1 Local Man Wallows In Self Delusion After Getting A Pop-up Ad
"We have news of middle schoolers having an anti-furry protest near a school in the state of Utah, we wi-"
Jin turned the TV off, his deadpan expression showing how much faith he had lost in today's modern society.
"This can't be for real..."
With a sigh, he stood up and relaxingly stretched his body. After letting out a drawn-out yawn, he lazily walked over to his fridge to grab some food to munch on.
Walking there, he suddenly turned his head to look at the calendar on his second fridge.
"Hmm..."
16/07/2024.
It has almost been a week since he graduated from University. And quite frankly, he had no fucking clue what he was supposed to do afterward.
He felt like an absolute outcast. Some of his classmates, whom he had been friends with since freshman year, had already sent out multiple job applications.
Some of which have already been accepted.
Of course, there were others like him who fundamentally felt the same way. However, they didn't seem to be under the same pressure as him.
Many of the lads went on vacation, while others reveled in partying, celebrating with utmost fervor.
And here he was, lazing around, with no other purpose in his seemingly mundane life, whilst simultaneously watching news about anti-furry protests in the middle of the night...
"Fuck, I didn't hit rock bottom..."
Nay, he barreled through it without considering the consequences.
Throughout his life, he had always lived with the motto 'I'll leave today's problem to tomorrow's me', and lo and behold, shit had hit the fan.
Assignments? He'd finish them the day before his deadline.
Essays? The dog ate 'em.
Attending classes? He might have been physically there, but mentally? Nah, he was still in la-la land.
Socializing? Quality over quantity! He'd rather have 2 or 3 amazingly good friends than a bunch of yes-men.
Yet, Jin still passed his classes with remarkable grades. Obviously, not at the top of his class nor valedictorian level, but just enough to be considered quite good.
"Don't know how to be honest, but I made it."
He nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, before grabbing a half-eaten sandwich and taking a bite out of it.
"Finally some fucking food."
If it weren't for the fact that he wasn't a weirdo, he would've forcibly made his eyes roll back into his skull.
While eating the sandwich, he took out his phone and scrolled through social media.
"Deadlifts are bad, you shouldn't be doing the-"
"Don't know, seems like a skill issue to me, man."
Rolling his eyes, he immediately skipped to the next clip.
"OF girl allegedly accused of cheating on her bf, claims it was, quote on quote 'For the bag', more info at my-"
"...why was bro with her in the first place?"
With eyes as lifeless as a fish, he returned his phone to his pocket before releasing a weary yawn.
He raised his right arm, his eyes narrowing as he squinted at the watch adorning his wrist.
11:28 PM.
Finishing his sandwich with a sigh, he strolled out of the kitchen into the dimly lit living room. He glanced back briefly to switch off the lights before heading upstairs.
...
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...
After finishing his nightly routine such as brushing his teeth, enjoying a much-needed shower, and completing other mundane tasks—he finally went back to his room. Settling into his chair in front of his gaming rig, he decided to see if there was anything new to watch.
Mindlessly scrolling through YouTube, with no sense of direction of what he was supposed to do whatsoever, Jin, not aware of how long it had been, suddenly realized that hours had already passed.
"How to make the Perfect Pizza."
Glancing at the title, Jin decided to click on it, before realizing that something was wrong...
"URGHHH, URGHHHH, ARGHHHH, RAHHH-"
"My brother in Christ..."
His eyes widened in sudden realization, slowly shifting away from the sight of the man mercilessly pummeling the pizza into oblivion. His gaze came to rest on the channel name, and instantly, everything clicked into place like a puzzle.
"...HowToBasic."
And before Jin could continue to gaze upon said majestic piece of videography, a sudden pop-up made its way onto his computer screen.
[This survey will change your life.]
The seemingly out-of-the-ordinary pop-up continued to blink, arousing one's temptation to just click on it.
However, Jin was smart.
He-
"Hell, yeah!"
Before his brain could even comprehend his decision, his hand had already moved at an inhuman speed to click on the pop-up without hesitation.
Jin's rather 'impromptu' decision led him to an unknown website where all types of 'what the fuck' questions were laid before him.
[Suppose you get kidnapped and transported into another world, what would you do?]
[*Please answer here.]
And for some odd reason, his senses were tingling. Somewhere or something at the back of his empty oonga-bunga brain kept telling him that his life would truly change if he decided to answer this whole survey.
As such, without a second thought, he answered the first question.
[Suppose you get kidnapped and transported into another world, what would you do?]
[Sleep and laze.]
"Hmm..."
Proud of his answer, he continued.
[If a hostile army were to stand in front of you, what would you do?]
[*Please answer here.]
"... Yeah, these questions ain't worth putting my brain power into."
[If a hostile army were to stand in front of you, what would you do?]
[Accept death.]
...
[You are the Lord of a territory, what's the first thing that comes into your mind?]
[who the fuck decided that?]
...
[Suppose you have the choice to choose a specific summon to aid you in managing your territory, who would it be?]
[*Please answer here.]
His eyes suddenly lit up, recalling a wealth of information from the countless hours spent watching various shows.
Then, like a light bulb illuminating his mind, Jin's face lit up.
Without a hint of hesitation or shame, he swiftly typed in his answer.
[Nero Claudius, FGO]
"Hah..."
With a contented sigh, he reclined slightly in his chair.
"Nothing beats having the Roman emperor himself- well, herself—take charge of the territory."
Jin can already imagine that if the hypothetical situation of him getting his ass yeeted to another world would occur, Nero would probably be hellbent in her pursuit of recreating another Rome.
But honestly...
"It's gon' be fire... quite literally."
Plus, her considerable power was definitely a bonus as well.
After a while, he continued looking through the survey.
[What compelled the user to choose Nero Claudius, a character from a game, to have her aid in the management of your territory?]
"Why?... Easy to answer."
[First five-star I pulled. Also, the first character I got to bond to level 10. Plus she ain't gonna mind if I laze about... I hope.]
As he reached the end of the survey, he narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"A spinning wheel? Seriously? Is it going to decide my fate? Some silly-goober-whimsical cheat type shit?"
With a half-mocking grin, he clicked on the wheel and gave it a spin.
After a while, the spin came to an abrupt stop, its arrow pointer at a few words.
[Congratulations, you've received the 1000 Times Amplification System!
Ding! Thank you for completing this survey, we sincerely wish the user an unforgettable journey across the lands!
Many wishes, and may the Roman Empress be your helpful aide in your endeavors!]
"Man, I FUCKING KNEW I-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Jin fainted on the spot.
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