Huuuungg... weewooo... weewooo... weewooo...
Siren wailed at the end of a narrow alleyway.
Red and blue lights reflected off the grimy walls. Police and paramedics rushed to the scene. Amidst the crowd of curious bystanders, a teenage body in a school uniform lay covered by a white sheet, blood still pooling on the cracked asphalt.
"Male victim, estimated age seventeen. Stab wound to the abdomen, multiple slash marks. Likely a violent mugging," said one officer to his colleague.
"Any witnesses? Or CCTV?" asked a senior officer.
"Negative, sir. This area's a blind spot. But residents reported hearing screams about thirty minutes ago," another officer responded.
A paramedic shook their head slowly. "Nothing we can do. Estimated time of death: around 6:40 PM."
The senior officer cleared his throat, his face tense. "Contact the family immediately. This'll be big if the victim's a high school student."
Click! Click!
The sound of cameras snapped from a distance.
On television screens everywhere, the news broke:
BREAKING NEWS!
High school student found dead in a narrow alley behind Wijaya Street. Suspected to be a victim of a brutal mugging. The victim was identified as Mo Fan, a 12th grader at State High School 89.
In a modest house, Gilang stared at the TV screen, pale-faced, his hands trembling. The news anchor's voice echoed through the living room:
"...died from severe injuries and is believed to have been assaulted with a sharp weapon..."
Gilang suddenly stood up, mouth agape. "No... no way... Mo Fan? It can't be... not him..."
His mother peeked in from the kitchen. "Lang? What's wrong?"
"Mom... it's Mo Fan... my friend, Mom!" Gilang said, voice filled with sorrow.
BZZZ... BZZZ... BZZZZ...
Gilang's phone vibrated. It was a call from Han Mei.
"Gilang... did you see the news?! Mo Fan... he... he..." Han Mei stuttered.
"I saw it... I saw it... I can't believe it... I was just with him earlier! HAN! I was with him just a few hours ago!!"
There was crying on the other end. "We... we have to go there! I don't care... I have to see for myself!"
Night had fallen at the scene. The ambulance lights still blinked faintly. Gilang and Han Mei arrived at the same time, rushing past the police line.
"MO FAAAAN!!!" Gilang screamed, eyes darting around in search of his friend's body.
A police officer blocked him. "Sorry, kid, you can't go in."
"HE'S MY FRIEND, SIR! MY FRIEND!! I JUST WANT TO SEE HIM!!!"
Han Mei grabbed Gilang's arm, her body trembling. Her eyes were red, tears flowing endlessly. "You said... he was silly... a joker... there's no way he'd die like this..."
Gilang dropped to his knees in front of the ambulance. "He said... don't forget to bring him nasi uduk if he died... Fan... why'd you take your own joke seriously, damn it...?"
Han Mei knelt beside him. Their sobs pierced the cold night air.
The Next Day
The sky was gray. A soft drizzle dampened the cemetery soil. In front of a freshly dug grave, dozens of students from SMA 89 stood silently, all in black and white uniforms.
The burial crew lowered the wooden coffin slowly.
Gilang stood at the front, holding a shaking umbrella. Beside him, Han Mei bowed her head, her face pale and eyes swollen.
"Goodbye, Fan... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry I didn't walk with you through that damn alley..."
Han Mei cried again. "Mo Fan... you were the most annoying person I knew... but also the bravest. I... I regret never telling you that... I liked you too."
One by one, classmates approached, placing flowers and saying their goodbyes.
"You said you wanted to reincarnate... I hope in the next life, you get to laugh all you want, Fan," said Gilang through tears.
"Sorry if we ever called you weird. You were just different. And now... we've lost the one person we really needed."
Rain fell harder. Even the sky cried with them.
The soil slowly covered the grave. Mo Fan's name was carved into a simple tombstone.
Silence...
Only the sound of drizzle and quiet sobs remained.
Elsewhere, far from Earth... in an unknown world...
Mo Fan stared at a dark purple sky. A sky unlike anything on Earth.
"Gilang... I bet you're rolling around crying right now... Haha. Only I could die and end up isekai'd like this..."
"Ha ha ha..."
Mo Fan laughed bitterly, then sighed. "But damn... I miss you, Lang. Hope you don't steal my bike now that I'm gone."
His eyes softened. A vision of Han Mei appeared in his mind—her smile, her voice...
"Han Mei... god... if I'd known I'd die, I would've kissed you already. Haha. No wonder I liked you. Your chest—I mean, your heart... was so kind."
Mo Fan looked up at the sky, still bitter that his cheat system hadn't arrived.
"This guy... died because he was seen as trash. And now... I'm in his body?!" Mo Fan scowled in disappointment. Even the gods weren't on his side.
He chuckled bitterly.
"My reincarnation feels like I bought a broken item from an online store..."
Then he tried to get up, despite the pain surging through his entire body.
"Okay... okay... no cheat... crippled body... cruel world..." Before he could finish, a flood of knowledge surged into his mind: cultivation levels.
Mortal (Ordinary Human)
Qi Refining – Level 1 to 9
Foundation Establishment – Level 1 to 9
Core Formation – Level 1 to 9
Nascent Soul – Level 1 to 9
Spirit King – Level 1 to 9
Saint Realm – Level 1 to 9
Heavenly Monarch – Level 1 to 9
Chaos Emperor – Level 1 to 9
"So these are the cultivation levels in this world, huh?" Mo Fan mumbled. "Damn... it's like a game with 9 worlds and each world has 9 levels! Who the hell made this, an OCD god?!"
"Hahahaha..."
Mo Fan shook his head, laughing like a madman.
Suddenly, the sound of strong wind echoed above.
Mo Fan looked up. A giant bird the size of a dog stood at the cliff edge, glowing red eyes glaring down at him.
"OH SHIT! THAT MONSTER'S STILL THERE?! I'M STILL A MORTAL, DAMN IT!! DON'T EAT ME!!" he screamed, shaking in fear.
The bird screeched, flapped its wings, and flew off.
"Phew... I thought I was gonna die again..."
Then, something caught his eye. A gap in the rocks up ahead—a small, hidden cave only visible from a certain angle.
"Huh? What's that?"
With shaky steps, he crawled toward the cave. Inside, it was cold and silent. But within, he found an ancient stone altar and a mummified corpse seated cross-legged, wearing a tattered black robe—but the aura it emitted... was overwhelming.
"...this... this is someone's inheritance... and I can't even sense its level... it must be above Chaos Emperor?!"
Mo Fan gulped.
"GILANG... HAN MEI... WAIT FOR ME! I THINK I JUST HIT THE JACKPOT!!!" he shouted excitedly, even without getting a system cheat.
But as he reached for the altar, his body was thrown back.
"WHAT THE HELL?! IT'S FIGHTING BACK?! IS THIS AN ALTAR OR A PSYCHO?!"
He tried again. His head bounced back, nose bleeding. "Ow... ow... my nose..!"
"Damn it! Isn't dying once enough?! Now this place wants to kill me too?!"
With blood dripping and rage surging, he crawled forward once more.
"LISTEN, INHERITANCE OR WHATEVER YOU ARE, I DON'T CARE! I WANNA BE OP! I WANNA FLY BACK TO EARTH! I WANNA FLEX THAT I CAN FLY!!"
With a scream of determination and a flurry of curses, Mo Fan finally touched the altar...