Loner. Failure. Virgin.
Those are just three words that could define me. There might be more.
My name is Henry Lukas, just an ordinary guy who can't take anything seriously.
Average looks. Average grades. Awkward at conversation.
I once tried confessing to a girl. Her name was Verna, a beautiful, sweet girl.
She turned me down, saying she had to focus on her career.
"No time for love or any of that stuff," she said.
I tried to move on. Tried not to think about her. But I loved her—genuinely.
So much that I was on the verge of crying.
Then one day, I saw her heading into a love hotel, clinging to some tall, handsome guy.
Why was she there?
Didn't she said she had no time for love?
Could it be that she was spreading her legs just to get some money?
Or could it be just another casual physical relationship?
Disgusting!
That day broke me.
Since then, I never had the courage to confess to anyone again.
After that, my days became dull and meaningless.
I turned into someone with no goals, no aspirations; just a drifting boat lost in a vast, endless sea.
Reality no longer held my interest. So I escaped. First into Anime. Then manga. And eventually, novels.
Those fictional worlds felt more real, more alive than the one I lived in.
Every character's struggle became my own. Their resolve, their loyalty, their unshakable devotion to their goals—it all resonated with me.
I knew it was foolish.
I knew I was drowning in unrealistic fantasies.
But I couldn't stop myself.
Because those stories gave me peace. A brief escape from the monotony of life.
And, if I'm being honest, it was the female characters that captivated me the most. So beautiful, so charismatic. Loyal to a fault.
Well… not all of them.
But at least they wouldn't toy with someone's feelings.
As I walked back home with a bag of groceries in hand, my mind drifted to the latest online novel I'd been reading.
Combat Slave Harem.
Set in a chaotic supernatural world, the story featured various races clashing for dominance.
Everything changes with the arrival of the main character—Heaven's favorite. A guy who gets stronger with every new slave he adds to his side.
The bastard is stupidly lucky. He stumbles upon some ridiculous opportunity, and just like that, he starts gathering beautiful girls: monster girls, demi-humans, exotic beings and makes them his slaves.
Naturally, he becomes absurdly overpowered. Just like every other MC out there.
Still, Sometimes I wished I could be in his place. Surrounded by loyal, stunning female leads who would never lie, never betray, and never walk into a love hotel with someone else.
But I knew better.
There are thousands, maybe millions of guys like me out there, dreaming the same dream.
So the chances of that ever happening?
Zero.
It's a dumb, unrealistic fantasy. One I could never reach, no matter how much I wanted it.
I glanced at my wristwatch.
5:00 PM.
"The latest chapters should be out soon. I better hurry back," I muttered, quickening my pace. "But seriously, that lazy author... why only two chapters a day?"
"Kekeke... you're interesting, ignorant human. Fine, you will get your wish."
A sudden, eerie voice brushed past my ears, coming from a figure that had just walked by.
The voice alone sent a strange, buzzing sensation rippling through my body, like static crawling over my skin.
I turned around instinctively.
A dark hooded figure was walking away, crossing the street.
And before I could think, my legs moved on their own.
I chased after him. No, my body chased after him, like I wasn't in control anymore.
"What's happening? Why can't I stop?" I muttered in panic.
Step by step, I was being dragged forward.
And then, slowly but steadily, I found myself standing in the middle of the street.
"Hey, what are you doing, brat?" an elderly man shouted from the sidewalk.
Passersby were also staring at me strangely.
But they didn't understand that I couldn't move. I was frozen in place.
"Someone, please help me! I can't move. " I cried out, trembling.
Whoosh!
A car sped past, missing me by mere inches.
Then another. And another. And another.
Yet no one stepped forward.
Instead, the murmurs began:
"Tch... probably another influencer filming a prank video," one man sneered.
"Haha... does he think we're that gullible?" another chuckled.
"Let him die. Those idiots have become quite a nuisance lately."
"Still," an old woman muttered softly, "a young, healthy man shouldn't be risking his life like that."
"Hah. What do you know, grandma?" a young man scoffed. "To this kind of people, money means everything."
Hearing the comments around me, I stood there alone. Speechless and helpless.
My desperate screams, my pleas… all of it was useless.
Then my gaze shifted forward.
A truck was barreling straight toward me.
I raised both hands, waving frantically to warn the driver.
But for some reason… he didn't slow down.
He wasn't stopping.
And in that moment, I knew—I was going to die.
My eyes instinctively turned to the figure who started all of this.
The hood had fallen from her head, revealing the face of a woman.
No, she was almost a goddess.
Her beauty was otherworldly. Ethereal. Breathtaking.
But at this moment, her lips curled into an amused smile.
She was enjoying herself. Watching me suffer. Watching me panic.
Like some wicked witch savoring a helpless soul's final moments.
Seeing that smile twisted something inside me.
"All of you bitches are the same," I spat with a surge of fury.
Bang!
The truck slammed into me, full force. My vision burst into red and white.
And in that final instant, as my head snapped back, my eyes mirrored her face etched with rage and betrayal.
Then came the flood of memories.
Bitter. Painful.
The bullies who tormented me in the past.
Her rejection. The hotel incident.
My parents cursing me for being a burden.
The mocking laughter of so-called friends.
The cold, judgmental glances of society.
My whole life sucked.
Maybe death… wasn't so bad after all.
That thought echoed through my mind as everything faded to darkness.
And then, in the darkness, a robotic female voice rang:
[ Congratulations! Goddess Of Mischief have selected you as a Dimensional Journeyman...]
[ You have been granted 1 Random Aspect as a beginner's gift ]
[ Random Aspect willd be in effect upon selecting Journeyman's Route ]
[ Journeyman's Possible Routes: ]
1. Dual Leveling in the Apocalypse
2. Heaven's Descent
3. Rebirth: Dual Cultivator
4. Combat Slave Harem
5. Re: Vampire and Dragon