"Yo, dude, you still awake?"

"Yeah? What do you want?"

"Uh... I ran out of energy drinks... and snacks... Could you get me some?"

"It's fucking midnight. Maybe you should just go the fuck to sleep, you've been awake for two days."

"Dude please, it's a limited time event on Awaken, I've really got to grind, no time to waste..."

"Fine, but clean up this damn room already."

...

"Thank you for your patronage!~"

Why do I gotta get some lazy fatass for a roommate?

...

It's so nice and quiet late at night, I guess I've at least got that. Though all it really does is leave me to my thoughts... And I don't have much to think about. My life is depressing, I have no idea what to do about it. I can't seem to grow interested in anything, so I don't have any hobbies. I have no ambitions, no dreams, I don't even like being around other people. I rarely ever feel any strong emotions... I don't think I'm able to feel certain emotions at all. I have no idea what sadness is supposed to feel like. I can feel plenty angry, but I've learned to control it well. I don't act based on anger anymore. I have no natural drive to keep living, nor anything I can use to motivate myself to do so...

Oh, I stopped paying attention.

Blinded by it's lights, deafened by it's sounds, and shocked by it's sight, it was already too late for him to react to the truck coming at him at full speed. All he had was an instant to think.

Shit, I've been Isekai'd.

...

"Is he - conscious?"

"We'-e losin- him! Quic-"

Whatever... Just let me die...

...

..

.

.

.

As if there were a single god who'd be so merciful as to let me die.

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In a moment, he went from complete darkness to being blinded by extreme brightness from all directions, falling through a void of light. He tried to look at his body but could only see a shade. His physical body was no more.

The lights begin to fade out. They shrink, turning into the sun. Birds sing under the clear sky. There is a chill breeze, and he can feel the grass beneath him. He can feel the ground. The earth. Though he died only moments ago with nothing but a death wish, waking up on the ground like he'd just fell from a tree made him feel euphoric, if for just a second.

But something was off. Very off. He could not breathe. He couldn't feel his mouth. And he felt hollow... Physically. As if underneath his skin, there was nothing.

And so he looked at his own body again. He did not see anything close to what he expected. He was wearing gloves, a coat with long sleeves, below it, what felt like armor, all in a deep black color.

In fact, he did not see an inch of his own skin, not a single bit. When he tried to remove any of it, it wouldn't come off, the layer of armor below, had no start and no end, just as if it were his skin. Though when he applied pressure around his body, he could feel as if the muscles, the bones, the tissue, it was all there. Feeling up his way through his neck, his head, it was the same... Though his face... He could clearly tell, he was wearing a mask.

A very thick mask made of metal, he could feel bolts in it, he passes his fingers through the gaps to get a grasp of what it should look like. Crescent shapes around where his eyes and mouth should be. He also noticed he was wearing a hat. It was actually removable, but it ruined the fit if he did so.

He gets up from the ground, having a good look around him. He was in the middle of a forest. Everything seemed normal, everything except for him. Just in front of him conveniently sat a lake, where he could get a better view of what he looked like.

I kinda look like one of those private investigators you see in media with all this clothing. All in black. Not even my favorite color.

"Testing, one two three."

So I can still speak... Although that isn't my voice, mine isn't this deep. Or wasn't, at least... Why did I even say that? Those were my first words, could have been something more memorable.

"Huh. A different world? ...Maybe, just maybe, a fantasy world is what I've been needing. Free from the chains of that strict, boring life."

He then looks back into the depths of the forest. Not too far away, a dirt path can be seen.

"I'm sure to find something if I follow it, but considering my situation, I should wait a bit before going into civilization. I need to acquire more information... about everything."

He goes deeper in to the woods, closely following the path.

The vegetation, at least, looks more or less the same. I never paid too much attention to it, obviously, but I recognize most of these flowers. The trees don't have anything particularly odd about them, either.

He continues to walk steadily through the woods, carefully observing his surroundings. Suddenly, a massive shadow goes over him, and in an instant, it's gone. He looks up, and sees a gigantic creature flying by, its wings spanning dozens of meters.

A dragon? Such incredible speed...

"A dragon, huh? Things just got even more interesting." He mutters to himself.

He stops walking for a moment. He crosses his arms, and looks up into the sky. It's noon, the sun looms just above him.

"Alright. If this really is what I think it is, better prepare myself mentally for it. I should create an alias. I don't want to give people my actual name, just in case."

Strong winds pick up. His cape raises up high and his hat threatens to come off.

"Still, it has to be something I feel defined by. Something that rolls out nicely... What will people call me?"

He begins walking again, now on the dirt path.

"Yes, they'll call me..."

In the distance, he spots what appears to be living creatures, moving towards his direction. A group of three, bipedal, green beings. They wear armor, one has a sword, one has a spear, and the other has a bow.

"Misery."