In some world.
The sky was gloomy.
The sunlight seemed unable to reach this place.
This city had once been bustling and prosperous, crowded with people everywhere. But now, only desolation and emptiness remained. Buildings lay in ruins, vehicles were broken and scattered on the streets. The citizens had evacuated. Only the army, armed with guns and artillery, and a few stubborn locals unwilling to leave their homeland remained.
A young man in camo uniform stood there, tightly holding his sword.
"Captain, where are you staring so blankly?" A burly young man approached, smiling broadly as he walked.
Phong didn't bother to respond and remained standing there for a while.
He finally spoke, "When will this war end?"
Suddenly, from a distance, a swarm of black insects flew toward the camp. Alarm sirens blared, and groups of soldiers quickly took their positions. The civilians panicked, looking for places to hide. The scene was chaotic, like the apocalypse.
"The demon tribe is here!" someone shouted.
The insects, each half the size of a human, approached. Their sharp jaws could easily tear a normal person in half, devouring their victims in desperation.
They were the Demon Tribe from another dimension.
A spatial rift opened. Thousands of half-human, half-wolf monsters poured into the city. They wielded blood-red swords, slashing through humans.
Shouts to flee, clashes of weapons, and gunfire filled the air in chaos.
Captain Phong swung his sword, beheading a monster. A voice came over the radio.
"Phong! Save me!"
He rushed toward the refugee camp, silently hoping nothing had happened to the girl.
Trang was cornered with other people against a wall. The half-human, half-wolf monster was gnawing on a little girl's head, its bloodthirsty gaze fixed on the others. Trang wanted to run, but her trembling legs refused to obey her brain's desperate plea. A middle-aged man next to her sat on the ground, mumbling.
"It's over… it's really over!"
A sharp sword cut off the monster's head. Phong appeared just in time. He leaned close to the radio and reported:
"Residential Area 1 is temporarily secure. Requesting reinforcements at other lines!"
Trang, seeing Phong, was overjoyed. She ran and hugged him tightly, tears streaming uncontrollably. Phong lowered his sword, gently comforting her.
"It's okay. I'm still here!"
Suddenly, a cold sensation from his stomach shot up to his brain. Looking down, he saw Trang holding a knife, stabbing into his belly. He couldn't believe she would do that.
His consciousness gradually faded.
Phong woke up from the dream, sighing in relief.
"Phew! It was just a dream!"
His shirt was soaked as if he had just bathed. His heart was still racing, as if he had truly lived through all of it. The dream had felt incredibly real.
Nguyen Hoai Phong was a fifth-year medical student, currently on night duty at Hospital X.
Tonight was unusually quiet. In bustling Ha Thanh, serious traffic accidents were countless.
Phong was interning at a frontline hospital, so the workload for interns like him was enormous.
The noise in the lobby interrupted his thoughts.
"What now?"
Quickly donning his discolored white coat, he ran out and dialed the on-duty doctor.
"Is this how the hospital operates? Are doctors using medication arbitrarily?"
The lobby was in chaos. Phong saw a group of tattooed youths struggling with two security guards. Relatives of patients crowded around, some filming on their phones.
Seeing Phong approach, the gang's eyes turned to him. One of them spoke in a gangster tone.
"Are you the doctor in charge? Who let you use expensive medicine on my sister? Trying to embezzle money?
"We're not paying. Boys, kill this bastard!"
They pushed and cursed, then began hitting him.
During the scuffle, one of them suddenly pulled out a switchblade and stabbed Phong in the chest. Blood ran along the blade's groove. The attacker panicked and ran off. Phong fell, clutching his chest as blood poured out.
Some bystanders ran to call for help, but it seemed too late. He was fading, still struggling in his inner mind. So many things he hadn't done in life… he wasn't ready to die.
"I don't want to die, mom!"
…
"Where is this? Heaven or hell?"
Phong mumbled, still drowsy. The chest pain from the stabbing was gone. He opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.
He was lying on a single hospital bed, surrounded by the familiar white of the hospital. His left hand held an IV drip. On his right was a wooden table, with a white vase he didn't recognize.
The air smelled of alcohol and disinfectant, accompanied by the steady beeping of the vital signs monitor.
Suddenly, footsteps broke the monotony. The door opened, and a middle-aged woman with a kind face and simple clothing entered, carrying a cage.
She spoke happily:
"You're awake, Phong? The doctor said you fainted from overthinking. Next time, don't overwork yourself. You need to take care of your health!"
She left the cage on the table and hurried out to call the doctor.
Phong's head suddenly felt like it was about to explode. A flood of memories surged into his mind like a tide.
Nguyen Hoai Phong had died in his old world. His soul left his body and transmigrated to a new world called Ma Ky Planet.
Coincidentally, his body now still bore the name Nguyen Hoai Phong. He was a high school 11th-grade student, the only child of an ordinary civil servant family.
The miracle was that Ma Ky was similar to Earth, but here, magic and science coexisted, complementing and perfecting human life.
Religion held an important place in society. Most countries shared one language, one currency, and worshipped the goddess Religis.
The Quang Minh Holy Scripture recorded:
"Every thousand years, the Demon Tribe from another dimension invades this planet, leaving death and destruction in their wake. Whenever humanity faces the brink of annihilation, the goddess Religis descends to save them."
No one could prove this. Over long periods, dynasties rose and fell, historical records were burned and rewritten. Many things changed beyond recognition.
In human imagination, the goddess was a young woman. In her right hand, she held a book; in her left, a staff. Her face was gentle, her eyes deep and profound.
Humans needed faith. Sometimes they prayed yearly just to find peace of mind. Occasionally, gamblers prayed for a lottery win, or businesspeople prayed for prosperity.
The world now was relatively stable. Wars occurred, but mostly minor conflicts.
The warrior profession held a high status, surpassing doctors or engineers, due to society's immense need. Many dangerous lands remained unexplored, and treasures of the wealthy attracted countless greedy eyes.
The "rules" of nations did not allow the world to be too peaceful. This required a large number of warriors.
There were two main branches: swordsmen and mages. In ancient times, before the development of science, there were many types of weapons. But with the invention of firearms, only swordsmen could remain relevant.
Some swordsmen were so skilled that no one could touch them, even with guns. They were called the strongest.
Mages possessed long-range destructive power surpassing ordinary firearms. More importantly, they were "very convenient," as humans could think and act independently, without relying on other tools. This formed a powerful source of military strength for organizations and nations.
"Have I really transmigrated?" Phong muttered.
He had never imagined transmigration, something that seemed to happen only in movies. Now, he was experiencing it himself. What about his parents in the old world? How would they react to the news of his death?
He sat in a daze for a while. Finally, determination shone in his eyes.
"Mom, Dad, I will try to live well in this world. I hope in the next life I will still be your son!"