The boy's eyes fluttered open, the scent of damp earth and leaves filling his lungs. A thick canopy of trees stretched overhead, their branches swaying gently in the breeze, allowing slivers of sunlight to pierce through. His body ached, his clothes were torn, and his mind was a haze of confusion.
"Where am I?"
he thought, sitting up and glancing around. The forest stretched endlessly in all directions, unfamiliar and eerily silent except for the distant chirping of birds. He tried to recall how he got here, but his memory was little blank.
The boy slowly sits up, his head pounding.
"Ugh… my head… Where… am I?"
Groan the boy muttering to himself.
He glances around, taking in the endless trees surrounding him.
The boy thinking in his mind, "This… this isn't my room. This is a forest. How did I—?"
His breathing quickens as he tries to remember. His mind a little blur, but then, like a spark in the darkness, a memory surfaces.
"I was… in bed. Yeah. I stayed up late… studying. 12th finals were coming. I was exhausted, so I… went to sleep." , said the boy recalling his past memories.
He clenches his fists, his heart relaxing.
Boy start to think of possible outcomes: " Then why am I here? Did someone bring me or am I dreaming?, wait! dreaming ,if it is a dream than is it lucid dreaming,but this feels so real."
Then his eyes lit up and he pinches his arm—pain shoots through it.
"Ow! …No. This is really real. If this is real than whay am i in the middle of nowhere, did someone kidnap me... no no no no, that cant be possible ", the boy quickly denied the outcome, as he hasn't offended anyone.
A relaxed yet confusing expression appear as he stands up, looking deeper into the forest.
" So what the hell is going on here... ?....hah?"
As sensing something was off the boy slowly, but steadly, "Something feels… off. My hands… they're too small."
He lifts his hands in front of him—tiny fingers, delicate and weak. His clothes are tattered, and when he moves, a sharp pain shoots through his body.
" Ngh—! What…?"
He presses a hand to his side and winces. His body aches all over, bruises and cuts covering his legs.
"No… This isn't my body. This is so small to be my body"
Then, like a flood breaking through a dam, memories that aren't his crash into his mind.
Flashes of a young boy's life—an orphane, … then fear. Running. Screams. Pain. A dark figure looming over him a 20 year spirit beast. A final, desperate cry—then everything fades.
"W-What is this?! Who… was that?!", The boy clutching his head , digesting the memories slowly.
His breathing becoming steady as the rush of memories slows down. He grips his chest, his heart hammering against his ribs.
" I… I'm not me anymore. I'm… him." The boy whispering with some surprise yet calm expression.
He looks down at his trembling hands—this body belonged to someone else, a five-year-old child named ******** who had been hurt… and ....
. But now, somehow, he was here, in this child's place.
" This… this isn't just a dream. This is transmigration of soul?" The boy said with some concern, why he has to transmigrate?
He slowly pushes himself to his feet, his legs weak but steady. He doesn't know how or why, but one thing is clear—he is alive but in different world with supernatural powers from the child's memory.
Soul Beasts… Soul Masters… Spirit Rings… this… this is the Douluo Dalu world?!
The realization hits him. This isn't Earth. This is a world of martial souls, soul rings, and cultivation. A world where the strong thrive and the weak perish.
" Damn it… If I really transmigrated here in someone's elses body, then… I'm just a kid. A weak, injured kid in the middle of a forest without shelter."
Just as he starts piecing things together, a deep, guttural roar sounded.
"Hah!...What was that sound?!"
He turns toward the sound, his body tensing. From the dense foliage, an animal/creature emerges—standing almost two meters tall, covered in thick, dark fur. Its muscular frame is built like a fortress, with a pair of curved, razor-sharp horns gleaming under the sunlight.
Boy muttering in horror, "A… a Bison Buffalo?!"
The beast's nostrils flare, steam escaping as it locks eyes with him. Its hooves stomp the ground. This is no ordinary animal—this is a Soul Beast.
Boy thinking, panicking," No, no, no! I just got here! I can't die already!"
The Bison Buffalo snorts aggressively, lowering its head. Then—with a deafening roar—it charges.
Boy eyes widening, heart pounding "Shit—!"
His body moves on instinct, adrenaline kicking in as he scrambles backward, barely dodging as the beast smashes through where he stood just moments ago. Dirt and debris fly into the air as the Buffalo's hooves dig into the ground, readying for another attack.
Boy panting, shaking "I have to run! But… my body is too weak!"
He stares at the charging beast, terror gripping his chest. In this world, strength means everything. Right now, he has nothing. No martial soul, no soul power, nothing….
Unless....
A strange warmth pulses in his eyes.