A pitch-black silhouette, a blurry outline, and a pair of eyes looking down from above.
The spinning coin let out a low murmur, while the massive throne warped in his vision.
In his daze, Aaron could hear a deep, muffled voice.
Yet that voice was viscous, as though it flowed with blood, and was filled with countless indistinct syllables he couldn't identify.
Even after listening to it countless times, Aaron still had no idea what it meant.
Everything seemed so illusory and strange...
He sighed heavily in his heart.
Not again...
Ever since he came to this world, whenever he had just fallen asleep—or even merely felt a little drowsy—that scene would naturally surface in his mind.
Yet those vague syllables seemed to possess some kind of magic. Every time he heard them, his head would ache unbearably.
They're practically sprinkling chili powder into my brain. How am I supposed to sleep like this?!
Ahem, yes, he had come to this world.
Aaron was certain that he had transmigrated, because his mind now contained many memories he had never possessed before.
For example, he, originally named Qin Ming, had been a university graduate who had only spent a few years as an overworked wage slave. Now, he was a down-and-out noble named Aaron.
However, beneath his ordinary exterior, he had an unusually strong curiosity—or, more accurately, an intermittent inability to control his urge to court death.
Like this time. After returning from work following a 996 schedule, he had happened to spot a shiny round object on the ground.
Normally, with electronic payments so advanced, hardly anyone carried coins anymore. That round object was probably just some glittering decorative trinket.
But unfortunately, a poor and curious wage slave couldn't resist. He had to crouch down and pick it up for a closer look.
And that look had caused a major problem.
It really was a coin. But before he could see it clearly, everything had classically gone black before his eyes...
When he awoke, he found himself trapped in this endless darkness.
He couldn't open his eyes, smell anything, or even move a finger. All he could hear was his own heartbeat and breathing.
And they still won't let me sleep under these circumstances?
This is utterly inhumane!
What kind of miserable existence is this?!
If he hadn't been optimistic by nature and able to review the fragmented memories in his mind to pass the time, he would have gone insane long ago.
Amid this endless darkness, he had already accepted the fact that he had transmigrated.
But the question was, couldn't someone come save him?
Transmigrating to another world and becoming a down-and-out noble was one thing, but why had he been locked in a dark room right from the start?!
Aaron still clearly remembered being in a tavern in the last scene. Even if the original owner had gotten drunk and been arrested for making a scene, the punishment shouldn't have been this cruel, right?
The only good news was that he still had a heartbeat.
That meant he was still alive. At least he hadn't transmigrated into a tree, a sword, or some other bizarre thing like an intelligent undead creature.
But the problem was, he had no idea how long it had been since he last ate!
It was easy to imagine that if nothing changed soon, he might become a transmigrator who starved to death...
It wasn't as though he hadn't tried struggling, but he couldn't even open his eyes. What could he struggle with?
After failing at his nth attempt to wriggle around uselessly, he was just about to count his heartbeats again to calculate the passage of time when he finally sensed something amiss.
Could that faintly be a vibration?
Then, he finally heard the first sound from the outside world since his transmigration.
Rip.
It sounded like cloth tearing.
If Aaron could control his body right now, he would already have been crying tears of joy.
Although he still couldn't open his eyes, he could finally sense light from the outside world.
At the same time, he heard a kindly voice. "Oh, look... Look at this poor little thing."
Before the voice had even faded, Aaron suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his arm.
That strange pain spread throughout his body in the blink of an eye, making him let out an involuntary muffled groan.
But immediately afterward, his heart leaped with joy—he could finally control his body!
The strange sensation of pain seemed to be awakening his already-numb body. His will was finally returning to his flesh.
He opened his eyes with some difficulty. First, he saw a sharp wooden stick. Then, he saw an old yellow-gray robe. Finally, he saw a weathered face.
His heart stirred.
Could this be the legendary opening where an old man is given to me?
The old man crouched down and gently pulled away the white silk fabric covering Aaron. He said patiently, "The Earth Demon Spider's venom will be neutralized soon. You'll be able to stand up shortly."
Earth Demon Spider?
Aaron was stunned. The memories in his mind told him that it was a low-rank magical beast. Its venom could plunge living creatures into a prolonged coma, after which the spider would unknowingly suck them dry until only a corpse remained.
So he had transmigrated into a spider's stored food and nearly been eaten?
Aaron shuddered with disgust, but immediately afterward, he felt that something was off.
But this was not the time to think it through carefully. With the old man's help, he finally crawled out of the cocoon.
However, he had no idea how long it had been since he last eaten. Crawling out alone had nearly exhausted all his strength, let alone standing up.
Fortunately, the old man thoughtfully handed him a waterskin. Aaron softly thanked him and drank nearly half of it before finally recovering a little.
He had no idea what was in the waterskin, but he was certain that the slightly viscous liquid was not water. It was more like honey water mixed with chili powder—sweet, with a subtle spiciness.
After drinking it, Aaron felt warm all over, and his spirits lifted.
As expected of an old man. Five-star service!
"Very good." Watching Aaron's performance, the old man nodded approvingly. "Very few people can recover this quickly."
"I don't know how I can repay you for saving my life." Following the way of expressing gratitude from his memories, Aaron slowly bowed.
He finally had time to inspect his clothes. They were embroidered with decorative patterns he couldn't name, and the material seemed to be some kind of silk. However, the clothes were rather worn, with considerable fraying at the cuffs.
"This is what I ought to do. I was only following orders."
Following orders?
Whose orders?
Why save him?
A string of questions flashed through Aaron's mind. As he looked around, he finally realized that the surroundings were pitch-black.
By the light of the torch overhead, he saw blue-green moss covering the damp brick walls. He heard the burbling of water from somewhere in the distance and only then noticed the persistent stench.
Aaron already had a rough guess, but he couldn't help asking, "Where... is this?"
The old man answered kindly, "This is the sewer beneath Leyden City."
The sewer beneath Leyden City?
Aaron's heart eased, and he let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness. At least I didn't end up somewhere strange. As long as I'm still in Leyden City, it's fine.
Wait...!
Aaron stiffened. He suddenly remembered that, according to the memories, monsters that ate people were rumored to lurk in Leyden City's sewers...
Could this so-called man-eating monster be the Earth Demon Spider?
He instinctively asked, "So where is the Earth Demon Spider?"
"The Lord granted me certain means that allowed me to lure it away. It isn't nearby for the moment."
Aaron relaxed, but the old man's next words sent him plunging into an icy abyss.
The old man spoke kindly, wearing a benevolent smile.
"After all, we can't let the sacrifice be eaten."
QwQ Please be a little lenient with this new book and give it a collection... orz
Before you continue