Jaden Rook, a 22-year-old gaming addict and master of min-maxing RPGs, dies in a ridiculous accident involving a vending machine and a runaway truck. Instead of heading to the afterlife, he gets isekai’d into Arcadia, a fantasy world with magic, monsters, and kingdoms at war.
Excited to finally live out his power fantasy, Jaden is given a customizable system that lets him break reality. The catch? The system is a sarcastic, trolling AI that nerfs him for fun, gives him humiliating challenges, and forces him into absurd scenarios before unlocking his true power.
SNEAK PEAK:
I didn’t expect to die today.
But as I lay on the cold pavement, crushed between a vending machine and an outofcontrol delivery truck, I had only one thought: This is the dumbest way to die.
A moment ago, I had just been trying to shake loose a stuck soda. Then, BAM! Instant roadkill.
As my vision faded, the last thing I saw was the smug grin of the vending machine, as if mocking me.
When I opened my eyes, I was no longer on the pavement. Instead, I floated in a pristine, glowing void. Before me hovered an old man with a white beard, a golden toga, and the same deadpan expression as a DMV worker.
“Oh, great,” I muttered. “I’m dead, aren’t I?”
“Yes,” the old man said, stroking his beard. “And you have been chosen for reincarnation in another world.”
My eyes widened. “Wait. Hold up. Are you telling me… I’m getting isekai’d? Like in the anime?”
The old man nodded. “Indeed. You have been selected to wield a powerful system, one that will grant you abilities beyond mortal comprehension.”
I fistpumped. “Hell yeah! Overpowered skills, here I come!”
The old man coughed. “Yes, well… about that.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean, about that?”
“You see, we have too many reincarnators lately. We can’t just be handing out godtier powers like candy anymore.”
I folded my arms. “Okay, so what are we talking? A slightly nerfed cheat? A balanced growth system?”
The old man looked away. “You’ll… figure it out.”
My stomach dropped. “Oh, hell no. You’re about to scam me, aren’t you?”
“I would never!” the old man said, voice dripping with totally believable innocence. “Now, off you go!”
