Chapter 122: Cha.121 A New Chance

Qasim opened his eyes in shock.

He looked around and saw nothing but darkness.

He knew this place.

He raised his hand, but there was no hand.

No legs.

No head.

No body.

He was nothing but a floating consciousness.

But this time, something was different.

He blinked.

Then he blinked again, just to make sure.

With a weak voice, he tried to speak.

“I have eyes…”

He was stunned for a moment.

This was something new too.

“I can speak… and see with eyes…”

Qasim, still nothing more than a floating consciousness, was amazed by the differences.

But then it happened.

Loud screams began approaching.

“Oh no… No, no, no.”

Qasim knew this thing too.

He immediately tried to run, or at least that was what he attempted to do.

But the screams kept getting closer and closer until he began seeing dark hands emerging from everywhere.

“Leave me alone!”

He cried out, but the hands kept approaching.

Then the people behind them began appearing to Qasim.

The same dark figures that had torn him apart when he died that time.

He tried running faster, a deeply horrified expression on his face, but the hands were faster.

They were about to reach him.

“AHHH!”

BAM!

“Man, shut your mouth!”

Qasim was hit in the head so hard that he immediately stopped screaming.

He scratched his head and slowly opened his eyes.

He was back in reality.

He could smell the sweet odor of plants around him.

He could see the light again.

Qasim looked around and realized he was lying on a bed, with bandages covering his body.

He raised his hand and recalled the last thing he remembered.

The bird monster.

His paralyzed body.

The unknown person at the end.

And…

“Yasmin!”

He screamed again as his concern rose.

“I told you not to scream!”

Another punch hit his head, making him shut up.

Still in a panic, Qasim looked to the side and saw an old man.

He had long gray hair tied into a ponytail and a strong, wide jawline.

His muscular body didn’t match his old appearance, and he wore a sharp white military coat with black military pants and shoes.

His left eye was green, while the other was covered with a black bandage like a pirate.

Qasim simply stared at him in confusion.

The old man crossed his arms and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. Are all young people from your world this ignorant? Where is your respect for someone of a higher rank than you?”

Qasim blinked at his words before giving a formal salute.

“Are you the one who saved us?”

Upon hearing his question, the old man burst into laughter.

“No! Of course not me. That’s the commander. I am Adlan, his right hand.”

He paused for a moment before flashing a mocking smile.

“And you are the kid from the physical world that the previous captain of this place mentioned.”

Qasim took a step back when he heard those words.

He lowered his head and asked in a calm tone,

“By saying previous captain, you mean…”

“Yes. That bird-like monster was the captain you served. We don’t know how he got corrupted.”

Adlan paused for a moment when he saw Qasim’s sad reaction.

He clicked his tongue before standing up.

“C’mon, be a man. We live and die. That’s how life is. And most importantly, the commander wants to see you.”

Qasim raised an eyebrow.

“When?”

Adlan acted as if he were thinking.

“Hmm… Let’s say… now!”

He suddenly grabbed Qasim by the leg and lifted him upside down before walking out.

“Put me down! I can walk by myself!”

…

After putting him down, the two of them started walking around.

Qasim noticed that he wasn’t in the city he knew.

This was a new place that looked like a temporary base.

He looked to the left and saw Light Warriors training.

Then he looked to the right and saw more warriors talking to each other.

And between them, he spotted two familiar people.

“Yasmin! Cici!”

He rushed toward the girls with a bright smile.

“You’re awake! Thank God…”

Cici let out a sigh of relief, while Yasmin simply nodded.

Qasim then stopped in front of them.

“Yes, I’m fine now. How about you two?”

Cici raised her hand and pointed back and forth between herself and Yasmin.

“Yasmin and I are also fine. She got more injuries than I did, but her regeneration ability is so useful.”

Cici then gave a nervous smile while adjusting her glasses.

“I was so amazed that I made the mistake of asking her to teach me… Well, that went completely wrong, right, Yasmin?”

Cici chuckled while Yasmin simply nodded.

Qasim gave them a satisfied smile before tilting his head in confusion.

“Wait… You two can communicate now?”

Cici blinked before clapping her hands together as if she had just remembered something.

“Oh, you don’t know that. But it’s been three days since the incident happened, and while you were sleeping, Yasmin had to learn our language by herself.”

Cici’s eyes filled with excitement as she turned toward Yasmin.

“She’s a genius! She managed to learn the basics in just three days, and with more practice, she can become a fluent speaker!”

Qasim gave her a surprised look before scratching his head.

“That’s am—”

Before he could finish his sentence, a hand grabbed his head so hard that it lifted his entire body off the ground.

His eyes widened as he sensed an angry aura behind him.

“I see that you are a genius at wasting time, huh?”

Adlan smiled from ear to ear with his eyes closed, barely holding back his anger.

…

Qasim stood in front of a white tent beside Adlan, who simply told him to follow before entering.

Once inside, Qasim saw how simple the tent was.

It was packed with papers and weapons, and in the middle sat the commander behind his desk.

His helmet moved up and down as he wrote.

Above his military coat was a thick, fur-trimmed collar, accentuating his well-trained, imposing silhouette beneath a heavy, silver-like winter cloak.

“I brought the sleeping princess here, Commander,” Adlan said jokingly before bowing respectfully.

The commander stopped what he was doing and raised his head to look at the boy.

Qasim couldn’t see what was beneath that helmet or what eyes rested behind the dark glass, but he could feel one thing.

This person’s aura was completely different from the others.

Qasim felt uncomfortable because the feeling was similar to the Corwata king’s.

Yet he was certain that this person wasn’t like that king.

The boy bowed respectfully before saying,

“This rookie ??? the commander.”

The commander raised his hand and spoke in a calm, deep voice.

“Please, both of you, raise your heads.”

After they did, he continued.

“Qasim from the physical world. I find your story interesting, and I feel sorry that you ended up in this empire after… all that happened.”

“But I called you here today to make things clear.”

He stood up and walked toward the boy.

“With you and your friend’s help, we will grow stronger. You already know about the curse and how we are stuck here.”

“If you help us, I assure you that we will help you both return to your world.”

He then extended his hand, waiting for Qasim’s response.

*That was surprisingly smooth…*

Qasim tried to think of a possible trick, but ultimately decided to trust this person for now.

He shook the commander’s hand.

Qasim then raised an eyebrow as he felt that the cloth of the commander’s glove was freezing cold.

But the commander quickly pulled his hand back before thanking Qasim.

“Very well. Please get ready. We will return to the northern city to plan our next expedition.”

Adlan stood straight and clapped his feet together before shouting in agreement.

Qasim tried doing the same.

“Yes, Commander!”

“Y-Yes, Commander…”

“Good. Now go rest, you two.”

After Adlan and Qasim left, the commander walked back toward his desk and opened a drawer.

Inside were dozens of broken, unlit, and deformed lanterns.

The commander gently placed his hand over them before whispering to himself,

“Could this be a new chance for us…?”

“I won’t fail us again.”