Deadlines. Endless revisions. Clients who thought beige was a personality.
That was Selene Mira's life.
At exactly 3:42 a.m., her stylus slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the hardwood floor of her tiny apartment. She blinked at the half-finished design on her tablet, eyes burning. The shadows under them could qualify for national heritage status at this point.
She stretched her arms, groaning as a vertebra popped in protest. "Maybe I'll take a nap for twenty minutes…" she muttered, knowing full well she'd either wake up in three hours panicking—or not wake up at all.
Spoiler: It was the second one.
The world faded to black.
Then came the ding.
[Welcome, New User. Initializing Life Reboot System…]
[Loading Data… Syncing Memories…]
[New World Detected: Magacia Prime]
[Granted Abilities:
➤ Skill Absorption (Passive): You can learn anything at 10x speed.
➤ Interdimensional Shop Access: Purchase any modern-world item, anywhere, anytime.
➤ Magical Affinity: None detected. 🙃]
She groaned, confused.
And then opened her eyes.
No fluorescent lights. No glowing tablet screen. No half-eaten cold pizza slice as a paperweight.
Instead, she was lying on soft grass under a sky painted in pastels—lavender clouds, golden birds flying upside down, and islands that hovered in mid-air like casual afterthoughts.
A three-headed sheep walked past her.
"What… the absolute Canva-filtered hell…?" Selene muttered.
She sat up, blinking rapidly. Her hands? Same. Her height? Still tragically 4'11". Her hair? Short and soft, just the way she'd last cut it in a fit of burnout. Her skin looked oddly glowy—like she had finally gotten those eight hours of sleep she always Googled about but never achieved.
Wait.
"Did I… die?" Selene whispered, half-expecting a motivational quote to float by.
Another ding.
[Confirmed. Previous Life Status: Expired (Overwork & Neglected Nutrition)]
[Current Status: Reborn | Level 1 | Starter Realm: Iskandaria]
Selene stared into the sky, her voice flatter than a pancake on a Monday morning.
"Of course. The universe finally gives me a second chance—and forgets to install the magic patch."
[Apologies. Magic not included in your reincarnation package. Please enjoy your unique skill set instead.]
Can I return it? I was expecting something with a fireball or maybe a cool glowing sword."
[No returns or exchanges available at this time. Have a nice eternity.]
She got to her feet. Her boots were gone—replaced by fluffy slippers that said "World's #1 Introvert." She brushed off the grass, half-expecting a director to yell Cut!
Instead, a villager passed by with glowing hands and a floating crate of potatoes.
"Excuse me," she called out.
He turned. "Yes, miss?"
"Uh… do you guys have Amazon Prime here?"
"…Amazon what now?"
"Never mind," she mumbled, retreating as fast as her fuzzy slippers would let her.
Hours passed. Maybe. Time was weird here.
Eventually, the system chimed again in her head.
[Shop Now Unlocked!]
[Opening Storefront… Please browse your Starter Kit]
A glowing blue screen popped up in front of her like a hologram.
Category: Essentials
"Please Don't Talk to Me" Signboard — 3 coins
Hoodie of Invisibility™ — 12 coins
Pepper Spray, Monster-Grade — 5 coins
Portable Instant Noodles (Beef Flavor) — 2 coins
Noise-Canceling Earbuds (Rechargeable) — 8 coins
Selene raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Now this is the kind of magic I understand."
Her fingers hovered over the hoodie icon.
She selected it. The hoodie materialized with a shimmer and a fwump on her lap.
Black. Oversized. Cozy. The front said, "Not Today, Extroverts."
She put it on, pulled up the hood, and sighed. "Okay. Maybe I can survive this world after all."
Another ding.
[Skill Acquired: Selective Optimism +1]
She rolled her eyes. "You're seriously gamifying my mental state?"
[Yes.]
Selene stared into the sky with a wry smile.
"Okay, Universe. Let's see what you've got."