Earth.
"Huh? Insta-locking Yasuo and stealing lanes, huh? Even cussing people out? You really think I can't deal with you?"
Tam sneered, moving his mouse over the icon of Tahm Kench, the River King.
Then, he slammed the "Lock In" button.
"Not again!"
"Can we just play one normal game for once?"
Seeing Tam pick that troll frog again, his duo partner Garen instantly lost all hope.
That's right—his name was Garen. Well, technically, his real name was Gai Ren, but after he and his friends got hooked on League of Legends and he started maining Garen, the nickname stuck. They called him that so often, even his family and other friends eventually followed suit.
Garen knew exactly what was coming: his buddy was about to put every single point into griefing his own teammates with Tahm Kench's trolling potential.
As for that toxic Yasuo troll? No doubt they'd have a terrible game. But even a normal player like Garen, who just wanted a clean game, would have to suffer through another match filled with the soul-crushing chorus of:
"An ally has been slain."
"Your turret has been destroyed."
Sigh. This one's already doomed. May as well mess around.
Feeling utterly defeated, Garen stared at the champion select screen. His mouse aimlessly wandered over the roster until it instinctively paused over a very familiar face—
His main.
A hero known far and wide, feared and respected by all.
The mighty sword of Demacia: Garen.
"Fear is the first of many foes."
"Fear not, I'm coming."
"This world needs hope."
"I bring justice."
"Demacia marches as one."
"To protect our land."
"Be bold; be just!"
"For Demacia."
These lines floated into Garen's mind, and before he knew it, he clicked "Lock In."
Confirm.
…
One Piece World – East Blue – Samwell Island
Endless green forests stretched out like a sea of trees. Thick canopies formed umbrellas that blocked the sky, and layers of tangled branches weaved into a lush wilderness.
A clear stream wound through the underbrush, the only sound being the gentle gurgle of flowing water.
But that peace was suddenly interrupted—by heavy, ragged breathing.
A man stood there, tall and powerful, close to two meters in height. His body was a fortress of muscle and symmetry, exuding raw strength. He stood tall like an unshakable tower.
His face wasn't classically handsome, but "striking" would be an understatement. Short black hair gave off a clean vibe, and his strong brow framed eyes filled with determination.
At first glance, he looked like some philosopher.
Ahem, no—he looked like a perfect warrior.
But right now, this perfect warrior was in a sorry state: dazed expression, dry and cracked lips, muscles caked with dirt, and gripping a thick branch like a weapon.
Even worse, he wasn't wearing a single piece of clothing—just some crudely woven giant leaves barely covering his essentials.
This man—our protagonist, Garen—had been lost in this wild mountain for a full day and night.
With zero survival skills, no sense of direction, no water, no food, not even a wild animal in sight, Garen was basically wandering the jungle like a headless chicken.
"Water... water?"
He heard the sound of flowing water. His lifeless eyes suddenly lit up.
Ignoring the sharp pain in his feet, he sprinted toward the sound.
Finally, he saw it—a pool of clear, running water.
Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees and sprawled out like a beast, gulping down the sweet stream water like a cow.
Gulp gulp gulp.
He drank for a long while before finally raising his head in satisfaction, wiping his mouth with a relieved sigh.
The water settled, becoming a mirror.
"Huh?"
He stared at his reflection—at that face, so familiar and yet so foreign.
"It really is... Garen?"
When he first woke up, he realized his body had changed drastically. But only now did he confirm—he had become Garen.
"From now on..."
He flexed his muscular arms and stared at the strong, handsome face in the water.
"I'm Garen now?"
The name in Chinese had become English. Even the pronunciation changed.
"Wait a minute..."
He clenched his fists, then shouted in frustration,
"If I'm really Garen, then where the hell are my armor and my giant sword?!"
Standing half-naked, holding a tree branch as a fake sword, Garen was fuming.
"Isn't Garen supposed to be a noble general?! What's with this godforsaken jungle?!"
Grinding his teeth, he ranted:
"Where's my deluxe isekai package?"
"My castle? My maids? My elite guards? My lavish, decadent aristocratic life?"
"My high-ranking noble friends? My cute magical little sister?!"
Sigh...
After ranting for a while, Garen finally faced reality.
The silence around him was almost suffocating. Alone in this vast wilderness, he suddenly felt a deep loneliness.
How were his family doing? His best friend Player A?
He'd probably never see them again.
Wait a second—if I picked Garen before I got isekai'd...
Then if Tam also got isekai'd... wouldn't he become Tahm Kench?
Hahahaha! That dumbass turning into a giant frog?! Would he have to go find a lady frog to settle down with?
Garen burst into uncontrollable laughter at the thought.
At least he felt lucky.
Among all the strange champions in League, he ended up becoming a relatively normal human—one that even shared his name.
A muscular badass, too.
Looking down at his shredded body, all those gains were finally his. Those gym membership bets he made in his past life finally paid off.
All things considered, this wasn't so bad.
Growl—
His stomach roared like thunder.
The smile of survival disappeared from Garen's face.
He was starving. Desperately starving.
This body of his held terrifying strength—far beyond Olympic champions in power, speed, and endurance. Truly inhuman.
But with great strength came an even greater metabolism.
Just one day without food, and Garen was so hungry he could eat a Snickers wrapper.
But he'd searched this forest for a day and a night, and found nothing edible—not even a single fish in the stream.
"Sigh..."
He leaned down to drink more water, trying to fill the void in his stomach.
Then he stood, gripping his branch like a makeshift sword, and marched deeper into the forest, diving into a field of towering, dense grass.
So tall, even his two-meter frame vanished inside.
Yup. Definitely an alien world. No grass on Earth ever grew this high—even aquatic reeds weren't this tall.
Buried in the grass, Garen found himself fantasizing about food from his past life.
He wanted meat.
Cured meat, smoked meat, braised pork, double-cooked pork, spicy boiled pork, sweet-and-sour pork, crispy pork, shredded pork, ham, steamed pork, char siu, sweet pork ribs, Li Zhuang pork...
Seriously, what's so great about isekai anyway? Is there any world in the multiverse that can cook pork as well as Earth?
Just thinking about it made him hungrier.
"Woof! Woof!"
A sound?! Something alive?!
Garen's eyes turned sharp. He raised his branch high.
His meat cravings turned into sheer determination, channeling into the stick like a blade.
"Woof woof woof!"
Closer now.
Was that... a dog?
Garen froze for a second. The tension in his grip loosened.
He had never eaten dog meat before.
He wasn't one of those extreme dog lovers who protest outside restaurants, but he did respect others' beliefs and customs.
Still, having raised a dog in his past life, Garen knew he could never bring himself to eat one.
"Woof woof woof woof!"
The barking drew closer.
Sigh...
Garen instinctively gripped his stick tighter. He was torn.
No!
Dogs are too cute to eat! He reaffirmed his belief.
Growl—
His stomach roared even louder.
No! Even if I starve to death, drop dead in this forest, or throw myself into this stream—
I will never eat dog meat!
"Woof woof woof woof!"
Growl—
Garen parted the grass and leapt out.
His branch swung high, slicing through the air.
"DEMACIA!!!"
(End of Chapter)