"Get up, you lazy bum!"
His mother's voice blasted through the room like an alarm; he couldn't snooze.
The dark-haired boy's eyelids fluttered open, heavy, as if the weight of the universe had settled on them. He let out a long, defeated sigh and rolled onto his back.
"Yeah… yeah… I'm up, Mom. Just… a minute."
He dragged himself upright, blinking slowly as his gaze swept across the battlefield that was his bedroom—clothes on the chair. Books are scattered across the floor. A half-zipped bag is leaning against the wall.
With a tired groan, he forced himself to stand.
"Another day of school," he muttered, dragging his feet toward the bathroom door as if each step weighed a ton.
'Another round of dull lectures. Teachers pretending to care about his future. A suffocating schedule that felt more like a prison than a privilege,' he thought to himself as he began to apply toothpaste to his brush
He's Orion.
He is a student at one of the most prestigious private schools in the city.
He is a good-looking guy with a good head on his shoulders. His father is a respected surgeon. His mother, a well-known news anchor. They were loving and supportive parents.
From the outside, his life was perfect.
And yet…
"I'm fucking bored," Orion muttered, staring at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror as he brushed his teeth.
His eyes were dull. Empty. Like, even his reflection was tired of repeating the same day over and over.
Same polished hallways. Same expectations. Working towards a well-planned future that was chosen for him by his parents.
Even though they were strict, his parents weren't cruel. Far from it.
They were strict because they cared about him; he was their only child.
They wanted him to become someone great.
And he understood that.
He really did.
But understanding didn't make the weight easier to carry. And he knew he was sounding like a spoiled, selfish prince, suffering from a tragic lack of actual suffering, but it is what it is.
The only time Orion felt happy was when he read. Books were his escape.
Jules Verne's adventures. Stevenson's Treasure Island. Isekai light novels his friends had recommended.
Between the pages, he could forget the weight of reality and imagine himself as the explorer—sailing unknown seas, hunting for treasure, or being whisked away to another world entirely.
Nowadays, he is really into those isekai light novels. The first time he read an isekai novel, he spent the whole day imagining what he would do if he ever found himself in this kind of situation—exploring another world? Filled with magic and hidden power? … Build a glorious harem? Hell yeah, it was like a dream come true.
Sometimes, he imagined slinging a backpack over his shoulder and disappearing into the wild. No rules. No schedule. Only adventure.
But imagination was all he had.
He was too cautious, sheltered, truthfully… a coward.
After a rushed shower and brushing his teeth, he got dressed, complaining about every little thing, like:
The shirt was too stiff.
The shoes were too tight.
The world was too loud.
Finally, he slung his bag over his shoulder and stepped outside.
"Here we go…" he muttered. "Another day in the simulation of boredom."
Little did he know, today would be anything but ordinary. Fate had plans for him—and they were about to hit like a truck.
**************************
Orion wandered home from school, headphones blasting, completely oblivious to the world around him.
Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't notice the street ahead—or the car speeding toward him.
Before he could react, he stepped straight into the road.
The driver slammed the brakes—
SCREEEECH! — tyres screaming against the asphalt, but it was too late…
BANG! CRUNCH!
He was plunged into darkness. No sound. No light. Just an endless void.
Then, without warning, it felt as if invisible hands had grabbed him, dragging him through a raging, unseen river. His body twisted and tumbled helplessly, pulled by a violent, unstoppable current, as if the universe itself had decided to fling him somewhere unknown.
Time lost all meaning. Seconds stretched into eternities as he was hurled forward, swallowed by nothingness… until, finally, everything went blank.
*********************************
[Ding!]
A sharp, mechanical chime echoed inside his mind.
Orion tried to open his eyes.
[Host has been selected.]
[Analyzing host… 10%… 60%… 99%]
[Desire compatibility confirmed.]
[Host has been granted: THE DRAGON SYSTEM.]
When Orion opened his eyes, everything was hazy. He couldn't remember anything. His limbs felt heavy and unresponsive, and he couldn't summon the strength to sit up. Confusion swirled through his mind.
After several minutes of lying there, completely helpless, a gradual surge of strength returned to his body.
As he struggled to sit up, memories came rushing back.
"Aghhhh?!" he yelled, clutching his head, memories of the accident hitting him all at once." Wait… shouldn't I be dead?"
Then he noticed the blue transparent screen hovering above his head, glowing softly.
What the hell is this!? Some weird hospital tech? Am I in the hospital?
Just as he screamed out all these questions in his head, he heard a mechanical voice coming from the blue screen.
[Welcome to The Dragon System, host]
"Wait… a system? Isn't this the kind of thing light novel protagonists get when they're reincarnated into another world?"
Orion's heart was pounding as he looked around. He felt a mix of shock, fear, and confusion all at once.
"Wait! Where am I?" he shouted, turning in every direction. He was in a huge cave, bigger than anything he had ever seen. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, shadows moved across the walls, and everything looked strange and unfamiliar. He had no idea where he was or how he got there.
After a few minutes of panicking, Orion tried to calm himself. He needed answers.
"System… is this real?"
[Affirmative], the system replied in its cold, mechanical voice.
Orion swallowed hard." So… I really died?" His voice shook as the weight of the truth hit him.
[Affirmative], the system repeated.
He sank to the ground, holding his head. Everything—being dead, the strange cave, the system—was too much. He felt completely overwhelmed. This wasn't a story in a book or a game. This was real. And it was terrifying.
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