A week passed in that manner. Somewhere along the lines I had become satiated—whatever this thing was, both hunger and thirst were being fulfilled simultaneously. However, I still had nothing to do. The outside was too frightening, far too frightening.

So I continued to eat and shake on the floor. Seriously, I regretted not having this on Earth. It was quite fun, aimlessly squandering time. I thought this routine would continue for an unforeseeable time. 

There was a rustle. I knew the forest was infested by demons, but they had never come in close proximity within this shack. Why or how I wasn’t aware of; they just didn’t. So this was new.

And new was something to be feared in this hell.

Maybe I would’ve ran somewhere to prolong my life just a little bit, savour one more bite off those berries. My body stuck to the ground opposed that plan. It had only been…30 minutes since my last bite? 

I was going to die. 

Fuck. It was a shame. One more bite…no, fuck! I was going to die and all I could think about was eating! Move! I had to move! 

My arms squirmed with more ferocity, a vigour that had been tamed by the comfort of living in the shack for so long. No, was that right? …I had only been here for a week. Asking for a week of comfort was too much?!

The shackles of the fruit still hung tightly over me unfortunately. Rustles had turned into steps, those that edged closer and closer to my shack.

“Hello? Is there anyone in here? Hey, have you ever seen this shack here before? I’m almost certain I’ve explored the majority of the forest, when did this pop up?”

Monster? Fuck, no! No! These were angels! I couldn’t believe it! Humans! If my mouth would open, I was certain I would be screaming for joy! I couldn’t let this chance slip out of my hand!

“Mhh! Mhmmm!” Like a fish out of water, I flung around on the floor in hopes of getting their attention. Hearing the door creak open, I almost shed tears. 

Two men entered my view, both adorning a simple tunic. In their hands was a short knife that was perfectly wrapped around their fingers. A scruffy beard was on one of them whilst the other was free of any facial hair. If I had to estimate their age, the bearded man seemed to be in their 50s whilst the other looked to be just entering adulthood. 

“Mhmmmm! Hmp!” They first looked down at me, and switched their gaze to the blood on the wall. Their eyes kept shifting between the two, almost as if they were trying to understand what was happening. 

After a few seconds of silence the bearded man finally spoke. “Assess the situation with more focus son. Look at the thing he’s holding—a goldberry. Regular mortals who are yet to take in Qi or even beginner martial artists will obviously be in a paralysed state after eating them, which perfectly fits the description of this scene.”

The man came closer to my body and crouched down. Looking straight at my teary eyes, he ran his hand across my face and body before speaking again. 

“Look at the blood on the wall and his body. Scars on his face and he’s crying at the sight of humans. Most likely, a low level martial artist beat up a mortal and left him here for some time. Scared of the beasts within the forest, he was forced to eat goldberries to survive. Am I right, mister?”

Absolutely. How this man managed to deduce so much with a few short seconds was unknown, but the fact was that he was most likely correct. I wasn’t aware on how I ended up like this, so I couldn’t measure the accuracy of that. Everything else, however? He narrated perfectly.

The younger figure scaled the wall and I saw a look of disgust creep on his face as he saw the amount of blood. He looked at the older man and asked angrily “Is this really how martial artists behave, father? Just because they are a little stronger than mortals, what gives them the right to treat people like this?!”

“Silence! Where will you get in life with such a weak mentality? Yes, it is immoral, but what can we do? No backing, no power, no affiliations, nothing! People with nothing, of course they will be treated like this. Strength doesn’t decide everything. However, it's a damn powerful tool. If the rules have already been set, then you simply have to accept it.”

Had this father son duo forgotten about me? In an attempt to try and get their attention again, I convulsed with greater intensity. Their eyes that were locked in a heated tension broke away from each other and looked down.

The father sighed. “We’ll have to wait until the paralysis wears off. Might take some time, so let’s cool off. I’m sorry that it’s this way, Marle. If I could choose, I’d show you a world of equality and justice.”

Hearing the apology, the son named Marle also sighed. “I’m sorry too, father. What you say is right. Even if it’s wrong…change can only be brought by people with power. What use is it for us villagers to try and change fate? Just a single thread of talent, that was all I needed. Tch.”

There were a few things to gather from their words. First, martial artists were present in the world. Considering that the concept of Qi was brought up, martial artists most likely transcended the concept of regular strength. Well, at least if they followed the stories I had read in the past.

Furthermore, it seemed that these martial artists held a large amount of weight in the world. Just as how the wealthy held power back on earth, martial artists called the shots here. At least, that was how I inferred it from the young man’s tone. Helplessness at the injustice from a tyrant. A low level martial artist was the one who did this to me, was it?

The two waited patiently for me. After an hour, I finally felt control ease back into my body. 

“Ha! Sir, please help me! Find it in your hear—”

“Calm down, young man. We will help you. Come, I will take you to our village. Marle, let’s go. While we’re walking, please explain to us what happened here.” 

He extended his arm to me, pulling me up. Together, we left the shack and the two began to take the lead in a different direction. I had gone north from the shack, but they went east. Had I changed direction…would I have found the village? Nevermind. Finding it now was all that mattered.

Now I had to explain. What could I say? The truth, obviously. “I truly don’t know what happened. I can’t remember a single thing, not even who I am! All I remember is waking up inside that bloody shack.”

At my words, the older man gave me a curious look. “Nothing? Are you sure? Hmm, well, you wouldn’t make that claim otherwise. I can tell you one thing right now. You were an outer disciple for the Tiger Fist sect. A very new one, too. The rank of your insignia on your robe is of a no achievement disciple.”

Insignia? Had that badge on my yellow robe meant something? A simple fist outlined in black with a bronze background was indeed on me. I had an affiliation? 

My mind raced back to what they had said earlier. I asked in a quiet voice “Sorry, mister, but didn’t you say that if you had affiliation that you would be safe? Is an outer sect disciple not considered an affiliation?”

They stopped in their tracks. Both of them looked at my worried face. Had I said something wrong?

A boisterous laughter erupted. The younger one slapped my back as he jested. “Mister, how can you call that an affiliation? If you were a high ranking outer sect disciple, then maybe the martial artist wouldn’t have messed with you. But a yellow outer sect disciple of a third rate sect? Maybe even I could fight you can get away scot free!”

Ah. How embarrassing. I felt my face get red as they continued to laugh at my stupidity. I continued walking, trying my hardest to wash away my shame. We continued walking with some turns in seemingly random directions whilst I continued to ask questions.

“So what do you mean by martial artist? You also mentioned Qi, is that related to martial arts?”

This time, the father replied to me. “Martial arts. Let me give you some advice as an elder. Leave the path of martial arts now. You may slowly start to regain your memories and desire to start martial arts again; I’d strongly advise that you don’t. There’s nothing to gain, and everything to lose.”

An ominously solemn tone. But, did fear really apply to me? I would see in the future; right now, I simply wanted to satisfy my curiosity. “I’m asking just out of curiosity. From how you spoke of them, they don’t seem to be good people. Just what are they?”

He sighed at my question. A response didn’t arrive for a few moments, as though he was contemplating what to say. “Bad people, huh? Generalising all martial artists as bad people is simply foolish. Some are good, some are bad—just like people. Martial artists are simply people able to sense the ambient Qi in the surroundings and bring it inside their body, storing it to be circulated around their body.”

He looked at me and said once again “Don’t get into martial arts, child. The fate of martial artists is never good. Live a peaceful life inside the village. You may have talent, but there are people who are more talented. You may have will, but there are people who have more will than you. It’s fighting a losing battle.”

I understood his sentiment. 

And honestly, I agreed with him.Why did I have to go and risk my life doing nonsense such as martial arts? The sight of the bloodied wall was deeply imprinted in my mind—one wrong step and I would end up experiencing the pain that this body went through personally.

Though I thought he was finished, he still continued. “After storing it inside their body, the next step is to bring the internal energy and release it externally. Without even touching a surface, it can be cleanly cut. Such an inhuman act, right?”

…I had to repress the surprise in my body. It was I myself who asked to be thrown into a new world. Though regrets were plaguing my mind now, it still couldn’t be denied that I had an inkling to what it would entail. Strength beyond my imagination, and also foes that went beyond the imagination of my imagination.

Killing without even moving a fibre of your muscle. A chill went through my body at the thought of it. Would I ever have to fight someone like that? No! I won’t fight, fuck!

“I can tell from your body that you’re surprised. So how do you feel that that’s not the end? I don’t know what is after that, but I know externally releasing your energy is far from the end. Perhaps it’s just the beginning.”

For some reason, the son let out a sight after hearing those words. Paying it no mind, he continued his words.

“Let me tell you a story. 23 years ago, when I was a young man, I thought that martial artists were unreasonably haughty; I thought they didn’t have the foundation to have such high confidence. On a regular day, when the sun was still ripe, clouds swarmed above us, and heavy rain poured down. That wasn’t it. The skies opened. I saw something that a village bumpkin never should have.”

The pace had subtly decreased. I had asked many questions and not once did we ever stall or slow down. So why now?

“I saw a human floating in the sky. It was a simple flicker; after a blink I didn’t see him again. Tell me, child. Does that sound like a coincidence to you? The village people called me mad, saying I was seeing things. A downpour spawns erratically and I start hallucinating then? I refuse! I promise you child—the heavens opened up to take that man! Scarlet bolts paraded upon him! Walking amongst this world was not a man, but something else!”