Kamanth was certain he was about to die, so he closed his eyes. Even though he was playing the game, in his mind he was preparing himself for death. It didn't matter how death came. Dying in a natural disaster felt more honorable to him than the cowardice of suicide.
He closed his eyes and tried to be at peace. He never noticed the golden light that had entered his body. He simply thought that God might have finally decided his unworthy life needed to end, because a good-for-nothing like him didn't deserve a place in this world.
How peaceful this feeling is…
Strangely, he was no longer afraid of death. He would leave this world with memories of the love of his life, someone who still held a positive opinion of him. Even though he was sure that, if this accident hadn't happened, he would have to face her anger, at least dying this way let him feel some peace.
Oddly enough, he felt something was wrong. He waited for death for nearly twenty seconds, eyes closed, sitting on the floor while leaning against the wall, expecting the entire house to collapse on him. Twenty seconds may sound short, but for a building to come down, two seconds should be more than enough to kill someone. Yet, after all this time, nothing had hit him.
The thought flashed through his mind, but he had no answer. The only way to find out was by opening his eyes. But he was scared to do it. Although he'd prepared himself for death, he was still terrified to actually witness a house crashing down on him. That would be truly horrifying.
Then he noticed something weird. The noises from the earthquake had vanished. The shaking of his body had stopped. Instead, he felt a familiar warmth—the kind you get standing outdoors in the sunshine. Even the wall he was leaning against felt different. Suddenly, he heard the sound of birds chirping.
Kamanth finally knew something was wrong. He opened his eyes—and was completely stunned. He was supposed to be inside his house, but now he was outdoors in an open area filled with a variety of trees. The "wall" against which he'd been waiting to die had turned into a banyan tree. The air in this place was far purer than anywhere he'd been since childhood. This clean air instantly calmed his mind.
Where the hell am I?
That was the first question that came to his mind. His thoughts were blank as fear rose instinctively within him. He had no idea what was happening. More importantly, he wasn't like Shirley, who faced the unknown with fearless clarity.
Calm down!
Shirley had always advised him to stay calm when facing something unexpected, then follow his heart to make the next decision.
He did just that—calming himself and trying to plan his next move. A flood of questions ran through his mind, but the most urgent was: Where exactly was he now?
The truth was, a part of him suspected he'd transmigrated into a world of cultivation or magic, but he immediately dismissed the idea. He reminded himself he was not some fictional character from a web novel or WuxiaWorld story where people transmigrate to other worlds.
After all, those are just stories. This was reality. There was no way he'd actually transmigrated. That was total nonsense.
And yet, he couldn't explain where he was. How could an earthquake in the middle of a city drop him in the middle of a forest? It was all so strange.
With no idea where to go, he chose to walk in the direction of the sun. From its position, he guessed it was about 9 a.m. If he'd had a smartphone or watch, he could have checked the exact time.
After walking for thirty minutes, Kamanth—due to his weak, tired body—was on the verge of collapse. His belly fat bounced up and down, and once again, he was drenched in sweat. He felt he might pass out from thirst. Worse, he had no water.
As he was about to give up hope, he suddenly heard several people shouting in the distance. Kamanth's heart raced with excitement. If he could hear voices, then maybe he'd finally found someone to talk to!
He didn't know where the energy came from, but he ran towards the source of the voices as fast as he could. The closer he got, the clearer they sounded, fueling his determination to keep going.
Soon he found the edge of the forest. He rushed forward and finally exited into the open. Gasping for breath and too exhausted to look up, he listened to the chorus of voices, pausing to catch his breath before figuring out his next step.
When he finally looked up, the scene before him baffled him. At the forest's edge was a colony, and between the forest and the colony was a 10-meter-wide road.
Some people, all wearing similar-looking clothes, were shouting at one another. The language was completely foreign to him.
What the hell are they saying? Kamanth thought in panic. Damn it! Is there no one who can help me?
BOOM!
Suddenly, he felt as if a minor explosion had gone off in his head. An intense headache struck, making him feel as though his brain were about to burst. Before he could process what was happening, a transparent screen appeared before his eyes, displaying several words:
[Identified Foreign Language]
[Does user want translation?]
Kamanth was shocked. He immediately realized what was happening.
Isn't this just like those novels where the MC transmigrates with a system in their mind? Does that mean I now have a System too?
he wondered.
Then a thought aroused in his mind.
Wait a minute. If that's true, then… did I really transmigrate to another world!?