By a small riverside deep in the forest, Yan Yi tore off all his bandages and adhesive bandages, washing away the sticky residue with river water.

Not a single wound marred his body. His pale yellow skin and deceptively lean, well-proportioned muscles hid unimaginable power.

With a flick of his wrist, the river surged upward. Cracks even split the opposite bank.

*Plop. Plop.*

Two fish landed beside Yan Yi, still thrashing.

He examined them closely—definitely an unknown species. Suppressing his urge to dissect them, he reluctantly prioritized his empty stomach.

Though he could gut the fish barehanded, caution made him use a stick instead. *Probably all blunt weapons here anyway...*

After primitive fire-making, Yan Yi finally ate his dinner of roasted wolf and fish. Without seasonings, even his skills couldn’t make it tasty. The fish was normal enough. As for the wolf meat...

Earlier, he’d efficiently butchered the wolf king with stone shards. Yet no matter how he searched, he found no fire-producing organ. Frustrated by the lack of modern tools, he skinned the wolf whole. Staring at the glistening meat, he swallowed hard.

"*I’ll be the first human from Earth to eat this otherworldly wolf—not crab! May history remember my greatness!*"

Driven by this noble(ish) mission, he cooked the wolf meat. The two fish were just a bonus.

After dinner, Yan Yi leaped onto a thick tree branch. Wrapping himself in the wolf pelt, he fell asleep.

.......

In the pitch-black dreamscape, Yan Yi slowly opened his eyes, bewildered. He stood up, scanning the unnervingly real darkness. He could even sense his own condition clearly.

"*So it begins.*"

Just as he raised a fist to test if this was truly a dream, a voice whispered behind him—flat, emotionless. Yan Yi froze. Not because someone had approached unseen.

But because it was *his own voice*.

He turned. There stood a man with messy crimson hair that seemed drained of vitality, yet burning red eyes—nothing like Yan Yi’s hollow gaze. Undeniably, it was himself. Yan Yi.

(An onlooker would’ve seen the real Yan Yi—black-haired and black-eyed—facing his red-haired double.)

"*Long time no see... me.*"

As the crimson-haired Yan Yi spoke, light flared. A shattering sound tore the dream apart. Yan Yi’s consciousness sank back into sleep.

.......

Yan Yi woke precisely at six the next morning. *Why hasn’t my alarm gone off? Is my body clock broken?* Then he remembered—he wasn’t *there* anymore.

Sighing at the thought, he tossed aside the wolf-pelt blanket and jumped down. A fleeting memory teased his mind, but vanished when he grasped for it.

"*Did I dream something?*"

Landing on the ground, he strained to recall. Nothing surfaced. He gave up.

After hastily eating a few safe-looking berries for breakfast, he folded the wolf pelt, tied it to his back with vines, and left.

For five days, Yan Yi wandered. He saw countless unknown creatures: a giant lizard spewing fire like the wolf king (though not fireballs), a unicorn-horned leopard crackling with lightning.

Naturally, he dissected and ate them all.........

The endless forest unnerved him. He’d sprinted nonstop for over fifty miles in one direction—yet trees stretched everywhere.

"*This is bad. What if there are no humans in this world?*"

Size didn’t matter to Yan Yi. But no humans? He’d weep. *At least give me some fair-skinned Elven Race ladies!*

Resigned to seeking non-human company, he finally spotted a village on the sixth morning—a rare beast-free zone.

His heart leapt. Tears nearly spilled. From afar, he’d confirmed the villagers: human-shaped bodies, human ears, human eyes—*humans!*

Cautiously, he circled the village, observing. Nothing seemed amiss...

Except farmers summoning water with a flick and a blue sigil. Or cooks igniting firewood with a red sigil and a gesture.

Yan Yi’s eye twitched. While others would’ve yelled "*Magic!*" in delight, he wondered: *Should I dissect them? Damn it—I mean, should I enter?*

These villagers likely rarely left their homes. Showing up uninvited in such a remote place might bring trouble.

One comfort: their clothes resembled his. This world’s civilization wasn’t primitive, despite the strange powers.

*Imagine meeting some ancient-dressed guy who says, "Young man, your bone structure is unique! Follow me to cultivate immortality!"* Yan Yi grimaced. *I’d punch him so hard he’d ascend to heaven on impact.*

Sighing, he had to take this step. He rehearsed his greeting, then walked toward the village from miles away.

Up close, the village felt alive—trees encircling peaceful fields, children’s laughter mingling with farmers’ chatter.

Watching the scene, hearing the sounds, Yan Yi’s guard dropped. He approached a middle-aged man working in a field.

The man had noticed Yan Yi earlier. Sensing no danger or mana fluctuations—and knowing travelers sometimes passed through—he smiled warmly.

*(Young traveler, weary from your journey? Rest in our village?)*

Yan Yi nodded back, about to reply—when his body stiffened.

He’d understood every word.

Though he’d never heard that language before.