There's always someone in every school who doesn't quite fit. The kind of person who drifts through life like a shadow, unnoticed and forgotten. In our class, that someone was Alex.

Alex wasn't the smartest, the funniest, or the most athletic. Overweight and awkward, he sat hunched at the back of the class, his glasses always slipping down his nose. If life were a video game, Alex would be the NPC—always there, yet never a part of the main story.

But Alex wasn't always like that.

When he was twelve, tragedy struck. A car crash took his parents on a rainy evening, leaving Alex alone in the world. People tried to help at first—teachers spoke gently, classmates offered awkward sympathy—but grief is a prison with walls no one else can see.

Alex retreated into himself. He stopped talking, stopped trying, and the bubble he built around him grew thicker with every passing day. By the time he turned thirteen, he was a shadow of the boy he'd been, finding solace in junk food, video games, and the blue glow of a screen.

Then, at fourteen, Alex vanished.

One day, he simply stopped coming to school. Rumors swirled—gangs, arrests, or something worse. The truth was, no one really cared. Alex had faded so completely into the background that even his absence barely registered.

And then there's me.

My name is Ren. I'm sixteen, overweight, with glasses so thick they make my eyes look like tiny dots. If you saw me, you might think I'm walking the same path Alex did. Always on the edge, always invisible.

But here's the thing—I'm not Alex.

Not yet.

And maybe—just maybe—my story can end differently.

It was Christmas Eve, and hunger finally dragged me out of my room after a day spent binge-reading web novels. I threw on my oversized sweatsuit and headed to the nearest convenience store for instant noodles.

The streets were eerily quiet, the festive glow of Christmas lights making the emptiness feel surreal. I shuffled along, my mind back on the story I'd been reading.

At the crosswalk, I noticed a little girl, maybe four years old, playing by herself. No adults in sight. Her giggles echoed through the empty street, carefree and oblivious.

The light turned green. I started walking.

Then I saw it.

A truck, barreling down the road. Its headlights were blinding, its brakes silent.

It wasn't slowing down.

My feet froze. The girl was still there, spinning in her own little world.

Thirty meters.

Twenty.

My body moved before my brain could catch up.

I ran, my lungs burning and my legs protesting with every step. Somehow, I reached her. I grabbed her tiny frame and tried to shield her.

For a split second, I thought I'd made it.

But the world doesn't work like that.

The truck hit me first.

Pain exploded through me, a searing, unbearable agony. My vision blurred as I pushed the girl away with the last ounce of my strength.

The last thing I saw was her, safe on the sidewalk, crying.

The last thing I felt was peace.

And then… nothing.

Or so I thought.

When I woke, I was surrounded by nothingness. No sound, no light—just an endless void.

I tried to move, but there was no body to move. I was weightless, floating in the abyss.

"So… I'm dead," I said aloud, my voice calm despite the strangeness of it all.

Then a voice echoed through the void, resonating like it spoke directly to my soul.

"Your final act was selfless," it said, calm yet commanding. "By sacrificing yourself to save another, you have tipped the scales of karma. Such acts are rare, young man."

I swallowed hard, though I wasn't sure how. "So, what happens now?"

"You have a choice," the voice continued. "Your life was marked by neglect—of yourself and others. But your final act has earned you the chance to begin anew. You may move on to the afterlife, or you may choose reincarnation—a new life in a different world."

My heart raced—or at least, I imagined it did. "A… different world?"

"Yes," the voice said. "A world where strength reigns supreme. A world of cultivation, where the laws of nature bend to the will of the strong. There, you will have the chance to redefine your existence. But be warned—the path will not be easy."

A thrill shot through me. My mind raced with memories of the web novels I loved. Heroes reincarnated into new worlds, becoming legends.

"I want to try," I said, my voice steady. "I don't care how hard it is. If I can change—if I can be something more—I'll take the chance."

The voice grew warmer, almost approving. "Very well. When you awaken, you will find yourself in a new body, in a new world. Your karma will follow you, but your actions will shape your destiny."

The void around me began to shimmer. Threads of light wove together, pulling me toward them.

"One last thing," the voice said, growing faint as the light consumed me. "Your name may fade, but your will must remain strong. The journey ahead will test you in ways you cannot imagine. Good luck… cultivator."

And then, everything went dark.

This was it.

A new world.

A new life.

And my journey had only just begun.