Enzo Lecri's little room in Quezon City has an alarm clock that goes off at 6:30 AM.
He continues to ignore it, as he has done in the past. Even with the blanket pulled over his head, the heat in the room is still accompanied by the whirring of the electric fan.
From the kitchen, Aling Rosa, his mother, screams,
"Enzo! Wake up! You're late for work again!"
Her tone conveys a combination of weariness and annoyance, which are the same feelings. Enzo has been hearing for three years.
With a frown, Enzo sits up.
Take a look at his appearance: a t-shirt, hair that looks like it was played with by a hurricane, and eyes as black as a panda's. along with the stains from instant noodles that he can't even recall wearing.
This has been his life for three years since he dropped out of third-year Engineering at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
"Mom, I'm resting today. I won't be working,"
he answers as he stretches and glances at the anime character posters plastered on his room wall.
"What?! Rest? If you keep this up, your boss will sack you from the call center!"
Aling Rosa yells from another room.
"Son, you're 23 years old. When are you going to grow up?"
What his mother is saying is true.
Enzo works as a customer service representative at a BPO company in Ortigas, but his performance is lower than the temperature of the office air conditioner. Always late, always sleepy at work, and sometimes even falls asleep while talking to angry customers from America.
Enzo stands up and walks to the small bathroom shared by three families in the apartment building.
While washing his face with cold water, he looks at himself in the broken mirror with tape in the middle.
"Damn, you're really pathetic, Enzo,"
he whispers to himself, looking at his reflection that seems to have two faces due to the crack in the mirror.
"You're 23 years old and haven't accomplished anything in life. All you know is internet and novels."
Enzo isn't really ugly - he's just average-looking with a sharp nose and brown eyes, but his biggest problem is his lack of motivation.
Since his father died of a heart attack three years ago, he seems to have lost direction in life.
The once diligent student who topped his class has become a shut-in who does nothing but browse the internet.
The weight of his father's absence hits him every morning like this. Before the accident, Enzo had dreams - he wanted to become an engineer, maybe work abroad, make his parents proud. Now those dreams feel as cracked as the mirror he stares into.
After breakfast of instant noodles (again) and overly sweet coffee, Enzo returns to his room and opens the old laptop they bought when he was still in high school.
Although he isn't going to work, he still has something he finds entertaining - reading web novels on free reading sites.
Enzo is particularly fond of cultivation and murim novels.
Tales of martial artists' adventures, mystical abilities, and training for strength.
He finds those realms to be far more thrilling than his monotonous existence in the real world.
Through perseverance and fortunate encounters, even the most pathetic characters in those stories can rise to the status of gods.
While clicking on his bookmark, he exclaims,
"Oh wow, there's a new chapter of 'Heavenly Demon Sect Master'!"
All of a sudden, his eyes light up, and he grins for the first time in a whole week.
He shakes his head at the events in the story as he reads. There are always heroes who are incredibly fortunate, acquire potent skills without trying, and are constantly surrounded by gorgeous women.
"Damn this protagonist. Merely extremely lucky, but without any intelligence. I would be more strategic if I were in his shoes,"
he observes as he scrolls down to the comments section.
"Not simply pure bravery, but then being shocked when confronted by a tougher adversary."
He types a comment: "Chapter 234 review - MC is still too impulsive. If he used the Shadow Step technique combined with the Five Elements Palm, he could've finished the fight in 3 moves instead of dragging it out. Author-nim, please make MC smarter. -ELecri97"
Enzo's day consists of reading books, posting comments on forums, debating the plot with other readers, and fantasizing about being in the book. the characters' environment in what he is reading.
He has read thousands of chapters over the years, dissecting cultivation methods, combat strategies, and strategic thought, all of which appear to be lacking in the majority of protagonists.
"I long to be the MC in these tales instead,"
he reflects while gazing at the images adorning his wall.
"I wish it weren't these self-righteous characters who are handed powers without merit. "
In reality, Enzo possesses a deeper understanding of martial arts principles, growth strategies, and combat tactics than the heroes portrayed in the novels he explores—thanks to the countless hours he dedicates to reading and dissecting literature.
He has committed to memory numerous techniques for growth, skills with various weapons, and strategic methodologies. In his imagination, he has engaged in infinite battles and navigated through many developmental challenges.
If only the world operated like those narratives.
Friday night, December 23.
Christmas is tomorrow, but Enzo isn't in the mood to celebrate.
He is seated in a computer chair that has a damaged back, engaged in online gaming while also having ten tabs of web novels open in his browser. The soft light from the screen casts a glow on his weary face in the dimly lit room.
In the kitchen, Aling Rosa can be heard making a simple Christmas Eve feast—she has picked up a small ham from the store, along with some sliced bread and soda.
Unlike the Christmas celebrations of the past when his father was alive, which were filled with abundance and joy.
"Enzo, come eat. Dinner is prepared,"
Aling Rosa calls out, her voice tinged with fatigue.
"Just a moment, Ma. I'm just about to level up,"
he responds, fully concentrated on his MMORPG character as he grinds for experience points.
Even in video games, he looks for the fulfillment of development that reality does not provide him.
His mother simply sighs in disappointment. She has attempted multiple times to discuss the future with Enzo, but her son appears to have no intentions. Occasionally, she notices him weeping at night when he assumes she is asleep, but she feels unsure about how to reach out to him. The loss of her husband shattered not only her heart but seemingly also her son's motivation.
At approximately 2:00 AM in the early hours, Enzo wraps up his gaming session.
The home is now silent, with his mother already in a deep sleep.
He looks through several additional chapters of a new murim book he discovered titled
"The Chronicles of the Heavenly Fist."
The narrative focuses on a feeble disciple who unexpectedly gains strength from an ancient method of cultivation.
"Intriguing concept for this tale,"
he reflects as he continues to scroll.
"The main character is Wei Lin, a powerless disciple of the Hua Peak Sect who gains immense power through an enigmatic breathing technique. A typical underdog narrative, yet with a unique twist. "
The persona of Wei Lin strikes a chord with him in some way. Another individual overlooked by all, deemed insignificant, fighting at the lowest level of the social ladder. However, in contrast to Enzo, Wei Lin has a route to influence, a means to challenge the doubts of others.
As he goes through chapter 15, where the writer elaborates on the Inner Peace Breathing Technique with great detail, Enzo unexpectedly experiences a peculiar ache in his chest. He struggles to breathe, and it seems as if something weighty is compressing his heart.
"What on earth? "
he exclaims, gripping his chest tightly. The discomfort is intense, unlike any sensation he has experienced previously.
He attempts to rise, yet his legs feel unsteady. The display of the laptop is fading in front of him, but he is still able to make out the details of the breathing method he is studying. The text appears to shine on the display, throbbing with an ethereal brightness.
"Breathe in the essence of heaven and earth... let the qi flow through your meridians... feel the power awaken within..."
The instructions seem to be calling out to him, and as his eyesight grows fainter, they get more understandable. For reasons that are unclear to him, Enzo is mimicking the breathing pattern described in the novel.
All of a sudden, he topples from his chair, his hand stretching out toward the laptop screen that is still showing the murim story. He feels like some odd force is entering his body through the screen, but he is unable to comprehend what is happening. He is completely enveloped in the screen's golden light as it gets more intense.
Just before he passes out, the laptop screen is flashing with a
"Ma... Ma, help me..."
are the last words to escape his lips. a bizarre golden light that seems to draw his entire being into the tale he was reading.
The chapter on Wei Lin's initial epiphany still shines on the screen with an unattainable brilliance, and the only sound in the room is the hum of the electric fan.