Chapter 1: Rebirth and Wish

Let's get one thing straight: my life was basically a walking meme before I died.

Twenty-three, working a soul-crushing customer service job, living in a tiny apartment that was more like a glorified closet, and spending every spare moment either grinding in online games or reading manhwa. Not exactly the epic protagonist backstory I'd always dreamed about. But hey, at least I had my fantasies, right?

Solo Leveling was my ultimate escape. I'd read that manhwa so many times I practically had Sung Jin-Woo's entire character arc memorized. Every night, I'd imagine what it would be like to suddenly discover hidden powers, to level up from zero to hero. Classic wish-fulfillment? Absolutely. But a guy can dream.

The day I died started like any other boring Thursday. Minimum wage shift at the call center, listening to Karen after Karen complain about the most ridiculous things. "My coffee is too hot!" "This product doesn't work exactly how I imagined!" Blah, blah, blah.

I remember rolling my eyes so hard I was surprised they didn't get stuck. My AirPods were my lifeline, blasting some random K-pop playlist to drown out the monotony. Just another day of survival, you know?

The streets were pretty empty when my shift ended. Late November, cold enough to see my breath, dark enough that the streetlights were just starting to flicker on. I should've been more careful. Should've been more aware. But after hours of dealing with human stupidity, my brain was basically mush.

The mugger came out of nowhere.

One moment I'm walking, thinking about whether I should grab instant ramen or pizza for dinner, and the next—sharp pain. Cold metal. The shock of a knife sliding between my ribs.

No dramatic slow-motion sequence. No epic last stand. Just a sudden, shocking interruption to my utterly mediocre existence.

"Do you regret it?"

The voice came later. After the pain, after the darkness, after what felt like an eternity of absolutely nothing.

Regret? Ha! Regret what exactly? My dead-end job? My non-existent love life? The fact that I'd never get to see how the next season of my favorite anime turned out?

"Regret?" I responded, my non-existent voice dripping with sardonic humor. "Nah. Disappointed? Totally. I mean, if you're gonna kill me, at least make it interesting."

The voice—smooth, almost amused—seemed to consider me. "Interesting response. Most people panic. Most people beg. You? You're... different."

Different. Story of my life. Or, well, my death, I guess.

"So," I cut straight to the chase, "what's the deal? Divine intervention? Random universe reset? Or are we doing the whole mysterious supernatural recruitment thing?"

Another chuckle. "What would you want, if you could have anything?"

OH.

My mind went into overdrive. Years of reading every isekai, every power fantasy, every single manhwa and light novel had prepared me for this exact moment. And there was only one answer.

"Shadow Monarch powers," I declared, zero hesitation. "Full package. Army of shadows. Absolute power. No restrictions."

The laugh that followed felt like approval mixed with a hint of challenge. "Bold. Very bold."

A warning followed—something about shadows and light, about power having its price. Whatever. I'd read enough genre fiction to know that every epic power-up came with some cryptic warning.

"Good luck, Shadow Monarch."

And then—silence.

But not for long.

Shadows began to gather. Not threatening. Not dark in a scary way. But expectant. Like an army waiting for its commander. MY army.

Power started to flow. Not gentle, not harsh—but like liquid electricity filling every single part of my newly forming existence. I could feel them. The shadows. Countless beings, waiting. Watching. Ready.

A grin spread across my reforming consciousness. Oh. This. Was. Going. To. Be. EPIC.

Bring. It. ON.

***Author's Notes:***

omg first fanfic!!! pls be nice XD this is inspired by Solo Leveling (not mine, obvs) and I'm totally gonna explore what happens when a total nobody gets crazy op powers muahahaha

updates might be slow cuz, you know, real life exists. but I'm SUPER excited about this!!!

Comments/kudos make me write faster lololol