"Get up!"
A loud shout rang out inside a small hut on the outskirts of the village of Vetrennaya. The hut was small and poor, containing only three pieces of furniture — a chair, a table, and a bed.
On the bed lay a thin young man, covering his eyes with his hand and groaning. Beside him stood a middle-aged man with large hands and stubble.
"Mgh... oh, my head..." the young man kept whining.
"I said..." The veins on the man's forehead bulged, he clenched his teeth and shouted again, then struck the young man in the stomach with his fist. "Get up, you bastard!"
"Agghh!?"
He fell, curling into a fetal position. Tears welled up in his eyes, and although the headache had gone, the pain from the blow more than made up for it.
The man snorted, looking contemptuously at the pitiful sight before him.
"You little brat, the news that the disciples of the River Lo Sect were coming to hold a selection in our village reached us three days ago! Three days! And you"—he put special emphasis on the last word—"not only failed to prepare, but even managed to sleep through the very day of their arrival, the appointed time! I managed to beg only five extra minutes from the gentlemen of the sect. Hurry up, or if you don't even qualify to participate, I'll skin you alive."
Finishing, the man rushed out of the hut, hurrying toward the riverside, where the villagers had already gathered.
Tu Heng rose with effort, turning his head from side to side. His gaze caught on a clay pot on the table, and, driven by thirst, he went toward it.
Gulp
After emptying the pot and shaking it to get the last drops, he reluctantly set it back in place and headed for the door.
The first thing that greeted him was the scorching sunlight — it was already close to noon. After walking a few steps from the house, Tu Heng looked back at it from the outside for the first time. Built of wood and straw, it was old but sturdy — just as in the memories he had received.
Tu Heng, an orphan who had lost his parents more than ten years ago, had survived thanks to the help of the villagers and the rough-looking man named Zheng Te, a craftsman and blacksmith who, in his own way, cared for him.
But Tu Heng was not exactly Tu Heng. He was a traveler from Earth who had somehow ended up in the body of the young man sharing his name. The headache that tormented him and kept him from rising had been caused by the absorption of the original Tu Heng's memories. What had happened to that one was unknown — perhaps he had died of exhaustion or something else. It did not matter to Tu Heng.
He had arrived in another world!
A world that, according to rumors in the village, was inhabited by people wielding supernatural powers — just like in the novels he had read in his youth. In them, heroes like him were transported to other worlds, became rulers, fulfilled their dreams, saved beauties, and defeated villains. And now he was just like them!
"I'm the chosen one, the main character!!!" he shouted, jumping up and waving his fists in the air.
"Ow—" He crouched down a moment later, clutching his stomach; the blacksmith's heavy hand was still making itself felt. But his vivid imagination didn't stop.
Another world... oh, so many possibilities and choices! For example, how many women should I include in my harem? And what title would suit me best — Emperor Tu? Or maybe Sovereign Tu? That's it! Swords! I need to get a sword — the symbol of power and style. Oh yes, I can already picture it: one sword to cleave the heavens, one to split mountains, one to punish an evil sect...
Tu Heng pursed his lips, his eyes shifting to the side. Oh, right... the sect... I'm late.
He sighed, cast a wistful glance at the sky, then broke into a run, leaving clouds of dust behind him.
"Damn it!"
*
*
*
A light breeze swept along the banks of the Nan River near the village of Vetrennaya. The gathered villagers looked in awe at the unfamiliar vessel — long, with a tall mast and lowered sail. The ship was anchored to the ground by a metal chain with a sharp tip, unable to move.
On the deck stood a group of teenagers — boys and girls — talking among themselves. They watched with interest; all of them had already passed the selection in other villages the sect's disciples had visited before, and now they were observing the trials of others. Everyone's attention was fixed on three figures below.
In the center stood a young man — their leader — with short hair, a kind face, and an open posture. To his right stood a boy with a small ponytail, more reserved and tense. To his left was a young girl smelling faintly of herbs, a belt full of small pouches around her waist. All three were over twenty, yet still full of energy and readiness for action.
The short-haired young man stepped forward, scanning the crowd. In the front row stood teenagers from thirteen to seventeen — the most suitable age for recruitment — though a few older ones, over twenty, were also present, all eager to try their luck. Behind them stood parents and elders: some fidgeted with their clothes, some offered last-minute advice, others prayed — all for the well-being of their loved ones.
He smiled; such close and familiar scenes always touched him deeply.
"Well then, I—" he began, but before he could continue, a piercing shout came from the distance:
"Wait!!!"
The gathered villagers stirred, and Zheng Te, standing among them, clenched his teeth, turning toward the latecomer. Tu Heng was running, drenched in sweat and flailing his arms as if it would make him faster. He was almost there — just a few more meters, and—
He fell face-first into the dirt right in front of the short-haired disciple.
Seeing this, the village head clutched his chest, eyes wide. He almost rushed forward to punish the fool who had humiliated them before the sect's envoys, but Zheng Te stopped him, unwilling to let the farce continue.
"Hey, are you alr—" The short-haired disciple froze.
Tu Heng stood up, brushed himself off as if nothing had happened, then turned and silently took a place in the front row, greeted by the furious stares of the villagers.
"Ahem," the disciple cleared his throat, meeting the puzzled looks of his fellow sect members. A strange village, he thought. "All right, time's up. Everyone who wished to participate is here. Then I declare that the selection begins..." He paused, giving the crowd one last look. "Right now!"