Under a dark and heavy sky, the snow slowly fell in large flakes that swayed before settling on the buildings and streets, covering everything with a white and silent blanket.
The lights of the street lamps flickered on, casting faint glimmers that reflected off the windowpanes and icy surfaces. The cold was intense and chilling.
In the streets of the city of Lingard, the cold and chilling winter breeze made the leafless branches of the trees move, and with it, the wailing of people with somber expressions who lived in the streets.
In a corner, near a garbage can half-covered with snow, Lucien suddenly opened his eyes, bewildered and confused. Before he could react, an intense cold flooded his body, forcing him to put his hands in his pockets clumsily.
He looked straight ahead, confused thoughts. Why was he lying in the street? Wasn't he just moments ago in his bed? How did he get here?
'Shit, what the hell is going on?'
Lucien did not understand what was happening. His consciousness was dimming, and his mind was in a state of confusion. What the hell was going on?
The weight of the dampness flooded Lucien's senses, bringing some clarity to his confused mind. Shivering from the intense cold, a flood of memories that were not his own flooded his mind.
Clutching his head tightly, Lucien groaned in pain from all the memories being implanted in his mind. With a strange look on his face, he muttered.
"Whose memories are these? Ray, Ray... Who is this person, who are they, what the hell are they saying?"
…
Sometime later, Lucien finally recovered, although his consciousness was dimming and his mind was still in turmoil... but that was the least of his concerns at the moment.
He had gained some memories that were not his own, memories of a person he had never met in his life!
Lucien never expected that he would experience something like transmigrating into another person's body, like in the webtoons and novels he once read... So he moved one of his arms and put it in front of his eyes.
The tattoo of a snake forming a connecting wheel was gone. In its place was a pale, malnourished arm he had never seen before.
Lucien shivered, and cold crept into his bones... A bolt of compression struck his mind.
He wasn't in his room, where he should have been originally. The garbage can, the street with depressed people, and as he looked at his body-which was not his own-a thoughts crossed his mind.
'It could be that I have transmigrated...'
That was the conclusion Lucien had come to in this brief moment. If it wasn't that, what else would it be? But he didn't want to accept this fact. Why would he suddenly transmigrate?
Although Ray had died, for some strange reason, he had obtained a large part of the memories. However, Lucien was clear about one thing: he had transmigrated to a parallel world, with one big difference: in this world, there were people with supernatural powers called "Awakened."
Ray's parents died when he was very young, and he was only seven years old when he started living on the streets in this harsh world, where the strong are right and the weak keep their mouths shut... And his life has been dark ever since.
Ray, who had died at the age of seventeen, after being infested by the "Haze"
In the 10 years he lived on the streets, Ray had to survive by stealing, helping out in restaurants, and cleaning pipes to eat something to eat. Sometimes, when he had nothing to eat, he would satisfy his hunger with insects or just water.
Occasionally, he was beaten when he was caught stealing or when one of his "friends" ratted him out. All this served as an apprenticeship for Ray, who became more paranoid, distrustful, and more cunning.
Although none of these situations managed to kill him, nature did. After being infested by the "Haze" Ray finally died from the low temperatures that his malnourished body could not withstand.
Lucien understood what happened to Ray and sighed.
"How could the world be so unfair and cruel to such a struggling young man like you, who had such a strong will to live?"
Well, now that Ray was dead, Lucien with consciousness occasionally dimming, and mind in turmoil, finally got up from the ground as the intense winter cold crept into his whole body, making him shiver hard.
He also understood his strange condition: his consciousness was darkening and his mind was in a state of confusion. This was because he was infested by the haze.
Those infested by the haze suffer the following effects:
Darkening of consciousness, plunging the mind into a state of confusion.
…
Those infested by the Haze appeared in the year 2019. At that time, the planet was immersed in a great war for the few remaining resources between the great powers of the world.
People seemed to suffer from a strange disease that made them fall into a deep coma without any medical explanation. Hospitals filled up, and fear gripped mankind. But when governments tried to do something, it was too late.
The people who were in a coma died and became Corrupted Creatures, sowing chaos all over the world. This phenomenon was known as the First Calamity, which wiped out 20% of the world's population.
However, amid the darkness, some of those who had fallen into a coma did not become monsters but awoke with supernatural abilities. These individuals, known as the "Awakened," brought hope to humanity.
But this was only the beginning of hell.
Years later, the world was hit by a second catastrophe. Portals appeared all over the planet, and an endless tide of grotesque and destructive creatures emerged from them. This Second Calamity, known as the "Calamity of Ruin," devastated 65% of the world. Entire cities were razed to the ground, countries disappeared, and humanity was reduced to a handful of fortified shelters.
In the midst of the chaos, the Awakened revealed the truth: those portals were not simple, but doors to a parallel world, a place called "World in Ruins".
In time, the world reorganized itself into small countries, each ruled by its leaders.
Every so often, a group of young people between the ages of 17 and 18 were selected and transported to the Ruined World. No one knew how or why they were chosen, but everyone understood that their destiny was tied to the survival of humanity.
But, with the little information he had gleaned from Ray's memories, Lucien didn't know much about the Ruined World and the Awakened.
He only knew that Ray had been infected by the Haze and that, in a very short time, he would be transported to that dangerous world.
…
A few minutes later, Lucien was walking through the lonely streets as the cold, chilling breeze hit his body, his consciousness growing darker and darker and his mind in a state of extreme confusion.
He felt that at any moment he would collapse, but he still did not want to fall. He feared the horrors he would encounter once he was transported to this so-called Ruined World.
Lucien came to a fountain and, with what little clarity he had left, looked at his reflection in the frozen water.
The handsome, thin face of a young man appeared, white hair, red eyes, a high nose, and thin lips where one of his fangs protruded. After a glance at his appearance, Lucien continued walking aimlessly, while the cold numbed his malnourished and thin body, and his consciousness darkened almost completely.
Before his consciousness was completely obscured, he managed to enter what appeared to be a tent, where he saw several figures talking to him. But, not having sufficient clarity, he could not make out what they were saying. And, at the door of the store... he collapsed.
In the embrace of darkness, Lucien heard an articulate, lifeless voice.
[Participant! Welcome to the World in Ruins. Prepare for your test.]