Chapter 915: New Earth
"Haaa..."
The faint hum of a generator and the distant sound of murmured voices pulled Rey back into consciousness. His body felt heavy, as though it had been dragged through the depths of exhaustion and left to rot.
He stirred, the coarse texture of a tattered blanket rubbing against his skin.
He opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling, dimly lit by a flickering bulb. The air was damp, carrying the scent of rust and mildew, and his head throbbed faintly as he tried to piece together where he was.
"You're awake," a calm but cautious voice said.
Rey turned his head, meeting the gaze of a young man standing a few feet away.
He looked to be in his mid-twenties, with messy brown hair and dark circles under his eyes, as
if sleep was a luxury he hadn't had in ages. His clothes were worn but functional, a mishmash of patched fabric and reinforced leather that suggested both practicality and survival.
"Where...?" Rey's voice came out hoarse, and he cleared his throat. "Where am I?"
The young man didn't respond immediately.
Instead, his sharp eyes scanned Rey from head to toe, assessing him with the precision of someone accustomed to danger. Before Rey could repeat his question, the door to the room creaked open, and a woman stepped in.
Rey's body tensed involuntarily.
Her presence was commanding, her movements precise and deliberate.
She was tall, with a slender but athletic build, and her long black hair was tied into a practical braid. Her eyes, however, were what struck him most-cold, calculating, and filled with a weight that spoke of countless hardships.
She studied him for a moment before speaking. "He's awake, huh? Good. That saves us some trouble."
Rey sat up slowly, ignoring the stiffness in his muscles.
"Who are you? And where am I?" he asked again, his voice steadier this time.
The woman crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.
"You're in our shelter. And we're the ones asking the questions here, not you."
The man chimed in, his voice tinged with suspicion. "We found you passed out in the open, surrounded by monsters. If we hadn't intervened, you'd have been torn apart and eaten before sunrise."
Rey's brow furrowed.
Monsters? That word felt out of place, wrong somehow. "Monsters? What are you talking about? This is Earth, isn't it?"
The woman's expression shifted, a flicker of confusion crossing her face.
"Of course, this is Earth. What kind of question is that?"
Rey opened his mouth to respond, but the woman continued, her tone sharp.
"Let me guess you're another one of those people who's lost their memory? Or maybe you're just playing dumb."
Lost their memory? Rey decided not to press on that point just yet.
"Then why are there monsters?" he asked, his tone measured despite the storm of thoughts in his head. "And why are you acting like it's normal?"
At this, the woman sighed, her eyes narrowing slightly as though weighing whether or not to entertain his ignorance. "Normal? Nothing's been normal for almost a year now. Ever since the world fell under the rule of that monster calling itself the Dragon Emperor."
Rey's heart nearly skipped a beat, but he maintained his composure, his expression unreadable.
'The Dragon Emperor... That means...' His mind raced, piecing the fragments together.
The same Magic Circle that had sent him back to Earth-it must have also brought the Dragon Emperor here. But something was off. If it had been nearly a year for Earth, then the Dragon Emperor must have arrived long before him.
'I'm late.' He frowned. 'That's why the world looks like this.'
The woman continued, oblivious to his internal revelation.
"He came out of nowhere, a wave of energy so massive it practically shook the planet. And ever since, he's been spreading his corruption. People... ordinary people... they turn into monsters under his influence. Some more slowly than others, but it gets to everyone eventually. Now he rules the world through fear and chaos."
The young man interrupted, his voice edged with hostility. "And that brings us back to you. Who are you? And whose side are you on?"
Rey's eyes flicked between them.
Their expressions were guarded, and the man's posture suggested he was ready to fight if necessary. Rey realized he must seem suspicious-an unknown figure found in the middle of nowhere, emitting some sort of energy.
"I'm not your enemy," Rey said carefully. "I don't work for the Dragon Emperor, if that's what you're asking."
The man snorted. "That's exactly what someone working for him would say."
"Take it easy, Josh," the woman said, though her tone lacked warmth. She turned her gaze back to Rey. "You don't seem like one of his puppets, at least not yet. But I'm not taking
chances."
Rey clenched his fists beneath the blanket, fighting the urge to react. He couldn't afford to lose his temper now.
"What do you mean, 'not yet'?"
The woman's expression darkened. "The corruption spreads, no matter who you are. Some people take longer to turn, but everyone does eventually. That's why we're here- those of us who haven't turned yet, fighting back while we still can."
"And you?" Rey asked, his voice quiet but firm. "Who are you?"
The woman's lips curved into a faint, humorless smile. "Freedom fighters, if you want to call
us that. A small group of people who've managed to awaken special abilities. We're trying to take back what we can, bit by bit."
'Special Abilities? Like the System?' Rey wondered. 'I'm guessing the Dragon Emperor's immense energy caused something to happen to Earth somehow, or maybe it's the Magic that brought us here that caused it.'
It infected humans with energy-or rather, Mana.
Those who were incompatible with the energy became Monsters, while those compatible developed special powers. As for the normal humans, it was more likely that their body was yet to decide which path it would take in their evolution.
The reason Rey could guess all of these things-and do so correctly-was due to his many sessions with Lucielle back in H'Trae.
They had discussed a lot of things, one of them being the sudden effects of a huge wave of Mana on living beings who hadn't experienced its energy before.
These were the projected outcomes.
'As expected, we were given new bodies at our Transmigration, and those corpses I saw back then are what should've been us...' Rey sighed. 'That probably means we were never supposed
to be able to return to Earth.'
Rey's mind reeled at this new discovery, trying his best to process everything while maintaining his calm facade
The man―Josh—spoke again, his tone accusing. "We sensed a wave of energy near where we found you. A huge one. The last time we felt something like that was when he arrived."
His eyes bore into Rey's.
"So tell me what the hell are you?"
Rey didn't respond immediately, his mind instead racing to process this new information.
'That energy must have been from the effect of the Ancient Magic that caused our
transmigration.'
Rey didn't know how to explain it to these people, or if he even had to.
Heconsidered lying but dismissed it.
These people were too wary, too desperate to trust easily.
'That doesn't mean I should trust them, though.' He decided. Even though saved his life and were survivors of this apocalyptic version of Earth, it didn't mean they were necessarily
trustworthy.
"I—"
The woman spoke before he could answer. "The energy we detected wasn't normal. It's why
we even bothered to check. And now you're here, alive and strangely... intact."
Rey exhaled slowly, meeting her gaze.
"I don't know what to tell you. I'm just... someone trying to survive, like you."
It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either. The woman studied him for a moment longer
before nodding slightly.
"Fine. For now, you stay here. But don't think we won't be watching you."
Rey nodded, his mind already racing ahead.
The Dragon Emperor was here, ruling Earth. Emil was gone, leaving him cut off and
vulnerable. And worst of all, his Level had been reset to Level 1.
Things were currently at their worst at the current moment.
"Tell us your name." The woman finally spoke. "My name is Tess."
He smiled softly and responded. "I'm Rey."
"Rey... I see."
'So they don't know anything about me? That's good...'
As the woman and Josh exchanged a glance and exited the room, Rey leaned back against the
wall, his fists trembling. He had been thrust into an Earth teetering on the edge of collapse,
and for now, all he could do was think.
Think and survive.
'I suppose the first thing I ought to do is Level Up.' A wry smile formed on his face as he
silently called for his System Window.
[STATUS WINDOW]
- Name: Rey Skylar
- Race: Human
- Class: NIL
- Level: 1 (0.00% EXP)
- Life Force: 1
- Mana Level: 1
- Combat Ability: 1
- Stat Points: 0
- Skills (Exclusive): [Doppel]
- Skills (Non-Exclusive): NIL
- Alignment: Chaotic Neutral [Additional Information]
Unknown... no information has been provided.
[End Of Information]
Rey sighed the moment he saw this, closing his eyes as he exhaled deeply.
"Where do I even begin?"