"You're fired."
Those words stayed in his head.
The man in his twenties walked away, not knowing where to go. It was the worst moment of his life.
Ten minutesearlier…
"I did my best. I really did. So why?"
He whispered the same words again and again as he walked back to his small home, drunk and broken.
On his way home, a tall man suddenly appeared in front of him. He wore a mask. His clothes were black.
"Who are you? What do you want?!" He shouted, his voice rough, like he had nothing left to lose.
Without warning, the stranger rushed at him.
"Wh—"
Everything happened too fast.
He froze. His body wouldn't move.
Pain followed, sharp and sudden. He fell to the ground, helpless.
As he lay there, cold and empty, one thought crossed his mind.
"Is this my fate?" he whispered. "What a pathetic life…"
He let out a weak laugh.
"If only I…" He stopped himself. "Never mind."
He closed his eyes, ready to say his last
words—
But suddenly, everything changed.
The cold ground was gone. The pain vanished.
"Wh—where is this?" His eyes flew open. "Where am I?!"
"You're Lucky, right?"
"Wh—who are you?" Lucky shouted. "Where are you? Show yourself!"
"Very well."
The voice stepped forward.
"Now answer my question."
Lucky froze.
Just like the strange place around him, the man before him glowed pure white. His form was clear, yet unreal.
"Y—yes," Lucky said quietly. "I'm Lucky."
"Pfft."
The glowing man let out a small laugh.
"Lucky, huh? And yet you've faced nothing but misfortune."
Lucky clenched his fists, unable to reply.
"Fine," the man continued. "I'll give you a chance to live up to your name."
Lucky looked up.
"But you won't return as a human," the glowing man said calmly. "You'll be reborn a thousand years later—as a demon."
"A demon…?" Lucky whispered.
"Wait, what do you mea—"
Before he could finish, the world shattered. Light swallowed him whole.
"You'll understand soon," the glowing man said, grinning as Lucky vanished.
Lucky opened his eyes.
He was no longer in the white space.
This place was dark and unfamiliar. Tall bookshelves stood on both sides, stretching far into the shadows. In the center of the room was a large circle, a palm shape drawn inside it with dried blood.
Purple dust floated in the air, glowing softly. It was the only light in the room.
Lucky slowly pushed himself up.
"Where… am I?" he whispered.
The air felt heavy. And somehow, wrong.
Lucky slowly inspected the room.
"The books on the left…" he muttered, running his fingers along the shelves.
"They talk about the world as it is now."
He turned to the other side.
"And the right…" His eyes widened slightly.
"Drawings. Symbols. Keywords… magic. Like the stuff from the movies I used to watch."
Lucky chose the left side first.
He read.
And read.
"I see…" he whispered. "So humanity almost went extinct."
His hands trembled as he turned the pages.
"And the monsters appeared with a meteorite… in the year 2000." He swallowed hard. "The same year I died."
His chest tightened. "The only reason humans survived…" "…was because superhumans appeared."
Lucky closed the book and let out a slow breath.
"So this is the world now."
After learning everything he could, he stood up and walked to the right side of the room.
The magic books waited for him.
Lucky didn't hesitate.
From that moment on, he spent all his time there—reading, studying, and learning—
preparing for whatever kind of life awaited him next.