Chapter 21: What Just Happened?

Chapter 21: What Just Happened?

"Dong...dong...dong..."

Low, deep chimes echoed as Alex opened his eyes, looking up at the sky.

"Where am I...?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but was shocked to find his voice hoarse and eerie. Not only that, his body felt strange, as if he was inhabiting an unfamiliar shell rather than his own body.

What's going on?

Alex shook his head and slowly stood up. It was only then that he realized he was in a graveyard.

He was dressed in heavy armor, with a sword and shield by his side. Judging by appearances, "Alex" seemed to be a knight already laid to rest in a coffin.

'So, only my mind has entered this world? No wonder I can leave anytime...'

Stretching his body, Alex finally understood the concept of the Free World. It appeared he wasn't using his own body here, but rather one that already existed in this world.

It was more like his soul had possessed someone else. To Alex, this felt like another "transmigration."

However, unlike his transmigration in the main world, this transmigration didn't seem to bring him any benefits.

The original owner of this body had no memories, nor any items to prove their identity. The only useful things were the sword and shield at his side.

Is this another game world? Could it be another dark fantasy world?

Looking at the sky, shrouded in dark clouds similar to a dark fantasy setting, Alex couldn't help but frown.

Fortunately, although this body didn't come with the previous owner's memories, it did come with some combat skills. But Alex soon discovered that these were indeed just combat skills.

No flashy techniques from the main world, not even skills from dark fantasy games—just basic weapon combat skills like thrusting, slashing, rolling, and blocking, which Alex had already learned from Stone.

The only new technique was something called "parry," a move to deflect an attack at the moment of contact and then strike a fatal blow.

No flashy skills, no unique moves, just basic techniques.

'This isn't a dark fantasy world, so where am I?'

Curious, Alex looked around and walked out of the coffin, following a path forward.

"Uhh..."

At that moment, a skeletal figure crawled up from the ground, blocking Alex's path.

An enemy? A zombie? Or a revenant?

Seeing the creature, Alex tensed, gripping his sword tightly. Before it could fully rise, he slashed it down.

To Alex's surprise, this world's monsters didn't seem as tough as those in dark fantasy games. His single slash sent the creature sprawling. Whatever it was, it was as weak as it looked.

'Doesn't seem too dangerous. How is this world supposed to help me train combat skills?'

"Whoosh!"

Just as Alex was puzzling over this, he heard the sound of an arrow. Instinctively, he rolled forward, narrowly avoiding a flaming arrow.

When he looked up, he saw another skeletal figure not far away, reloading a crossbow.

What the heck! These creatures can use weapons? Startled, Alex hurried forward, slashing the creature down with his sword.

What a strange place...

Looking at the fallen corpse, Alex frowned. The sky was dark and oppressive, the cold wind was biting, and everything around him seemed shrouded in gloom, like the ashes of a burnt-out world. It was a very unsettling feeling.

'In any case, I should investigate this world.'

Afterward, Alex followed the mountain path out of the graveyard, slaying several more revenants along the way, until he reached a bonfire.

As he looked at the bonfire, a memory seemed to stir. He reached out toward it, and soon felt a mysterious energy drain from his body, igniting the bonfire with a "whoosh."

"..."

Watching the orange flames flicker, Alex sighed in relief. The monsters in this world didn't seem particularly strong, but the ruins around him and the endless dark clouds on the horizon gave him a bad feeling. This world didn't seem as simple as it appeared.

Time to keep moving.

After sitting by the bonfire for a few minutes, Alex decided to continue exploring. So far, he hadn't encountered another living soul, which made him uneasy.

Could this be a post-apocalyptic world? Was everyone dead except him? He hoped it wouldn't be like a world where he was the last human alive.

Moreover, Alex didn't think these slow-moving creatures posed any threat to him. Although the undead in the dark world also moved slowly, they were incredibly strong and defensively formidable.

However, the monsters here had no defense and moved extremely slowly. Several times, Alex even rushed up to them, and these monsters hadn't even fully stood up yet, moving sluggishly like ordinary people.

Could such a world really train his combat skills?

After walking along the mountain path and defeating a monster guarding the gate, Alex arrived at a square.

It was empty, except for a gigantic knight, over two or three meters tall, half-kneeling in the center of the square.

The knight had a battle-axe by his side, and Alex could see a black spiral sword piercing through the knight's chest. No matter how he looked at it, the knight was already dead.

However, Alex did not approach the knight. Based on his experience, something that appeared so suddenly in a strange place was bound to be problematic.

Either it was a trap or a boss. Being cautious was the correct choice.

So, he chose to bypass the knight and continue exploring. Luckily, behind the knight, Alex found a building, but to his frustration, he couldn't open the wooden door no matter how hard he pushed. It seemed to be sealed by something.

'Do I really have to take down that knight?'

Helpless, Alex returned to the knight, approaching cautiously. Contrary to his expectations, the knight did not suddenly spring to life, nor did any monsters jump out to ambush him.

The knight just quietly knelt there, performing the duty of a deceased knight.

'Should I pull out the sword from his chest?'

After hesitating for a moment, Alex decided to pull the sword.

Although his instincts told him that doing so might trigger a "boss battle," his previous fights with the monsters made him feel they posed no real threat and did not help in honing his sword skills. But this knight, being a boss, shouldn't disappoint him.

With that in mind, Alex reached out and firmly grasped the spiral sword embedded in the knight's chest, pulling it out with force.

As Alex withdrew the spiral sword, he saw the dark, jelly-like substance in the knight's chest wound begin to wriggle as if alive, then retreating back into the knight's body.

This unexpected scene startled Alex, but the next moment, he saw the knight stand up, grab the battle-axe beside him, and swing it at him with great force!

'What the heck! Why start fighting now? I'm your savior, after all!'

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Alex quickly rolled to the side, dodging the knight's battle-axe.

But before he could get up, the gigantic knight charged at him, knocking Alex away with a fierce shoulder bash. The knight then lifted his battle-axe again and brought it down on Alex.

This is bad!

Seeing the glinting battle-axe, Alex was terrified. He quickly raised his shield, managing to block the strike just in time.

"Clang!"

A tremendous force smashed into Alex, causing his legs to buckle, nearly bringing him to his knees.

But the knight didn't stop there. After his first strike was blocked, he immediately swung his axe again.

This time, Alex couldn't hold on and was knocked to the ground. He then saw the knight leap high into the air, bringing the axe down with all his might.

"Thud!"

In the next moment, Alex felt the blade ruthlessly cut into his body. His vision went black, and everything around him plunged into darkness.

Then, Alex felt as if he were a balloon being pulled up into the air before gently descending. When he opened his eyes again, he saw only the burning campfire and the old sword stuck in it.

"...."

Staring blankly at the campfire, Alex was completely bewildered. His mind was in chaos, utterly unsure of what to do.

'What just happened? Where am I? How did I die?!'

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