For now, let’s talk about the characteristics of a homunculus.

Homunculi, by nature, are dull and dimwitted. Rather than an actual living being, they act more like living dolls. Still, the distinction is vague and somewhat arbitrary. Although they possess the warmth of life and while they do still require food, water, shelter, and all the other forms of ‘baggage’ that comes with being alive, they do not have their own desires. That is the greatest distinction. A lack of will and a lack of desire.

This all stems from the fact that they do not have a complete soul. Every living being possesses a soul. The only exceptions to this rule are homunculi. In place of a soul, a homunculus’s body can only house a vestige of a soul. Housing a complete and intact soul within an artificial body was difficult. In fact, for the longest time, the world considered it to be an impossible task.

None of this concerned Ellis though. The Demon King worked his ass off in order to make sure his son wasn’t born an idiot. For that, he was thankful.

As for physical characteristics, most homunculi were humanoid in shape. Of course, since homunculi were at their core, man-made life forms, that also meant that their creators could create them as they pleased. Homunculi shaped like serpents, homunculi that walked on four legs, homunculi with fur covering their body, such creatures were not uncommon.

Still, the power of modification was strong and one that was easily abused. Adding cat ears to a homunculus, giving them a female form with a shapely body, or even making them short and diminutive, anything was possible.

Eventually, a new variation of the homunculi race was formed. Comfort Doll. Such a term spread throughout all of Lull. Comfort dolls were homunculi created for the sole sake of sexual gratification.

They were shaped into beautiful women (sometimes, into handsome men), and sold off to brothels and other wealthy merchants. Unlike the traditional slave, comfort dolls would not run away, making them perfect gifts for your average lowlife noble.

Unless their appearances were directly manipulated by their creators, then most homunculi took on the form that their soul vestige once possessed. Ellis fell into this category. He appeared almost identical to his counterpart from earth. The only difference lay in his eyes and hair.

Faded grey hair and foggy white eyes reminiscent of the blind. It was an appearance that really gave off the impression that he lacked vitality.

Of course, Ellis wasn’t unique. Grey hair and white eyes were a common characteristic that all homunculi shared.

The reason why Ellis knew of all this was because of the information in his head. For this, he had to once again thank Alma. While Ellis was clueless on a number of different things regarding this world, at the very least, he knew some things about his own race. Although the information didn’t really bring him much joy.

Apart from that, he knew very little else. The only other thing rattling around in his head was a new language that he did not even know the name of. Whether it was the name of the forest before him, the countries within Lull, or even the various monsters and races that inhabited the planet, he knew none of it.

Ellis scratched his cheek.

After the cliffside collapsed, he found himself standing in a small clearing. Naked, alone, and utterly lost, Ellis felt the harsh reality of his current situation.

“As expected, living in another world isn’t something as easy as all the novels make it out to be…” He mumbled to himself.

He looked up. The blue sky of this world felt unnaturally bright.

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“What should I do?”

To his right, a wide-open sea that stretched out far beyond what his eyes could see, while to his left, a dark and gloomy forest that gave off some serious ‘danger’ vibes. If he had to pick between the two, then he was more inclined to choose the ocean. Still, he knew that it was an unrealistic option. There was no boat conveniently docked near the shores.

He would have much rather preferred to stay right here, but he knew that wasn’t possible either. Ellis neither had food nor drinkable water. Sooner or later, he’d end up starving to death. Plus, the chill of the ocean breeze seriously made his butt cheeks clench.

Shaking his head, Ellis reluctantly entered the forest.

****

Thirty minutes passed. A gloomy expression morphed his face. The farther he walked, the more he regretted his decision.

No matter how far he traveled, the scenery remained static. Nothing but slightly blackened trees and thorn covered bushes. This damnable forest appeared almost as endless as the ocean from before.

He rubbed his perfectly flat stomach. He noticed this a while ago, but he did not have a belly button.

“At this rate, I really will end up starving to death…” He muttered underneath his breath. He wasn’t hungry yet, but he was certain that such a thing would change after a few hours.

“No, even before that, there’s something else I need to worry about.” Ellis discreetly turned around.

There, standing in the distance, was something that resembled a skinny rabbit. It had all white fur, two elongated ears and a cat-like tail.

“…”

That thing had been following him for the last ten minutes or so.

It stood between two towering trees. The creature made no attempt at hiding. It simply sat there, its red eyes locked intently onto him.

Ellis felt incredibly bitter. “This damn thing… isn’t it getting a bit too cocky?”

Before, the rabbit would skulk around behind trees, watching him from a distance of at least fifteen meters. Now, it was blatantly standing out in the open, less than five meters away from him.

Being accompanied by a cute creature would make anyone happy. Ellis was no exception, but this thing wasn’t exactly cute nor did it have the best of intentions. Beady eyes and a slightly opened jaw. Saliva dripped down from between its teeth. This tiny thing, it was looking at him like a predator looks at prey.

Ellis furrowed his brow.

He did not know how strong this creature was, but he did not dare underestimate it. He came from a world where it was completely natural to fear a derpy looking creature like a goose. Ellis was a big proponent of the concept that looks can be deceiving.

Plus, if he were to really die on his first day in another world because of some ugly looking rabbit…

Ellis gritted his teeth. For all the transmigrators out there within this wide, wide universe, he would make a stand right here and now!

He stopped and suddenly turned around. Ellis crossed his arms and glared at the rabbit.

The rabbit paused for a moment. It sniffed the air and hesitated. A somewhat confused expression covered its face.

“What the hell is this prey doing?” Was what Ellis imagined its current thoughts to be.

After a few seconds, the rabbit hopped forward. Once it got within ten feet, it suddenly stopped. That was when the stench hit. It was a smell reminiscent of a wet dog, except a whole lot stronger.

His enthusiasm somewhat decreased, but Ellis remained adamant. Since this thing obviously wanted to kill and eat him, he was determined to put up a fight. Rabbits were meant to be prey, not predator. This cocky little thing needed to be put in its place.

The rabbit hesitated for a second, before it suddenly bared its teeth and dashed forward.

He widened his eyes in shock. Ellis saw a blur of white dart towards his direction.

This thing, isn’t it too fast!?

He stumbled backward. The tiny rabbit was like a miniature cheetah! Not even a second had passed, and it had already shortened the distance between the two of them. The creature widened its jaws and jumped.

“…!”

It was clearly aiming for his throat.

Ellis did not have time to process what was happening. His body instinctively reacted before his mind could. He closed his eyes and waved his hand forward.

Bang!

It was a sound reminiscent of a hammer smashing against a brick wall. It reverberated through the forest.

“Eh?” Ellis slowly opened his eyes. “What was that? Where’s the rabbit?”

He looked around him. For a second, he wondered whether not the rabbit was plotting something, but he quickly dismissed the thought. After a while, he finally found it. The rabbit, no, at this point, it looked more like roadkill.

Matted fur clung to a tree trunk, while a trail of blood dripped down to the ground. A flattened corpse rested by the base of the trunk.

“It… it died?” He widened his eyes in shock.

It was a pitiful scene with chunks of meat spread throughout the surroundings. Judging by how its body contorted, the thing had died upon impact.

Ellis scratched his cheek. He looked down at his own hand.

“I knew I was somewhat stronger than an average person, but I did not know it would be to this extent. No, rather… this sort of thing, does it qualify as a cheat?”