infinity transmigrate

[Transmigration Successful]

Host: Kael

World: Apocalypse-Ruins (Code #1285)

Soul input starts 1,2,3...

"AARRRGHHH!"

Kael jolted upright with a scream, clutching his throat as if someone still choked him. 

His fingers dug into the soft flesh of a new neck. 

He gasped, sucking in air like he hadn't breathed in hours. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he stared at his trembling hands. 

"What the hell—"

His head throbbed. The pain from his last fight vivid behind his eyes. He rubbed his forehead and—

Something wet peeled off his cheek.

"You've got to be kidding me," he groaned, yanking a banana peel off his face.

He blinked, trying to make sense of his surroundings.

He saw dozens of garbage piles. Rotten food, plastic scraps, rusted tins, and half a doll's face stared back at him. 

And the stench.

"Oh god. The stench."

He covered his nose, but it didn't help much.

He lay in a dump. Literally.

"Seriously? I die and respawn in a dumpster? What kind of sick joke is this?"

He looked around. Was anyone nearby? No luck. He gripped the edge of the dumpster with his hands.

"Yes…" His voice sounded hollow and desperate. "That's it."

He tried to move. His arm trembled. His legs felt like snapped twigs. He gagged as the stench crawled into his nose.

"Perfect. One bonus point for scent effects."

With effort, he pulled himself upright, leaning against a rusted bin. His head spun, and he almost passed out.

He stood in a dead-end alley. About thirty feet away, a narrow exit opened into a bombed-out street. Twisted metal signs barely clung to broken shops.

He inspected his new body.

Ragged blue shirt. Torn brown jeans full of holes that almost fit. 

He flexed his fingers, studying his new body. 

He was weak. Utterly weak.

"This guy lost every stall roll, huh?"

He closed his eyes. Tried to remember what happened before.

He only remembered a fierce battle. There were blasts everywhere, rivers of blood, and dying soldiers screaming. Then, a blade appeared before his eyes—then he died again.

"And here I am again."He muttered like curse while peering into the dumpster, hoping to find something useful. 

But for his bad luck, there was nothing.

He took a breath. "Think positive," he told himself. "No matter how bad it is, just think positively. Nothing worse can—"

A gruff voice called, "Hey! You! On the wall!"

He froze, caught off guard.

He turned slowly. Three people stood at the alley's entrance.

The first was built like a bear, gripping a jagged rebar like a baseball bat. 

Next to him, a woman with a scar across her cheek and hair pulled back so tightly it looked painful.

Finally, a younger guy, around Kael's age, had curly hair. His nervous hands gripped a rusted pipe as if it were his last hope.

They wore the same dirty, patched clothes as he, but unlike Kael, they actually had some.

They looked like they'd fought a sewer monster and barely won.

"Who are you?" the man growled.

Kael opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His throat felt raw, like he had swallowed sandpaper.

"Are you deaf?" the woman snapped. "Which sector are you from? Who do you run with?"

Kael coughed. "I don't… run with anyone."

The man with the beard grinned and pointed his rebar at Kael. "A loner in Sector 7? Ballsy. Got anything worth trading?"

_____________________________________________________________________

'Of course. First day in a new world, and I run into a bunch of random murder-hobos. Perfect.'

Kael cursed his luck.

'What kind of dumb luck do I have?'

He knew he couldn't do anything now. He couldn't outrun or fight them.

His only option was to listen and answer carefully.

He stood straighter, forcing himself to hold their gaze.

The woman stepped closer. Her eyes scanned him like he was a frog ready for dissection.

From Kael's point of view, she used to be really beautiful after she got a scar on her face. But there's still a little bit of her beauty left.

It wasn't the kind that screamed danger.more cold than cruel. She seemed more like a soldier than a scavenger.

Kael's instincts whispered: This one won't waste bullets on me.

Something about her made him pause. It wasn't love at first sight, but her voice felt familiar.

"Don't make us turn you into a corpse," she warned, moving closer.

The younger boy whispered, pity in his eyes. "Maybe he's just lost…"

"Lost means weak," Silas said, stepping forward. "And weak gets eaten here."

Kael took a breath. His mind raced. He had no gear, no weapon, and not even a single plan.

But he had something.

He raised his chin and said the most ridiculous excuse of his life.

"I died."

The group paused.

"What?" the woman asked, looking at him in confusion.

"I died," he said, as if that explained everything.

The man blinked. "We all did, kid."

"No," Kael said calmly. "I died yesterday fighting some bad guys, and I came to this world."

The boy with curly hair flinched. "He's crazy."

The woman didn't move. Just kept staring, as if examining a madman.

"Do you have a name, dead boy?"

"Kael."

She repeated it, tasting it.

"Kael. You show up with nothing and tell me you died. You'd better have something else. A reason not to leave you here dying."

Kael smiled faintly. This part always sucked.

'Time to show the trick.'

"I can speak your language."

The man rolled his eyes. "You're doing that already."

"No. I can speak any language. Instantly. Including ones no one remembers anymore."

The woman's brow lifted slightly. "Then prove it."

Kael didn't hesitate.

He closed his eyes, reaching into the well of memories that followed him across lifetimes.

He spoke in a long-dead tongue, where words bent the world:

"Eldoria e'lareth. Ar'doron ilios faer. Kael s'ven."

(This world is broken. The journey of light continues. I am Kael.)

"…"

Kael opened his eyes. "Uh. Guys?"

Everyone was silent, staring at him as if he had pulled off a magic trick.

The boy's jaw dropped.

The man took half a step back.

The woman didn't flinch or show surprise. She looked at him for a moment, then faintly smiled. It was an amused smile, rare and intriguing.

"Well. A corpse that talks in riddles. Maybe Sector 7's not as empty as I thought."

She pointed her rebar toward the building behind her.

"Alright, Kael. You're coming with us. Let's see what else that 'death' of yours left behind."

Kael didn't argue he simply nod his head

It wasn't like he had a choice. His life this new life was already in their hands. 

"Okay then lets go then"he said. 

"Lead the way."