The house that now belonged to Harry turned out not to be very far from the road where he had first lost consciousness.
During the battle in the forest, he had caught sight of the house from a distance. That was why, even though his vision was still blurry and his body felt incredibly weak, Harry did not get lost.
He staggered along.
Every so often, his vision would sharpen, only to grow blurry again a few seconds later. His head felt heavy, while his entire body seemed to have lost its bones. Every step made his joints tremble.
Harry desperately wanted to collapse and sleep right there.
But the memory of Aria made him abandon the idea.
This place wasn't safe.
Not safe at all.
If he dared close his eyes now, there was no guarantee he'd be able to open them again.
Night had fully fallen.
Moonlight hung in the sky, illuminating the silent path. Its pale rays slipped between the trees and rooftops, casting long shadows that only made the atmosphere more frightening.
There wasn't the slightest sense of comfort.
Instead, the hair on the back of Harry's neck remained raised.
He walked alone beneath the moonlight as the night wind swept over his wounded body.
Up ahead, an old sign stood crookedly by the side of the road.
The wood had rotted, and some parts were even cracked. The sign was nearly falling over, held up only by a wooden post that didn't look any sturdier than a tree branch.
Four letters were carved into its surface.
BARAT.
Harry slowed his steps.
“So this is...”
He stared at the sign.
This was the house Aria had bought.
Back then, Aria had considered himself incredibly lucky to find a house this cheap.
Its price was far lower than that of the other houses in the area.
When he first bought it, Aria had felt relieved.
At least, he thought, he still had a place to live.
But that feeling hadn't lasted long.
When he accompanied the house seller into town to finalize the purchase, Aria began to realize something.
This area was too quiet.
Too far from the center of town.
And worst of all—
The area had a bad reputation.
Bandits were often seen roaming around the forest.
Some residents even said that monsters sometimes appeared at night.
From that point on, unease began gnawing at Aria's heart.
Now Harry understood why.
His face went pale as he passed the crooked sign.
The night wind blew.
Whooosh...
The wooden sign swayed.
Creeeak...
Its groan rang out clearly in the silence.
Harry looked to the left and right.
There was no one there.
Yet for some reason, the feeling that he was being watched continued to haunt him.
I hope there aren't any monsters roaming around tonight...
Harry prayed inwardly.
Through Aria's fragmented memories, he recalled the nights the owner of this body had endured.
Ever since moving to the area, Aria had hardly ever slept peacefully.
There were always strange sounds every night.
Sometimes, he heard footsteps outside the house.
Other times, he heard something dragging itself across the ground.
And on certain nights...
He heard something that sounded like claws scratching at the window.
Scratch...
Scratch...
The sound always made Aria wake up in a cold sweat.
But he had never dared go outside to investigate.
The house now seemed shrouded in darkness.
Silent.
Too silent.
The silence that should have been comforting instead felt like something was waiting.
Harry swallowed.
He drew a slow breath and continued walking.
A stone path stretched out before him.
Wild grass grew between the cracks in the stones, some of it reaching his calves. No one had taken care of it.
The farther he walked, the heavier his steps became.
The wounds on his body felt like they were burning.
The wrist bitten by the werewolf throbbed.
His stomach was empty.
And his entire body demanded rest.
But Harry kept walking.
Until finally—
He saw his house.
Two larger houses stood on either side of it.
Harry's house was in the middle.
The building had two stories.
Vines crawled wildly over its walls, covering part of the windows. The paint had peeled off in several places, while the roof looked old.
There was an abandoned garden in the backyard.
The grass had grown tall.
Several plants had died.
And in one corner of the yard stood an old shed not much larger than a doghouse.
Compared to his neighbors' houses, Aria's home looked truly shabby.
Even at night, it looked like an empty building that had been abandoned long ago.
But to Harry—
The house was a shelter.
Finally...
He could rest.
He quickened his pace slightly.
But only a few meters before he reached the fence—
“Woof!”
Harry froze.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
A savage barking suddenly shattered the silence.
Harry nearly jumped in surprise.
He immediately turned around.
A large bulldog stood behind his neighbor's fence.
Its lips curled back, revealing sharp fangs.
Drool dripped from the corner of its mouth.
Its eyes stared at Harry without blinking.
A low growl rumbled from its throat.
“Grrrrr...”
Harry recognized the dog at once.
It belonged to his neighbor.
A tall, broad old man who was known for his short temper.
Aria's memories resurfaced.
The old man often bullied Aria.
He had even entered Aria's house several times without permission and taken his belongings as though the house belonged to him.
Aria had never dared fight back.
Not because he wasn't angry.
But because the old man always carried a hunting rifle.
And his dog—
That large bulldog—
Was often used to terrorize Aria.
Several times, the dog had even chased Aria until the young man's clothes were torn.
Aria had once been known as a spoiled, wasteful young man.
But after the tragedy that befell his family, his arrogance had gradually disappeared.
He became quiet.
More cautious.
And inclined to avoid trouble.
Harry remembered everything.
Then he looked back at the bulldog.
His gaze turned cold.
His hand slowly moved toward the dagger at his waist.
But before he could do anything—
The dog sniffed the air.
Its nose twitched.
Then its eyes changed.
The bulldog had caught a scent.
Blood.
Harry's blood.
The growl in its throat deepened.
“Grrrrr...”
The dog licked its lips.
Then it slowly lowered its body.
Harry didn't move.
His fingers tightened around the dagger's hilt.
He could sense the danger.
The dog wanted flesh.
And tonight, the flesh right in front of it was him.
Perhaps because it had been used to terrorize Aria for years, the dog no longer considered humans something to fear.
It stepped closer.
One step.
Two steps.
Now only a few meters separated them.
Harry drew a breath.
Stay calm.
Wait.
Don't move first.
The dog continued approaching.
Until finally—
It lunged.
“GRAAAH!”
The massive body shot toward Harry.
But Harry's reflexes were much faster.
He twisted his body to the side.
The dog's jaws snapped at nothing but air.
At the same time, Harry drew his dagger.
Moonlight flashed across the sharp blade.
Slice!
The dagger swept out in a small arc.
Cutting straight across the throat.
The dog staggered.
Harry himself lost his balance and nearly fell.
Meanwhile, the bulldog collapsed onto the ground.
Its body writhed several times before finally going still.
Harry stood there, panting.
But something strange happened.
He suddenly felt a warm current spread throughout his body.
Energy.
A strange power flowed through every muscle.
Harry froze.
The exhaustion that had nearly made him faint eased slightly.
His body felt lighter.
Stronger.
“...What is this?”
He stared at both his hands.
The sensation lasted only a few seconds before disappearing.
Harry furrowed his brow.
There was no time to think about it.
He glanced at the dog lying on the ground, then chose to ignore it.
The most important thing now was getting inside the house.
Harry walked into the yard.
He stopped in front of the door.
Then Aria's memories resurfaced.
The house key was hidden beneath a stone near the door.
Harry moved the stone aside.
Sure enough.
A small key lay beneath it.
“At least the owner of this body wasn't completely stupid.”
He picked up the key and unlocked the door.
Click.
The door opened.
Stale air immediately greeted him.
The smell of dust and old wood filled the room.
But Harry didn't have the energy to inspect the house.
He went straight inside.
Locked the door from within.
Then climbed the stairs.
Creeeak...
Every step produced a long groan.
Harry finally reached the second floor.
He walked toward the bedroom.
The moment he saw the bed, he could no longer hold himself back.
Thud!
His body fell flat on its back onto the mattress.
The tension that had been holding his body together slowly faded.
His eyelids felt incredibly heavy.
His consciousness blurred.
And a few seconds later—
Harry fell asleep.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
In his sleep, Harry felt something.
Hunger.
An overwhelmingly powerful hunger.
His stomach felt hollow, as if it were being torn apart from within.
But his body was too exhausted to get up.
He merely rolled over slightly on the mattress and sank back into sleep.
Then—
Crash!
The sound of something falling came from downstairs.
Harry frowned.
His consciousness began to stir.
Thud!
Another sound followed.
He still didn't open his eyes.
Behind the bedroom window, moonlight slipped in through a gap in the curtains.
And outside—
A tall, thin silhouette stood beneath the moonlight.
The creature moved slowly.
One of its limbs appeared far too long for a human.
Then—
Screeeech...
Something scratched across the wall of the house.
The sound of long, sharp claws was unmistakable.
Still asleep, Harry didn't notice.
The silhouette then vanished from behind the window.
Morning arrived.
Sunlight streamed through the window.
Harry jolted awake.
“Ugh...”
His hand immediately clutched his stomach.
The hunger he felt was far worse than before.
“Hungry...”
His eyes were red and stinging.
He got out of bed.
The night's rest had restored most of his energy.
But the hunger writhing in his stomach felt like a wild beast tearing his insides apart.
Harry walked to the kitchen.
He opened the cupboard.
Empty.
He opened the shelves.
Nothing.
Then his eyes caught sight of some food that remained.
A few wilted vegetables.
Bread that had gone hard.
And even food that was already showing signs of rot.
Harry stared at it all.
“No way...”
His stomach growled.
Grrrroow...
He swallowed.
A few seconds later—
He gave in.
Harry devoured everything.
He didn't care how it tasted.
He didn't care how long the food had been sitting there.
He shoved it all into his mouth.
A few minutes later, he slumped weakly onto the kitchen floor.
His breathing was heavy.
The hunger had eased slightly.
But it was still there.
Harry furrowed his brow.
“What happened to me?”
He stared at the leftover food he'd just eaten.
“Going hungry for one day shouldn't make someone eat food this rotten.”
Yet his body seemed to be demanding more.
More.
More food.
Harry stood.
And that's when he realized something.
His body felt different.
Stronger.
Denser.
He clenched his fist.
His muscles felt harder than before.
Harry lifted his shirt.
His stomach, which had once been thin, was now beginning to show more defined muscle lines.
“...What the hell is this?”
He examined his arms.
His physical strength had truly increased.
The memory of the warm sensation he'd felt after killing the bulldog resurfaced.
Harry fell silent.
Could this be...
A blessing from my transmigration?
Some kind of special ability?
Or...
A golden finger?
Harry shook his head.
He didn't have enough information to draw a conclusion.
But one thing was clear.
Something had changed inside his body.
And that change might be related to the creatures he had killed.
Harry set the thought aside.
His hunger was a far more urgent problem.
He searched the house again.
Cupboards.
The shed.
Shelves.
Kitchen.
There was no food.
No supplies.
There wasn't even much money left in the house.
Harry finally sat down on the living room sofa.
He massaged his temples.
“Should I leave town to look for food?”
His thoughts spun.
From Aria's memories, the area where he lived was indeed known as Barat.
This wasn't a trading town.
The residents usually went to other towns to get food and daily necessities.
They left at dawn.
Then returned before dusk.
The problem was—
The journey was fairly long.
And Harry's wallet was nearly empty.
He didn't even know what condition his new body was in.
Not to mention the wounds that still hadn't fully healed.
Harry leaned back against the sofa.
For a while, he simply sat in silence.
Then—
“Grogos!”
Someone's voice came from outside.
“Grogos! Where are you, my darling?”
Harry raised his head.
He knew that voice very well.
The old man who owned the bulldog.
He was looking for his dog.
“Grogos!”
“Where are you?”
Harry fell silent for several seconds.
Then the corner of his mouth slowly lifted.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“Oh...”
He looked toward the window.
“So your name is Grogos.”
His smile grew wider.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Harry felt that he'd found something interesting.
“Looks like I've got something else to take care of this morning.”
And outside the house—
The old man's voice echoed again.
“Grogos!”
But this time...
The one waiting for him wasn't the weak, timid Aria.
It was Harry Vaughan.