Chương 2: Deathly Encounter

"People think that luck is an illusion, caused by your mental state, that can confuse your judgment.'

'When you're depressed, you tend to blame every misfortune on your bad luck.'

'A truly wise person, however, adapts to change and strives to improve themselves, rather than wallowing in misery.'

Heizen, too, thought so till he awoke on this god-forsaken planet.

"What is illusory? This goddamn bad luck is like a maggot in a tarsal bone. It just won't leave me, ugh."

Heizen gnashed his teeth with frustration. Everything was going wrong in his life.

Though he transmigrated, he faced a hell start.

Just when Heizen's thoughts were drifting, someone whacked his shoulder hard.

"Heizen, feed Drumble already!" Stop daydreaming; we have a long way to go. Do you want to die?"

Steward Jill slapped his shoulder and cursed.

Heizen for sure saw some spittle fly to his face.

"Useless slackers. I don't know why the boss is keeping them. Waste of food."

Steward Jill yelled as he kicked Zoran in the buttocks, who was laughing at Heizen.

Zoran was also a slave, just like Heizen. Both were tasked with serving the "Drumble," a highly intelligent and demanding creature that required meticulous care. It looked a lot like an ox from the old world.

"Tch," hearing the scolding, Heizen murmured but honestly carried the bucket full of spirit grass to the barn. The situation was already like this, what could he do?

When Zoran noticed Steward Jill move away, he swiftly grabbed up his portion of the bucket and walked towards Heizen.

"Hey, isn't it too much? This Jill bastard is cursing us as if we eat meat every day. Why not let us be free if we are waste? Hypocrite."

Hearing his words, Heizen didn't pay any attention to the Zoran.

This bastard wasn't a good seed. If he said anything outrageous, he would be the first one to snitch on him.

Seeing that Heizen's attention was elsewhere, Zoran walked away as if he hadn't said anything.

Heizen ignored him and came to the Drumble's abode.

After entering the barn, he just placed the fodder in front of the Drumble, who was busy clearing its body and walked out.

Once he finished his work, he returned to the camp and laid down on the ground to catch some respite.

He needed to collect his breath while there was still time; otherwise, they would not give him a chance on the road.

...

When Heizen first awoke in this world, he found himself as a slave boy in a small wandering Merchant Caravan. According to his predecessor's memory, he was sold to the caravan after his parents died in an accident.

Life as a slave in a wandering caravan was tough. He had to travel vast distances with his feeble body, surviving on little more than coarse bread, while tending to the load-bearing livestock.

Heizen left those sad memories behind and awoke in his shabby camp. Now that the team was ready to travel, packing was necessary.

It wasn't as if he had never considered running away. But he did not dare. After traveling with the Merchant caravan, he discovered that the outside world was extremely dangerous.

Bandits and monsters were commonplace. Moreover, he knew nothing and had no one, so where should he run?

He honestly stuffed some clothes, herbs, and utensils into a bed sheet and wrapped it around his shoulder like a bag.

Actually, traveling in a merchant caravan wasn't so bad. The village where he was born was too remote, and traveling alone outside was dangerous.

Rather than searching blindly, it was better to follow the caravan and gain an understanding of the world. Regarding the status of a slave, he could always find a solution in the future.

When Heizen left his tent, the team had already started moving forward. This merchant caravan was small, with only three leaders.

Heizen quickly caught up to the line, walking alongside Zoran in the back. He then looked around, as he walked forward.

Regardless of his situation, one thing was certain: this world looked really beautiful. The towering mountains, winding rivers, lush forests, intelligent birds, and animals all felt more alive.

It almost seemed unreal. This strange feeling of his was out of place among others. He asked Zoran and some other people on the caravan about it, but they didn't think anything was wrong.

If he had to compare, it felt like stepping into a hyperrealistic anime world. Except for humans, who appeared ordinary, everything from the landscape to wildlife was full of excessive vibrant energy.

And, looking at the intelligence of the bull-like Drumble, he had some guesses. That's why he couldn't just sit in the remote village and had to venture out, even as a slave.

The caravan walked along the road until evening. Aside from water to quench his thirst, there was no lunch to speak of. When the leader finally discovered a nice camping area with a clear view, Heizen also started to work.

After setting everything up, he finally had some free time to relax.

Heizen sat on the grass in front of the tent, gazing up at the sky while chewing on coarse bread crumbs for dinner. The moon in the sky looked stunning, soothing his restless heart.

He'd noticed that the moon in this world was always full. Stars were also very diverse and numerous. It almost resembled a beautiful canvas painted by a famous artist.

As he looked at the breathtaking view, he felt slightly emotional. The strange world, unknown sky, and a lack of purpose in life made him feel aimless.

With no anchor to hold onto, he felt like a wandering ghost. When there was no goal in life, each day would blur into the next, making you feel empty.

As he gazed at the sky, lost in his thoughts, he noticed the moon beginning to fade.

No, where the hell did this fog appear so suddenly?

He immediately looked towards the camp, where other members were also reacting to the change. The atmosphere around the camp suddenly became tense.

Heizen saw a leader with a huge sword over his shoulder, stood up anxiously, and yelled;

"Shit, Devil fog. Everyone, be ready to fight."

While everyone in the camp guard team quickly pulled out their weapons, Heizen was confused. What was Devil fog, and why were they so concerned about mere fog?

While he was still trying to grasp the situation, he noticed Zoran pull out a large kitchen knife and hide nervously behind the tent.

He was shivering from head to toe.

"Boom!" suddenly a loud sound came from the front. Heizen quickly looked and saw a headless guard stumbling at the entrance.

It seemed something had chewed the entire head.

"Ah!"

"Run."

"Attack!"

The crowd went crazy while the guards quickly ran in front of the camp. The leader, who spoke first, held his sword and swung at a black object.

Only then did Heizen discover that they had been attacked by dark wolf-like creatures.

As the guards fought desperately, the fog thickened and visibility deteriorated. Amid such chaos, the monsters were like assassins, appearing invisibly and reaping life as they pleased.

Heizen, flustered, quickly searched through his belongings and pulled out a sharp knife. He also wrapped the bedsheet with his clothes on his shoulder and prepared to flee.

"Ahhhhehhhahhhh!"

Just then, a shrill, bloodcurdling scream pierced through the fog. The sound of terror caused his body to almost freeze. His heart thumped, and he was about to flee, but a desperate voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Heizen, save me."

It was Zoran, who had only one leg left. His other leg was chewed clean, leaving everything bloody. He was crying while looking at him and pleading for help.

Before Heizen could react, a black wolf suddenly appeared from the dense fog and bit the Zoran's head off with brute force.

The tent abruptly fell silent, but the sight was horrifying. Heizen was terrified and ran as fast as he could, without looking back. However, he was still too slow.

The wolf instantly appeared behind his shoulder and pounced from behind with its thick canines.

As a rancid odor entered his nostrils, Heizen reflexively swung the knife in his arm with all of his strength.

"Crack." Heizen heard his bone break.

However, since he swung the knife with all his strength at the right moment, it lodged deep into the wolf's neck. He was lucky.

When he saw the situation, he quickly turned around and kicked the knife with his leg repeatedly. He didn't stop until the head was completely severed.

"Huff, huff."

Killing just one of these creatures required all his strength.

While gasping for air, Heizen quickly grabbed the knife from the ground with his other arm and dashed toward the forest in the back.

He could still hear something following behind him, and it was getting closer. So he ran at his fastest speed. Just when he was almost inside the forest, he noticed something that made him curse his luck.

It was a space crack big enough for a human to fit through.

As the footsteps were approaching, he had no time to think or plan. He'd be overtaken in no time if he slowed or changed direction.

With no choice, Heizen gritted his teeth, ignored the pain in his injured arm, and plunged into the space crack.