1 awake

"What a shitty story..." I muttered as I watched the monitor in front of me. The plot was kind of boring, nothing interesting, with the protagonist always defeating the villain with "the power of friendship."

"How boring...nothing entertaining these days," I grumbled in annoyance as I switched to YouTube and watched a video by Mr. Beast, something at least entertaining.

Suddenly, the monitor started to fail. "Is it serious? I bought it last week..."

I sighed and got up from my seat to try to fix it, but when I touched the monitor, I felt something bite me. "What the hell—"

Pain shot through my body, and I collapsed to the ground. I couldn't move; it felt like I was paralyzed. Darkness enveloped me.

Hey?

I saw nothing but darkness, felt like I was floating in an endless void.

Am I going to die like this?

"Oh, this is interesting..." a voice echoed in the darkness, and suddenly, a floating eye appeared before me.

I started to sweat, feeling fear grip me. What the hell was that?!?!

The eye floated closer, and suddenly, I felt mobility return to my limbs. I managed to speak. "Ah...ah..."

"Ah, you're 'alive.' I thought your soul was destroyed. Almost no one can enter here," the eye spoke to me, its voice echoing directly into my mind.

"W-who are you...?!?!" I stammered, trying to calm down, but it was difficult. The darkness was infinite, and the floating eye seemed to be the only light.

"I...? I have many names. Some call me the Devil, Lucifer, even God... but my name is Tom," the eye said casually, sending a chill down my spine.

"T-tom...?" I said with a serious face, but I couldn't help but laugh a little. "Pfft..."

"Hey, did you just laugh...?" the eye's voice sounded a little angry.

I quickly shook my head. "Nope, you must have heard wrong..."

I heard a sigh. Could an eye sigh?

"Well... you can't really be here. You'll die anyway. If you're lucky to stay here, I'll grant you some wishes... You're lucky, I think," Tom said casually.

"Wait... is this like those reincarnation fanfics...?" I said with surprise, feeling euphoric at the thought of gaining cool powers and destroying things. Mass destruction always excited me in stories. Who doesn't want to see a character destroy a mountain or planet? It's epic.

"Yes... well, maybe...? I rarely do this," said Tom, the floating eye.

"But... can I ask something...?" I said nervously.

"Sure, ask," Tom said casually.

"Where am I...?" I said, looking around but seeing only darkness.

"Limbo... well, this is heaven and hell. Although each person sees it differently, someone pure would see it as undoubtedly beautiful, but someone evil or very crazy would see it as terrifying," explained Tom.

"Oh... well, can I wish for anything...?" I asked nervously but also with enormous excitement.

"Yes, choose..." Tom said casually.

Well... I'm bad at choosing... it takes too long," I admitted with some embarrassment.

"Well, then we'll do this." Suddenly, a spinning wheel appeared in front of me, endlessly spinning.

"This is a world wheel. If you have trouble choosing, you can use this. It varies with the person's luck," Tom explained casually.

"When you say 'stop,' the wheel will stop spinning and land on a random world. Though the world won't be exactly the same—it could be from a movie, anime, etc.," Tom continued.

I looked at the wheel and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Stop." The wheel slowed until it came to a halt. My heart raced as I saw a familiar name: "Marvel."

"Shit... this will be very difficult," I muttered with annoyance. The Marvel universe was filled with powerful characters.

"Well, it's a difficult world, though it won't be anything from the MCU. It will be an alternate universe. Predictable things are boring, which is why I like alternate universes. You know, things that could happen but you don't know when," Tom explained, sounding excited.

Suddenly, ten floating cards appeared in front of me.

"These ten cards have different powers. I chose them based on your personal tastes. You'll probably like one a lot," Tom said, seeming interested in my choice.

I studied the cards for a moment before grabbing one. My heart pounded as I turned it over and saw the name: "Monster."

"Hmm... what does 'Monster' specifically mean?" I asked with interest, intrigued by the potential of the card.

"It means just what it sounds like. That card has great potential in power. It allows you to transform into beings from movies, series, internet stories, even something called creepypastas. You could even become a being more powerful than all of Marvel combined. But that would take too long," Tom explained.

"Oh, right, that card is a system. Obviously, you'll start with a 'strong' character, but not at the Spider-Man level or anything like that," Tom added.

"Well, the world and abilities are already set, but let me tell you something. That card has a 'defect,' so to speak. Every time you transform into a being, your mind changes. You're still you, but you might do things without hesitation—things you would never consider doing," Tom warned.

"Also, it applies to 'killing,' so you could have some inconveniences... but I'll leave it to you," Tom concluded.

"Well, are you ready to go to the Marvel world?" Tom asked.

"Yes... but... will I have to reincarnate...?" I inquired, feeling a bit annoyed at the prospect of starting over from scratch.

"Well... if you want, I can block your memories. When you reach a certain age, you could recover them. For you, it would seem as if you transmigrated, but it is a reincarnation. It's like blocking something in a person's mind and then recovering it at an exact age," Tom explained.

"Yes, that sounds better," I agreed, relieved at the prospect of retaining some continuity.

"Remember something. This is advice. Some characters in the card are dangerous—some are literally destroyers of reality. Though others are not. Remember this: control yourself while using them. Lack of control is possible," Tom cautioned.

I nodded, fully understanding the gravity of the situation. The card held enormous potential, but it also came with significant risks.

"Well, it's time for you to go. Be careful, though I doubt you'll be aligned with any particular side with that card. Remember this: I don't care which side you choose. With that card, I doubt you'll choose a side," Tom said solemnly.

Suddenly, I felt like I was sinking. My mind began to fade, and I felt as though I were falling asleep. Darkness enveloped me, and I surrendered to its embrace.

///

I felt like I was floating in a serene and comforting place, but suddenly I heard something: a voice calling me.

"---P!"

"---ABOVE!"

"WAKE UP!!" A voice shouted at me, startling me awake. I opened my eyes in surprise and found myself in a dimly lit room. It seemed familiar, like my own room.

I lay on a bed, rubbing my forehead as memories flooded back into my consciousness. The sudden rush of memories made my head hurt, like someone had hit me with a hammer. But as quickly as it came, the pain subsided.

"Shit...!" I mumbled, taking a moment to compose myself.

In this life, my name was Noah Williams and I was 16 years old. He lived with my mother, since my father had died in a car accident. My mother works as a nurse in a hospital.

Looking at a nearby table, I noticed a pair of glasses. Interestingly I put them on and found that my vision improved significantly. Well, that was a new addition.

Suddenly, a floating window materialized in front of me, making my heart race with excitement.

[Name: Noah Williams

Age: 16

Strength: Average

Average speed

Intelligence: slightly above average

Characters: N/A]

The window displayed basic information about me, although it seemed a bit rudimentary. Still, it was better than nothing.

Another window appeared indicating a new message.

[New message: 1!

Do you want to see it?

Y/N]

I pressed "yes," and another window materialized in front of me.

[Hi Noah! It's me, Tom. From now on, I'll call you Noah. This will probably be the only message I'll send you. I've sent you information on how to use the system. It's not very complicated; I made it simple because I know you don't like complex things very much. Oh, right! I have a gift for you! He's your first character. He's a simple one, but certainly stronger than a normal human. You could probably even beat a 2-meter-tall guy in a 1v1 haha! Enjoy your adventure.]

Below Tom's message, I spotted a small blue card. I tapped it, and the card began to spin rapidly until it came to a stop. I recognized the name on the card immediately, though I hadn't seen it in years.

[New character card obtained! Jeff the Killer!]

I examined the image of Jeff the Killer on the card. His appearance was as I remembered: long hair covering his face, sunken eyes, pale skin, and a grin reminiscent of the Joker. He wore a white jacket with the hood pulled up, and his mouth bore a gruesome, cut-like smile.

"Damn, I hope this character has superhuman strength," I muttered with interest. As a character from the system, I expected him to possess extraordinary abilities. If not, I'd be disappointed.

The statistics window reappeared before me:

[Name: Noah Williams

Age: 16

Strength: Average

Speed: Average

Intelligence: Slightly above average

Characters: Jeff the Killer!]

Seeing Jeff's name listed under "Characters," I felt a mix of excitement and curiosity. Before delving into Jeff's abilities, however, I wanted to review the instructions on how the system worked. I located a button at the bottom left of the window labeled "Instructions" and tapped it.

[Hello, Noah! It's me, Tom!

I will teach you how to use the system; it's quite simple. All that matters are the cards. There are several colors: blue, green, yellow, orange, red, violet, and black! Black is the most powerful, but there are very few cards. Some cards can level up, others evolve, but not all, obviously. They are specific cards. The evolving cards are quite special; they are unique, to say the least. The blue one is the simplest. At least you have characters with superhuman strength, but not at the level of Spider-Man or something similar. I don't want you to get strong too quickly; that takes away the fun. Also, as I told you before, when you transform into a character, your mentality will change. In Blue, levels don't change much, although things change. At higher levels, it will probably be more difficult to hold on. I recommend that you don't use a lot of power from those cards; it is better to level them up and increase mental resistance. Well, that's all. See you, Noah!]

The instructions provided valuable insight into how the system operated. I made a mental note to be cautious with the power of the cards, especially as I progressed to higher levels.

I sighed and opened my stats window, which was easy to access. I simply said "stats" out loud, or even just thought about it, and it appeared.

[Name: Noah Williams

Age: 16

Strength: Average

Speed: Average

Intelligence: Slightly above average

Characters: Jeff the Killer!]

I touched Jeff's name, prompting another window to appear, albeit smaller in size.

[Are you sure you want to use the Card now?

Y/N]

I murmured quietly, "What time is it?" and glanced at the small table beside my bed. My phone lay there, so I grabbed it and checked the time. It was already quite dark; there were still six hours until daytime.

"I'll use it now... I'll still use it here, although... I could use it and leave my room," I mumbled with interest.

I saw the small window in front of me and pressed "YES".

I didn't feel anything at first. I got up from my bed and felt normal, but then suddenly my body began to burn. I staggered and almost fell to the ground, clenching my teeth in pain. My hands emitted a thick black fog that enveloped my entire body. The pain was intense, but then the fog vanished, and I stood up, feeling different.

In the mirror beside my bed, I saw it: a white face with a mutilated smile, long greasy hair, and cold eyes. My clothes had changed; I now wore a white jacket.

"What the hell...?" I muttered, quickly covering my mouth. My voice had changed too. I smiled, feeling good in this new form, despite my sore head.

"Well... I think it's time to try this," I mumbled in my altered voice.

I went to my bed and effortlessly lifted it with minimal force. Placing it back down, I smiled at my newfound strength.

Looking out of my window, I saw the dark neighborhood below. With a grin, I left the house, hands in my jacket pockets and my hood up. Walking through the almost empty streets, I encountered two guys casually smoking. Ignoring them, I continued on.

"Hey bro," a voice called out behind me. Turning, I found a gun pointed at my face. Oddly, I felt no fear.

"Can you help a poor person with some charity?" the man asked, his friend laughing beside him.

Sighing, I decided to test my newfound abilities. Swiftly, I disarmed the man, then punched him in the face. He fell with a thud, his friend staring in shock. As he tried to run, I caught him by the shirt and warned him, "Don't go out at night... it can be dangerous."

But he attempted to flee anyway. I caught him and began to choke him. "It's time to sleep," I said menacingly.

I repeatedly struck him against the ground. His screams were muffled by my hand over his mouth. When I finally released him, he lay there, lifeless and broken.

I read the message that appeared in front of me:

[Congratulations!! You have committed your first murder! For this great feat, a reward will be given.

You got: Jeff Knife!

Jeff's Knife: An exclusive weapon of the card, Jeff the Killer. This knife can be summoned when necessary, although it can only be summoned when the card is active. This knife allows the user's speed to be increased even further, and it also provides a little extra strength.]

I smirked, feeling a rush of excitement at the new weapon in my arsenal. This was getting more interesting by the minute.

i said "stat"

[Name: Noah Williams

Age: 16

Strength: Superhuman (Blue)

Speed: Superhuman (Blue)

Intelligence: Above average/Gifted: Hacker [Card in use]

Characters: Jeff the Killer! [Card in use] ]

I glanced at the statistics and murmured, "Hacker...? So I'm an expert at hacking...?"

"That sounds interesting... Although I should go home..." I muttered, observing the lifeless bodies of the two guys. It seemed the one with the gun died from my blow; upon examination, his skull was broken and sunken.

Using some of the guy's clothes, I wiped the blood from my hands. It was time to return home and get back into my room.

"Ah... Deactivate card...?" I mumbled, hoping it would work.

A black fog began to emanate from my body. I watched as it dissipated, leaving my hands unchanged. Sighing in relief, I realized I was still on summer vacation, giving me time to figure things out.

But for now, I'd better get some sleep. Tomorrow would bring a new day, likely with the police coming to investigate.