In a dimly lit room of a small, worn-out house, a young man sat alone on a creaky old couch, eyes blankly fixed on the television screen in front of him. The faint flickering of static light danced across his tired face, but his mind wasn't on the screen.
"It's been twenty-one years…"
He muttered to himself, the weight of time pressing down on him like a heavy blanket. Twenty-one years since he was reborn in this world — a world that, despite his hopes, was painfully normal. No magic. No monsters. No destined path of glory. Just a mundane life, much like the one he had left behind.
He clenched his fists. Back then, he had been thrilled, even hopeful, thinking his second life would resemble the stories he had read: a powerful protagonist reborn into a fantasy world, blessed with a system, magic, or some grand destiny. But that dream shattered long ago. In this life, he was just another orphan scraping by in a world that felt all too real.
"Why couldn't I be reborn into a world of magic…?"
"Why this?"
His frustration boiled over. With a growl, he kicked the old TV stand in front of him. The TV wobbled dangerously, and in his clumsy motion, his hand accidentally hit the nearby switch.
ZZZZT!
A sharp jolt of electricity surged through his arm.
"Agh—!"
His eyes snapped shut from the pain, heart pounding.
Then… silence.
Suddenly, a mechanical chime echoed inside his mind, clear and undeniable.
Ding!
Would you like to bind with the System? [Yes / No]
Eyes wide, he gasped. A translucent blue panel floated in the air before him, just like those in the novels he used to devour.
Without hesitation, without a second thought, he shouted:
"YES!"
As soon as the word left his mouth, the world blurred.
Time twisted, warped, and began to rewind.
Scenes flew backward at impossible speed — his kick, his shout, the electric shock — all vanishing in reverse motion.
Then — snap — everything stopped.
He found himself once again sitting in front of the television, everything exactly as it was before he slipped. The same flicker on the screen. The same heavy air.
But this time… something was different.
A soft glow shimmered faintly around him.
The System had chosen him.
Would you like me to continue from here with the system panel display or flesh out his first system interaction and abilities?