Ren's eyes flickered. Opening them slowly, his vision cleared to reveal an old wooden room.
There wasn't much to see: two lamps hanging from the ceiling, a cupboard beside the bed, and two doors, one in front of him and the other on the left.
One was likely a washroom.
He sat on the bed, with confusion visible on his face.
"How did I get here? Wasn't I…" Slowly, he started to recount the memories of losing consciousness at the entrance of the village.
'I fainted due to hunger. But why don't I feel hungry anymore? Wait, the notification,' quickly opening the panel, he read it again—and a revelation struck him that he was in a safe beginner zone.
'Then I am really in a game-like world, huh.'
Reading the words 'beginner zone', his doubts only deepened, and just as he was about to get up, he heard something.
Creak.
The door in front of him opened as four people entered the room one after another.
'Are they the ones?' His eyes sharpened, hands tightening as he stared at them with a suspicious gaze.
"See, I told you there was no need to save him. Look at his eyes, if gazes could kill, I would be dead a hundred times already." One of them, a person around eighteen years old with an average height and an average face, complained in an irritated voice.
"Ronan, shut up." The one who spoke this time was another person with a slightly tall stature and above-average looks.
Meanwhile, ignoring them, the only girl in the group stepped forward with a sweet but cautious smile on her face.
"Hello, my name is Lina. We found you lying just inside the barrier of our village, so we took you to our home in hopes we could exchange some information." Lina explained in a patient, steady tone.
'Indeed, they didn't react after seeing my eyes. So they have already seen it while trying to check whether I was dead or alive after I fainted.' His thoughts were constantly filled with their behaviour and their most minute actions.
"So what information do you need from someone like me?" Ren asked half-heartedly, but Lina didn't notice it and was about to answer when the fourth person, the one who had been silent all this time, spoke suddenly.
"We know you are an otherworlder. We will need your help in this apocalypse, so I hope we cooperate."
Ren's face didn't show the slightest change in emotion, but the questions in his mind increased dramatically.
Instantly dropping his suspicious gaze, he stared at the bunch calmly. Ultimately, he focused on the fourth person, Evan.
"If you know I am an otherworlder, how would I be of any help to you when you know your world far better than me?" He asked, but his mind was fixed on the single word told by Evan—the apocalypse.
Evan's face revealed a slight smile upon seeing his cooperation. Patiently, he told Ren about this world and the apocalypse in detail.
Ren listened slowly, and finally, some of his questions were answered.
'So this is the world of Ashenhold, a medieval world which is apparent from their clothing and building designs. And a week earlier, the system had suddenly appeared for everyone with the descent of the apocalypse.
And they got the information that there would be otherworlders coming to this world with each of them having a unique talent, skill, or power?'
That was a lot to take in.
Closing his eyes, he was starting to realize the gravity of the situation.
Ren now knew he was on the outskirts of the kingdom of Duskforge, in the Brookfield village.
"Hey, isn't it rude not to tell your own name when you already know ours? And tell us your special ability or whatever it is." The same guy, Ronan, asked as his deep gaze seemed to be trying to dig a hole through him.
He didn't even bother to hide his ferocity. The way his body tensed, his hands placed on his wooden makeshift weapon, all indicated his hostility.
'He's wary of me due to my eyes.' Ren took a deep breath, reconsidering his plans.
'Should I just leave this place?'
Realizing his cautiousness might lead to an outcome where he would be left alone to venture in a world completely unknown to him, teaming up with the natives was definitely the best choice.
After introducing himself and explaining that he hadn't awakened his power yet, only that it was related to his eyes, they finally stopped and stepped out of the room to give him time to get accustomed.
Ren took a deep breath as he finally got some time for himself which he needed the most.
'I guess I won't be able to meet Aunt Nyra again.' He thought with a sad smile on his face and slowly, his eyes started becoming heavy, and he threw himself in the bed.
Using the pillow to silence his sound, he cried a lot.
Still, some muffled voice could be heard despite that.
His fingers dug into the fabric, trying to hold onto something that would prevent him from falling into this endless grief.
But it was over after some time, and then he stood up with slightly swollen eyes.
Survival was his utmost priority.
Getting out of the room, he moved downstairs and walked out of the house.
'So that Vermin was an infected human?' His brows furrowed as he contemplated what Evan had told him.
"More importantly, I need to figure out my status panel. They said theirs is blue, so why is mine golden? Is it because I am an otherworlder?" Murmuring to himself as the questions kept piling up, he stepped out to inspect the village of Brookfield.
A soft breeze brushed past his face, prompting him to inhale the fresh air subconsciously.
'Even after the apocalypse, the air here is cleaner than my world. Perks of living in a medieval world, huh.'
The houses were made of thatched roofs which were steeply pitched, and the doors were made of timber-like wood.
He could only see a select few houses that had windows, if any.
'It should be somewhere around here.'
Reaching the edge of the village, he took another step. A brief distortion occurred as a blue colored barrier materialized for a second before disappearing, making him stop.
'So this is the barrier that protects this village and marks it as a safe point.'
He watched as the notification popped up once more.
[Beginner safe zone.]
Analyzing the peculiar barrier, he was now even more confused as to how an infection could spread in the whole village when the barrier had also materialized in the same instance the apocalypse had descended.
Ren needed answers. Instead, all he got was more questions.