"Ahhh... Where am I?" he mumbled, his head throbbing. "I'm sure I died in an accident!"
Woon found himself sprawled in a barren, desolate landscape, his mind reeling. He distinctly remembered a fatal accident, yet here he was, inexplicably alive. What truly alarmed him, however, was his alien surroundings: a vast expanse where gnarled, dried trees clawed at a pale sky, not a single drop of water could be spotted, and the parched land seemed utterly devoid of life.
"Just where in the world am I?... It's absolutely scorching here. Am I in a desert or something?" he wondered aloud, his voice raspy.
"I'll look around for now," he decided, pushing himself to his feet.
Woon began to walk, trudging endlessly through the barren terrain. But no matter how far he walked, the landscape remained the same: endless desolation, not a speck of life in sight.
"Shiii... Am I truly alone here?" he muttered, a chill creeping up his spine despite the heat. "But what's this? There's something here I don't recognize. This skull... it doesn't belong to any animal I know. It has four eye sockets and two prominent horns. Just what kind of creature is this?"
Woon pondered his predicament and the bizarre, otherworldly skull, unlike anything from his own world. As he cautiously moved on, his eyes caught a flicker of movement in the distance: a four-legged creature, distinct against the hazy horizon.
"Wait, is that a dog or something? I've got to take a closer look!" he urged himself, a sliver of hope igniting within him.
Woon began to walk closer, carefully placing each foot to avoid making any sound. After covering some distance, he quickly ducked and hid behind a large, dead tree, hoping to observe the creature unseen.
'Shit, what is that?... Is that a dog or something?' he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible.
Through the gaps in the dead tree, Woon saw a dog-like creature. It possessed four glowing eyes and two sharp horns, exactly like the skull he'd found earlier. Its fur was a vibrant red, and it had two tails, but what truly shocked him was that almost half of its body was composed of gleaming metal machinery.
'Just what in the hell is that?... That dog looks like it came straight out of a fantasy novel, but then it's got some sort of robot parts grafted onto it! A cyborg dog!' he thought, utterly baffled.
As he continued to observe, the creature suddenly noticed him. With startling speed, it immediately rushed forward, leaping towards Woon with savage intent. Woon was utterly frozen, paralyzed by pure fright, unable to move a muscle. But just as the creature was about to strike, its head exploded in a shower of sparks and gore, a loud, thunderous noise echoing through the barren land, like a gunshot fired directly at its skull.
'Wha... What was that?!... A gun?' Woon stammered to himself, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Suddenly, a man seemed to materialize out of nowhere, as if he'd been invisible all along. He was clad in all-black clothing, with a flowing black cape draped over his back, emblazoned with a finely sewn lion emblem.
"Yo, yo, what are you doing out here?" the man greeted, his voice surprisingly cheerful.
"Trying to get yourself killed, huh? You know, this corrupt twin-tailed dog is quite a bit more dangerous compared to a normal one!" he explained, a casual wave of his hand.
'What? Twin-tailed dog... Such a creature definitely doesn't exist on Earth, where I'm from... And this guy... he's... freaking handsome. What the hell with those looks...' Woon's thoughts spiraled.
'Long white hair, piercing red eyes? Isn't he just like a typical noble, handsome male lead from those fantasy novels?'
"What are you staring at?! Ohhhh, don't tell me you've already fallen for me. Hahahha, I know I'm incredibly handsome, but not to the point of instantly captivating everyone, hahaha!" the man boasted, a wide, confident grin spreading across his face.
'What the hell is this guy saying?!' Woon thought, completely bewildered. "No, no, no, I'm not like that at all! By the way, where exactly are we?"
"What? You're here but you don't even know where we are? Did you hit your head or something, or did you perhaps forget because I'm just too handsome for your mind to handle! Hahaha!" the man teased, completely unhelpful.
'Damn it, I can't take this anymore. I'll just play along for now!' Woon decided, giving up on logic. "I don't know, I don't remember anything!"
"Hmm, having an amnesia, huh... What a poor dude you are. But don't worry, I'll take you with me so you can hopefully recover your memories!" the man declared, his cheerful demeanor unwavering.
'This dude is so incredibly lively! But honestly, I'm just relieved that I finally met at least another human here!' Woon thought, a profound sense of gratitude washing over him.
"By the way, what's your name?" the man asked.
"I'm Eric... Eric Fall!" he announced with a flourish.
"Just call me Woon for now, since I genuinely don't remember my actual name!" Woon replied, sticking to his made-up story.
"What a weird name you picked for yourself, hahaha!" Eric laughed, amused.
They began walking together, their conversations filling the vast silence and passing the time. Days progressed swiftly. It had been three days since they'd started walking, encountering various otherworldly creatures along the way. Eric, however, handled them with effortless grace, using his revolver to shoot the creatures from a distance while Woon, surprisingly, found himself distracting them.
"Woon, you really have a natural talent for being a meat shield, hahaha!" Eric teased, clapping Woon on the back.
'This bastard! He's been pissing me off from the very beginning, and he hasn't even given me a single moment of rest or peace! He just keeps trash-talking me!' Woon fumed internally, glaring at Eric. "You....."
"What, are you trying to say something, huh, hahaha!" Eric provoked, clearly enjoying Woon's frustration.
"We're going to reach our destination in just a little while longer, so just follow me!" Eric instructed, leading the way.
"Okay..." Woon sighed, a wave of relief washing over him. 'Finally, we've been walking for days!'
"So, Woon, what are you planning to do after we finally reach the city?" Eric asked, changing the subject.
'What am I going to do? I really don't know anything about this world,' Woon thought, honestly stumped. "I don't know, maybe I'll just go with you!"
"I really don't know much about anything here since I lost my memory," Woon added, playing the amnesia card.
"How about becoming a mercenary? I am one too. It's simple, really. You just take some requests from clients, then you finish them. Easy, right!" Eric suggested, making it sound incredibly straightforward.
'Mercenary, huh,' Woon mused, considering the idea. "I'll give it a try. So, by the way, what kind of requests do we typically need to do if I become one?"
"Oh, it's simple. There are easy requests like planting trees or finding a lost cat, but honestly, those requests are just for babies! What most seasoned mercenaries take are monster subjugation tasks, and sometimes even assassination contracts, though those rarely come by!" Eric explained, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
'Is it just all fighting then?' Woon wondered, a pang of concern in his chest. "Hmmm, do I really need to fight?"
"Of course! How else are you going to live with no money in your pocket? But if you're worrying that you don't have any fighting capabilities, don't worry, I'll teach ya, you know!" Eric assured him with a wink.
'This guy... he's actually pretty reliable, despite everything,' Woon thought, a grudging appreciation forming. "Thanks, Eric!"
"No problem at all!" Eric grinned.
After what felt like an eternity, but was actually only a few days of relentless walking, they finally reached the city Eric had been talking about. The first thing Woon noticed was the immense, tall wall made out of ancient stone that completely encircled the city. It was a stark reminder that even though they were far from the barren wasteland, people here still lived with the constant threat of monsters.
"Hey Eric, this tall wall... We're already so far from that barren land, and now we're surrounded by lush trees. Isn't it safer here?" Woon asked, genuinely puzzled.
"Why would they even build such a massive wall? We didn't even encounter a single monster on the way through the forest!"
"Haysss, Woon, just because there are no monsters currently in this part of the forest doesn't mean they don't need a wall to protect them," Eric explained, a rare seriousness in his voice.
"There are grave threats that come here regularly, like the corrupt monsters. They rush towards the city at least twice a year, numbering in the thousands, just to attack the city walls."
'A... thousand!' Woon thought, his jaw dropping in disbelief. "Hmm, that certainly makes sense now!"
"Let's go in before it gets dark!" Eric urged, pulling Woon towards the massive gate.
Woon and Eric headed into the city, passing through vigilant guards who scrutinized their appearances. After stepping through the huge gate, Woon was utterly amazed by the sheer beauty of the city. Well-built roads paved with smooth stone stretched before them, elegant carriages adorned with extravagant designs moved gracefully, and people dressed like nobles strolled by. He was so utterly captivated that he couldn't even utter a single word.
'Wha... what... I mean, I got the gist that I transmigrated to another world, but seeing it in person is truly breathtaking.'
'This is a medieval fantasy-style city, somehow with a mix of different technologies from different timelines! It's incredible!'
"Amazed, right? This is the magnificent city of Karon!" Eric beamed, swelling with pride.
'There's even a train here!' Woon noticed, spotting a set of tracks in the distance. "It's truly amazing!"
"Right!" Eric agreed, reveling in Woon's genuine astonishment.
Eric, immensely proud, took Woon on a grand tour, showing him every corner of the city. They explored left and right, covering the entire city, even as night fully enveloped them and the two moons rose, glowing clear and bright in the sky.
"Let's go and rest at an inn for tonight. You must be absolutely exhausted from our tour!" Eric finally said.
'This dude, he's a monster! He didn't even break a sweat going back and forth across the entire city!' Woon thought, incredulous.
'But it's not bad now that I've noticed. There are two moons here. It's really a beautiful sight!' Woon mused, looking up at the celestial bodies. "Okay... I'm tired too, but I don't have any money to stay at an inn!"
"Don't worry, I'll cover it for ya, buddy!" Eric assured him with a cheerful slap on the back.
'Although he's quite annoying sometimes, he truly is a good guy!' Woon thought, a warm feeling spreading through him. "Thanks, Eric. I owe you a lot now!"
"Don't worry about it, hahaha!" Eric laughed, brushing off the gratitude.