Jack Wilfeld, a teenage-looking boy with an unnaturally gaunt build and sharp looks, adjusted the hood of his cloak as he walked off the boat on which he had awakened and found himself in a strange new world.
It wasn't a world of game elements or beauties offering themselves to him.
No, the first thing he saw upon stepping onto the docks was a guard having 'fun' with a young girl barely hidden behind a cart, and hundreds of beggars wishing to get some scraps or coins from those who didn't know any better!
Despite their meek and pitiful appearances, a scene that followed made it very clear that it wasn't a dream, nor was this place 'newbie-friendly.'.
Reason being? One of the people who walked off the boat pulled out a mace and released some weird energy as they smashed the skull of one of the beggars with one of the fragments, managing to enter his mouth thanks to being near the gruesome scene before leaning over the ledge and emptying his stomach into the seawater.
Not a good start, sure, but at least it has made him more vigilant about how to handle things from here.
Despite no signs of any blessings or gifts, Jack had his own means to survive this strange world. It was lacking in people who could wield magic, but there were plenty of those who could use some energy called Battle Aura.
It was unique to this world and the only way for its inhabitants to handle the dangers it carried.
The very thing that the mace-wielding maniac used before butchering the beggars who pissed him off just because of their smell and cared little for their lives.
Now, as for his means of survival? He was what you'd call a psionic who could use various fields of psychic abilities, but mostly focused on fleshcrafting, which was limited to partial transformations, with his current proficiency with the others being slightly above a beginner's skill.
Yeah, it is weird that someone who does fleshcrafting can hurl from the gruesome scene earlier. However, Jack never killed anyone, much less been around such gory scenes.
He always used his ability on bugs and processed meat; had the man known this would happen, he would've worked at a morgue!
But alas, no preparations besides him using his psionic abilities to turn dirty rags into his cloak, to hide the modern clothes the man was still wearing.
Jack looked down at his makeshift leather boots before wiggling his toes from the discomfort they brought him.
Whoever sent him here didn't have the courtesy to allow him to keep his shoes!
His favorite shoes!
He would've adjusted the leather boots with his gifts, but there was a lack of materials, and the psionic had no plans to use more of his own flesh as materials for the adjustment.
Especially not when this world had danger lurking in wait for those dumb enough to let their guard down.
Right now, the psionic looked unnaturally ripped under his clothes, which was due to his using body fat as a material.
His ability couldn't make something from just energy, at least not yet.
But moving on, the young man kept up his vigilance while exploring the city and looking for a place where work could be found.
There weren't any people around that had the adventurous 'air' around them, just downcast beggars, peasants, and tired armored guards.
"Damn, this is a really a dreary place."
The level of technology was similar to that of medieval times and hygiene wasn't very good judging from the puddles of piss and shit on the ground.
"Things would've been much easier if my extra materials hadn't been used up to maintain my body during the two weeks I was out on that damned boat!"
There were many things Jack wanted to complain about but it was no use crying over spilled milk.
The man eventually reached the city center and noticed a strange-looking inn with a lot of traffic.
The kind of people who went to and from the building were those who looked better than the locals, both in stance and gear.
This caused him to head to the building and check things out, hoping that there was some kind of mercenary or hunter's guild around.
The building was much bigger than it appeared outside, and there was something akin to a quest board along the walls. Countless parchments were ripped off by the hunters or whatever they were, and the people standing by the boards would attach different parchments to make sure there were plenty of jobs to go around.
Nobody paid Jack any attention since to them, he was just another Joe Schmoe who wanted to try his luck for fame and riches.
The psionic felt a bit uncomfortable upon noticing that there were even kids with farm tools for weapons, or large bags with hopes of being a carrier for one of the parties in the building.
They had to brave such dangers just to survive at such a young age…
Also, female 'hunters' did not wear fan service-type clothes; they just had the same gear as others.
Full body protection, and no gaps or hindrances to their armor.
That alone set alarm bells ringing in Jack's head, as such themes often meant that this world was far more dangerous than one could anticipate.
Imagine that there are no magic users or magical items to make it easier to heal from injuries, so people need to rough it like the goblin slayer to survive another day!
While it was tempting to pose as a healer, the psionic wasn't willing to risk it with his current resources and strength.
He was at his weakest now, meaning that even a group of five kids with weapons could overwhelm him, and the man did not like that feeling of weakness.
Not when the man used to be ten times stronger than he is now.
Thus, his registry with this place.
—----------------------------------------------------------
It turns out that this place was pretty much a hunter's guild, but there weren't very many rules one needed to follow besides not pissing off the guild's sponsors.
The sponsors were the four ruling nobles: the Meng family, the Lionhearts, the Sokolov family, and the Ootori clan.
It was weird that they were pretty much a Chinese family, a large English gang, a Russian mafia, and a Japanese Clan.
The Meng family wore martial robes, with the Lionhearts looking like 'cultured' ruffians, the Sokolov family wearing actual suits, and the Ootori clan dressing up as Samurai.
So yeah it was fucking weird to see because it was like seeing four different themes at once!
Regardless, let's move on to the pressing matter that Jack currently has to deal with.
Since he lacked the coin to pay for his registration, the guild gave him a temporary one and a couple of quests to complete to receive the permanent one.
Two of the shittiest jobs available, Sewer rat culling and goblin nest scouting.
Yeah, upon seeing the second quest, Jack was certain that this world was going to be terrible.
Because goblins were treated as pests and were to be killed on sight, they could grow their numbers fast, and it would suck if they happened to be the Goblin Slayer universe kind of goblins.
The psionic scratched his head in bitterness, before heading out for the sewers as he really needed the 'materials' to restore his body to its peak, and he was already planning on culling the sewer rats for that very reason, since only the tail was needed as proof of the kill.
While on his way there, a rather peculiar scene occurred in one of the alleys.
A wannabe hero tried to save a damsel in distress, and it happened to be one of the Lionheart goons who was interrupted.
"'Ey mate, ya sure ya wanna be the dull bloke to mess with the Lionheart's wo'k?"
The wannabe hero tried to be smart by wearing a mask to hide their face, but this person didn't do their homework before taking action.
Unlike the other groups, the lionhearts don't use techniques much, brute force through their tasks, or use unnatural finesse.
No, they rely on tools, poisons, and other interesting concoctions, making them terrible foes to deal with once they start using their tools of torture.
The wannabe hero learned that the hard way. Upon letting their guard down, the individual was sprayed with something, causing the individual to fall to the ground in a coughing fit before the goon just swaggered to the downed person.
"I wa'ned ya, mate. Now, I gotta c'ipple and collect ya."
As soon as the man loomed over his new captive, he pulled out a cudgel from his belt before swinging it down on the person's arms with a clear snap of bones echoing out.
As for the damsel in distress? Another goon gave her a pouch of some powdery substance, judging from the small puff of dust when the woman squeezed it before leaving the 'hero' to their fate.
"Well, that's one way to get serfs."
It was hard not to comment on seeing such a scene and knowing the fate of the fool who just wanted to be heroic, even for a moment.
That is the fate of those who oppose the nobles and lack the power to resist: to be turned into serfs to work their lands, fight in the gladiator arena, or be sent to the brothels.
He was disliking this city more and more by the second!
Anyways, before reaching the sewers, around halfway there happened to be a tailor, something the man would've loved to come across before his registry with the mercenary guild to avoid the forced quests.
He fought back a twitch of his face when people of the Sokolov family turned out to be assigned to this building as guards, which meant that this was one of their businesses.
Besides his cloak and boots, all his clothes were replaced and sold for a decent sum that the psionic quickly pocketed before leaving the store in haste.
It was hard not to be antsy when one of the guards made Jack fear for his ass as the person playfully winked at him while licking their lips after he received the payment for his modern clothes.
Jack didn't care about weapons or the like; he just wanted to restore and strengthen his body for his two quests and after that experience!
Thus, with his collection of coins, he made a trip to every meat shop, not caring for the freshness of the meat. He just bought enough to fit in a bag to carry around while subtly absorbing them into his body.
The man just wanted to protect his ass and seem intimidating, with hopes of deterring people like that guard from the tailor shop from adding to his stress.
This took him a good few hours to complete as his body weight was more than triple now, giving him enough to imitate a machine gun and unleash up to 200 rounds of compressed keratin.
Thankfully, his choice of clothes was stretchable, or there would've been issues.
He was halfway to Arnold Schwarzenegger's bulk. Hopefully, things will be much different now that a fake face has been included for his safety.
—---------------------------------
Note to self, never say or think of the word 'hopefully,' because Jack quickly learned how people perceive those with large and compact bodies.
You become a target for the bigger fish in the city and fucking hell, why did it have to be a damned young master cliche!?
"Did you not hear my young mistress? She's offering you a place at the Meng family as a guard! You should be on the ground, kowtowing in gratitude for her grace!"
Okay, not quite the young master cliche, but close enough!
Jack attempted to reject such a 'grace' politely since joining one of the noble families at his current level of strength was asking to be devoured.
"My apologies, but I am unworthy of such grace, as I am quite weak despite my stature! So, please bestow this blessing to someone who can truly defend your honor."
Sadly, just like fucking cultivation or martial novels, the suck ups always make things worse.
"Are you saying that my mistress is blind and unable to see your strength?"
Rather than continue this stupidity, the man did the one thing he could do at the moment.
He fucking ran~!
This sudden action left the lackeys and young mistress of the Meng family dumbstruck for a moment as they needed a moment to process his out-of-the-ordinary actions
By the time he took his tenth step, the mistress's lackeys were already calling out for their family guards to capture him.
No shit talking or stupid counter threats came from him, just hightailing the hell out of the area and blended with the crowd while making use of his fleshcrafting to the fullest of his current skill.
Utilizing it like the bone-shrinking techniques from Murim novels was not a pleasant experience since Jack could only compress his flesh and bones so much.
It made him feel quite bloated, like his body was seconds away from exploding like a balloon.
Thankfully, his cloak had two designs, one for the interior and one for the outer part, making it easy to hide as his body shifted to match a sick-looking teen who was stumbling through the streets after using the crowds as cover and slouching low to stay out of sight for that one precious moment.
The psionic was already regretting his hasty actions of trying to seem intimidating.
It's like no matter what you do, something will make life harder here.
Regardless, he still made his way to the sewers, which would be the best place to hide and figure out what to do next.
Because he definitely didn't want any more cliches or such hopeless situations…
Or wait, couldn't the man pretend to be a disease-ridden hunter? That should scare them off, right?
However, that thought was tossed aside upon remembering what kind of world this was and why the lack sick-looking people around the place despite the city's bad hygiene.
"Please don't tell me they've been moved to the sewers or worse, culled?"
That's a disturbing image, sure, it keeps the population in check, but it's like using a band-aid on a stab wound, it'll stop the bleeding for a moment before overwhelming it.
Most of the people unaffected by the diseases were Aura users, because even weak amounts of aura can boost one's immunity greatly.
But for how much longer? Sooner or later, this issue will get out of control…
*phew* Why was he even thinking about such things?
All that wasn't his problem, and it was WAY above his pay grade.
Jack had no intention of staying in this city because once he received the Hunter tag and collected enough materials, he would leave this minefield of a city!
Just as the psionic was about to enter the sewers, the sight just outside the sub entrance to the sewers was a fucking stand off.
People with suits but carrying big ass weapons on one side and a small group of samurai with surrounded protectively by people in black garbs, both sides had their weapons drawn while throwing insults at each other.
Seriously, this city is just too chaotic for someone from a modern and semi-normal life.
You know what? Maybe he should just call it a day because the psionic didn't want to be anywhere near this place once they start fighting!
The only reason why the two haven't started drawing blood from each other is that several lionhearts were eyeing them like hawks; hell, some of them were already making bets on when they'll start fighting and who will be the first to back off between the two afterwards.
Yup, the man's definitely going to rent a room and sleep this day-
"Ey, mate! Wanna try yer luck fer som extra coin?"
Someone called out to him, causing Hiei to nearly stumble in surprise before replying.
"Nah, I'm good, I wouldn't be able to afford it anyway."
Jack did his best to keep calm. The strange looks these guys were giving him were rather unnerving, as if there was an inside joke between them about him, of all people!
"Hrm, yo loss, mate. Oh, and t'y bette' at hidin' from that p'incess of the Meng family. I got some coin on ya managin' to stay out of he' 'each fo' a week~."
The Lionheart member's words were like a cold bucket of water, causing Jack to slowly turn to the speaker in trepidation, fearing more trouble was coming for him.
In all honesty, his accent made him process what the person was trying to say before things quickly sank in, as he paled from the information shared.
"Relax, mate. Unlike the other scions, I prefer watching the trouble happen, JACK, not causing it~."
The man gave Jack a beaming smile before gesturing for him to hurry along as he did something that made him worry.
The Lionheart scion or whatever the person was, shifted their flesh and bones like nothing, as if to show off their skill or something.
This made Jack question the person's gender. One moment, their chest was muscular, and the next second, two mounds were squished together by the person's vest!
Welp, it looks like things will get even crazier from here. Despite the words said, it still garnered the attention of the groups, and damn it, how the hell did this person find out who he was!?