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Late at night, the room was pitch-black.
The only sounds were Leo's own heartbeat and breathing, echoing in the silence and making the air feel oppressively heavy.
The air felt so thick and heavy that every breath seemed like it echoed back from the walls.
With a sigh, Leo rolled over and sat up. Reaching for the lamp on the nightstand, he flicked it on, its dim glow chasing away the shadows.
The light barely stretched across the small bedroom, illuminating only a worn dresser, a dusty mirror, and a clock that ticked faintly on the wall.
Staring at the unfamiliar walls around him, he muttered bitterly, "Yeah… this really isn't my old world anymore."
It wasn't that waking up in a new world depressed him he hadn't exactly left much behind. In his past life, Leo was just a thrill-seeker, addicted to martial arts and extreme sports.
No, what really pissed him off was the thing now lodged in his head.
A "Super (Unnamed) System." That was literally its name.
At first, Leo had been curious, even excited. After all, transmigrators usually got some kind of cheat, right? He had read enough stories online back in his old life to know the trope: get hit by a truck, wake up in another world, and boom some overpowered golden-finger cheat gave you a head start.
But the very first rule in the system's guide nearly made him want to drag it out of his skull and smash it against the wall.
[System Rule: You must complete every assigned mission. Failure will result in punishment up to and including termination.]
Leo froze, staring at the words burning in his mind like they were carved into stone. Then through clenched teeth, he hissed, "You've gotta be kidding me…"
He rubbed his face, groaning into his palms. "Termination? Like… death? Delete-the-user kind of death? That's not just unfair, that's insane, Why even give me a chance if you ultimately wanted to kill me"
Still, rage didn't change anything. He forced himself to read the current mission because no way he was testing if the system really could "terminate" him so soon after arriving in this world.
[Current Mission: Begin Your Journey.]
[Mission Description: Welcome, Traveler! This world is unlike anything you've known. Isn't that exciting? Go forth, young hero, and start your legendary path! To do so, you must first make contact with this world's key figures.]
[Mission Time Limit: One Month. Failure = Termination.]
Leo's temper boiled over. "What the hell?! I just got here I don't even know where I am! How am I supposed to 'start a legendary bullshit path' without a single hint?!" His voice echoed in the small room, swallowed by the silence until only the hum of the lamp remained.
To make matters worse, the system dangled a [Starter Pack] in front of him… but locked it away until he made contact with one of those so-called key figures.
Grinding his teeth, Leo finally muttered, "Fine. Whatever. I'll figure it out. Still got half a month to breathe, right?" With forced optimism, he killed the lamp and flopped back down on the bed.
Crankkkk!
The springs creaked under his weight, dust motes catching the faint glow before darkness reclaimed the room.
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The next morning, Leo woke not to roosters crowing, but to the steady rhythm of a farm dog barking outside.
The sound was low and rough, a watchdog's warning bark that carried across the open fields. Years of disciplined training had built an unshakable body clock, so he was up before dawn regardless.
His body stirred automatically, the same way it had before every early-morning climb or sparring session back in his old world.
He sat on the edge of the bed, stretching his arms. The air smelled faintly of wood polish and old fabric, the kind of scent that clung to farmhouses.
After washing and dressing in the modest clothes given to him, he pushed open the door and stepped out.
"Leo, you're up already? You could've slept in!" said Lynn, the kindly farmer's wife, who was setting the breakfast table in the small kitchen. The smell of frying bacon and buttered toast filled the air, rich and homely.
He smiled warmly. "Habit, Aunt Lynn. Morning, Uncle Paul."
The old couple who had found him half-dead in the woods greeted him like family, and Leo felt a rare flicker of gratitude.
He wasn't used to people showing this kind of kindness without expecting something in return. To repay them, he tried to help however he could.
"Why don't I go into town today and buy the seeds?" he offered.
Paul chuckled and shook his head. The old man had a thick gray beard and calloused hands, but his eyes were still sharp with mischief.
"No, kiddo, you'll get hustled the second those slick merchants see you. I'll handle it. Besides, Lynn's been itching to buy a new dress. Gotta keep the prettiest lady in town happy, right?" He winked.
"Old fool," Lynn muttered, face flushing as she swatted at him with a towel.
Leo laughed. Their bickering made the tiny farmhouse feel more like a home than anything he'd ever known.
For a moment, he forgot about the looming threat of the system.
After breakfast, the three of them piled into Paul's battered gray pickup. The engine coughed to life with a roar that sounded older than Paul himself.
Country music crackled from the radio, warbling an old Johnny Cash tune as they bumped along the dirt road.
The fields stretched endlessly around them, golden under the rising sun. Leo leaned his head against the window, letting the wind rush past.
Somewhere deep down, he admitted this wasn't the worst way to wake up in a new world.
Buying seeds was quick Paul's reputation kept the merchants honest. They greeted him with warm smiles and a few jokes, clearly used to his presence. Shopping for Lynn's dress, though, took hours. Typical.
Leo sat on a wooden bench outside the shop, watching townsfolk stroll past while Lynn tried on what felt like every dress in the store. Paul teased her mercilessly, though his grin never left his face.
On the drive back, Lynn flashed a grin. "You know, if it weren't for Leo's charm, that shopgirl never would've given me a discount!"
"Hey, back in my day I got discounts too!" Paul shot back, puffing out his chest. "I was quite the catch."
Their playful argument filled the truck, and Leo couldn't help but smile. But that warmth froze in his chest when he spotted something sprinting across the fields toward their barn.
A man. Stark naked.
"…What the hell? Do people really jog naked out here?!" Leo thought, horrified. His instincts tensed immediately, warning him this wasn't just some harmless eccentric.
"Sweetheart," Lynn said slowly, eyes wide, "I think there's a naked man in our barn."
"Yes, dear," Paul replied flatly, already gripping the steering wheel tighter.
Leo jumped out as soon as Paul parked the truck. "I'll check it out!" He wasn't exactly afraid after all, he knew how to fight. But Paul caught his arm, face grim.
"Hold up." He disappeared into the house and returned moments later with a double-barrel shotgun, the kind that looked like it could blast a hole through steel.
Leo stared. "Overkill much?"
Inside the barn, dust and cobwebs clung to every surface. The place smelled of hay and oil, with tools rusting quietly in the corners.
Footprints marked the ground, pressed deep into the dust, and Leo followed them carefully, heart hammering. Finally, in a cluttered storage room, he found the intruder.
A muscular man crouched in the shadows, his eyes sharp, his presence radiating danger. He wasn't just strong he carried himself like a predator cornered but unbroken.
"Who the hell are you?" Leo demanded, fists clenched.
The man raised his head. His face was rugged, lined with the kind of pain only years of fighting could etch. "Name's Logan."
Leo froze. The instant he spoke, a cold, mechanical voice rang out in Leo's head:
[Key Character Detected: Logan. Mission Complete. Starter Pack unlocked. Would you like to open it?]
Leo's mind reeled, 'Logan..... Lo...Logan? Why does that name sound so familiar…?'
Of course, if he'd ever watched the X-Men movies, he'd have recognized it immediately. But the most Leo knew was: Wolverine had claws. Iron Man had a flying suit. Beyond that? Forget it he'd been too busy chasing adrenaline to bother with superheroes.
Behind him, Paul's voice cut through his thoughts. "Leo? You okay, kid?" He had the shotgun leveled at Logan.
"I'm fine," Leo muttered, fighting the urge to open the [Starter Pack] right then and there.
Paul frowned at the intruder. "What's your deal, son? Drugs?"
"No!" Logan stammered, shivering. "Just… had a rough night." His voice cracked slightly, betraying more exhaustion than danger.
Paul studied him for a moment, then lowered the shotgun. "Alright. Come inside, get warm. Leo, what do you think?"
Leo nodded. He wanted answers and Logan might be the key to understanding this world.
"Here," Leo said, peeling off his black leather jacket and tossing it over. "Cover yourself up. Aunt Lynn would faint if she saw you like this."
Logan slipped it on, relief in his eyes. "Thanks."
Leo smirked, 'Too much for a stripper'
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