Everyone deserves a second chance. At least that's what people say.
I'm John . Twenty-four years old with nothing but dusty certificates in my tiny apartment.
I was staring at my computer, barely seeing the code as I heard laughter down the hall. They were celebrating Kevin's promotion—the one I should've gotten. I created an algorithm that boosted company efficiency by 27%, but Kevin presented it as a team effort and got all the credit.
My review said I had "exceptional analytical skills," yet they promoted Kevin instead. Kevin, who just scrolled through social media during meetings while I did all the work.
"We need someone with leadership qualities," my manager said, avoiding eye contact.
I shut my laptop. What was the point? Everyone said I had "such potential," but teachers forgot my name by the next semester. My intelligence never got me respect, friends, or success.
I wasn't exactly bullied—that would mean I mattered enough to target. I was more like a ghost—present but invisible, speaking but never heard.
That evening, I made my decision with surprising clarity. Pills, whiskey, and finally making a choice someone would have to notice.
As I took the last pill, with that bitter taste lingering, I thought: at least this decision was mine.
Then darkness.
Then...
[Processing... Player from Earth detected]
Purple text appeared, floating in the darkness around me. Not on a screen—just there in front of me.
[Good morning, Malek...]
I tried to speak but couldn't. My body felt wrong—taller, stronger, with strange energy buzzing inside me.
[You are one of the generals of the Alukar's army]
I forced my eyes open against bright light. I saw a stone ceiling and walls with weird weapons. I looked at my hands—pale with long fingers that weren't mine—and panicked.
"This can't be right. This should be the afterlife, but..."
[You were dead and now transmigrated to this new world]
[Here you must choose your fate and decide yourself]
"Wait, are you talking to me?" My voice sounded deeper, with a weird echo that gave me chills.
[Yes...]
"What is this place?"
[Transmigration. You are now one of the strongest villains in this world]
A villain? Me? The nobody suddenly cast as the bad guy? Pretty ironic.
"Let me see my powers then." I flexed my fingers, expecting something cool to happen.
[You mean your stats?]
A purple window appeared:
MALEK (JOHN)
Level: 1
Class: [Unknown]
Soul Energy: 50/50
ATTRIBUTES:
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Endurance:10
Intelligence:15
Perception:12
Willpower:10
SKILLS:[Locked]
EQUIPMENT:
Malek's Sword- [Soul Energy Reflection]
"Level 1?" I couldn't hide my disappointment. "But you said I'm one of the strongest—"
[You start at Level 1 for now and must act like Malek]
[Take this as compensation for your past life]
I stared at the stats before slowly smiling. Level 1 or not, I am someone important enough to fear, not ignore.
Someone with a second chance.
I got up from the bed—a plain black one that seemed to swallow light. The room was big but simple, with stone walls covered in weapons and strange symbols. Through a large window, I saw a purple sky with what looked like cracks in it.
I went to a mirror on the wall and saw my new body. Tall—at least 6'3"—with broad shoulders and an athletic build. Pale skin with shoulder-length black hair and a single purple streak. But the eyes shocked me most—glowing violet with cat-like pupils.
"This is... me now?" I whispered, watching the stranger's lips move with my words.
Next to the mirror stood a sword unlike any I'd seen. The blade was matte black, bending light around it. When I got close, I felt strange resistance, like it was pushing away the air.
[Item: Malek's Sword]
[Rarity: Unique]
[Property: Reflects any Soul Energy directed at it]
I reached for it cautiously. The hilt fit perfectly in my hand, balanced like it was made just for me. A slight hum ran through my arm as I lifted it.
"Soul Energy," I said, testing the strange term. "What exactly is—"
Someone knocked on the door—three quick knocks, then two slower ones.
"Wassup, Malek? XcVii wants to see you. Are you coming?" A woman's voice, playful but somehow dangerous.
My heart raced. Someone was at the door expecting me to be Malek—this villain general in this world. I had no idea how to act or who this person was.
Stay calm. Think. This Malek is a villain and a general. Anyone using his name casually must be a friend or associate.
I put the sword on my back, straightened up, and opened the door.
The woman made me step back. She had wild, asymmetrical white hair and a face beautiful in a dangerous way. Her eyes—one gold, one green—widened slightly, then narrowed playfully. Strange glowing green marks covered her arms.
"You look different," she said, tilting her head. "Did you do something with your... aura?" She waved her hands around my head.
"Just... thinking," I said, keeping my voice low and face neutral.
She laughed like breaking glass. "You? Thinking? That's new!" She spun around, her arm markings glowing brighter. "I'm Lyris, by the way," she added with a wink.
My blood went cold. Did she know I wasn't really Malek?
"I know who you are," I said carefully.
She laughed loudly. "Just making sure! You had that look again." She tapped her temple. "Like you're not all there. XcVii doesn't like waiting, you know that."
I nodded, adjusting my sword. "Lead the way."
I can blend in easily. I can't mess up this opportunity.
As we walked through winding black stone hallways, Lyris kept talking about someone named Hollow who'd "gotten his stupid head chopped off" for failing a mission. I listened closely, gathering every bit of information.
"I mean, you told him not to underestimate the Guardian Council's security, right? But nooooo, he had to go all 'I can handle it' and now he's in pieces! Literally!"
She skipped beside me, sometimes spinning for no reason. "At least the execution was public. Great propaganda for us! Nothing says 'fear the Alukars' like our people smiling while being beheaded!"
Alukars. Guardian Council. Execution. I filed away each term, trying to understand this world.
The hallway opened into a massive room with a ceiling so high it vanished into darkness. At the end sat a throne that looked made of broken glass and shadows.
And on it...
I almost stopped walking. Whatever sat there wasn't human. Its form shifted when I tried to focus on it, like reality rejected its existence. All I could clearly see was a pair of eyes that seemed to look right through me.
"Dear Malek," the being said, its voice somehow inside my head. "I need you to do something for me."
I felt like a bug under a microscope. This being—XcVii—radiated power that made my skin tingle with warning. One wrong move and I'd be erased.
"Hollow failed to get the Reality Core from Axiom City," XcVii continued, disappointment rippling through the air. "I should have listened to your concerns about his... capabilities."
I had no idea what a Reality Core was or who Hollow had been, but I nodded seriously as if I knew all about it.
Lyris suddenly dropped to one knee beside me. "Please, please master," she begged, her voice suddenly desperate. "I need to follow Malek on this mission."
XcVii is clearly not human at all. But I have to survive. I can't mess this up.
I straightened my back, gathered all the confidence I never had in my old life, and spoke.
"Get me the details. I have a lot to do." My voice came out deeper than expected, with a cold authority I'd never had before.
XcVii's form seemed to smile, though I couldn't actually see a mouth. "I understand," it said. "Don't hold back this time."
A quest notification appeared, glowing purple:
[QUEST ALERT]
Recover the Density Matrix Reality Core
Difficulty:Unknown
Reward: 500 XP, Increased trust with XcVii
Failure: Decreased standing with Alukars, Possible death
Accept? [Yes/No]
I mentally selected Yes, not having much choice.
[Quest Accepted!]
Objective: Infiltrate Guardian Council facility and recover the Density Matrix Reality Core
Time Limit: 48 hours
After a briefing that left me more confused than before, I went back to my room, heart pounding. I looked at myself again in the mirror—violet eyes, black hair, the face of a predator not prey.
"Man, this is the worst," I muttered, then steeled myself. "Let's do this."
I knew showing weakness now would get me killed. I was still John inside, but out there, I needed to be Malek—whoever that was.