The sun hung low in the sky, painting the cracked sidewalk in soft gold, but even that couldn't distract me from my boredom. Same path. Same houses. Same me, trudging along like an NPC in someone else's game.
"Life is so boring," I muttered, kicking a stray pebble.
Not that anyone cared.
I'm Lucas Dawn—20 years old, almost 21. Yay. Sigh. I come from an average background, with average looks, an average wallet, and below-average grades. The only interesting thing about me? My navy-blue underwear. Too much information? My bad.
If my life were a movie, it'd be one of those budget flicks no one bothers to finish. Wake up, eat, survive, repeat. Even my hobbies—smoking and drinking—felt like desperate attempts to shake things up. "Living dangerously," I called it. Spoiler alert: it didn't help.
I sighed again, stuffing my hands in my pockets. Life was so predictable, I could practically see the rest of the year play out in my head: same routines, same emptiness.
That's when I heard it.
Screeching tires.
I looked up just in time to see a truck barreling toward someone standing frozen in the middle of the road.
"Damn," I muttered.
I could've ignored it. Should've, maybe. But hey, if anyone's meeting truck-kun today, it's gonna be me.
I sprinted toward the guy. My knee cracked—great—but I shoved him out of the way just in time.
The truck hit me instead.
[System Integrating…]
[25%]
[50%]
[75%]
[100%]
Pain exploded everywhere. My vision blurred as my body felt like it was being crushed into a million pieces.
'This is it,' I thought. 'This is how I die. Guess I should've picked a religion or something. Vishnu, Allah, Buddha—someone, please. Catch me on the other side.'
And then… silence.
[Welcome, Host.]
A voice echoed in my head, robotic but oddly smug.
'What the—? Am I still alive?'
[Not exactly. Congratulations, Host. You've been chosen for the Superstar System.]
"Superstar System? Wait, what? Who even applies for that?"
[Processing sarcasm… None detected.]
"Hey, hey, hang on! Superstar? Bro, I can barely jog without dying. How the hell am I supposed to dazzle anyone?"
[Precisely why we start now. Mission: Walk for an hour. Reward: +1 Constitution, +1 Stat Point, and recovery. Punishment: -1 Constitution, -1 inch… from your equipment.]
"Bruh. That's dirty play."
[Motivation, Host. Motivation.]
I groaned internally. Was this real? Or was my dying brain throwing one last hallucination party?
[Memory Synchronization Initiating…]
Images flooded my brain like a broken faucet. Memories, people, emotions—none of them mine but all painfully vivid.
When it was over, I gasped, clutching my head. "What the hell was that?"
[Memory synchronization complete. Congratulations, Host. You are now Lucas Dawn—a 13-year-old with no friends, big dreams, and bigger love handles.]
I blinked, staring at my chubby hands. "Wait, what? I'm… 13?"
[Affirmative. You've inherited a new life. Consider it an upgrade.]
"Upgrade?! You stuck me in the body of an overweight kid with zero social skills! I went from loser to, what, child loser?"
[Would you have preferred the orphan package?]
"Chill, man. I got nothing against orphans. Please don't send them after me."
I stumbled to my feet, my limbs feeling like they weighed a ton. Memories of this life—my new life—started settling in.
Lucas Dawn (again, apparently). 13 years old. Overweight, bullied, and depressed. I lived with my mom, dad, and a younger brother in a small, dingy house. Poor family package unlocked. Yay.
"This… this is my life now?"
[Correct. And now we begin.]
[Status Panel]
[Name: Lucas Dawn]
[Age: 13]
[Constitution: 2]
[Strength: 4]
[Agility: 2]
[Charm: 2 (6)]
[Skills: Expand]
[Mission: Expand]
[Stat Points: 0]
The glowing panel hovered in front of me, mocking me with its low numbers.
"This is terrible," I muttered. "Even in my stats, I'm average."
[Incorrect. You're below average.]
"Bruh. You body-shamed me earlier, and you're still at it?"
[Consider it constructive criticism.]
I rolled my eyes, collapsing back onto the bed. My phone screen flashed: 4:47 AM. "I'm dealing with this later. Good night, Mr. System."
[Mission: Walk for an hour. Reward: +1 Constitution, +1 Stat Point, recovery.]
[Time Limit: 2 Hours. Punishment: -1 Constitution, -1 inch.]
"Not gonna use it anyway. Go ahead."
[Additional Punishment: -1 Constitution, -1 inch, -1 Charm.]
"Bruh. You touch my beautiful face, and I'll uninstall you myself."
[Start working, you lazy pig.]
I groaned, dragging myself out of bed. "Fine, fine. Let's get this over with, Sun."
[That's better. Call me Sun from now on.]
And so began my journey. From average loser to… whatever this was.