บท 2: Encounter on Meteor Street

Ryuuji Takeda spent a whole week before reluctantly accepting the strange encounter that had befallen him.

He obviously discovered a construction site at the bottom of the ice-free lake, resulting in a horrifying aura materializing out of thin air. Before his soul could tremble, he inexplicably found himself on the trash mountain. What was even more perplexing was not a language barrier but... he was shrinking, like Conan!

Fortunately, Ryuuji's shrinking was due to his body becoming smaller.

Also, due to his experience of swallowing fruits, his endurance had greatly improved, ensuring that when he arrived in this world, his spirit wouldn't be directly impacted by a powerful force.

A week isn't short, and it was enough time for him to come to terms with the situation.

"Language problems should be solved first. Fortunately, the people here seem kind."

Seated on a wooden bed, Ryuuji touched the scar on his right eyebrow, lost in thought.

He still didn't realize that he was no longer on Earth. He didn't know the name of this place or understand the absurd notion of kindness here.

Upon exiting the trash mountain, he encountered three people in protective clothing. Judging from their size, they could only be classified as children. This was confirmed by the fact that he, too, had become a child unconsciously at first.

Although he didn't know where they were or why these three people wore protective clothing and visited the garbage dump, their incomprehensible speech filled Ryuuji with despair.

"What kind of language are you speaking?"

He was proficient in multiple languages, yet at that moment, he couldn't understand the words of the people in protective clothing.

Fortunately, despite the language barrier, one of the girls still showed obvious kindness and led him back to their settlement. These actions earned the girl Ryuuji's appreciation. Of course, it would have been better if she hadn't taken the jade from him.

Ryuuji glanced at the familiar scars on his right eyebrow, pondering the jade stolen by the barbarian girl, lost in habitual thoughts.

Based on his appearance and scars, he confirmed that he had shrunk and his physical fitness had regressed with age. Fortunately, he could still sense the incalculable "life energy" in his body. This energy was his weapon, albeit currently as weak as a flickering flame.

During this time, he had worried about the disappearance of the "fire" in his body, as it would be essential for his survival in this strange world. Thankfully, his worries were unfounded. Though weakened, the life energy in his body showed no signs of dissipating.

"In short, while mastering the language, I should try to strengthen the life energy in my body to avoid being powerless when facing challenges."

Ryuuji slowly closed his eyes, calming his mind. He then focused his mental energy on the weak life energy in his body, gently manipulating it like a pair of gentle hands rubbing a tiny energy ball.

For a whole year, he had trained with a clear understanding of his situation, but his progress had been almost nonexistent. Although he didn't know the specifics, he continued his efforts.

Initially, he could clearly perceive the life energy after swallowing the fruit, and he used this method to cultivate. Though the results were modest, they were tangible.

After a year of practice, his physical fitness had not only improved to non-human levels but he could also hold his breath for up to 20 minutes.

However, since his body had shrunk and he arrived in this strange world, his usual cultivation methods didn't seem to yield results.

Ryuuji attributed this solely to his smaller body and didn't dwell on it.

After massaging the life energy mass for a full hour without any apparent change, he tightly closed his eyes. Suddenly, a row of white fonts appeared in his dark vision, forming organized text:

Power: unknown.

Awakening degree: 0.5%.

The unexpected text startled Ryuuji, causing him to open his eyes abruptly. As he did, the text disappeared, as if it had never been there.

"What on earth is this?"

As deep doubts clouded his eyes, the old wooden door creaked open.

A girl with purple hair and golden eyes entered, carrying two bowls of steaming porridge. She placed them on the simple wooden table and gestured towards them, saying, "Eat."

Though the girl's language was simple, Ryuuji couldn't understand it. However, he understood her intention and picked up a bowl, realizing that this was a familiar routine.

As Ryuuji finished the meager meal, he observed the girl. Petite and around ten years old, she had short purple hair, thin eyebrows, and rare golden eyes that exuded energy. Though her nose and mouth were delicate, she wore a white judo-style dress with a short skirt and black shorts underneath.

While she appeared adorable, Ryuuji sensed a strength in her that belied her petite frame.

Perceiving his confusion, the girl retrieved a shabby book from her clothes, patting it on the table. "I'll teach you to read," she said.

Though he didn't understand the girl's words, Ryuuji welcomed the gesture, opening the book and recognizing characters similar to those on the stone pillars at the bottom of the unfrozen lake.

"This seems familiar," he murmured, comparing the characters. Though they bore some resemblance, they were distinct.

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Ryuuji raised his head to look at the girl, pointing at the book, then at her, and finally at himself, silently asking if she intended to teach him literacy.

The girl understood Ryuuji's gesture and nodded slightly.

"Let's get started, then," Ryuuji exclaimed eagerly, speaking in Chinese. The girl didn't comprehend the language, but it didn't deter her from teaching him the universal language.

Though the girl's teaching was rudimentary, Ryuuji displayed exceptional talent in language acquisition, mastering the new language at an astonishing pace. Despite the late hour, he learned the language of this world within weeks.

Late into the night, Ryuuji finally learned the girl's name and the name of their location.

The girl's name was Machi, and they resided on Meteor Street...

Though "Machi" and "Meteor Street" seemed innocuous on their own, when combined, they evoked a sense of dread within Ryuuji.

"Is this the world of the hunters?" he wondered, a vivid image of a woman with purple hair and golden eyes superimposing itself onto Machi.

Machi... a renowned person in a group known worldwide as the Phantom Brigade. Despite their harmless appearance, they were infamous for their murderous exploits. Ryuuji realized that the seemingly harmless Machi was not as innocent as she appeared!