Chapter 1: Awakening in a New World

The rain pounded against the windows, each droplet a relentless drumbeat in the darkness. Thunder roared like an angry god, shaking the very foundations of the city outside. In the dimly lit office, a lone figure sat hunched over his computer, the glow of the screen casting eerie shadows across his face. His name was Alex, a 28-year-old IT programmer, and tonight, like many nights before, he found himself working late into the evening.

His fingers danced across the keyboard, navigating lines of code with practiced precision. Outside, the storm raged on, but Alex remained oblivious to the chaos beyond his office walls. He was lost in his work, determined to meet the deadline looming over him like a dark cloud.

Suddenly, without warning, the lights flickered and died. Alex blinked in confusion, his heart racing as the room plunged into darkness. He reached for his phone, but before he could even unlock the screen, a sharp pain shot through his head, as if lightning had struck him from within.

"Ahh, what is happening?" Alex groaned, clutching his head as the pain throbbed behind his eyes.

When he regained consciousness, Alex found himself lying on the cold, hard ground. His head throbbed with pain, and his vision swam with disorientation. As he struggled to sit up, he realized that he was no longer in the office. In fact, he wasn't anywhere he recognized at all.

The space around him was full of children, ages five to six. Confusion and fear gripped him as he looked around, his mind racing to make sense of his surroundings. "Where am I?" he wondered aloud. The kids around him ignored him, some crying, others staring lifelessly. He looked down at himself and gasped, "Arghh, what happened to my body!" He realized that he now had the body of a five-year-old. After a few minutes, he sorted out what had happened. 'Did I transmigrate into this five-year-old boy?' he thought to himself. 'It's possible, I've read novels like this,' he consoled himself. 'Do I have a golden finger like the ones in the novels?' he hoped for something that could help him. "System," he mumbled, but nothing happened. "Status," he tried to mumble other words like the activation of the golden finger in the novels he read, but to his dismay, nothing happened at all. 'Looks like I've been reading too many novels,' he thought.

After a few hours, Alex observed his surroundings. Some of the other kids were sleeping, others still sobbing. There were around 20 boys inside the cave, including him, all wearing animal hides as clothing. He deduced that they were living in the woods. Suddenly, a thunderous voice woke him from his thoughts, "Kids, wake up!" Alex looked toward the voice and saw an old man at the entrance of the cave, also wearing an animal hide, but in better condition than what he wore. He didn't know the language the old man used, but to his surprise, he could understand it. 'It's not one of Earth's languages!' he thought.

"Line up, you ungrateful kids!" the old man shouted again. The kids hurried to line up, scared by the old man. Alex mixed in with the other kids lining up. When it was his turn, he received a wooden bowl filled with a mixture of unrecognizable vegetables. He hurriedly went to a corner and smelled it. 'Is this even edible?' he thought. The smell was not appetizing, and there was not even a spoon. He tried to sip from the bowl. The taste was plain, but at least it would fill his hunger. He could not complain about free food, especially since he did not know about this place.

While they were eating, the old man spoke up again, "Listen up! This place will be your home until you reach the age of ten. I'm Onel. You can call me Grampa Onel. Now, every morning you will be running around this cave. No food for those who do not finish. In the afternoon, I'll be teaching you the alphabet until you master it. Do you understand?" The kids nodded in confirmation.

Afterward, they found their spots for the night. Alex could still hear some sobbing and the unknown sounds from outside the cave. His mind was occupied by the thought of what had happened to him. Part of him still believed it was just a dream until he was finally drifted off by exhaustion.

"Bang, bang, bang! Wake up, maggots, it's time for the run!" With a loud bang followed by a shout, the kids were jolted awake. 'What the hell, what was that this early in the morning!' Alex cursed in his thoughts. When he opened his eyes, reality hit him. 'So it's not a dream,' he thought solemnly. He then got up and followed the other kids outside. His build was malnourished compared to the other kids; he was the smallest of the group. When they got outside, he was hit by the view. Just outside the cave, there was a big hut, which looked like where Grampa Onel lived. The cave looked like a big stone from the outside and had a large space around it, which seemed to be where they were going to run.

"I'll be watching. You need to run around the cave. If I find you slacking off, no food this morning! Now RUN!" The kids started running. 'What the hell, we are only kids, why do we need to run around!' he complained in his head. Running for more than a minute, his body was almost at its limit. With his body like a stick, he had no stamina. It was not only him; the others were the same, except for the older ones. "Hamfff, hamfff, hamfff," when they arrived at the finish line, they all collapsed in exhaustion. After Alex gained some strength, he sat up and looked at where Grampa Onel was. Panting, he asked, "Gramps, why do we need to run?" Grampa Onel was surprised by the sudden question. "Ooh?" He looked at the skinny boy. "What's your name, boy?" Grampa Onel asked while looking curiously.

"I'm Alex, Gramps," Alex answered politely.

"Alex, huh? Are you not scared of me?" The other kids trembled, indicating they were scared of Grampa Onel.

"No, I respect you. You feed us," Alex was grateful to this old man. This old man was the only one guiding him in this world. Only kids would be scared of his voice, but for Alex, he was not a kid. Suddenly, Grampa Onel burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, I like this kid." The other kids looked at Alex with question marks on their heads. "Well, to answer your question, it's to prepare your body," Grampa Onel explained. "You see, the world outside this cave is harsh. Only those with strong bodies and minds can survive. You need to be strong, to endure, to protect yourselves. Running is the first step to building that strength. Now, no more questions. Eat your breakfast and rest, for the afternoon lessons await."