I thought I was going to be that guy, the unparalleled isekai protagonist every nerd on Earth daydreams about.
The chosen one. The blessed one.
When I opened my eyes as a baby in a world filled with magic, monsters, knights, and mages, instead of crying, I actually smiled.
Finally, I thought.
Finally, I'd be worth something for once.
I should've known better.
-BAAM!-
Another punch cut through the air and me, snapping my head sideways, splattering blood across the cracked wall of the alley.
"You better not go fainting on me, Arlen!" came a sneering voice, "C'mon now... my knuckles are still itching!"
That was Darren Vale, the village chief's son. Aged 15, same as me.
Born with muscles, mana, his father's smile, and his talent for cruelty
He cracked his fist, flexing as the group of kids behind him howled.
Beside them, his painted little girlfriend, Mira, sneered with mock disgust.
"Show this creep, Darren! You saw the way he was looking at me!" she spat.
-BAAM!
{System Activating…}
The other lackeys laughed. "Yeah, get him, Darren! That bastard dared to look at Sister Mira!"
"I didn't," I mumbled through bloodied teeth, each word barely holding together. "I wasn't even-"
-BAAM!
My vision blurred…
{System Calibrating…}
He grabbed my collar, pulling me up until I could see the veins pulsing on his temple.
"You saying my girl's lying, huh?" Darren snarled as he slammed me into the wall.
"You calling her a liar, you useless son of a bitch?"
His breath reeked of ale. His eyes carried that same cruelty his father wore the day he-
-BAAM!
The world spun.
And my cheek dragged across gravel while laughter twisted into ringing.
{Affinity Detected. Customizing…}
"Heh…" I let out a broken chuckle, "Guess I'm hallucinating again…"
Wouldn't be the first time either.
They'd beaten me senseless so many times that hearing voices before blacking out felt normal now.
My vision swam.
Eyes fluttered as Darren's shadow swelled across me, blocking the faint light.
And he grinned.
That same cruel grin his father wore the day he killed my mother.
"Happy Birthday, trash."
-BAAM!
Then silence.
{Calibration Complete. System Customized.}
And just before darkness claimed me, faint glowing words appeared behind my eyes like an afterimage of lightning:
{Chronos Protocol Activated.}