It was a bright morning, people going to work, children going to school. I, Hakumo Iziayah, realized I was late for a special event.
9:00 am.
"Oh, I'm late," I said, calmly putting the clock down. I bolted off of my bed, leaving a trail of dust clouds trailing behind me. "I AM LATE FOR THE SHOW!!!" my yell echoed across the neighborhood.
I nearly trip from my rush as I went to the door.
"Iziayah, no running in the house!" A woman yelled.
"No can do, mom," I said while putting on my shoes. "I'm late for the cosplay."
I gave my mother a peck on the cheeks before rushing out of their home. I ducked my head when running under a ladder.
"Hey watch it kid!" an old man yelled. "SORRY!" I waved my hand, not intending to stop. Spotting a black cat on my path, I jumped over it and performed a series of somersaults. I took a breath before I resumed running.
It impressed the crowd while the kids who saw it rated my stunt.
I jumped over a rail before rushing to the train station, glancing at my watch, and noted the time. 9:30 am. "I hope I'll make it." I thought to myself before seeing a mirror. Noticing my messy hair, I fix it.
A black blur narrowly missed my head and struck the mirror instead. "Whoa!" I stepped back in surprise. It was a crow that hit the mirror upon a closer inspection. Placing hands together, I muttered. "Rest in peace, little birdie."
After that, I went back to the waiting line until I saw someone I recognized. It was my crush, wearing a magical girl outfit. I tried to get her attention but bumped into another person.
I could only stare in disbelief as everyone watched in terror as the train got closer. It must be a bad dream. Yeah, that's it! A bad dream. As the train was close enough, everything stopped.
"Again train-chan?" A booming male voice echoed.
"Oh, come on, Rob-nii! I need to beat truck-chan's record! We made a bet last week." Another booming voice responded, but this one sounded like a female.
"Why the hell are you making it a competition!?" Rob yelled. "Stop taking my stuff, damn it!"
"Fine, but can I take this guy? He won't make it, anyway."
What's going on here?
Who's talking?
Where are they?
As I searched around, I noticed the sky was now white. My face contorted into horror as I realized what I was staring at. A giant eye covered the sky, and it was looking right at me. I couldn't scream or even whimper while I saw it.
"Hey listen, little man, you're about to get rekt by train-chan." The eye said.
I swore I just heard a giggle from the chain. Wait a minute! Rob, train-chan? Does that mean I'm going to die for real?
"Hold on..." I tried to speak to the eye.
It can't be happening to him. I refused to believe this was happening to me.
"Don't worry, I'll reincarnate you, but you have to die first." The eye spoke once more.
"NO WAIT DON'T-" I was too late. As time resumed moving, I only felt something colliding with my body.
----
My eyes went wide open as I gasped for air. A dream, just a dream, wait... Where am I? This isn't my room. Everywhere was nothing but darkness and three doors. The tiles on the floor were like the chessboard. I checked my body and saw it was in one piece. Relieved, I scan the area. If I ever spot that eye thing, then I'm kicking it hard.
"Howdy kid!" a voice yelled behind me. I immediately deliver a powerful kick to the owner.
Crack!
I looked at the man around my age, groaning on the floor. "Damn it, why did you aim for that spot!?" the stranger whined.
"Who are you?" I asked, giving my best glare. "What is this place? Why am I here?"
"In order. The names ROB, this is my realm and because you died."
"Wait, I died? You mean to tell me that was all real!?" I panicked. My breathing became erratic and heaved. "Now, now, settle down, kid. This is just a side effect-"
"SIDE EFFECT!? THIS IS THE 'I WISH I STAYED DEAD' EFFECT!" I yelled, choking this man. I had a life back there, and I died because of cosmic bet!? Are you kidding me!? "SEND ME BACK RIGHT NOW!"
"Can't sorry, your body is like a grounded pork," Rob said after escaping my grip. "Not to mention, it's already one hundred years since your death."
"Hell no! I'm not going back if I'm starting back to zero!" If what this thing said was true, there was no point in me going back. If it's ten years ago or maybe even longer, I would have accepted it.
A hundred years? Screw that. I'm going to the afterlife to meet them. "Well, okay, if that's what you want, then go to door number three." He said.
I got up and went to the door with the initial number, but then I hesitated. Going to another world seems enticing now. Nothing is holding me back from doing what I want. Call me cruel and a deplorable child, but all I have ever done in my previous life was for the sake of my parents. I did everything they wanted for me but I did nothing for myself, haven't I?
"Something wrong?" Rob asked.
"Sigh, what does the numbers mean?" I asked.
Rob raised an eyebrow. "One is for reincarnation. Two is Transmigration. Three is passing on. Why are you asking that? Having second thoughts?" He asked me while looking at a list.
Nothing was holding me back. I can go wherever I want and do whatever I want. "Is going to another world still open?" I turned towards him.
"It's always open, my dear boy." Rob throws the list into the void. "Just a warning, though. I don't do spoilers and usually I only give two wishes, but for the train-chan fiasco, I'll give you five."
"And the rules?" I asked. Wishes don't come for free unless the 'genie' is just bored. Having three wishes is already a lot in my book, but five is just overpriced.
"No more extras, and it's up to you on how to become overpowered. Depending on the wish you make, it may take two or three of it." The entity shrugged.
"Recommendations?" I asked. "You're a rare one. Most would just wish with what they want." Rob tosses a book. I caught it and nearly dropped the book because of its weight.
Checking the index, there were at least six hundred pages. This is a lot. I have to think about this. Five wishes are equal to five skills, but Rob said it may take three at max to get something. This is like hardcore RPG. The recommendations eased the choosing part and also helped on not waste my wish. I need to focus on was my recovery rate. My health is the primary focus. If I can heal fast and recover my stamina in a fight, then I'll be fine. Next was increasing the strength of my mind and body. That should help in unlocking whatever potential I have. Next is the magic affinity I picked enhancement. On my last wish, I'm confused when my eyes landed on the demon king skill set.
Most of them were around three or two wishes, but my eyes landed on the ones. These didn't sound flashy at all, or powerful. Wait that skill is a one wish? But it's so overpowered so I took it.
"So are you finished?" Rob asked.
"Yeah, I'm ready." I said.
"Huh, mediocre skills. Not bad. You actually thought this through." Rob mutters. "Alright, which is it, number one or number two?"
"Number two, but can I request a favor? It's not what you think, I promise." I stuttered, honestly what I'm going to ask is dumb.
"What is it?"
"Can I at least not have this appearance? I want to have a new start, but having the old looks is a bit of a downer."
"Okay, it's not a skill, so it's not a problem." Rob snapped his fingers and a pillar of light engulfed my body.
When the light show ended, I was in a new world. I spotted several fantastical races walking on with their daily lives. Vehicles that resembled cars felt more like magic than science.
I turned my head to the sky and saw four moons. My eyes landed on the strangest things. Some of these folks were carrying swords and guns. I saw my new body through a reflection. I'm now a six-year-old boy, with red hair. What was strange was my eyes. They were red, with my pupils being yellow instead of black.
I did it, sent myself to another world. I can't help but chuckle and think about my future. Turning my head, and saw a car coming to my right and a truck on my left. One thing came into my head as the car crashed into me.
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I got ran over by train-chan, now freaking car-sama and truck-kun!? What's next, a tractor? Or maybe a spaceship!? I have to be the most isekai'd soul in the century. Who gets ran over twice after being reincarnated!?
When I woke up, I was staring at Rob. "You got ten seconds to explain what just happened back there." I growled, ready to throw hands with this deity. "Look kid, that was indeed my fault. I accidentally placed you on the road, but hey don't worry, you're still breathing in the mortal realm."
Wait, what?
"Yeah, truck and car had to put the brakes in and resurrected you, so it's all good." Rob laughed while patting my back.
Note to self: if I see any car, truck, or whatever vehicle is coming on my way at extreme speed, I'm blasting those with a bazooka.
"Anyway, I just dropped by to tell you to be careful in this reality. Dying in the hands of monsters is a soul erasure in this reality. I fixed the hiccups so you can blend in, so don't worry about making a scene. Oh, one more thing..."
I tilted my head in curiosity before waking up with a gasp after he sucker-punched me. "That's for the kick!" I heard Rob in my head.
"Whoa easy, son." The doctor said. "How are you feeling?"
"I just got hit by a truck and car. What do you think I feel? How long was I out?" I growled.
"About two months." The doctor began leaning into my face. The doctor's appearance surprised me.
I can't tell if I'm talking to a man-pig or a pig-man. This doctor must belong to the Orc race. I'm honestly surprised that this guy isn't trying to kill me.
Unfortunately, the knowledge Rob implanted isn't enough for me to get a picture of this world, but they gave me some information I needed. All he gave me was the general stuff like language, alphabets, and races. History wasn't part of it.
The door burst open, showing a woman with blond hair. "Is he alright?" She asked.
The Orc doctor raised his hand and uttered some gibberish words. My body started glowing blue and felt like I was dissected and then glued back together. "Hm, strange, his brain activity and mana are showing a reaction in magic that no one has seen before."
"Is it bad?" She asked.
"No, but just make sure that he doesn't encounter another mishap. The boy simply gained a mana increase. The analysis says it's three times than normal adult can produce." the doctor said.
"Three times!?" she yelled. "That's too much for a human child to handle. How is he okay!?"
"That's the strange part. His body adapted to it, but there maybe some side effect to his brain." The doctor said, creating a 3d hologram of my brain. "You see these parts? They handle the emotions and creativity. His brain is showing signs of abnormality."
"Is it bad?" Dia asked.
"No, he'll be fine, but he'll start seeing the world differently." The doctor said.
"Um, who are you?" I asked the woman.
"I'm Dia, Jolee Dia. I was the one who hit you with the car." She said.
The doctor then explained that since the authorities couldn't find anything about me. I was likely to be sent to an orphanage. Dia offered to adopt me. I was cautious, but her explanation convinced me. She couldn't have children because of an incident, and raising me seems like her way of taking responsibility for the accident.
During my recovery, I started by asking my mother for books such as history and biology. I learned three things in this world. One, this world was like a game. Each race has a special attribute, like most RPGs. Most races had the same passive buff as most video games. Elves had a magic buff, dwarves had blacksmithing, and the monster race like the orcs had buffs in endurance and strength. The orc then raised his hand towards me. However, the humans in this reality have two passive buffs. One is 'last resort', which grants humans fifteen-second buffs in all attributes, even multiplying damage output. The other one is 'blank', which allows humans to gain a watered-down buff version of another race.
Second were these 'dungeons.' A rift to another world plagued this world, and if left unchecked, it grows large enough to swallow the planet. This leads me to the third, the dungeon seekers, or, as most of the world calls them; Seekers, which is a glorified word for adventurers.
The difference is that they aren't independent organizations. The government owns them but has given them special privileges. I also found out, Inpetus' mom was a former Seeker.
I then spent the next days figuring out the system of this game world. I checked my stats, and it did not surprise me when I saw them lacking. The next I checked was my skill tree.
There was a slight problem with my adoption. No one knew my name. I can't use my old one, so I asked Dia about it, but according to her people. Elves don't name their children like most society. The elf children pick their names.
So I was back to square one until I remembered the name of a seeker who sacrificed himself for his team to survive. It kind of reminded me of who I was, and while no one knew his real name, his title was enough to give me an idea.
"So, what name did you pick?" She asked.
I smiled as I glanced at the history book that inspired me. "Karma," I said. She tilted her head. "After the squad leader?" She asked. I gave her a nod. "Are you sure?" Again I nodded.
"Alright, Karma." She said she started signing some papers to make my name official.
Finally, the day came when I'm discharged from the hospital. When we got to her house, I expected something like a treehouse, but I saw a mansion. What kind of job did my mother have? She told me she used to be a dungeon seeker but retired after her hundred years of service.
This gave me inspiration for this kind of career. I can relax, as all I have to worry about are the monsters. So I waited for the right time to ask her.
"I want you to train me," I said.
"Pardon?" she said.
"I want to be a dungeon seeker." I said, waiting for her response.
I quietly waited for Dia's answer, but can't help feeling anxious. Being a dungeon seeker was a dangerous career. One can't simply decide to be a dungeon seeker for the hell of it. Though I wouldn't bet that some people had that kind of mindset until they encountered something life-changing.
"If you want me to teach you, then answer me, why do you want to be a dungeon seeker?" She asked.
I pondered on my reason for becoming a seeker. I couldn't say because it's more interesting, nor of my curiosity. Nothing comes into my head except that this was something different from my old world. This one tiny little detail was something foreign, and I wanted to see it. What made this career more enticing than the rest?
"I want to be free." I glanced at the outside.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked while looking at me, confused.
"It's just... I feel like something inside me is telling me to go there. Like if the dungeon has something I want."
That was the truth. I don't know if it's the body or my desire, but every moment those dungeons appeared, something inside me felt like I wanted to go there.
I glanced at my mother, and I saw a conflicted look within her. The pictures around the house and the memories of Inpetus seeing his mother crying gave me a general idea that she had lost her comrades to the dungeon.
Now, here I stand begging the woman raising me with all she has to train me for a dangerous journey. She takes a deep breath before staring into my eyes.
"If I were to agree, you must promise me one thing. Promise me you will do everything in your power to survive." She gave me a serious look.
I nodded at her demand. I had no intention of dying early.
"Very well. Then let's begin." She stood up and went out to the backyard.
"Okay... wait as in now?" I asked, was she serious about starting this fast?
All I got from her was a smirk that can only promise pain.