"Five times the time flow rate..."
Luis Hartmann stared at the two watches in his trembling hands, his heart pounding like a drum.
He flipped them over again and again, unwilling to believe what he was seeing.
But the cold, ticking seconds told him the truth.
Something supernatural had happened.
A martial arts world, filled with mysteries and extraordinary forces… the memories flooded into his mind like a torrent.
Luis sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady himself.
He was no fool. As a Graduate student in Lisborn University, one of the top universities in the Urope Continent, he had always believed in logic, science, and reason.
But reality didn't care what he believed.
Today, everything changed.
While conducting a simple plant hormone experiment in the university lab, a sudden wave of dizziness struck him. His chest tightened in pain, and before he could call for help, his vision blurred.
That was when he saw it—
A faint, flickering tattoo, appearing and disappearing over his heart. Strange, ancient patterns like flowing water and wind.
Then darkness swallowed him whole.
When Luis opened his eyes, he found himself lying on damp soil, surrounded by towering, unfamiliar trees.
A cool breeze rustled the leaves above. The air was fresh, untouched by pollution.
This... was not Earth.
And this wasn't a dream.
Luis stood frozen for a moment, fear creeping up his spine. Alone, in an unknown wilderness, surrounded by towering trees and unfamiliar sounds.
But after a few deep breaths, the cool forest wind cleared his mind.
He forced himself to calm down and began walking cautiously, curiosity slowly overtaking fear.
'What exactly happened to me?'
The memories flashed back... That sudden chest pain... the dizziness in the lab... and then the strange tattoo that appeared and disappeared on his chest.
"Wait, my chest..."
Luis hurriedly pulled down his shirt and looked. The tattoo... was gone.
His brows furrowed. Was that mark the key to all of this?
"Where the hell is this? I want to go back."
The moment that thought crossed his mind—
—Flash.
The faint tattoo suddenly reappeared on his chest, glowing briefly before vanishing again.
And in the blink of an eye, the dense forest disappeared.
Luis found himself back in his laboratory. Surrounded by the familiar sight of equipment, books, and fluorescent lights.
"What the..."
He stumbled back, his heart racing.
But before he could process what happened, another thought popped into his mind:
'Can I go back to that world?'
In an instant...
Flash.
The jungle reappeared. The endless greenery just like before.
Luis's eyes widened.
"I… can control it?"
He clenched his fists, excitement overtaking fear.
'Return to Earth.'
Flash.
The lab appeared again.
Luis repeated this a few more times, unable to hide his shock and awe.
Teleportation... To another world.
Something completely beyond science and reason.
And after a few cautious experiments, he discovered something even stranger
When he held a stick from the forest and teleported himself back to Earth… the stick came with him.
Non-living things could cross over too.
This wasn't just a one-way ticket. It was a bridge between two worlds.
--------
Five days passed in the modern world. Twenty Five days in Second World.
In these fifty days, Luis discovered that the world was far more complicated and dangerous than he had first imagined.
After spending four exhausting days trekking through the dense forest, he finally reached a place called Anyu Town.
It was here that he began piecing together the reality of this world.
This was the Westerlands Empire, a vast and warlike nation said to have been founded by an immortal.
Of course, whether immortals truly existed was a matter of debate. People spoke of them in whispers, like distant legends no one could prove.
But one thing was certain martial arts were real.
It was a world where strength ruled.
The martial path was divided into three realms: Body Training, Acquired, and Innate.
A true martial expert could single-handedly defeat hundreds on the battlefield, their power like something from ancient legends.
But unfortunately, none of this had anything to do with Luis.
He had no background, no wealth, no family name in this world. He was just an ordinary outsider, an invisible passerby.
For now, he lived quietly, unnoticed in the corners of Anyu Town.
But Luis was no fool. He quickly noticed something unusual in this world.
The trees.
They grew abnormally fast, towering and thick, far surpassing anything on Earth. Some forests that should take decades to grow seemed to mature in mere years.
But strangely, this rapid growth didn't apply to crops or other edible plants. Farmlands here produced far less food than on Earth, and hunger was a common problem among the poor.
'This must be a genetic trait of the trees,' Luis thought to himself.
As a biology student, this discovery fascinated him. If he could extract the growth factors from these trees and apply them to Earth's plants… the agricultural world would be turned upside down.
It could be the key to his fortune.
But first, he needed money to survive.
And if possible... Why not pursue the martial arts dream he had as a kid?
After all, who hadn't fantasized about becoming a martial artist and wielding incredible power?
Unfortunately, martial arts in this world weren't free.
It was an old saying in Westerlands:
"Without gold, your fists are worthless. Without silver, your sword stays sheathed."
To learn martial arts, you needed resources.
And Luis didn't even have five silver coins to his name.
From what he gathered in Anyu Town, there were only two realistic paths to learn martial arts:
1. Join a Gang: Gangs offered basic training and protection, but came with serious risks. You'd be fighting, collecting debts, and risking your life every day.
2. Enroll in a Martial Arts Gym
Anyu Town had two notable gyms:
— Turtle Martial Arts Hall, known for defense and body tempering.
— Tiger Martial Arts Hall, famous for fierce boxing techniques.
Both gym masters were powerful Body Training experts, and their teachings could help a beginner lay a solid foundation.
But the tuition fees were steep, at least dozens of silver coins just to start.
Silver coins Luis didn't have.
For now, Luis could only sigh in frustration.
Forget martial arts. Right now, he couldn't even afford a proper meal.
But he wasn't giving up.
He had already chosen his path: Get a gun, Get a Grenade, Study the world's unique plant growth patterns. Make his first pot of gold.
And once he had money, he'd come back and step onto the martial path properly.