"Shit, shit, shit..."
I panted as I was racing through the forest in the middle of the night like my life depended on it.
Which, unfortunately , it did.
My lungs felt like they were on fire, my legs were screaming, and every branch in existence seemed personally offended by my face. I risked a glance over my shoulder and immediately regretted it.
They're still there
Of course they were. The old fossils running the Martial Arts Association didn't like it when someone refused to take a dive in their precious "legendary comeback match." I honestly didn't think they'd go straight to hiring hitmen, but hey—guess integrity is bad for business.
I skidded to a stop, bending over and gasping for air.
That was my second mistake.
The footsteps stopped.
Not behind me.
Around me.
A twig snapped.
I spun.
Three men stepped out of the shadows, dressed in black like they were auditioning for a low-budget assassin movie. The one in the middle was huge—bald head, scarred face, arms like tree trunks.
He chuckled. "Looks like the little bird finally found his cage."
I stared at him for a second, then sighed. "…You practiced that, didn't you? Be honest. Because wow. That was bad."
His smile dropped instantly.
Worth it.
He gestured, and the two on his sides rushed me.
I barely dodged the first swing, felt air whip past my ear, and snapped a kick upward. My foot connected with the guy's jaw with a solid crack. He collapsed like his brain had unplugged.
Hope flared in my chest.
Okay, maybe—
A fist slammed into my stomach.
All the air in my body evacuated at once. I doubled over, wheezing, and managed to sweep the second guy's legs out from under him.
And then—
Pain.
Blinding, white-hot pain.
Something sharp buried itself into my back.
I froze.
A knife?
"…Really? A knife? Wow. Real honorable."
The big guy stepped forward, raised his knee, and brought it down.
Everything exploded.
My vision swam, colors bleeding together as I felt myself tipping backward. This was it. This was how it ended. Killed because I refused to fake a loss.
That's so stupid.
Rage surged through me like someone flipped a switch.
"No," I growled.
I stomped my foot into the ground to steady myself and yanked the knife out of my back. Worst idea possible. Zero stars. Do not recommend. But adrenaline was doing overtime, and pain had apparently clocked out for the night.
"If I'm dying," I muttered, turning, "I'm taking you with me."
I lunged and we both slammed hard onto the ground.
Through my hazy vision, I managed to tug at the knife in his hand and yanked it out.
I didn't know how to use a knife, but I figured the pointy end was a solid start.
Squelch.
The blade sank into his chest.
He screamed.
I twisted it, smiling like a lunatic as my vision dimmed and the world tilted sideways.
Darkness swallowed everything.
---
…What the hell happened?"
I opened my eyes.
White.
Just endless, clean, aggressively white space. No walls. No floor. No ceiling. Just a single chair sitting there like it was mocking me.
I blinked.
"Oh," I said slowly. "This is the part where I die and get something broken, right?"
I sat down immediately.
Please be a system. Please be magic. Please don't be just a void.
I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
"…Okay, no, this is ridiculous."
I stood up and shouted into the void."HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP ME WAITING?!"
A screen popped into existence.
DO YOU WANT TO LIVE A NEW LIFE WITH THE GACHA SYSTEM IN A FUN WORLD?
My eyes lit up.
"Oh hell yes."
A smaller screen appeared underneath.
Y / N
I didn't even hesitate—my finger shot toward the Y.
A portal suddenly opened next to me with a ominous energy slowly sucking me in.
"…Wait."
The suction yanked me sideways.
"WAIT WAIT WAIT—NO—"
The screen drifted farther away as the portal dragged me in.
"I SWEAR TO GOD," I shouted, flailing uselessly, "IF SOMEONE JUST STOLE MY ISEKAI, I'M COMING FOR YOU—"
The portal swallowed me whole.