'This world sucks.'
I was sitting in front of the computer, elbow on the table, head resting on my fist.
I worked at a standard supplement store; Tall shelves packed with overpriced protein powders and fitness gear made for fools. To my side, a glass counter filled with impulse buys like protein bars.
"Sigh..."
What a shitty world... Everyone is constantly playing this pretence game, not even realizing that what they desire is made up by society. Fools blinded by marketing and media.
I'm sick of this.
"I'd laugh if it weren't so exhausting," I murmured to myself.
I gazed up at the clock.
'Almost closing time.'
I pushed myself up, took some steps, grabbed a protein bar, already thinking about when I got home.
Pling!
'Shit.'
The doorbell.
A short, fat woman stepped inside, pants sinking into her ass as she walked toward me. She glared fiercely and slammed a bottle down onto the counter.
"This shit doesn't work!"
She leaned closer as she honked at me. I kept composed, one hand pushing her back.
I faked a smiled.
"Hm... I see, but how many did you take?"
"Two per day! Like it says! But the scale won't—"
"AH," I interrupted.
"And… a diet? Exercise?"
She paused, sweating, avoiding eye contact.
..After a careful talk and some sweet lies,
She left the store with a full smile and heavy bags.
'So she desires beauty,'
I looked down at the bottle, her lipstick smudged on the cap.
'Delusional.'
I tossed the bottle in the trash.
"This world sucks."
.
After closing the store, I walked home.
And now, once again, they were loitering by the stairwell. Four wastes of human beings.
Their laughter bouncing off the white walls. Weed, smoke, and cheap beer heavy in the air. A sensory assault one could say.
I passed by swiftly, leaving them behind. Didn't bother to look back.
"Hey, kid!" A tall, baldy, grinning like a drunk hyena, shouted. "C'mere!"
I ignored him, grabbed my keys, and aimed at the door.
"The fuck? You ignoring us?" I heard him take a step. I glanced back fiercely.
They stood puzzled for a moment before the one-armed guy to his side commanded:
"Relax… He's just some brat."
..Click.
I shut the door.
'Finally.'
I smiled brightly, looked at my computer.
My long-awaited peace.
League of Legends already opened, lighting up the room.
The place I belonged most.
.
.
Time passed in a blur.
Curses, trolls, losses, kills, curses. Victories.
But,
Something interrupted me.
Bass music.
The walls vibrated, laughter bleeding through. Smoke rose under the door and the smell of weed, cheap cologne, and failure sinking in my nose.
"Those fuckers," I muttered, pulling my headset out.
Sigh.
I took a long sigh, stood up, and leaned to the peephole. Amputee and his pack of mugshots walking into another room.
"A party."
"So they're my neighbors now..."
My breathing slowed.
Eyes lost their glaze as my vision locked onto the desk.
A picture of a woman; A common face and tired smile.
My mother.
I flipped it face-down.
.
.
Knock-Knock!
"Huh? The brat from before?" The amputee opened the door.
I faked a smiled.
..After a brief talk he now smiled and slapped my back friendly.
The apartment was a mess of sweat, beer, and rotting self-esteem.
Disgusting.
"Attention!" I raised my cup.
"I want to make a toast to this fucking great party!" I gave everyone a glance.
"…And friends."
We drank. Laughed—Well, they all did.
THUD!
The first one dropped mid-joke—face-first onto the floor.
The laughing ceased, everyone looked.
The bass still played,
TLEC!
But not for long.
The second made it two steps before collapsing into the stereo. The music stuttered, then died.
The third stumbled back, his bottle crashing as he gasped for air, grabbing his throat. He crumpled sideways, hit the coffee table on the way down.
Amputee froze. Eyes wide.
"What...!" He shouted, looking at me as I sipped my cup dismissively.
"Its… IT'S YOU!!!"
I watched him wobble.
"Haha."
I giggled as he fell.
Thud!
He hit the floor like the rest.
I shut my eyes for a moment, sighing internally, then opened them, placing the cup down.
...Minutes later, when everything was burning, I rested on a nearby couch, enjoying the sound of flames as everything crumbled. Fire hadn't hurt enough to bother me yet.
.
.
.
A week later, the TV droned:
"—the fire catastrophe that took many lives. The cause remains to be confirmed, yet specialists suspect it to be linked to a series of familiar—"
I muted it.
The League client rang.
"Match found."
Click.
"Finally. It took twenty minutes this time. Does no one play this game anymore?"
But my mood was quickly interrupted.
The screen flashed at me.
"Match Found!"
"Again? Wait, since when?"
Then again.
[Match Found!]
"Shit, it's loud!"
'No—It's inside my head!!'
It didn't stop.
[Match Foun—Fou—Unnnd—]
The screen warped and pixels melted, shapes looped like noise lagging underwater.
My mouse twitched.
I think?
Or maybe my hand did.
Confusing.
I tried to blink.
No eyes.
No body.
No voice.
.
...I don't know how much time has passed,
But now I could breathe.
Chuá!
My body shivered as water colder than death poured down.
Light stabbed my eyes, too bright.
Rough hands held me. Voices came in a language I didn't understand.
'Someone's holding me?'
My limbs flailed, weak, useless.
Chuá!
Another splash. Like my bones were turning ice.
I took air in, but my lungs didn't know how to breathe.
The chanting got louder.
'A ritual?'
My vision adjusted. Air filled my lungs.
Tribesfolk surrounded me. I look at myself.
I'm a newborn.
'Oh, I get it now. This is one of those, isn't it?'
I wasn't dead.
I was reborn. Transmigrated.
'Did the universe just speedrun reincarnation? I didn't even die, did I?'
A cold lake reflected the sun. People chanting in an unknown language.
Prayers.
Probably.
'I don't understand shit.'
My body barely carried any strength. My skin ached. My lungs searched for air.
'So I'm sick. Great.'
An elderly man lifted me. His face naked and wrinkled. His clothes a loose tunic of faded jaguar patterns draped over one shoulder.
The word Rakcha was constantly repeated, referred to me.
A name.
A terrible one.
People's expressions were grim. Resigned. Mourning something that hadn't yet died.
'Me?'
They weren't trying to save me anymore. They were preparing a sacrifice.
'Me!'
I was dying, no doubt. But why kill me!?
'Think!'
If this really is one of those, then I should have something.
'Some type of cheat. Anything.'
So I tried the first thing that came to mind:
'Status—Open!'
Nothing.
'Mtherfcuker!'
Bling!
Blue light hovered in front of me.
No-no,
It was actually in my eyes. Like light on glass.
My vision focused,
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
◇ LEVEL 1 ◇
★ SKILLS (+1) [—] [—] [—] [—] [—]
────────────────────────
≡ ITEMS [—] [—] [—] [—] [—] >
≡ RUNES [—] [—] [—] [—] [—] >
≡ SPELLS [—] [—] >
────────────────────────
'It worked!'
'But what the hell is all this!?'
I stared at it, trying to recall where I'd seen it before, but time was running low.
One of the men raised something: A curved blade. My blood turned to frost.
'Wait... This is that!'
My eyes darted to the SPELLS tab.
In desperation, my mind sparked an idea.
With all my might I forced my fingers forward—
[CLEANSE]
[HEAL]
FWOOSH!
Green light burst inside my chest like a divine defibrillator. Heat surged through frozen veins.
The man halted his blade.
The elder holding me trembled, almost dropping me.
I gasped.
Coughed.
Screamed.
The chanting died mid-verse.
Everyone stared at me like I'd just sprouted horns. The cold turned into noise, chatter.
Confusion. Fear.
This infant body was still crying.
But now, I was saved…
"Teh-kwaaka!" Someone shouted. I didn't understood a thing.
…I hope so.
.
.