It was once my favorite webnovel. I devoured every single chapter. The story followed a modern man who transmigrated into a historical world with superpowers. Alongside him came supernatural spirits and monstrous creatures known as malus. He fought relentlessly, and in the end, he ascended to become a god-level entity.
Though I disliked the cliché ending, I wondered if I could rewrite it. In that very moment of thought, I found myself transmigrated into this world. But I wasn't alone. Thousands of other readers had been pulled into this world as well.
Each of us received a unique ability. Many of the transmigrated formed their own factions, but I wanted no part of that. I craved a peaceful life. So I distanced myself from the others, settled down, and built a family.
But now, it has all come crashing down.
---
Bullets struck Sofiya, Nadya, and Lev. They collapsed to the ground. Lev glanced back to see who had fired and spotted a group of men in brown robes. One of them was supporting a man Lev had shot in the leg earlier.
"Escaping us? You deserve death," the injured man spat, firing his revolver again and again until it clicked empty. Most of the bullets tore into Lev's wife and daughter.
Lev stood frozen, his mind reeling. What just happened?
A hand touched his leg. He turned and saw Sofiya, her hand slick with blood, her back riddled with bullet wounds. The sight shattered him.
He turned his head the other way and saw Nadya gazing at him, her eyes filled with hope. Hope that he would protect their daughter. But she didn't know. Sofiya was already gone.
Nadya struggled to speak, her voice faint. "Lev… protect… Sofiya."
Lev's hands trembled, his eyes brimming with tears. Another hand brushed his face. It was Nadya's. He grasped it tightly, desperate to hold on. She caressed his cheek, her voice barely a whisper. "Lev… thank you… for everything."
Tears streamed down Lev's face. "Nadya, don't leave me. Sofiya is gone. I can't lose you too. Please stay."
"I… love you… more than… anything," Nadya murmured. Her hand slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground. Her once-vivid eyes turned blank, lifeless.
Lev stood alone, still alive. Blood coated his body, but he felt no pain from the bullets that had torn through him, only a strange, burning rage. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
He screamed, his voice echoing with raw fury. His gaze locked onto the men in brown robes, their faces set in stern resolve. One of them raised his revolver, pointing it at Lev. "You must be grieving. Let me send you to join them."
Just as the man's finger tightened on the trigger—
CRACK!
The corpses of Nadya and Sofiya, it began to twist, contorting into shapeless monstrous forms — malus.
Lev stumbled back, his voice breaking. "No! No! Don't turn into monsters!"
The brown-robed men looked equally horrified. "What? Malus? How can a human turn into a malus?" the injured man stammered.
Nadya and Sofiya's corpses merged into a single grotesque entity. Their once-beautiful faces warped into a ghastly smirk, their eyes unnaturally large. Their combined form swelled to the size of a tank, blood-red and pulsing with veins that snaked across its surface.
"We, the Blightborns, should not fear this monster. We have our abilities. We are transmigrators. Remember, we've defeated countless monsters in countless RPGs," the man in glasses declared.
The Blightborns launched hooks onto a nearby structure, swinging into the air. From midair, they unleashed a barrage of gunfire at the monster. The creature staggered back under the assault.
"See, brothers? We're winn—" the man in glasses began, but before he could finish, a vein from the monster lashed out, seizing his leg. In an instant, it devoured him.
"Leader!" the other Blightborns shouted. But one by one, the monster's veins snared them, pulling them into its maw until none remained.
The Blightborns were gone, devoured by the monster, which grew larger with each passing moment. The creature surged forward, unstoppable.
Bang!
A bullet struck the monster. Its body didn't turn, but its eyes and mouth shifted grotesquely. Lev stood there, clutching a bloodied revolver, his eyes brimming with tears.
The monster's veins lashed out at him. Lev leaped aside and charged toward the creature, screaming. More veins whipped through the air, but he dodged each one with desperate agility.
His voice broke as he ran. "Nadya, Sofiya, I'm sorry! I couldn't save you! And now I can't even give you a peaceful death!"
As he closed in, he leaped high, clasping both hands together to deliver a crushing blow. But the monster's veins seized him midair and hurled him back.
Lev staggered to his feet and charged again.
He fired multiple shots, each bullet forcing the monster to recoil. He reached it once more, but the veins surged toward him again, this time aiming for his heart. There was no way to dodge. Accepting his fate, Lev closed his eyes.
Fwhoosh!
Time froze.
The sound of a ticking clock filled his ears. Instinctively, he sidestepped the veins and lunged at the monster. Time resumed, but Lev was no longer where the creature expected.
The monster's eyes darted upward, catching sight of him as he descended, slamming both fists into it.
The impact was so immense that the ground beneath the monster cracked. In an instant, the creature exploded.
Lev crashed into a ruined building from the force of the explosion. His vision began to blur, but before he slipped into unconsciousness, he glimpsed two figures in green robes approaching. Then, his world went blank.
---
His eyes fluttered open. Where am I? he thought, scanning his surroundings. He was in a metal room, enclosed on all sides except for a single metal door in front of him, through which anyone could enter.
He glanced down at his body. He was bound to a wooden chair. He struggled weakly, but his body felt heavy, and an overwhelming drowsiness tugged at him. His eyes slowly drifted shut again, and darkness reclaimed him.
---
"Wake up!" a commanding voice barked. A splash of cold water hit Lev's face, forcing his eyes open.
Before him stood a blonde woman, puffing on a cigarette. She wore a green ushanka hat and matching robes adorned with a two-headed eagle symbol and stars.
Beside her was a man with light brown hair, dressed in similar robes but without the stars. "Madam Anastasia, he's awake," the man said, holding bucket.
Anastasia's gaze fixed on Lev, her eyes narrowing. "Tell us, which organization do you work for among those causing chaos?"
Lev sighed, his voice weary. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't work for any organization."
Anastasia studied him with suspicion. "A third organization?" She turned to the man with light brown hair. "Stepan, do we have complete information? Is it confirmed there are only two organizations?"
Stepan nodded. "It's confirmed. One was the Decapitus, and the other was the Blightborns."
"I don't work for any organization," Lev said, his voice heavy. "I'm a family man… whose family is gone."
"Is that so?" Anastasia replied, taking another drag on her cigarette. "What's your name?"
"Lev Mikhailov," he answered.
She nodded, then glanced at Stepan. "Check the civilian records. See if his name appears. Until then, I'll dig deeper."
Stepan gave a curt nod and left the room.
Anastasia turned back to Lev. "If you don't work for any organization, what's your profession?"
"I'm a sorcerer," Lev said, his lifeless eyes fixed on his feet.
"A sorcerer? I bet your business thrives. People worldwide are so superstitious they'd worship someone like you as a god," Anastasia said, smirking with amusement.
Lev remained silent, his gaze fixed downward.
"Did you see any of those Blightborns? We found the corpses of the Decapitus, but none of the Blightborns," Anastasia pressed.
"They were all killed by a malus," Lev replied.
"What?" Anastasia's face twisted in disbelief, dismissing his words as nonsense. "That's a myth, don't twist the truth. Tell me what really happened." She leaned forward, gripping the edges of his chair.
Lev lifted his head, his eyes locking onto hers with piercing intensity. "I'm telling the truth. Malus are not myths, they're real. That's why sorcerers like me exist — to destroy them."
The conviction in Lev's eyes made Anastasia pause, almost believing him for a moment. She stepped back, lit another cigarette, and took a drag. "Tell me about your late family," she said.
"A family of three. Me, my daughter and my wife," Lev murmured, his voice low.
"You have my condolences," Anastasia said softly.
Stepan entered the room, clutching a file of civilian records.
"Stepan, is he a civilian or not?" Anastasia asked, turning to him.
"Yes, he is," Stepan confirmed. "A civilian and a family man. A family of three: him, his daughter, Sofiya Lvovna Mikhailova and his wife, Nadezhda Ivanovna Mikhailova."
Anastasia walked toward the door but paused before leaving. "Free him," she ordered.
Stepan nodded and began untying Lev.
Lev's face remained expressionless, but inside, a fire of rage consumed him. I will kill you all. Every faction, every transmigrator. Just wait for me.