You want to see how Teng Yu dominates this strange new world? Buckle up for the ride!
Blinding white light stabbed into his retinas like needles the moment his eyelids cracked open. Darkness swallowed him again as he instinctively squeezed his eyes shut, the afterimage burning like holy fire. His consciousness whirled like laundry in a spin cycle, brain matter threatening to leak out through his ears.
When the world finally stopped doing cartwheels, Teng Yu found himself staring at death's grin - a forest of gleaming spikes mere inches from his face. The metal teeth glinted with malicious intent in the dim light, their frost-kissed edges whispering promises of impalement. "Holy mother of..." The curse died in his throat as gravity claimed him.
Wind howled past his ears during the freefall. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs, leaving him sprawled like a starfish on cold stone. One particularly enthusiastic spike nearly gave him an impromptu facial piercing. He could smell the metallic tang of danger lingering in the air.
"At least I'm not shish-kebab material," he muttered, patting his empty belt pouches with mounting dread. The carefully packed survival gear from his old life - compressed biscuits, water purification tablets, first-aid kit - all vaporized. "System administrator must be laughing his ass off. Fresh meat delivered straight to the slaughterhouse."
The escape proved equally Kafkaesque. The trap walls gleamed with unnatural smoothness, etched with glowing runes that squirmed like maggots on rotten flesh. Their putrid green luminescence made his stomach churn. After thirty minutes of spider-man impersonations (spoiler: no spider-powers manifested), he finally clawed his way to freedom.
The frontier town welcomed him with open sewers and collapsing shacks that leaned like drunkards. A stench cocktail of fermented garbage and decomposing mystery meat assaulted his nostrils. "Charming," Teng Yu gagged, "like downtown Mumbai during monsoon season."
Enter Liu San - the human equivalent of a used car salesman with swords. The bandit's meaty paw landed on Teng Yu's shoulder with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. "New blood, eh? Let big brother Liu treat you to drinks!" The conman's grin revealed more gaps than teeth.
Teng Yu played the wide-eyed rube perfectly. The tavern's cacophony of clinking steins and slurred ballads provided perfect cover for his counter-scheme. As Liu San bragged about fictional dragon-slaying exploits, Teng Yu's fingers danced beneath the table - swapping his decoy sack of river stones for the bandit's coin purse.
The reveal was pure theater. When the thief tore open the stolen bundle in a shadowy alley, Teng Yu materialized behind him like a vengeful ghost. "Looking for this?" He jingled the pilfered coins, enjoying Liu San's apoplectic face transitioning from greed to terror.
Chaos erupted when the humiliated bandit returned with backup. Teng Yu's disappearing act left the thugs slashing at empty air, drawing jeers from the tavern crowd. From his pocket dimension sanctuary (best cheat code ever), he watched the comedy unfold - Liu San's dagger clattering to the floor as superstitions about "shadow walkers" spread through the drunkards.
Next target: Blacksmith Wang's emporium of overpriced garbage. The shopkeeper's rodent-like eyes lit up at fresh meat. "Ten silver for moldy biscuits? That's highway robbery!" Teng Yu's protest echoed through the market square. Cue dramatic entrance of Liu San's gang, stage left.
The showdown became performance art. Teng Yu's illusion magic sent flour beetles swarming over the merchant's wares, triggering a villagers' revolt. As Wang desperately blamed "migrant bugs", Tengyu teleported contaminted sacks into the town square like some wrathful grain deity. The free (and magically sanitized) provisions he claimed tasted like victory.
At the Adventurer's Guild, Elder Sun's falcon gaze missed nothing. "Power hierarchy: Spirit Adept, Master, Sovereign, Sage, Emperor," the old man lectured while Teng Yu's mind raced. Current status? "Squishy civilian" tier. The recruitment offer was tempting, but our hero preferred the rogue's path.
The chapter climaxed in primal terror. Strange paw prints deeper than truck tires led to a mist-shrouded forest where daylight went to die. Every rustling leaf became a potential assassin. When earth-shaking roars sent birds fleeing in panic, Teng Yu's survival instincts screamed one command: RUN.
The cliffhanger materialized in slow motion - a hulking shadow resolving into clawed limbs thicker than tree trunks. Something ancient and hungry emerged from the gloom, its sulfur breath wilting vegetation...
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