[Present Day]
"How... did I come back?"
A slightly gaunt man gazed silently at the desert sky.
For some reason, he had appeared in the ruins once again.
And...
Thump, thump, thump—
His heart raced.
He needed to tell Lady Aertemi about what had just happened as soon as possible. He had to tell her that he'd found a perfect vessel. If he could obtain that person's body, it would surely be of tremendous help to Lady Aertemi.
He tried to move his feet. At that moment, all he wanted was to leave the ruins immediately.
He no longer felt any desire to keep exploring.
But suddenly, he realized that his legs felt as though they were filled with lead.
So heavy.
He couldn't move at all.
Wait, what was happening to my body?
He examined himself from within and suddenly discovered that his organs were dissolving and rotting. Everything inside him was gradually corroding, leaving only the outermost layer of skin intact.
What was going on?
Why was his body dissolving?
It made no sense... It was inconceivable!
What should he do?
What could he do now?
All around him was nothing but yellow sand. There wasn't a single person here, let alone a monster... He couldn't find anyone to call for help, and it looked like it was already too late.
He searched through his spatial pouch with his mind.
He soon found several bottles of medicine and gulped them down.
Glug, glug~
Yet there was no sign of improvement. Even the medicines that had seemed miraculous before did nothing now.
Death... was closing in.
He was utterly helpless.
Regret, unwillingness, despair, and confusion...
He couldn't understand why he was going to die.
He had such a bright future ahead of him. He had so much still to