The smell of burnt flesh spread before a wave of excruciating pain surged through my body.
I felt as if I were being roasted alive—again and again.
A cycle of pain between healing and burning.
"Ugh… I'd rather just die already."
I couldn't think about anything.
The continuous pain was piercing through my senses relentlessly.
My legs began to collapse before I fell to the ground. I don't know why, but I looked toward my feet, and I saw that my right leg was still in the shadows, unaffected. So I tried to crawl toward the shade.
Rustle...
I couldn't think at all. All I had in my mind was the desire to end this suffering.
I truly believed that death would be better than this torment.
I clenched my teeth—which had already been disfigured by the searing light—before finally reaching the forest once again.
As soon as I entered the forest, I felt a refreshing coolness spread through my entire body.
Even the pain that had been ravaging me stopped, replaced by a sense of relief.
I looked at my skin, which had disappeared, revealing raw flesh.
But the strangest part was the white smoke rising from the burnt areas before the damaged parts began to regenerate with healthy flesh.
"No… That can't be happening."
There's no way this is some kind of reincarnation in a new world, right?
Even though I kept insisting to myself that I was just imagining things, a seed of doubt had already taken root in my heart.
"I need a mirror."
But no matter where I looked, there wasn't a single mirror or reflective surface.
I searched through the forest, hoping to find a lake or a pool of water.
I had to see my reflection.
The search went on for hours, but I found nothing—just a barren forest.
When I looked up, I realized that night had fallen. So I decided to try something.
What would happen if I stepped out of the forest at night?
Would I burn again like I did the first time?
I headed toward the edge of the forest, and before stepping out, I decided to test it.
I extended my hand from the shade until it was touched by the faint moonlight.
Nothing happened.
"Looks like I can't be exposed to the sun at all."
Honestly, I had a theory about the world I had reincarnated into, but I wanted to be sure.
I stepped out of the forest, and a powerful wave of cold air washed over my body.
The cold sensation in my feet sent shivers up my spine.
When I looked at the vast land and the green meadows ahead, a sense of peace washed over me.
It had only been two days since I found myself in this strange place.
I started running through the wide meadows, but this time, I had a clear goal.
I had to find any sign of life in this world.
Maybe I could return home quickly.
Although I believed that was impossible, I still clung to a shred of hope.
I kept searching for several minutes until I saw an abandoned hut.
But the strange thing was—it was lit by candlelight.
As I approached the hut, I noticed how dilapidated it was.
Some bricks were missing from the walls, and the roof looked close to collapsing.
Is someone really this poor in this day and age?
I slowly made my way to the door and opened it.
Creak...
When I opened the door, a family appeared behind it.
There were two elderly people, and around them, five small children.
I looked at them before speaking.
"Hello… Is there a phone here?"
As soon as I uttered those words, the entire family's faces turned pale.
Then the children started screaming.
"Aaahh...!"
"Grandma, there's a demon here!"
"Grandpa, are we going to die?"
The children began to cry and huddle in the arms of the old women.
The elderly woman looked at me with fear, though she was trying to remain calm.
The old man stood up, grabbed an axe, and started swinging.
Thwack…
"Curse you, you damned demon!"
He began attacking and cursing at the same time.
I don't know why, but the axe moved very slowly toward me.
Maybe it's my habit of looking into my opponent's eyes during a fight, but what I saw reflected in his eyes left me paralyzed.
To be continued…
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End of Chapter
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