In the heart of Shattered Mountains, a giant valley exists, the place where humanity resides from the dangers of the outside world in a city of immense size.

The valley is not natural. The borders of the city appear as if someone had intentionally drawn an exact perpendicular square in the middle of the giant valley. However, the city’s shape is as unnatural as the mountain range surrounding it, a place where mountains are cracked with various spherical damages and burnt marks that have never faded away.

Similarly, strong wind has never stopped blowing through the gaps between - and within - the mountains. Differentiating between the sound of the wind and the natural sound of creatures living in the mountains is not an easy task. However, most residents living in the edges of the city do not care.

This impossible city is Continentia, the last and greatest bastion of humanity.

And the region outside is referred - at least by its commoners - as Incontinentia. It is known that those who exit the mega city through its main gate into Incontinentia perish because of the wilderness, vagrants, and - its most frightening threat - the Leukotic demons. White demonic monsters whose origin is unknown, yet feeds on the blood of Continentians.

For all intents and purposes, the world outside is nothing but an endless vast of white demons. This has been the case for at least a thousand years for Continentians through the protection given by the Overwall - a magical barrier specifically stopping Leukotic demons from penetrating into the city at any given point of time.

Ancient Continentian history tells the story of the First Kaisar - a nameless Sorceress and the founder of Continentia who mysteriously appeared and sacrificed herself through magic to establish the Overwall, thereby protecting humanity. It is thought that this period of history remains as the most significant of any period of history of Continentia. Honoring the legacy of the nameless Sorceress, the people of Continentia and the subsequent Five Families organized their government under the singular banner of the Kaiserrean - the unitary government of the Kaiser and its sovereign protector against the threat of the Leukotic demons.

Little did the people know, a massive upheaval will embrace the continent, shaking the very foundation of Continentia through the infection of an alien cosmic force into their world.

***

Hot Pig Inn, Malev Governorate, Gambit Commercial Sector

I opened my eyes. I see what appears to be the run-down interior of a medieval tavern, or inn.

I shuddered and panted in shallow gasps. I’ve been reborn, or reincarnated, or whatever is the term for “this”. I’m still too terrified at what I had just experienced in the endless void where I had met the roach-god or whatever that thing might be.

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Thus, the contrast jarred me.

Having already felt horrible from being eaten by the cockroach in the hospital whilst reminding myself of when I fell into the ground of the void without realizing I had been rid of my pancreatic cancer, I felt a bit surprised to find myself now sitting on a wooden stool too uneven to be called a comfortable sitting platform.

My upper body is relaxed, lying on a wooden dusty table with wooden grains sticking out here and there. The first thing I heard was the strumming of a ukulele-like object accompanied by the gleeful singing of a man.

However, before I could turn to see the person, I felt a heavy tap on my shoulder.

“Ey…” A voice said.

The voice was that of a mountainous, rugged man with little to no expression of being friendly. Mountainous not only from his size but also from what can be described as his general aura.

His clothes were definitely of the medieval variety, but stories must be extensive with him as the white tunic’s color is fading into a brown-yellow-ish color.

I stared at him. Confusion abounds. He stared back with an annoyed expression, a protruded chin pointing at me whilst his eyes looked down. It was several seconds of silence before he continued to talk.

“Finally awake.” The man said. “I don’t see much’o you ‘round these parts, but I hope you’re not one of those late-night runners scammin barkeeps by fakin’ a drunk.”

“I–No–I’m not drunk…” I said. “I’m just–”

He must be the host of this inn.

The man’s eyes pierced through my stuttering. I glanced at the sight he had gazed whilst I responded and saw a stack of five wooden beer mugs, each around the size of my stomach - at least before I was reborn into this misunderstanding.

“Eh.” he said. “Sound drunk talk to me enough.”

I let out a weak chuckle, forcing myself as well to strain a smile at the man.

“Sorry,” I said. “What was your name again, bartender?”

“I’m a barkeep.” He said. “And it’s Frederick, you drunk.”

He frowned.

“Oh, yes, Frederick- Fred. The barkeep!” I said. “Really sorry, but where’s the toilet again?”

He grunted before walking to the back of the bar. He pointed to a door in one corner of the inn.

A wooden door adorned with some rusty metal parts and old hinges, separated from me by approximately two tables crowded by a dozen men of various exteriors, some fat, rough, and as slim as a walking skeleton.

As he walked away from me, I saw the opportunity to dash for the door, not caring at all at the possible reaction from the people who might have noticed my abruptness, including the barkeep.

“Don’t ‘cho pass out in my–” Frederick said. At least that was the last thing I heard from him as I entered through the door.

The room which was referred to as “the toilet” was really a horizontally-cramped space with a repurposed bucket nailed to the ground. Some suspicious murky water was running from a small hole in the wall right next to the aforementioned not-so-clean seating platform.

A flash of light hits my eyes, reflecting from a broken area on the right side of where I was standing once I entered the room.

This is just what I needed.

I immediately face the mirror.

In actuality, since the very moment I opened my eyes and heard the barkeep, a central question plagued my mind.

Who am I now? In this seemingly medieval world which I’ve been reincarnated to? Am I still in the same body as I was in my world? Most importantly, if indeed that was the case, am I still with my cancer?

The answer was not what I expected.

Fuck.

I saw my own face.