Chapter 2: New Start

I walked for hours, yet I still hadn't seen a single person.

The further I went, the darker and creepier the surroundings became.

"Where am I?"

After walking even deeper, I finally spotted some humans standing near a massive tree-like structure.

Relieved, I called out to them.

Once.

Twice.

Again and again.

No response.

A strange chill ran down my spine. Something wasn't right.

Cautiously, I stepped closer—and what I saw made my blood run cold.

"N-No… No, no, NOOO! What is that?! AAAAAH!"

That tree-like thing… was smiling.

An evil grin twisted into its bark.

And those humans? They weren't alive.

They were corpses, suspended in the air—held up by whip-like branches.

Their eyes were pitch-black, hollow. Completely empty.

Fear took over. My body moved on its own, sprinting away from that nightmare.

The deeper I ran, the darker it became.

I could feel something behind me. Chasing. Watching. Waiting.

Then—a light!

A faint glow flickered in the distance. Salvation.

I ran towards it with everything I had, but—

CRACK!

The tree's whips lashed out, wrapping around my legs.

I was yanked back, my body dragging against the dirt as I desperately clawed at the ground.

"No… NO! I don't want to die!"

RUSTLE! CRACK!

A sudden movement from the bushes—

A figure leaped into the air.

In an instant, a dagger flew through the darkness, slicing through the whip that held me.

Before I could even process what had happened, the girl scooped me up in her arms and ran.

She was fast—unnaturally fast.

The tree let out a screech, its whips flailing, trying to reach us—but we were already gone.

We were safe.

For now.

But something was wrong.

As the girl carried me, a strange black substance spread across her body.

And then—she collapsed.

Thirty-eight hours later…

I slowly opened my eyes.

The first thing I noticed—my school uniform was gone.

Instead, I was wearing casual clothes.

The second thing—a boy with yellow hair was sleeping on a chair nearby.

And then—she walked in.

The girl who saved my life.

My memories rushed back.

"I... I thought I was done for... but you— you saved me."

"Thank you so much."

The boy with yellow hair—Rayan—stirred awake and looked at me, confused.

Both of them exchanged glances, not understanding my words.

But when I bowed deeply, they got the message.

I wanted to ask them where I was and what that thing was… but again, they didn't understand my language.

I tried using hand gestures.

Rayan suddenly burst out laughing.

Sara—the girl—sighed. "Shut up, Rayan."

"I-I'm sorry… I just can't help it! He looks so funny!"

He gave me a thumbs-up, but I had no idea what it meant.

Rayan, on the other hand, was just as curious about me.

Where did I come from?

Who was I?

One year later.

I had learned their language.

I had learned about this world.

And I still couldn't believe it.

"An entire year… a whole year has passed since I came to this world."

Sara walked in, raising an eyebrow.

"Seriously? Talking to yourself again?"

I shook my head, snapping back to reality.

I told her that Rayan had already left for his classes.

"But we still have some time," I added.

She nodded. "Then let's get ready."

We were students at Knights Academy—a place where people trained in both Physical Science and Knight Combat.

But every year, fewer and fewer students enrolled for knight training.

Despite the respect and money it offered, people were afraid.

Afraid of the Hollow Beasts.

Sara was a year ahead of me, already excelling in combat training. Meanwhile, Rayan had chosen medical science.

In our knight class, there were only six students.

Two girls. Four boys—including me.

Despite our small number, we were close friends.

One of the girls, Mary, smirked as Sara and I entered together.

"Oh? Are you two dating?"

The two other boys gasped dramatically.

"You betrayed us, Ito!" one of them cried. "We promised to be single forever!"

I sighed. "We just ran into each other on the way here. There's nothing like that."

The teasing stopped when our instructor arrived.

But something about today… something about their words… brought back old memories.

Memories I was trying to forget.

Memories I didn't want to face.

Sparring Class.

"I know this is going to hurt… but I refuse to lose."

My opponent was Zayden, a student from an assassin family.

A natural-born fighter.

I threw a punch—he dodged.

I kicked—he countered.

Before I even realized it—his blade was at my neck.

Just like that, it was over.

I was frustrated, but I knew the truth.

I had zero combat experience in my past life.

This world was different.

I had to train.

"You did well," Zayden said, sheathing his blade. "If you keep this up, one day… You might even surpass me."

Meanwhile, Sara was absolutely dominating.

Five opponents.

All defeated.

With pure strength and raw skill.

Everyone, including our teacher, was shocked.

After training, an announcement was made.

"Tomorrow, you will join Squad Three in observing a real battle against the Hollow Beasts. Use this opportunity to gain experience."

The other students were excited.

I, on the other hand—

My heartbeat quickened. My body trembled.

That thing…

I clenched my fists. I can't run forever.

When Sara offered to ask the teacher to excuse me, I shook my head.

"Don't worry… I'm okay now."

The Next Day – 9:00 AM.

The students were loaded into two armored trucks.

Laughter. Singing. Excitement.

5:00 PM.

We arrived 12 km from the Dark Zone—where those monsters lurked.

The third squad's Vice-Captain, Hyman Shalter, and twenty elite soldiers stood ready.

Today, for some reason, the Hollow Beasts had wandered outside the Dark Zone.

Because of that, they were weaker.

The soldiers easily wiped them out.

It seemed like a victory.

It wasn't.

It was the calm before the storm.

A scout rushed in, panic on his face.

"Sir! The Dark Zone—it's growing!"

THREE TIMES LARGER.

We're inside the zone.

Before Hyman could react—

BOOM!

An explosion.

Black smoke erupted from the land.

Whips lashed out.

Ten soldiers were already dead.

No—not dead.

Puppets.

And then—we realized.

Three students were missing.

And that monster… had come back.

The soldiers tried to fight back, but no matter how many times they cut down the puppets, they kept standing back up.

Vice-Captain Hyman gritted his teeth. "Again… it's nothing new to us."

He raised his voice.

"Soldiers! Do not be fooled—those before you aren't your comrades anymore!

They are nothing but mere puppets! Stand strong!"

The battle rages on, but it is hopeless.

The soldiers were outnumbered.

The Vice-Captain made a bold move.

He charged straight at the Hollow Tree.

If he could cut it down from the roots, then maybe—just maybe—they had a chance.

With incredible speed, he slashed through four of its nine whips.

But just as he got close—

CRACK!

The remaining whips lashed out, shattering his sword and grabbing him by the throat.

The Hollow Tree lifted him into the air.

Its grin widened.

Hyman struggled, gasping for air.

BANG!

A gunshot echoed.

A bullet pierced through the whip, forcing it to release its grip.

Zayden appeared, his blade flashing as he cut down the remaining three whips.

He turned to Hyman. "Vice-Captain! Are you okay?"

Meanwhile, Sara had spotted the missing students.

They were trapped inside the monster's roots.

She rushed forward to pull them out before the Hollow Tree could regenerate—

But then—

The Hollow Tree SCREAMED.

A sound so eerie, so unnatural, that it sent chills through everyone's spine.

And then—

The Hollow Beasts began to gather.

Dozens.

No—hundreds.

Surrounding them.

The monsters had answered the tree's call.

Vice-Captain Hyman's eyes widened in horror.

"Retreat! Run—NOW!"

Sara fired a shot at one of the beasts—but it barely flinched.

They were too deep inside the Hollow Zone.

The beasts were stronger here.

And making things worse—

The tree's whips began regenerating.

Hyman's grip tightened around his broken sword.

One of the soldiers collapsed, gasping for air.

"C-Captain… p-please… help…"

The Vice-Captain clenched his fists.

He took a step forward—

And in a calm, unwavering voice, he said:

"You can rest now... I'm here.