I died the same way I lived—pathetically.
No heroic sacrifice. No truck-kun sending me to another world. Just me, Marcus Chen, slipping on ice outside my crappy apartment because I was too cheap to buy proper winter boots. My head hit the concrete, and the last thing I thought was: "Damn, my phone bill autopay is going to overdraft my account."
Twenty-seven years old. Dead. Alone. Broke.
Perfect.
When I opened my eyes, I was sitting in an endless white void. No pearly gates. No demons with pitchforks. Just... nothing. And a glowing blue screen floating in front of my face.
[WELCOME TO THE KARMIC DEBT SYSTEM]
[Calculating your life's worth...]
[...]
[...]
[CALCULATION COMPLETE]
[TOTAL KARMIC DEBT: -1,000,000 CREDITS]
I stared at the screen. "A million? What the hell did I do to owe a MILLION?"
The screen flickered, and a list scrolled past faster than I could read. But I caught glimpses:
Borrowed $200 from Jake. Never paid back.Promised Mom you'd visit for Christmas. Didn't.That girl Sarah who liked you. Led her on for free coffee.Wasted your programming talent playing video games.Watched your neighbor get mugged. Did nothing.
It went on. And on. And on.
None of it was evil. I'd never killed anyone, never robbed anyone. I was just... lazy. Selfish. Thoughtless. A thousand small failures that apparently added up to a million credits of cosmic debt.
"Okay," I said to the void. "So what happens now? Hell? Reincarnation as a slug?"
[YOU HAVE TWO OPTIONS:]
[OPTION 1: BASIC REINCARNATION][You will be reborn as a background character with no plot armor, no special abilities, and a 96% chance of dying before age 30. Essentially, you get to be a loser again, but in a fantasy world where being a loser gets you killed by monsters.]
[OPTION 2: WORK OFF YOUR DEBT][Enter a trial world. Complete quests. Help people. Reduce your karmic debt to zero. Upon success, you will receive TRUE REINCARNATION with benefits, potential, and an actual chance at a good life.]
"And if I fail Option 2?"
[SYSTEM TERMINATION. You cease to exist. No afterlife. No reincarnation. Nothing.]
"So it's be a loser forever, or gamble on redemption with permanent death as the penalty?"
[CORRECT.]
I should have thought about it more. Weighed my options. But honestly? I was tired of being a waste of space.
"Option 2. Let's do this."
[EXCELLENT CHOICE, HOST.]
[INITIALIZING TRANSFER...]
[WELCOME TO YOUR SECOND CHANCE.]
[TRY NOT TO WASTE IT.]
The white void shattered like glass, and I fell through reality itself.
I woke up in an alley that smelled like piss and rotting vegetables. My body felt... different. Younger, maybe? I patted myself down—same height, but lean instead of the soft belly I'd earned from three years of ramen and energy drinks.
[TRANSFER COMPLETE][WORLD: AETHERION - FANTASY REALM, TIER 3 CIVILIZATION][STARTING LOCATION: MERCHANT CITY OF KALRETH][CURRENT BALANCE: -1,000,000 CREDITS]
[TUTORIAL QUEST AVAILABLE][QUEST: YOUR FIRST GOOD DEED][Help someone in need without expecting anything in return][REWARD: +100 CREDITS][TIME LIMIT: 24 HOURS][FAILURE: -500 CREDITS]
A countdown appeared in the corner of my vision: 23:59:58.
Great. I had less than a day to figure out how this world worked AND do something good for once in my miserable existence.
I stepped out of the alley into a bustling medieval street. People in tunics and cloaks rushed past. Vendors shouted about fresh bread and mysterious potions. In the distance, an actual castle tower rose against a sky that had two moons.
This was real. Magic, fantasy, the whole deal.
And I was broke in this world too. Typical.
I spent the next hour just exploring, trying not to look like a complete idiot. The system helpfully provided me with basic knowledge—I could speak the language, I understood currency (copper bits, silver crescents, gold suns), and I had a vague understanding of local customs.
What I didn't have was money, food, or a plan.
The countdown hit 20:14:33 when I heard crying.
I followed the sound to a side street where a kid—maybe ten years old—sat against a wall, clutching his arm. Blood seeped between his fingers.
My first instinct? Walk away. Not my problem. I had my own issues.
But then I remembered: that's exactly the kind of thinking that got me a million credits in debt.
I knelt down. "Hey, kid. What happened?"
He looked up with tear-stained eyes. "Fell off a wagon. Cut my arm bad. My ma's gonna kill me..."
[OPPORTUNITY DETECTED][HELP THIS CHILD = QUEST PROGRESS]
I didn't have bandages. Didn't have medicine. Didn't even have water to clean the wound.
But I did have a shirt.
I pulled off my outer shirt, tore it into strips, and wrapped his arm as best I could. It wasn't great, but it would stop the bleeding until he got real help.
"There. That should hold until you get to a healer. Where's your mom work?"
"The bakery. Two streets over."
"Can you walk?"
He nodded.
I helped him up and walked him to the bakery. His mother nearly fainted when she saw him, then hugged me so hard I thought my ribs would crack.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! Let me pay you—"
"No need," I said, surprising myself. "Just... take care of him, okay?"
[QUEST COMPLETE: YOUR FIRST GOOD DEED][SINCERITY VERIFIED: 89%][REWARD: +100 CREDITS][CURRENT BALANCE: -999,900 CREDITS]
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: "BABY STEPS"][You helped someone without being forced. Incredible.]
I felt it—a tiny warmth in my chest. Like something broken inside me had started to heal, just a fraction.
One hundred credits down. Only 999,900 to go.
This was going to take forever.