You never really understand a murderer's view until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around it.

That lines that I read somewhere before, unexpectedly rolled in my mind as I saw my image on the soaked red ground.

I watched the beast’s blood as it flowed into the ground and created a small pond. I saw my face on that pond. Was that my reflection? The attractive look that usually felt pleasant now seems like a stranger, the man on the red lake appeared frightening. Excitement, pleasure, thrill, and many emotions that shouldn’t be, emerged on my face while I cutting this beast. Did I change into something that wasn’t myself?

Did I already go too far?

Where was I taking the wrong turn?

…

Okay, enough with this monologue. I tried this once a while as a joke, and it’s kind of fun, but it’s creepy when my situation was really similar to the monologue.

I usually calmed myself with monologues in my head with some exaggeration. It’s put me at ease as though I was a reader and could view the situation more objectively. However, the situation was somewhat different, and when I exaggerated it, it sounded disturbing.

Anyway, I focused my attention on the beasts’ corpse. The beast's cause of death was some poisonous plants, but most of the poison won’t be lethal anymore, which could be seen from the corpse arid state.

I checked all the beast corpses but only found one that took my interest.

“Inspect,” I mumbled while focusing on the beast’s corpse.

Earlier, I tried many possible things and found that inspect is an acceptable system’s command. It gave some basic descriptions of the stuff I wanted to know.

“That shitty Guide, she threw us here without told us these basic commands,” I swore.

Sorideal Rhino Corpse

An omnivore species, but they prefer to eat meats rather than plants. They usually move and hunted individually.

Note: Their horn has medicinal properties to cure some ailments.

The corpse’s belly bulged with something which piqued my attention, I slit its belly with a sharp rock, and then, between blood and intestine, I found a human skeleton. Well, I said human skeleton, but there are many other nasty things other than the skeleton, but I’ll spare the gory detail.

It’s really not good for mental health.

I retrieved the skeleton from the corpse’ belly, it carried a leather satchel bag. Most of its content already corroded by the beast stomach acid, but I found a strange journal; it’s intact and clean even when other things got corroded.

“Inspect.”

Rudy’s Log

A diary made from Gine’s Tree – a common material for books and notes.

Note: Because of its material, the diary won’t easily destroyed.

The book was full of strange letters and symbols, but as expected, I still yet learned any language of this world. However, from many hand-drawn pictures in this book, I inferred that this book was about wildlife biology and their habitat.

This book was unusable for people who didn’t understand its language like me, besides that, I also didn’t have any leisure to learn it.

I put aside the book and ransacked other items in the bag and found nothing useful except some gold coins and a small dagger. There were foods and other small weapons inside the bag, but nothing usable nor palatable.

After everything been sorted and inspected, I threw all the things from the bag except the book and gold coins. Other than that, I also cut Rhino’s horn earlier and put it inside the bag. Then, I placed the dagger near the bag’s strap to make it easier to reach if immediate danger arises.

“This will do for now,” I said while looking at the bag and then wore it.

I stared at the skeleton for a moment, and then I bowed to it.

“Sorry that I took your belonging. Also, thanks.”

And soon, I went towards the town with the route I memorized earlier.

(2 Hours Later)

“Well, that was easy,” I murmured.

When I followed my route earlier, I took many detours as I avoid dangerous spots, which make my trip longer, but it surprisingly went out without a hitch. I already anticipated some unforeseen problems along the way. Even though I already planned the safest route – as avoided monsters, dangerous-looking plants, and dangerous places like quicksand – I still expected some surprise obstacles at my travel.

This smooth journey, to be honest, entirely unexpected for this kind of game.

A few minutes after I walked, I finally spotted the same gigantic town’s walls that I saw from the tree before. I stopped my steps and didn’t go there immediately. I hid near the town and picked a place where I can observe the town and also run away if necessary.

After all, I need to make sure that they weren’t hostile to a stranger like me.

There are some people queued outside the town gate, waiting for their turn to checked by the guards.

I also saw one luxurious carriage surrounded by many soldiers, they were lined up outside the gate while carrying flashy banners. They looked like an important group, the one in the carriage might have been a noble or some kind of merchant.

Even so, there was some interesting detail when I observed them more, the soldier was actually in weary states as though they were just taking a long trip. Even so, the town guards didn’t give them permission to cut the queue while the group showing no discontent from that treatment, at least not much.

It's odd for nobles of this city to not have clearance to bypass this kind of routine check.

“Except,” I mumbled while observing other people outside the noble’s group.

Unlike the noble group, others went to this city on foot. Most of them come in groups of two to four – each group was at least containing an adult man and woman. They wore ordinary clothes, and a leather bag lay on their back. Even though it’s not apparent, many of them wear bandages or layers of fabric which intended to block their wounds.

“So that’s why. They are refugees.”

There’s not much information yet, but I roughly understood what’s going on by observing the situation.

As the system said, my objective was to survive some kind of war. When the war began, some skirmish bound to happen, which naturally will implicate peasants. If it happened already, then there’ll be high surges of refugees from the losing side of that skirmish.

But of course, the refugees won’t only affect the peasants, the war will also directly implicated the nobles. When they were losing their territory from the war, they only could seek assistance from their allies, but their influence surely will fall on other nobles’ eyes.

I believed my inference was correct from the unnatural amount of guards on the watchtower and how many wounded groups that queued on the front of the city’s gate.

The war already began.

“It seemed there is no problem with going into the city. I could pretend as a refugee.”

Like Grandpa and Granny said – think boy, use your brain to smash any problem. Wait, that didn’t seem right.

Mm, whatever.

The most important thing was this city wasn’t hostile to foreigners, at least on the surface, and it was enough for now. I have to gather more information in this city for my own survival. If this town were safe enough, I'd stay there until the scenario finished while hunting beasts’ rune in the town’s vicinity.

Still, I doubted this scenario will give me peace.

“Anyway, time to go,” I said and then queued like everybody else.

Shortly after lining up outside the gate, I took the language rune from the pouch and used it.

Language Rune was Consumed.

Choose one of the following languages to master

Vardhandi Language

The official language used by almost every human tribe.

Finnick Language

An obscure language that often used by the Finnick tribe.

Haynam Language

Nearly extinct language because of famine on the Haynam tribe.

Chinese Language

A language created on earth mostly used by Chinese people.

“Chinese? Is a Chinese player around?” I surprised by a language which not supposed to be here.

That Chinese player was taking me by surprise, but my choice was clear, and it won’t change just because of that small surprise.

“No brainer. I’m picking Vardhandi.”

It seemed some people here come from minor tribes, which handed me those weird language options. I wanted to search for information in this city to survive, not to learning linguistics. There’s little to no merits to know those rare languages. It’s easier to communicate with others when we spoke with the same words.

After I choose it, I immediately understood many words along with their meanings. And then, not long after, the language structure, image, slang, and other essential aspects in the Vardandhi language also taught directly into my brain.

I felt the process takes a quite long time, but in reality, it’s happening instantaneously. Nobody around me even realized what just occurred.

Soon, the people's speech around me became clear. The voices that sounded like clattering nonsense earlier, now become noticeably comprehensible.

“This war really makes life hard for peasants like us,” an old man sighed while talking with an old woman, presumably his wife.

“Yeah, even Sir George run away to this place. Did humans even have a chance to win against those beings in the first place?”

Their conversations continued without any sign to stop. Their tone was depressing and gloomy.

‘So, my guess was true.”

The war was not good news, but at least I finally could converse with them. I observed around to find someone that looked like to chat. It didn’t take long, after a few moments, I saw a group of people talking to each other while waiting for their turn.

I walked towards them and join their conversation.

“Good afternoon, mates. Mind if I join you while waiting?” I said with a smile.

There was a story about a young Chinese girl.

Fourteen years ago, a baby girl was born at night in a middle-sized hospital. That day was the happiest day for the couple who just become father and mother. They were longing a child of their own for years, the baby’s cry on that day was like melodies from heaven.

Mei Xing was the name they give to the baby.

Years passed, and Mei's body grew healthily, but she rarely talked for an infant at her age. When the parents went to the doctor, and the doctor said that Mei has permanent hearing loss. The doctor also said their child would have trouble communicating with others.

The parents were shocked for a while, but they still showered Mei with affection as always. They make sure that their girl got what she needed. They learned hand sign language, took many classes to treat their special child, they also bought her many picture books and toys.

They swear that whatever happened, they’ll always love her, their sweetheart. She was just a little unique than other girls.

‘What could stop them?’ they thought.

But they died. From a traffic accident. When Mai was only six years old.

And then, the uncle act as Mei’s guardian, which supposed to take care of her, but the thing was, her uncle was a gambling addict and often used her inheritance to gamble. In just five years, all of her parents’ wealth gone to local casinos.

The uncle became a drunkard, no he always was one. However, after her inheritance dry, he started to beat her senselessly each time a debt collector came to their house. He also told her to stop going to school because it was a waste of money. She should go beg for money on the street instead.

Ans she did that. Since then, she begged for other’s pity, and when she didn’t bring enough money, another beating session could be expected.

It hurts.

However, she couldn’t scream, for she was a mute.

Three years passed, she spent it, as usual, begged some small change, hoping some pity from the passerby, which usually turned their face when they saw her dirty appearance.

One day, the uncle thought that her profession as a beggar wasn't brought enough money. And then he decided to sell her to a shady man. He grabbed her on her hair and bring her to that man in exchange for money.

That was the last straw.

She afraid, she terrified, and then finally, she broke.

She struggled, punched, clawed, and bite like a wild animal, which took her uncle by surprise. At that moment, she ran aimlessly, but how much stamina a malnourished child had? Soon, she exhausted and stumbled along the way until finally fell to the ground.

She exerted all her strength to get up, she looked a mirror on her left. She saw a dirty tearful little girl that full of snot and wounds on her body.

The mirror reflected her current state – a mute, worthless, and unwanted girl.

She questioned the reason for her life while weeping. And she asked the reason for her misery.

Was it a mistake, her existence in this world?

Her ice heart crushed by reality, she cried alone in this cold night.

She wanted someone sat next to her and told her everything will be okay.

But nothing happened. Because not every story had happy end.

While she weeping, the reflection on the mirror changed. Words appeared in the mirror, which she could understand.

[Mei Xing the Unloved. I saw your suffering. Do you want to leave this world and play a different game?]

[Yes] [No]

‘Mama, Papa,’ she thought while looking at the mirror, and then, before she fainted to the ground, she touched [Yes].

When she woke up, she found herself on a white space filled with hovering glowing balls. When those balls touched her body, all her wounds and her hunger disappeared. Also, she can hear again – people clamoring and then the beautiful fairy voices.

Those people let out something that she never experienced in her entire life. She didn’t understand what those echoes coming from peoples’ mouths means.

What happened was inexplicable to her, and when she tried to understand what just happened, she got thrown to an unfamiliar world.

When she woke up, she was in a forest with other people. Before they had any chance to think, a giant snake ambushed them. Their situation was dire, but with some sacrifice they could run away from the snake.

Finally, after everything calmed down, those people decided to work together, they wanted to survive as a group. There was strength in numbers. After all, that’s how humans persist and become apex predators on earth.

They created some bonds along the way even though everyone had different languages, they became friends as people who truly know what misery was.

‘What’s could go wrong,’ they thought.

But they all died. From another monster assault. Leaving her alone in an unfamiliar forest.

She ran and ran without directions, and then, with just sheer luck, she found a town. When she wanted to go inside, she stopped by the guard. She didn’t understand a word the guard said, but from the guard hand gesture, it seemed the guard told her to waited like everybody else.

And so, she waited, queued up like everybody else, and then she curled up on the corner.

When it was her turn, she walked towards the guard, but she couldn’t understand what the guard asked. The guard yelled at her with incomprehensible words for her. She became tearful as it reminded her of her uncle.

She confused and didn’t know what to do. Shortly, she burrowed her head into her knees.

‘Just end all of this,’ she thought while holding her sob.

However, not long after, a young man approached the guard, told him something that she didn’t understand.

He gives guard some gold coin, and then the guard finally put off a smile. The guard gestured his hand to let them inside while putting the gold inside his pocket. The young man grabbed her hand and bring her inside.

“Oh right,” the man halted his steps before he enters the town, and then he asked the guards with a language the girl didn’t understand, “Do you know where library and bar in this city?”