1 A Pathetic Man

A middle-aged man named Yan is walking towards his workplace. It is currently 8:30pm in the evening. He was a call centre agent. Last week, his boss assigned him to the graveyard shift.

At 38 years old, Yan had already broken up nine romantic relationship he had been in. Each woman he dated had broken up with him for the same reason, he was boring to be with. He didn't like exciting things or anything new. He also didn't want things that can affect his lifestyle. Even at 38, he had never thought of marriage.

His last latest girlfriends dump him for nonchalantly answering 'being married is like being in a cage'. Honestly, he knew his lifestyle was also a kind of being in a cage, he liked this cage. He doesn't want change.

But his last girlfriend he almost changed his mind. He loved her very much. She was beautiful, sexy, smart, witty, and a very caring. She was perfect. She always take care of him. Actually, he planned on marrying her but one day, she confessed that she had cheated on him in a one drunken night. She confessed that it happened last weekend at an office party, the same night he thought of marrying her.

When he ask her why, she replied that she had been very lonely. She was always taking care of him. She loved him deeply but at times she thought that she was being taken for granted. She was always loving, always taking care of him, always giving her all. But she felt empty, like all her efforts were useless to him.

One night, when her workmates asked her to drink with them, she declined at first. But she remembered that her boyfriend doesn't really care about her, she went with them. She got drunk. On a drunken stupor, she kissed her male coworker. Though it only end there, she still felt very guilty.

Says after she thought about it, shhe realised that if she can do it once, she can do it twice.

'Do I still love Yan?'

She answered her own question moments later.

'I did. But I don't anymore.'

It took days but ultimately, she decided to end things with him.

That was two years ago. Yan still felt depressed about the breakup. He hated himself for not appreciating the love she had shown him. Two weeks ago, he had discovered that Maria, his last ex-girlfriend, had already married to the very same coworker she had kissed on that one drunken night.

It turned out that the guy went to apologised to her the morning after. He felt sorry and guilty for taking advantage of her being drunk. He took responsibility for the kiss and confessed that he had been in love with Maria for a long time.

When Maria was depressed by the breakup with Yan, the guy did all he could just to make her smile. Everyday, he would prepare food for her food during work, visited and took care of her when sick.

She would always tell him that he should stay away from her. She did not have romantic feelings for him. But the guy's determination never wavered and continued to court Maria.

It took quite some time for Maria had finally accepted his feelings for her. She realised how it felt good to be taken care off for the first time. After over months of courtship, Maria became his girlfriend. A year later, when they discovered that Maria was two months pregnant, they decided to get married.

Yan wanted to hate Maria and her husband but he can't blame them. He was the one who wasted Maria's love and effort while the guy was genuinely in love with her.

Midnight, Yan is currently at his workplace. Like a creepy guy, he stared at the screen of his laptop. He was currently staring at the pictures of Maria's wedding.

Unknowingly, a tear fell from his right eye. Feeling to moist in his face, it was only now he realised he was wrong.

'I loved her and I love her still. Why did I let her go? When she confessed, she kept looking at me. She looked like she was waiting for something.'

After a moment, his tears fell like waterfall.

'She...she waited for me. She was waiting. She kept on waiting. Waiting for me to fight for her. I didn't. I...I was stupid and blind. I took her for granted. I took all of them for granted. But now I'm too late. I always was. And always will be. The past, the present, and maybe also in the future.'

It was the first time Yan hated his own guts. He hated his boring lifestyle. He hated his pride. But most all, he hated himself.

His tears kept on pouring. It fell in to the keyboard of his laptop.

"I'm pathetic."

Unknown to him, his laptop got short-circuited from his tears. Sparks flew from his laptop.

BOOOOOOM!

His laptop exploded. The explosion was exaggeratedly huge. Before blacking out, Yan saw a white light flashing from the explosion. It was only then that he realised he's going to die.

'To die a pathetic man. Haa. Rae, Rosella, Meg, Anna, Karenina, Ellize, Leyla, Olivia, and Maria. I'm sorry. I am very sorry. You loved me but I wasted it. I'm sorry for loving a pathetic man like me. Maybe in the next life, if we all ever meet again, I'm going to marry all of you.'

- - -

"Pathetic indeed."

"Waa..what?"

Yan woke up from loud voice that was clearly insulting him.

"What the hell? Am I alive? I'm pretty sure I died from that explosion."

"Pathetic human, you did die. But I, as a magnanimous God and one of the major Gods of this galaxy, gave you a second chance of life. I shall let you live in another world. I can see that you hated your previous life. I shall let reincarnate in a world full of adventures and wonders! A world where strong preys the weak and the weak dies without knowing why.

In this new world, you shall struggle, you shall fight and kill! And most of all, you must do everything you can to survive.

Powerful dragons, beautiful elves, the great machineries of the dwarves, magnificent sea-folks, ferocious beastmen, cruel monsters and evil demons are resides in this new world.

I remembered you've broken the hearts of many women in your pathetic past life. Fortunately for you, In this world, polygamy is legal! But only for those who possesses the strength and ability to charm and conquer women. Hahaha!"

"Wait! What did you just say? Who are you? Where am I? What the hell is going on?!"

Yan asked the self-proclaimed God frantically. The moment he had woke up from his deafening voice, the self-proclaimed God went on an endless monologue.

'Maybe what he said was true.' Yan thought. 'To have him live in a new world.'

The voice kept on talking without giving Yan a chance to asked for an explanation.

"Pathetic human. I am God!" says the voice majestically.

"What?! Are you really the God? If so, what would a God like you, want me to do? I really can't think for any reason for you to resurrect me and live in another world. From I've now heard, you want me to stay on a world that's very dangerous and chaotic. It's may be all fun and games until someone tries to kill me. I am but a powerless, middle-aged man. I really can't do anything there."

Yan explained helplessly.

"Pathetic human, of course I am God! I am but one of the major Gods in the galaxy! But you are wrong for one thing, I do want you to do something for me. I command you do to something for me!"

'What a boastful God! This guy is full of himself!', Yan thought.

"I can do anything that I want. I snap my finger and kill half of the galaxy. Hmmp! But I am also magnanimous. I don't want to do that. But this particular world had me interested. There is something brewing in this world. Something of malice is birthing.

Even though I handle it with a blink of an eye, but it would be too lowly of me to deal with the matters of mortals. But when I saw you dying pathetically, I've decided to bring you into this world and using you to deal with that evil thing.

Think of it as me giving you a second chance of life and also me having an amusement for you worthless struggles. Hahaha!"

'Fuck! What kind of God is this? He just a lazy bum. But me being alive again is a good thing!'

Yan paused for some time to think. He decided to give a second life a try.

"Okay, God. Thank you! I shall do this bidding at your command. But I have many problems. As you said, I am but a pathetic and powerless man. Can you help me have something to have to that I can your bidding easier?"

Yan grimaced. He was really weak.

"Fine. For I am a magnanimous God, I shall grant you three wishes. What do you want to have?"

Yan was angry with the number of wishes.

'Shit. Is he God or a Genie? If your so powerful, you can grant me as many wishes as I want! Don't you remember that I will do dangerous things for you?!'

Though he was angry, he never dared say it out-loud. He feared of angering this God.

When he was thinking on what kind of things to wish, he suddenly remembered light novels he had read when he was bored at work. He read many novels and he remember OP skills that the protagonist had.

"Okay, God. My first wish is to have all my stats present and to be gained multiplied to 777 times!"

"Second, I would like to have the very best cultivation technique and system in the Universe."

"Third, I want the very best weapon! I'm sick of heroes having swords, daggers and bows in novels. I want the best two-handed hammer in the Universe!"

"For I am a magnanimous God, I shall grant you these three wishes. Go now. Live and fulfil my desires!"

"Thank you, God, for giving me another chance to live my live! I shall live this life to the fullest. No regrets! No hesitation! No backing down!"

Yan proclaimed as he became a vanishing light particles.