Darius woke to the sound of breathing that wasn't his own.
For a brief, disoriented moment, he thought the machine had followed him. That the sterile hum of circuitry had survived whatever process had torn him apart and stitched him into something new.
But there was no hum, only wind.
It moved through leaves in uneven whispers, brushing against bark, grazing skin. Real wind. Not recycled air nor filtered oxygen fed through ducts hidden in walls.
His eyes opened slowly.
Above him, branches stretched like fractured veins across a pale sky. Light filtered through layers of green, not artificial panels simulating a sunrise — but something older and warmer.
He didn't move at first, the ground beneath him was uneven and more so Damp and Cold. Small grains of soil pressed into the side of his face. He could smell it — earth, raw and mineral-rich. Rotting leaves, sap. Life decomposing so other life could continue.
No corporate dealings, unwanted attention, or polished marble surfaces
Just the forest in all it's silence.
"There's alot to do in the coming future if I'm going to conquer this world, so I better enjoy this moment of peace....heh peace, when last did I utter such a word"
10 minutes later his fingers twitched.
He lifted his hand into his field of vision, watching the way light caught against unfamiliar skin.
No visible tremor or weakness and most importantly no hospital tubing or wires threaded into veins.
Darius flexed and strength answered as he pushed himself upright slowly, muscles responding with efficiency. There was no ache of long-term confinement. No stiffness from atrophy. Whatever that thing — that computer — had done, it hadn't lied about restoration.
The forest floor dipped and rose gently around him, thick roots coiling through soil like frozen serpents. The trees were massive — not the decorative kind planted along urban streets, but ancient pillars that had never known concrete.
He turned slowly, absorbing the scenery in its raw form.
One thing about Primitive worlds that Daruis loved was that the land was often untouched, untamed and this fact alone brought a huge smile on his face.
His pulse remained steady, but something colder moved beneath it — realization settling with patient inevitability.
This was not paradise, it was a assignment pending with completion.
The air suddnenly tasted different when he inhaled
A faint sound snapped through the undergrowth somewhere to his left.
His eyes opened wide instantly.
Whatever despair he had carried in his old world did not survive the transition intact. It had been replaced by something sharper, dangerous.
He lowered his center of gravity instinctively, body aligning without conscious thought. The forest was too peaceful. It was quiet in the way a blade is quiet before it cuts.
He listened closely to his surroundings and reminded observant. So far he only caught sight of Birds, and distant Insects.
A slow exhale left him "The machine or AI promised opportunities beyond my grasp, but It had never promised safety or smooth success".
This world would not hand him anything, Good, now he can enjoy the pleasures of taking everything for himself
He stepped forward.Bare feet pressing into soil that had never known his presence yet, but he will carve a path that will echo in scriptures.
---
He did not realize he was thirsty until swallowing hurt.
It was subtle at first — a dry friction at the back of his throat. His body felt whole, yes. But restoration did not mean invulnerable.
His tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth throughoutly feeling the dryness
His stomach tightened a moment later. A reminder that his body required maintenance.
"Hehe Interesting. I should of been more specific with the kind of immortality I want...can't believe it left out the part that I would STILL FEEL HUNGER" Darius directed his gaze into the sky above hoping the REGULATOR heard him in some way.
He crouched, pressing his fingers into the soil. Damp — but not drinkable. The scent of water was faint… somewhere downhill.
He closed his eyes listened to the wind, the traversal of the insects especially aquatic.
Leaves shifting in uneven rhythms and beneath it—A thin, continuous murmur.
He stood and began walking toward it, careful with each step. Twigs snapped easily under careless weight. He adjusted instinctively, distributing pressure through the outer edges of his feet.
A branch scraped against his shoulder as he moved through thicker brush. The forest resisted passage — not maliciously, but indifferently. Thorns grazed his forearm, drawing a thin red line across unfamiliar skin.
He rubbed it between his fingers noticing no instant regeneration or passive shield, that needed to change soon.
He continued downhill until the murmur grew clearer — resolving into the narrow ribbon of a stream cutting through stone. Sunlight caught along its surface in fractured reflections.
He approached carefully, scanning first like a hunter, no large tracks along the mud, only small prints.
He knelt and dipped his fingers into the water and brought it to his lips.
Slowly at first — then deeper as his body demanded more. The water grounded him in a way the sterile world never had. There was risk in it. Bacteria. Parasites. Unknown variables.
He drank anyway.
When he finally leaned back on his heels, droplets slid down his chin. His pulse had steadied.
For a moment, there was only the sound of the stream.
Now that he had the chance he toke one more glance at his appearance and saw a slightly pale man with jet black hair and ordinary brown eyes, but a defining youthful face with a slightly sharp jawline to contrast.
His abs were barely visible though but still cut like an athlete.
Suddenly amid his trance—A flicker behind his eyes, It was faint. Like an afterimage burned into the retina.
He did not move as the flicker came again
A thin line of light traced itself across his vision — transparent, barely perceptible. No sound accompanied it. As if something were reconnecting across an impossible distance.
A single line of text formed from the corner of his vision
> Initializing…
> Environmental Scan: Incomplete.
Biome Classification: Pre-Industrial / Low Civilization Density.
The text flickered again — then stabilized.
Luckily there were no overwhelming interfaces and intrusive panels, just minimal data — whatever necessary. As if on cue, new text surfaced.
> Warning: Caloric Deficit Detected.
Hydration: Stabilized (Temporary).
He let out a quiet breath of something almost like amusement.
"Monitoring my vitals already?"
> Conquest Protocol: Dormant.
Condition for Activation: Establish Territorial Claim.
His gaze shifted slowly toward the forest beyond the stream.
"Territorial claim huh, if that means where I'll begin expansion, I ought to choose a proper spot"
The wind moved again, carrying with it the faint scent of animal musk. He turned his head in the direction of the origin.
Across the stream, partially obscured by brush, something stood watching him, not quite large, but not foolish either as it lowered its posture carefully evaluating Daruis.
As it krept closer Daruis saw its form. Antlered — but wrong. The antlers curved forward like hooked blades instead of branching skyward. Its eyes reflected light with unsettling intelligence.
'Mutated fauna. Or natural evolution in a harsher world.' Daruis thought as he tried to make sense of this foreign creature.
The creature stamped once against the soil like a warning.
He rose slowly to his feet and stepped into the stream, cold water surged around his ankles.
---
He considered walking away.
But hunger was still present. And he did not know how long it would take to find another source of food.
More importantly, he needed to understand the rules of this place. Avoiding every risk would not teach him anything.
He stepped into the stream and crossed it and creature did not move until he was halfway across.
Then it charged suddenly, It was faster than he expected.
He tried to sidestep, but one of the antlers cut into his thigh. The pain came a second later with no mercy as he fell but rolled quickly to avoid being trampled.
When he stood up again, he could feel warmth running down his leg.
"You underestimated it," the AI had finally spoke.
"Oh so now you wanna input your opinion, so much for 'assistance' that i asked for." The creature did not hesitate this time, It charged again and he moved forward instead of backward.
At the last second, he shifted his body to the side. The antlers missed his torso but grazed his ribs. He grabbed one antler but that was a mistake.
The creature was stronger than he anticipated. It dragged him several steps before he let go to avoid being thrown off balance.
"You are choosing inefficient methods," the AI said.
"There aren't many options!!."
"There are always options master."
He noticed a jagged stone near a tree root. When it charged the third time, he ran toward that position instead of away from it.
He picked up the stone just before impact then he lowered his body and drove the stone upward into the softer part beneath its jaw.
The creature screamed and reared back.
He fell again, but this time he kept hold of the stone for a second longer before it was torn from his grip.
Blood was flowing from its wound but it was not dead, surprisingly It charged one last time however significantly slower.
He did not try to overpower it again and Instead, he redirected its momentum toward the same stone outcrop and forced its wounded jaw against it.
"Keeeek"
There was a cracking sound as it collapsed. He stood there for several seconds after it stopped moving. His thigh was bleeding steadily now.
"You will need to treat that, further bleeding can cause dizziness and—" the AI said.
"I'm aware. If the cut had been deeper by a small margin, I would have died within minutes."
He looked down at the creature."It had almost killed him. On my first fuckin day, the very first encounter"
He understood something then. Strength alone would not be enough here. And hesitation would not save him either, no matter what or who, he needs to enforce ruthless actions and efficiency even more than he used back on earth.
He tore a strip of hide from the creature."I need fire, or warmth, aslo some shelter for the night" he said.
"You do master, by occupying your first Territorial claim, you will be granted the Conquest beginner pack" the AI replied.
He looked around at the forest again. It had not reacted to the fight and nature did not care who won.
But the smell of blood would spread and this was not a controlled environment. He needs to move so he doesn't encounter something far worse
He began moving in an uphill direction and try to survive this night first.
Everything else could wait.