Chapter 001

When Robert had come to, he found himself stranded in the middle of a forest. He had no recollection of how he came to be where he was but alas, he was here. He couldn't arrive at an answer no matter how hard he tried to think. He gave up thinking for now and just hoped the answer would surface in the future, distant or not.

The day was still bright and the sun was directly above him. He surmised the time of the day was around noon. Plenty of time before night eventually fell and the beasts of the night emerged from their habitats to hunt.

Instead of panicking over the far-approaching night or frantically looking for a sign that this was all just a terrible nightmare, Robert contemplated his current circumstances with a calm mind without a hint of dread.

Robert glanced down and took a good look at himself. To his surprise, he was in garments that he was unfamiliar with and definitely not in clothes that he had ever owned. He was wearing a leather vest over a tunic and a pair of trousers, which this set of clothing was of a medieval-esque period.

Putting aside his strange involuntarily fashion, he was relieved to find out his physique wasn't tampered with as he touched himself all over, not in a certain way. His apposite thews had not lost their shine and mass. His hands were still rough and riddled with calluses. His face was still the same tanned, coarse, and scarred land.

Robert was furthermore reassured when he touched his head and mouth. The smooth emptiness atop his head and the coarse and fuzzy feeling around his mouth brought him comfort. He was still bald and he was still sporting the beard he had painstakingly trimmed and groomed for many years. He remembered his friends disagreeing with his choice of going bald but when he grew out a beard, they all reversed their opinions.

After he finished examining his body and found nothing wrong with it, he thrust out an arm and waved his hand in the air as if he was conducting an orchestra. He frowned when nothing happened except making himself look like a fool.

"I can't use Vis… What the hell's going on…? Is the Vis density so low here or… Am I no longer on Earth?"

He snapped his fingers a few times but not once a spark was produced.

"...Or did I lose my ability to utilise Vis?"

He placed a hand on his heart.

"No, the core of my Vis is still tip-top."

Robert looked around him one more time, giving a more thorough survey of his surroundings. He realised the trees and flowers were only familiar at a glance but on closer inspection, they were of completely different breeds. He didn't consider himself a plant expert but he knew enough about plants to know these weren't any plants from Earth.

"Am I no longer on Earth? Hmm… or I might just be in some undiscovered parts of the world."

A series of low growls and grunts trickled off from his right. The voices did not sound human but bestial. Anyone would instantly run away in fear but Robert's interest was piqued. The voices sounded awfully familiar to the noises made by gorillas and tigers but these two species were known to mingle.

Following the queer sounds, Robert trod into the dense grove of trees where the sun's grace was sparse. As he was somehow now wearing boots instead of sneakers, he didn't have much problem walking through the uneven grounds of the forest that was laden with pebbles, twigs, and dead leaves.

It didn't take him long to arrive at the source of the noises. And when he did, he immediately took cover behind a large fallen log.

"What the fuck are those…?" Robert asked no one in particular. He could barely believe what he had just seen. The growls and grunts had come from three humongous bigfoot-like creatures except that they were two sizes bigger than the average human.

Robert peeked out from the log, getting another glimpse at the three strange creatures. The tree bigfoot creatures were ambling around, seemingly without any purpose. Robert thought about sneaking away while he was still unnoticed but then, he saw something on the ground amidst the loitering bigfoot creatures.

It was obviously a person even at first glance but as he squinted his eyes, he recognised the person was still breathing and it was a girl with blonde wavy hair in what appeared to be robes, tattered.

"Damsel in distress… great," Robert muttered. Saving a damsel from distress was certainly a very enticing prospect but significantly less so when the distress consisted of three strange beasts that he had never seen before. Not to mention, these strange beasts were larger than him and had thews he couldn't hope to compare.

While Robert was mulling over the pros and cons of saving the girl, one of the bigfoot creatures turned his way and shouted with its arms flailing like a madman.

"Did it discover me?"

As an answer, the three bigfoot creatures began charging toward Robert all the while chanting like monkeys.

"Oh, fuck me," Robert cursed. He was about to turn and run when he caught sight of a sword a few feet away from where the girl was. Given the distance between him and the sword versus the distance between him and the apes, it was only logical to run away. However, he ran for the sword instead.

He grabbed a handful of sand as he sprinted towards the sword. When the bigfoot creatures closed in on him, he scattered the sand in front of him. The wind blew and sent the sands into the apes' eyes. They howled and hammered the ground in a tantrum as they shook their heads vigorously to get the sand out of their eyes.

"Not very bright, are they?" Robert remarked as he reached for the sword and scooped it into his hands. "Well, neither am I."

One of the bigfoots recovered from its minor affliction and hurtled towards Robert with bloodshot eyes.

"It has been a few years but please don't fail me now."

Robert gave the sword a few practice swings before lunging in to meet the bigfoot's wrath. He ducked under the bigfoot's feral swipe of its fist and slashed upward with practised movements. Blood spewed out in a marvellous manner but not so much for the Bigfoot.

"Huh?" Robert frowned, staring at the gash he made across the Bigfoot's arm. "That was easy." He was absolutely astounded by how easy he made that deep and long cut. Either the sword was made of incredible steel, or the bigfoot's flesh and hide were frailer than they looked, or he was simply stronger than he realised.

Robert wasn't able to figure out the reason before the two other Bigfoots recovered from their plights and also started charging at him with a frenzied look.

Robert's frown turned into a grin. "Whichever is the reason, I'm glad I didn't run."

He charged at them in return and flipped over them just before they collided. When he landed, he spun around with his sword swinging. The bigfoots spun around too but they were a second slower and the blade carved opened their necks in a single streak.

Robert kicked one of the two bigfoots into the one that was whimpering and lumbering around while clutching its gashed arm. The bigfoot fell to the ground along with the carcass kicked into it. Before it could push aside its fallen kin and get back up, Robert plunged the sword into its head.

"That was way too easy," Robert scoffed. "And to think I almost freaked out." He was a tad embarrassed over the misconception of his foes' strength and ferocity. They looked tough but they were nothing against a sword wielded with basic swordsmanship. He left the sword lodged in the Bigfoot's head before heading over to check on the girl.

With just a few nudges, the girl stirred in her sleep and flipped on her back. Now that Robert had a good look on the girl's face, she was more of a woman than a girl but young nonetheless. She opened her eyes a few seconds after she turned over

Robert was briefly entranced by the pair of sapphire jewels that were the girl's eyes. "Are you alright, miss?" he asked.

The girl's gaze was wobbling but sharpened upon hearing Robert's voice as if remembering something important. She straightened her back and stiffened her shoulders. "The trolls!" she cried, tugging his arm. "You have to run, mister! There are trolls here! You must—"

"You mean those things?" Robert pointed at the carcasses.

"Yes, those things! Quick, you have to run! They— huh? They're… dead?"

"Yes, they are."

"D-did you kill them, m-mister?"

Robert nodded. "I did."

"Really? They are truly dead?"

"They're no longer breathing or moving. They are as dead as they can be."

The girl stared blankly at the carcasses for a while before her shoulders slumped and she heaved a sigh of relief. She released her grip from Robert's arm. "Thank the stars…" she breathed. She then glanced at Robert's face and her gaze slowly scoured his body. "You must be very strong, mister, to be able to kill three trolls without receiving any injuries."

"I wouldn't know, miss. I came from somewhere far away. I won't know how strong these so-called trolls are."

"There are no trolls where you're from?"

"No."

"Where are you from, mister?"

"Southeast?" he answered after some short mulling.

"What's in Southeast?"

"It's hard to explain. Anyway, my name's Robert, what's yours, miss?"

"Olivia…" the girl answered with a soft voice as he lowered her head. "Thank you for saving me, Mister Robert."

"Just Robert is fine, Olivia. I don't believe I'm that old to be called mister."

"How old are you… Robert?"

"Twenty-three."

"N-no way… you look way older than that. No offence, Robert."

"None taken, Olivia. I assume you're older than your appearance suggests?"

"You jest, Robert. I'm already nineteen."

"Already nineteen? I don't think 'nineteen' warrants an 'already'. You still have a long life ahead of you."

"I sure have but I have yet to even know the touch of a man."

"Oh?"

She raised her brows when she realised what she just said. "Ah, forget what you just heard, please."

Robert chuckled.

Her cheeks reddened. "Please forget about it," she begged.

"I will. I will. Anyway, what happened?"

Olivia glanced around. "It's… a dreary story but it's an infuriating one to me."

"Well, if you don't feel like telling me, I won't pressure you," Robert said and began to stand up. "Can you stand?" he asked.

She nodded and tried to stand.

Robert offered his hand.

Olivi hesitated for a short while before taking it. She was looking away as she got to her feet.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded again, but feverishly this time. She was gripping Robert's hand tightly and she didn't let go even after she had gotten to her feet.

"Can I have my hand back now please?"

"Ah, of course." She quickly let his hand go. "T-thank you, Robert."

"Didn't you already say that?"

"I did but… I want you to know that I'm truly grateful. You see… me and my companions… we were out hunting these trolls with a party of six. The trolls proved to be stronger than we could handle. We were stubborn and we kept fighting. It took the deaths of Maron and Kyle for us to decide on retreating. And we ran. I could still hear the sound of the two being torn and mauled as we ran without looking back…"

Robert said nothing in response and simply listened to her attentively.

"I tripped, like the blundering idiot I am. None of my companions stopped to help me or even looked back. They just… keep on running… I tried to stand up but my legs refused to move. I wasn't even hurt. I was just… scared out of my wits. I was sure that I was dead. Hell, I even fainted out of terror of my imminent death. But I am alive and safe, thanks to you, Robert. How can I ever repay you, Robert?"

"Well…I'm not familiar with the lands here. Are you?"

"I'm no cartographer but I am quite familiar with these lands."

"I can use a guide."

A smile bloomed on her face. "I'll be happy to be your guide, Robert."

"Alright, then, which way is the nearest town or village?"

"That way to the nearest village." Olivia pointed at a long-unkempt paved road. "It's only a two-hours walk. The village is also the requester of the trolls' subjugation, which I have obviously failed."

"You're alive and whole, Olivia. Let this failure of yours be a lesson so you could be better next time."

Olivia nodded sheepishly. "I will, Robert."