Chaos.

Jay truly believed he had achieved salvation and was in paradise. After the hell he had endured and that miraculous golden light, anyone would entertain such thoughts.

As he waited in anticipation of the ginger voice of the angel escorting him to the golden gates, he heard strange shouts, and a burning smell assaulted his nose.

Confused, Jay opened his eyes to a bizarre sight that sent him reeling for a second. In front of him was a small, primitive settlement engulfed in flames, with strange, white ape-like creatures running haphazardly, seeking shelter. Jay stood there, stunned, unable to form a single coherent thought. Suddenly, he felt his body being thrown to the side by a giant, three-meter-tall white ape. Jay was about to yell when he saw the ape catch a spear thrown at the same spot where he had been standing earlier.

Saved from a brutal death, Jay shuddered. He was going to thank the ape when it roared, drew a huge bastard sword from seemingly nowhere, and began sprinting, swinging the sword wildly.

Turning his head, Jay saw lizard-like creatures running on their hind legs, screeching crazily and destroying everything in their path. The apes tried to escape but were mercilessly stabbed by the lizards' big spears.

Witnessing the madness before him, Jay had only one thought: "Why me? Why always me? As if that hell wasn't enough, why thrust me into this psychotic scenario as soon as I escaped?" Jay was at his breaking point. The world seemed to be against him. He grabbed the same spear and was about to impale himself when he remembered his dad's words.

******

"Remember, Jay, whenever things are continuously going wrong and you think you're about to take a drastic step, bite the webbing between your forefinger and thumb. The pain will help you rationalize your thoughts, and you will approach things more clearly."

"Do you do it too, Dad?" asked a teen Jay.

"Yes, sometimes. Being a cop these days is hard, you know. Don't worry, I'll be there for you in need," spoke Jay's dad, affectionately patting his head.

"Thank you, Dad."

******

Remembering his dad and following his instructions calmed Jay's nerves. He stood up and saw more white apes rallying against the lizard-like creatures. Jay took off running to find a spot to hide and consolidate his thoughts.

After running for about 700 meters, he found a decrepit hut. 'Perfect,' thought Jay, as he went inside, he was assaulted by the stench of blood. Immediately, he became vigilant. Peeking through the broken door, he saw a dead ape with multiple stab wounds on her back.

Seeing the sight, Jay was unfazed. "Looks like they died protecting something," he concluded. "Is someone alive?" Jay went over and glanced over the dead body to see there was nothing. Sighing in relief, Jay sat down in contemplation.

'I am alive, but this is not Earth,' he thought. It was evident from the walking lizards and sword-wielding apes that this is a different world. "I've transmigrated." If it was any other moment, he would have been excited, thrilled even. But in a scenario where his life was not guaranteed, he did not have these luxuries.

'Looks like it's a war between two tribes. The apes are losing. Staying here wouldn't be ideal. If it is a tribe, then it should be near a water source or a river. Going upstream might help. I should find a human settlement; they might help.'

"Wait, human," looking down, he realized he too was an ape. There was pristine white fur growing on his arms, and he had a huge red mark on his chest. He had five fingers, sharp nails, and feeling his face, he felt two canines protruding out.

"So, I'm not a human anymore, huh?" This fact intrigued Jay. Feeling the strength coursing through his arms and feeling his non-injured body, Jay felt confused. "How did the owner of this body even die?"

As though answering his question, Jay felt a harrowing pain in his head. The pain was excruciating, but Jay went through it Unbothered. "Ah, the ability to feel is so good." After not feeling anything for so long, every sense of touch, every sight, and even pain delighted him

After around five minutes, the pain finally subsided. The body's name was Rubén, and the name of the species was Whitefang apes, indicating their white fur and protruding canines. It was a normal day for the members of the tribe when the Swamp Lizardmen attacked them. It seems like the two tribes have been at odds for decades. Being caught off-guard, the Whitefang apes suffered a huge blow, and only now they have been able to rally their forces.

"This Rubén has a strong body but is cowardly in nature,

"This Rubén has a strong body but is cowardly in nature." When the lizardmen attacked, he was so scared he died from a cardiac arrest. Jay thought, "Wow, looks like a severe case of a panic attack."

Strong body, huh? No wonder I didn't feel tired after running almost 700 meters with a spear weighing around 30 kgs.

According to Rubén's memories, this world has a plethora of abilities and techniques. Beings can cast fires, wind, and ice from their hands, and are strong enough to lift boulders weighing tons.

All of this requires mana, the divine ubiquitous substance allowing all of this to happen.

Jay was now smiling like a madman. "This is awesome!" he shouted in his mind. He never expected to transmigrate to such a world, but he couldn't complain. "Looks like it won't be boring anymore. I'm such a fool to try and kill myself without knowing the whole story. If in this world I really can achieve omnipotent powers, then I will survive and be strong enough to do whatever I want without obstructions." Jay's eyes seemed to shine like orbs.

"But first, I need to survive. I'm not dying here." Carrying a weapon might come in handy, but I cannot carry this big of a spear without getting tired, thought Jay. Without wasting any time, he broke the blade from the shaft and carried it like a dagger. "Hmm, much better."

The sounds of destruction were increasing steadily. Taking advantage of the chaos might help. Jay sneaked out the door and glanced outside to see that only the big ape, the current tribe leader, was alive and still fighting with all his strength, surrounded by a pool of dead bodies of both lizardmen and apes.

"It looks like it will end soon," concluded Jay. 'This might be the best time to run away. Yolo', he shouted inside his mind, and dashed with all the speed he could muster. He kept on running without glancing back, and soon he was far away from the settlement.

Seeing no lizardmen, Jay figured that they were giving their all to take the tribe leader out.

After running for about 10 minutes and seeing no one following him, Jay stopped and laid down to catch his breath. He had covered a distance of around 15 kms. "This should be safe for some time. First, I will find a river and then figure out what to do next."