I cursed my luck inwardly as I ran down the path, completely drenched. I was damn sure I had checked the weather forecast before stepping out to head to the grocery store a few blocks away from my house.
"Maybe I should've taken the umbrella after all," I lamented, clutching the grocery bag tightly to my chest, trying to shield it from the relentless rain. The store was about three miles from my house, surrounded by multi-story flats.
Reaching the crosswalk, I came to a halt and tilted my head up, watching the traffic signal as I waited for the passing cars to clear. The rain continued to pour, but my mood brightened slightly as I recalled something exciting- there was only a week left before my novel's first-ever convention.
'Damn, I still can't believe it.'
My latest novel, The Path to Transcending Mortality, had become a massive hit, selling millions of copies in just a few months. It was surreal to have my work recognized on such a scale. A slight grin formed on my face, which, if my friends had seen it, they would have called a rare phenomenon.
Not that I had many friends.
I wasn't exactly a social person. Heck, I was a loner through and through. Even the people I could barely call friends had all been the ones to approach me first. At twenty-one, I could count my close friends on a single hand.
As I stood there, lost in my thoughts, I noticed a young woman walking past me. At the same time, my gaze shifted toward the road, where I saw a truck barreling straight toward her.
She hadn't noticed it.
"Hey, look out for the traffic!" I called out, though my tone lacked urgency.
She kept walking. 'What the hell?'
That's when I noticed the earbuds covering her ears.
'Noise-canceling ones, huh? Seriously, why do people wear those while crossing roads?'
A second later, I realized the truck wasn't slowing down.
She was going to get hit.
With some hesitation, I lunged forward, grabbing her by the arm and shoving her out of the way. I barely managed to dodge the truck myself, the monstrous vehicle missing us by mere centimeters.
Breathing heavily, I turned to look at the truck that had almost ended both our lives—only to see it continue speeding away as if nothing had happened. No screeching brakes. No honking. Just gone.
"Damn reckless drivers."
A triumphant grin spread across my face as I muttered, "Take that, sucker! I'm not getting isekai'd today!"
Then I turned to the girl, expecting at least some kind of gratitude.
Instead, she was glaring at me.
She looked around eighteen or nineteen, with an expression that was less grateful than what a survivor should have and more of a mildly annoyed pedestrian.
"You should be more careful while crossing the street. If I hadn't been here, you could've-"
"Tch, whatever."
She clicked her tongue, dismissing my words with a shrug before popping her headphones back on and walking away.
Little did she know that the man in front of her was extremely petty and one day she would be dragged into something much bigger than her entire existence.
I blinked. 'The hell?'
'I save her life and don't even get a thank-you. Kids these days…', Well it wasn't like he was a lot older, but he didn't plan to look into the small details.
'Well one day she'd learn the hard way.'
Sighing, I shook my head and headed back home. After reaching my building, I stepped into the glass elevator, pressing the button for the Ninth floor. As the elevator ascended, I leaned back, gazing at the city's rain-soaked skyline.
That's when I saw it.
Something floating in the air.
I squinted.
A moment later, my brain registered what I was looking at, and every muscle in my body tensed.
Wait… isn't that—
My eyes widened in horror.
The truck.
The same damn truck from earlier.
But now, it was flying straight toward me.
"What the fu—"
BOOM!
The truck rammed into the elevator—Seven floors up in the goddamn sky.
Pain exploded through my body as my vision blurred. I felt myself fading. My consciousness slipping.
As the world darkened, I barely managed to rasp out, "I-Is this the legendary… cough... isekai of the truck-kun, huh?"
My last thought?
I could've accepted this if it happened on the road… but how the hell does a truck appear mid-air?! This makes no damn sense. Also, is that truck smiling at me? HOW can a truck even smile!!?
Then, everything went black.
…
*Ding*
A soft chime rang in my ears.
I groaned, clutching my forehead. My head was pounding like someone had hit it with a jackhammer.
"What… happened?" I muttered, my voice hoarse.
[Synchronization process started]
[0%]
[1%]
My body convulsed as a flood of memories—not mine—crashed into my mind.
[30%]
The pain was unbearable. My brain felt like it was splitting apart, my thoughts drowning in the influx of unfamiliar information.
Eventually, my body could no longer take it.
And I passed out once again.
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Yes, we're now officially back after a long time.