The Real Journey Begins

Human against beast competed in stamina capacity, which one will win?

Of course, the beast!

The beast's daily life is all about chasing something. On the other hand, the hunter almost never chased by anything else in his life. It was an inevitable outcome.

After a few hours, the hunter finally gave in. He leaned his frazzle body on a tree and wailed.

"I can't run anymore. I am sorry, Joana… Kyle…"

The light in his eye slowly fades away as his will to live also gradually diminishing. Suddenly... the light in his eye flickered with profound light.

"No! I am a hunter! I will not go down without a fight!"

He drew a hunting knife in his right hand while his left hand reached the quiver behind his back and took an arrow.

After that, he turned his body toward the wolf monster and shouted. "Come on, you son of a b*tch! Let's see who will go down first!"

Finding his prey cornered, the wolf smirked before growling as if it was accepting the hunter's challenge.

When seeing the hunter ready with his weapon, It scrapes the ground with his front right feet before running toward the hunter's left side. Just before reaching its target, it suddenly stops and takes one step back.

Arrow thrust attack dodged successfully!

Knowing that the hunter still has one more weapon, the Fenris wolf strides diagonally to the left and easily dodge its opponent's knife attack.

When looking at his prey's neck, saliva started to fill its mouth. The insatiable hunger he felt for so long finally finds its remedy. Without hesitation, the wolf opened its dreadful jaw and pounced at its target.

Of course, the hunter didn't just sit there and accepted his fate. He tried to punch the monster's head with his left hand, but with no stamina, the attack missed, even entered the wolf jaw instead.

Due to unbearable hunger, the wolf can't refuse the temptation of fresh meat that comes to the chopping board by itself and bite it.

"Arrrgh!" The hunter screamed in pain.

But before the wolf could start its feast, a lanky man holding a long spear jumped from the tree behind the hunter and stabbed its stomach until it penetrated his body. This time Jack takes a higher ground and swings his spear harder to make sure that his attack will hurt the monster badly or even kill it on the spot.

'A hero always comes at the most crucial moment!' That line suddenly appeared in Jack's head before he took the jump.

The wolf releases its teeth from the hunter's arm and tries to bite Jack that stands on top of it while holding his spear. After struggling for a while, the monster finally used its last strength and died.

The hunter was shocked and astonished at the same time. Then, after witnessing the wolf that attacked him was killed, he heaved a sigh of relief.

Looking at the young man that saved his life, the hunter smiled before saying, "Thank you. You've saved me…

"My name is Joran Winkinston, from Toria Village. What's your name, my savior?" Ask Joran while wrapping his wound with a brown cloth at the same time.

But when Jack heard Joran's voice for the first time, he felt relief, shock, and confusion simultaneously.

Relief because after so many days of silent torture, he finally can hear a human voice. But shock when finding that the language he used was so strange in his ear, yet familiar at the same time, then confused when he magically can understand its meaning.

Faced with Joran's question, Jack tried to answer it naturally.

First, he responded with a smile then replied in the same strange language. "You can call me Jack, Jack walker."

Jack himself was puzzled with his ability to pronounce that strange word. Yet, for some reason, he can utter it naturally like he was born and raised using that language.

After a few seconds pause, Jack added. "Is your hand okay, sir?"

Jack was trying to be as casual as possible. But in fact, he was speaking very politely to the man he just met.

'What's the meaning of this?' Jack thought for a moment before finally realized the reason.

'Ah...! Maybe it's because the body I am in was born and educated as a slave. Sh*t! And here I am, thinking that I can be free from bootlicking someone else in this world. Fu*k!' Jack gave a self-deprecating laugh inwardly while believing that fate was joking with him.

Hearing Jack's response, Joran laughed before saying, "Don't be so formal, Jack. Just call me Joran or old man like everybody else."

After a slight pause, he added, "Look at you! You seem lost, young man. What happened to you? What's your story?

"Ah… How rude I am. Why don't you come to my house for dinner? Heaven will laugh at me if I don't treat my savior with a feast. Hahaha...

"Let's go… We must return to the village before it gets dark. In the meantime, you can tell me how you ended up here, my friend."

Bombarded with questions, Jack was at a loss for words. And before he could answer, Joran already pulled his shoulder and forced him to walk together.

After that, he continues to babble about his own life like a broken walkie-talkie. Jack didn't even need to ask questions to dig out information from him. The man willingly shares this world common sense with him, like a grandpa telling bedtime stories toward his grandchildren.

His action helped Jack a lot, so he just nodded toward all of Joran's words to make him happy.

Jack gets a lot of information. First, the world that he was in right now is called Terrenia. A world where magic and monsters exist. But on the other hand, they didn't seem to understand the concept of levels. And that makes Jack a bit confused.

Second, they are in a place called Avantheim, one of six kingdoms of the continent of Palonia. And the place they are about to go is a village located in its southernmost territory that adjoins Shadowless Forest, called Toria.

Jack was excited when finding out that science and technology in this world turn out to be more ancient than he thought. They haven't even invented a steam engine, and to Jack, that smells like an opportunity.

Just before the sky was going dark, Joran and Jack arrived at the village gate guarded by more than twenty soldiers. Toria village is surrounded by a wooden palisade as its only defense, giving Jack a sense of being in a fantasy world.

Smelling a thick scent of adventure, the corner of Jack's mouth raised.

Jack breathed in a lot of air while closing his eyes. And after exhaling all of them, he exclaimed silently.

'Finally…! My real journey begins!'