56. Another World

When John woke up again, he found himself staring at the white clouds drifting lazily across the sky. Blinking in confusion, he slowly stood up and took a look around. His eyes were greeted by an endless stretch of grasslands and towering mountains in the distance. The scenery felt unfamiliar — vast, untouched, and wild.

"Did I teleport myself somewhere in the countryside?" John wondered.

He activated his teleportation rune, but nothing happened. Worse still, he couldn't sense Tony's presence or even determine which direction Tony might be in. Something was definitely wrong.

Frowning, John closed his eyes and focused inward. His consciousness entered his spiritual sea, where he expected to see a glowing ocean of origin energy swirling within him. Instead, darkness greeted him — just like before his breakthrough. The once vibrant spiritual sea had returned to its empty, lifeless state.

Alarmed, John shifted his focus and appeared before his meditation rune. To his dismay, one of the mysterious runes that had once shone brightly was now dim, barely flickering with faint light.

"What's going on?" John muttered.

He sat down cross-legged and began meditating to test his control over origin energy. To his relief, origin energy was still present in the air — but instead of gathering in his spiritual sea, it was being devoured by the dimly lit rune like a black hole. No matter how much energy he absorbed, it disappeared into that rune.

An hour passed, yet nothing changed. Helpless, John stood up and sighed.

A more detailed inspection confirmed his worst fears — none of his skills or abilities worked without origin energy. Fortunately, his physical strength remained unchanged, still far beyond an ordinary human's. He checked his bracelet — the one Tony had given him, which he had upgraded several times — and confirmed that his strength was still over 100 points.

"At least my strength is still there," John muttered in relief before shifting his focus back to his surroundings.

The sun was directly overhead, making it difficult to tell which direction was which. But that wasn't a problem — his bracelet had a built-in navigation system.

"Let's find out where I am first," John said to himself.

Tapping the bracelet twice, a holographic projection flickered into view. The display showed various options like Time, Webnovel, physical Strength, and Spiritual Energy. After scrolling down, John found what he was looking for — Map.

The map functioned like a radar, but with a twist. It could display the surrounding terrain within a 10-kilometer radius, showing mountains, roads, and even cities. It could also detect nearby people as red dots — though it couldn't reveal their gender or identity.

Without hesitation, John opened the Map option. The holographic screen shifted, flattening into a three-dimensional landscape projection. The map began constructing itself, revealing John's immediate surroundings in detail.

He found himself in the middle of an expansive grassland that stretched far to the east. To the north, rugged mountains formed a natural barrier, while a large lake lay to the south. To the west, he spotted a city at the edge of the map. Numerous red dots clustered around the city, likely representing people.

Seeing no better option, John decided to head west toward the city.

With his enhanced strength, the journey didn't take long. After about 15 minutes of brisk walking, John stood atop a small hill crowned by a lone tree. From this vantage point, he could clearly see what lay ahead — a medium-sized settlement, much smaller than a typical city.

But what caught his attention most was the imposing wall that surrounded the town. The wall stood tall and sturdy, something John had never seen in modern cities. Near the entrance, over a dozen carriages were lined up, their drivers resting nearby.

"This... isn't Earth," John muttered, realization dawning on him. He had been transported to a different world.

Taking a deep breath, John calmed himself.

"It's okay... this isn't my first world travel," he reassured himself.

"Alright, first I need to figure out what kind of world this is," John thought aloud. "Then I can make a plan."

However, he soon realized another problem — his clothes.

John was dressed in a crisp white shirt with sleek black pants, complemented by his modern leather shoes. The futuristic design of his attire screamed 'out of place' in this medieval-looking world. Meanwhile, the people near the gate wore simple tunics, woolen cloaks, and leather boots. Some had belts lined with small pouches, and others carried daggers or short swords. The colors were mostly dull — earthy browns, grays, and faded greens.

"I'll stand out like a sore thumb," John sighed.

After a brief internal debate, he decided he had no choice but to push forward and figure something out later.

As he approached the large gate, which bustled with merchants, farmers, and travelers, whispers began to rise. The murmurs grew louder as people noticed his strange clothing.

"Look at his clothes... is he some noble?" one man muttered.

"Or maybe he's just rich?" another whispered.

John ignored the stares and focused on blending in as best he could. After waiting in line for about thirty minutes, it was finally his turn.

A stern-looking guard stepped forward, eyeing John suspiciously.

"Stranger," the guard said gruffly, "state your name, where you're from, and your purpose here."

John kept his composure and answered calmly.

"My name is John Stark. I'm from New York City, far to the east. I'm just a traveler — I enjoy visiting new places."

The guard's expression didn't soften. "If you're a traveler, where's your luggage?"

John paused for a moment, then sighed. "I was attacked by bandits... I barely managed to escape with my life."

The guard narrowed his eyes but continued asking a series of questions — where he came from, what he knew about the region, and why he traveled alone. John answered carefully, mixing truth with lies.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of interrogation, the guard allowed him to pass.

"Welcome to Rifuretto.," the guard muttered before turning to the next person in line.

" Rifuretto huh..." but John just sighed in relief as he stepped through the gate.

"Now... let's see what this world has in store for me," John muttered under his breath, blending into the crowd.