How To Survive A Calamity

Our first day in Terra Sanguis was one to remember.

Upon our arrival, we were immediately ambushed by the most notorious creature the Dungeon had to offer, the King of the Desert of Blood Earth, Sand Dragon.

Although it was called a dragon, it was actually more of an overgrown sand worm that burrowed underground, really.

It was grotesque and imposing to look at.

Fortunately, we were quick to think on our feet and somehow survived our first encounter by escaping.

But even after that, the horrors of Terra Sanguis, the land of eternal drought never ceased.

A slender sword flashed and a monster was instantly cleaved in two parts. Blood splashed an arc through the air and painted the sandy ground, immediately merging with the pale sickly colour of dark dried blood.

Terra Sanguis, the land of eternal drought was true to its name and title.

In no second flat was the blood dried up and absorbed forever into the soil.

The desert was unforgiving.

The crimson sun was ever raging, and the wind never ceased to sharply bite.

Ironically, what made the Dungeon of Blood Earth devastatingly more dangerous wasn't the monsters that inhabited it.

It was the environment itself.

The scorching heat and dry atmosphere.

Not to mention, the shift in the weight of gravity. It took some time and considerable effort for each of us to finally somehow adapt to the gravity and pressure of the atmosphere.

With all this hanging around my neck like sharp blades, i was repeatedly reminded over and over how devastating a Dungeon truly was.

In the end, even i had to admit to a truth.

'Laplace Dungeon has nothing on this one.'

Zero shit.

That felt more like paradise, to be perfectly honest.

No, to be painfully honest.

There, all i just had to do was sit around and passively get stronger in a cool environment with literally everything offered to me. I had three lives, a good view and a Silver Sentinel friend to keep me busy whenever i felt bored and lonely.

Here, i had a group of annoying and whining kids while constantly being surrounded by literally everything trying to kill me.

I heard this in a movie once in my past life from earth.

Here in the west, whatever isn't you tries to kill you.

Those words had never held more truth than now.

If it wasn't the well timed ambushes of monsters after your life, it was the burning red sun and unforgiving heat that would.

And if it weren't the sun and the absurdly high temperature in the day, it was the whining and frustrating sound of Don's and Trise's voice.

This was the Blood Earth.

Here where even the sand felt like shards of broken glass.

If i had a chance to go into the past a few weeks back, or even days ago to tell my younger self i would find myself in such a diabolical place eventually, i probably wouldn't believe my own words

The contrast and change between the warm and soft comfort of my bedroom, to the unforgiving land of dessication and drought in only a few minutes or seconds through a gate sounded surreal and impossible.

Alas, it was the difference between worlds.

'Worlds, huh...'

Dungeons were yet just passageways and fragments of other words and realms.

Even this dungeon too... Terra Sanguis the Blood Earth was just another fragment of a different world.

I thought i had gotten used to the old term of Transmigration already, but being here now was certainly a surreal experience.

A painful one.

'I think my concept of reality and common sense is being broken down finely and restructured right from the foundation up.'

In retrospect, that should have already happened right from the beginning.

But the more i continued to live in this world — Aethoria, i mean, not 'this' world, Terra Sanguis — the more it feels like I'm further distancing myself from the common sense of Earth.

Kind of like I'm gradually and continuously becoming something that isn't human.

'That's rude. Why would i think the people of this world — Aethoria, i mean, not this savage savannah— aren't human?'

Well, i don't think calling individuals with the ability to rain fire from the sky human is exactly fair...

Huh.

I scratched my head.

'Well, technically, i don't think i qualify for the standards of human on neither earth, nor this world —Aethoria, i mean, not this—'

[Savage savannah— we get it.]

'...'

I scratched my head again.

'Just...what exactly am i?'

...this is depressing.

Ah, well.

The Land of Drought was an ungracious place to send a bunch of kids into.

At first i was excited, but now I'm like,

What was the academy thinking?!

And we had to survive for a week.

At least they gave us provisions that are barely enough for us to survive with at the beginning.

There was a small useful function of the bracelet which allowed us to carry a small sizeable dimensional pocket around with us.

There were provisions like liters of water and rations stored inside of it ahead of time..

Ah.

Speaking of water...

"We've almost run out of drinking water." Deandra said, shaking a half empty water container next to her head

She let the container fall to the ground and tiredly fell on her behind to sit. The now dirty traveler's cloak she wore ruffled as she moved.

I glanced at the water container, crossed my hands leisurely and scratched my head.

"Well that might be a problem."

"You think?" The approaching voice filled with reproach belonged to Don as he appeared, dragging the dismembered corpse of a monster with him.

Behind him were Trise and Chelsea, both of them covered in blood and dirt, looking exhausted and drained.

"Oh. How did the subjugation go?" I merely side glanced at him and said.

Don scowled at me briefly then tossed the corpse forward with a few bloodied crystal fragments at me.

"That's the fourth ambush we've complicated just today alone. If you're just going to sit around in the shade and do nothing, why not get off your ass and help us dress the corpses. It's the least you can do, you deadbeat!"