The hum of engines echoed in the garage inside the big car company, blending with the smell of oil and metal. Kiin wiped the sweat from his brow, tightening the last bolt on the electric motor he had spent two hours tuning. At just twenty-four, he was already considered a sharp mind at the car company he worked for. A fresh graduate with a keen eye for details and a quiet, steady determination.
"Kiin," his supervisor, Mr David called out from behind a half-assembled vehicle.
"Done with the V-Torque alignment?"
Kiin nodded. "All set. It's running smoother than the model we tested last week."
"Good job kid. Clock out and take your break. You deserve it." David gave him thumbs up for his hardworking efforts
Kiin gave a small smile and cleaned his hands before walking toward the break room, where the familiar voices of his colleagues, James and Harry, drifted through the open door.
"Yo! Kiin!" James waved. "Just in time. We were talking about Divine Slaughterer: Rebirth of the Azure Flame Emperor."
Kiin groaned internally.
"Not again."
He grabbed a cup of coffee with two chocolate donuts and sat beside them.
"Another one? Didn't you guys just finish reading Celestial Beast Slayer Chronicles?"
Harry grinned, his eyes lighting up as he explained the new cultivation book they discovered. "Yeah, but this one is even crazier. The MC starts as a cripple, obviously, but then he absorbs the soul of an ancient dragon and levels up by killing beasts that drop essence points. He literally split a mountain in Chapter 12."
James laughed. "And now he's building a harem of dragon princesses. I swear, these authors just keep getting more creative."
Kiin sipped his coffee, expression unimpressed. "I don't get the hype with this new cultivation stories. Why does everyone want to read about people slicing up monsters like it's a grocery list?"
James raised a brow. "You don't like cultivation stories?"
"Not really. I mean... if I had to be transmigrated, I'd rather be a prince in a quiet fantasy kingdom, fall in love with my destined girl, go on long walks in the gardens, and maybe attend a ball or two. Slow burn. Emotional. You know, the good stuff."
Harry burst out laughing. "You romantic softie. You want to be the background character."
Kiin shrugged. "Better that than dying in Chapter 1 because I couldn't form a dantian or whatever."
They all chuckled, and the break bell rang soon after. They dispersed back to work, still tossing cultivation terms like "Qi compression" and "soul root extraction" as they went.
*****
Sunday rolled in with the warm haze of early morning sun and the soft buzzing of Kiin's phone alarm. His usual day to visit the library and get new romance book and also return the ones he had finished reading, he got up lazily, showered, and cooked a quick breakfast: garlic chicken and noodles, his favorite combo. The smell filled his small apartment, making the walls feel just a bit more alive. He was a single guy focused on his work and romance stories reading, his weekdays were dedicated to work with his Saturday dedicated to playing soccer with his friends and his Sundays dedicated to visiting the library and reading.
After cleaning up, he put on his sneakers and headed to his usual spot: the local library. The place was quiet, peaceful, just the way he liked it. Rows and rows of dusty shelves, a few patrons scattered at tables, and the comforting scent of old paper.
He walked to the fiction section, fingers trailing over book spines, eyes searching for something new. He found what he was looking for: Moonbound: Reclaiming My Alpha Mate and Power.
"Bingo! A good old romantic fantasy, with a werewolves and love prevailing over everything." he whispered, smiling to himself.
As he turned to check out, he was surprised to see a different librarian at the desk. A small old man with a long white beard and eyes that sparkled like he knew more than he let on.
"A new librarian, is the other one sick". Kiin asked himself internally
"Ah, young man," the librarian said warmly. "Found what you needed?"
"Yeah, just this one today."
The old man nodded, then reached under the counter and placed another book beside it. Kiin read the title of the boom "The Path of Cultivation Through Cosmic Beasts."
Kiin blinked. "Uh, I didn't ask for that one. I just want this Moonbound book"
"No child, but it found you," the man said cryptically.
Kiin forced a polite laugh. "Thanks, but I'm not really into cultivation stories."
The librarian smiled wider. "Still, take it. It might surprise you."
Not wanting to be rude and spend more time arguing with a grandpa over a book, Kiin hesitated, then sighed. "Alright. But only because you asked nicely."
"Enjoy it" the grandpa said as he waved at Kiin
"I hardly doubt that I will," Kiin muttered under his breath as he left the library with two books in hand, one for love, the other for... whatever.
That evening, Kiin freshened up, cooked a simple rice and chicken stew, he had a thing for chicken because he grew up in the countryside. His parents were still living in the countryside while he came here to work and maybe change his life.
After eating then he curled up in bed with Moonbound. The story swept him in with ease, a girl reclaiming her strength and her fated love against a mystical backdrop. It was everything he loved.
"Yes go get your man, that Betha can't ruin your love" he cheered up the protagonist whose lover was taken.
But after an hour, his eyes drifted to the other book on his nightstand. The culti-beast-whatever one. It stared back at him. It felt like it was calling him to read it.
Curiosity won.
"Let's see what the fuss is about," he mumbled, opening the cover.
The pages were filled with dense descriptions of worlds ruled by spiritual laws, cultivators gaining power by slaying beasts and absorbing cores. There was a strict hierarchy, leveling up meant everything. Weaklings were hunted, while the strong lived like kings. Gold was tied to strength. Even food was purchased with power points.
Kiin raised a brow. "This sounds like an RPG had a baby with a death match."
He read a few more pages, then yawned. His eyelids grew heavy, and he didn't even realize when the book slipped from his hands and thudded quietly to the floor.
A soft purple glow began to seep from the pages.
The glow pulsed gently at first, then brightened, spreading tendrils of light that filled the room. Five minutes after Kiin had dozed off, snoring like a lion, the purple light surged, wrapping around his sleeping body like a cocoon.
Then, with a faint crackle and a quiet shimmer, he vanished. The book lay still on the floor, cover closed, like it's mission completed. The purple glow fading. The apartment fell silent.
Kiin was no longer there.