Chapter 3: Reincarnated into a Strange Environment

After a long time lying on the ground, Nel lifted his hands and looked at them. They were human looking but were small as of someone who was around ten years old.

“At least I’m not a monster like the last time. But why am I a body that is already this young boy? Shouldn’t I have been born as a baby?” he murmured in confusion.

After a bit, he sat up and saw that he was wearing rather dirty and worn-out clothes and had only one shoe, which too looked very old and somewhat big for his small feet.

“What the fuck is this situation.” Nel cursed.

“If you were going to reincarnate me then could have made it into a better condition.” he once again look at the sky and said in frustration. He fall back on the ground and lay motionless for some time.

“I’m alive again, but what should I do? I don’t even know where I am, and where should I go…” Even though he was frustrated and angry, he knew that it wouldn’t help him in this situation. And more than that he didn’t want to die and experience that void again. So he decided to look around and find out where he was and how can he survive.

Looking around all he could see were tall trees while he was in some sort of clearing, while near him was a small pond. He was already feeling thirsty and after spotting the pond tried to get up to go and drink some water, even though he didn’t know if the water was good to drink or not.

When he tried to stand up he felt his vision spin and he fell to the ground.

“What just happened?” Nel was confused but still lay on the ground for a bit. After a bit, he sat up once more and nothing happened, so he tried to stand up. This time nothing happened so he walked towards the pond. After reaching it he could see that the water was clear and he could see his reflection.

His hair was black, a bit long, and messy, while his face had mud and what seemed to be blood on it, other than that his facial features were of an average person. But what surprised him the most was that one of his eyes was pitch black with a red pupil. He had lots of questions, but who was he going to ask? There was no one here, not a human, animal, or as a matter of fact, he haven’t heard any birds chirping from the time he opened his eyes.

He bent down near the edge of the pond and first sniffed the water. After smelling nothing funny, he directly put his mouth over the water and started gulping it. The water tasted a bit sweet and refreshing. After quenching his thirst he once again lay on the ground.

“What should I do now? That fucker didn’t even tell me what should I do after getting here. If in the future I get the chance I will make sure to torment it as it tormented me.” as soon as Nel remembered that being he once again was enraged, but soon he calmed down and started racking his brain. First of all, he needed to figure out a way to survive. But with no one to guide him and no idea where he was, the prospect seemed daunting. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, steeling himself for what lay ahead.

Soon he stood up once more and washed his face and hair, scrubbing away the mud and blood. After that, he took off the only shoe and threw it to the side, and removed his tattered shirt. He then tore it into two pieces and wrapped it around his foot covering his covering them. He then picked a random direction and started walking.

After a while, Nel caught a whiff of something sweet, like ripe fruit. He was a bit skeptical but his hunger overrode his caution and he followed the scent, but still kept scanning the area for danger. He came upon a grove of trees covered in orange-colored apple-shaped fruits. His mouth watered at the sight, but he hesitated. What if they were poisonous? Other than that he was still on guard because he didn’t see a single animal or bird, or as a matter of fact, didn’t even hear any other sound than leaves rustling from time to time due to wind.

His stomach grumbled again, and Nel decided to take the risk because the fruit might be poisonous and he MIGHT die, but if he didn’t eat anything then he WILL die. Making up his mind as he did when he drank the water from the pond he walked toward the nearest tree and found a few of those fruits down on the ground, he picked up one and bit into the fruit. The fruit was on the firmer side and he had to chew a bit more, but the taste was sweet and tangy at the same time. Savoring the sweet tangy taste. After a few moments, he felt no ill effects, so he ate his fill and pocketed a few more.

Hours passed as Nel walked through the forest, hearing nothing but the rustle of leaves. He began to worry that he was lost in some deserted place. Finally, he emerged from the trees to see a barren wasteland, bones scattered as far as the eye could see. He even saw a few things moving around that looked like skeletons and shuddered at the sight.

“What the hell is this? Where the hell did that furcker sent me? Did he expect me to live inside the forest, just like when I was in the void? The hell I’m gonna do that, but… What should I do now?”

Suddenly, he heard a sound behind him and turned to see a humanoid skeleton with blue lights glowing in its eye sockets. Nel stumbled and fell down a slight incline. He managed to stop himself but was scraped all over and it stung. He slowly stood up and saw that the skeleton was slowly trudging down toward him. Nel was not sure what will the skeleton will do, but he was not just going to stand there and not even defend himself.

He looked around and saw a stick on the ground and picked it up and slowly moved down on a more even surface and waited for the skeleton to approach him. In a few seconds, it reached Nel and tried to grab and bite him. Before he wasn’t sure but he was sure that if he let the skeleton be then it will attack and kill him. So he swung the stick with all his might towards the skull of the skeleton.

The blow staggered the skeleton, but it kept coming. Nel struck it again and again, feeling his muscles strain with effort. Finally, after hitting the skeleton for some time it finally started to look damaged and soon collapsed. Nel was also tired and dropped to the ground and saw the blue light in its sockets dimming and then finally going out. Just that happened Nel’s whole body started to ache all over, his head started aching and he saw his surroundings spinning. It lasted for a bit and then he heard an unidentifiable voice in his ears:

【Ding!】

【Master System Initiation Completed!】

【Calibration Started!】

【Calibration Completed!】

【Starting Host’s Full Body Scan!】

【Scan Completed!】

【Leveling System Enabled!】

【Skill System Enabled!】

Nel was still trying to make sense of what was happening to him, but suddenly the pain returned and was even more intense than before, his brain felt like it was going to split open, and he screamed involuntarily, disregarding his surroundings. Soon some of the walking skeletons near him heard his voice and started walking toward him. Some being faster than others.

【Ding! Earned 10 exp from destroying ‘Wandering Skeleton’!】

Just as he heard the last line, he felt like all his pain subsided and he felt a surge of power coursing his entire body. Just then he felt something coming toward him, and when he lifted his he was more terrified than shocked and all the surge of power that he was experiencing suddenly died down and his body turned ice cold.

Without being noticed hundreds of skeletons varying in size, from the size of an infant to as big as an elephant, was now moving toward him. The skeletons were made from mismatched bones, and all the skulls had a blue light glowing in the hollow sockets of their eyes.

Still terrified, before the skeleton which was at most three feet away from him reached and attacked, he grabbed the stick, got up, turned around, and ran towards the forest with all his might without even trying to look back.

After running for a long time without looking back, Nel was now out of breath and suddenly stumbled on something and fell on the ground, and slid for a distance and his head hit the trunk of a tree with a strong impact.

Thud!

As soon as Nel's head hit the tree trunk everything went black in front of his eyes and he lost consciousness.