I stared down at the two corpses slumped beside the broken wall. One man, one woman—both old, but even in death, there was this faded beauty in their features. If I had to guess, they must've been stunners in their prime.
My eyes, however, drifted back to the giant black serpent beside them. Its body was coiled and half-charred, clearly killed by something devastating. I couldn't sense much, but there was… something still radiating from it. Faint. Strong.
I crept closer, curiosity—and greed—buzzing in my veins.
"A core…?" I muttered.
The thing was already sliced open—thank the gods, because there was no way I could pierce that thick blue-scaled hide on my own. Digging into its exposed flesh made me gag, but after a few minutes of messy effort, I found it a purplish orb the size of my palm. It gleamed with power, giving off a subtle pressure that made my knees wobble.
I grinned and quickly slipped it into my pocket. "Jackpot."
Turning to the corpses, I got to work. Look, I'm not proud—but I'm also not an idiot. in Earth there is apocalypse so i need too get stronger by looting.
First, the man. His clothes were embroidered with martial symbols and spiritual animals, but what caught my eye was the ring on his finger.
A storage ring.
My fingers trembled slightly as I touched it. A thought was all it took—and instantly, I saw everything inside.
And immediately wished I hadn't.
"…Ugh."
Inside were dual cultivation techniques. Not just one—three. Alongside them were some, uh… enhancement pills clearly meant for activities. I looked away with a sigh.
"Well, at least he died beside his lover… maybe."
Digging deeper into the ring, I finally found something useful: an Earth-Rank Qi technique. Now that was something worth celebrating. Even if I couldn't use Qi yet, this was valuable. Very valuable.
I smiled to myself. "If I couldn't become strong on Earth… maybe here's my chance."
But then my thoughts drifted to the mirror.
"…Can I even go back?"
I pulled it out from under my robe. The red crystal was dim now. The light blue one still glowed faintly, but the surface of the mirror had changed—it showed a bustling medieval city, complete with towers, guards, and people going about their lives
I turned the mirror around—and there it was.
The battlefield where I'd come from. Still full of A-Rank monsters. Still completely suicidal.
I gulped.
"…On second thought, maybe I'll go back when they've all… died of old age or something."
With a sigh, I turned to the woman's corpse. No ring this time, but her weapon was worth noticing. A sleek, curved black sword, simple and sharp. Not as potent as the core—it didn't make me feel like puking—but it looked cool as hell, so I strapped it to my waist.
Then I noticed her robe. Black, with silver threading. It was slightly torn but still wearable—and stylish.
"Sorry, ma'am," I whispered, tugging it off her respectfully. "You won't be needing this anymore."
It fit me perfectly. A little dramatic, a little mysterious. Exactly my style.
I turned to leave, satisfied with my haul, when suddenly—
Two masked figures appeared.
My body froze.
Where the hell did they come from?! They hadn't made a sound—as if they spawned from thin air.
My eye twitched.
"What Now?" I muttered under my breath.
I instinctively slipped the serpent core deeper into my pocket, careful not to reveal it, but close enough that its Aura would still leak just a bit. Just enough.
I kept my expression calm, composed. My sword rested at my hip, and I stood tall, cool, silent.
The two masked men didn't move. They seemed… confused?
What they didn't know was that inside, I was freaking the hell out.
"Crap, crap, crap! Don't fight, don't fight, don't notice I'm bluffing!"
But from the outside? I was ice cold.
They glanced at each other—and I knew.
They looked like talking telepathically.
> "Hey! What do we do?" one asked nervously. "He's probably the one who killed the serpent and the other two!"
> "We can't beat an 8-Star expert! The mission said the targets was the only Two 7 Star!"
I could practically hear the gears in their tiny brains clanking.
I've met enough people to read body language like a book. The twitch of their fingers, the way their shoulders tensed—they were hesitating.
Perfect.
I took a slow step forward, just one.
They flinched.
I rubbed my temple and spoke, voice low, calm, and completely fake
"I'll spare you both. But next time, don't get in my way."
My tone was laced with cold authority, as if I was used to people bowing and fleeing.
It worked.
The aura from the core in my pocket gave off a faint pressure that easily convinced them I was an 8-Star powerhouse.
They were probably 7-Stars at most—capable, but nowhere near stupid enough to challenge someone stronger than them. In their world, that was a death sentence.
They just stood there. Silent. Shocked.
I walked away with the grace of a seasoned expert.
My heart was pounding so hard I thought my ribs might crack.
"Success!" I cheered in my head, grinning like a maniac.
I didn't know what this world held, or how long I could keep up the act—but one thing was certain:
If I couldn't survive with strength, I'd survive with strategy.
And a little shameless bluffing.