Chapter 1

Gloomy skies, damp air.

In the Thomas Grand Canyon, the battlefield strewn with corpses, the battle had temporarily come to a halt. A small squad of orcs was hastily retreating towards the canyon's peak.

Vulgar curses accompanied the chaotic footsteps, disturbing the circling scavenger birds.

Crows, vultures, and carrion gulls, unwilling to leave the piles of corpses with severed limbs and entrails, yet fearing stray arrows, circled around the bodies, constantly cawing. As if awakened by the hoarse voices, something in the pile of corpses moved, making a slight sound.

Not far away, a squad of three orcs suddenly stopped.

"Sound!"

A robust, green-skinned orc with tattered leather armor bared its fangs, squinted its eyes, and scanned the surroundings with a cold gaze: "It's a human. I'll kill him."

With that, it walked towards the pile of corpses.

"Hurry up," the other orcs urged.

In the darkness, relying on its keen sense of smell, the strong orc quickly found a human hidden among the severed limbs.

This severely wounded warrior was still unconscious, surrounded by orc corpses. His armor was badly damaged, and the blade of his greatsword was bent and even had cracks. He looked very weak, as if he could die at any moment.

Boom! Thunder split the sky.

"Die!"

With the thunder, the orc raised its great axe and swung it with all its might at the human's head.

Smack! Lightning illuminated the dark night sky. In the bright light, the orc seemed to see a cold, icy gaze staring back at it.

In an instant, the unconscious warrior opened his eyes, extended his left hand, and struck the orc's wrist nerve. The sudden numbness made the orc involuntarily release its short axe. The warrior then seized the opportunity, grabbed the orc's wrist, disrupted its balance, and easily threw it to the ground.

"Ugh?!" Everything happened so fast that the robust orc hadn't even reacted, only instinctively exhaling. At that moment, a steel-like left hand had already clamped around its neck.

"Crack."

The left hand slowly tightened, the immense strength gradually crushing the orc's throat and spine. It struggled fiercely, but to no avail. As the force increased, its pupils began to dilate. In the orc's gradually blurring vision, the severely wounded warrior slowly sat up, his eyes as cold as steel.

A moment later, it stopped struggling, its breath completely gone, and it lay still.

Releasing his grip, the body fell to the ground. The warrior, named Joshua, remained silent for a while, then turned his dry eyes to survey the surroundings.

The canyon battlefield, littered with severed limbs, was filled with a thick, bloody smell. His cold, damp armor clung to his body, and his right hand and weapon were stuck together with dried blood.

"Overcast sky, orcs, battlefield..."

He said slowly, as if each word was heavy: "Thomas Grand Canyon?!"

"This is impossible—I should be in the Naya Fortress of the Ashen Ruins instance, fighting a hard battle with my comrades against the demon spawn!"

Images of meteor showers and scorching air flashed through his mind. The ground was covered in lava, and now the sky was overcast, the air damp, completely different worlds.

Feeling a tightness in his chest, Joshua took a deep breath. At that moment, scattered raindrops began to fall, soon turning into a torrential downpour.

Aches and pains spread throughout his body, and he realized that many parts of his body were severely injured and could not move freely. He needed rest, but as a legendary warrior who had experienced countless near-desperate battles, surviving bloody conflicts was a common occurrence. These injuries were nothing to him.

"Tsk, very strange... In the year 853 of the Starfall, during the late third edition of the Dispute Continent, the Thomas Grand Canyon was flattened by a legendary battle, and I even participated in it."

Surveying the surroundings again, Joshua muttered to himself, wiping the blood-stained rain from his eyes, still disbelieving: "How did I end up here?"

Dark clouds churned above the canyon, with lightning flickering within. The distant sound of horns carried by the wind reached the battlefield. Rain washed away the blood clots, and red streams of blood flowed across the ground.

"Something's not right."

In the cold rain, his thoughts gradually cleared: "I should be dead."

Memories surfaced—it was a hateful overcast day.

Naya Fortress, Maria's Wall, the ground covered in lava, demons surging like a tide, the sky filled with meteor showers obscured by winged demons. The massive floating warships of the demons cast shadows over the entire fortress. Boulders drenched in oil rained down like hail, and the smoke from the burning fires rose to the sky. In the midst of the legendary powers' attacks and the intense explosions, the battle reached a fever pitch, with both sides engaging in a brutal slaughter.

But just as everyone was fighting with blood and sweat, a sword pierced Joshua's lower back. The most venomous runes and curses appeared, and his memory then became blurry.

"Who the hell ambushed me?!"

Recalling this, Joshua felt his temper rising: "I haven't died since becoming a legend. I thought my first death would be at the hands of a demon lord, not by my own people!"

But he quickly frowned... Regardless of who the traitor was, even if he hadn't died, he should have been unconscious on the walls of Naya Fortress. How did he end up in this pile of corpses?

Joshua suddenly had a foreboding feeling. As a legendary warrior, his body's healing speed far exceeded that of a normal person, but the torn muscles had not yet healed, and the pain was becoming more intense. Had the developers adjusted the pain synchronization rate again? And if he hadn't died, where was the wound on his back?

The wound caused by the curse, without the intervention of a high priest, would be impossible to heal, even for him.

What the hell is going on? This isn't some cheap novel, why are there so many bugs?

"Whatever, I'll get up first!"

Struggling to stand, Joshua gritted his teeth to endure the intense pain of his torn muscles. Cold sweat mixed with the still-unclotted blood, and he supported himself with one hand on the ground. The damaged armor creaked, and through the gaps, a through-and-through wound on his abdomen could be seen.

The intense pain spread through his nerves. If Joshua were an ordinary person in reality, he would have been immobilized by the pain long ago.

After standing up, he took a few deep breaths and immediately walked towards the nearby pile of corpses. His greatsword was broken, and years of battlefield experience made him quickly find a new weapon to prepare for any unexpected situations.

Searching through the remains, Joshua soon found a relatively intact long spear. The spearhead was heavily worn, but it wasn't a big problem. He shook it in the rain and felt it was still manageable.

Suddenly, the silence was broken.

"He killed Togu!" With this roar, two massive orc figures emerged from the nearby darkness.

The two-meter-tall, muscular orcs spoke in orcish, their damaged leather armor stretched by their muscles, their eyes filled with bloodshot rage.

Seeing that the enemy was only one person, the reckless orcs charged forward without a second thought.

"Roar!!!" Leading the charge was an orc with a long sword, its green skin now darkened, seemingly in a berserk state. It swung its weapon, ready to crush the weak human with its powerful physique.

However, a spear of light like a shooting star flashed through the darkness.

The rusty long spear pierced through the orc's tough skin and muscles, straight into its heart. Joshua casually stirred it, then quickly pulled it out. Instantly, a powerful stream of blood and organs spurted from the large wound, splashing green blood mixed with rain onto his face.

"Really orcs?" Joshua said, somewhat surprised, turning to look at the remaining orc, which had stopped charging and was staring at him with fear. "How is this possible?"

Seeing its companion die so easily, the orc's fear instantly overcame its instinctive anger. It tried to turn and run, but it was too late.

Joshua casually pulled the long spear from the dead orc's chest, held it in his hand, aimed slightly, and then threw it forcefully.

The black long spear pierced through the wind, breaking through the rain, and whistled sharply, striking the orc's lower back and pinning it to the ground.

It fell with a look of defiance, warm blood gushing from the fatal wound, and the life force draining away, plunging its will into darkness.

"I remember the system announced that orcs were completely extinct... Ugh!"

Walking over, Joshua pulled out the long spear. Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded in his waist, and the wound that had been pierced was now bleeding: "Moving after muscle tears, it's really too much."

The injuries to this body were very severe, not only the muscles but also the internal organs were damaged. After the battle, even the secretion of adrenaline couldn't continue to numb the pain. Now, all his wounds were screaming, blaming his recklessness.

The pain was so intense that Joshua couldn't help but lean on the long spear, half-kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath.

"Phew... What's going on? As a legendary warrior, even with severe injuries, killing three orcs shouldn't take so much effort."

Holding the long spear in his right hand, he extended his left hand to touch the mud, feeling the cold, slippery sensation in his palm.

"This sensation, the bloody smell in my nose, and the tearing pain inside my body, even the highest-level virtual game pod, the developers can't possibly simulate this..."

Doubt swirled in his mind, and the foreboding feeling grew stronger: "The Thomas Grand Canyon has long been flattened, but it has reappeared. I was in Naya Fortress fighting demons, and now I have awakened here..."

"What the hell is going on?!"

Boom! Thunder rumbled, and lightning split the night sky. In the light, the panting Joshua saw his reflection in the fragments of the sword blade.

It was a familiar yet strange face with black hair.

"Who is this... Is this me?!"

The moment he saw the reflection, Joshua felt as if a file was scraping his brain, causing intense pain that made him clutch his head, his veins bulging.

Then, as Joshua endured the sudden pain, he recalled all the memories that belonged to 'himself.'