After idling for another hour, the young man slowly rose from the slope and climbed toward the ridge. The slope wasn't very high, and he reached the top easily, looking down at his family's home on this planet. It was a small cabin-style house situated roughly in the middle of the slope, surrounded by pastureland.
In truth, the house was a decent size. However, the land did not belong to them; they merely managed it on behalf of the people who had founded the city. Furthermore, this area was quite far from the city's fertile zones—specifically, far from the cultivated agricultural fields. If certain crops could grow here, they might have changed the animals' diet or perhaps provided the young man's family with a better life, but these barren lands offered little help.
Farming in this soil was nearly impossible and extremely unproductive. Because traditional agriculture was out of the question, his family had covered the land with red clover, one of the rare plants capable of growing on Maru without issue. Of course, even this hardy plant wouldn't grow everywhere without factors like soil worms and water. Due to their care and hard work, a large portion of the farm looked deep red from where the young man stood. He considered the time when these plants were cultivated to be both the most grueling and the best part of the year.
The entire family would work together to dig up the vast land and aerate the soil. This wasn't a task finished in a day or two; it took the whole family nearly a week to process the dry earth. Afterward, they would scatter the seeds and cover them.
The reason he considered it the best period was that they collected the old and weak soil worms during this cultivation. These worms couldn't be eaten raw; they had to go through steps like processing and drying. His mother and older sister handled these tasks, so the young man didn't know the specifics. This was the family's only source of meat, which is why he thought of it as the best time.
Beyond feeding the animals, the grass served no other purpose. It had no other function, except for the occasional times the young man would stick a sprig between his teeth to look a bit cool. This cycle lasted about six months. The remaining six months were spent in a completely uninhabitable period of erratic weather and storms. This was the worst time. Scorching snow made it impossible to go outside. These weather events weren't just made of water; acid rain, burning snow containing acid, and winds approaching the speed of sound locked life entirely indoors. Because of these conditions, it had become necessary to carve out another small city beneath the ground. The young man hadn't had much chance to visit it, but he knew of its existence.
During this period, his family would try to expand their basement. After twenty years of digging and expanding, one would expect a vast underground space, but the lower layers of the ground weren't made entirely of soil. Layers of stone and dry earth made excavation extremely difficult. They also tried to plant certain potato-like crops during this time. They weren't exactly high-yield, but they provided a different flavor that made the effort worthwhile.
Even the corrupted creatures retreated during this season, leaving the planet drifting in a vast void. It was the period the young man hated most. He shook his head and cleared his thoughts.
After watching the landscape for a while longer, he realized it was time to return home. Night provided very little light, and in the dim glow, he began to gather the animals. He rounded them up quickly and started driving them toward the pens right next to their house.
The young man was the only son in the family. He had an older sister and a younger sister. His older sister was already married, and his younger sister was only five years old. Since his father worked extra jobs in the city, he couldn't attend to the farm. Before the son took over, his mother and older sister managed it together. He had taken over the duty as soon as he was old enough. However, he couldn't say he was entirely satisfied with his life.
In truth, his dissatisfaction wasn't a matter of whim. The fact that his life was not in his own hands—the constant threat of creature raids and the sight of shattered families—forced him to remain perpetually on edge. The feeling that nothing belonged to him, including his own life, unless he was strong enough, made him unable to sleep at night.
Furthermore, in a situation where development and evolution were possible, he refused to settle for an ordinary life in the universe. He wanted to make use of the opportunity while he had it. It was a decision that might cost him his life, but he would no longer consider backing down.
In an age where humanity had been completely ignored by a group from the stars—some taken as slaves while their planet was plundered—being just a farm boy raising animals had become a suffocating existence for him. To change this, he had asked his brother-in-law for help and succeeded in convincing him after a long struggle. When his brother-in-law arrived, he would bring the key that would allow him to enter the Nightmare Dimension. He had no idea what it actually looked like, but there was no point in thinking about it anymore.
He hadn't told his family. He believed they wouldn't accept it if he did. He was the only son, and his father didn't want him attempting such a thing. The Nightmare Dimension was no joke; the danger level was incredibly high. Not even one in ten thousand who went there returned. This was partly why the human population hadn't increased in all these years. They either died in the dimensions or were killed by corrupted creature attacks on the planet. Yet, the young man had thought long and hard and decided to take the risk.
Though it seemed like foolishness, he knew it was his only chance. If he didn't seize this opportunity, his life would likely never progress a single step beyond this farm. Moreover, this was probably the most suitable age for him. Thinking about it, he was only 20. His body was developed, and his immaturity was almost gone. He wasn't old, either.
Old age didn't just refer to the loss of muscle and strength; it also described a mindset. As people aged, they became more prone to avoiding risks and were less willing—or completely unwilling—to leave their comfort zones. For this, he had to be young enough. His body was in good condition and healthy. It didn't matter that he had never done combat sports or anything similar. Or rather, it might have mattered, but things for which he had no choice were no longer important to him.
Once he made his decision, all he could do was exercise a bit more and keep his body in the best possible shape for when "it" arrived. He wanted to be at his fittest and hope for the best. At least, that was his plan.
The young man continued walking slowly toward his house. It wasn't far, but he had no intention of reaching it quickly, so he walked at a leisurely pace. As night fell further, the sounds of people returning home began to drift from the surroundings. Working at various jobs until late at night was quite normal in this world. Some of these workers, like his father, worked on the walls, while others made a living through odd jobs.
Some hunted creatures outside, selling their hides, claws, and certain bones. While the meat was inedible, the creatures weren't entirely useless; they were used in making weapons and armor. Bags, tents, and similar items were even fashioned from some hides. The young man's family had never involved themselves in these trades—or more accurately, his father and he had stayed away.
His grandfather, however, was someone who had made a living by scavenging and hunting before the city was founded here. He had helped in the city's construction, worked on the walls, and performed many tasks. What allowed him to secure their current job was his deep familiarity with the surrounding terrain and his helpfulness during the city's founding. In return, all the grandfather had asked for was a secure job opportunity. He knew that other things were temporary and that living outside was incredibly difficult. People often went to bed hungry. Sometimes they fed on small weeds or roots. They would gather around whatever water sources they could find and form small villages, but these settlements were usually temporary. Sometimes a bout of intense sandstorms would ruin the entire village. Other times, creature attacks would kill most of the people, forcing the rest back into a nomadic life.
The young man had heard all of this from his grandfather. It was only after the city was established and settled that his grandfather had a proper life and could provide decent meals. These meals consisted of rare agricultural products and porridge made from soil worms. Most people in the city worked just for enough food to survive.
The families of some friends the young man had met at school worked in the fields. According to them, the grains they grew had been modified and crossbred to adapt to the conditions. They were drier and much smaller, grass-like plants compared to traditional ears of grain. Bean-like plants were also grown, but their yield was very low, and most families in the city couldn't afford them.
The young man had seen all of this, and for everyone around him, it was perfectly normal. However, the young man had a past life to compare it to. Because of this, he struggled to adapt to this way of living. In every sense, he lived at the bottom of society. Even if it wasn't the absolute bottom, perhaps it was just one level above it; anything higher was impossible.
He kept walking and was now very close to home. He took a quick look. There were no lights in the house, but a glowing plant cast a small brightness in front of the door. This plant was called "Fireweed." While the name was flashy, the plant's only connection to fire was the transparent seed portion at the top that emitted a small light. Other than that, it had little to do with fire. This was one of the plants that had appeared later—a crossbred plant.
The young man thought about this as he approached. He hadn't paid much attention to it before, or perhaps it hadn't caught his interest, but there were an unusual number of things used as plant hybrids. It didn't look like something technology alone could achieve. He had heard certain rumors, though he wasn't sure.
The rumors suggested that some lucky people could awaken strange abilities in the dimensions. Perhaps there were also artificial abilities created using certain resources. The young man wasn't certain. However, it was a fact that these useful plants mostly originated from the city center. Maybe they really were things created as a result of an ability. No one could be sure. But thinking about it, even if this ability were real, it clearly had its limitations; otherwise, the surroundings would have been overflowing with green plants by now. That hadn't happened.
Among the many rumors, the young man believed this one. Because there had to be things that would distinguish such people and increase the chance of survival. Otherwise, it would have been incredibly difficult for humanity to cling to life so stubbornly.
The young man also felt that he should possess an ability. This feeling wasn't baseless. His soul did not belong to this world, so he thought he should be much stronger in terms of spiritual power and possess a soul different from the norm. Because of this, he was quite optimistic regarding an ability. He didn't want to think about the alternative.
He shook his head, casting the thoughts from his mind. By this time, he had nearly reached his home. But first, he had to put the animals in the pen. He opened the gate and helped them inside, counting them one by one. After settling all the animals, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and closed the gate. He had completed the day. He just wanted to go inside, have a small meal, and sleep. Even though it seemed like he hadn't done much all day, dealing with animals constantly wasn't as easy as it looked.
He closed the pen door and noticed the sky was becoming slightly cloudy as he walked toward the house. The air was very dry and had a sandy scent. Acid rain would likely hit soon. The young man increased his pace. He didn't want to get caught in that burning rain. He was already very close to the house, and within a few minutes, he was at the front door.