The cavern's damp chill seeped into Jun's bones—or rather, Elshua's bones—as he stood on wobbly legs, the sharp stone still clutched in his small, calloused hand.
The drip-drip-drip of water echoed like a mocking metronome, each drop a reminder of how utterly out of place he was. The air hummed with the faint buzz of that strange voice, its crystalline chime still lingering in his skull like an earworm he couldn't shake.
"Welcome, soul of Jun, to the world of Requiem of the Fallen…"
The words replayed, unbidden, and Jun froze, his breath hitching with a soft hiss. He hadn't imagined it. That voice—ethereal, warm, yet unnervingly detached—had spoken to him, as if some cosmic narrator had decided to meddle in his afterlife.
Before he could process further, a faint shimmer flickered in the air before him, like sunlight glinting off a pond. The shimmer coalesced into a translucent, glowing window, its edges pulsing with soft blue light.
Jun squinted, his heart pounding like a drum in his too-small chest. The window hovered, silent but expectant, displaying text in a crisp, almost digital font that looked absurdly out of place in the mossy cavern. It read:
༺═════════════════༻
System Notification: Welcome to the World of Requiem of the Fallen!
——————————————
Transmigration Successful. Soul Designation: Jun. Vessel: Elshua, Son of None.
——————————————
Character Information:
- Name: Elshua
- Age: 12
- Status: Outcast, Abandoned
- Abilities: None Unlocked
- Destiny Thread: Tragic Figure (Original Fate: Death in Abandoned Cavern, Chapter 1)
——————————————
Objective: Survive and Forge a New Path.
Note: The world responds to your actions.
——————————————
Alter fate, and fate may alter you.
Good luck, Chosen Soul!
༺═════════════════༻
Jun blinked, his jaw dropping with a faint pop.
"A system window?" he muttered, his voice high and boyish, cracking with disbelief.
It was like something out of the isekai manga he'd secretly binged between study sessions. He half-expected a cheerful anime voice to start narrating his stats, maybe with a catchy jingle.
But the cavern remained silent save for the relentless drip and the distant whoosh of wind through the forest outside. He reached out, his fingers trembling, and tapped the air. The window rippled like water but didn't vanish.
"Okay, okay," he whispered, pacing in a tight circle, the crunch of dirt under his bare feet grounding him. "I'm in Requiem of the Fallen. I'm Elshua. And there's a system. Cool. Not freaking out. Totally fine."
He wasn't fine. His mind raced, piecing together the implications. The system confirmed it: he'd transmigrated into the novel, into the body of Elshua, the boy who died in the very first chapter.
Jun's stomach churned, the memory of the novel's opening slamming into him like a runaway truck—ironic, given how he'd gotten here. Elshua's death wasn't just tragic; it was brutal.
A high demon, a towering monstrosity of shadow and flame, was set to storm this cavern, leading a horde of lesser monsters—gnarled goblins, venomous skitterbeasts, and worse.
The novel never explained why they attacked, only that Elshua, weak and alone, was torn apart before the story even truly began. Jun's grip on the stone tightened, its jagged edge biting his palm.
"Not today," he muttered, his voice shaking but resolute. "I'm not dying in chapter one."
He glanced at the system window again, hoping for a hint, maybe a tutorial or a "Click Here for Instant Power-Up" button. But—
Nothing appeared.
Just the same glowing text, taunting him with Destiny Thread: Tragic Figure.
"Real helpful," he grumbled, waving his hand to dismiss the window.
It vanished with a soft ping, like a phone notification, leaving him in the dim cavern with only the moonlight and his racing thoughts.
He needed to move.
If the novel's timeline held, that demon and its monster posse were on their way, and this cave was about as safe as a cardboard box in a thunderstorm.
Jun shuffled toward the cavern's entrance, his bare feet slipping on slick stone with a faint squelch. The air grew colder, the wind's whistle louder as he peered out.
Beyond the jagged mouth of the cave, a dense forest loomed, its trees gnarled and twisted, their branches creaking like old bones. The rustle of leaves and the occasional snap of a twig sent his heart into overdrive.
"Okay, Jun," he whispered, coaching himself like he used to during late-night study marathons. "You know this world. You've read the book a hundred times. Find a safe place, hide, survive. Easy."
It was not easy.
He stepped out, wincing as a sharp twig jabbed his foot, eliciting a muffled yelp. The forest was a maze of shadows, the moonlight barely piercing the thick canopy.
Every crack of a branch or hiss of wind sounded like a monster stalking him. He clutched his stone tighter, its weight a small comfort, and started moving, picking a direction at random.
"There's gotta be a village nearby," he muttered, recalling the novel's map in his mind. "Or a river. Or… something."
His knowledge of Requiem of the Fallen was his only edge, but the novel hadn't exactly lingered on Elshua's surroundings before killing him off.
Growl.
A low growl rumbled through the trees, and Jun froze, his breath catching with a gasp. His head whipped around, eyes wide, searching for the source. Nothing but shadows.
"Probably just a wolf," he whispered, trying to convince himself. "Or a really angry squirrel." He forced a laugh, but it came out more like a nervous squeak.
He kept moving, ducking under low branches that snagged his tunic with a rip. The forest seemed to mock him, every step met with a new obstacle: a root that tripped him, sending him sprawling with a thud into a pile of wet leaves; a sudden—
Screech!
A sound from some unseen bird that made him jump and drop his stone, only to scramble after it with a string of muttered curses; a patch of mud that sucked at his feet with a loud slurp, nearly claiming his left sandal.
"Come on!" he hissed, yanking his foot free and stumbling forward. "This is supposed to be an epic fantasy world, not a comedy skit!"
His voice echoed, and he clamped a hand over his mouth, eyes darting around. The last thing he needed was to announce his location to every monster in a five-mile radius.
He crouched behind a gnarled tree, its bark rough against his back, and tried to think. The novel mentioned a village, Eldenreach, a few miles from this forest. If he could find it, he might survive until the story's main characters passed through in chapter two.
But which way was it? The forest was a labyrinth, and Elshua's memories were fragmented, offering only vague images of hunger and fear.
Another growl, louder this time, rolled through the air, accompanied by the crunch of heavy footsteps. Jun's heart pounded like a war drum.
The high demon. He didn't need to see it to know it was close—the air felt heavier, charged with a faint crackle of dark energy, like static before a storm.
The system window hadn't mentioned combat skills, and Elshua's scrawny body wasn't exactly built for heroics.
"Nope, nope, nope," Jun whispered, scrambling to his feet.
He bolted, weaving through trees, his breaths coming in short puffs. Branches whipped his face, leaving stinging scratches, and his sandal finally gave up, snapping with a sad twang and leaving him half-barefoot.
He spotted a narrow stream, its water gurgling softly under the moonlight, and veered toward it, hoping it might lead somewhere—anywhere—safer.
"Rivers lead to civilization, right?" he panted, dodging a low-hanging vine that swung at him like a prankster.
But as he reached the bank, a new sound stopped him cold: a guttural snarl, followed by the skitter of claws on stone.
He turned, slowly, and saw them—three skitterbeasts, their insect-like bodies glinting in the moonlight, mandibles clicking with a sickening snap-snap. They were smaller than the high demon but no less deadly, their venomous tails twitching eagerly.
"Oh, come on!" Jun yelped, backing away.
His foot slipped on the muddy bank, and he flailed, arms windmilling with a comical whoosh before he caught himself on a branch.
The skitterbeasts advanced, their claws scraping the ground with a scritch—scratch that made his skin crawl. He glanced at the stream—too shallow to hide in, too wide to jump.
"Think, Jun, think!" he muttered, his mind racing through the novel's lore.
Skitterbeasts hated fire, but he had no flint, no torch, not even a match. He had a rock, a torn tunic, and a whole lot of panic.
Then, the system window flickered back into existence with a soft ping, startling him so badly he nearly dropped his stone again. New text glowed:
༺═════════════════༻
System Alert: Immediate Threat Detected!
Objective Updated: Escape the Skitterbeast Pack (0/3 Defeated).
——————————————
Hint: Use the environment to your advantage. Creativity is your strength.
——————————————
Warning: High Demon approaching. Time remaining: 10 minutes.
༺═════════════════༻
"Ten minutes?!" Jun squeaked, his voice cracking like Elshua's prepubescent vocal cords were mocking him.
The skitterbeasts lunged, and he dove behind a boulder, the thwack of a venomous tail striking the rock sending a shiver down his spine.
Creativity, the system said.
He scanned his surroundings, eyes darting over the stream, the trees, the scattered rocks.
An idea sparked.
He grabbed a handful of loose pebbles, the clink of stone on stone loud in the tense silence, and hurled them into the bushes on the opposite bank. The rustle drew the skitterbeasts' attention, their heads snapping toward the sound with a synchronized click.
Jun didn't wait. He sprinted along the stream, his bare foot splashing in the cold water with a plop-plop-plop.
The skitterbeasts screeched, realizing the trick, and gave chase, their claws tearing up the earth with a furious scrape. He spotted a fallen log ahead, its surface slick with moss but sturdy enough to climb.
"Please don't break," he begged, scrambling onto it with a grunt, the wood creaking ominously under his weight.
From the log, he leaped to a low branch, the snap of twigs echoing as he hauled himself up. The skitterbeasts circled below, their tails lashing with frustrated thuds against the trunk.
"Okay, safe for now," Jun panted, clinging to the branch like a terrified koala.
But the air grew heavier, the crackle of dark energy stronger. The high demon was close—he could feel it, a pressure that made his ears pop. The system window blinked again, the ping almost mocking now:
༺═════════════════༻
System Alert: High Demon Proximity Warning!
——————————————
Time Remaining: 7 minutes.
Hint: Seek higher ground or concealment. The demon's senses are keen.
༺═════════════════༻
"Higher ground, sure, because I'm Spider-Man now," Jun muttered, rolling his eyes.
He climbed higher, the tree groaning under his weight, leaves rustling as he disturbed a nest of tiny, glowing insects that buzzed around him with an indignant hum.
"Sorry, bugs!" he whispered, swatting them away.
From his perch, he scanned the forest. In the distance, a rocky outcrop rose above the trees, its silhouette jagged against the moonlight.
It might offer a hiding spot, but it was a long climb, and the skitterbeasts were still below, their clicking growing impatient.
He needed a distraction. His eyes fell on the stream again, and an absurd plan formed. He tore a strip from his tunic with a loud rip, wincing at the loss of what little clothing he had.
Wrapping the fabric around a rock, he chucked it into the stream, the splash drawing the skitterbeasts' attention.
Two of them scuttled toward the water, their claws splashing as they investigated. The third stayed, its beady eyes fixed on him, mandibles snapping with a crunch.
"Really? You're the smart one?" Jun groaned.
He broke off a branch with a snap and waved it, hoping to annoy the creature into leaving. Instead, it reared back and spat a glob of venom that sizzled against the trunk with a hiss.
"Okay, bad idea!" he yelped, nearly falling as the branch wobbled.
He glanced at the outcrop again. It was his best shot, but he'd have to run, and fast.
Taking a deep breath, Jun counted to three, then leaped from the tree, landing with a thud that jarred his knees. The skitterbeast lunged, but he rolled under its claws, the whoosh of its tail missing him by inches.
He sprinted toward the outcrop, his bare foot stinging as it struck rocks and roots, each step a chaotic slap-slap-slap. The forest seemed to conspire against him, vines snagging his arms, branches smacking his face with wet slaps.
Behind him, the skitterbeasts' skittering grew louder, joined by a new sound—a deep, resonant roar that shook the trees.
The high demon.
Jun's heart raced, but so did his mind. He wasn't just Elshua, the tragic nobody. He was Jun, the kid who'd given his last dollar to strangers, who'd memorized every twist of Requiem of the Fallen.
If this world thought it could kill him in chapter one, it had another thing coming. He reached the base of the outcrop, its rocks cold and slick under his hands. Then—
The system window flashed one last time, its ping almost encouraging:
༺═════════════════༻
System Alert: Objective Progress!
Escape Progress:* 50% (Skitterbeast Pack Distracted).
High Demon Proximity: 4 minutes remaining.
——————————————
Hint: The outcrop conceals a hidden crevice. Trust your instincts.
༺═════════════════༻
Jun grinned, a spark of defiance cutting through his fear.
"Instincts, huh? Let's do this."
He scrambled up the rocks, the scrape of his hands and knees blending with the distant roar of the demon. Somewhere in this world, a saint's legacy waited—and Jun was determined to claim it, one clumsy, terrified step at a time.