*Author's Note: For the full experience please read the Prologue in the Auxiliary Volume, These 3 chapters show what you can expect from the book, Enjoy the read.*
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"Is this all there is to life? A slow monotonous repeat of mundane tasks from birth to death?"
A heavy exhale followed the sentence, the breath accompanied by white smoke showed the cold temperatures of winter. The statement came from a man in a brown winter coat walking along the dimly lit streets past midnight.
The man worked the graveyard shift at an IT company. Higher pay, the main benefit of going against normal working hours. Feeling chilly as the frigid winter air assailed him the man continued to rub his hands together while breathing into them.
"I should have brought gloves."
Leaving such a critical piece of winter apparel was indeed foolish. The man continued to walk to his destination. The time, three hours past midnight.
During this period hardly any people passed by and most stores already had their doors closed. Getting food past midnight was one of the biggest issues with the grave shift.
Luckily most developed countries had 24-hour convenience stores. Such establishments were the saving grace for those like the man.
"I hope there have Karage, eating oily food in winter is the best feeling."
While walking the man passed by a few windows and saw his reflection in the pale moonlight. Noticing his growing beard, and beer belly, the man couldn't help but lament.
"You really let yourself go, Hiroyuki Mitsurugi. Nine years of hardly any social interaction and overwork took its toll huh?"
Hiroyuki or Hiro for short. Age: 33 years old. Romantic experience: zero. Currently in his 3rd year of being a virgin wizard. He tried to approach numerous girls in the past but due to being socially inept, most just ignored him. The pain of being constantly rejected crushed even the most resilient of wills.
"If only I could somehow do magic now, my lonely years would at least have some meaning. FIREBALL!"
Stretching out his hands forward and shouting the most recognizable spell in anime and manga, the depressed wizard tried to find the bright side to all this. Obviously, nothing happened. If being a 3-decade old virgin became the prerequisite to doing magic, most would do it by choice.
"Of course, nothing happened… Truck-kun, where the hell are you? Isekai me already! An OP Protagonist with a big-boobed harem! I beg of you!"
As the negativity started to send Hiro into a downward spiral, he started shouting to the skies in the middle of the night not caring what people thought of him. A man could only endure so much.
Hiro's parents died in a car accident when he was three. Since then, Hiro bounced around orphanages till he became old enough to do part-time jobs. Not having been enrolled formally in a school,
He learned most of what he knew from peers and the internet. Hiro worked as a shop assistant and then sold newspapers at ten. He cleaned toilets at thirteen. Did manual labor at fifteen, ranging from construction, waiting tables, and delivery.
Because of such a diverse circle, he gained friends and acquaintances in nearly every field and industry. Most commented that he took in everything like a sponge.
When he got a smartphone and an old laptop, he taught himself to code and applied for programming positions due to a friend's suggestion. It took close to three years, but he eventually succeeded in getting accepted as a programming intern at eighteen.
Hiro never knew had family, he got adopted a couple of times but always felt out of place. Thus he normally crashed at the place of his acquaintances in exchange for favors and led what most would consider a hard life.
Survival became his primary purpose, money allowed one to live. So, he focused on getting money and building his skills. In today's world being poor was a sin.
Before he noticed, the years passed by and because he didn't have any formal education, he eventually hit a wall. Higher positions needed experience and credentials, he got stuck in his Junior role for over seven years.
Unlike manga, hard work didn't always pay off in the real world. In his depression, he turned to Anime and manga and like most people used them as a form of escape.
"Hmph, no matter how hard-working one is, politics and life in general can and will get in the way. If Only I can be like Shonen protag and scream to get a power-up…. You know what? I don't have anything to lose do I?"
Hiro then made a chunni stance and shouted till his lungs gave out.
"MAKE ME MORE HANDSOME! OHHHHHH!!!!!! No? then I WANT TO BE SMARTER LETS GOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...Haha, I am cringy as hell HAHAHAHAHAAHAH!"
Hiro normally tried to cope by laughing at his predicament, feeling the hand of fate against him was something he got used to long ago.
Wandering through life with neither purpose nor happiness made life hard on anyone. Still, knowing some of his favorite novels gradually turned into anime gave him a reason to hold on as pathetic as it may have sounded.
"My lunch break is about to end, I need to get back, I want to binge-read The Last Lights War, book 5 finally came out! Let's do this!"
Hiro made a fist pump into the air as he psyched himself up then resume walking towards the store. He came to an abrupt stop when noticed three hooded figures in front of him.
'What the hell!?, these guys look like grim reapers! Chunni bastards, you almost gave me a heart attack.'
Hiro continued walking as he ignored the hooded figures, yet the glint of the streetlights reflecting off metal caught his eye. The figures pulled out a large bowie knife, a baseball bat covered in nails, and a revolver.
'FUCK! Are they angry due to me shouting or something?! I only have 400 yen on me why would they mug me? Keep calm, keep calm maybe this is a misunderstanding.'
"Friends if it's the shouting I did earlier I apolo-" *BANG*
A deep searing pain ran across Hiro's arm, and the red liquid spilling from his shoulder showed a bullet grazing him. Not really new to being mugged, Hiro crouched as he ran in the opposite direction without looking back.
Despite the risk of getting shot in the back, Hiro knew from anime, manga, and the internet that untrained people are 70% likely to miss. That statistic was for stationary at 5-20 meters, the number shoots up to almost 100% with moving targets.