flashed chaotically from his past life, remembering being a history professor and lecturing on war strategy and grading student papers in his office, and having a strong fascination with the past. Uncomfortable in the environment, he was waking with body aches and the sharp smell of earth and grass and the heat of the midday sun on his face. Disoriented, he sat up, clutching the ground beneath him. The rough texture of the earth and the bite of dry grass against his palms felt too real, too alive. His chest heaved and his heart thundered in his ears. Where am I? Blinking rapidly to clear the light from his eyes, he surveyed his surroundings. He stood on a small hill, overlooking a patchwork of farmland that stretched to the horizon. A winding river cut through the landscape, glistening in the sun. A village stood in the distance, its cluster of wooden houses and thin plumes of smoke reminding him of a time long gone, and then it hit him.
This is not my world, and his breath quickened as panic hit him. Her pale, delicate hands caught his attention. They were not the hands of a man in his early thirties, but those of a teenager. A wave of nausea washed over him as his mind struggled for an explanation. He swayed to his feet, swaying like a deer, and staggered to the edge of the hill, his eyes darting over the unfamiliar landscape.
"Maximus!" a voice boomed, sharp and commanding.
Maximus turned, his legs weak beneath him. A man in a simple gray robe was trudging up the hill, his graying hair and weathered face revealing decades of hardship. Behind him were two younger men, each armed with a short sword. The man's eyes grew furious when he saw Maximus.
"Get up, you lazy bastard." The curse echoed in Maximus's ears, and then there was a sudden pain in his back, as if he had been kicked. He opened his eyes and saw the man who had kicked him with a sword at his waist, and before he could react to what was happening, the strong man had already grabbed him by the shirt and shouted loudly. "You bastard, did I ask you to hide here and sleep lazily?" Looking at the man in front of him salivating like a rabid dog and along with the two young men looking with malice and pleasure at the misfortune, Maximus gathered the memories and the surrounding environment and found that he seemed to be in an abandoned village with a few tattered tents, a bonfire burning in the middle of the decaying village with several pots and pans scattered on the ground and with several equally fierce strong men sitting with weapons at their feet. They must have heard the angry curses of the strong man and looked towards him with disdain and some laughing at the situation and Maximus watching the situation with confused eyes, the man looking at his expression getting angrier, he pushed Maximus to the ground placing the sword on his neck.
"Smelly boy, if you don't come back to prepare the meal, I'll cut off your head."
The coldness of the sword on his neck made him regain his senses and at the same time, he was shocked. No matter what happened to him now, it was important to survive. And looking at the anger on the face of the strong man in front of him, it was obvious that he was not threatening himself; he actually dared to kill himself.
"I'll go right now, right now."
Maximus suppressed his anger and confusion, quickly putting on a submissive and flattering look and observing from afar the men who were indifferent to the situation here, he was more certain of his thoughts. These people are definitely not good people...
"Hmph, if you do that again, I'll kill you!!"
Maximus walked towards the campfire honestly, muttering and putting away his dagger and observing the wild vegetables and unknown dried meat in the bamboo basket beside him, he took them out directly. Beside the campfire was a simple stone stove, on which there was only a kitchen knife and an old cutting board. Cutting the vegetables and dried meat and putting them in the old pot, pouring some water and letting it cook for a while and hanging the wooden hook near the campfire. While preparing the meal, he tried to piece together the fragments of memories from this body and the last ones before being awakened by the man from the camp and wondering what other travelers have a transition period and a system or some trick to survive in the initial period. Approaching one of the young men who was with what he had woken up, he asked. "Boy, are you done? We are starving." Maximus replied with a flattering smile. "It's almost ready, just a moment." Nodding at Maximus's response, he sat down next to the pot and continued talking to his companions with a sickly laugh.
Secretly looking, he took a look, and just by the expressions and actions of this group it must be related to women.
After finishing cooking, they took some bowls nearby, washing them carelessly and announcing that the food was ready, the group began to serve each one and drinking the hot vegetable and meat soup.
One of the leaders called Maximus pointing to a tent right in the center of the village.
"Boy, go and send a bowl to the tent."
"Okay" (Maximus)
He went in the direction with a bowl of soup hearing heavy breathing coming from the tent, unsure of whether he should enter or not.
However, before he could make a decision, the tent was opened by a hairy hand and a robust face with a scar on his face still immersed in pleasure was suddenly startled to see Maximus standing in front of him.
"What are you doing here, you bastard! You scared me you piece of shit!!!"
Looking at the bowl in his hand and realizing what it was about, he ordered it to be handed over and, without waiting for an answer, he headed towards the group. Maximus watched him leave and listen to the order, dissatisfied with the treatment. Entering the tent, he saw only a bed made of hay and a naked woman with several purple spots all over her body and lifeless eyes. He understood what was happening and approached the woman, who was shaking and crying. "Please, let me rest a little..." Maximus looked at the woman, who was shaking with fear and with several bruises. He approached slowly and spoke calmly. "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. I'm here to bring you food, and don't be afraid." He left the bowl in front of her and waited for her to finish it. A short time later, the man who had left came back in and, seeing the scene, immediately became angry. "What's going on, you bastard?" The woman, seeing his arrival, began to tremble; to cry and to speak in a stutter. "Don't hit me, don't hit me." "Please, don't hit me!" "Smelly boy! What are you doing?" (Man)
Maximus saw the situation scared and trying to find an answer, the man threw a punch in his direction, knocking him to the ground and screaming in pain and looking at the attacker with a trace of anger that infuriated him even more.
"Dare you look at me? You bastard, you are brave!"
Maximus, who had never experienced fighting in his life and saw that the man would continue to attack him, an overwhelming anger arose due to the situation he was in and now that he was on the ground and saw the piece of the bowl that broke due to the attack and stabbed him fiercely in the neck.
The man, surprised and afraid of the sudden attack, felt his body weak and tired and fell to the ground in agony, giving his last breaths of life.
[ding... the first host death was successfully detected and the system was powered on]
[detecting host...]
[detection completed]
[name: maximus]
[age:18]
looking between the corpse and the screen that appeared with status and message saying that starter pack was sent.