"Snap... snap!"
In the dim cave, a cluster of bonfire burned brightly, occasionally crackling softly. The firelight was radiant, illuminating the cave.
In one corner of the cave, a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old was curled up by the fire. He was wrapped in a huge piece of black animal hide. Through the firelight, one could see untreated animal fat still attached to the inside of the hide.
This was a beast-hide blanket, extremely crude in craftsmanship, and even gave off a faint, raw stench.
The boy had creamy smooth skin, delicate features, and a handsome appearance. His long, red hair was loose and soft. However, this otherwise handsome young boy had a large, flame-shaped birthmark on his left forehead that extended to the corner of his eye and across his cheek. The existence of the red, flame-like marking added a layer of mystery to the youth's demeanor.
The boy's eyes were currently shut tight. His body was curled up and trembling slightly, as if he were enduring immense pain.
After a long while, the boy opened his eyes and looked around the environment in confusion. A flash of shadow quickly disappeared from his bright eyes, replaced by surprise, shock, and... disbelief.
"This... how is this possible?!" A low murmur broke the cave's silence. The boy's voice was filled with astonishment. He seemed unable to believe what was happening, reaching out a pair of hands from the hide blanket to rub his eyes.
He closed them, opened them again, rubbed his eyes hard, and then slapped himself. Feeling the pain on his cheek, the boy seemed to finally accept his surroundings.
Soon after, the shock and disbelief in his eyes faded, replaced by deep curiosity. A low murmur followed, echoing in the cave:
"I suppose I've transmigrated... again."
"My name is Taichi."
"That name was given to me by a blind fortune teller in the village. According to him, my fate was noble and required a name that matched my identity. As a young, delusional kid, I wholeheartedly believed this!"
"When I was a child, I thought I was a child chosen by destiny, and that one day, the Digital Monsters from another world would need my help."
"But as I grew older, I realized I was a child played by fate."
"At the age of only twenty-four, my life came to an end. This was even though I had just successfully passed the civil service examination!"
"I suspect I was cursed by my own name..."
"I originally thought my life was a tragedy."
"Until I lived a second life."
"My second name was... Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
"That was a world where humans and demons coexisted. From the moment I was born, I knew my mission."
"In just over twenty years, I cut my way from one end of the coast to the other."
"Finally, having fulfilled my mission, I lived in seclusion in the mountains, enjoying the peaceful life I had dreamed of."
"Many years later, I closed my eyes in old age, but when I opened them again... I found that I was alive again!"
"I think I really might be the one chosen by destiny! Although, I don't have any Digital Monsters with me..."
In the dim cave, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, draped in the thick animal hide, slowly stood up and carefully examined his environment.
Yoriichi was already a solitary figure, having lived without regret into his twilight years, so he quickly accepted his current reality.
Clearly, the most urgent task was to figure out his current situation.
This cave was about 7 square meters. It appeared to be winter now; the felt temperature was very low. Even with a fiercely burning bonfire in front of him and the heavy animal hide wrapped around him, the chill still managed to penetrate his body, making him shiver.
"Is this... a primitive society?"
Yoriichi scanned the cave, finding no modern tools or objects. Beside the bonfire, there was a wooden knife and fork, crudely made and obviously not machine-processed. Next to this cutlery was a poor-quality wooden bowl, holding more than half a bowl of yellow, pasty substance.
"It must be food. Is it curry?" Yoriichi thought to himself, then looked away to observe his surroundings.
In one corner of the cave, there was a stack of dry firewood, about two meters long and half a meter high. Besides the strong smell of burning wood, the air was faintly permeated with a scent of the sea.
"Is that... the smell of the sea?" Yoriichi sniffed, thinking to himself. Soon, his attention was drawn to a black longsword by his feet.
"A sword?!"
Yoriichi quickly crouched down, picked up the longsword, and examined it closely. It was a two-meter-long, two-handed sword, which looked like a straight sword. The black scabbard was engraved with exquisite wave-like patterns. The hilt was about 40 cm long; Yoriichi's hand couldn't fully grip it.
He drew the longsword, but the cold, flashing light he had expected didn't appear. What he saw was pitch blackness.
"A black blade? Even the cutting edge is black? A matte finish?"
Yoriichi pulled the sword out a section, discovering that not only the scabbard and hilt were black, but the blade and the edge were black too, giving it a mysterious, solemn feeling.
The blade was about 5 cm wide, and the thickness of the spine exceeded 1 cm. Normally, a sword with these characteristics combined with its length should be quite heavy.
But what puzzled Yoriichi was that it felt very light when he picked it up; he could barely feel the sword's weight.
Near the base of the blade, the character for "Slay" or "Destruction" (
灭
) was inscribed. Judging by the style, it looked very much like a weapon produced by the Swordsmith Village in his previous world.
Yoriichi gripped the hilt of the longsword with one hand, drawing it from the scabbard. Unconsciously, he gripped the sword with both hands and lightly made a cleaving motion.
The tip of the sword silently sliced across the cave ceiling, leaving a deep scratch.
"Rumble!" As the longsword cut through, small fragments of rock fell from the cave ceiling, hitting the ground and breaking apart.
"Hm?" Yoriichi instinctively shielded his eyes. After a long wait, once no more fragments were falling, he looked up and saw a long scratch mark left on the cave ceiling.
"A fine sword!"
"This craftsmanship... the civilization level of a world capable of producing this sword shouldn't be low. Or, did I bring this sword with me?!"
"And my strength..."
Yoriichi withdrew his gaze, meticulously examining the longsword in his hands. He couldn't help but reach out to stroke the blade. After sitting quietly for a long time, Yoriichi took the longsword and walked to the entrance, looking out from inside the cave.
What met his eyes was darkness so complete he couldn't see anything. A fierce, cold wind howled past, forcing Yoriichi to retreat back inside the cave.
"It's too cold. It's late; I should just rest properly for now. I'll check the surroundings tomorrow."
Retreating back into the cave, Yoriichi rushed back to the bonfire, added a few more dry branches, and curled up to warm himself. After an unknown period of time, intense fatigue enveloped his entire body, causing Yoriichi to involuntarily close his eyes and fall into a deep sleep.
That night, Yoriichi had a dream.
The ocean, sunshine, a beach, plus a small seaside town. The people in the town were simple and kind, living a self-sufficient, simple life—not rich, but peaceful and tranquil.
Yoriichi also became a part of the town, experiencing peace and tranquility.
The world in his dream was paradise!
When the sky showed the pale belly of a fish, and the light of dawn scattered across the earth, Yoriichi woke up from his sleep.
"I really... transmigrated again!"
Yoriichi slowly sat up from the stone bed, watching the bonfire's dying embers let out wisps of blue smoke. His expression was slightly vacant, and he remained stunned for a long time.
.........
(End of Chapter)
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