Leon, a brilliant but mischievous mechanical engineering student, was a unique blend of intellect and cunning. He could solve complex formulas in a flash, yet ironically, he was too lazy to earn money honestly. Instead of working part-time, he preferred to "extort" his seemingly naive, or 'nerdy,' classmates. His carefree attitude, of course, kept the ladies away.
Once, he tried to ask out a beautiful female student, but was bluntly rejected with the reason, "I'm not interested in guys whose brains are in their knees!"
Heartbreak burned in his chest. His pride crumbled. To calm the turmoil in his heart, Leon decided to climb Mount Arcopodo, famous for its peak often shrouded in mystical fog. He hoped the solitude of nature could heal his wounds.
After hours of climbing, traversing rocky paths and protruding tree roots, Leon arrived at a ridge. There, on a fallen tree trunk covered in thick moss, sat an elderly couple. The old man had a long white beard, his hair haphazardly tied back. The old woman had neatly coiled silver hair, but her back was hunched with age. They sat close together, whispering, looking affectionate amidst the cold mountain wind.
Leon, with his unguarded mouth, couldn't help himself. "Wow... who would've thought! Old geezers like this are still being romantic, dating on a mountain like teenagers!" His voice boomed, shattering the sacred silence of the mountains.
The old woman looked up, her dim eyes narrowing sharply. "Hey, young man! What did you just say? We're not dating! Watch your stinky mouth!"
Leon smirked, a mocking smile gracing his lips. "Ah, it's obvious. You're clearly dating. No need to be shy."
"Watch your words, you insolent child!" the old man snapped, his eyes wide, radiating suppressed anger. "Who'd want to date this old hag, who smells like ginger?"
"What did you say?! You old geezer, acting all mighty! I wouldn't want to be with you either!" the old woman retorted, equally fierce, her eyes flashing with fury.
The old man laughed mockingly, "Hahaha! You think I'm just acting mighty? I am mighty! With just one slash of this twig, I can flatten this entire mountain!" He held up a small twig he had picked up, as if it were a legendary sword.
The old woman snorted disdainfully, "Huh! Proud of just that? Me, I can summon the World Destroyer Meteor that will turn this entire world into dust!"
"Grrrrr..." The old man and woman began to bicker, throwing insults about each other's strength and prowess, like children boasting about new toys.
Leon, who had been watching, burst into laughter. His voice echoed among the towering pine trees. "Wahahahahaha! Their imaginations are wild! Flatten a mountain? Summon a meteor? Ridiculous! Like kids fighting over candy!"
Suddenly, Leon's laughter stopped. The two elders stared at him with sharp gazes, like eagles ready to pounce on their prey. "What did you say, young man?" their voices rang out simultaneously, in unison and cold, sending shivers down Leon's spine. "Do you think we're just joking about our abilities?!"
Leon tried to mask his nervousness with a mocking grin, though there was a faint tremor in his voice. "What's there to believe? Want to flatten this place? Pfft, look at your wrinkled skin, only a few teeth left, and you walk hunched over! Still want to act mighty? Hahaha..." Leon couldn't hold back his laughter anymore, belittling the two elders before him.
"This boy," the old man said in a low tone, yet full of hidden authority, "seems to need some understanding."
"Exactly," the old woman added, a thin, mysterious smirk appearing on her lips. "Let's take him home, so he can be taught a lesson." The old man nodded in agreement, a strange glint in his eyes, as if a plan had been silently agreed upon.
Leon, still laughing with his back slightly bent, suddenly felt a strange sensation. His surroundings changed in the blink of an eye. Pine trees, mountain rocks, all vanished. Replaced by... something else. An endless expanse of flat land, covered in bright green grass he had never seen, and a clear, cloudless blue sky. The air felt different, lighter, purer.
"Heh, young man... are you done laughing?" the old man's voice was heard again, from nowhere, surrounding Leon.
"Hahaha... Why— uhhh... uhhh... Why is this place different?" Leon blinked repeatedly, trying to convince himself this was just a hallucination. "This doesn't seem like the mountain! Where am I?!" His laughter turned into panic, a fear beginning to creep into his heart.
"Hahaha... Welcome, young man," the old woman said, appearing out of nowhere beside Leon, as did the old man. Both now stood upright, no longer hunched, an aura of grandeur radiating clearly from them. "Welcome to the Land of the Gods."
"The Land of the Gods?! Hahaha... Is there really such a place? Don't expect me to believe it!" Leon tried to laugh again, but his voice sounded discordant and forced.
"Well, if you don't believe it," the old man said casually, pointing to a small hut that had appeared in the distance, no one knew when. The hut was made of old wood, simple yet felt warm. "If you need answers or have questions, you can come to that little house. We'll be happy to listen to your complaints." The old man waved, then walked leisurely towards the hut, followed by the old woman. Their steps were light, as if floating above the grass.
Leon flinched. His mind raced wildly. There was no house there just now! Now there is! And indeed, this place was absolutely not the mountain from before! Cold sweat began to form on his forehead.
"See you later, young man," the old woman said, before disappearing into the hut. "Don't get lost, okay! But it's probably impossible anyway, because the land here isn't very vast, maybe only about two hectares."
"Yeah, whatever," Leon grumbled, walking away from the hut, still trying to maintain his arrogant demeanor. "They said they weren't a couple, but they're in one house. Strange old people."
"WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!" Suddenly, the old man and woman's voices boomed from inside the hut, full of terrifying anger, making Leon jump in surprise and immediately run for his life, his heart pounding wildly, as if it would leap out of his chest.
He ran aimlessly, traversing the strange and endless expanse of flat land. After a while, he reached the edge of the land. Before him, instead of a rocky chasm, was a vast, boundless ocean of thick clouds, as if he were truly at the highest peak of the world. The bottom of the clouds was invisible, just endless silvery-white.
"Wow, it seems I'm on a very high mountain, so high that its base isn't even visible!" Leon was still trying to deceive himself, not fully realizing he was trapped. The sun began to dip towards the west, its rays turning golden orange, painting a beautiful yet ominous scene. He continued to walk around the "land," searching for a way down, but after circling, he always returned to the starting point.
"Why... why is there no way down?!" Panic began to seize Leon, gripping him tightly. It was then that the memory of the two strange old people flashed back into his mind. Only they could explain. With heavy steps and a pounding heart, he decided to return to the small hut.
Upon arriving at the hut, the old man and woman were already sitting on the porch, as if waiting for his arrival. A thin, mysterious smile was etched on their lips.
"Hahaha, you finally came back, huh," the old man greeted, his eyes twinkling meaningfully.
Leon wasted no time. "Where exactly am I?!" he asked, his voice slightly trembling, no longer a trace of arrogance.
"You kept saying we were just bluffing about our abilities," the old woman said, crossing her arms, her gaze piercing Leon. "Now what? Do you believe us now?"
"So, this... this is your doing?!" Leon took a step back, his face paling. "Are you mountain guardian ghosts?!"
The two elders burst into laughter. Laughter that vibrated the air, like thunder on a clear day splitting the sky. "Nonsense!" the old man exclaimed, standing tall. A dominating aura radiated from him, making him appear tall and powerful, no longer a hunched old man. "I am Long, known as the Invincible Grand Master of Martial Arts!"
"And I," the old woman added, also standing, gracefully smoothing her coiled hair, now appearing youthful and elegant, "am Merlin, the Great Sage... or perhaps more familiarly known as the Grand Sorceress."
"Pffuufufu..." Leon couldn't help himself. He laughed at them again, an automatic reaction from his brain that found it hard to accept irrational things. Though there was a slight doubt in his heart, he still couldn't fully believe these ridiculous claims. To him, this was just an outrageous joke.
"Give him a lesson first, so he'll realize," Merlin said in a flat tone, but there was a dangerous edge to it, a promise of unimaginable suffering.
Before Leon could react, Grand Master Long was already before him. In a fraction of a second, the strong hand gripped his collar tightly. A jerk, and Leon felt himself soaring into the air, a terrifying speed snatching his breath away.
"Aghhhhhhh!" Leon screamed hysterically. He flew higher and higher, piercing through thick clouds, beyond the limits of sight. He saw the Land of the Gods shrinking beneath him, then he felt himself free-falling, like a meteor hurtling towards earth, tears streaming down his face, mixing with the strong wind. He was sure his end was near, the specter of death haunting him.
However, before he hit the ground, a strong hand caught him. Grand Master Long, with a calm expression, held him in the air as if Leon were as light as a feather, as if gravity didn't apply to him.
"Do you believe us now?" Grand Master Long asked, his voice now sounding like thunder echoing in Leon's head, demanding recognition.
Leon, with his body trembling violently and gasping for breath, immediately knelt in the air, overwhelming fear possessing him. "Please... please make me your disciple!" The words came out on their own, a genuine desperation.
Grand Master Long glanced at Merlin, his expression unreadable. "What do you say, Merlin?"
Merlin sighed, smiling faintly, a smile that held a mystery. "What can we do? Besides... we can't send him back anyway."
"What?! So I can't go home?!" Leon shrieked, shock paralyzing his entire body. This nightmare wouldn't end?
Merlin nodded casually, her expression innocent yet her eyes held a mischievous glint. "Yes, sorry... I forgot the coordinates of your world." Her face displayed an innocent smile that somehow felt far more terrifying than anger. Leon's world had just been turned upside down, and he didn't know if he would ever be able to return.
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