Amidst his weary search for shelter, Kaiser’s tired gaze fell on an odd cluster of rocks wedged tightly between two towering boulders. At first glance, they seemed like nothing more than natural formations, nothing strange, typical of this desolate world of jagged obsidian. But as he drew closer, a flicker of suspicion crossed his face. The rocks were too deliberately arranged—stacked in a pattern too neat to be the work of chaotic nature.
He frowned, leaning closer to inspect the unusual barrier.
'Could this be the work of a monster?' he mused, though the idea didn’t sit right. Why would a creature build something resembling a barricade? That said, some animals on Earth do have a habit of building peculiar stuff, but Kai's intuition suggests otherwise.
It was almost as if someone had deliberately blocked the path between the boulders, sealing off whatever lay beyond. His more inclined to believe this is the work of a human and there's only one way to found out. Besides, even if curiosity killed the cat, Kai had more lives than any cats.
Curiosity tugged at him, battling with his overwhelming exhaustion. He was too drained to dismantle the barrier, so he opted for the next best option: climbing. Groaning softly, he reached for the nearest handhold on the rough, cold surface of the boulder. As he began his ascent, an unsettling realization crept over him.
His grip felt weaker than usual. His arms were still strong—stronger than necessary to scale this boulder, actually—but there was a subtle sluggishness to his movements, a dullness that he hadn’t experienced in days. His muscles, once capable of incredible feats, now strained against the climb in a way that felt slightly foreign to him. Kai knew his body performed better than this, responding faster. However, at the moment, its performance rate seems to have decreased.
'Did I get weaker?' The thought gnawed at him as he hauled himself upward. His mind, weary from constant struggle, offered no clarity.
'Maybe it’s just fatigue...' Kaiser shrugged, after all, a tired mind can't order a body properly, because mentality and physicality heavily rely on each other.
The climb, though short, felt like an eternity. Every muscle in his body begged him to stop and sleep, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion, urging him to nap. But Kaiser, stubborn as ever, muttered to himself, “I swear, I’ll finally sleep after seeing what’s on the other side.”
Finally, with a grunt and a last burst of effort, he reached the summit of the boulder. What he saw on the other side made his heart lurch, his footing momentarily slipping before he caught himself. Pulling himself up again, Kai rose to his feet. He blinked, then rubbed his eyes to make sure his sleep-deprived brain wasn’t conjuring illusions.
But the sight didn’t vanish.
'...A camp?'
Nestled in the clearing below was an unmistakable human campsite. Under the dim, rippling light of the vast sea above, two tents stood—or rather, one stood while the other lay crumpled and torn. The intact tent was simple, made of brown fabric stretched taut over thin metal poles. Its skeletal frame glinted faintly, sturdy and functional, though nothing fancy. The other tent had clearly seen better days. The fabric had been shredded, its remains strewn across the rocky ground as though some creature had savaged it. The two tent resembled an overly simple house, large enough to accommodate quite a number of people within. However...
Kaiser squinted, his sharp eyes scanning the scene for any sign of life. There was none. No movement. No sound. Just the eerie silence of an abandoned camp.
The location of the camp, however, was clever. It was tucked into a natural hollow between the boulders, shielded from casual observation of nearby wanderers. From his vantage point atop the barricade, Kaiser could see how the terrain worked to the advantage of whoever had set it up. The narrow passageways leading to the camp were few and easily blocked—like the one he’d just climbed over. The rocks used to seal the paths were ranging from small to massive, some far too heavy for an average human to move without considerable effort, tools or equipment. Makes one wonder if normal humans set this campsite up... Or, perhaps fellow Players with strengthening ability?
Despite the eerie stillness, his trained eye caught other details. Iron spikes had been driven into the larger stones, forming makeshift ladders for scaling the barriers. It was a practical touch, likely for the camp’s lookouts or occupants to move quickly if the need arose.
But where were they now?
Kaiser’s gaze shifted back to the camp itself. The torn tent, with its shredded fabric fluttering faintly in the cold air, told a grim story. Whatever had happened here, it wasn’t peaceful. The second tent, though still upright, wasn’t much better. Its frame was exposed in places, its once-taut canvas sagging like a forgotten memory.
His frown deepened as he scanned the area once more, his instincts tingling. Something about the emptiness unsettled him. Where are the people? And what tore through that tent?
Most probably, they all had successfully fled from whatever tore their tent and from the looks of it. Kai's gaze settled on a certain pathway that had been sealed with smaller stones, currently ruined, rocks spilled on the floor, giving way for a sizable passage suitable for humans to pass through, but would hinder anything else larger.
Whoever commanded this camp, they sure knew what they were doing. Leading everyone to a successful escape without losses.
Fatigue momentarily forgotten, Kaiser crouched low on the boulder’s edge, his sharp gaze studying every inch of the abandoned camp. The eerie silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by the occasional sound of shifting stones beneath his boots.
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“Looks like I found something interesting after all,” he mumbled under his breath. Despite his exhaustion, his curiosity burned brighter now. Whatever had happened here, it wasn’t something he could ignore. Furthermore, that's a nice looking tent out there, it's more than he wished for.
With a deep breath, Kaiser launched himself off the boulder’s edge, aiming for a clean, cool descent into the abandoned campsite below to boast his inhumane power to literally no one. Unfortunately, fate was watching and had other plans.
His foot landed squarely on a loose shard of obsidian, sending him tumbling forward. His arms flailed, but gravity was merciless, and he crashed face-first into the jagged ground with all the grace of a dying bird.
“Argh, damn it!” he hissed, clutching his throbbing nose. Warm blood trickled between his fingers. He froze, unease prickling the back of his neck.
'Bleeding? That’s... odd.'
He frowned, rubbing his nose gingerly. It wasn’t like him to bleed so easily, not after slaying numerous invaders, even from a faceplant... His not sure, really. Kai still wished to have a system-like tabulator to track his progress.
Still, his exhaustion quickly drowned out his unease. Right now, the promise of shelter—of slumber inside the tent—was too alluring. He grumbled under his breath, cursing every sharp-edged rock in this cursed realm, as he pushed himself upright.
And soon enough, he saw it.
Inside the standing tattered tent was something that made his weary heart leap with cautious hope: uniforms. Actual clothing. Kaiser’s bedraggled state had become almost comical. His once-proud leather armor, reinforced with some steel plating, had been shredded in battle after battle—In the fiery war amidst the burning woods followed by his confrontation with the dinosaur—The last remnants of the steel plating had long since scattered during his rocky descent into this nightmarish realm. All that clung to his body now were filthy, tattered scraps, reeking of sweat, blood, and the foul ichor of slain invaders, dried and stinky.
Kaiser sniffed, grimacing. The stench was unbearable even to him. His current attire was less a uniform and more a collection of damp rags held together by sheer stubbornness. He sighed, his hand brushing against one of the uniforms in the tent.
But his fleeting smile faltered.
They were all women’s uniforms.
Not just any women’s uniforms, either—these were identical to the ones worn by students at the university he had attended before being thrown into this shattered reality. The realization hit him like a slap.
'So... They're here after all.'
The sight of these uniforms confirmed his suspicions, though it didn’t surprise him much. He had encountered other former students in Greenland before being cast into this abyss. Still, knowing he wasn’t entirely alone in this desolation brought a faint sense of relief.
But relief didn’t solve his immediate problem.
Kaiser stared at the uniforms, the corner of his mouth twitching. They were clean. Whole. Warm. Everything his current rags were not. But they were also... distinctly feminine. His face twisted in hesitation.
“No way,” he muttered, stepping back as if the uniforms might attack him. The very thought of draping himself in a girl’s uniform sent shudders down his spine. He could face monstrous, four-winged bats that could swallow him whole without flinching, but this? This was a different kind of horror.
Kaiser shook his head vehemently, muttering to himself as he turned toward the other tent. “There’s no way I’m wearing that. No, freaking way, I'd rather die.”
Kai may not possess much shame for others but he at least is ashamed of himself.
The other tent, though crumpled and torn, seemed promising. With a determined grunt, he rummaged through the collapsed fabric which fortunately had male uniforms in it. After searching for a while more, Kai got himself a new set of formal attire making him look human again.
Kaiser’s new uniform was simple yet striking, designed with a balance of practicality and elegance—relatively suited for combat yet refined enough to evoke a sense of authority. The previous owner of this suit was probably filthy rich back on Earth, because it's made of high quality fabric that adjusted to his movements. Then again, his former university is kind of prestigious.
The base was a sleek black jacket, form-fitting yet flexible, made from a material that shimmered faintly in the dim light. The high collar was edged with crisp white trim, adding a sharp contrast to the deep black. The jacket was adorned with subtle silver buttons running down the front, with two additional decorative straps crossing the chest diagonally. The cuffs bore intricate white embroidery in angular patterns, reminiscent of the obsidian shards surrounding him.
Underneath, a white undershirt peeked through, its collar just visible beneath the jacket, providing a clean, polished look. A slim black tie was tucked neatly into place, adding a formal touch to the ensemble. He almost threw the tie away, after all, who needs that in chaotic the Shattered Realms? But Kai kept it solely because it's the first proper tie he had. And it's free!
The pants were tailored and black, reinforced with subtle padding at the knees for durability without sacrificing style. Thin white piping ran down the sides, accentuating the uniform's streamlined design.
His shoes were black, polished to a mirror shine, and fitted perfectly to his feet. They were practical, designed for movement, with soles that gripped well against the jagged obsidian terrain, yet their minimalist style complemented the rest of the uniform’s aesthetic.
Completing the outfit was a short black cape draped over his left shoulder, secured with a silver clasp shaped like a crescent moon. The cape’s inner lining was white, creating a dynamic contrast when it fluttered in the wind. Kai thought for a moment, then decided to rip that part away. The rich students at the top add such decorations to express their superiority through fashion, and he disliked that. Furthermore, the fancy cape looks silly in his opinion, the ones made for hunters like what he has before are far cooler.
Kaiser adjusted the cuffs and collar, making it more loose and casual, all the while marveling at the fit. The uniform was surprisingly comfortable, almost as if tailored specifically for him—all his sizes are average, finding his fit isn't hard—Though simple in design, it exuded an understated elegance that suited his silent presence perfectly, clean, sharp, and ready for the battles ahead... Well, it won't become tattered easily due to the quality.
It's a formal attire made for a rich, proper young man, but worn by an introverted delinquent, to say the least.
“Finally,” he breathed, checking it with a sense of triumph. He didn’t know why the students who built this camp had discarded their uniforms, but that was a mystery for another time. Right now, all he cared about was warmth and comfort.
Apparently, the two tents were meant to separate males and females sleeping quarters for the sake of decency. The crumbled one is for the males, with the other for females. Kai briefly wondered if the thing that ravaged this camp didn't acknowledge gender equality and chuckled to himself.
The inside of the still-standing tent was equally promising. Other than being whole, there was a makeshift firepit—a circle of carefully arranged stones with charred remnants of burnt cloth inside. A flint, worn from use, lay nearby. The firepit hadn’t been used in some time, but it was clear that the campers had resorted to burning discarded uniforms for warmth. No one can blame them for burning expensive uniforms due to the uncomfortable coldness of this Realm, chilling enough to end an average person's life in one day or more, perhaps.
Kaiser’s gaze shifted to his tattered leather armor accompanied by ragged garments, now crumpled on the ground like a forgotten relic. It had served him well, enduring countless battles and surviving through hellish challenges. Yet now, its stench and sorry state made it impossible to ignore.
He sighed heavily, dragging it to the firepit. With a few careful strikes of the flint, sparks caught on the shredded leather, alongside all the female clothes he gives not even the smallest hint of care. Flames flickered to life, growing steadily as they consumed the fabric.
His former attire had been a loyal companion—not like a cloth could ever betray him—serving him through thick and thin until it was reduced to tatters, yet still clung to his immortal body to the end, even crossing the Boundary with him. It deserves an honorary burial in the fire, just like Garba, the last swordmaster of the tower.
Definitely not because it stinks, dirty and could prolong the bonfire flames. Yeah, Kai was sincerely doing this to honor his former hunter's attire, definitely not for comfort.
“Thanks for everything,” Kaiser said shamelessly with a straight face as he watched the flames dance. The warmth spread through the tent, chasing away the bitter chill of the surrounding silence.
As the fire crackled softly, he sank onto the ground, his body finally relaxing. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Kaiser allowed his eyes to drift shut.
“Finally... peace,” he murmured, surrendering to sleep at last.
After an unknown amount of time, his beastial sense informed his consciousness that something or someone was approaching.