"Adriel cautiously crept through the cave, every step echoing through like thunder. A massive sword, as dark and elegant as the night, lay alone on a stone pedestal. He approached, apprehension spreading like wildfire through his mind. 'Why is there… a sword here?'"
Ethan read aloud from his phone, lying on his dorm room bed. He really should've been in class, but he knew he'd be fine. Missing a few lectures wouldn't be the end of the world. Probably.
"Aw, this is so boring. I don't get why everyone says The Strongest Doomed Swordmaster is a good novel," Ethan grumbled. "I mean, I'm already 30 chapters in, and this cursed sword system is way too underexplained."
He tapped at his phone, annoyed. His finger hovered over the button to unlock the next chapter.
"And the protag's not even a good guy," he added, even though nobody was there to hear his critique. "Too hotheaded. Always getting into duels in the Academy."
Just as Ethan was about to tap off and read another novel, his phone flicked off.
"Ugh, come on. Why'd it have to die now?"
He sat up, grabbing the cord from the table and plugging it in. Now what was he supposed to do? Rewatch his favorite anime? Play some video games? Actually go to where he was supposed to be?
Ethan shuddered at that last thought. His philosophy strictly stated that if attendance wasn't mandatory, neither was going to class.
Granted, he was about to fail some of them… but he wouldn't worry about it until he actually did.
All of a sudden, the door swung open, and his dorm mate Toby strolled in, with five other guys. He looked at Ethan, then back at the others behind him.
"Still here, Ethan?" Toby asked, crossing his arms.
Ethan knew what this meant. His dorm mate was taking over their shared room.
This had happened several times before. Toby would bring in a bunch of his friends, and Ethan would be forced to listen to their loud, rowdy chatter, or leave.
"No, I was just about to go somewhere," Ethan replied. He was used to it by now--it didn't bother him as much as it did the first few times. He grabbed his phone and charger, intending to go find an outlet near the common room.
Ethan walked through the cramped, quiet hallways. Some people were returning from lectures. Others were busy with assignments. Expecting it to be empty, he was about to enter the floor common room when he heard laughter from inside.
He much preferred quiet spaces to lively rooms.
Where else can I go, then? He wondered.
Maybe he could go to a cafe. There were a few around his college, and were usually empty at this time of day. He had some change in his pocket, more than enough to buy a coffee or something.
Why not?
With his phone dead, there was nothing he could do along the way other than enjoy the scenery. Usually, when Ethan walked around the campus, he barely registered his surroundings. But outside, past the main buildings, were dozens of plants and gardens along paths.
I guess it's a blessing in disguise that Toby came in right then, isn't it?
Ethan quickly found a quiet cafe, ordering some food, watching the street outside through the large windows. It was a shopping street, with shops of all kinds on either side of the road. Supermarkets, bookstores, stationery places, and dozens of restaurants. On weekends and late afternoons, it was packed.
But in the late morning, it was rather empty, with only a few cars passing every now and again.
Ethan paid for his food with his cash, and left the cafe. He wandered up and down the street for a few more minutes, and decided to go back to campus. Hopefully, Toby and his friends would've moved on to somewhere else by now. If not, he supposed he could simply go to the library.
Looking both ways, Ethan crossed the empty street. It was wide, but he walked quickly.
Then, he felt rumbling coming from a little further off.
Quickening his pace, he whipped around, only to see…
A truck--that most definitely had not been there two seconds ago--flying towards him at an impossible speed.
Ethan shrieked, throwing himself forward--but the truck was too fast. One moment, it was fifteen feet away. The next--it was right there.
BAM.
Red and black filled his vision, and every part of his body felt like it was on fire.
He couldn't even scream; couldn't move--could barely process what just happened to him.
I was hit. By a truck. That magically appeared.
Ethan's vision was fading, but random thoughts flooded his mind.
Isn't this too cliche…?
Am I actually dying? Isn't this a dream?
And as the darkness was about to completely cover everything--
What the hell is this? An isekai…?
***
Ethan opened his eyes. Except--he didn't. There was no blinking, no sight adjusting to the strange stone walls around him. He could perfectly see every side, every detail like he'd just been turned into a security camera.
Well, that's definitely weird. Okay, so, I just died. And now I'm here.
This situation seemed entirely too familiar.
It was exactly the beginning to every over-used, basic transmigration novel he'd ever read.
Is this for real? Is it finally my turn?!
Ethan paused. Wait. I wanted to say that out loud.
His voice wasn't working.
His body felt strange.
It suddenly occurred to Ethan that he saw no arms, no legs of his own. No torso--not even a nose. It was as if he was just a pair of paralyzed, all-seeing floating eyes. A ghost.
He was lying on top of a raised table of stone. The shadowy cave around him was deathly silent, and strange pink and red crystals grew in scattered locations.
Wait--this is the cave from The Strongest Doomed Swordmaster. It's exactly as it was described two chapters ago. And I'm lying on a pedestal.
Ethan made an awful realization.
Am I… the cursed sword that Adriel picks up and is supposedly doomed by?
Footsteps thudded in the distance, amplified by the silence. Not knowing who could possibly be approaching, Ethan panicked.
A monster!! It's going to smash me into pieces!
The footsteps only grew louder and louder. Ethan couldn't feel his heart racing, but he was terrified nonetheless.
Why did I transmigrate here of all places?! Why couldn't I have gone to a peaceful fantasy world instead?!
Looking around wildly, he noticed a single tunnel leading into the cave. He tried to avert his gaze, just in case the next thing to come through it was a horribly hideous monster that killed you on sight. But he found he couldn't stop seeing.
"Why is there… a sword here?"
Ethan stared. Instead of a beast, a boy had emerged from the tunnel.
His messy bronze hair reflected the little light that existed in the cave. Each black-gloved hand was curled in a tight fist. Wearing a pristine white shirt and a leather jacket, that Ethan thought seemed way too modern for fantasy.
He knew this boy.
Adriel Kaen?
This was the exact scene Ethan had read, only an hour ago. And now he was living it, like a dream turned to reality.
Adriel slowly stepped towards Ethan, still stuck on the pedestal.
H-he's coming to grab me!
The Strongest Doomed Swordmaster had many action chapters, sure. But the mechanics of the fantasy world were barely mentioned. Ethan knew that in this world, touching a cursed sword would bind it to you forever, corrupting you over time. But that was it--he'd given up reading before he'd found out any more information.
No! He tried yelling. Don't touch me! It's a mistake!
But being a sword had taken away his ability to communicate.
Adriel leaned over Ethan, evaluating him with intense eyes.
"They always told us not to take strange swords," the boy mused. "But mine just broke, because of this damn cave. It won't be good if I come across any monsters unarmed."
Ethan looked on helplessly as Adriel's hand drew closer.
"There's no way it's cursed. Those swords are supposed to be unthinkably rare. What are the odds?"
Stop! The odds definitely aren't in your favor!!
One more strained moment passed.
Adriel hesitated only for a second longer--then reached down.