"So this is how I die…?"
A cold breeze swept through the empty street, carrying the scent of blood and snow. The moon hung high above, casting a pale glow over the frozen asphalt. Snowflakes drifted from the heavens, their descent slow and silent, as if mourning the tragedy unfolding beneath them.
Lying motionless on the ground was a young man, his body soaked in crimson. The once-pristine snow beneath him had turned into a dark, slushy mess. His chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths. His right eye gleamed an eerie red, while his left shimmered an icy blue—two colors that did not belong together, yet existed in perfect contrast.
His jet-black hair, darker than the void itself, was tousled and soaked in blood, save for a single white bang that clung to his forehead. His fingers twitched weakly, his body trembling as waves of pain surged through him.
His thoughts were sluggish, slipping through his mind like water through broken fingers. His body was growing colder, his senses dulling. The crimson moon reflected in his fading vision, casting an ominous glow upon the desolate street.
"Ugh… It hurts more than I thought."
I thought… I would live longer than this.
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips, but it was quickly followed by a sharp pain in his chest. He coughed, feeling something warm spill from his mouth. Blood.
"Dying alone in the middle of the road... No grand farewell. No dramatic last words."
A horrifying realization struck him at that moment. His fading breath hitched as his mind screamed in protest.
"Wait—does this mean I'll die a virgin?!"
A single tear slipped from the corner of his eye. Not from pain. Not from fear. But from the sheer injustice of it all.
"This is NOT how protagonists are supposed to go! I should've been hit by this truck and sent to another world, not left here to rot!"
As he wallowed in his misfortune, hurried footsteps echoed in the distance. A child—no, a little girl—rushed toward him. Her golden hair bounced with each frantic step, and her wide, teary eyes glowed under the moonlight.
"Mister! Mister! Please wake up!" Her small hands gripped his shoulders, shaking him desperately. "You can't die! You saved me!"
Ezra's clouded mind struggled to recall the moments before his world turned red.
"Oh… that's right. I pushed her out of the way… and got trucked instead."
His lips curled into a weak smile.
"Cough… I'm glad… you're safe."
The girl sobbed harder, fumbling with her phone as she called for an ambulance. The air was filled with her panicked voice, but Ezra could barely hear her now. His mind was drifting—slipping into a dream, or perhaps, a delusion.
His vision blurred, and suddenly, he saw it—a future that wasn't real. A wife. A home. Three children running through a sunlit field, laughing and calling his name. A family.
"So this is what happiness feels like..."
He let out a weak chuckle, his blood-stained fingers twitching as if trying to reach for the illusion before him.
"Maybe… my life is finally turning around..."
BOOM!!
A deafening roar cracked through the sky.
Before he could savor the moment, a blinding flash erupted from the heavens. A bolt of lightning shot down, striking him directly in the chest. The world turned white for an instant before an explosion of crackling energy swallowed him whole.
His body didn't just burn—it disintegrated. The little girl screamed as a gust of wind scattered his ashes into the night, leaving behind nothing but silence. The ambulance, which had just arrived, screeched to a halt. The paramedics stepped out, only to freeze in horror.
Hovering above the scorched earth where his body once lay was a glowing, translucent orb.
Ezra's soul.
His ethereal form wavered in disbelief. His entire life—what little of it he had left—had ended twice in one night. First by truck. Then by lightning.
His eye twitched. His mouth—if he still had one—opened in a silent scream before his voice finally erupted into the cold night.
"WHAT THE F—?!"
And just like that, his life ended… or so he thought.
---
As Ezra's soul floated in the void, a bright, golden screen materialized before him, glowing with an otherworldly presence. A robotic yet strangely condescending voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding! You have died. Processing soul data…]
A sleek, holographic interface flickered to life.
---
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
Name: Ezra Ezekiel
Race: Spirit (Deceased)
Class: Wandering Soul
Age: 25 (Died a Virgin)
Soul Rank: F (Pathetic)
Vitality: 0 (Dead)
Mana: ??? (Analyzing…)
Strength: 0 (Corporeal Form Lost)
Agility: 0 (No Legs, No Problem!)
Intelligence: 12 (Surprisingly Above Average)
Luck: -999 (Unbelievably Cursed)
---
[Unique Titles Acquired]
★ [Virgin Sacrifice] – Died without knowing the touch of a woman. The universe mourns your loss (but not really).
★ [Truck-kun's Chosen] – Your death was so cliché it triggered an automatic reincarnation.
★ [Divine Misfortune] – Died twice in a row in under a minute. Even the gods are confused.
---
[Calculating Reincarnation Route… ERROR!]
[Due to extreme bad luck, standard reincarnation has been rejected!]
[New Route Assigned: ???]
---
Ezra's glowing orb pulsed in horror and anger.
"Rejected?! What do you mean rejected?! Isn't this where I get isekai'd with an overpowered cheat?!"
The system ignored his complaints.
[Ding! Soul transfer commencing in… 3… 2… 1…]
Before he could protest further, his entire being was sucked into a swirling vortex, dragging him toward an unknown fate.
---
As Ezra's soul floated in the void, still fuming over his double-death, the golden screen flickered again.
---
[Ding! An unexpected phenomenon has occurred!]
[Despite your abysmal luck, you have leveled up!]
[You have a 0.1% chance to evolve into a Guardian Spirit. Would you like to try?]
---
Ezra's glowing soul pulsed in disbelief.
"…The hell? First, I get turned into cosmic roadkill, then struck by divine spite, and now you're telling me I have a one-in-a-thousand shot at not being useless?"
He glared at the screen.
"And what's with the 'died a virgin' tag?! Is that really necessary? You keeping track of everyone's tragic love life now?"
The system remained completely silent, like a customer service rep ignoring complaints.
Ezra sighed.
"Whatever. I've got nothing left to lose. Let's spin the wheel of misfortune."
---
[Ding! Beginning Guardian Spirit Awakening…]
Shadows oozed from the abyss, swirling like an incoming storm. A suffocating pressure wrapped around his soul.
---
[Trial of the Guardian: The Nightmare Begins]
[You must endure a nightmare. He cannot move. He cannot fight. He can only watch.]
---
Ezra's soul flickered.
His surroundings were shrouded in an eerie, shifting darkness, like ink spreading through water. The air was thick, suffocating, pressing against him as if trying to pull him under.
"Okay… creepy setup. Not ominous at all." He forced a smirk, but his imaginary fingers twitched at his sides.
A deep, chilling laugh echoed around him, slithering into his bones.
Ezra sighed, steeling himself. "Alright. Let's see what you've got."
[System Notice: You must face your nightmare.]
A cold dread curled in his imaginary stomach. "And what if I don't?"
[System Warning: If you refuse, you will roam endlessly in the void, trapped as a virgin soul forever.]
Ezra's imaginary eye twitched. His so called lips parted, but no words came out at first. Then, with anger and horror twisting his expression, he snapped, "Okay, okay! But stop calling me a virgin, a**hole!"
The darkness trembled, the laughter growing louder.
Ezra clenched his fists. "Let's just start already."
And with that, the nightmare began.