The smell woke him before the light did. It smelled of wet earth. Rotten leaves and blood. Kai opened his eyes slowly. There was no ceiling. Only bck branches interced above him, blocking the sky. The moonlight filtered through in irregur sshes.

  He sat up abruptly. His chest. The gunshot returned with brutal crity. That impact, the air disappearing, the ground rushing up too fast. He brought his hand to the exact spot where the bullet had gone through. There was nothing. No wound, no scar, just intact skin.

  This isn’t possible.

  He pressed harder. Nothing. He spped his own cheek. “Shit, that hurt, so I’m not dead… or worse.” He stayed still for a few seconds, listening to his own breathing. It was cold and very slow. He stood up. That was when he looked down.

  He was completely naked. Perfect, I reincarnate and they can’t even be bothered to give me clothes, Kai thought. The night breeze ran across his skin; he didn’t feel shame, only discomfort from the nakedness. The forest was too quiet and far too vast.

  A few meters away he made out the glint of water—a small ke. He walked toward it; every step crunched too loudly. He leaned over. The reflection froze him in pce. It was him, but not. Taller. More defined. Clean skin. No scar on the eyebrow. No dark circles. No signs of chronic insomnia. No bullet hole.

  Did I seriously reincarnate? he asked himself.

  He raised his hand. The reflection did the same. It wasn’t a blurry dream—it was sharp, too sharp. Then it appeared. A blue screen floating in front of him.

  [Status]

  [Name: Ka

  [Css: Warrior]

  [Subcss: Unknown]

  [Level: 1]

  [Rank: F]

  [Ability: Rapid Adaptation]

  Kai stared at it in silence. He brought his hand to his chin. Level one, rank F. He sighed. Not even here am I strong. He let out a small, dry ugh. Of course. Makes sense. If the universe has a sense of humor, this would be exactly how it works, Kai thought.

  Everything was still. Too still. Too empty. A pce this big shouldn’t be this silent. That wasn’t normal. Then he heard it.

  “Help…” A high, female voice, weak. It sounded very close.

  Kai didn’t move right away. He could ignore it. It’s not your problem, it’s not your problem, he told himself. You already know how that ends. You try to do the right thing. You end up dead.

  But the sound had been real, and something inside him something that wasn’t morality or heroism switched on. Curiosity. Someone else is here. And if someone else is here… then this world isn’t empty.

  He took a step toward the trees.

  Maybe he was about to make the same mistake all over again. But this time… this time he wanted to see what would happen.