C2 A New World

Su Chen, decked out in professional gear, found himself once again in the familiar woods.

"Really, it's possible," Su Chen marveled, gazing at the place that was both known and strange to him. Even though it was his second visit, the magic of it hadn't diminished.

He inhaled deeply, savoring the freshness. The air quality was incomparable to that of a cityscape dominated by skyscrapers.

The ancient trees towered above, their vines twisting like dragons. A gentle breeze carried an intoxicating floral scent that seemed to come from nowhere, refreshing the air and cleansing the soul with every breath.

But these weren't Su Chen's primary concerns. His gaze shifted to the battery icon in the bottom right corner of his vision, which was still half-lit—a sign that he could make it back.

A wave of relief washed over Su Chen. Equipped with the ability to teleport, he could escape any danger in an instant, effectively rendering him invincible in a way.

"Zheng!"

Startled, Su Chen's body broke out in a cold sweat. An arrow had lodged itself in a large tree right beside him, less than half a meter from his head, its tail still quivering, much like Su Chen's trembling legs.

"Yikes!" Su Chen yelled, taking off at a sprint. He didn't have time to ponder who had shot the arrow; survival was his only priority, so much so that he had forgotten his ability to teleport.

Su Chen was quick, but someone was quicker. A shadowy figure leaped from a nearby tree. Had Su Chen glanced back, he would have been even more horrified—it was a tree nearly five meters high!

He hadn't gotten far when a powerful force hit him from behind, and suddenly, he was being hoisted into the air, spun around like a ragdoll.

Facing his captor, Su Chen locked eyes with a gaze as piercing as daggers, sending his heart racing.

"3#+__+(&(&(&$wiiejdj."

Su Chen was completely baffled. They clearly didn't speak the same language. How was he supposed to plead for his life with these unintelligible sounds?

After a moment's thought, Su Chen resorted to a universally understood gesture, raising his hands in surrender—surely, that was something anyone on Earth could comprehend.

"Who are you?" Igrutil peered at the oddly dressed individual before him and posed the question once more, gently setting Su Chen down on the ground in the process.

He hadn't noticed anything unusual at first, only seeing Su Chen appear out of nowhere, dressed bizarrely and looking rather sneaky. Instinctively, he had fired an arrow at him as a warning. Had it been meant to harm, Su Chen might have met his maker by now.

Upon closer inspection, Igrutil realized Su Chen's attire was not only strange but intricately made, crafted from materials no ordinary person could afford. If Su Chen turned out to be some high-ranking figure, rashly harming him could spell disaster for the village.

Once again, Su Chen was at a loss, unable to communicate in the foreign language. He resorted to a series of frantic gestures towards Igrutil, though he himself didn't understand what he was trying to convey. But he had to do something; he couldn't just resign himself to fate!

Igrutil, visibly irritated, scratched his head. Su Chen's gestures were incomprehensible to him, but one thing was clear: Su Chen was no threat. His delicate and slender frame was a clear sign he hadn't practiced martial arts—a pampered aristocrat, perhaps.

Igrutil pointed at Su Chen, then at himself, and finally towards the horizon. He took a couple of steps forward, then glanced back to see that Su Chen hadn't followed.

Overwhelmed by Su Chen's apparent lack of common sense, Igrutil strode over to him and, before Su Chen could react, hoisted him up as easily as one would a small chicken.

In no time at all, Su Chen experienced what it meant to be Superhuman. The landscape whizzed by him as if he were in a speeding car, stuck in fourth gear. Such velocity was surely beyond any earthly being's reach.

It was only now that Su Chen took proper notice of his captor's attire. The man was a veritable wild man!

And not just any wild man, but an enhanced one, with arms as thick as his waist and a body covered in muscular knots, his chest bare and only a swath of animal hide wrapped around his waist. If Su Chen wasn't mistaken, that was a tiger-skin loincloth, made from the hide of a rare black tiger—a priceless artifact in any city. Of course, that was if Su Chen could ever manage to sell it.

After what seemed like an eternity, Su Chen had the distinct sensation of flying. He traversed several valleys and scaled numerous mountain peaks. On multiple occasions, Su Chen nearly gave in to the urge to turn back, but he sensed no ill will from his wild companion and resisted the impulse. His curiosity about their destination remained piqued.

Eventually, after a seemingly endless journey, signs of civilization crept into Su Chen's view. A fence wall encircled the area, constructed from wood so dark and metallically lustrous that one could tell at a glance it was exceptionally sturdy—certainly not a material from Earth.

Approaching what appeared to be the entrance, Su Chen encountered the second barbarian. Igrutil was known as No. 1, and this individual was even more formidable—taller by a head and undoubtedly towering over two meters and thirty centimeters. With his stature and build, he would have been a champion on the basketball court.

"Outsider," No. 2 said, his brow furrowed as he scrutinized Su Chen with a piercing gaze that made Su Chen's skin prickle as though he were prey under the watchful eye of a primeval predator.

"Yeah, I found him on the outskirts of the untamed beast mountain range. Given how soft and delicate he looks, he must be an outsider. I brought him here for the chief to see," No. 1 explained.

"Enter! The Patriarch is in the Ancestral Hall," the burly man said, giving Su Chen another penetrating look as if trying to see right through him.

Su Chen, bewildered, watched No. 1 and No. 2 converse and realized the vital importance of knowing a foreign language, silently chiding his past self for not studying harder.

Inside the village, smoke curled from chimneys, and thatched huts were scattered about, exuding an air of primordial life. A hundred or so children, under the tutelage of a man as imposing as No. 2 at the entrance, were vigorously practicing martial arts. Their punches cut through the air with force, and Su Chen was certain he wouldn't withstand a single blow from any of them.

In that moment, Su Chen had no doubt: he had crossed into another world.

Where on Earth could you find a child capable of hoisting massive stones weighing hundreds of pounds and dashing about with them? Where could you find a child able to leap two meters into the air and bounce from tree to tree like a monkey, outpacing even the average primate?

Upon entering the village, Su Chen was finally released from the grip of Brother No. 1 and could walk on his own, albeit at a slow pace.

Brother No. 1 was in no rush, leading the way with deliberate steps. If Su Chen could have seen his face just then, he would have noticed the smug expression, the glances he cast at the bystanders, as if to say, "Look at the extraordinary item I've brought back."

Su Chen's emotions were a tangled mess. He felt like a monkey on display at the zoo, under the scrutiny of all those eyes. Was he really that good-looking to warrant such attention from men and women, young and old alike?

And that guy over there, could you not leer so creepily? We're both men; your gaze should be on the beautiful lady next to you. She may be taller than me, but her beauty is undeniable. It makes me wonder if there's something in the water here that nurtures such fair-skinned and lovely women who need no embellishment from cosmetics.