"Hurry up, Baggins. This place is decidedly eerie."

"Fine, mate. This lad is nothing but a penniless wretch. Not a single copper coin to his name. Bloody hell..."

"I had a suspicion..."

...

Sss...

Why can't I exert any strength? My entire body feels as if it's been shattered into pieces. It's excruciatingly painful...

What on earth is happening to me? Could it be that my martial arts training has led to some sort of blackout?

Glen faintly heard a conversation. His consciousness gradually emerged from the murky depths. Sensing the peculiarity of his body, he couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.

Opening his eyes, he beheld the inky tree tops and the semi - dark expanse of sky encircled by them.

The people nearby were still conversing.

"Since he has nothing of value on him, we'd best make haste and leave this place. We'll be in a fix if we run into some meddlesome fellow."

"It's a waste to leave him here. I might as well devour him."

"As you wish, but do be quick about it..."

The voices grew nearer, yet a sense of bewilderment welled up within Glen.

Wait... Devour him? Me?!

A jolt of alarm shot through Glen. A foreboding sense of unease filled him. Despite his enfeebled state, he summoned the strength to rise.

"The lad's still alive?" A strange male voice rang out.

Glen turned his gaze in the direction of the sound. There stood a man with a thick, bushy beard and a hooked nose, attired in coarse garments, leering malevolently at him.

Behind him lurked a gaunt figure, concealed in the shadows, his features indistinguishable.

Have I been abducted? That's out of the question! Given my martial prowess and vigilance, how could I have been spirited away to this place without a trace?

Glen hailed from a family with a long - standing tradition of martial arts. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the military and joined an elite national unit. His vigilance was beyond reproach. This current situation left him thoroughly perplexed.

He also noticed that the man approaching him was dressed in attire reminiscent of the Middle Ages, with a revolver and a dagger hanging from his waist.

Everything exuded an air of discordance. Even his own body felt utterly foreign.

Could I have... transcended into another world? Surely not... This absurd thought flashed through his mind. He attempted to dismiss it, yet it seemed the only plausible explanation.

Suddenly, a recollection surfaced in his mind, further reinforcing this supposition. This world... magic, dragons, elves, dwarves, steam, kingdoms... A cascade of words raced through Glen's mind.

The previous owner of this body was named Dylan Nibankru, born into a merchant's family. He delighted in roaming about, flaunting his wealth and occasionally engaging in dissolute behavior.

Perhaps it was retribution.

His fabulously wealthy father unexpectedly sent a letter proclaiming his bankruptcy, yet secretly set aside a small reserve of funds for his children, sufficient to sustain them for a while.

The letter concluded with a solemn admonition for him not to return home.

Upon receiving this news, the original owner was as if struck by lightning. Defying his father's warning, he resolutely made his way back home, only to learn of his parents' demise from his siblings.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

They informed him that their parents had been slain by enemies, and the police had already closed the case.

Following the funeral, the siblings each took their meager share of the inheritance and dispersed in different directions.

The original owner wandered aimlessly for months, lost in a daze. When he finally regained his senses, he discovered that the money in his pocket was running perilously low. Consequently, he purchased an extremely inexpensive cottage in a remote corner of the Zeen Kingdom's territory and settled down.

However, the place where he made his abode was extremely uncanny. The original owner lived in a constant state of dread.

This morning, while on his way back from purchasing provisions in Shangwai Town, he suddenly felt a searing pain and a dull thud at the back of his head, and then everything went black.

It was only moments ago that Glen's consciousness awakened within this body...

I've truly transcended into another world... It took but an instant for Glen to process this flood of information. With no time to dwell on it, he took a moment to compose his breath and then fixed his gaze upon the approaching bearded man.

In his present physical condition, it was all but impossible for him to overcome these two grown men in a direct confrontation.

Yet for Glen, who had transcended into this world, there was an opportunity.

His eyes darted about, sweeping over the two men in front of him from head to toe, as if calculating something in his mind.

"Why aren't you speaking? Scared speechless? Lie down obediently!"

The bearded man shouted brazenly and extended a thick arm, attempting to push Glen over.

The instant the arm was about to touch Glen's body, his gaze suddenly sharpened. The knuckles of his right palm's front fingers curled, and like a striking viper, he jabbed at the bearded man's neck!

The two men had completely dismissed the feeble Glen as a threat and were utterly unprepared for this turn of events.

Feeling the immense pressure on his neck, the bearded man's head jerked down abruptly, and his tongue protruded involuntarily, as if on the verge of vomiting.

Glen's right hand retracted swiftly, and his left hand had already snatched the dagger hidden at the man's waist. With a fluid motion, he sliced across the bearded man's throat.

The other man hidden in the shadows had finally reacted, but it was already too late.

Glen's retracted right hand drew the revolver from the bearded man's waist. Using the man's body as cover, he flipped off the safety, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out suddenly in the silent forest, startling a flock of birds.

The man hidden in the shadows was shot in the head and crashed backward heavily.

Everything unfolded with such smoothness and naturalness, as if it had been rehearsed.

Glen shoved the bearded man away forcefully. The man was still clutching his neck, making gurgling sounds.

Feeling a searing, tearing pain in his abdomen, Glen lifted his shirt. There were four freshly healed wounds on his stomach, and one of them had reopened, with blood oozing out in thick streams.

Those damned scoundrels must have done this... Glen furrowed his brows and tore off a piece of cloth from his clothes to cover the wound.

Suddenly, he noticed that the fallen bearded man was still breathing and making noises.

Glen lowered his head, and his eyes widened in shock.

The bearded man's face was undergoing a dramatic transformation.

First, his mouth protruded prominently outward, and the process continued. Dense black fur sprouted on his cheeks, covering more of his skin like wild grass.

This fellow was actually a werewolf! Glen instantly understood the situation through his acquired memories.

Without hesitation, he raised his hand and aimed the revolver at the bearded man's forehead.

The man needed time to complete his transformation, and Glen certainly wouldn't give him the chance.

He pulled the trigger, and a click sounded, but the expected gunshot did not follow.

What's going on? Glen repeatedly flipped the safety and pulled the trigger, yet there was still no gunshot.

He opened the cartridge chamber.

There were no bullets left!?

He flung the revolver aside, took the dagger from his left hand with his right, and lunged forward, pinning the bearded man's head down. The dagger plunged straight into the still - healing wound on the man's neck!

Perhaps due to the threat to his life, coupled with his werewolf constitution, the man was incredibly strong. Even with his weight advantage, Glen struggled to keep him down.

His left hand, sapped of strength, failed to hold on. The half - transformed wolf head opened its jaws filled with menacing white fangs and clamped down hard on Glen's wrist.

A wave of excruciating pain washed over Glen, yet he dared not halt the movement of his right hand. He continued to slice through the flesh and blood of the man's neck.

At this moment, Glen felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, the man couldn't exert his full strength; otherwise, his left hand would likely have been lost.

Finally, Glen severed the bearded man's head from his body. The struggle ceased, and Glen's left hand felt the pressure lift.

Pulling out his blood - smeared left wrist, Glen didn't dare to pause. He gasped for breath and rushed towards the other man.

The fellow hidden in the shadows showed no signs of any abnormal transformation, but Glen didn't dare to be careless. He also cut off his head.

After finishing, he collapsed to the side, gasping for breath and taking a well - earned rest.

What a thrilling start. I almost didn't make it... Glen felt his pounding heart, trying to ease his taut nerves.

The wound was still bleeding. After a short rest, he administered some basic first aid. Then, gritting his teeth, he rose to his feet and staggered in the direction of his dwelling.