Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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“Ugh…”

I left Rain, who was retching, and looked around. The vast plains, with their withered grass and trees, appeared lifeless and desolate.

Something felt off, no matter how I looked at it. The dry wind blowing from the Burning Road carried sand, but was it really enough to kill the grass and trees?

Squatting down, I touched the dry blades of grass, and they crumbled to dust with a crunch.

“I think we should head to the nearby Safe House.”

“Uh-huh…”

Frowning, I moved toward the Safe House with Rain. The broken blades of grass underfoot and the cracked earth drew my attention.

Now that I looked closely, not only did the grass and trees lack life, but the very ground itself was absurdly devoid of vitality. Life could not possibly thrive in such barren land. While traces of dark magic had nearly disappeared, it was clear that a large-scale dark magic event had taken place nearby.

The Mage Tower had set up Safe Houses across the nation for wizards actively working in various regions. In remote areas where there was nothing else, finding a Safe House would be difficult, but there were quite a few along the border regions between countries.

The Safe House that Rain and I arrived at was an artificial cave carved out of a giant rock. It was protected by illusion magic so that only wizards could enter without being seen.

“This is…”

As we stepped through the entrance of the Safe House, we were greeted by dark, dried bloodstains. It was an indication that a wizard who had come here had suffered significant injuries.

The bloodshed was devoid of moisture, and the smell was faint. This meant it had been spilled a considerable time ago. Following the bloodstains, Rain and I made our way deeper into the Safe House.

Typically, a Safe House would have a small tablet for communication with the Mage Tower, but this one was in pretty poor condition. It was covered in red blood, and the quill for writing was stuck to the table along with the blood.

A dim image formed. A heavily wounded wizard must have rushed here in a panic, but he seemed unable to communicate with the Mage Tower due to the blood flowing from his wounds.

“There are no Mana Stones or herbs. He seems to have run out in a hurry.”

I nodded at Rain’s words. Given the condition of the tablet, it was likely he had left to find another Safe House. Or perhaps it was due to a fight with a dark mage.

I ran my hand along the scratch marks carved into the wall. The deep wounds looked as if they had been clawed by a beast, with multiple human fist prints around them.

“Do you think this might be a trace of Leonis?”

“Hmm… It seems so.”

In the end, there wasn’t much information we could gather here. I exited the Safe House with Rain and summoned my Nightmare.

“Nightmare.”

– Heehee!

The Nightmare leaped out of my bag as if waiting for my call. It circled around me twice and then returned to its original form.

I was relieved that my companion was a woman. If Rain had been a man, that beast wouldn’t have let her ride. I mounted the Nightmare and extended my hand to Rain.

“Get on. We’ll ride the Nightmare from here.”

“Uh-huh…”

To have to travel the same path again—what a nostalgic feeling. I gazed over the expansive plains and snapped my fingers.

Thwack-!

With a small friction sound, bright starlight burst forth from between my fingers. The little light, as if carrying a small gust of wind, began to twist in midair, searching for something, and then dashed swiftly in one direction.

The Guiding Star is useful even when looking for a specific target. If it’s someone you’ve met before, this star will show you the way no matter where they are.

The Nightmare started to gallop after the shining starlight. Its hooves stirred up clouds of sandy dust, and the surrounding scenery stretched out like lines.

The starlight was undoubtedly heading toward the Burning Road. As time passed and we drew closer to the Burning Road, the desertification around us progressed rapidly.

The dry wind and hazy clouds of sand surrounded us. The scenery was as I remembered, but I sensed no signs of living creatures nearby.

Though the desert was a harsh environment for life, it hadn’t been like this the last time I was here. At night, nocturnal monsters started to stir, and aerial monsters that preyed on corpses would typically emerge.

The desert was eerily silent. As if it had all died.

The sun hanging in the blue sky began to descend, and the surroundings slowly veiled into darkness. The pale moon rose to take the sun’s place, while stars began to emerge as if a river was flowing around them.

Unlike the dead desert landscape, the night sky’s Milky Way looked just as I remembered.

As I kept running while gazing at the sky, I picked up some strange movement with my sensitive instinct, and the Nightmare leaped high into the air.

Bam-!

The harsh sand burst forth, creating a dusty whirlwind. In that moment, a pale hand shot up from beneath the sand.

“This is…”

The Nightmare lowered its body, immediately entering a battle stance. I too drew my sword at my waist, frowning.

Emerging from the sand illuminated by moonlight was a man with decaying flesh hanging from him. The tattered clothes and the sagging backpack on his back clearly indicated he was an adventurer crossing the desert.

“Is… Is that thing alive…?”

-Groooaaan…

I shook my head at Rain’s question and summoned my mana. There was no way a person could be alive with decaying flesh and bare bones showing. It was surely an undead zombie.

The soul, robbed of its peaceful rest in death, ignites hatred toward all living beings. The adventurer zombie before us was no exception. It staggered toward us, scattering traces of faint dark magic.

At that moment, a fiery fireball shot from behind me.

Whoosh-! Bang-!

The zombie hit by Rain’s magic simply disintegrated without any resistance. Rain pulled back her staff, glowing with blue mana, frowning.

“It’s ominous…”

Having dealt with the zombie, we started running again, following the gently shining moonlight and the guiding starlight.

Even after that, undead appeared repeatedly. Sometimes skeletons made from monster bones, and sometimes zombies made up of human corpses.

Since there were no high-level undead like specters or death knights, the battles were not prolonged.

As we got closer to the Burning Road, the frequency of the undead sightings increased exponentially. Among them were also creatures wearing armor akin to the soldiers of the Burning Road.

Rain’s expression hardened even more, and mine was no different. As we neared the Burning Road, the flow of ominous mana thickened.

The Guiding Star stopped at a small oasis. Instead of approaching, I pulled on the Nightmare’s bridle, bringing it to a halt.

Underneath a large tree that grew around the oasis, the sparkling Guiding Star kept circling around a man below the tree, as if to indicate he was the one I was looking for.

His robe, typical of a wizard, shimmered in the moonlight and starlight. The robe stained with dark red blood had lost its original color and was torn in several places.

“That person is…”

As Rain’s voice, laden with a hint of moan, gradually faded, the man standing under the tree lifted his head. His face slightly peeked out from beneath his hood.

Decaying skin and white teeth. Instead of hollow eyes, they were replaced by a haunting purple flame.

“Uh, Rain…”

“Yeah?”

“When a wizard becomes an undead… They’re called a lich, right?”

“Uh-huh. That’s usually what they’re called.”

“Then, could that be a lich…?”

Rain didn’t respond. She simply took out her staff and prepared for combat.

In that moment, Leonis’s body flickered and then began to dash forward at remarkable speed. Every time his legs struck the ground, sandstorms erupted.

“Oh no…!”

Just as I leaped off the Nightmare in a frantic motion. Leonis, who had vanished like a shadow, appeared before me, swinging a fist wrapped in ominous mana.

Boom-!

A stinging impact jolted my left cheek, causing my vision to sway. As my body staggered, Leonis followed up with more attacks, but my sword moved faster.

Clang-! Clang–!

The quickly swung sword clashed with his arm covered in ominous mana. At that moment, Rain’s magic and the Nightmare’s crystal stone attack flew toward Leonis.

Boom-! Crack!

I took a step back, exhaling softly. Rain and the Nightmare pressed closely beside me.

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt, right?”

“Yes. I was just a bit startled.”

I replied to Rain’s inquiry as I examined my cheek. The dull pain remaining on my cheek quickly subsided.

“Did a dark mage do this…?”

“Well…”

I answered Rain’s question while keeping my eyes on the distanced Leonis. Given his nature, he likely wouldn’t have directly fallen into corruption through any magic book.

Surrounding Leonis, who had taken on the battle stance typical of a battle mage, ominous mana began to gather. The amassed mana formed into a small rod.

“Chaser…”

Without reason, he still employed the magic and combat style he once used in life. Just like a Death Knight.

I recalled the time when Leonis had come to capture me while pretending to be a wizard.

What kind of being turned Leonis into an undead? The moment a tiny question surfaced in my mind, Leonis began to move.

Leonis displayed a hatred toward all living things, just like any other undead.

As he approached, I prepared my own magic. My heart raced, swiftly igniting the starlight mana, and dozens of Magic Missiles rose around me.

Mana bullets shot toward each other. Amidst the colliding and vanishing magic, Leonis’s fist and my Fire Dragon Sword swung at each other.