Strange Artifact

"Who the f*ck sent me this? I don't even know how to read," Kai complained.

Putting the paper aside, he picked up the oval-shaped, light blue crystal.

"What's this—Argh!"

The moment he grabbed the crystal, a searing pain shot through his body.

He clutched his head as if it were splitting open. It felt like something was being forcefully crammed into his mind. His muscles tensed, his vision blurred.

"Aaaaah!"

He collapsed, gasping—wanting to scream but unable to make a sound.

Then, suddenly, it was over.

"Haa... haa..."

Panting, Kai pushed himself up. The room spun for a moment before settling.

'What the hell was that?' he wondered, his gaze flickering to the crystal before shifting to the paper.

Just as his eyes fell on the scribbles on the letter—somehow—he could read them now.

He quickly leaned forward, picked up the letter from the floor, and brought it closer to his face.

This time, for real.

"How the hell can I read now? What the f*ck happened to me?" he muttered, running his fingers through his hair—but he didn't stop reading.

He mumbled each word under his breath, and after a few moments, having finished the letter, he threw it aside and sat down.

His shoulders slumped, his face pale, devoid of any color. The contents of the letter still echoed in his mind.

Lira Elsworth, daughter of Duke Alair Elsworth of the Ritopia Kingdom.

"Lira!" He called softly.

His heart ached, stomach twisted as he recalled each word of the letter.

"So you left me too, huh?" he whispered. A single tear formed under his eye and streaked down his chin.

"But why?" he whimpered as both his eyes welled up, and tears started trailing down his face.

"W-We were friends... why did you leave me alone?"

His throat slumped, as his whimpers grew louder, but he managed to subdued them.

He sat there, silently crying as memories of the past two years flashed through his mind.

The time he had spent with the only friend his age.

The first time he met her—how she was crying in the forest, how he mistook her for a witch, how she got furious after learning the truth, how they found Luna's egg, and the time they spent together till now.

The happy moments.

The arguments.

The fights.

The laughter.

Everything was still fresh, etched into his soul.

He couldn't—no, he didn't want to—believe that she left him. Left him alone to his miserable fate.

With a shaky breath, he threw himself back, lying on the cold, bare floor, one arm covering his teary eyes.

He lay still for who-knows-how long.

Finally, after calming the storm of emotions, he sat up.

Closing his eyes, he recalled the other details from the letter.

Basic hand-to-hand combat, economics, geography... knowledge.

"Hmm… so I'm living in the Solarian Kingdom, and Lira is from the Ritopia Kingdom—that's far from here, west of the Howlfen Forest."

His eyes snapped open, and he quickly stood up.

Taking a deep breath, he bent his knees slightly, positioning one fist close to his chest and the other at face level but slightly extended.

Then, following the movements ingrained in his mind, he threw a few punches and kicks, matching the rhythm and style that now felt natural to him.

"Damn! That's awesome," he murmured, his eyes widening in surprise.

"So this crystal injected all this into my mind," he said, picking up the oval-shaped artifact and bringing it closer to his face.

After a moment, he tucked it into his pouch and secured it beneath his tunic.

The last words of the letter flashed in his mind.

Thank you for saving Lira Elsworth.

"You're welcome… I guess," he muttered under his breath as he once again closed his eyes to recall his newly acquired memories.

"So that's the wage system in our town, and the—" he stopped mid-sentence.

The realization hit hard.

"The f*ck!" he groaned in frustration.

"Those old bastards were underpaying me and making me overwork!"

His fists clenched, his cheeks flushed red, and his face twisted in rage.

"I'm gonna f*ck you all up!" he yelled.

Fueled by the burning desire to beat the shit out of those old fools, Kai slipped out of his shack and bolted toward the market square.

"Now that I know hand-to-hand combat, you all are gonna pay for your sins!" he declared, sprinting at full speed.

After weaving through stalls and shops, he finally reached the equipment store.

A middle-aged man stood behind the sturdy counter, wiping a sword with a black cloth.

"Damn you, old man!" Kai exclaimed the moment he stepped inside.

"Hmm?" The man snapped his head up at the outburst.

As soon as his gaze met Kai's, his face twisted in disgust.

"What the hell do you want now?" he spat, pausing what he was doing.

Kai's fists trembled as he glared at the man.

"You… you made me work my ass off and barely paid me what I deserved!" he growled.

"HAAA!"

With a battle cry, he lunged at the man, fist raised high.

As his fist reached near shop owner's chest, the latter grabbed it.

"Huh?"

Kai's eyes widened in disbelief. His heart pounded against his ribcage as a surge of panic and terror washed over him.

But before he could react—

Thwak!

Thump!

Smack!

Thud!

-----

"Argh!" Kai groaned, gently rubbing his swollen cheeks.

"Damn it, that old man really hits hard." He muttered, stroking his face and chest—still sore from the brutal beating.

"Liar!" he grumbled.

"Whoever wrote that was a huge liar. I couldn't even land a single hit, and he beat me to a pulp!"

Muttering complaints, he wandered aimlessly, taking random turns as he walked.

After a few minutes, he finally decided to head home and get some rest—he deserved it after the thrashing he just took.

Before long, he reached his shack. But just as he was about to step inside, he froze.

A chilling voice echoed from behind him.

"Are you, perhaps, the one named Kai?"