"This is bullshit!" Eokimo snapped.
"I'm done. I'm going to sleep."
"Oh come on, don't start again," Rye groaned.
"At least we survived today. Can you relax for like… five minutes?"
"Relax?!"
Eokimo shot upright, eyes wide with frustration.
"We're in the middle of a goddamn desert, Rye! We've been walking for nine days, and the system expects us to reach the Kingdom of Kotsuki before day eleven!"
His voice cracked.
"At this rate, we'll die before we even see the damn gate."
"Alright! Alright!" Rye snapped back.
"Fine! We rest. We'll move tomorrow. Happy?"
"Sure."
"Sure."
Both of them lay down… their annoyance slowly drowning into exhaustion.
After a few quiet moments, Eokimo whispered,
"…You know, Rye… I'm glad I met you."
Rye was already snoring loudly.
Eokimo sighed.
---
(Five days ago...)
"Ahh!!" several voices screamed at once.
(Warped)
"Agh—my head…" Eokimo groaned, pushing himself up.
"Where… where am I?
Where are the others?"
"We must've gotten separated when we entered the portal…"
[Ping — System Notification]
"Huh? Seriously? A system?
Is this like those webtoon things?" he muttered, blinking at the floating text.
"Alright… whose name is this—Eokimo?"
He paused.
"…Wait. That's me?"
His eyes widened.
"What the—what happened to my body!?"
He lifted his arms, staring. They felt lighter… but stronger. His shoulders broader than he remembered, his stance more balanced—like this body was built to move.
"Did it change my soul into this one?
Does that mean my real body is… gone?"
Fear tightened in his voice.
"Okay… calm down. Calm down. At least… I'm alive."
He took a deep breath.
"Alright. Let's see this."
Eokimo Larom (Lvl-1)
• Intelligence — 7
• Strength — 9
• Agility — 6
"…Not bad. I guess."
He flexed his hand—his grip was firmer than he expected, and even the simple movement felt smoother than his old body ever did.
Mana — 15
Skill: Absorption (F)
• Requires 10 mana
• Raises stats by absorbing monsters you kill
Skill: Combine
• Locked
"That's it? Seriously?"
"Good skills, sure—but no attack abilities? And the mana cost is ridiculous."
He rubbed his face—his jawline felt different too, sharper.
"I guess I'll have to rely on my brain… great."