In the dead of night, Lia was suddenly jolted awake, and the man sleeping beside her was stirred by her abrupt movement. But before Bei could ask his wife what was wrong, Lia had already rushed out of the tent.
Bei grabbed a nearby monster hide and hurried after him. Winter had only just ended, and the wind still carried a biting chill. He worried he might catch a cold—barefoot and wearing only a thin layer of clothing.
Lia, however, didn't care.
Right now, nothing was more important than waking everyone up in accordance with the beast god's oracle.
Wake up and welcome him.
Though the beast god had not said who they were to welcome, the command was clear—and he dared not question it. This was no vague sign or cryptic symbol. The beast god had spoken directly, something that had never happened before.
Upon arriving at the center of the tribe, Lia took the wooden mallet and began striking the gong with force.
A large, flat, circular metal disc hung suspended between two ancient trees. It was a conspicuous instrument, oddly out of place in their otherwise primitive world. Across the entire continent, only five gongs existed. Each one had been personally bestowed by the beast god to the first five tribes at the dawn of the world.
This divine instrument was used only for eulogia and major tribe rituals—or as a warning during monster attacks or intertribal wars.
To possess a gong was to hold a symbol of divine favor—and power.
Now, in the stillness of night, the gong's deep, wavelike sounds rang through the tribe. One after another, tents burst open as panicked tribe members rushed out.
Some even carried their belongings, expecting the worst.
The moment they heard the familiar resonance, many feared the tribe was under attack. Anxiety surged as people scrambled to gather. The elderly were carried, and children clung tightly to their parents. But when they reached the center, they saw no monsters—only Lia, relentlessly striking the gong.
"What is happening, Patriarch?" an elderly sub-beast asked Bei.
Bei watched his wife with concern, hesitation in his voice. "I... I don't know."
He had tried to stop him earlier, but he had ignored him. And when he attempted to approach, an invisible force blocked his path.
"It must be the beast god," Bei murmured at last. It was the only explanation for his wife—the high priest of their tribe—to act with such urgency.
Unbeknownst to them, the same scene was unfolding across every tribe on the continent. Each high priest had received the same oracle—clearly, powerfully. For the first time in history, the beast god had spoken directly to them all.
In every tribe, loud, urgent sounds rang out—bells, drums, horns, and gongs—each high priest waking their people in awe and haste.
And for the first time ever, all five sacred gongs were struck simultaneously.
Confusion spread as tribespeople gathered, seeking answers from their patriarchs and elders. But before explanations could come, a profound, deep, resonating tone echoed across the entire continent—a sound not made by any known instrument.
It came from the very center of the land.
The sound reverberated through forests, plains, mountains, and rivers, waking every living creature.
Then, the sky split open.
A vast hole appeared in the dark heavens, and from it descended a radiant pillar of light. It bathed the entire continent in its glow—blinding, majestic, divine.
Every being fell silent, overwhelmed by awe.
Those near the hallowed ground could even make out faint silhouettes—four massive figures flying in circles within the light, as if guarding something sacred.
Led by their high priests, the people fell to their knees, heads bowed in reverence, voices rising in unison.
"We humbly welcome your arrival!"
"We humbly welcome your arrival!!!"
_______________.
"When do you think he'll wake up? It's been three days."
"I don't know."
"Should we wake him up?"
"No, let's just wait. It'll take time for his body to adapt."
Kaaaaw! Kaaaw!
Tang Ziqian's consciousness slowly stirred as the sound of chattering children echoed endlessly in his ears. Their voices were so loud, it felt like they were right beside him—compounded by the sharp caws of birds.
Who the hell brings children and birds here?
Children and pets weren't allowed in his apartment. Most of the tenants in this shabby place were single students or night-shift workers. And because the walls were not soundproof, loud noises were strictly prohibited.
Although it wasn't the perfect place to live, his financial situation left him no other choice. The rent was cheap, and the location was convenient—close to his university and his many part-time jobs.
The landlord was a co-worker from XX Nightclub, a man surnamed Lin.
Tang Ziqian had begged that lunatic to let him rent a room at a discounted rate. Unlike him, who worked hard to survive, that guy only took the job to stalk his boyfriend, the club owner.
Money wasn't an issue, why not renovate this place? It's so noisy early in the morning.
Kaaaw! Kaaaw!
"Shh! He's waking up!"
"Don't scare him."
"What are you saying? We're adorable—how could anyone be scared of us?"
Ziqian frowned.
Another loud caw pierced the air.
Ugh, so noisy...
He stretched out an arm, reaching for his phone to check the time.
Eh?
Without opening his eyes, he stretched both arms again, feeling around for familiar surroundings. But instead of the thin, rough mattress he was used to, his hands brushed against something soft and springy—like grass.
It was surprisingly comfortable.
If not for the voices and noise, he might've believed he was dreaming.
"What is he doing?" a clear, childish voice asked.
"Stretching?"
What the fuck?!
Ziqian jolted upright, eyes flying open.
"W-Where am I?"
He was sitting on soft grass, completely surrounded by plants taller than he was, with broad, heart-shaped leaves totally enclosing him from the outside world.
Above him, towering trees stretched impossibly high, their dense green canopies nearly blotting out the sky.
Distant mountain ridges loomed in the background. The peaks were veiled in thick clouds, making it impossible to see their summits.
Tang Ziqian trembled when he looked up and saw four giant birds circling above him. Every time they cawed, it felt like they were ready to swoop down and attack.
Did someone kidnap me and throw me into the Amazon rainforest?
Who the hell would even bother doing that?
What confused him more was that, although he'd clearly heard children speaking earlier, he now seemed to be alone—except for four floating fluff balls hovering in front of him.
Did I imagine that?
As he struggled to piece things together, the bushes rustled nearby. A massive white rabbit—at least 150 cm tall—leaped into view.
He froze.
A chill ran down his spine when he noticed the single horn protruding from the rabbit's forehead.
Damn it. That's not a normal rabbit!
He tried to stand and run, but his legs were trembling and weak. His body felt stiff, as if it didn't belong to him at all.
Desperately scanning his surroundings for anything he could use to defend himself, he was startled again when a familiar voice spoke up.
"Don't be afraid. It won't hurt you."
The enormous rabbit with the single horn on its forehead just glanced in his way before continuing to hop in the other direction. Just as the speaker had promised, it didn't hurt him.
"W-Who are you?" Ziqian asked, his voice guarded yet gentle.
Despite the childlike sweetness of the voice, he didn't lower his guard—especially when he realized it had come from one of the floating fluff balls.
"Don't be afraid, my dear. We're not here to harm you," the blue fluffball reassured him as it slowly floated closer and gently rubbed his cheeks.
The four fluffballs were each about the size of a ping-pong ball—soft, round, and brightly colored. They looked... completely harmless.
His restlessness eased somewhat.
He couldn't resist poking the red one.
"Hey! That tickles, haha," the red fluffball giggled.
After playing briefly with them, Tang Ziqian asked, "Who are you guys, and where am I?"
Though he appeared calm, his mind was in turmoil. He had so many questions—especially now, stuck in an unfamiliar forest with four adorable yet mysterious creatures.
The red one nestled in his palm. "I'm Ero."
The yellow one swirled in front of him as if dancing. "I am Philia. You can call me Phi."
The blue one gently bumped his nose. "Nice to meet you, Ziqian. I'm Agape—Gae, for short."
Finally, he turned to the last one—the white fluffball that hadn't moved since he woke up.
Sensing his gaze, it immediately floated behind Gae, with a faint blush of light pink slowly creeping across its white fur.
Afraid Ziqian might misunderstand, Phi quickly introduced. "His name is Nia. He doesn't talk much and is a little shy."
Ziqian nodded and offered the timid one a soft smile.
Then Gae floated forward. "We're known as Guardians. Our purpose is to assist you with your mission. We'll stay with you and support you however we can."
"Guardians? Mission?" he asked, clearly baffled. He looked around again, half-expecting to find hidden cameras. "Is this some kind of reality show? Or a survival challenge?"
"Nope! You're on the Gaia continent," Phi replied naively, tilting his round little body. "Where's the reality show?"
Ero bounced, ecstatic that he knew something his brothers didn't. "Oh! I know! I watched one when I visited Earth 890!"
"Hmph. That's because you're always goofing off," Phi said, clearly unimpressed.
Earth 890? Gaia continent?
The more Ziqian listened, the more confused he became.
"What do you mean? Am I not on Earth anymore?"
Gae sighed, then gently bumped Phi and Ero to stop them from bickering.
"Ziqian... You're not on Earth anymore. This is Gaia—a planet under the god Cernunnos. You'll be staying here now." Gae hesitated, then added softly, "Because... you already died."
The four Guardians grew silent, visibly shaken as they recalled the moment they were sent to retrieve their little master's soul. They had nearly failed. His soul had almost scattered into oblivion.
Had that happened, their master would never have forgiven them.
Ziqian looked down, stunned. The words sank in slowly. He had died.
And now he was somewhere else—somewhere entirely new.
Just like in the novels he used to read.
He had transmigrated.
He let out a long breath and whispered, "I see."
Tang Ziqian had already imagined many scenarios that could have caused his death:
Drowning.
Encountering a robber.
Being run down by a speeding truck.
Slipping on the stairs while holding an umbrella or being hit by a falling flowerpot.
Anticipating painful deaths, only to find out he died peacefully in his sleep.
"Do you know the cause of my death on Earth?" he asked.
Gae, of course, knew but didn't think it necessary to tell Ziqian. He kept fidgeting.
Ziqian noticed the little one's hesitation. He smiled and rubbed its soft blue fur. "It's fine. All I want to know is how that chapter of my life ended."
"Due to asphyxia," Gae answered after a while.
"Asphyxia?"
Gae nodded solemnly and continued, "Lin Jun set the apartment on fire after confirming you'd already come back from work."
"Lin Jun?" Ziqian's eyes narrowed. "Why would he do that?"
"His boyfriend tried to end their relationship to pursue you," Gae explained, a trace of anger coloring his soft tone. "They fought. Lin Jun blamed you—and decided to kill you out of spite."
Ziqian had long been aware of Lin Jun's obsessive tendencies and paranoia. That man always kept a close watch on his partner and had never hidden his dislike of anyone who got too close.
So it ended like this…
Despite all his efforts to distance himself and maintain boundaries, in the end, he still died at the hands of someone he considered a friend.
"How about the other tenants?" he asked.
If others had been hurt because of him…
Phi floated closer and gently rubbed his neck, making Ziqian flinch slightly from the ticklish sensation.
"Don't worry," Phi reassured him softly. "Everyone is safe. Only a few people were left in the building when the fire started—most had already gone to work."
He exhaled in relief.
"You already died, and you're still thinking about others?" Ero muttered in a pout, sounding genuinely aggrieved.
Ziqian let out a soft laugh and reached out to poke Ero on his fluffy little head. His laughter was light and melodious, like a clear breeze in spring, and it made all four Guardians blush in unison.
"I just wanted to make sure no one else was hurt because of me," he said. "It'll make it easier to start fresh in this new world, knowing I didn't leave behind any more regrets."
"Yes! This is your new beginning!" Ero declared without hesitation, bouncing excitedly.
Ziqian smiled deeper, the weight in his chest easing slightly.