Fuck. Even when I'm supposed to be lucky, I get screwed over. Not even good enough to be an isekai protagonist.
But okay, let me explain.
Imagine this: you, out of EIGHT BILLION people, suddenly wake up in another world. And not just any world, but one with a system! Yeah, like in those manga, webtoons, and all that other stuff we've all seen before. Sounds amazing, right?
Now, the question: what would you do?
Become the strongest? The richest? The ultimate villain, maybe?
It all sounds wonderful. Until you're actually here.
And that's where I drop a little detail: it's all BULLSHIT. A big, steaming pile of SHIT.
"Oh, but why?"
Simple. Because real life isn't like the manga or anime you binge from the comfort of your gaming chair. Here, when someone can kill you with a glance or when a bunch of spandex-wearing superheroes flatten buildings like dominoes, things get a little… complicated.
Maybe—just maybe—you'll understand that. Until then, only I know the hell it is to live here.
Oh, and the system? Well… it's more of a decoration than anything actually useful.
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System Status
[ World Progression Rate: 5% ]
[ Available Worlds: ]
Marvel MCU (Current Residence)
Naruto World
DC Universe
[ Shop ] (Pts = 03)
_________________________________
See? USELESS.
Do you know how much effort it takes to increase that damn percentage? Ten months. TEN. And in all that time, my progress has gone up by a pathetic 5%.
And what do I have to show for it? Three. Freaking. Points.
And before you start with the whole "hahaha, look how dumb he is" or "if it were me...," let me tell you something: statistically speaking, it's easier to find a needle in a haystack than to be a main, secondary, or even a tertiary character in this shitty world.
Oh, and it gets worse! My brilliant system only works if I interact with the plot of this universe.
Characters, events, anything relevant.
Need an example? Sure.
A few weeks ago, I saw Spider-Man swinging through the buildings of New York. I thought:
"THIS IS IT!"
I ran after him, shouted, even threw a brick into the air (for no reason at all, I admit) just to see if he'd notice me.
You know what happened?
Nothing.
Absolutely NOTHING.
Not even a single beep from the system. Not a single pity point.
My system basically looked at me and said:
"Tough luck, buddy. Try again."
---
At least if there's one thing I can call an achievement in this hellhole, it's managing to gather these 3 points.
Three.
Freaking. Points.
Sounds like nothing? That's because it is.
And to make matters worse, I can't even buy anything remotely useful in the shop. What's available?
Low-caliber weapons—without bullets, obviously—ammo sold separately (because of course), bulletproof vests, and a bunch of other crap that's completely useless to me.
But… in this digital landfill, there was one thing that caught my attention.
____________________
[ Mini-map ]
A small map displayed in the corner of your vision, providing an overview of the surrounding area.
Capable of detecting enemies (as long as they're not hidden), valuable objects, and tracking missions.
_________________________
Sounds useful, right?
A mini-map, like in a game, showing enemies and valuable items. But here's the catch: this piece of crap costs the exact 3 points I spent almost a year grinding.
If I buy it, I go back to zero.
And what if it's useless?
What if the range is garbage?
Or worse…
What if I'm simply too insignificant for anything useful to happen in this messed-up world?
Now I'm just sitting here, staring at this damn screen like it's a life-or-death decision.
To buy or not to buy the mini-map?
That is the question.
If I spend my three points, I reset everything. And considering it took me almost a year to earn them, the thought alone is painful.
But if I don't buy it? I stay a blind idiot fumbling in the dark while any caped lunatic could turn me into cosmic dust without even noticing.
The truth is, I'm like that guy who grinds in a game for years to buy an item and then freezes at the final purchase screen, terrified of buyer's remorse.
Except in my case, there's no "just grind a little more."
Here, every single point is a reminder that I am so insignificant that even my own system doesn't care about me.
And you know what's worse?
I already know I'm gonna end up buying this stupid thing.
Not because it's a good choice, but because desperation is stronger than logic.
And when I finally hit that purchase button, I'll just sigh and accept my fate:
The fate of a random background character trying not to die while the main characters blow up the city in prime time.
---
"Then why don't you just interact with the characters, like Peter Parker?"
Oh, of course! BRILLIANT IDEA!
I'll just show up out of nowhere, give him a friendly pat on the back, and be like:
"Yo, bro! How's life as a superhero?"
Genius. What could possibly go wrong?
The problem?
Besides the obvious fact that this sounds like the perfect way to get labeled as either a lunatic or, worse, a potential villain, there's another issue:
I suck at talking to people.
I always have.
Years locked in my room programming, staring at more lines of code than human faces, did some serious damage to my social skills.
If I already panic when asking for extra ketchup at a fast-food place, imagine striking up a conversation with a masked superhero in the middle of New York?
If this were a game NPC, fine—I'd just press a button and pick a dialogue option.
But here?
Here I'm just a background character trying to interact in a world that doesn't even know I exist.
---
You know what?
Screw it.
I'm buying this damn thing.
I spent months grinding for these three miserable points, and for what? To sit here staring at this screen like it's gonna magically solve my life?
Screw it.
If it's useless, at least I can say I tried.
My hand hovers over the screen.
My brain screams, "DON'T DO IT, YOU IDIOT!" but it's too late.
I swallow hard.
3…
2…
1…
…Click.