The rattling of the wagon woke him. The road was rough and every bump shook the wooden frame.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself inside a carriage packed with people men, women, children, even the elderly. Their hands were bound by ropes, and they were all crammed into a cage built into the wagon.
He looked down at his own hands and froze. They weren't his. They were thinner, younger belonging to a boy no older than sixteen or seventeen.
A mother and her child sat nearby, speaking in a language he didn't recognize. Yet somehow, he understood every word.
"Mom… where's Dad? I'm scared. Where are the bad men taking us?" the little girl whispered.
"Shhh. Be patient, my love. Everything will be alright," her mother replied, trying to comfort her.
Suddenly, pain stabbed through his head. Memories foreign memories flooded his mind all at once.
His name was Gabriel Lundale, the young heir of a minor noble family in the Taysia Kingdom. But the Taysia Kingdom no longer existed. It had been destroyed, torn apart by five invading nations, its lands carved into six territories:
The Freheart Kingdom
The Sigfried Empire
The Jerfield Kingdom
The Shersiek Kingdom
The Veyloria Empire
And the Holy Church of Light
He remembered it clearly. Just a month ago, Taysia was at war with the Veyloria Empire. But while they were locked in battle, the other nations attacked from all sides. Outnumbered and outmatched, the kingdom collapsed.
Eleven days ago, Sigfried's forces invaded his hometown, Lundale. Once a place of joy and peace, it was drowned in blood. Those who resisted were cut down on the spot. Women were violated and then caged, destined to be sold as slaves. The men and children were taken as laborers, doomed to toil for their conquerors. He himself was nothing more than another captive.
Yet one thing stood out among the memories magic.
He remembered fire raining down from the sky, spells cast by Sigfried's court magicians. He also remembered his own talent he had been a student mage, gifted with water affinity.
But then another wave of memories surfaced not of this world, but of his old life. His true name was Gabriel Chavez, a Filipino hunter. He had reached B-rank and was raiding an A-rank dungeon in Manila when it happened he was cut in half by an Orc Lord, and that was the end.
This world was called Karos. Like Earth, it had people, cities, and kingdoms. But unlike Earth, Karos had mana. Some people could manipulate it, but only after years of brutal training.
On Earth, once you awakened, you could use mana right away just activate a skill and you were good to go. Here? Only magicians could wield it, and even then, after endless years of practice.
"These memories… they're so damn confusing. At least my name's still Gabriel. But right now, I'm out of luck. I'm about to be sold as a slave. What kind of shitty life is this?"
He grit his teeth. This wasn't how reincarnation was supposed to work.
"Normally when you reincarnate, a goddess greets you, gives you some cheat powers, and drops you in a newbie village where everyone's nice. But nooo. Not here."
Karos was barbaric. A world where peace never lasted a year. Every nation was out for blood, always trying to devour the others. Thieves ran wild, and the Church of Light a holy empire disguised as religion waged war on anyone who refused to convert.
And the monsters… they weren't like the ones on Earth. They prowled the forests, stronger and deadlier than anything he'd ever fought. The technology was a joke, like some pre-medieval nightmare.
"Ahhh, I want an ice-cold cola…" he muttered bitterly. "And damn it, I'll never know how One Piece ends…"
Another hard bump jolted the wagon. The chains on his feet clanged, snapping him back to reality. He was a slave.
But not just any slave. He had magic at least, he thought he did. He should be able to use it. The problem? Hundreds of soldiers surrounded the wagon. If he tried to escape, they'd cut him down. And beyond them lay a dark forest crawling with high-level monsters.
Then BANG!
A deafening crash erupted outside.
"Monster attack! Get ready for battle!" a Sigfried soldier shouted.
His blood ran cold. If the monsters won, they'd be eaten. If the soldiers won, they'd be sold into slavery.
"Alright," he muttered. "Got it. Time to gamble."
"System!" he shouted in his mind.
The familiar interface appeared. His last name was gone, but his first name Gabriel remained. His level had been reset to 1, but all his combat skills as a veteran hunter of 12 years were still intact.
He opened his system inventory and froze. Everything he had stored on Earth was still there.
He quickly summoned a knife. It appeared out of thin air. He gripped the handle between his teeth and began sawing through the ropes binding his hands.
The other captives saw what he did. Once Gabriel cut his bonds, he moved quickly to untie the others. He needed chaos total confusion if anyone was going to slip away.
"Run! Get out of here!" someone shouted, and a few people bolted. But not everyone. One man, free of ropes, stood frozen with fear terrified of being grabbed by the monsters in the forest.
"Your choice," Gabriel muttered, and kept moving.
Gabriel moved through the wagons, slitting ropes, shoving open latches. He wasn't trying to be a hero; he just needed noise and panic. He grabbed a torch and using the system activated a fireball skill. It burst into being in his hand, cold and humming, then he hurled it. The flames hit a stacked wagon and it caught fire, a bright flare that set off a chain reaction.
Chaos erupted. Screams, shouted orders, the crackle of burning wood. Slaves pushed and shoved, stumbling into the dirt and running for the trees. The soldiers on the road turned toward the noise, leaving gaps as they rushed to face the army of goblins pouring from the forest.
Gabriel watched the soldiers' magic for a moment: ordinary strengthening spells, nothing flashy. He smiled grimly. "I can escape," he thought.
He ran toward the forest depths. A few of the freed captives, desperate and clinging to hope, fell in behind him. The old man who'd been beside the mother and child caught up, breathless.
"Please," the old man gasped. "Let us come with you. My three daughters… they'll be taken. I think I saw you once, Lord Lundale. Please help us. You can use magic, you must protect us."
"Fine. Stay close. Run fast," Gabriel said. He didn't promise safety. He only pointed them toward the trees.
The small group grew: the mother and her daughter, six women, eight young men, and the old man. They followed Gabriel through the brush, hearts pounding.
A soldier noticed the missing prisoners and barked orders. "They escaped! Six of you take pursuit! Kill them!"
"Sir yes, sir!" the squad answered, and six soldiers surged forward.
The slaves ran as hard as they could. Branches slapped their faces, the ground threatened to trip them, but the soldiers were closing fast.
Gabriel kept moving, every sense alert. Behind him he heard the soldiers' boots, the shouts, and further back the terrible roar of goblins. The forest swallowed their footsteps as they plunged deeper and deeper into danger.