The church was cold without him.
Days passed. Then weeks. No one came.
The garden grew wild. The candles ran out. The food spoiled in the cupboards.
Jin stayed in his room. He didn't open the curtains. He didn't answer the door.
He couldn't.
Every time he stood, his knees shook.
Every time he tried to pray, his voice cracked.
Father Kyou was gone. The only light in his life… gone.
Jin kept hearing his last words.
"I'm proud of you… my son…"
Those words should have been warm.
But they hurt.
They hurt more than the bullying. More than the hunger. More than anything.
---
The government never came.
No one from the town checked the church.
Even the girl that the priest had saved—Jin never learned her name.
To the world, the church was just another forgotten place.
To Jin, it was a tomb.
He tried to go back to school once.
But the hallways felt like a war zone.
The students were even more cruel.
Now they had powers.
Awakened teenagers walked with arrogance, their uniforms glowing with mana crystals. Some could control flames. Others moved faster than lightning.
And Jin?
Still fat. Still powerless. Still alone.
He didn't make it past lunchtime.
He quit the next day.
---
Jin tried to find work.
No one wanted a boy like him.
He was too large for factory jobs. Too quiet for sales. Too weak for construction.
At last, a kind old man hired him at a small convenience store.
It wasn't much.
Stocking shelves. Sweeping floors. Ringing up snacks.
But Jin was grateful.
He wore the uniform proudly, even if it stretched too tight.
For the first time in months, he had something to wake up for.
He got up early. Brushed his hair. Walked to the shop with a thermos of tea.
Sometimes he smiled at customers. Sometimes they smiled back.
He thought… maybe this was enough.
Not happiness. But survival.
Until they walked in.
---
It was a slow afternoon.
Jin was wiping down the glass doors near the drinks.
Then he heard a familiar voice.
Loud. Laughing. Fake.
"Yo, this place still open?"
He turned.
Three boys entered.
All wearing expensive coats. All glowing faintly with mana. All holding cigarettes.
And in front… was Renji.
One of his old classmates.
The one who used to shove gum in Jin's hair.
Now he was on the news—an A-rank Awakened.
Pretending to be a perfect student. A rising star. A future hero.
Jin froze.
Renji's eyes landed on him.
Then lit up with cruel delight.
"Well, well. If it isn't Pig Jin."
The other boys laughed.
Renji walked up to the counter, slapped a box of cigarettes down.
"A pack of these. And don't cry on it, tubby."
Jin didn't move.
He couldn't.
Renji leaned in, whispering.
"Still working trash jobs, huh? Should've died when that priest burned."
Jin flinched.
Renji smiled wider.
Then he turned and shouted to his friends.
"Yo, check this out!"
Before Jin could react, one of them kicked over a shelf.
Snacks crashed to the floor.
Another grabbed a drink and smashed it against the wall.
Jin stumbled forward.
"P-please don't—"
Renji shoved him.
"Make us, loser."
Jin fell back into a rack of chips.
The bell above the door rang as the three boys strolled out, laughing.
---
Jin was fired that night.
The manager didn't care about his story.
Didn't care that he was bullied. Didn't care that he was powerless.
"Too much trouble," the man said. "Don't come back."
Jin walked home in the rain.
No umbrella. No money. No job.
The streetlights buzzed overhead. The gutters overflowed.
He didn't even have the strength to cry.
Just the sound of his feet on wet pavement.
Slap. Slap. Slap.
His hands trembled.
His stomach growled.
His chest felt like it was caving in.
He passed by a TV shop.
In the window, a news broadcast played.
Renji, smiling in his uniform, holding a hero license.
The reporters clapped.
The crowd cheered.
The screen read:
"Rising Hero: A-Rank Awakened from Local School!"
Jin stared at it for a long time.
Then he turned away.
---
That night, back at the church, Jin sat on the floor.
The fire was out. The food was gone. The roof leaked.
He held a knife in one hand.
His school photo in the other.
The boy in the picture was chubby. Smiling awkwardly. Hair messy. Eyes sad.
Jin touched the photo.
"…I hate you," he whispered.
"I hate this body… I hate this face… I hate being weak…"
He lifted the knife.
"…I just want to disappear…"
Tears ran down his cheeks.
"I wish I was someone else…"
He closed his eyes.
He raised the blade.
Then—
A sound.
Ding.
Like a chime inside his head.
Followed by a soft, robotic voice.
> [Welcome, Player.]
Jin froze.
His eyes snapped open.
The knife dropped to the floor with a clang.
"…What?"
The air shimmered.
A floating blue screen appeared in front of him.
Glowing letters scrolled across.
> [Do you wish to create your character?]
Jin blinked.
His mouth opened.
"No way… I've finally gone insane…"
But the screen didn't vanish.
Instead, it flickered again.
> [Please select: Create Character – Yes / No]
He hesitated.
Was this real?
Was he dreaming?
Was it a cruel trick?
He reached out.
His finger trembled as it touched the glowing word:
> Yes.
> [Please design your perfect self.]
Note: This form will become your Clone Body. Your original body will sleep when the clone is active.
A 3D model appeared.
Jin adjusted the features carefully.
He gave himself a lean, tall frame. Sharp jawline. Smooth skin. Broad shoulders. Confident posture.
For the hair—he chose green. A bold, forest green that shimmered like emeralds.
Eyes? The same shade. Vivid. Striking. Alive.
It looked nothing like the real him.
It looked… perfect.
> [Confirm?]
"Yes."
---
Pain.
Light.
Then silence.
Jin opened his eyes and gasped.
He was back in his room.
The old church room with the cracked ceiling and worn floor.
He sat up.
His body—lighter. Stronger. Faster.
He ran to the mirror.
What he saw took his breath away.
Green hair. Green eyes. A beautiful face. A powerful body.
It wasn't a dream.
He turned—and lying on the bed was his real body.
Fat. Mouth open. Snoring softly.
"What…?"
He shook it gently.
Nothing.
The system spoke again:
> [Clone Active. Original Body Asleep.]
He panicked and fell back—his vision spun.
Darkness took him.
---
He woke again in his original fat body.
He sat up, sweating.
"It… it was a dream…?"
But then—
He turned.
And saw that body.
The clone. Sleeping peacefully in the corner, breathing like a real person.
His green hair shimmered in the moonlight.
It was real.
All of it.
Jin covered his mouth and cried.
Then smiled.