In the midst of the boundless void,a golden meteor streaked across countless universes, heading deep into the heart of chaos.
Just as it passed by a magnificent universe, a supreme will from within that cosmos turned its gaze upon it, accompanied by waves of sacred, majestic, and divine music.
With a single glance, the golden meteor was entirely seen through.
In that instant, it shifted course, drawn into this universe and merging with it.
A new note appeared—unlike anything before—infusing a vibrant melody into the grand symphony of this world and adding life to an already magnificent composition.
"Hey, sir, wake up!"
Stirring from his slumber, Darian heard a voice.
Opening his eyes, he saw a wilderness of green trees surrounding him.
In front of him stood a person looking at him with concern.
Darian was confused—shouldn't he be sleeping at home? Why was he lying here, out in the wild?
And who was this stranger standing before him?
With a head full of questions, he asked directly:
"Who are you?"
"Uh, I'm Bilbo. Bilbo Baggins, sir."
Bilbo Baggins? That name sounded oddly familiar.
Suddenly, Darian froze, eyes wide in disbelief.
How could he, someone whose English grades barely scraped the passing line in school, suddenly understand what this person was saying?
Even more shocking—he was speaking the other man's language, fluently, like it was his native tongue. It came instinctively.
As he stood up, still feeling a mixture of shock and confusion, he noticed that Bilbo was less than half his height.
A dwarf?
No… he didn't quite look like one.
Looking more closely, Darian saw the stranger had pointed ears, and his large, bare feet were covered in thick pads and fur.
This wasn't any human race he knew.
Then it clicked.
"You're a Hobbit?!"
The simple Hobbit nodded sincerely.
"Then… where am I?"
"This is the Shire—Hobbiton, to be exact, sir."
Darian completely gave up hope.
Good heavens, what on earth was going on?
How had he just… woken up in another world?
And not just any world—but a dangerous one.
He knew there were all sorts of extraordinary beings here: Orcs, Trolls, Elves… even Wizards, Dragons, Balrogs, and the Maia—lesser gods—and above them, the mighty Valar and the creator himself, Iluvatar.
How could a regular person like him possibly survive?
This was a hell-level difficulty starting point.
Bilbo looked at the human before him—his expression shifting constantly like a painter's palette—and couldn't help but quietly step back a few paces.
This human seemed a little unstable.
But as a kind and friendly Hobbit, Bilbo couldn't bring himself to walk away.
"Uh… sir, are you alright?"
"I'm fine… I just… can't find my way home," Darian said with a wry smile.
"You're lost?" Bilbo asked, surprised.
"Maybe you could buy a map in town—they sell maps of the lands outside the Shire there."
Darian shook his head weakly.
"My home is very far away. I might never reach it again."
Bilbo was puzzled, unable to comprehend what kind of distance Darian was talking about.
But looking at this lonely, sad human, the kind-hearted Hobbit didn't know how to comfort him.
"Uh… sir, would you perhaps like to be my guest?"
Darian lifted his head, surprise flashing through his sorrowful expression.
Bilbo looked away, embarrassed.
"We rarely have outsiders in the Shire. But if you have nowhere to go, you're welcome to stay with me for a few days."
Grateful, Darian nodded quickly.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Bilbo Baggins. You're truly a good person!"
Embarrassed by the compliment, Bilbo coughed awkwardly.
"Well then, please follow me, sir."
With that, he slung a fishing rod—more than twice his height—over his shoulder, and picked up his fishing bucket with the other hand.
Darian, following behind him, let his sad expression fade and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Though his emotions were real, he had slightly exaggerated them earlier to gain Bilbo's sympathy—and shelter.
After all, he had been thrown alone into a completely foreign world.
If no one helped him, he'd likely end up sleeping in the wilderness.
And as far as he remembered, Bilbo Baggins was—more or less—a protagonist in this world.
No matter what he planned to do next, staying close to the protagonist would give him more chances and options.
As they walked the winding path, they passed several Hobbit homes.
These homes were buried in the hills, with grassy rooftops, round wooden doors painted in soft green, yellow, or blue, and gardens full of blooming flowers.
They looked like rabbit holes from a fairy tale.
Hobbits peered curiously over their garden fences, watching the tall human following Bilbo.
Unusually, Bilbo didn't greet his neighbors as he usually would. In fact, he seemed to speed up a bit.
Darian, on the other hand, wasn't bothered at all by the attention. He smiled and nodded politely at the onlookers.
Eventually, they reached a cozy home at the end of the path—a house built into a hill with a wooden sign at the gate that read "Bag End."
This was Bilbo Baggins's home.
The garden was beautiful and neat, clearly well cared for.
"I forgot to ask your name, sir. What is it?" Bilbo asked as he opened the door.
"My name is D—Darian?"
Just as he was about to say his real name, "Darian" popped into his head and slipped out of his mouth.
As if… that had always been his name.
What was happening?
His heart skipped a beat. When had this become his name?
Bilbo, unaware of the strange shift, simply smiled.
"Well then, Darian, do watch your head as you come in. You humans are a fair bit taller than us."
Bang!
Not paying attention, Darian smacked his forehead on the doorframe, clutching his head and yelping in pain.
"Uh… Mr. Darian, are you alright?" Bilbo asked with concern, stifling a small chuckle.
"I'm fine," Darian said, rubbing his head and waving his hand.
Right now, he couldn't afford to overthink things. This Hobbit hole clearly wasn't built for someone who was one meter eighty-five.
He had to duck and stoop carefully just to avoid hitting another beam.
Not getting any answers from his mind, he gave up and sat down.
Meanwhile, Bilbo headed into the kitchen to prepare something for his guest.
[Hogwarts Sign-in System: Location – Shire – Hobbiton – Bag End. Do you wish to sign in?]
A glowing text box suddenly appeared in front of Darian.
"What the hell?!"
He jumped.
"What's wrong, Mr. Darian?" Bilbo called from the kitchen.
"N–nothing!" Darian quickly replied, realizing that Bilbo couldn't see the screen in front of him.