As he ran to put distance between himself and the monsters, Velt noticed something strange.
“Hey, Zero… is it just me, or are we moving really fast?” he asked, surprised by how far he had gone since finding the adventurer’s body.
“That is due to your unique skill,” Zero replied calmly.
Velt stopped and climbed onto the branch of a large tree, choosing a safer spot to listen.
“And what exactly does that skill do?” he asked.
“The unique skill Master of Genetics processes the obtained DNA and refines it until it becomes optimal,” Zero explained.
“Optimal DNA?” Velt repeated, confused.
“Thanks to that skill, any form you acquire will be superior to the original,” Zero continued.
Velt fell silent, thinking.
“So… I’m faster because the human DNA was improved?”
“Affirmative,” Zero replied. “Not only speed. Strength, reflexes, endurance, dexterity, and other attributes have also been enhanced.”
Velt nodded slowly.
“In other words, any body I get is basically an upgraded version.”
“Correct.”
From high up in the tree, Velt spotted mountains in the distance that felt strangely familiar.
“Wait…” he murmured, pulling out the map.
He looked at the mountains, then at the map, then back again.
“I knew it!” he exclaimed after recognizing a curve in the drawn path. “If those mountains are there, then I should be around here…”
After a brief moment of calculation, he smiled.
“Alright. According to this, there’s a village to the east. And if I’m south of it… then I should head this way.”
Before climbing down, something crossed his mind.
“Zero, you said my dexterity is higher, right?”
“Affirmative.”
“Great… then let’s test it.”
He jumped from branch to branch.
“Incredible!” he laughed as he moved with surprising balance. “It’s way easier than I thought… it doesn’t even feel like I could fall.”
Smiling, Velt continued jumping, enjoying the sensation of moving in a way he never had before.
After a while, he stopped.
“My feet hurt…” he complained, sitting down on a branch to rest.
He opened the bag he had taken from the adventurer and pulled out the hard bread.
“Well… whatever,” he muttered before taking a bite.
“Mmph… way too hard… I’m going to break a tooth at this rate,” he said, spitting out a piece. “And it tastes like plain dough…”
Without thinking much about it, he tossed it aside.
Then he pulled out the dagger and examined it under the fading light of sunset.
“It looks decent… probably new,” he commented.
“It is a low-grade metal dagger. Not very durable, but functional,” Zero explained.
“Low-grade metal?” Velt repeated.
“It is one of the basic metals of this world, along with copper, iron, gold, diamonds, and higher-quality minerals,” Zero replied.
“I see…” Velt nodded, putting the dagger away.
At that moment, something moved beneath him—a rabbit, likely attracted by the smell of the discarded bread.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
“It seems to be curious about the bread,” Zero observed.
“Yeah… looks like it,” Velt whispered, gripping the dagger in his right hand.
“I want meat…”
With a swift movement, taking advantage of his enhanced agility, he leapt down and drove the dagger into the rabbit’s head.
“It gets the job done,” he said, lifting the animal.
“Tonight, I eat meat,” he added while wiping the blood from the blade.
He looked around.
“I guess I should skin it and cook it… I’ll need a fire,” he muttered.
“It is recommended to find a cave or an enclosed area,” Zero warned. “Fire and scent could attract monsters or predators.”
“You’re right,” Velt said, glancing at the sun sinking behind the trees.
After walking for a while, Velt found a cave.
“This should work for the night,” he said cautiously as he entered.
Checking the inside, he realized it was more spacious than expected.
“Let’s just hope no one’s living here…” he muttered.
“Based on my scan, this cave does not appear to have been inhabited for a long time,” Zero replied.
“Good. Let’s start a fire.”
Velt went out to gather branches and dry leaves. After a few minutes, he had everything ready near the entrance.
“Alright… I just have to rub the sticks together, right?” he said, recalling something he had seen on TV.
“It is recommended to carve a notch in the dry wood and use a harder stick to generate sparks more efficiently,” Zero instructed.
“Got it,” Velt nodded, carefully carving the wood.
It didn’t take long before the first sparks appeared.
“Okay… now we place the spark on the dry leaves…” he said, blowing gently. “And… fire.”
Satisfied, he looked at the rabbit.
“Well… I’ve never skinned an animal before. I just remove the skin, right?” he asked.
“Affirmative. Allow me to guide you step by step,” Zero said, then continued:
“First, cut a ring around each leg just above the joint, without cutting too deep.”
“Alright…” Velt murmured, following carefully.
“Then make a cut from that ring toward the back of the animal. Begin peeling the skin—it should come off relatively easily…”
Velt worked in silence, listening closely.
“Cut the tail bone, avoid puncturing the bladder… now peel the skin downward like removing a glove…”
“Okay… like this…” he said, surprised by how easy it felt with guidance.
“Next, slide your fingers inside the skin to free the front legs, pull toward the head, separate the skin from the skull… cut the head from the spine… finally, break the joints and remove any remaining skin,” Zero finished.
“Whew… done,” Velt said, placing the cleaned meat on a nearby rock.
He looked at the result with a bit of pride.
“Not bad for my first time.”
Velt cut the rabbit into pieces, skewering them on makeshift sticks and placing them over the fire.
“Alright… now we wait,” he muttered as he sat near the flames, watching them dance.
For the first time since arriving, he had a moment to think calmly.
“It’s strange… I only just realized it. I died… and now I’m in another world,” he said softly, staring toward the cave entrance.
“Sir Velt, I detect elevated levels of anger,” Zero warned.
“Yeah… don’t worry. I just… remembered something,” Velt replied, trying to steady himself.
To change the subject, he asked:
“Zero… you said the DNA belonged to a seventeen-year-old, right?”
“Affirmative.”
“Then when we reach the village, I’ll say I’m seventeen. That way I won’t stand out.”
“Understood.”
About an hour passed, until the smell of roasted meat filled the cave.
“Alright… let’s see how it turned out,” Velt said, taking his first bite.
The flavor exceeded his expectations.
“Mmm… this is great! Delicious!” he said enthusiastically, devouring the pieces without hesitation.
“You should try this, Zero,” he joked.
“I am unable to eat,” Zero replied flatly.
“You really lack a sense of humor, my friend,” Velt said with a tired smile.
After finishing every last bite, he let himself fall onto the rocky ground.
“I’m full…” he murmured, resting a hand on his stomach as a long yawn escaped him.
“Good night, Zero…” he whispered, his eyes slowly closing as the warmth of the fire lulled him to sleep.
His dream was hazy at first, but the images soon became clear.
Velt found himself inside an office. In front of him, a man in a suit was reviewing papers, completely ignoring him.
“So now I remember a bit more… you bastard,” Velt muttered, stepping forward.
But an invisible barrier stopped him.
“Of course… always hiding behind people with more power, huh?” he spat, his eyes burning with hatred.
His rage overflowed.
“I should’ve killed you when I had the chance, you damn bastard!” he shouted, slamming his fists against the barrier.
The man didn’t even look up.
Velt laughed bitterly.
“You know what’s best? Your wife slept with almost everyone in the office,” he said venomously. “Your marriage is a joke. No one likes you… and the one person who swore she loved you betrayed you with the same people you treat like slaves.”
His voice trembled with hatred.
“Rot in hell…” he whispered, his breathing growing heavier.
Suddenly, everything vanished.
Velt opened his eyes with a jolt—only to be met with something unexpected.
In front of him stood a girl, aiming a drawn bow straight at him, the arrow ready to be released.
With a tired half-smile, Velt muttered:
“Hell of a way to wake up…”
