"Where am I?"

  Viktor opened his eyes.

  A vast, brilliant blue sky stretched above him. The warm sunlight bathed his skin, and a gentle breeze rustled past. He was so captivated by the sight that, for a moment, he thought he was dreaming—until he realized he was falling.

  Yet, instead of panicking, he remained calm, gazing at the endless sea of green below. The wind rushed against his face. He was certain this was a dream. After all, people often experience the sensation of falling in dreams, only to wake up before hitting the ground.

  Seconds passed. Suddenly, Viktor's eyes widened.

  'If this is a dream… then why can I feel the wind? Why can I feel the warmth of the sun on my skin?'

  "Wait a minute… No, no! This is just a dream, right?"

  The ground grew closer, expanding in his vision. The nearer it got, the more anxious he became.

  "This is a dream, right? There’s no way this is real! Stuff like this only exists in fiction!"

  Viktor couldn’t believe what was happening. But at this point, it didn’t matter—he was about to hit the ground. Squeezing his eyes shut, he braced himself for the inevitable pain.

  Thud!

  His face smacked into something solid, his mouth forced open as saliva splattered outward.

  His entire body hit the ground.

  "Fuck! Ouch! Ouch! Oh wait…."

  Viktor opened his eyes as realization struck him. He looked down at himself, expecting excruciating pain—but there was none. Falling from the sky should have left him broken or worse, but he was completely fine.

  He stood up, scanning his body. No fatal injuries, just a few bruises. His limbs moved with ease.

  "By now, I should've woken up… but I haven’t. Does that mean… this isn’t a dream? This is real?"

  The thought sent a chill down his spine. He quickly tried to recall how he got here.

  As far as he knew, he was just an ordinary college student on Earth. He had a happy family, good friends, and no enemies. No one held a grudge against him. He hadn't stepped through any mysterious portals, met any strange old men, or encountered a beggar who turned out to be a god.

  The more he thought about it, the more his head ached. He let out a sigh and shook his head.

  "Never mind that… I won’t get any answers just by thinking about it. I should figure out where I am first. Maybe… I’m still on Earth? Maybe this is just some elaborate prank by a TV show?"

  Viktor looked around before moving forward, searching for a hidden camera or crew members working behind the scenes. Deep down, he knew it was just an excuse—something to comfort himself from the unbelievable reality unfolding before him.

  "I don’t know any survival skills or anything that could help me in this situation… Hopefully, there’s a town nearby," he muttered as he continued walking.

  A tree branch brushed against his foot, making it itch. He scratched absentmindedly as he pushed through the tall grass. Strange plants and unfamiliar sights surrounded him—things he had never seen on Earth. Or maybe they did exist, and he had just never paid attention. After all, he was never interested in nature.

  —ROAR!

  A sudden, guttural roar sent a chill down his spine. His body stiffened as he quickly scanned his surroundings, but he saw nothing. Without hesitation, he ducked behind a nearby tree, pressing his back against the rough bark. His heartbeat pounded in his chest, and sweat began to form on his forehead.

  "Is that a tiger… or maybe a bear? Hopefully not," he whispered, wiping his brow. "God, why am I here?"

  —WOO!

  "Another one?!" Viktor blurted out before immediately covering his mouth. He held his breath, afraid that whatever made the sound might have heard him.

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  The roars and eerie howls continued. It sounded like two creatures locked in a battle. He could hear the rustling of grass and the heavy thuds of something moving nearby. His pulse quickened, and his ears burned with anxiety.

  "I can’t stay here."

  He knew staying put was too dangerous. He had no idea where the beasts were, but if he remained in one place, they might find him. His best option was to put as much distance between himself and them as possible. The farther, the better.

  Slowly, he turned back the way he had come, lowering his body and stepping carefully. Each movement was precise, and calculated. He held his breath, his muscles tense.

  Then, his eyes widened.

  "Fuck."

  Just a few feet away, behind another tree, stood a beast.

  A massive, three-headed black wolf.

  Its piercing eyes locked onto him.

  For a moment, time seemed to freeze.

  Then Viktor turned— and sprinted.

  "Damn! Damn! There’s another one! What kind of situation is this?!"

  —Awoooo!

  Seeing its prey flee, the three-headed wolf gave chase.

  The hunter pursued. The prey ran for its life.

  "Please! What kind of hell is this?! I don’t want to die!" Viktor shouted as he sprinted. "Whoever sent me here, I swear—if I survive, I’m going to find you and kill you!"

  "I was just a normal guy, living peacefully! Just send me home, and we’re good!"

  By now, Viktor had no doubt—this wasn’t Earth. There was no way a massive, three-headed wolf, larger than a full-grown man, could possibly exist back home. That meant only one thing.

  He was in a fantasy world. However, this was not a fantasy now.

  "If I ever wished to be sent to another world with cheats or wished upon a falling star… I take it back! I don’t want this anymore!"

  As an avid novel reader, Viktor had always loved stories about protagonists being transported to other worlds, gaining cheat abilities, or awakening powerful systems. Sometimes, he had even fantasized about experiencing it himself—going on grand adventures, learning magic, becoming a hero.

  But that was a lie.

  Fiction was one thing. Reality was another.

  And now that it was happening to him, he wanted nothing more than to go back home.

  His body burned with exhaustion. His legs felt like lead. Each breath he took was heavy and strained. He had never been the athletic type, and now, his lack of exercise was catching up to him.

  Behind him, the monstrous wolf continued the chase. But strangely, it wasn’t running at full speed. It could have easily caught him by now.

  'It’s toying with me…'

  The realization sent a shiver down his spine. The beast wasn’t hunting for survival—it was playing with its food, letting him run himself into exhaustion before closing in for the kill.

  "I… I can’t…"

  His vision blurred. His legs wobbled.

  Then—his body gave out.

  He collapsed to the ground, his limbs refusing to move. His eyelids felt heavy, his consciousness slipping away.

  'If I knew this was going to happen… I would’ve listened to my mom and started exercising.'

  He saw the silhouette of the wolf perched on the thick branches above.

  For a brief moment, his life flashed before his eyes—

  His mother, was always gentle and caring.

  His father, is constantly away on business trips.

  His grandmother, looked far too young for her age.

  His aunt, who always spoiled him with gifts.

  His childhood friend, always by his side.

  His class president, the quiet girl with glasses.

  And the student council president—a cold, sharp-tongued queen who never missed a chance to insult him, yet somehow always brought him lunch and helped him when he needed it.

  One by one, their faces appeared in his mind.

  "'This is it…"

  Viktor closed his eyes and waited for death.

  He didn’t want to die. But he was powerless. His body was completely drained—exhausted beyond its limit. He couldn’t move, no matter how much he willed it.

  'Sheer determination alone isn’t enough… That only happens in fiction.'

  And so, Viktor lay there—waiting for the inevitable.

  Waiting for death.

  Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes stretched on.

  Yet… there was no pain.

  Viktor slowly opened his eyes.

  The wolf was gone.

  He got up, his body still aching, but instead of lingering, he immediately broke into a run. Those few moments of rest had given him just enough time to recover some stamina. As he ran, his mind raced.

  'Why didn’t the wolf kill me?'

  —ROAAAAR!

  A deafening roar erupted from the sky, sending a powerful gust of wind surging through the forest. Viktor felt the force of it against his body, nearly knocking him off balance. His eyes widened.

  "What the hell was that?!"

  He glanced behind him and quickly dived under a tree for cover.

  "You stupid lizard! Take this!"

  A voice echoed from above.

  Viktor peeked out—and what he saw left him speechless.

  A young man, strikingly handsome, was soaring through the sky on a sword.

  With a flick of his wrist, several glowing swords materialized before him, shooting toward a massive creature that was chasing him.

  A dragon.

  The beast roared, and the swords vanished into thin air as if they had never existed. The young man’s face twisted in frustration.

  Viktor watched in awe.

  "A dragon… and a cultivator?! I’m in a cultivation world…"

  His thoughts were interrupted as the young man suddenly changed direction—heading straight for him.

  Viktor’s face paled.

  Before he could react, he felt his body lift off the ground. The cultivator had appeared beside him in an instant, his speed unbelievable.

  "So fast!"

  Without hesitation, the young man grabbed Viktor by the collar—

  —And threw him.

  Viktor’s stomach lurched as he realized where he was falling.

  Straight toward the dragon’s open mouth.

  His mind went blank.

  The cultivator had sacrificed him to buy himself time to escape.

  Viktor glared at the man in disbelief, helplessly plummeting toward his doom.

  "Just kill me already…"

  Darkness consumed his vision. The last thing he heard before everything faded was a cold, indifferent voice:

  "Be grateful, mortal!"