Wanna know what it feels like to struggle for four years after graduation?
Let me spare you the cute details and make it simple.
No "he fought for his dreams" or "he never gave up hope."
Hell no!!
Just a dude in a crappy studio apartment, crashing on a friend's couch—after said friend clearly warned:
"You can stay for a month. No more."
Spoiler: I stayed eight months.
Name's Alex. Last name? Not important. Respect my privacy, will ya?
I'm 24, have a computer science degree, no connections, no references, and a nice fat stack of rejection emails.
You ever hit send on your hundredth résumé and get that same robotic response?
"We were impressed with your profile, however…"
However what, huh?!
Yeah. Loser, Alex.
GTFO.
That's what they meant behind all that polite corporate nonsense.
So I stopped trying.
Sold my books, a few tech gadgets.
Got a job at a fast food joint. Lasted two weeks.
Gritted my teeth.
Then I started hitting a punching bag.
Then… people.
Not because I liked violence—nah, far from it.
Because I had to.
Underground fights don't pay well, but they gave me something.
Yeah, an illusion. An illusion of control.
And I needed something to hit.
To feel like I still had the wheel of this goddamn trainwreck of a life.
So yeah. Smashing things helped me survive.
Not the walls.
Not myself.
Just… another guy like me.
Lost. Burned out.
No future.
Stuck in his own fantasy to escape reality.
That's how I made it.
Cigarette in one hand, bag of ice in the other.
And one deep quote stuck in my head. 'Cause let's be real—we all need a catchphrase to keep from putting a bullet in our brain, right?
Mine?
If I can't find my place in this world, I'll carve one with my fists.
Weird philosophy.
Especially when you've never won more than three fights in a row.
But hey.
The illusion was good enough.
'Cause deep down, I didn't give a damn.
I was half-dead already…
No. I was dead.
Then, that night, it happened.
I was in some alley, taking a piss against a wall—yeah, real classy—when a notification popped up on my phone.
The sound was weird. Too loud. Too real.
[Would you like a new life?]
I straight up laughed when I read that sketchy-ass message.
A real laugh. A loud one. First in a long time.
"What kind of basic-ass scam is this…?"
Tried to hit "No," but slipped on the frozen pavement like a dumbass.
So yeah…
I tapped "Yes."
"Guess I'll have to call the bank in case this thing starts stealing my cash…"
In the end, I went home—wait, no. Not home. Another friend's place. Guy was either too kind or too dumb to let me "crash a few days" in his living room.
LOL. Been weeks. I'm raiding his fridge and draining his patience.
Half of me hates myself for it. The other half? Too busy trying to stay alive.
And then it happened.
[Congratulations. You've been selected by "The Absolute."]
[Please follow the steps to receive your New Life program, offered by The Absolute.]
New Life?
The Absolute? Like, the god from Solo Leveling? Or just some Walmart-tier knockoff?
A million questions ran through my head… then I shrugged.
I was lying on that beat-up couch, and next second—bam—I was standing in a weird black void, facing some glowing screen straight outta dollar-store isekai.
So yeah. I figured I was dreaming.
"I must've fried my last three brain cells to dream up something like this…"
Tch.
I clicked my tongue and looked at the damn menu.
[Reincarnation World]
[Select Trait]
[Character Creation]
[Choose Existing Character]
[Debuffs] / [Perks]
[Available Points: 0]
"Awesome… Even in my dreams I'm broke."
Apparently, I was supposed to pick a world, then make a character using traits and perks… but of course, the good stuff costs points.
And guess what?
No points for me.
If I wanted to be anyone, I had to take on debuffs.
Yep.
Even my dreams don't want me around unless I come with baggage.
Officially screwing myself—with no lube.
By myself.
Nice.
Do I have mental issues? Probably.
But that's not news.
Anyway.
"Let's pick a world…"
Kakegurui? Hell no. I ain't smart enough, and those gambling freaks are terrifying.
City Hunter? Nah. Not enough supernatural crap. Just sweaty machismo.
After scrolling for a while, my finger stopped.
"The Owl House."
A weird cartoon with witches, demons, and a Latina girl who bounces from reality to live in some demonic island.
Usually, I'd just scroll past it.
But this time…
"Kinda weird… Never thought I'd relate to a lesbian Latina teen doing magic on a hell-island."
Eh. What do I have to lose?
It's just a dream.
And even in my dreams, I'm running from my problems.
So I picked The Owl House.
No points for custom characters, so I clicked on "Reincarnate as existing character."
Except…
"Damn, there's barely any decent dudes in this series."
I scrolled through the list, frowning.
"No wonder Luz turned gay… Oh wait. I forgot this guy."
Hunter.
A side character, yeah—but a solid one. Back when I first watched the show, he stood out.
Not some weak-ass fragile hero or annoying background dude.
He had real character. Brains. And more importantly, clarity.
A clone, created and manipulated to serve.
But he still fought back. Still got up after the truth crushed him.
Respect.
"His only flaw? He's not really a witch… but that's fixable with the right perks."
After locking in my character, I hit the Traits option.
"I see… semi-paywalled bullshit. I get three traits max. After that, I draw random debuffs."
Fun.
In theory, I could trade debuffs for more points and pick perks freely.
But here?
Nah.
This was RNG hell.
[Trait: Master Actor (Rank C)]
[Cost: Free]
[Description: You can hide your real thoughts and play any role like a pro.]
[Warning: Those with the innate "Prodigy Actor" trait can see through your act.]
[Trait: Unbreakable Will (Rank A+)]
[Cost: 1 random debuff OR 500 points]
[Description: Procrastination? Fear? Doubt? Never heard of 'em. These words ain't in your vocab.]
[Warning: Consider unlocking "Monarch's Will," the evolved version (2 debuffs or 1000 points).]
[Trait: Magical Affinity (Rank B+)]
[Cost: Free]
[Description: You have a natural connection to magic. Direct or indirect—it sticks to you.]
[Warning: Want more power? Aim for "Mana's Favorite" (1 debuff or 500 points).]
Why'd I take Master Actor?
Dude. I'm 24!!
I gotta pretend I'm 16 again. I need something to hide my adult habits—especially the sarcasm.
Plus… I'm gonna need to manipulate Belos.
Not 'cause I care about him—but I'm not ready to snap out of this lucid dream just yet.
After some intense mental debate, I picked the three traits.
And, of course, karma struck.
[You have received a random debuff…]
[Negative Trait: Perfectionist (Rank B+)]
[Description: You're obsessed with perfection. Especially in the process. Everything must be controlled, aligned, calculated.]
[Warning: Risk of developing a mental disorder tied to obsessive perfectionism.]
Great.
Perfect.
Me? A detail-obsessed control freak?
This'll be a blast.
"Why the hell am I thinking this through so hard? It's just a dream…"
And yet… the further I go, the harder it gets to wake up.