The dim glow of an aging television flickered in the pitch-black room, broadcasting a news segment:
"Beihai City has confirmed an invasion by foreign supernatural entities. Ten healthy men have been found drained of all fluids. Investigation Bureau agents have identified the threat as the 'Eight-Foot Lady' from Sakura Nation, currently classified as a D-level entity..."
"Citizens are advised to immediately report any sightings of an abnormally tall woman in white dresses and hats during late-night hours—"
"Modu City has neutralized another invasive entity, the 'Shuten-dōji,' with assistance from the Bureau..."
Click.
The screen went dark.
Ethan Cross tossed the remote aside, his star-like eyes gleaming in the shadows. A wry smile twisted his lips. "Just my luck. An ordinary guy like me gets isekai'd into a world infested with horrors. Hell-mode difficulty from day one."
He sighed, moonlight painting his chiseled features. "Maybe the heavens envied my talent?"
Once a mundane martial arts enthusiast on Earth, Ethan had been called a "once-in-a-generation prodigy" by a wandering Taoist. Years of training honed him into a fighter capable of "wrestling tigers and tearing apart leopards barehanded"—peak human prowess by Earth's standards.
But on the night he was to ascend as a grandmaster, he awoke in this twisted mirror of Earth. A world where urban legends walked:
Mountain demons. Hungry ghosts. Jiangshi. The undead.
Slit-Mouthed Women. Sadako. The Eight-Foot Lady. Bloody Mary.
Here, they were real—and they hunted humans like livestock.
Thankfully, humanity had its defenders: Awakened, individuals with supernatural abilities. The Investigation Bureau, an elite force of these Awakened, stood as humanity's shield.
Yet their numbers were few.
Monsters were many.
Beihai City, a Tier-3 settlement in Yan Nation, had been relatively safe—until recently. Now, invasive entities like the Eight-Foot Lady turned streets into buffets.
Even Ethan's supreme combat skills offered no guarantees. Against the supernatural, humans were prey.
"Enough brooding." He checked his phone: ¥982.37 remained in his account. "Groceries first. Survival second."
His "parents"—more on them later—had left him their apartment and just enough funds before embarking on a "spontaneous world tour." Their parting words? "You're 200 months old! Time to adult!"
Ethan shuddered. Who vacations during an apocalypse?
[Scene Break: The Convenience Store]
Midnight painted Beihai in monochrome. Streetlights fought vainly against encroaching shadows. The few pedestrians outside clutched pepper spray, eyeing every alley.
Ethan strolled past them, unfazed. His transplanted physique and combat instincts remained intact—a small mercy.
The 24/7 convenience store's fluorescent lights offered false comfort. He grabbed instant noodles, energy drinks, and—
Crunch.
A wet, gnawing sound echoed from a lightless alley ahead.
Ethan's muscles coiled. He retreated silently, faster than any Olympian sprinter—
Then froze.
The chewing had stopped.
Now, it came from behind him.
Slowly, he turned.
There, beneath a shattered streetlamp, stood a voluptuous woman in a pristine white dress and hat. Towering at over seven feet, she cradled a desiccated corpse like a corn cob, nibbling its skull with dainty bites.
[D-Class Entity: The Eight-Foot Lady]
Her blood-smeared lips curled. "Darling~ You'll taste even better fresh."