บท 5: Chapter 5: Thrown Into a Very Dark and Desperate World
For Alex, the feeling of being transported was anything but pleasant. The moment he disappeared, Alex felt as if the ground beneath his feet had turned into a void.
Then, his entire body seemed to plummet down an endless slide at breakneck speed. He couldn't even tell if he was falling; it felt like stars were swirling around him, everything spinning uncontrollably. The next instant, he felt his body soar high. Gravity then mercilessly recaptured his body.
"Bang!!"
Once again, he crashed heavily to the ground, crying out involuntarily. His body felt like it was about to fall apart; there wasn't a single part of him that didn't ache. How could he be so unlucky? Transported twice and both times slammed into the ground? Is there no justice?
"Alex!!"
As Alex was cursing inwardly, he heard a man's voice beside his ear. Then he felt someone grab him and pull him up from the ground. He opened his eyes and saw a man in armor staring intently at him.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"I... I'm fine."
Although he didn't know who the man in front of him was, Alex shook his head and forced himself to wake up before responding. Hearing his answer, the man breathed a sigh of relief. He then released Alex and raised the long sword in his hand.
"Hurry, we need to get out of here! The damn undead are about to surround us! If we don't leave now, we'll never get out!!"
"Huh?"
Hearing the man's words, Alex looked around and saw, amidst the pouring rain, dozens of rotting creatures approaching them, like zombies from a movie. Not far from them, several soldiers lay dead in pools of blood.
Oh, come on, not again? Seeing this scene, Alex was speechless. System, are you trying to kill me? Just reincarnated and I'm being hunted down, and now, to escape, I'm in another world being attacked again? At least this time, it's not those terrifying paladins, but a bunch of undead... well, that's not much better.
Thinking this, Alex swiftly drew Soulrend and followed the man in front of him, running quickly towards the edge of the wilderness. The undead weren't fast, but there were many of them. If Alex and the man hadn't run quickly, they would have been surrounded and unable to escape.
"Damn it!"
After breaking out of the encirclement, the man clenched his fist and swung it in the air. "Who would've thought there'd be so many undead near the church! Those poor lads... I can't even give them a proper burial..."
Sighing, the man glanced at Alex. "Alright, let's head back to Tristran Town. Those damn undead are sure to attack there, and we have to protect it!"
"I understand."
Hearing the man's command, Alex nodded without saying anything. It seemed that in the world of the system's tasks, his identity was already predetermined. He just hadn't figured out which world this was yet. Judging by the man's attire, it seemed similar to the main world he had reincarnated into.
The rain poured harder as Alex and the man returned to the town called Tristran Town, looking like drenched rats. The town wasn't very large; its main gate was closed, and only two militia holding longbows stood on the watchtowers on either side. Seeing the two approaching the gate, the guards immediately nocked their arrows, aiming at Alex and his companion.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?!"
Facing the guards' questioning, the man beside Alex shouted back. "It's me! Rumford! And Alex! We've returned!"
"Captain Rumford!"
Hearing the man's voice, the guard on the watchtower paused, then immediately shouted. "Open the gate! Captain Rumford has returned!"
With the guard's shout, the gate slowly opened, and Rumford led Alex inside. Just stepping into the town, Alex could feel the tense atmosphere. Under the pouring rain, the entire town appeared gloomy and desolate. Not far away, several militia corpses lay haphazardly in front of a large pit. Seeing these bodies, Rumford's brows furrowed deeply.
"Why haven't they been cremated?"
"The rain is too heavy right now, Captain!"
Hearing Rumford's inquiry, a guard wiped the rain off his face and responded loudly. "We can't get a fire started..."
"Then use a tarp to shield the rain! Use kerosene! Do you want to see them rise again and drag you into the abyss of death?! Hurry up!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing Rumford's order, the militia member quickly turned and left. Only then did Rumford breathe a sigh of relief and turn to Alex. "Alright, Alex, you're lucky to be alive... Go to the Slaughtered Calf Inn to rest, change your clothes, and get something to eat. Tell the owner to put it on my tab."
"Yes, Captain Rumford."
Hearing Rumford's words, Alex nodded and then turned to leave. He needed some time to think about the world he had arrived in. The information Rumford had provided was overwhelming, making Alex feel dizzy. He vaguely felt that Tristran Town was somewhat familiar, as if he had heard of it somewhere before...
Initially, Alex planned to ask someone for directions to the Slaughtered Calf Inn, but he quickly realized he didn't need to—this small town had only one inn, and the sign was still hanging on the door.
"Jingle."
Pushing open the inn door and walking into the hall, Alex was first hit by a pungent medicinal smell. He then saw several severely injured soldiers lying on the ground, groaning. Seeing Alex's arrival, the innkeeper behind the counter waved at him.
"Hey, Alex! You're lucky to be alive!"
"Yeah, I had some good luck, boss."
Responding to the innkeeper's greeting, Alex smiled slightly. The innkeeper chuckled and nodded.
"Indeed, sixteen of you went, and only you and Captain Rumford made it back alive. That's some luck... Alright, no more chatter. I've prepared clean clothes, hot soup, and baked bread for you in your room!"
Alex was extremely hungry; since his reincarnation, he hadn't eaten a single meal. Hearing the innkeeper's words, he quickly changed his clothes and then began to enjoy his dinner. Frankly, the food wasn't particularly delicious, but when someone is starving, anything tastes good, and Alex was no exception. Since someone else was paying, he indulged himself, eating heartily while praising the innkeeper's cooking skills.
For a person living in a medieval-like era, the innkeeper had never encountered such flattery from someone as knowledgeable as Alex. Just a few compliments had the innkeeper beaming with joy. Not only did he give Alex extra food, but he also waived the meal charge. Meanwhile, Alex managed to gather information about recent events from the innkeeper.
"You mean... a meteor?"
"Yes."
Hearing Alex's question, the innkeeper nodded gravely. "A meteor fell from the sky and struck the church, completely destroying it! Oh, you should have seen it, it was terrifying. Then young Lia came, saying she needed to gather the militia to find her uncle. Who could have expected such a thing to happen..."
"A meteor?"
Hearing this, Alex furrowed his brows, then seemed to realize something and looked at the innkeeper. "By the way, what's Lia's grandfather's name?"
"Um... I think it's... Deckard Cain."
Finally, Alex knew where he was. This was an incredibly dark and desperate world, a place where everyone struggled to survive but could only helplessly accept their fate.
Diablo. Similar to a game he had played in his previous life.
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