Brooklyn Northern Slum — Soren's Hut
"Brother Soren… wake up. Something has happened…"
A boy voice dragged me from sleep.
Irritation flickered across my face as I stirred on the wooden floor, eyes half-closed while I stretched my stiff arms.
I turned my head toward the boy who is calling , but didn't answer.
Instead, my gaze swept over him, observing him from head to toe.
He wear ragged clothes that hung loosely from his thin frame, torn and riddled with holes.
His body was frighteningly skinny, bones pressing against skin clear signs of long-term malnourishment.
A boy in beggar attires.
One of the many Abandoned children in this slum.
One he meet few days ago.
"Sigh…"
This is my fifth time sighing in this world.
Back on Earth, children like this were rare.
But in this world, I could see them everywhere.
Yes. I was from Earth.
Three days ago, I had transmigrated into this unknown place.
I now inhabited a body named Soren, around thirteen or fourteen years old, perhaps slightly older.
I hadn't inherited any memories from the body's previous owner and could only rely on myself to slowly gather information.
Still, through careful interaction with the people here, I managed to gain some basic knowledge while keeping my transmigration a secret.
Based on my observation and what I learned from street kids and beggars I made contact with,.
This place was nothing like Earth.
One wrong move here could cost me my life.
To protect himself, he had no choice but to adapt as quickly as possible—learning to blend in while avoiding any potential threats.
Given his situation, one of the best ways to survive was to join a gang and gain its protection.
In a place like this, no one would dare mess with someone who had backing.
Fortunately, the previous owner of this body was already a gang member, which made those with ill intentions think twice before targeting him.
Making him safe.
but thats only happen if the rival gangs didn't make a move against them.
"Brother Soren?"
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
The boy asked in confusion.
"Is there something in my face?"
I snapped back to reality.
"Huh? N-No, there isn't,"
"Ha ha."
forcing a laugh as I scratched my head.
"I was just zoning out."
"…"
Troy had noticed something about Soren had changed over the past few days, but he didn't know what.
His instincts told him it wasn't a bad change, so he let it go.
"R-right, Troy. Why were you looking for me?"
"Did something happen?"
"Yes! Something happened at our Bloodhook Main base!" Troy said anxiously.
"What do you mean something happened?" I asked, startled.
I knew of Bloodhook—a gang made up of thugs. The body's former owner had been part of it, and that identity now fell to him.
"Several members are planning to leave the gang."
I frowned but kept calm.
If only a few were leaving, it might be for some personal reasons.
But if several were leaving, then something serious might have happened that something forcing them to flee.
I couldn't help imagining all the possible causes.
But first, I needed details.
"Alright, calm down for a moment, Troy. Are you sure they're leaving? Maybe they're just going out for business—like collecting protection fees from market vendors inside the wall?"
Before I could say anything else—
"No. They're not going for business this time." Troy shook his head.
"I'm sure they're leaving. I heard something terrible happened when they passed through the Black Skull Gang's territory early this morning during their usual protection-fee run inside the wall."
His voice faltered, a grim expression forming on his face
"When they came back this afternoon, not even half of the members who went with the leader returned.
Only a few made it back. Many were seriously injured. Some even came back missing their libs."
"A conflict must have happened."
I said in low voice.
"You hit the spot—A conflict had truly happened."
But Troy wasn't done.
"That's not even the worst part. The few survivors are packing up the base's valuable supplies. If they keep doing this, there'll be nothing left for us. We and the other kids will starve.
That's why I came here to inform you that we should also start packing."
Bloodhook was one of the strongest and most ruthless gangs in the slums.
They could even do business inside the wall through bribery.
Not a group of normal people could afford to provoke.
So how had Bloodhook fallen to this state?
Did they offend officials inside the wall and get hunted down? Or was it the Black Skull Gang?
But no one answered my thoughts.