Zach had to recover his soul essence, so he sat at the entrance of the underwater cave. Zach was shielded by the veil of cascading waters.
The sounds had died down, but Zach wasn't dumb enough to go out searching for the victor.
Maybe I shouldn't have left him there? , Zach thought, but instantly shook his head.
Hell—I'm too weak to do anything. I'd just hold him back.
Thankfully, the fighters didn't see him jump into the lake; otherwise, that would have caused some major issues.
His soul essence was about [9/100], just because he used the skill for a few seconds. Zach could see endless potential with Shadow Morph, but at the same time, endless flaws.
The bigger and stronger the animal, the more soul essence it'll consume. If you can't tell, a salmon isn't pretty big or strong. But it already takes so much energy.
At this rate, if Zach decides to turn into something more elaborate, like a boar or an elephant, hell even a dragon, then the soul essence would deplete in a split second.
"At least I can fly..." Zach smirked.
Well... If he turned into a hawk... But it won't be for long periods. Zach thought about turning into a hawk to fly to the waterfall's source, but he was sure his soul essence would crumble halfway, sending him tumbling to his death.
Zach stared at the blue waterfall; staring back at him was a young soldier about the age of twenty with brown hair and brown eyes wearing a leather vest.
It really felt like he had transmigrated into another world.
Zach stood up, wandering into the cave. The mountain was a labyrinth designed to confuse enemies when approaching, but Zach easily navigated it.
At the top of the mountain, two guards stood guard at the entrance of an ominous underground bunker. A guard rested his back against the bunker wall.
"Did you hear? The Thyxar pushed past the outer ridge again." He said, "A whole battalion. Gone in an instant, not a single one made it back alive."
His coworker shivered. "Yeah? I don't think I'm gonna be sleeping anytime soon. I can still hear their screams in my head." He gripped the spear in his hand, tapping on a nearby rock.
"Are a troop of 3rd-generation soldiers really going to hold that line?"
The guard nodded. "Supposed to."
"But you know how it goes; a hunter showed up."
The skinny guard's eyes widened. "You mean it?"
"Have I ever joked with info before?" the guard folded his arms with a stern expression.
"I was wondering why the king sent a star knight under him to the front lines..." the skinny guard pondered.
"A star knight was sent?... well . Then I guess the battle is over then." He leaned back in relief.
"But still facing against so many Thyxars, he might actually yield."
"That's nonsense..." The other guard retorted. "Star knights are peerless. There's no way they can fall by a Hunter's hands."
"I hope you're right..."
Through the metal bars of the tunnels entrance, a small shadowy field mouse scurried away into the open streets.
Zach transformed in a nearby alleyway, walking out into the busy street. Around houses stood, and traders set up shops on various corners.
Zach had not seen people gathered, so this was new. Zach wondered if other transmigrators were here.
As Zach walked through the streets, he noticed something off. Firstly, people occasionally glanced at him for some reason.
And second, why are they so old?... Zach thought. Indeed, everyone looked to be past their sixties, and those that were young were only little kids.
Instantly, men in armor approached him, blocking his path.
Zach's memories kicked in.
The empire was desperate for manpower, so every child who's reached a viable age of 18 was forced to go to the knights academy in order to defend against the thyxars invasion.
Because of this humans forced themselves to breed even more, making sure their bloodline isn't stopped.
"No wonder things felt... off..." Zach was in the front lines because he took a quest available from the mission board back at the academy for some cash.
"State your business..." one said. "I'm Zachariah from the third platoon." Zach stated formally.
"Wait!? The third platoon." "You mean the one stationed on the entrance island?" One of the guards asked in disbelief.
"Yes, sir!" The guard pondered for a bit. "What's the situation over there?"
"Horrible. All the other soldiers are dead; I'm the only one still alive." Zach sighed.
"What about reinforcements?"
"Star knight Ingrid was sent to dispatch the horde, sir." Zach replied.
"Ingrid, huh..." the knight pondered.
"Then I guess things are resolved then." The other knights lowered their weapons.
"Good work, soldier." The guard's captain placed his hand on Zach's shoulder.
"You must be on your way to the academy then..."
"Yeah, I am."
Zach was led by the guard to a huge gate located in the middle of the vast kingdom, stretching far and wide like a giant colosseum.
Standing at the barred prison-like entrance stood two guards. Zach's vest still suggested he was a knight in training, so the gates opened.
Zach stepped in and headed towards the mission board office. The academy was just like any other fantasy world academia—students, rankings, bullies, training facilities, and all that.
[Story progression: 0.54%]
Zach looked at the message that flashed past his eyes.
After all that, Zach could tell he was taller now. His previous height back in his world was 5'9", but he wouldn't be surprised if he was 6'3" now.
The lady looked at him up and down. "You were the only survivor?" She asked, flipping through some notes, not sparing him a glance.
"Here's your payment—". She handed him a sack of coins. Zach knew to survive this world, he would have to get stronger.
*****
Back at the entrance island, the beast Thyxar grabbed a severed arm, grimacing. His eyes bled; the tall reptile lay on the floor in the distance, dead.
"You... who are you..." The knight wasn't unscathed either; scars rang all over his body, bleeding, as his armor was torn in several places.
A bleeding scar ran through his face, but he stood his ground. "You know... you guys put up quite a fight." He stood straight.
"You..." Beasty gritted.
"But I'm afraid I'm going to have to end this now." He crouched down, channeling strength into his lower limbs and, with an explosion of force, launched forward.
He ducked under Beasty's attack and, with a quick decisive swing, took his head clean off.
Beasty's head plopped on the ground and his body collapsed lifelesslynon the vibrant grass, painting the plant red.
"That was some work" he looked around.
The knight stood over the two dead Thyxars, blood dripping from his blade. The devastation spread over the battlefield; the ground was littered with sizzling scars, oozing smoke.
The grand oasis had turned into a plain of destruction; trees cut down by the knight's hot blade erupted into flames in the distance; flowers were trampled upon by the Thyxars' thrashing movements; and a huge crater was just a few meters away.
Ingrid looked around.
"Where's that young soldier? Don't tell me he ran off..."