A New Start

[Beep, Beep, Beep]

*Click*

"Ughh," Archie groaned as he glanced at the alarm clock.

[06:00]

It was a Monday morning.

'Alas, yet another day I have to go to work.'

Archie rose from his bed and meticulously tidied it, ensuring not a single crease marred the sheets. His military habits persisted, even after his discharge.

He slipped into his slippers and ventured into the bathroom to prepare for the day. After finishing his morning routine, he donned a tracksuit and set off for the office, sipping on a protein banana smoothie.

Upon arriving at the office, he kicked off the day by taking a shower in the wardrobe and changing into a suit he had stashed in his backpack—a routine he'd been following since his discharge from the military a month ago.

'I'm a civil engineer who served in the military for the past eight years as part of my mandatory service. Now, I'm toiling away at a charity organization, earning a modest $40,000 per year.'

'I've always been an avid fan of webnovels, manhwas, and manhuas, particularly the fantasy territory management genres. Unfortunately, there aren't that many of them, so I had to dabble into the cultivation genre to satisfy my needs.'

'I'm 31 years old, with no girlfriend. Why? I've never really been in the dating scene, or so I tell myself...'

'Ahh, what am I going to have for dinner today?'

Archie continued with meetings, one after another, before finally completing his tasks for the day. He wasn't particularly active in the workplace, aiming to do the bare minimum so he could escape into the world of novels and escape from reality when he returned home.

On his way back, he decided to stop at a family-owned Chinese restaurant that appeared rundown, a telltale sign of heavenly food. He ordered orange chicken for takeout, a delicacy known to be the greatest.

With his takeaway in hand, he ascended a distant hill, taking a seat on a bench with a view of the city beneath the chilly night sky. There, he contemplated his life.

Archie had no family, his parents died in a car crash, and he had no other relatives willing to care for him. He grew up in an orphanage, using books to escape from the harsh reality and excelling in his studies.

Lack of financial means prevented him from attending college, and despite securing a scholarship, he was rejected by corrupt colleges on the ground of financial basis. This forced him to find an alternate path.

Archie enlisted in the military and studied civil engineering at West Point Military Academy, consistently ranking at the top of his class. He continued to persevere, aiming to graduate and be deployed to a favorable location.

In his free time, he devoured history books, researching the progress of the current civilization, its origins, and how those achievements could be replicated. He had a penchant for studying walls, from the walls of Constantinople to the Great Wall of China, appreciating their various shapes and sizes, including bastion forts.

Archie delved into philosophy, agricultural technology, and farming techniques, he also acquired basic medical knowledge. He developed a deep understanding of logistics, recognizing it as the lifeblood of any army. He excelled at managing the flow of resources between two points, a critical skill that separated order from chaos.

Following five years of education, he was deployed to Camp Humphreys, South Korea, where he took on the role of planner, overseeing the design, construction, maintenance, and repair of facilities and infrastructure on the base.

With his knowledge, logic, reasoning, and competence, he built a strong reputation as an experienced officer.

After serving his mandatory eight years in the military, he sought employment with a charity organization, focusing on designing and building civilian infrastructure in third-world countries.

Despite his high-ranking position, his earnings didn't amount to much after taxes and necessary expenses, leaving him 31 and living alone in an apartment without a significant other.

He spent his money on novels and media, using these stories to imagine a better life, despite the potential of his brilliant mind going underutilized.

Archie finished his orange chicken and began his walk back home. As he pondered about his happiness, he recalled a lesson from his time in the orphanage.

'Your soul is a blank canvas, and you don't know how to start feeling happiness. It's alright; most people don't either. They pretend to be happy, wearing masks to conceal their true selves.

But having a blank canvas is great. You make some mistakes, go through memorable situations that shape your life, and suddenly your canvas takes form. It may be random and different from what you expected, but it's unique—something you've created. As long as you keep pushing forward, your canvas will keep accumulating more details. It never stops growing. Perseverance in the face of hardship will lead you to a colorful pocket of beauty hidden within you—a beautiful and unique world you never knew existed.'

Archie reflected on these words.

'The life I'm leading now isn't fulfilling. I've always been discontented with the way our nation and the world are run. I yearn to design, build, and govern my own territory, raise my people to prosperity, enjoy wealth, and live life on my terms, without external control. I want more!'

As Archie ruminated on his dreams while walking alongside the road, a bright light in the distance grew closer and closer. Upon closer inspection, it was a truck!

The truck seemed to be out of control and heading straight for Archie.

It happened so quickly, and then...

BOOM!!

The truck crashed through the bridge's fence and plunged into the city's river.

"???"

"Holy shit, it almost hit me!"

Archie quickly dialed 911 to report the incident he'd just witnessed, still breathless with the thought of how close he'd come to disaster.

Nine minutes later, emergency vehicles arrived.

After spending an hour recounting the incident to the officers, Archie continued on his way home, reflecting on the near-death experience he had just endured. He hurried home to avoid any further unexpected incidents.

Unfortunately, it seemed that luck was not on his side that day. Just as Archie began to regain his composure after the earlier incident, a bright light appeared in the distance. It approached rapidly, and this time, it was not out of control—it was on a direct collision course with Archie.

As the vehicle drew closer, it became clear that it was another rogue truck.

All Archie could think as he stared at the oncoming truck just meters away was, "Oh, you gotta be kidding! Fuck me!"

CRASH!!

The trucks seemed relentless in their pursuit of elimination, and showed no intention of letting him escape.

...

In an instant, Archie's soul was being sucked into a tunnel of light.

"What's happening? I thought I was a goner. What are all these lights surrounding me?"

As he sped through the tunnel, he pondered his situation. "Is this... reincarnation? What am I supposed to do? Should I make a wish for my next life? Well, it can't hurt to try."

Dear God, please let me be rich, handsome, comfortable, have a loving family, an intelligent and beautiful wife, and maybe a few more wouldn't hurt. I want to be strong so that I won't be pushed around, and have a large and resource rich territory to manage. Oh, perhaps a fantasy world filled with magic. If I'm going to end up in a fantasy world, I might as well have a system like those novels I've read, let's be real, I'd likely struggle without it.'

Archie repeated these heartfelt wishes, his hopes spiraling through the unknown. As he did, he spotted some distant purple orbs. He wasn't sure what they were, but his instincts whispered their significance, urging him to reach them.

Without hesitation, he set his mind on those orbs, swimming like a fish through the tunnel. Surprisingly, his unorthodox swimming technique worked, propelling him towards his goals.

During this journey, Archie kept repeating his wishes, not missing a single word. Time slipped through his grasp in an indeterminate flow until he reached the first purple orb.

Stretching out his hand to touch it, the orb dissolved into him, transforming the tunnel's surroundings. It became a breathtaking galaxy with stars and cosmic clouds, the scenery beautiful.

With newfound enthusiasm, Archie moved on to the next purple orb. This time, his pace had accelerated. He was convinced he was on the right track as he continued, gathering the orbs one by one. His speed intensified dramatically with each orb.

Undeterred, he persevered, collecting the orbs and soaring through the tunnel. An indeterminable amount of time passed until he reached the last visible orb.

Just as he reached out to touch it, a colossal BOOM! filled the void. Golden and purple light swirled around him in a spectacular, colorful tornado. The light was absorbed by Archie, infusing him with an overwhelming surge of energy.

He felt omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, as if the shackles of limitation had been broken. He felt as if he had tapped into the Akashic records, a boundless source of knowledge and power.

Yet, this ecstasy ended soon. Darkness overcame his vision—no stars, no energy, no senses remained.

After an unknown amount of time, light returned as he opened his eyes.

...

"It's coming! Hold on tight, honey, our sweet baby boy is coming!"

"Honey, you're doing wonderfully. Keep going, your willpower and body are strong. You can handle this!"

"AHHH, shut up!"

"Please, your Majesty, let her Majesty be," said the midwife.

"AHHHH"

...

Ethereal lights of vibrant colors materialized in the sky, enveloping the royal palace and the entire island. The pulsating light brimmed with majestic energy.

Citizens of the kingdom witnessed the phenomenon, bowing in reverence.

"The Crown Prince is born!"

"A powerful one at that!"

"Our prosperity is assured!"

The united voices of the citizens echoed, heralding the kingdom and its royal family.

"All Hail Avalon!"

"All Hail Avalon!"

"All Hail Avalon!"

Creatures and people throughout the island and beyond bore witness, their heads bowed in acknowledgment.

Far away, others were alerted to the extraordinary event.

...

In the room, the royal family encircled the bed. Majestic energy coursed through the air, swirling around as if drawn to a magnetic force—the baby.

Anticipation reached its climax.

"Waaaahhhh"