I shot up to my feet, heart pounding like a drum solo in my chest. Slamming my back against the wall, I whipped my head around, making damn sure there wasn't some kinda creepy door lurking behind me.

I Just died again.

For the goddamn second time today.

And this time? This time was fucking rough. It was like being dunked in liquid nitrogen. Everything just...froze. My thoughts, my blood, even the goddamn fear froze solid. Didn't even have time to scream.

Eye twitching, I realized something fucked up. Freezing to death? Way worse than a bullet to the head. Even if it was over quick both times.

I absolutely should not be able to compare the level of pain experience by dying different ways.

I shuddered harder.

Fucked up.

Too fucked up.

"Get a grip, Ichiban," I muttered, taking a deep breath. I forced myself to unclench my fists, to slow my breathing. Panic wasn't gonna help. I had to figure out what the hell was going on.

Once the shakes subsided, I looked up and saw it: a glowing screen hovering in mid-air.

World Door Failed: Attempt gained +0.1 to the Body attribute. +0.2 to the Soul attribute. Gained skill: Danger Sense. Gained skill: Gorilla Stance.

I blinked. What in the...?

Focusing on the screen, I realized I could examine the stuff on it. Like a video game or somethin'.

Gorilla Stance: A skill gained by attempting to gain the martial art 'Beast Stance' of the Dojima-Dragon style of combat. A copy of an incomplete martial art of a further unfinished martial art, this skill can be considered not very good.

I stared at the description, my jaw slack. It was like that thing just called me a dumbass for sucking at copying Kiryu's moves! Not cool.

And then, as if things couldn't get any weirder, a full-on status screen materialized before my eyes.

Body: 0.9

Soul: 0.7

Mystic: 0.1

Mind: 0.4

* An average athletic human who takes care of themselves both spiritually and mentally has a status of 0.5 across the board and a Mystic stat of 0.0

"Holy shit, is this like Dragon Quest?!" I blurted out, staring at the glowing numbers.

Then it hit me. "Did this thing just call me stupid?!"

I stared at the glowing screen, my gut twisting. Was some kinda ghost in the machine calling me out? Was some all-powerful being laughing its ass off at my expense?

Nah. There was nothin'. Just me, these stupid doors, and a silence that felt heavier than a sumo wrestler sitting on my chest. If there was someone watching, someone pulling the strings- they weren't tipping their hand. Not even a little.

And then it hit me, like a kick to the gut. This status screen, these numbers they weren't some game mechanic. They were me. A cold, hard assessment of every shitty hand life had dealt me, laid bare for all the me's in this goddamn room of just me to see.

Body, Soul, Mystic, Mind- those weren't just words. They were the measure of a man. And right now, according to this messed-up cosmic report card, I was barely scraping by. Strong in the Body department, a little less than that for Soul… whatever the hell that meant. And my Mystic score? Well at least the rest of humanity was pathetic where I came from too.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

My gaze drifted to the last stat: Mind.

0.4.

Yeah. That about tracked. Stupid is as stupid did, after all.

"Fuck," I breathed, the word heavy with resignation. The screen flickered and disappeared, leaving me alone with my less-than-stellar stats and a growing sense of unease.

I turned back to the doors, my gaze drawn to the one marked "Berserk." It was like a black pit of blood and death, pulling me in with an unseen hand.

Worse, way worse than the Re:Zero door.

Which- before, I'd just felt a weird chill coming from the one I just came from. But now- now I understand. It wasn't just cold. It was the absence of anything living. The frozen dread of nonexistence of all life.

Just thinking about it made my skin crawl.

Taking a step back, I shoved my hands in my pockets, trying to ignore the tremor in my fingers.

Nah, I needed a game plan. Needed information. Couldn't just keep walking through these doors blind. Who knew what kinda messed-up shit show awaited me on the other side.

I turned away from the Berserk door, my gaze sweeping over the endless row of possibilities. My eyes landed on one that made my muscles ache just lookin' at it. It was like trying to flex every fiber of my being at once, a strain that felt like it could rip me apart.

"Dragon Ball," the label read.

I let out a low whistle. "Damn. Now this one I know."

Everyone back in Kamurocho knew Dragon Ball. That spiky-haired dude, Goku, chucking energy blasts and going Super Saiyan… wild stuff. But what did it mean? Were these doors like… portals to fictional worlds? Nah, couldn't be. Could it? My brain felt fried just trying to wrap my head around it.

Shaking off the confusion, I kept moving, scanning the doors. I needed one that didn't make me feel like I was gonna die just by standing too close. My gaze landed on a door that practically buzzed with energy. It felt like teeth… and electricity. Not a good combo.

"Phantom Blood."

I shrugged. "Maybe next time." Something told me I was gonna regret passing that one up, but right now, self-preservation won.

Besides, a little ways down, I spotted a door that made my chest thrum with a familiar kind of excitement. Like that feeling you got after finally beating Dragon Quest for the first time. A rush of victory tinged with a healthy dose of "holy shit, I actually did it."

Sure, this door had danger written all over it. I could practically smell it. But it also felt achievable. Worth the risk.

"Hunter X Hunter." I read the label aloud, a slow grin spreading across my face. This one felt right.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open and stepped through, ready for whatever awaited me on the other side.

Totally ready.

Absolutely.