Rain poured relentlessly from the dark sky, turning the streets into a blur of reflections and rushing water. Thunder roared above as people hurried along the sidewalks, trying to escape the storm.
In the middle of the road, however, everything suddenly froze. A small child stood trembling, unable to move, while a speeding truck rushed forward, its horn screaming through the rain. Panic spread instantly, yet no one stepped forward.
Except him.
"Move!"
Without hesitation, he ran. His feet slammed against the wet ground, slipping slightly, but he forced his body forward with everything he had. His heart pounded wildly, louder than the thunder itself. For the first time in his life, he moved without doubt, without fear. He reached the child just as the truck closed in and pushed him away with all his strength.
The next moment, a deafening crash echoed.
His body was thrown into the air before crashing onto the cold road. Pain exploded through every nerve, and for a brief second, the world spun violently before everything slowed down. The rain continued to fall, mixing with the blood spreading beneath him. Sounds of shouting and footsteps surrounded him, but they felt distant, as if coming from another world.
"So… this is how it ends…" he muttered weakly, a faint smile forming on his lips.
Surprisingly, there was no fear in his heart. Only a strange calmness.
Memories began to surface, one after another. A small house filled with warmth, laughter echoing within it, the comforting presence of his parents. Then, without warning, everything shattered. Darkness replaced warmth, silence replaced laughter, and tears replaced joy. The day his parents died, his life had ended along with them.
After that, he existed, but he never truly lived.
No talent, no support, no opportunity. Every attempt he made ended in failure. In a world where people chased success and recognition, he was nothing more than a shadow, someone easily ignored and quickly forgotten. He tried to struggle against it, tried to rise, but reality crushed him every single time.
"I really… did nothing…" he whispered, his voice barely audible under the rain.
Regret filled his fading consciousness. He had once dreamed of becoming someone important, someone who could stand above others, someone who could change his own fate. But those dreams had slowly faded, replaced by acceptance of a meaningless life.
"I didn't even get… a chance…"
His breathing grew weaker, his vision dimmer. The cold rain hit his face, yet he could barely feel it anymore.
"Or maybe… this was my destiny from the start…"
For a moment, silence settled within him. Then, a faint thought surfaced.
"But at least… I saved someone…"
A small sense of peace appeared, easing the weight in his heart. Perhaps his life wasn't entirely worthless after all.
His eyes slowly closed.
Darkness consumed everything.
…
When he opened his eyes again, there was no sky, no ground, no sound. Only an endless black ocean stretched around him. His body sank slowly, as if being pulled into a bottomless abyss.
"Where… am I…?"
His voice didn't echo. It was swallowed by the void itself.
Panic rose within him as he tried to move, but his body felt unresponsive, as though it didn't belong to him anymore. The deeper he sank, the heavier everything became, until suddenly—
A presence appeared.
A figure stood before him, calm and unfathomable. He couldn't see their face clearly, yet he felt an overwhelming pressure, something far beyond human understanding.
"You have suffered enough."
The voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable authority.
His thoughts froze. "Suffered…?"
"You were bound by misfortune," the figure continued. "A life where every path was closed before you could walk it."
His eyes trembled slightly. "…So it wasn't just me…?"
"It was never your fault."
Those words struck deeper than anything else. For the first time, something inside him shook.
"Then why…?" he asked, his voice unsteady.
"Balance," the figure replied calmly. "Some are born blessed. Some are born broken."
Silence followed, heavy yet strangely comforting.
"But now," the figure stepped closer, "the goddess has decided."
A faint light appeared in the endless darkness.
"You will be given another chance."
His heart trembled violently. "Another… life?"
"A life where you can rise. A life where your limits no longer bind you."
Hope, something he had long abandoned, ignited once more.
"Why me?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"Because even in despair… you chose to save someone else."
He fell silent.
The figure raised a hand. "Go."
In an instant, everything shattered.
A blinding light engulfed him as his body shot forward at an unimaginable speed. Space twisted around him, stars stretched into lines, and countless galaxies flashed past his vision. Worlds beyond comprehension appeared and disappeared within moments, each one more surreal than the last.
"This… is insane…"
His consciousness began to blur as the speed increased further, far beyond what his mind could handle.
"I can't—"
Darkness swallowed him once again.
…
A faint sound echoed in his ears.
Beep… Beep… Beep…
His eyes slowly opened.
A white ceiling came into view, followed by bright lights and the sterile smell of medicine.
"…Hospital…?"
His mind went blank.
"I'm… alive?"
His body felt light. No—small. Weak, yet unfamiliar.
A strange unease crept into his heart. He slowly raised his hand, staring at it in disbelief.
"…This isn't my body…"
Before he could process further, a flood of memories rushed into his mind.
A different life.
A different world.
Magic, cultivation, dungeons, awakening…
His pupils shrank.
"…I transmigrated…?"
Outside the window, a world completely unlike Earth awaited him.
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