Chapter 1 I. Have. Transmigrated. Again!
"Pa... pa!"
In the dimly lit cave, a campfire burned brightly, occasionally making small cracking sounds. The firelight flickered, illuminating the entire cave.
In one corner of the cave, a boy of about twelve or thirteen curled up beside the fire. He was wrapped in a large black animal hide, and through the firelight, one could see that the inside of the hide still carried traces of unprocessed animal fat.
It was an animal hide blanket, extremely rough in workmanship, even giving off a faint fishy odor.
The boy's face was as smooth as butter, his features delicate and handsome. His long red hair was soft and loose. However, on the left side of his forehead was a large flame-shaped birthmark that extended to the corner of his eye and spread down to his cheek. The presence of the red flame-like mark added a layer of mystery to his appearance.
At this moment, the boy's eyes were tightly shut, his body curled up, trembling slightly, as if he were enduring great pain.
After a long time, the boy opened his eyes, looking around the environment in confusion. In his bright eyes, a trace of twilight flashed and vanished, replaced by astonishment, shock, and... disbelief.
"This... how is this possible?!"
A low murmur broke the silence in the cave. The boy's voice was filled with shock. He seemed unable to believe what was happening before him. From within the hide, he extended his hands and rubbed his eyes.
He closed them again, then reopened them, rubbing harder, and finally gave himself a slap on the face. Feeling the sting on his cheek, the boy seemed to recognize the reality of his surroundings.
After a short while, the astonishment and confusion in his eyes faded, replaced by deep curiosity. A low whisper echoed through the cave:
"I guess I've. Transmigrated. Again."
...
"I am called Taiichi."
"This name was given to me by a blind fortune teller in the village. According to him, my fate was noble and required a name that suited my destiny. At that time, my childish and dramatic self completely believed it!"
"When I was young, I thought I was a child chosen by destiny one day, the Digimon of another world would need my help."
"But as I grew older, I realized I was merely a child toyed with by fate."
"At only twenty-four, my life came to an end. And just when I had finally passed the civil service exam!"
"I suspect... I was killed by my own name..."
"I once thought my life was a tragedy."
"Until... I lived a second life."
"My second name was... Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
"That was a world where humans and demons coexisted. From the moment I was born, I understood my mission."
"In just over twenty years, I cut from one end of the coast to the other."
"Finally, having completed my mission, I retired to the mountains and lived the peaceful life I had always dreamed of."
"Many years later, in my twilight years, I closed my eyes. But when I opened them again... I realized I was alive once more!"
"I think... maybe I truly am someone chosen by fate! Though, sadly, I don't have a Digimon by my side..."
...
In the dimly lit cave, Yoriichi Tsugikuni wrapped in a thick animal hide slowly stood up and carefully examined his surroundings.
Yoriichi had long been a solitary person, and in his old age, with no regrets, he quickly accepted the situation.
Clearly, the most important thing right now was to figure out his current circumstances.
The cave was about 7 square meters in size. It seemed to be winter, and the temperature felt very low. Even though a blazing campfire burned in front of Yoriichi, and despite the thick hide draped over his shoulders, the chill still seeped into his body, making him shiver.
"This... a primitive society?"
Yoriichi scanned the cave, noticing there were no modern tools. Beside the campfire in front of him lay a wooden knife and fork crudely made, clearly not machine-produced. Next to them sat a poor-quality wooden bowl, filled more than halfway with a yellowish paste.
"It should be food... is it curry?"
Yoriichi thought silently, then shifted his gaze to observe the surroundings.
In one corner of the cave was a pile of dry firewood about two meters long and half a meter high. The air was filled not only with the strong scent of burning wood but also with a faint smell of the sea.
"This is... the smell of the sea?"
Yoriichi sniffed lightly, thinking to himself. Soon, his gaze was drawn to a long black sword lying by his feet.
"A sword?!"
Yoriichi quickly crouched down, picked up the sword, and examined it closely. It was a two-handed sword, about two meters long. Judging from its form, it was a straight sword.
The black scabbard was engraved with intricate wave-like patterns, and the hilt was about 40 cm long. Even when Yoriichi gripped it, he could not fully wrap his hand around it.
Drawing the sword, no flash of cold light appeared as he had expected. What he saw instead was darkness.
"A black blade? Even the edge is black? Matte?"
Yoriichi drew the sword a short distance and discovered that not only the scabbard and hilt but also the blade and edge were entirely black, giving the weapon an inexplicable sense of solemnity.
The blade was about 5 cm wide, with a spine over 1 cm thick. Normally, such proportions, combined with its length, would make the sword quite heavy.
Yet, to Yoriichi's surprise, it felt incredibly light in his hands as if it had no weight at all.
At the base of the blade was engraved the character "灭" (Annihilation). Judging by its style, it resembled a weapon forged in the swordsmith village (锻刀村) of the previous world.
Yoriichi gripped the hilt with one hand and drew the sword fully from its scabbard. For some reason, as he did so, he instinctively clasped the hilt with both hands and made a light slashing motion.
The tip of the sword silently sliced through the cave's ceiling, leaving behind a deep scar.
"Whoosh!"
As the sword cut through the air, small pebbles fell from above, scattering across the ground.
"Hmm?"
Yoriichi instinctively shielded his eyes. After a while, when no more stones fell, he looked up and saw a long gash carved into the ceiling.
"A fine sword!"
"This craftsmanship... A world capable of making such a sword must have a high level of civilization. Or... was this sword originally brought by me?!"
"And my power..."
Yoriichi withdrew his gaze, carefully studying the sword in his hand. He couldn't help but run his fingers along the blade.
After sitting quietly for a long time, Yoriichi carried the sword to the mouth of the cave and looked outside.
What greeted him was utter darkness; a biting wind howled past, forcing Yoriichi to retreat back inside.
"It's too cold. I should rest for now. I'll see what's around here tomorrow."
Back in the cave, Yoriichi quickly returned to the campfire, added several pieces of firewood, and curled up for warmth.
After an unknown amount of time, a heavy drowsiness enveloped him, and Yoriichi unconsciously closed his eyes, sinking into deep sleep.
...
That night, Yoriichi had a dream.
The sea, sunshine, beach, and a small seaside town. The townspeople were simple and kind, living self-sufficient lives. They weren't rich, but they were peaceful and content.
Yoriichi, too, became one of the townspeople peaceful and content.
The world in his dream was paradise!
...
As the sky began to lighten and the morning rays bathed the earth, Yoriichi awoke from his dream.
"Truly... I've transmigrated again!"
Yoriichi slowly sat up from the stone bed, staring blankly at the embers of the campfire, wisps of blue smoke rising. His expression was slightly dazed as he remained lost in thought for a long time.
......
(End of Chapter)
Author's Note: The schedule for this series is two chapters a day. If you've been enjoying the story so far, Donate powerstones, comment and leave a review.