"Damn it…"
That was the first thing that slipped out of my mouth after waking up from that dream. For a moment, it felt like time had stopped; everything was hazy. It might've looked like a simple dream, but it definitely wasn't. For someone like me—lonely and miserable—waking up from something like that was almost painful. It felt as if the dream had stolen my sense of reality. I closed my eyes, wanting to go back, even though I knew how impossible that was.
Anyway… I dragged myself out of bed and pulled the curtains open to let the light in. Sunlight flooded the room. At first, when that warm light hit my skin, it felt like all the darkness inside me was peeling away for a brief second. The warmth of the light left a strange, almost unpleasant sensation on my skin.
I stared at myself in the mirror. Long brown hair, brown eyes, an average face, a height of 1.80 meters, a muscular build… Nothing special. We're all the same in some way. But no matter what, the reflection in that mirror always felt like a stranger to me. I noticed it while posing absentmindedly. I was losing weight. My body fat had clearly dropped, but so had some of my muscle. That shouldn't have been possible—I was someone who ate carefully and never skipped training. The effects of depression weren't a joke; I could feel it. Not just physically, but deep inside—an internal collapse.
"I'm dying on the inside…"
I didn't know what to say. What a shitty life. I felt exhausted. After a long sigh, I went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. It helped me wake up a little. Then I headed to the kitchen to prepare something to eat. Why was I cooking for myself? Because the house was empty—my family was at work.
I found yesterday's meal in the fridge. A hundred grams of chicken breast, fifty grams of rice… Five meals a day, always the same. The same things, the same rituals. But I had no idea where this routine was even taking me. It didn't go down easily, of course, but the solution was simple—I blended it until it turned liquid and drank it.
Maybe I really was a bit insane.
Anyway, I heated the food, blended it, and drank it. Saved time, forced myself through the motions faster. After finishing, I washed my hands and face again and went to the living room. Scrolling through social media on my phone was the same as always. I spent an hour staring at an empty screen and then went back to my room to get dressed for the gym. After getting ready and grabbing my bag, I headed out. I pushed my body for two hours straight.
"Another duty fulfilled," I muttered.
Wiping the sweat off my forehead, I left the gym and began walking home. Working out was the only thing holding my mental state together—without it, those dark thoughts might've swallowed me whole. I felt oddly cheerful; there was a sense of relief I hadn't noticed before. While waiting at a red light, I pulled out my phone and focused on the screen. Right then, I heard the loud horns of a truck behind me. I didn't bother turning around—I was on the sidewalk, after all.
"Hey! Move, now!!"
…I think they were yelling at me. I turned around.
What?
What the hell was that?!
I barely had time to register the metal rods flying toward me. In that instant, everything slowed down. The sound echoed in my mind—rebar. Construction rebar. Shock froze me in place, and my body felt unbearably heavy. Forget the metal—my body wouldn't move. I couldn't accept it. In just a few seconds, I was going to die.
"Damn it."
Time felt like it had dropped into slow motion. I sensed every detail—the sharpness of the metal cutting through the air, the hollow feeling inside me… And then, suddenly, everything snapped back to normal.
A stabbing pain shot through my head. I stared blankly at the scene before me. Cold sweat trickled down my skin as my lungs rose and fell in panic. My trembling hands reached for my body—my legs felt too weak to even hold my weight.
I was scared.
Everything had been normal… Everything was supposed to go normally… So why?
I touched my head and realized there was no wound, yet the piercing pain still lingered, as if it had drilled directly into my brain. It slowly faded. But something was wrong.
Where… am I?
Wasn't I just in the city?
My sense of location had vanished. After swallowing down the shock, I forced myself to look around. I needed to understand what was happening.
I started walking through a forest. Dry branches cracked under my feet, and the air carried a sense of peace—but something about it felt strange. The scent in the air was different; each breath felt cleaner, richer, fresher. The atmosphere itself felt unreal, almost alien. The trees looked like oak and birch, but the way the sunlight filtered between them was unlike anything I'd ever seen—brighter, more vivid. The golden light didn't just shine; it gleamed with power. It felt nothing like the sun back home, where warmth was rare. Far ahead, towering mountains pierced the horizon, their snowy peaks sparkling.
This was definitely not any place I knew. That much was clear. The trees were familiar, but the world itself… the forest… everything felt foreign.
"Where am I…?" I whispered, my voice fading into my own ears. Something in my body felt different, but I couldn't explain it. I felt lighter—like my connection to the ground was weaker. I didn't feel my weight. I swung my arms in the air, tried jumping a little. What? Come on… what is this?
…No. No, it couldn't be.
My body—the one that had trained in every sport for years—couldn't be wrong. My muscles, my joints, everything felt normal, but something crucial was different. As I looked at my own footprints on the ground, gravity itself felt unfamiliar. Airy, light… Gravity existed, yes, but it felt weaker, almost softer, like the ground wasn't holding me down the same way.
"I'm not on Earth," I murmured. And at that moment, something snapped inside my mind. Thoughts crashed into each other. Awareness struck like a blow. A void, a deep void, opened up inside me. I was supposed to be on Earth, right? But here—this world—everything was foreign. I never liked Earth much, but my family… them? None of them were here now, and I?
…I guess I was completely alone.
I slowly sank to the ground. My legs trembled, but I accepted it somehow. Leaning against a tree, I felt the cold bark press into my back. I took a deep breath, but this place—this world—didn't belong anywhere. Only trees and uncertainty surrounded me. My eyes drifted toward the horizon, searching for something I couldn't name. Something I wanted to see. But there were no answers. Nothing answered me.
"…What am I supposed to do…?" I whispered, the words fading on my lips. My mind was a storm, a mess of questions. Reincarnation… Was that even possible? Or was I trapped in some hallucination, some insane delusion? But everything here—the rustling leaves, the crisp air, the unnaturally bright sunlight—felt too real. They proved themselves with every passing second. And while I was lost in thought—
"Hm?" …A sound. Considering I was in a forest, standing around distracted like this would get me killed. I couldn't afford to drop my guard. I slowly stepped into the bushes, hiding myself, and listened closely to the direction of the sound.
When I finally saw what was making it, horror struck me. My eyes widened, every nerve in my brain went on high alert. But after a few seconds, my shock gave way to hatred and disgust. Standing before me were creatures I had seen countless times in the game.
Hilichurls.
Just seeing them made my stomach twist. Their skin, their stupid masks, those guttural noises… Everything about them filled me with disgust.
I froze. Wait—what were they dragging? What was that…?
For a moment, my brain shut down.
Amber?
How did she end up like this?
Amber was unconscious, slung between two Hilichurls. Two more walked beside them. They were taking her somewhere. The thought of something happening to her filled me with a boiling rage.
"I know how this ends, and it makes me sick," I whispered. Amber—so sweet and cheerful—should never be put through something like this. I couldn't accept it.
I moved silently, heart pounding, and followed them. I knew everything about these creatures—their reactions, detection range, behavior patterns. Keeping my distance, I tracked them for a while until they reached their camp. They tied Amber to a tree with rope…
"…Where the hell did you even get that rope?" I muttered under my breath. Seriously, where? But at least they didn't seem to be hurting her yet. That was good. Also, the big one wasn't there. It had a name… I forgot.
Attacking them head-on would've been stupid. There were four of them. Weak individually, sure, but still dangerous as a group. I had to plan this carefully. After watching them for a bit, I decided the first target should be the archer. I might've sounded like some assassin, but in reality, I had no idea how to do any of this.
I slowly circled around through the bushes until I was behind the archer Hilichurl. Its smell was unbearable, like rotting meat. Its skin—God, everything was disgusting.
Keeping my reach ready, I approached quietly. I couldn't let it notice anything—not even the smallest shift. Holding my breath, I carefully raised my hands toward the back of its head. But… what was I doing? Should I really do this? If I did, I'd be killing something. Something that used to be human.
While I hesitated, the Hilichurl suddenly turned around and saw me.
"Hyakk!"
Panicking, I instinctively punched it right in the mask. The mask didn't protect its skull—the crack was loud. It fell backward. I grabbed its bow immediately, though I still wasn't fully aware of what I was doing.
…What had I just done?
A few seconds of silence passed before the other Hilichurls charged at me.
"Hiyak!?"
"Haahk!"
"Shit—back off!" I shouted, breathing heavily. I had to survive. The adrenaline flooding my veins was numbing everything else—my fear, my morality.
Two Hilichurls lunged at me at once. I stepped back and kicked the one on the right in the leg. It collapsed. The one on the left attacked next. Before I could register that one was missing, a sharp pain slammed into my back. I couldn't block the attack in front of me—its club struck my shoulder.
My blood felt like it was boiling. Adrenaline, rage… and something else—something I couldn't explain. I didn't care anymore.
I grabbed the Hilichurl in front of me by the head and slammed my knee into its face. Its mask shattered, blood splattering. I shoved it aside and turned to the one behind me, raising its club again. Before it could swing, I smashed its skull with the bow I was holding. The bow snapped. The Hilichurl collapsed.
I turned around to face the last one. It stood there gripping its club, unsure. Maybe afraid. My blood was still boiling. I grabbed a fallen club from the ground and charged. Before it could react, my strike landed squarely on its head. The club snapped. The creature fell backward.
I looked around. Blood. Bodies. They weren't human—but they used to be. What had I done? …Why didn't I feel guilty?
I stared at the corpses, lost, almost in a trance.
After some time, I heard a girl's voice behind me.
"Hey!"
I turned around—Amber was calling out to me.
I rushed over to her.
"Are you okay?" I asked, trying to untie the rope. Thankfully, the Hilichurls weren't good at tying knots. My adrenaline-soaked hands trembled as I loosened it.
She replied, "…I'm fine. If it weren't for you… I don't know what would've happened."
She tried to smile, but she looked exhausted.
"…I just did what I had to."
She smiled again, but it was weak, her voice almost cracking. She got lost in thought.
"No… What you did wasn't something simple… I don't know how I can repay you."
Something inside me stirred. Amber wanted to return the kindness. Fine—this was my chance.
I had a very good idea.
I needed a place to stay. If I couldn't secure shelter, nothing else would matter. So without hesitating, I answered:
"Actually… there is something you can do."