Joseph wasn't anything special. He wasn't necessarily the academic type and his reflexes in video games were just above average. (If that meant anything). He was the kind of guy who spent most of his time grinding in RPGs instead of studying, and his grades reflected that commitment—or lack thereof.

It was another day of slogging through school, barely paying attention to his teacher's ramblings about trigonometry, when the final bell rang, signaling freedom. Joseph shoved his notebook into his backpack (which was still suspiciously empty because he never actually took notes) and walked out, the hood of his hoodie covering his shaggy black hair. His glasses were slightly smudged, and he was ready to go home for another marathon gaming session.

However, fate—or more accurately, an overworked, underpaid truck driver—had other plans.

Joseph was deep in thought about whether he should reroll his character in Grand Quest Online when the distant rumbling of a truck entered his subconscious. He didn't pay much attention to it. After all, how often do trucks just come barreling through residential areas at absurd speeds?

Apparently, at least once.

Before Joseph could process the blaring horn, the flash of headlights, or the screaming pedestrians, Truck-kun struck.

It was over in an instant. There was no dramatic realization, no slow-motion monologue about wasted potential. Just—bam—and Joseph's ordinary, insignificant existence was cut short.

For a brief moment, he floated in darkness, his last thoughts not of his family, his unfinished homework, or even his tragic demise, but rather:

"Damn, I should've saved my game before leaving the house."

When Joseph opened his eyes again, he was no longer lying on the pavement with tire tracks across his soul. Instead, he was standing in a vast, open field. The sky was an unnatural shade of blue, as if the saturation setting had been cranked up to eleven, and the grass looked suspiciously high-definition.

"What the hell…" he muttered, adjusting his thick glasses, which had somehow survived the transition intact.

He looked down. He was still wearing his hoodie and jeans, which was great, considering he could've just as easily woken up naked. A quick pat-down confirmed that his phone and wallet were still on him—completely useless in whatever fantasy setting he had just been dumped into.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. He had read enough light novels and watched enough anime to know that he had officially joined the ranks of Truck-kun's victims.

"…Is this one of those second-chance, reincarnated-as-a-hero kind of deals?" Joseph asked aloud, half-expecting some kind of celestial being to appear and confirm his suspicions.

There was no response.

No glowing goddess to grant him overpowered abilities. No ancient prophecy declaring him the savior of the realm.

Just a lot of wind, grass, and birds that looked way too large to be considered normal.

"Well… shit."

Joseph started walking, his brain still catching up to the reality of his situation. The landscape stretched out before him in all directions—rolling hills, towering mountains in the distance, and what appeared to be a medieval-style town far off on the horizon.

"Alright, first things first," he said, pulling out his phone. The battery was at 67%. No signal. No Wi-Fi.

Of course.

Next, he checked his wallet. A few crumpled bills, a school ID, and a maxed-out rewards card for a convenience store he would never visit again.

He sighed. "Guess money is useless too. Fantastic."

With no other options, Joseph trudged toward the distant city, muttering to himself about how he better at least get some cool magic powers out of this.

After all, what was the point of being reincarnated in a fantasy world if he was still going to be a broke loser?