In a cramped and messy room, a 17-year-old young man sat on his bed, staring at his phone screen with a blank expression.
His name was Kosagi Hara.
He wasn't always a NEET like he was now. He used to work as a laborer on construction projects—hauling materials, mixing cement, and doing other tough jobs.
But everything changed because of a cruel lie.
Someone accused him of stealing construction materials. Kosagi fought desperately to defend himself, but no one believed him.
The only person who stood up for him was Heruru, a coworker he considered a brother. Even though Heruru tried hard to convince their boss that Kosagi was innocent, it was all in vain.
In the end, Kosagi was fired.
After that incident, he lost all motivation to work. He gave up.
Since then, his life had been confined to his room—no job, no purpose, just gaming, watching anime, and reading manga all day.
But tonight, everything changed.
Kosagi stared at the message on his phone from Heruru.
"Kos, I got a construction project in Indonesia. The pay is pretty good. Wanna join?"
He reread the message several times.
Work again? After all this time?
He hesitated. But when he saw the salary being offered, he froze.
"Damn… with this kind of money, I could live comfortably for years!"
Without thinking twice, he typed a reply with trembling hands:
"ALRIGHT, I'M IN, BRO!"
Two days later, Kosagi left his house and headed to the subway station.
He had to go to Heruru's office downtown to sort out some paperwork before leaving for Indonesia. Since the trip was long, going back home to grab anything he forgot wasn't an option.
As he descended the stairs to the platform, the station was still quite busy. People looked exhausted after a long day at work—some sat on benches playing with their phones, while others just silently waited for the train.
Kosagi found an empty seat in the corner of the platform and sat down with relief.
But when he reached into his pocket to check the time, something felt off.
He patted his jeans. Empty.
Jacket? Empty too.
Bag? Just documents.
Kosagi froze.
His hands trembled as he frantically searched himself, hoping his phone was just misplaced somewhere. But after several seconds of panic, a painful realization hit him.
His phone was still in his room.
His eyes widened.
"Oh crap… I forgot my phone?!"
A few passengers turned to look at him, surprised by the random guy suddenly talking to himself like he just lost his life savings.
Kosagi stared blankly at the floor. This was a disaster.
Without his phone, he couldn't contact Heruru, couldn't check the office address, couldn't look at maps, couldn't book a ride if he got lost, and—worst of all—couldn't entertain himself when bored!
After a few minutes of calming down, he took a deep breath.
"It's fine… If things get desperate, I'll just borrow some money from Heruru and buy a new phone, haha."
Crisis averted. He sat back in his seat, though still slightly annoyed at himself.
But the real problem was just beginning.
Kosagi glanced at the platform's wall clock. It was 10 PM.
The train that should've arrived 15 minutes ago was nowhere to be seen.
He looked down the tunnel, hoping to see the train lights approaching. Nothing.
People on the platform were getting restless—some checked their watches with irritated faces, while others remained silent, but Kosagi could see an uneasy look in their eyes.
Time passed. 10 minutes. 20 minutes. 30 minutes.
Kosagi let out a deep sigh.
"What's the holdup this time? Some technical issue?"
He tried to recall if there was an announcement about a delay before he came down. But there wasn't.
Just… silence.
The train that should've arrived long ago still hadn't come. No sound of wheels on tracks, no announcement over the speakers—nothing.
Kosagi started feeling uneasy.
He glanced around at the other passengers. Some still looked normal, but others seemed anxious. Some looked afraid. And some were just… staring at the tunnel with empty expressions.
Something felt seriously wrong.
The air in the station felt colder. There was no sound except for the faint hum of the neon lights overhead.
Kosagi swallowed hard.
In all his life, he had never experienced a subway station this quiet.
Usually, even if there was a delay, there would be some sort of announcement. But this… This was absolute silence.
He tried to think logically.
"Maybe there's just a major technical problem..."
But then, when he glanced at the platform clock again, his blood ran cold.
The hands were still at 10 PM.
But… he had been sitting here for over 40 minutes.
Kosagi slowly realized something.
It wasn't just the train that wasn't moving.
Time had stopped.
At first, he thought this was just a normal delay, but the more he thought about it, the more things felt… off.
He looked around the station again.
The people were still in the same positions as before.
Usually, people shift in their seats, sigh, or change expressions slightly. But now…
No one was moving.
Their eyes were open, but their bodies were completely still.
A middle-aged man next to him was holding a newspaper, but his hand was frozen in mid-air—like time itself had completely stopped.
Kosagi started panicking.
"H-Hey… what the hell? Don't mess with me," he muttered, his voice shaking slightly.
He turned to a young woman standing near the entrance. Her body was rigid, her eyes staring straight ahead, but there was no sign of breathing… or life.
Kosagi shot up from his seat, making the bench creak slightly. Still, no one reacted.
His heart pounded.
His brain desperately searched for a logical explanation.
Was this a dream?
Without thinking, he pinched his cheek.
"Ow!"
The pain was real. This wasn't a dream.
Kosagi swallowed hard.
"W-Wait… is this a prank?" he muttered, though he wasn't sure who he was talking to.
He waved his hand in front of a businessman standing nearby. No reaction.
"Am I in a reality show? A hidden camera prank?"
But then, when he looked toward the corner of the station, he noticed something that made his skin crawl.
The flickering neon lights on the ceiling… had stopped flickering.
The glow was frozen in place, completely still.
Like everything in the world had stopped except for him.
Kosagi's breathing grew rapid.
"This is insane… this is impossible…"
Panic overwhelmed him.
He had to get out of this station!
Without wasting time, he ran toward the stairs leading to the exit.
His footsteps echoed through the silent station, but no one reacted.
He rushed up the steps, his body trembling from both exhaustion and fear.
But just as he neared the exit…
A blinding white light suddenly filled his vision.
"Aghh!"
Reflexively, he covered his eyes. The light was too bright, brighter than the sun.
The air around him felt strange, as if something was pulling his body toward an unknown place.
His voice was swallowed by the overwhelming light.
And then—silence.
Seconds passed.
Kosagi kept his eyes closed.
No more station noises. No more footsteps. No more buzzing neon lights.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
The first thing he noticed was the fresh, cool air.
He blinked a few times and looked around.
"What… is this?"
Instead of a gloomy subway station, he now stood in the middle of a vast, breathtaking grassland.
And just like that… his unexpected isekai adventure began.