"You absolute trash. How do you even barely fucking manage to win while clutching shields?"
Michael's scream cracked through the cheap ass headset.
He ripped it off and slammed it onto the already broken desk, his old gaming chair creaking as he threw himself back.
"I can't believe this shit."
He was one kill away from snatching rank one.
One single kill, but then of course the tank player just sat there, soaking damage like a brick wall.
Michael was supposed to be the best mage on the server, he held the number two spot longer than anyone could remember.
Number one was supposed to be his tonight.
He glanced at the empty cup of instant noodles beside the cracked corner of the monitor.
It was already cold but he picked it up anyway, he shook it and then hurled it against the wall.
Brown broth splattered across the peeling paint and his empty energy drink cans.
The room stank of stale sweat, it was filled with unwashed clothes, and his regret.
The dirty laundry piled on his unmade bed.
A faded and ripped tournament poster from three years ago hung crooked on the wall, the one where he almost qualified for regionals..
No job. No degree. No future. Just monthly transfers from his parents who paid him to disappear.
He was a human garbage.
"I need food," he muttered, grabbing his wallet.
Then the entire building shook.
A deafening crunch echoed in the room as the wall beside him exploded inward.
Some kind of headlights blinded him and a massive truck barreled through the brick wall.
"Fu—"
Everything went black for Michael without a second of hesitation.
—
"It's been dreadfully boring lately."
Arameus, the huge kitty chilling atop a throne of floating soul orbs, yawned.
His golden eyes scanned the endless river of wandering souls below.
A new one appeared all of a sudden.
It was very very different.
The soul glowed soft yellow instead of the usual pale white.
"Could it be…?"
"ARAMEUS!"
The shout came from above, it was his supervisors, yet again.
'I have to be quick.'
His claw flashed forward and pierced the yellow soul.
It dissolved instantly leaving only a faint golden smear on his claw.
"The hell—"
"What exactly are you doing, overseer?"
The twin stars descended, their blinding yellow auras forcing even Arameus to squint.
They were the Brotherhood twins, always so nosy.
"Just… monitoring the wanderers," he lied smoothly.
They exchanged a glance, then shrugged. Clearly not interested enough to care.
Arameus's gaze returned to the empty space where the soul had been.
'Please,' he thought. 'Save us.'
—
Michael was supposed to be dead.
But he wasn't.
'Where the hell am I?'
He was in a child's body. He stared down at his small body parts and his heart was instantly hammering.
He looked around and the room had wooden walls which were lit by a single flickering candle.
One narrow bed, one small bookshelf, nothing else.
No technology or electronics at all. Just the smell of old wood and wax.
He sat up too fast. His vision blurred and his legs trembled under him.
'This is a kid's body.'
Memories of endless isekai novels flooded back from terrible webnovels he read in the past.
As he stood up he stubbed his toe on the bedframe and collapsed with a pathetic yelp.
As he was lying on the rough floorboards, staring at the ceiling beams, he almost laughed.
'Was I really reinc—'
A crimson panel materialized in the air like spilled blood.
[Name: Klaus Albrecht Von Alderstein]
[Class: Grimoire Archon]
[Level: 1]
[Skills: 0]
[Age: 10]
Klaus blinked whilst rubbing his eyes however the window didn't vanish.
'Grimoire Archon?'
His gamer brain lit up instantly as soon as he saw the class. A tiny, manic grin spread across his face.
'Finally. I can actually live the dream—'
All of a sudden the door slammed open and smashed into his shoulder and sent him crashing back to the floor.
A mountain of a man filled the doorway. Broad as a bear with a gigantic beard, and his eyes were cold and disappointed.
He had extremely short blonde hair and piercing yellow eyes just like the sun.
"Move, runt."
His massive hand clamped around Klaus's arm and yanked him upright like he weighed nothing.
"Hey—wait—"
"Shut your mouth."
The hallway smelled of smoke and mildew.
The floorboards were cracked. Bare walls with no decoration or windows or anything, just candlelight. It was definitely not a noble house.
The man dragged him outside and threw him onto the grass.
Klaus rolled twice before stopping.
"Stop being a disappointment," the man growled.
"Don't come back until you've killed something. Anything."
With those words the door slammed shut.
Klaus laid there and stared at the night sky.
The air was warm. No wind at all. It was almost peaceful if not for the fact he'd just been thrown out of a house at ten years old with zero weapons.
'Slay something…seriously?'
He pushed himself up on his shaking arms, he still wasn't used to this new body at all.
The village outside looked poor, small huts, dirt paths, and a creepy dark forest looming just beyond the last house.
A red panel appeared again.
[New Quest: Monster Slayer]
[Objective: Slay one monster within the Forest of Doom]
[Reward: Access to first Grimoire]
[Failure: Prove you are unworthy of the Alderstein name]
Klaus stared at the last line.
Then at the black trees ahead.
'Forest of Doom…'
He swallowed.
'Well, no tutorials…I guess we are doing this.'