Jack opened his eyes and looked around. He found himself in a vast, open space.
A field of grass stretched out in every direction.
He had just been transported to this new world. The last thing he remembered was being hit by a truck.
He took a few deep breaths and scanned his surroundings.
A normal person might have been terrified or confused by the sudden turn of events, but Jack remained silent.
Too silent.
It was as if none of this fazed him in the slightest. With a completely deadpan expression, he began to walk forward.
He didn't even bother to inspect his new clothes or his changed appearance.
After walking for about an hour through the grassy field, he finally reached the edge of a cliff. He peered down and saw a village in the distance.
His expression remained blank as he assessed the situation. The cliff was steep, roughly a hundred meters high.
Without hesitation, he glanced around, found a jagged rock, and began climbing down.
For most people, such a height would have prompted them to search for a safer route. But Jack didn't think twice. He descended slowly and methodically, his movements calm and deliberate.
It was as if the very atmosphere around him was influenced by his composure. Everything fell silent—no rustling of grass, no chirping of insects, not even the sound of the wind. The world seemed to hold its breath, enveloped in an eerie stillness.
As he descended, sweat began to bead on his body. His hands turned bloody, and cuts appeared across his skin.
Yet his face remained calm, as if he had expected all of this. His breathing stayed steady, expertly controlled, and his movements didn't slow.
After descending about halfway, he suddenly noticed a cave. It was dark, and nothing was visible inside.
He decided to land in the cave to rest for a moment.
Looking at his bloody hands, he wiped them on his t-shirt and then ignored them. He ignored the pain coursing through his body.
Suddenly, he turned and peered into the tunnel.
"Wind." It was the first word he had spoken since transmigrating to this world.
But his expression didn't change. He stared into the cave for about a minute, lost in thought. No one could tell what was going through his mind, but after a while, he stepped inside.
The wind was coming from deep within the cave, which was strange, given that there had been no wind outside.
Moving forward in the darkness, he stumbled slightly but soon spotted a faint yellow light at the end of the tunnel.
The light was cold in an eerie way, and the wind seemed to emanate from it.
"Come... If you desire unlimited power, come and claim me." A dark, ominous voice suddenly echoed through the tunnel. It dripped with menace and death.
Jack, who had been moving steadily, came to an abrupt halt. He stared straight ahead, his expression still unchanged.
"What are you waiting for, boy? I can see that you are spiritless. Make me your spirit, and I will grant you unlimited power..." The voice spoke again, its tone both alluring and threatening.
Jack took a deep breath and continued moving forward, seemingly unaffected by the voice.
He didn't even attempt to respond. Instead, he moved silently and stoically, his demeanor unshaken.
"Hehehe... Trying to act calm, are you? Good. I need a courageous boy like you." The voice echoed again, but Jack ignored it once more.
As if annoyed by his unflinching composure, the voice tried to engage him further.
"What's your name, boy?" the voice demanded.
"Jack," he replied with a single word.
"Why are you so silent?" the voice pressed.
Jack answered with his unrelenting silence.
"Did you not hear me?" the voice asked, a hint of irritation creeping into its tone.
Jack continued to move calmly, eventually reaching the source of the light.
It was a small iron rod, about ten inches long, resting on a large rock. One end of the rod was sharp, like a spear, while the other end was rounded and smooth.
Both the strange light and the cold wind emanated from the rod.
"Hey! Why aren't you answering me? Are you stupid?!" the voice reverberated again, louder and angrier than before.
Yet, as always, Jack remained silent. He even began moving toward the rod, completely unfazed by the bizarre occurrences around him.
"Hey, you! Where are you going? Answer my questions first! Only then will I grant you this spirit!" the voice shouted, trying to halt Jack in his tracks.
But Jack was like a deaf mute, seemingly oblivious to everything.
Before the voice could say anything else, Jack suddenly picked up the rod. It felt cold in his hand, and the light emitting from it dimmed almost instantly.
"Hehehe...! Since you were so eager to pick up the spirit, I forgot to tell you one thing: once you hold it, my soul will enter your body and take control!"
"Hahahaha...! Free! Finally, after a million years, I am free! Boy, at first I thought I'd kill you painlessly, but your arrogance has pissed me off. Now, I'll make sure to torture your soul thoroughly!"
The voice cackled, and the yellow light, which had dimmed earlier, flared up again, brighter than ever.
It filled the entire cave, streaming into Jack's body through his nose and ears.
"Come, now feel the pain of your soul being torn apart! Hahaha..." The voice laughed maniacally.
Jack, however, stood perfectly still, his face expressionless. It was as if nothing the voice said or did had any effect on him.
He was calm.
"Still pretending, are you? Let's see how long you can keep this up!" The voice grew even angrier and intensified its assault on his soul.
But contrary to its expectations, Jack didn't scream, cry, or beg for mercy.
He simply stood there, as if denying the very existence of the spirit.
"Ahhh...!" Suddenly, a piercing shriek of pain echoed through the cave—and it didn't come from Jack. It came from the voice.
"This... Your soul! How is it so powerful?! Ahh... It's unbearable...!!!"
"You!... You're not from this world! Ahhh...!" The voice screamed one last time before falling completely silent.
Jack, who had remained calm throughout, suddenly let out a burp, and a wisp of smoke escaped his mouth.
Unbeknownst to anyone, he had not only defeated the spirit within the rod but had also made it his own.
"Stupid." His third word finally left his lips, and with it, the cave fell into an eerie, deafening silence.
Jack looked at the rod in his hand, staring at it for a few seconds. Suddenly, the rod began to levitate.
It wasn't moving on its own—Jack was controlling it with his mind. After absorbing the spirit, he had gained complete control over the rod.
Now, it was like an extension of his body. He could manipulate it however he wished.
He glanced around the cave and made the rod fly in every direction. It was effortless for him.
Calling it back to his hand, he also discovered that he could increase or decrease its size at will.
It was a formidable weapon.
Jack shrank it to the size of a nail and tucked it into his pocket. Then, he began walking back toward the cave's exit.
Most people would have been ecstatic to discover such a powerful weapon, but there was no excitement visible on Jack's face.
It was as if the rod were nothing special to him.
When he reached the exit, he looked down at the village below. Suddenly, he summoned the rod in front of him, enlarged it to about fifteen inches, and gripped it with both hands.
Without a word, the rod lifted Jack off the ground, and they began descending toward the village.
He was flying, aided by his newfound weapon.
In no time, he landed in front of the village. He shrank the rod and placed it back in his pocket.
The village was large, with all its structures made of wood. A thick stone wall surrounded the entire settlement, and at its center was a massive gate.
Five guards stood outside the gate, inspecting incoming carriages and people.
Jack didn't hesitate. He walked straight toward the entrance.
Just as he was about to enter, one of the guards stopped him.
"Wait, boy! Where do you think you're going? You need to pay to enter Blood Bright Village. Only spirit bearers get free entry."
The guard was tall—nearly a full head taller than Jack—and looked down at him with a disdainful expression.
He noticed the blood on Jack's clothes and his ragged appearance. The guard assumed Jack was a slum kid, trying to escape from bullies.
Jack turned his head and met the guard's gaze.
His expression remained blank, as always.
He didn't say a word.
"What are you looking at, boy?! Get back to the slums before I kill you!" the guard suddenly barked.