Lucian finally stopped gazing at the sky and slowly pushed himself to his feet. He glanced down at his reflection again. No… this wasn't just anyone's body. Messy and dirty hair—though faintly visible beneath the layer of dirt—it was undoubtedly his former blonde hair that once caught the sunlight. Ruby-red eyes, once radiant but now dulled—it was still his face, but that of his ten-year-old self. A face gaunt, starved, and pitiful, as if it hadn't eaten in weeks. Clearly, this child, who looked exactly like him, had been abandoned.
"Hmm… not bad, not bad~ I should look around." I told myself, a small smirk tugging at my lips. Clearly, I was satisfied with this body. To me, it was better than nothing. A faint thrill ran through me—after all, a second chance at life wasn't something anyone got. And if it was the same as my previous body, all I would need to do was rebuild it again. This was nothing but a minor inconvenience, one not even worth dwelling on.
With that, Lucian began wandering through the market stalls like a curious child. Some merchants shooed him away, while others—perhaps out of pity—gave him scraps of food. Once his stomach was filled, he walked leisurely through the streets, listening carefully to the passing conversations of strangers.
That was how he first learned of the three main powers that kept ruling this world, maintaining the balance of power. There were nine great sects and five great clans of the righteous factions, and even an evil faction alliance composed of unruly and evil cultivators that also rivaled the righteous factions in maintaining the balance—but what caught his attention most was one name. A true predator that both the evil and righteous factions were wary of.
"Heavenly Demon Cult? Hmmm… interesting." An interest, deep inside my now-dulled emotions, awakened. A band of people who only follow strength. How could I, a person who values nothing but strength, not be interested in this group?
After asking around for maps and confirming their authenticity, Lucian decided on his next course of action. He would head to a nearby mountain said to be less dangerous. There, he resolved to stay for a time and train his body. In both his previous world and this one, he had already reached a single conclusion: only strength leads to true happiness. You can only prove your point if you have the strength to back it up.
Clutching only a map in his hand, he set off on his first journey in this unfamiliar world. Though bandits spotted him along the road, none were foolish enough to rob a dirt-poor-looking child as thin and starved as him. To them, this skeleton-like child would die any moment, even if they did nothing. What could they possibly gain? Nothing but wasted effort. It was clear that this child wasn't carrying anything of value. They were bandits, not depraved perverts who enjoyed tormenting children.
Thus, Lucian's journey went smoothly—too smoothly. This was supposed to be a dangerous world, so why had no one come for him? He found it strange but dismissed the thought and kept walking. In truth, he had already passed by three different bandit hideouts, yet none bothered to emerge from their lairs and rob this poor child. With his tattered clothes and bare feet, he looked far too pitiful to be worth robbing. To their eyes, he was already a walking corpse. And, to be honest, looking at him… he definitely was.
After two weeks of walking nonstop, stopping only when sleep became unbearable, and living solely on the fruits he found along the way, Lucian finally discovered a place to settle in this remote mountain: an ordinary-looking cave, seemingly unoccupied. He decided it would serve as his temporary home.
Thinking back on his former life, he couldn't help but laugh. Who would have imagined that he, the great Emperor Lucian Arcturus Drevahn, would one day live beneath the rocks?
Back in his old world, his palace had stretched as vast as a city. He had worn clothes tailored by the finest artisans, ridden in carriages of gold and mithril, and wielded swords crafted to perfection. His armory overflowed with legendary artifacts, and his treasury brimmed with mountains of gold coins.
And now? He had nothing. No clothes, no swords, not even a roof over his head. Yet he felt neither sorrow nor anger. On the contrary—he found it all deeply amusing. For him, it was as if someone were challenging him: could he still rise to the top of the food chain with nothing to rely on but himself this time?
Everything about this world was fascinating to him. From the weird-looking trees swaying in the wind, to the different beasts he had never once seen roaming the paths, even to the flowers blooming by the roadside—he found himself admiring their beauty. For the first time, he, a madman crazed for killing, found himself genuinely appreciating the roads.
Laughing quietly at the absurdity of the past few days, Lucian stepped into the humble cave that would now be his home.
"Maybe... I truly had gone mad." I laughed while entering this dark cave.