'Why me?'....

This was the last thought of a Japanese boy named Kage who was a pro gamer but lacked the funding to shine.

No matter what, the gaming industry required certain investments to be made to set a gamers life on the brighter side, which were high-end graphics cards, RAM, and so on, but Kage lacked phenomenally at that part. That's why, despite his unliking, he was making a living by teaching dumb monkeys how to play—yeah, that's right, idiots who never had a proper win despite having such lavish items at their end.

But little did he know he would die for that, that would later set for his rebirth as some interesting being.

After working for days after days, he was finally in luck as he was finally able to buy his dream setup, sacrificing his basic needs such as food and clothing, etc.

Yet in his mind, it was all damn worth it, as every penny he spent would finally retire him from teaching those mongoose of filthy rich brats with no blessed talent or expertise at it with effort unlike him.

However, after some of his victory days of finally being a professional streamer came to an end due to malnutrition from lack of Vitamin D, which was due to him being holed up within his tiny apartment for longer than a godly shut-in. Moreover, he was not eating food properly, which also deteriorated his health conditions further, and his body soon made peace with the eternal darkness.

Yes, the shadow is where it all started.

'Damn it, I lost again due to money!' thought Kage.

Losing to money was somewhat his childhood trauma. His father, a rich, wealthy man, married his mother out of love, but his very mother ended up cheating on him with a man, who was in secret his father's father.

His grandfather wanted to test how his son's wife was—was she a whore or a mild lady with dignity? But who can you blame for how it turned out at the end of the day? After all, it's a woman's heart that's unstable in many ways. Moreover, greediness is a human trait no matter the temptation.

Ultimately, his mother, in regret, tortured herself every day, screaming, Why hasn't his father come back for them yet? whenever she saw Kage, so Kage had to move into an orphanage to save his own mother's life. Eventually she forgot everything as days went by and remarried someone else.

But that's of no biggie now that he's dead!

After endless subconsciousness, Kage got up from the soft, cool earth mixed with gravel that shifts underfoot, dampened by the cave's eternal condensation.

He breathed in the fresh air, his chest trembling.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Disorientation, confusion and all sorts of feelings surged in his mind.

'Where was this place?' he thought to himself.

Then, Kage, having subconsciously observed his surroundings became even more confused.

'A cave?'

Though he was grateful that the place where he woke up was not a rough, uneven floor layered with cold, slick mud that clings to every step, yet the question of what he was doing in a cave in his afterlife rang in his entire mind.

As Kage stood up, he noticed that his body was all pitch black, and no shed of human skin was all around his entire body.

Unnerved, Kage took a better look at a nearby pool within the cave and found out he had no nose, no face, no eyes...

Just the blackness he saw countless times in his past life till he ended up dying...

Anyway, Kage was glad he wasn't butt naked!

For he was wearing a hoodie accented with drapes over his head, as if crafted from layers of deep green leaves, each meticulously overlapping to create a textured, organic flow of vine-like tendrils that curl out from its edges, giving the impression that it’s growing in real time.

Beneath, his chest was shadowed, adding an air of mystery, while the belt around his waist was adorned with rugged leather straps and intricate, nature-themed metalwork, reflecting an earthy, primal elegance. His pants, a soft, muted brown, mirror the shades of tree bark, completing the ensemble with a look that is both warrior and warden of the forest, perfectly suited for stealthy movements among ancient trees.

'Phew!' sighed Kage.

Kage then touched his clothes, and it seemed to be made of quite soft material as far as he could tell with his thorough touch.

Kage didn't believe it at first, but he was now a hundred percent sure that he had reincarnated as a somewhat human or maybe nonhuman being in particular.

However, unlike the manga books Kage has read, he was not welcomed by any goddess after rebirth that made him think even another world has forsaken him.

Either way, Kage was not a downer of negativity, as he has faced these issues in his past life also.

With renewed sense, Kage was now headed to step outside, but he collided with an invisible barrier. Energy rippled through the cave, hurling him backward and slamming him onto the ground. The barrier shimmered faintly, keeping him trapped inside.

Then a grumpy voice came from behind.

"A newbie, huh!? We don't get so many newcomers, but lately it's increasing!" said a voice whose body was the size of a fly.

Kage, being awkwardly backrotted in speaking, mustered up courage and replied, "Who are you?"

"The name's Frodi, and I'm a dark fairykin!" said the voice rather proudly.

"How can I get out? Do you perhaps know the way out?" asked Kage hopefully.

"There's no way out, boy!" shouted Frodi.

"You've got to be kidding me! I'm a gamer, not a shut-in!" screamed Kage, rousing his round upper head with no visible hair.

"No use in cursing, boy! Line up for food or you'll stay hungry!" replied Frodi.

"Food!? I'm not even human, then a roar of Kage's stomach resonated that spoke otherwise."

"Line up!" said Frodi, pointing at a line of odd beings.

Without wasting a word that would be of no use, Kage got lined up and waited more than two hours to finally get food, and when he got it, he was utterly horrified as it was an octopus-like being, but being that it's still alive and kicking.

Seeing Kage not interested in his food, Frodi came by and said, "This is the best food in this cave. Just eat it and be grateful that you're even getting it, or better, give it to me!"

Kage, seeing no other option left, decided to eat it, as he doesn't know when the next time will be that he'll get more food to eat as his meal.

Pinching his nose Kage gulped down his food without chewing, and as he did, it tasted quite worse than he thought, which made him puke.

Then a blue holographic screen showed up where it was written: [Congratulations, you leveled up!]

[Omni Octo eaten status is now updated!]

[You're now a level 2, Shadow being!]

"What's wrong?" asked Frodi, jolting Kage back to his reincarnated reality. 

"Don't you see it?" replied Kage, squinting his eyes as if he had any to begin with.

"See what?" asked Frodi, staring up and down at Kage.

"I've leveled up!" replied Kage with cheers.

"Oh, that!? You'll be level two and then get stuck at it until you get out of this cave," replied Frodi knowingly.

Ding!

Lie detected!

[You'll level up as long as you kill the Darkness oppressors of this cave]

[Be the rebel]

[Accept] or [Not]

To which Kage selected the accept option, as he wants out of this place and wants to explore the world before he dies again, seeing nada.

Then a golden tab showed up that read:

[Welcome Rebel]

Kage then ate the rest of the Omni Octo despite not wanting it to build up nutrition, which he ignored and met a sticky end on Earth.