The History Inside the Painting

Chapter 2 – The History Inside the Paintings

"I may have died but the legacy of my slaughter will be sung for countless generations." Berserk red aura gushed out from his towering body. His calm and prideful gaze lingered at the thousands of corpses littered in front of him. His life was slowly fading but his grip over his war axe never loosened a bit. With the last bout of his strength, he stared at the sky and roared, "I couldn't die any better!"

"Phew~"

Jhin returned to reality, he felt goosebumps crawling all over his skin. He couldn't help but stare at the wall in awe. At the glowing painting of a giant orc holding his war axe while being besieged by countless enemies.

Just earlier, he was sucked inside this very same painting and entered the body of the colossal orc. The orc general casted a spell which turned his body berserk and he started massacring the enemies left and right.

Jhin felt a surge of adrenaline, it was as though he was watching a movie using a first-person perspective. It was so overwhelmingly exciting. The minute details and the sensations, all felt so real.

"With this, I will be able to learn the history of this new world." Jhin smiled as his gaze shifted to the side where dozens of similar paintings were neatly placed at every two meter increments.

After he had exited the hall from where he woke up, he suddenly found himself standing in a dark and seemingly endless corridor. The unending darkness brought fear and eeriness. It was especially the case whenever a gust of chilly wind blew through his face. However, Jhin only hesitated for a moment before he entered and venture the unknown. 'What's there to fear when I already died once?'

Ten minutes went by with nothing but the dim light ahead. He followed it and eventually, he arrived at a place decorated with countless glowing paintings.

Curious, he started inspecting the paintings. But to his shock, the moment his eyes landed on one, his consciousness was sucked inside. Then, he found himself entering the body of the characters inside.

The first painting, he entered the body of a dragon battling a horde of demonic creatures. The next painting, he found himself inside a body of a Crimson-haired Human General, and he watched the legion of humans fought the enemy legion comprises of beast-men. And for the third painting, it was the Orc General who died after slaughtering the enemy legion.

Taking a deep breath, Jhin calmed himself. Then he lightly sighed and stared at the fourth painting, allowing his consciousness to be sucked inside. When he opened his eyes again, he was greeted by the sight of a vast plain.

"Chirp!"

A cry escaped from his lips. That was then Jhin realized that he was inside a body of a huge vulture, circling around the sky. With the help of the bird's vision, Jhin discovered that there were two factions battling underneath them. Each faction comprising of about a hundred thousand in number. Noticeably, at the side of both armies stood a large tower and a platform beneath it.

A loud horn sounded and both armies started marching towards the other. They held their weapons tight while magic circles started appearing in the sky one by one.

'Is that an elf?' Jhin thought. One of the factions were comprised of sharp-eared beings. They had silky white skin and serene disposition. Their bodies were covered by a soft green hue. It was so elegant to look at. Unlike the opposite faction who was covered by dark miasma and were composed of beast-men, dwarfs, demonic beast, and even some elves.

The drums of war started playing. Without wasting time, both armies attacked each other. Their spells and weapons clashed, creating a doomsday scene. Every time the beat of the drum changed, one of the factions would quickly rearrange their formations.

Jhin was entranced as he watches the scene of carnage below. It was unbelievably beautiful. He felt as though he was watching a creation of a masterpiece.

Suddenly, a woman clad in a light armor flew into the air at the center of the demonic beasts. Then she started chanting a spell. In but a moment, a gargantuan magic circle encompassed the entire battlefield. The enemy tried interrupting her however, their attacks were futile as it were blocked by a membrane of azure light.

"Reincarnation Doom!"

A burst of light lit up filled the entire place. Whenever the light passed, everyone who touches it would disintegrate.

Jhin watched as the woman's armor started disintegrating, revealing the beautiful feature they hid, a dainty body full of charms but was now slowly turning into dust. Accompanied by her disappearance was the demise of her enemies, including the bird Jhin was possessing. But before Jhin returned to reality, a soft and melancholic voice echoed inside his head.

"The land of my origin, I offer thy river of blood and my dilapidated corpse as fertilizer to your growth."

"Phew~" Jhin let out a cold breath. Fear was apparent from his eyes. "Such a fine woman." Jhin muttered as he stared at the painting of a gorgeous elf. Then, after relaxing for a moment, Jhin continued entering the paintings…

…

"At last!" Jhin weakly sighed as he took his gaze off from the last painting. His back was fully drenched with sweat; his grey robe was sticking to his skin. His fingers were shivering while his knees continuously wobbled about. He was leaning on the wall with his eyes closed.

He finally confirmed that he really transmigrated into a new world. A world where mythical creatures depicted as legends and myths on Earth exist.

The Chaos World, a world at least many times larger than Earth. However, unlike the fertile earth, the entire Chaos World was a barren land. It was impossible to cultivate crops and livestock.

The only source of food in the world where the shrines erected by the Gods. However, the number of shrines were few and they only appeared at random time and places.

To survive, the myriad of races living in the Chaos world would always fight over the authority to enter these shrines. Moreover, aside from resources such as foods, the shrine also contains legacy from the Gods. Therefore, to make the race stronger and survive, it is a must to enter the shrines.

"No wonder all those paintings depicted legions of soldiers and bloodshed." Jhin sighed in amazement. He tightly gripped his fist and an idea formed inside his head. He was exhausted but still, an evil smile hung on his lips.

"With such a world, much less killing a million within one year, I could even kill another one or two. But I'll have to design the right system first."

From the time he woke up to the time now, almost an hour had passed. It was fortunate that the time inside the painting was faster compares to reality. Thus, he was able to watch all of them and still has two hours left to design his system.

He decided to rest while planning the design.

However, after a few minutes of resting, Jhin suddenly heard sounds of footsteps moving towards his direction.