A Hunter's Odyssey: Transmigration to Arcantherion

The dense forest looms, its twisted trees cloaked in shadows. Every rustle of leaves feels like a monster creeping closer. The distant cries of strange creatures echo through the canopy, each sound prickling her skin.

"What is this place? How did I even get here?"

She falters, frozen in fear. The outside world feels like a trap. Gasping for air, she retreats back into the cave, her legs trembling as she collapses onto the glowing circle, clutching her arms tightly around herself.

Her breaths come in shallow gasps. Through the panic, a soft whisper escapes her trembling lips.

"Moom…" she cries, her voice breaking. "I'm scared…"

For what feels like hours, Daniella sits huddled in the circle, her eyes glued to the terrorist's body. Even though he's lying still, each subtle twitch of his fingers sends fresh waves of terror through her.

Desperate for an ally, she crawls toward Kevin and gently pats his face, her voice shaking.

"Kevin! Wake up!"

Kevin stirs, his brows furrowing. A low groan escapes him as he struggles to open his eyes.

But before he can respond…

"Waaaa!!!" Alex bolts upright with a scream.

It scares Daniella out of her wits. She stumbles back, clutching her chest as her heart hammers against her ribcage.

Kevin groans louder, rubbing the back of his neck. "Urgh! My head…"

Meanwhile, Pablo sits up, his face calm but calculating, his eyes quietly assessing the situation.

Then there's Alex, the ever-clueless clown, who jumps to his feet with an awkward grin.

"Oh, hey, Daniella! Why do you look so scared? It's me, Alex!"

Daniella doesn't answer. Her trembling finger points behind Alex, toward the clown-masked terrorist.

Alex spins around and recoils in horror. "Holy crap! The suicide bomber!"

"Relaaax," Pablo says coolly, leaning against the cave wall. "The bomb's fake. Just a bluff to scare the kids."

Alex doesn't seem to hear him. He creeps toward the terrorist as if drawn by morbid curiosity. And then…

"Woo!!!"

He yelps, falling flat on his backside and scrambling away. "Why the hell does he still have that creepy mask on?!"

Pablo sighs, his patience thinning. "Focus, Alex! We're not at school anymore."

"You!" The terrorist suddenly speaks, his voice rough and accusatory. "How can you all be so calm?! Do you not realize the situation we're in? You should be panicking, confused, terrified!"

"Hey, Grandpa!" Alex retorts. "You're talking in circles, and none of it makes sense. Are you having some kind of midlife crisis?"

"Still as oblivious as ever, Alex," Pablo smirks, shaking his head in disbelief. "I don't know about Daniella, but I'm pretty sure all three of us were dying before we ended up here. And this guy?" He gestures lazily to the terrorist. "I personally put a few bullets in that big belly of his."

"Oh, crap, you're right!" Alex slaps his forehead. "Wait, weren't we supposed to be on a school trip? Oh no! I didn't even check in yet! This could ruin everything!"

Without waiting for an answer, Alex dashes toward the cave mouth, chasing the faint light of the outside world. But halfway there, he pauses, turning dramatically toward the group.

As he finally takes in their surroundings, his face twists in confusion. "Wait a minute… How did we get here? And, uh, where even is here?"

The others stay silent, their minds swirling with the same unspoken questions.

The terrorist, however, glares at Pablo. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Say what?" Pablo retorts coldly.

"How did all our wounds disappear?" the fat terrorist inquires. "How did we get here? What is this place?! Don't tell me you don't know."

Pablo shrugs. "Unfortunately for you, I don't know a damn thing."

"Bastard! Are you toying with me?!" The terrorist's voice grows louder. "I'll admit the bomb was fake, but I'm a real terrorist! You better not underestimate me, or I swear I'll beat the crap out of you!"

Pablo ignores him entirely, his calm eyes scanning the cave like he's searching for hidden clues.

Kevin, who seems to be feeling much better, pushes himself off the ground. He walks toward the light source at the cave mouth, clearly uninterested in the ongoing argument.

But just as he approaches the entrance, a shadow appears in the blinding light. Max steps into the cave, his silhouette backlit by the brilliant glow outside. The faint light catches the sharp features of his face, and his calm, expressionless demeanor sends a chill through the room.

"You?" Kevin's eyes narrow as he takes a step closer.

The pain in his head suddenly makes sense, his suspicion locking onto Max. Rage overtakes him as he clenches his fists and charges forward.

"Bastard! Still dare to show your face here?!"

Max doesn't flinch. Standing in the light, his voice is low and calm as he mutters, "Inventory. Take out the gun from box No. 3."

A bright blue glow illuminates the cave as a handgun materializes mid-air, the sudden burst of light halting Kevin in his tracks. His eyes widen in disbelief as Max effortlessly catches the weapon, his movements smooth and deliberate.

Without hesitation, Max points the gun at Kevin's leg. And then…

Bang!

The shot reverberates through the cave. Kevin collapses to his knees, clutching his thigh as blood seeps through his pants.

The others freeze, stunned into silence.

Max takes a deliberate step forward, the light from the cave mouth casting an ethereal glow around him. He presses the barrel of the gun against Kevin's forehead, his voice colder than steel.

"Don't think we're still at school, Kevin. Here, there are no teachers, no gangs, no backup to save you. This isn't your playground anymore."

Kevin slowly lifts his head, his defiant gaze locking with Max's icy eyes. "You talk too much. If you've got the guts, pull the damn…"

Bang!

Just that, the bullet pierces Kevin's left eye, and his body collapses like a puppet with its strings cut. Blood pools around him as his lifeless form lies still.

Everyone looks petrified. Daniella stares in horror, her legs giving out beneath her. She kneels, trembling.

"M-Max?" she whispers, her voice barely audible, doubting her sanity.

The others remain frozen, unable to process the chaos unraveling before them. Even the fat terrorist, who once carried himself with inflated bravado, now looks like a cornered animal.

The silence is suffocating, thick enough to smother every sound except for their shallow breathing.

But then…

Srrnk!

Kevin's body begins to glow with a familiar, faint blue hue. His form flickers like a hologram, and, just as it had at the airport, his body disintegrates into the thin air.

The circle beneath them pulses with light again, humming, illuminating the cave walls in eerie patterns.

Pablo, Alex, and the terrorist, seeing this phenomenon for the first time, stumble back from the glowing circle, their confusion and fear written on their faces.

But Daniella, who has already witnessed this once before, takes a hesitant step forward, beginning to piece it together.

"No way… Could it be…"

Her voice trails off as the glow intensifies. Right before their eyes, Kevin rematerializes, sprawled on the ground in the exact same position he had been in after Max shot him.

Daniella gasps, her hands trembling, but quickly rushes to Kevin's side. "Kevin! Wake up!"

But Kevin doesn't respond. Daniella brings her fingers closer to his nose, and notices that the man is still alive. So, she tries to shake him again.

"Kevin! Can you hear me?"

"Oi, oi! Daniella!" Alex calls out. "You saw what just happened. What if he wakes up as some kind of zombie or something?"

Daniella hesitates for a moment, glancing at Alex, then at Max, whose expression is unreadable. Max's silhouette looms in front of the cave entrance, the light from outside casting him in shadow, making him look even more intimidating.

Still, Daniella turns back to Kevin, her fear giving way to urgency. Her hands trembling as she grabs his shoulders and shakes him harder.

"Kevin! Come on, wake up!"

Kevin's body jerks, and he wakes with a sharp scream, his eyes wide with panic. He looks around, disoriented, his breathing ragged.

"What… what just happened? Where am I?"

He sits up slowly, his hand instinctively going to his thigh, the spot where Max's bullet had torn through him earlier. His fingers graze unbroken skin, and confusion clouds his pale face.

Pablo steps closer, narrowing his eyes at Kevin. He studies his friend's expression, searching for answers, his usually composed demeanor giving way to a flicker of unease.

"This is… impossible," Pablo mutters, glancing back at Max. "You know something about this, don't you?"

Max doesn't respond. Instead, he steps into the dim glowing circle with an unsettling calmness, his boots echoing against the stone floor.

The others watch him in tense silence, hoping, perhaps foolishly, that he'll explain the phenomenon. However...

Bang!

The sharp crack of the gunshot reverberates through the cave as Max fires at the terrorist, the bullet burying itself in his leg. The man collapses with a cry of pain, clutching his thigh in so much agony.