The metallic taste and smell of blood assaulted Keith’s senses. Every inch of his body was bursting with pain. It felt as if needles were stabbing him all over, repeatedly. Without a doubt, today was the worst day of his life. It was only supposed to be a simple expedition into the Kavala Wastelands to gather materials for the Craftsmen Guild. Yet why did he become a sacrificial pawn?

          ‘Ah, it hurts. But why does pain have to bring clarity of mind? The memories, they are rage inducing.’

          Keith struggled to sit up against a tree in this god forsaken place. Leaning against it, there was little he could do. His situation was dire. Focusing upon where he felt pain, he traced his hand across a long cut upon his right eye. He was extremely lucky that he hadn’t lost his right eye. However, it would most certainly scar. Without a doubt his image was ruined. Even if he didn’t consider himself handsome, a scar would not do anything to help him.

          Across his chest, shoulders and back, there were countless wounds. Some of them were lacerations, others were punctures. There were even bite marks and X-Shaped slashes. There was no doubt; they would all scar as well. All in all he was having a horrible day, his body ached.

          At the very least, none of the wounds were lethal. This was perhaps the only silver lining of this hellish outcome. But was it really lucky? Was it truly better than dying? Chances of survival were nearly zero.

          ‘What I would do to have even an E-Rank Inherent Skill. It would definitely increase my chances... If I get out of here, I don’t care if I die in vain; I will kill those trash Hunters!’

          Keith began to chuckle as if he lost his mind, however, it never reached his eyes. They were cold, and devoid of any joy. How could he feel joy in his current situation?

          He was stuck in the Kavala Wastelands. It was a Planar Realm connected to Earth that wasn’t too difficult for most Awakened. As long as they paid attention, had sufficient equipment, and used their skills reasonably well, even if they were alone they could survive. It was considered an E-Rank Realm, perfect for newbie adventurers.

          The problem was Keith wasn’t even an adventurer, nor did he have any skills. He was an ordinary person. The only reason he treaded here was because he was essentially a courier. For low rank parties, he carried countless bags on his back full of supplies, equipment, and the loot that adventurer’s gained throughout an expedition. Although his physique was decent, he’d never fought anything from a different realm before. Rather, he had never fought in his entire life.

          At the Hunter’s Association, there were rules in place protecting the couriers like him who were employed. He naively believed that he wouldn’t encounter any danger… Alas he forgot one thing. In a life and death situation why wouldn’t the group sacrifice the weakest one first?

          He was experienced in this field. Despite him being a courier, he’d been doing this since he was sixteen. While he didn’t have ability, he did have experience and some knowledge he’d picked up over the years.

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          The day started out like any other, he travelled with a group that the Hunter’s Association assigned him to. Everything went smoothly, cores were being gathered, materials and loot were acquired, yet it was going too smoothly. He felt something was wrong. Despite his warnings, the group of novices refused to listen to him. After all, he was only someone who carried the supplies and loot, why should they listen to him.

          Parading ahead without any forethought, tragedy struck. A pack of Sand Wolves ambushed them. Sand Wolves weren’t that strong, most E-Ranks parties could deal with them even if they were ambushed. However, Keith’s group of novices were arrogant, they completely let their guard down. The formation collapsed, and after one of the group members was mauled to death, it was as if an unspoken decision was made. Keith was grabbed and thrown to the Sand Wolves while the rest of the group retreated to the portal that led to Earth.

          Had he not had two years of experience, Keith would’ve died then and there. Luckily he was able to fall, roll, and stand up in a mere second. During that process he didn’t make it out unscathed as his “Companions” made sure to injure him first. Then he was thrown away in order to be used as bait for the Sand Wolves.

 Running for his life, although he was in a sandy area reminiscent of desert, he knew the area well as he had come to the Kavala Wastelands multiple times.

          Following a path he knew, Keith put up with his injuries, including new ones the Sand Wolves caused while he escaped. With adrenaline pumping through his veins, Keith ran and dove into a river. With all of his strength he barely managed to keep himself afloat. The strong current threatened to drag him under.

Around him, the water turned bloody. Predatory fish swam around Keith as he fought to stay above water. Eventually he was swept to a waterfall. Falling down the waterfall, Keith was exhausted, he felt as if he had inhaled water into his lungs. With barely enough strength to get out of the river, he dragged himself onto land and began to painfully cough up water. Thus, he was now in his current, deplorable situation.

          Keith had struggled to lean against a nearby tree; he was in a small oasis. Although the realm was known as a wasteland, there were small pockets of land which were capable of sustaining plant life scattered among the river’s path. This oasis, although small, was one such place.

          Keith hissed in pain as he tore his shirt and wrapped it around the worst of his wounds. “That hurts; the wounds are going to leave nasty scars. So much for scars being a man’s badges of honor, these just show how weak I am.”

          After he dressed his wounds to the best of his abilities, Keith took a deep breath. Brushing his fingers through his thick brown hair, he gazed towards his surroundings. It seemed that one or two of the bags he carried had washed up on the shore. With any luck, they may or may not have anything he could use.

          Even if he was weak, even if he had nearly no chances of survival, he wasn’t going to give in just yet. The Kavala Wastelands, it was the realm he knew best. Of the few realms he had come to know from being a courier, if he was going to be stuck in a realm, this was the one he had the best chance of survival in.

          With the aid the tree to support his weight, Keith forced himself to stand up. He then struggled to walk towards the bags. He was fatigued, and there wasn’t a single place on his body that didn’t hurt. But his mind hadn’t broken down yet. Although faint, the will to live on was hidden deep within the recesses of his eyes. If fate wanted him to die, he wasn’t going to just let it happen. Even if he wasn’t Awakened, he refused to be a coward.