"Baah... Baah!"
In the dim cave, a cluster of campfire was burning brightly, making faint noises from time to time. The firelight shone brightly, illuminating the cave.
In a corner of the cave, a boy about twelve or thirteen years old was curled up by the fire. He was wrapped in a huge black animal skin. Through the firelight, you could see that there were still traces of unprocessed animal fat inside the animal skin.
This was an animal skin blanket, extremely rough in craftsmanship, and it even emitted a faint, fishy odor.
The boy had a smooth face, delicate features, and a handsome appearance, with long, fluffy red hair. However, on the left side of this handsome young boy's forehead was a large flame-shaped mark, which extended to the corners of his eyes and spread onto his cheeks. The presence of these red, flame-like marks added a touch of mystery to the boy's demeanor.
At this time, the young man's eyes were tightly closed, his body was curled up, and trembling slightly, as if he was enduring immense pain.
After a long while, the young man opened his eyes and looked around his surroundings in confusion. Dusk flashed away in his bright eyes, replaced by surprise, astonishment, and... disbelief.
"This... How is this possible?!" A low whisper broke the silence in the cave, and the boy's words were filled with shock. He seemed unable to believe what was happening in front of him, so he stretched out his hands from the animal skin blanket and rubbed his eyes.
He closed them again, opened them again, rubbed his eyes fiercely, and then slapped himself, feeling the pain on his cheek. The boy seemed to realize the environment he was in.
Soon after, the look of shock and astonishment faded from his eyes, replaced by intense curiosity. A low murmur also rose from the cave:
"I probably traveled through time again."
...
"My name is Taichi."
"This name was given to me by a blind fortune teller in the village. According to him, my life was precious and required a name that matched my status. I, a young, chuunibyou middle school student, wholeheartedly believed this!"
"When I was a child, I thought I was a child chosen by destiny. One day, the Digimon in the other world would need my help."
"But as I grew older, I realized I was a child played by fate."
"At the age of twenty-four, my life came to an end. Even though I had just passed the civil service exam!"
"I suspect I was cursed to death by my own name..."
"I thought my life was a tragedy."
"Until... I lived a second life."
"My second name was... Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
"That was a world where humans and demons coexisted. From the moment I was born, I knew my mission."
"In just over twenty years, I slashed from one end of the coast to the other."
"Finally, having fulfilled my mission, I lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests, leading the peaceful life I had dreamed of."
"Years later, in my old age, I closed my eyes, but when I opened them again... I found that I was alive again!"
"I feel like... I really am the person chosen by destiny! Although there are no Digimon around me..."
...
In the dim cave, Yoriichi Tsugikuni slowly stood up, draped in the thick animal skin, and carefully surveyed his surroundings.
Yoriichi was already alone and had no regrets in his old age, so he quickly accepted the current situation.
Clearly, the most urgent matter now was to figure out his current predicament.
This was a cave of roughly 7 square meters. It should be winter now; the ambient temperature was very low. Even with a brightly burning campfire in front of Yoriichi and the heavy animal skin covering his body, the chill still penetrated, causing him to shiver slightly.
"This... Is this primitive society?"
Yoriichi scanned the cave, finding no modern utilities. Beside the campfire in front of him lay a set of wooden knife and fork, crudely made, clearly not machine-processed. Next to this set of cutlery was a poor-quality wooden bowl, containing more than half a bowl of yellow, pasty substance.
"It should be food, is it curry?"
Yoriichi mused, then shifted his gaze, observing the surroundings.
In one corner of the cave, there was a pile of dry firewood, about two meters long and half a meter high. Besides the strong smell of firewood, the air was also filled with a faint fishy scent of the sea.
"Is that... the smell of the sea?" Yoriichi sniffed, thinking to himself. Soon, his gaze was drawn to a long black blade by his feet.
"A sword/katana?!"
Yoriichi quickly squatted down, picked up the long blade, and examined it closely. This was a two-handed sword/katana, approximately two meters long. Judging by the style, it should be a straight sword. The black scabbard was carved with exquisite wave-like patterns. The handle was about 40cm long; Yoriichi's hand couldn't completely wrap around it.
He drew the sword, but instead of the expected flash of cold light, his eyes were met with pitch blackness.
"A black blade? Even the cutting edge is black? Matte?"
Yoriichi pulled the long blade out a section, finding that not only the scabbard and handle were black, but the blade and edge were also black, giving people an inexplicable sense of solemnity.
The long blade was about 5cm wide, and the thickness of its back exceeded 1cm. Normally, with these dimensions and the overall length of the blade, it should be quite heavy.
However, what surprised Yoriichi was that he lifted the blade effortlessly, as if he didn't feel its weight.
At the base of the blade, the character "滅" (Metsu - Annihilation) was engraved. The style of the sword looked very similar to the weapons produced in the Swordsmith Village of his previous world.
Yoriichi held the handle of the long blade with one hand and drew the sword from the scabbard. For some reason, after drawing the long blade, Yoriichi instinctively grasped it with both hands and gently performed a cutting motion.
The tip of the blade silently sliced across the top of the cave, leaving a deep score mark.
"Clatter!" As the long blade passed, small pieces of gravel fell from the cave ceiling, hitting the ground and shattering.
"Huh?" Yoriichi instinctively shielded his eyes. After a long time, when no more gravel fell, he looked up and found a long score mark left on the cave ceiling.
"A good sword/katana!"
"This level of craftsmanship... the world that can create a sword like this must have a high degree of civilization. Or, was this sword originally brought with me?!"
"And my strength..."
Yoriichi withdrew his gaze, carefully examining the long blade in his hand. He couldn't help but reach out to touch the blade, sitting quietly for a long time. Yoriichi then carried the long blade and walked to the cave entrance, standing inside and looking out.
What met his eyes was darkness so thick that he couldn't see his fingers, and the biting cold wind howled past, forcing Yoriichi to retreat back into the cave.
"It's too cold. It's better to rest well tonight. I'll check the surrounding environment tomorrow."
Retreating back into the cave, Yoriichi quickly returned to the campfire, added a few more pieces of dry firewood, and curled up to keep warm. After an unknown period of time, a deep sense of fatigue enveloped his entire body, causing Yoriichi to close his eyes unconsciously and fall into a deep sleep.
...
That night, Yoriichi had a dream.
The sea, the sun, the beach, plus a small seaside town. The people in the small town were simple and kind, living a self-sufficient, simple life. They weren't wealthy, but they lived in peace and tranquility.
And Yoriichi also became a member of the town, enjoying the peace and tranquility.
The world in the dream was paradise!
...
The sky turned a pale white, and as the morning light scattered upon the earth, Yoriichi woke up from his sleep.
"It's true... I traveled through time again!"
Yoriichi slowly sat up from the stone bed, looking at the embers of the campfire in front of him with wisps of green smoke curling up. His expression was slightly dazed, and he remained stunned for a long time.
...
(End of Chapter)