"Transmigration?"
That was the first thought that came to his mind the moment he was met with an unfamiliar face.
He had heard of it a few times in the past; these days, some of the games he had played incorporated the theme.
Most likely, whoever had owned this body originally had killed himself and he transmigrated into the body just as he died.
But then, Jin felt his heart run cold.
'What sort of world was I transmigrated into though?'
He glanced at the room. It was unlike anything he had seen in Korea. There were potion bottles lining the side of the room, some half-filled while others were completely empty.
Papers lined the floor all around him and dust clung to the room like a spider's web.
Jin gulped as his eyes landed on the floor.
Around him, surrounding the table and chair, was a large depiction, one that made his skin crawl.
He had been so focused on not dying that he had not noticed it earlier. It was a large pentagon drawn in blood and painted with despair.
Complex circuits connected several parts of the complex mural, and a large circle connected all edges together.
The more he stared at it, the more he felt a strange, eerie feeling. It was as though the mural was screaming at him, warning him to get out of there at once.
'I can't stay here…'
Everything about it was off. He needed to leave, collect his thoughts, and figure out what was going on.
He quickly picked up the stopwatch and stuffed it into his pocket, then grabbed the book and dagger.
He sucked in a deep breath and walked towards the edge of the mural.
But the moment he took a step out of the circle, the mural glowed red, an ominous energy spreading through the room.
The shadows twisted as though alive, twisting and turning as they surged around the room. Potion bottles clattered, elevating slightly and joining the madness, and countless papers darted around haphazardly.
Whooosh!
The book forcefully flew out of his arms, as well as the dagger and stopwatch, moving back to their exact position on the table. Pages of the book began to flip by themselves as though blown by the wind…
"What the—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the shadow in front of him took form, becoming a solid mass of ripping muscles, sharp teeth and a feral growl.
He tried to jump back, but it was too late.
A razor-sharp claw met his neck in a vicious swipe, tearing through his throat with ease.
Jin fell backwards, his vision turning dark.
•••
Haaaaa—!
Jin's eyes fluttered open, his heart thundering in his chest and his breathing elevated.
He stared around the room, wide-eyed as he looked out for even the slightest movement, but he caught nothing.
The candle was flickering as usual, the potion bottles were back in place, the papers were lying still, and the shadows were as before.
It was almost as though it was a dream, except for two things.
There was once again a hole in his neck that was slowly healing, and the book… it had moved to a certain page. But before Jin could read what was written, a blue screen flashed in front of him, causing him to flinch.
[Welcome to Herald Of The Apocalypse!]
[Status: Entry trial in progress]
◆ Quest: Escape the building
◆ Rewards: Beginner Package
◆ Difficulty: Normal
𓆣 Failure: Death
> Unique circumstance: You will remain alive as long as you stay within the mural.
"Herald of the Apocalypse??"
Jin fell deeper into his chair, his thoughts racing. How was it possible that he was transmigrated into a game? That made no sense!
And yet, he could not deny what was currently happening. There was no way this was a dream. It felt far too real.
He glanced at the punishment for failure and began pacing around his little circle.
"Death?"
He had already died twice today! He was in no mood to add another number to the tally.
Thankfully, as long as he made sure each time he died, he fell back into the mural, he would remain alive.
Still…
"Herald of the Apocalypse, huh…"
A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He had played the game countless times, so he knew how dangerous it was—but that also meant he knew how to survive.
'Maybe this isn't as bad as I thought it would be.'
But if this was a game, then who was he transmigrated as? His features didn't match any character he had interacted with in the game.
"I'll figure it out later. For now I need to focus on leaving this place."
He glanced at the book that was still open. There was just a single sentence written in it.
—Step 1: Look beyond the shadows.
Jin scratched his head. This was very different from how he remembered the game to be. In the original game, they started off in a forest next to the Beginner city and were made to complete a series of tutorials before the main game began.
This was far too different.
"Look beyond the shadows…"
Jin stared at the room, his eyes wide open to catch even the faintest hint. Because the candle was the lone source of light in the room, there were countless shifting shadows that swirled whenever the candlelight would sway.
Looking at the shadows filled him with a certain dread. It was the shadows that had killed him just a few seconds ago…
'What does it mean to look beyond the shadows?'
The only things behind the shadows were the walls… Did they mean look at the wall?
Jin stared at the wall closely, his eyes locked on the wood. That was when he finally saw it, his eyes brightening up as he did.
"Are they… patterned?"
At first glance the wood looked unassuming and plain, but the more he stared at it, the more he noticed strange markings on its surface.
"These patterns… shorthand?!"
Shorthand was a method of writing used back on Earth to simplify words. What was something like that doing here?
He stood up, his chair creaking noisily as he pushed it back, then he walked close to the wall, standing just at the edge of the mural as he began to read.
—Hi Jin. There is no way to say this without sounding weird so I'll just get into it…
I am you, or at least the original version of you that was reborn into this world, and this… this is eighteen years after your reincarnation.
"What the hell?"