Lucius, the young man, halted just shy of treading on a decaying corpse. Around him were bodies, their skin turned a sickly black and bloated from decay. Even maggots had started to make an appearance. "What kind of battle happened here?" Lucius mused aloud. Kneeling down, he studied one of the corpses closely. The face, frozen in an open-mouthed expression of horror, bore a small, blackened hole that looked suspiciously like a bullet wound. "Could they have been shot?" Lucius pondered. The sight before him was starkly different from the fallen soldiers of the Hedron kingdom he had seen in his previous life. With a dismissive "Thud," he kicked the corpse's head aside, looking for something underneath. "Nothing here," he grumbled, disappointment in his tone. His gaze flitted around the area, quickly spotting a few items of interest: a marble-like object, a card stuck in the ground, and an object resembling a painting. "These items... They could be what I've been looking for," Luci
Lucius stared in disbelief at the sight unfolding before him, a stark contrast to anything he'd ever seen. He had lived two lifetimes but had never come across a world as green and vibrant as this one. There was no pollution, none of the black, cloying factory smoke he was used to seeing every day. "Where am I?" He murmured, gazing at the unspoiled landscape stretching out before him. It was serene and beautiful, enticing him to become a part of it. He reached out to touch a leaf, dew still clinging to it, indicating the early morning hour. "This is real," he muttered, trying to reconcile this new world with his past experiences. A sound caught his attention, and he quickly ascended a nearby tree, settling on a branch to investigate its source. He spotted a young boy, around five years old, playfully pointing at a grasshopper jumping from one leaf to another. The child was accompanied by a woman, presumably his mother, holding an infant. Lucius watched as the small family interacte
City of splendor and power, homes of those closest to the king were notably grand, but one stood out among them all. This mansion, constructed from the finest wood, was adorned with natural stones and statues glistening with a golden sheen, an ostentatious display of wealth. "Why is the slave trader so tardy?" the owner, a man of considerable girth, grumbled. He tapped his belly impatiently, as if this action could hasten the arrival of his expected goods. "Sir, I have received word that your goods have entered the city," informed an older man, whispering to his superior as he held a note retrieved from a pigeon's leg. "Is a new trader arriving?" the fat man asked, his eyes gleaming with a childlike anticipation of a long-awaited toy. "Yes, sir." "Eland, prepare my money bag. We are heading straight to the sales location," he commanded. Eland, a weathered servant, nodded obediently and scurried off to fulfill the order. ** "This place is fascinating," Lucius mused. Having adjust
Lucius was immediately struck by the uncanny aura that enveloped the place. The atmosphere was electric and tense, almost as if the city's entire criminal underbelly had been herded into this one room. A distinctive woman appeared to approach Lucius, appearing to be in her eighties. "How may I assist you, wanderer?" She sported blackish-red hair and intriguing red pupils, which momentarily took Lucius aback. He hadn't considered that such a person could exist. "Bring me the tastiest dish this establishment has to offer," Lucius demanded, brandishing a bag brimming with golden coins, all ill-gotten gains from his exploits of robbing the well-off who had crossed his path. "Your wish is my command, traveler," the woman responded, grinning particularly widely at the sight of Lucius's displayed wealth. A murmur swept through the room as the patrons commented, "Seems we have a stray rich man's son in our midst." Their eyes bore into Lucius, ravenous and predatory, much like a beast would
The man with the scar over his eye had gone pale, his body soaked in a cold sweat. It was as if he desperately wished for this confrontation to be over. "What's the matter? Lost your words?" Lucius queried the man who had abruptly become silent and still. The fierce pretender now faced an unexpected adversary, far more terrifying than he could've imagined. "Isn't our matter settled, wanderer?" he managed to turn towards Lucius, attempting to force a smile onto his stern face. "Ah, but I believe our business is far from over," Lucius retorted, his nonchalance further infuriating the scarred man. "I've shown you respect, and yet you still wish to provoke me?" The man reached for the large, well-maintained sword strapped to his back. This threatening move triggered panic among the bar patrons, who immediately started fleeing the place, shouting, "The assassin of Wratis Land is picking a fight!" "You seem quite popular around here?" Lucius commented as he rose from his seat. He unlea
A crowd thronged the desolate plains that fringed the borders of the Udrathen Kingdom, under the dominion of the renowned sect of martial artists. The gathering was a mix of ordinary folk – farmers, merchants, craftsmen – conspicuously devoid of weapons or armor, who had been abruptly summoned here. Their expressions teetered between anxiety and confusion. "When will the war commence?" they whispered among themselves, perplexed by the absence of any visible enemy. "Hush! Want to lose your head? Don't question the kingdom!" another voice cautioned. The murmurs grew as the crowd noted the conspicuous absence of a military camp or the presence of any soldiers. A loud, clear voice pierced through the whispers, drawing their eyes upwards. "My brave people!" echoed the voice from atop a cliff overlooking the plains. It belonged to a man, famous in the kingdom. "Isn't he the master of the messenger?" the crowd whispered, recognizing the figure on the cliff. "Today we prepare for war. But n
"The upstairs, Uncle! Check it!" cried out a young girl with a mane of flaming red hair, her shout echoing in the room at the bald man present. With swift agility, the man bounded up the stairs, his body moving with an ethereal lightness that reminded Lucius of a tuft of cotton wafting in the wind. He was there to inspect the rat carcass Lucius had earlier indicated. "What a remarkable martial art," Lucius murmured, observing the man's movement. It brought back memories of a certain general he had slain, who had showcased his prowess by making a daring leap off the edge of a massive gold mine's ravine. Suddenly, there were two thudding noises. A pair of human bodies plummeted from above, and shortly after, the bald man descended back into the room. "Zera, I've cleared everything upstairs," he declared, brushing his hands together as though dusting off unseen particles. "Thank you again, Lucius," Zera expressed her gratitude. Lucius shrugged off the appreciation casually. "After a
The scheme had been carefully crafted, and now the three-person powerhouse was set in motion. Lucius, the individual stranded in a foreign world, was joined by two other remarkable figures: Schmidt, a heroically handsome figure, and a strikingly beautiful redhead. "Lucius, we're drawing near," informed Schmidt. Two days had passed since their journey commenced. Without a moment's pause, the trio forged ahead, their swift progress a race against time to rescue the oppressed. "Halt, I spot them," Schmidt declared, landing deftly on a tree branch. Lucius and Zera joined him, aligning themselves on adjacent branches. "It appears we are just in time," Schmidt added, gesturing towards the location beneath them—a presumed haven for those subjected to slavery. "Are we near the martial arts sect?" Lucius murmured, detecting a potent, ominous aura in the proximity. "Your instincts are accurate, Lucius," Schmidt affirmed with a subtle nod. "So, it's my turn to take action now?" Lucius inqu
Lucius knew that the energy in his body was limited, despite having obtained energy absorption techniques from the painting world."How do I gather that much energy?""I will teach you... but you'll need to do something in return later.""Do something?"Caught in an intense situation, Nio, the girl, blushed slightly."I know this world will be destroyed. All I want is to experience love-making."Lucius' mouth gaped open, not expecting to hear such a request amid the chaos."Are you... serious?""I'm serious," she replied firmly. Lucius sighed, considering the bizarre world he found himself in to be part of an unreal memory."Alright... then how do I harness this cold energy?""Follow me!"Nio swiftly took Lucius's hand, leading him away. Lucius was speechless; Nio seemed to be driven by a passionate desire.Not far away, the rampage of the rat-headed nega continued. As it ravaged everything, Nio guided Lucius to an underground cave.Inside the dimly lit cavern, Nio swiftly threw somet
"Red Lightning!" he shouted, stomping his foot to create an enormous repulsion force, launching them far from the hill. They spun several times mid-air to maintain momentum before landing near a dense forest. "Is it due to the cold core? I feel my technique is improving," Lucius mused, feeling his power increase. "Graahh!" "Damn it!" Lucius cursed, quickly surrounding himself and Nio with black lightning to shield them from the blazing flames that incinerated the surrounding trees. "Why is it so fast?" he growled, glancing upwards to meet the creature's gaze, seemingly tracking them with deliberate intent. "Wait, if I recall correctly, the painting world was similar. Each world has a hero," Lucius considered, clutching the agdis. "Does that mean Nio is this world's heroine?" he thought hard. But his pondering was interrupted as he had to dodge a thrown stone from the monster with the help of his Red Lightning. "Booommm" Trees were uprooted and the bizarre fire's heat intensified
The magic of ice seemed to cause several glasses of water to freeze instantly. The ice was shattered by a woman, none other than Nio's mother, and mixed with the fruit juice they had on hand. "Unique, and fresh," said Lucius. The man and woman who were Nio's parents, smiled widely. "So, when are you getting married?" Nio's father asked again, causing Nio to puff up her cheeks in annoyance. "Dad, don't ask me that again," she huffed, quickly grasping Lucius' hand to leave the room after finishing their drinks made by Nio's mother. "Where are we going?" asked a surprised Lucius. The girl just smiled mysteriously. However, not long after that, Nio finally disclosed their destination. "Do you see that hill over there? That's my favorite place. I'm going to show you something interesting from there," the girl announced cheerfully. Lucius, whose hand was being eagerly tugged, felt like a boy being dragged into play by a friend. "From what I've seen, there doesn't seem to be anyone th
"Augh," the young man squealed as the girl's hand pressed against his back. A terrible cold aura seemed to enter every cell in his body, causing the young man's lips to suddenly turn purple. His vision blurred, but he could still hear the girl shouting repeatedly, "Control that energy. Otherwise, you'll die!" As she shouted, she continued to pump cold energy into his body. "What the hell?" Lucius inwardly grumbled, looking at his fingertips which had started to turn black earlier, his fingernails and toenails now turning purple. "Do I have frostbite?" he pondered as he lost the feeling in his hands and feet. "Control it, control the aura, and form a new core in your body," the girl hollered once more, causing Lucius to risk his life yet again. -- "Augh," the two people collapsed under the hot sun, drenched in sweat, the girl's curves made even more evident. This seemed to be a terrifying journey for Lucius, who was practicing this cold energy technique. Several times, he felt
If Lucius thought everything was fine, then apart from the oddity where the right and left of his body were switched, he began to realize that his guess was wrong. Suddenly, four strange figures appeared around him. They seemed to smell the scent of Lucius' body, and the four figures that were clearly not human looked at him lustfully. Their heads resembled the heads of large rats, with small and slender bodies that looked emaciated without clothes. Even their breastbones were sticking out, as if the creatures had been starving for a long time. "This is disgusting," Lucius muttered in amazement at the sight of such figures. They looked like large rats standing on two legs, with red eyes that flashed Lucius' shadow as if they were stalking him. "Grrrr" "Rowwrr" The monsters suddenly jumped at Lucius, trying to slash his neck with sharp claws. With practiced instinct, Lucius tried to dodge to the right, but it was his left foot that moved this time. The young man tumbled and almos
"Damn, this experience again," Lucius cursed after he was absorbed by the purple pearl. It placed him back into the pitch-black void, where no hint of light existed. "I can't even see my hand this time," Lucius muttered, lifting his hand only to see the encompassing darkness. "Augghh." "What's going on?" Lucius screamed, as if a foreign entity had awoken within him. A wave of fear washed over him, making him feel strangled by unseen, ghostly hands. The sheer terror of total darkness quickened his breathing. "No, what's happening?" Lucius yelled, trying to run aimlessly. His hands flailed about, but they touched nothing. The overwhelming darkness was all he could see. His anxiety peaked as his greatest fear was unearthed from deep within his psyche. "Total darkness," - it's not death that humans fear, but rather the loneliness and solitude in the complete darkness that follows. Trapped in this oppressive darkness, Lucius felt a greater pain than he had experienced when being t
"Splash!" Two young figures, Lucius and Amia, immediately plunged into the lake as though they were searching for something beneath its surface. They seemed to disappear into the darkness of the night, relying solely on their instincts and extraordinary abilities to discern what was transpiring in the depths. "What is it?" Lucius questioned himself as he spotted a light source below. Amia also seemed to see the light, and, in silent agreement, they both swiftly descended towards it. Their movements were so quick that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to compare them to two racing dolphins. "What is it?" Lucius thought again. His mouth was shut tight due to being underwater, but his brain was tirelessly processing the information it was receiving. For instance, a strange blue object appeared like a large glowing sphere with what seemed to be a young man sleeping within. It was an unfamiliar sight to Lucius, potentially housing thousands of mysteries he had never encountered in his two
"The red and black lightning roared, emitting a profoundly unsettling sound. The energy surged through Lucius' hands, causing the pointy-chinned demon to recoil. "Human, where did you get that much power?" The demon questioned, visibly astonished by Lucius' remarkable combination of attack and defense. "Those who are about to die need not know," Lucius responded defiantly, stomping his foot on the ground. The ground erupted, obstructing everyone's view. "Foul human, you think I can't track your location?" The demon retorted, flaring its nostrils in an attempt to detect Lucius' current whereabouts. "Above!" "Whack!" Lucius' heel kick, imbued with the terrifying red and blue lightning, was parried by the demon. "Aughh," the demon screeched, its arm visibly shocked by the lightning. It swiftly tilted and shifted its body to avoid the crushing force of the kick. "How is that possible? How?" The pointy-chinned demon wailed, waving its arm as if it were crushed. "How can this be? I
The chains finally broke, instantly drowning the young man, as the cloaked woman looked on with evident pleasure. "Soon, soon I can make a pact with the devil," she stated, her goal explicit, unaware that she was being observed by two pairs of eyes. "Mr. Lucius..." "Just call me Lucius," he said, interrupting the girl who seemed to have misnamed him several times. "But..." "There are no buts," Lucius interrupted again. "Then Lucius, why didn't we save that man?" "I believe there's a destiny that's protecting him. I'm more interested in seeing what that woman will do next," Lucius replied. The woman appeared to be hustling back and forth with the corpses that she had laboriously pulled out. It was clear that she was breathing heavily due to the strenuous work of carrying the bodies of villagers who had been slain by the village chief. "Damn, this guy should have left one or two slaves alive," she grumbled in annoyance, but she couldn't stop herself from continuing her task unt