Leo took a steadying breath. The cool wilderness air filled lungs that still felt strangely foreign yet perfectly his own.
Leo remained standing exactly where he had reappeared—or rather, where the body had always been—on a gentle grassy slope bordered by dense, ancient-looking trees. The breeze carried the faint scent of pine and damp earth.
First things first: himself.
Leo slowly looked down at his body.
He wore simple, travel-worn clothes: a faded greyish-blue robe of coarse hemp, knee-length, belted at the waist with a fraying cord. Underneath was a plain linen tunic, once white, now stained with dirt, old sweat, and faint brownish splotches that looked suspiciously like dried blood. Loose trousers were tucked into scuffed leather boots that had clearly seen many miles of rough road.
Nothing about the outfit screamed "cultivator."
Just the clothing of someone who probably lived hand-to-mouth on the lowest rungs of whatever society existed here.
His gaze drifted lower.
There, on the outside of his left calf just above the boot, was a wound.
Two deep, parallel punctures, dark purple-black at the edges, surrounded by purple-fading skin.
Leo's stomach turned.
Poison. Undeniably.
And not fresh.
The wound had scabbed over in places, but the scabs were cracked and weeping a thin, dark fluid. It should have hurt like hell… yet he felt only a dull, distant throb.
He crouched and carefully rolled up the trouser leg for a better look. The venom had clearly spread far before death claimed the original occupant; from the signs he could see, judging by the color and spread, it had taken hours of agonizing travel before the body finally collapsed here.
Which brought him to the next discovery.
A few steps away lay a small cloth bundle.
Leo approached warily.
The bundle was tied with the same fraying cord that belted his robe. Inside: a half-full waterskin, three coarse flatbreads wrapped in oilcloth, a chipped ceramic vial that smelled faintly of medicinal herbs, a small leather pouch containing a handful of dull copper-colored coins and five silver coins with square holes in the center, and—most tellingly—a folded map drawn on treated animal hide.
The map was crude but legible enough. A winding road snaked across it, dotted with tiny ink symbols for villages, rivers, and mountain passes.
Leo unfolded the map more carefully, holding it up to catch the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy.
The script was completely foreign to him.
Curved, flowing characters that looked vaguely like a mix of ancient Chinese calligraphy and something more angular—nothing like the languages he knew from Earth, and certainly not matching any writing system he had glimpsed in the pet world's memories.
He couldn't read a single symbol.
Still, the map's layout spoke for itself.
A thick red line (clearly the main road) curved in a wide, lazy arc toward the northeast, passing through several marked settlements. But there was also a thinner, dotted black line branching off from the main road, cutting straight through what appeared to be dense forest symbols before rejoining the route much farther ahead.
A shortcut.
The black dotted line ended almost exactly where Leo now stood—judging by the tiny sketch of a small clearing with three prominent pine trees drawn beside a stream. The same three towering pines he could see right now if he turned his head slightly to the left.
"So this guy…" Leo murmured aloud, "…was probably trying to save time on a certain journey and took the forest shortcut to make it to whatever destination was marked at the end of this line."
He traced the black dots with his finger, following them toward a larger symbol at the far end: what looked like a stylized mountain peak with a flame or cloud rising from it.
A bitter smile tugged at Leo's lips.
"And then I showed up and took the body."
The thought should have felt more disturbing than it did. Maybe it was the fact that the original owner was long gone—truly gone—before Leo ever touched the door.
Either way, the body was his now.
And the poison?
Well… that seemed to be slowly losing its grip too.
Leo could actively see it healing and, to be honest, compared to the mysteries of transmigration, the healing felt almost normal.
Leo folded the map back up and tucked it securely inside his robe.
"So what now?"
He could return to the pet store immediately. The store still needed restocking, customers would eventually arrive, and his family was waiting for him tonight.
He could also stay here longer. Explore. Follow the dotted line forward and see what this world had to offer.
The safe choice was obvious.
The interesting choice…
Leo exhaled through his nose.
"Fine," he muttered. "Just a little farther. See what's ahead. If it looks dangerous, I come straight back."
Leo tightened the cloth bundle and slung it over his shoulder.
It was light.
He took a moment to steady himself, then unfolded the map again and compared it to his surroundings.
The forest matched the dotted line on the map.
The shortcut.
"So this is where you passed through," Leo murmured.
According to the map, this forest path cut through the woods briefly before rejoining the main road. The original owner of this body must have taken this route to save time.
And paid the price for it.
Leo glanced down at his injured calf again. The wound was still there, but it was healing visibly—much to Leo's surprise—thanks to being numb from having a connection to two different worlds.
Well, three worlds if you ignored the fact he might no longer be able to go to Earth.
Leo exhaled slowly.
"At least you made it out," Leo said quietly, unsure whether he was speaking to himself or the person who had once owned this body.
With the map memorized, Leo began walking again.
He followed the faint trail through the forest, careful with each step. The shortcut path was narrow but clear enough, showing signs that others had passed through before. Broken twigs, flattened grass, and shallow footprints told him this wasn't completely abandoned.
Leo stayed alert, eyes constantly moving, ears tuned to every sound. He didn't know what kind of creatures lived here, and after what had happened to the previous owner, he had no intention of being careless.
Soon, half an hour had passed.
Then Leo heard it.
Voices.
He stopped immediately.
They weren't close, but they were clear enough to tell they belonged to people.
Leo moved off the trail and crouched behind a thick tree, peering through the foliage.
A few moments later, several figures came into view.
People.
Five of them, walking together along a wider path ahead. Their clothes were rough and practical, similar to his own but in better condition.
They were talking casually as they walked.
Leo's heart beat faster.
He stayed where he was, half-hidden behind the tree, eyes fixed on the group ahead.
Five people.
All of them carried bags.
Not small pouches like his, but proper travel packs slung over their shoulders or strapped to their backs. Some looked worn, patched and repaired many times. Others were cleaner, though still clearly used.
"Too similar," he muttered under his breath.
It felt like too much of a coincidence. He had just come out of the forest shortcut, carrying supplies and a map, and the first people he saw were also travellers on the road, moving in the same direction.
Were they heading to the same place?
Or worse—were they connected to the original owner of this body?
Leo frowned slightly.
He watched them for a while longer.
They didn't look dangerous.
Still, Leo didn't relax.
There was another problem.
"What if I can't understand them?" Leo thought.
The writing on the map had already confirmed one thing—this world did not use any language he knew. The symbols were completely foreign. He also hadn't inherited any memories from this body.
He didn't know if transmigration came with a language translator.
If he walked up to them and they spoke—
Leo grimaced.
He might not understand a single word.
That would be bad.
Best case, it would be awkward.
Worst case, it would make him look suspicious.
"If I can't speak their language… I run," Leo decided.
Simple.
That alone gave him courage.
Leo took another look.
They didn't look like bandits.
Bandits wouldn't usually walk openly on a main road like this, talking and joking without caution.
"These are just travellers," Leo told himself.
Whatever they were, they looked safer than wandering alone.
Leo glanced back toward where he had come from. Then he looked toward the road ahead.
He sighed.
"I didn't come all this way just to hide in the bushes," Leo muttered.
Decision made, Leo stepped out from behind the tree.
He didn't rush.
He walked normally, keeping his pace steady and unthreatening, making sure his hands were visible and empty. He angled himself toward the road so he wouldn't suddenly appear right beside them.
The group noticed him almost immediately.
One of them—a man with broad shoulders and a short beard—turned his head first. His eyes narrowed slightly, assessing Leo from head to toe.
The others followed his gaze.
Conversation stopped.
Leo felt the tension spike.
He raised one hand slightly in what he hoped was a universal gesture of non-hostility.
"Uh… hello," Leo said cautiously.
The word sounded strange in his own ears.
For a brief, terrifying second, no one responded.
Then the bearded man spoke.
The sound that came out of his mouth was unfamiliar—but not completely alien.
Leo's eyes widened a fraction.
He didn't understand the words.
But he understood the tone.
It was neutral. Curious. Not aggressive.
Leo swallowed and tried again, gesturing lightly at himself, then at the road.
He spoke slowly, choosing simple words out of instinct. "I… traveller. Road."
The words felt clumsy.
Wrong.
The group exchanged glances.
A woman among them—older, with streaks of grey in her hair—stepped forward slightly. She said something else, her voice calm, her hands making a small, open gesture.
Leo didn't understand the sentence.
But he understood the intent.
They were asking who he was.
Or where he was going.
Or both.
Leo hesitated, then took a chance.
He tapped the cloth bundle at his side and then pointed in the direction of the road ahead.
"Travel," he said again. "Alone."
The bearded man studied him for a few seconds longer, then let out a short breath that might have been a laugh.
He said something to the others.
The tension eased.
One of them shrugged.
Another nodded.
The woman smiled faintly.
Leo released the breath he'd been holding.
They weren't hostile.
The bearded man gestured forward with his chin, clearly indicating the road.
Then he gestured at Leo, then back at the group.
An invitation.
"You… walk?" Leo asked uncertainly, pointing between them.
The man nodded.