It was the kind of day that felt like it never even started.

Grey clouds hung in the sky like they had nowhere better to be, matching the gloom in my tiny apartment.

At thirty years old, I’d become exactly what I once swore I’d never be: a fat, unshaven NEET, surrounded by piles of empty ramen cups and many pizza boxes.

My only connection to the outside world came from my laptop, which flickered in front of me, showing different isekai forums.

For hours, I scrolled and i scrolled, all posts about reincarnation into another world.

“How I Became the Demon King’s Advisor,” “Reincarnated as a Sword,” “I Was Summoned as the Hero of Light.”

Why did they get to go? Why were they transported away to fantasy realms, with magic, adventure, and gorgeous girls fawning over them, while I was stuck here in this pathetic life?

"This life is garbage,"

I muttered, cramming another handful of potato chips into my mouth.

“Why can’t I be reincarnated already? I don’t even care what I get turned into. A slime, a tree, whatever. Anything’s better than this.”

My eyes wandered over to the calendar hanging on the wall. Each day was crossed out in thick, angry red lines. Another year of absolutely nothing. Staring at it, I felt the weight of my failure crushing down even harder. It was like life had just... stopped.

“That’s it,” I said to myself, pushing my chair back with a groan. “I’m done.”

I was serious this time. If life wasn’t going to give me anything worth living for, then I’d just... leave. Every isekai story I’d ever read started the same way, DEATH.

Maybe that was the answer. Maybe dying was the way out.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

But even as I thought about it, doubt crept in.

What if I died and... nothing happened? What if there was no reincarnation, no fantasy world, no anything—just endless darkness? I shivered. No, I needed a guarantee.

I spent hours scouring the forums, searching for something that could promise me an escape. And then I found it: a thread titled "How to Get Reincarnated 100% Guaranteed."

The post read: “Dying isn’t enough. The gods only reincarnate those who deserve it—heroes, people who sacrifice themselves for others. If you want to get reincarnated, do something heroic. Save someone’s life. Stop a robbery. Take a bullet for a stranger. Then, and only then, the Gods will reward you.”

A heroic act, huh? I frowned.

“That’s... annoying.”

I wasn’t exactly hero material. The closest thing I’d ever done to “helping people” was grinding in online games so noobs could piggyback off my levels.

Did that count? Of course not. But the more I thought about it, the more the idea stuck with me. If I wanted out—if I wanted to be reincarnated—I had no choice.

With a sigh, I stood up. My joints creaked, and my body ached from hours of sitting, but a strange determination started to fill me.

“Fine, I’ll do it. I’ll save someone.”

Stepping outside for the first time in days, the harsh sunlight stung my eyes, and the noise of the city buzzed in my ears.

I wandered aimlessly, unsure how to go about being a hero. Did opportunities for heroism just fall out of the sky?

How long was I supposed to wait?

I didn’t have to wait long.

I spotted a crowd gathering at a nearby crosswalk, people murmuring and pointing down the street.

Curious, I pushed my way through to the front, and that’s when I saw it—a runaway truck, barreling down the street out of control.

The driver must’ve lost control because it was heading straight for a woman and her child, frozen in the middle of the road.

Time seemed to slow. My heart pounded in my chest.

This was it—my chance. If I threw myself in front of the truck, if I saved them, I’d finally get what I wanted.

It was simple.

I had nothing to lose.

Adrenaline shot through me, and before I knew it, I was running.

My legs pumped harder than they had in years, my footsteps pounding in my ears.

People screamed as I pushed past them, launching myself directly into the truck’s path.

The woman’s eyes widened as I got closer, and in that split second, I saw my whole life flash before me.

This is it, I thought, my heart racing. This is how I get reincarnated!

And then—impact.

The truck slammed into me with the force of a freight train.

For a moment, I was weightless, airborne.

The pain hit me all at once, but I didn’t even have time to scream before I crashed to the ground, my body crumpling like a ragdoll. Everything went dark.

Finally, I thought, I’m going to wake up in another world!