Chapter 1: The Fall Before the Rise

Narrator's POV

"Get out of my house, you scum! I didn't raise a rapist or a brute!" shouted a middle-aged man before violently slamming the door.

"DAMN IT, IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME, WHO WILL!" cried the young man, desperate, in front of the closed door, but he got no response.

*bam.*

After knocking on the door for what seemed like an eternity, the young man picked up some of the belongings scattered around him, then left.

'Damn, I'm innocent... Why doesn't anyone believe me?'

This young man's name is Alex Park. He is — or rather, he was — a medical student.

He was expelled from the university after a recent scandal shook the state of Texas. His name appeared in a letter left by a young woman who committed suicide due to the harassment she suffered at the university.

In this letter, she accused Alex of being the instigator of her suffering. Fortunately for him, no tangible evidence could confirm these accusations.

Alex thus escaped prison and won his trial, despite the fact that his lawyer was court-appointed.

Unfortunately, the case made the rounds on social media and in newspapers. Alex's life literally shattered. What he finds even more absurd is that he doesn't understand why all this is happening to him.

'Shit, shit, shit... They're all traitors.' None of his friends answer his calls, without him knowing why.

Resigned, Alex gritted his teeth and headed towards a homeless shelter. It was humiliating, but he knew he would have to endure much more before seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

*bing*

The sound of a notification caught his attention as he walked towards the shelter. He quickly took out his phone, hoping it was a message from a friend or his ex. But it was just an unknown sender...

[Unknown: Do you want a new life, regardless of the price or risk to your existence?]

Alex was an atheist, but in a desperate situation, desperate measures are necessary. His current mental state wasn't very clear.

"I don't know you, but if you can give me a new life, then I'm ready to pay a reasonable price," muttered Alex before responding with a "Yes."

[Please select a power using your karma as payment: ...]

On Alex's screen, there were many names he recognized and others he didn't know.

"I really hope this isn't a hoax," thought Alex, still skeptical of this offer, but did he have a choice anymore?

If someone was playing a joke on him, so what? Currently, his life itself was already a joke. Alex had nothing to lose.

"I only have 350 KP, and according to them, I got them thanks to events like my birth, which brought great happiness, or selfless acts."

Although he didn't really believe it, Alex scrolled through the list of powers before coming across some affordable powers for his limited budget.

[ Jack of all trades (Rank C), Talent Category]

[Description: You will be good at everything, without exception, but you will not be a genius.]

[ Price: 200 PK ]

[ Eyes of Truth (Weakened) (Rank D), Skill Category ]

[ Description: Allows you to see the truth, but the individual must think of the subject related to that truth for the ability to work.

Sub-skill (sealed) included in Eyes of Truth:

• Instant Death: If the target learns the truth from the user of this ability, they will die regardless of the user's desire. However, this only works on mortals.

[ Price: 100 PK ]

[ Five Points Star Mark (Weakened) (Rank E), Skill Category:]

[ Description: An ancient exorcism technique originating from the Heian era. It was used by exorcists to control monsters and evil spirits in feudal Japan.

Nevertheless, it can affect bad girls. A person (or creature) under the influence of this skill will begin to feel attracted to the user of the mark.

Small warning note:

This skill does not control the target's mind, and its effectiveness will depend on the personality of the girl or evil creature.

Another warning note:

This version of the Five Points Star Mark is weaker than the original. Evil creatures and bad girls will simply have a very good impression of you, and if your spiritual compatibility is good, they will be attracted to you.

[ Price: 50 PK]

"There, I'm done," declared Alex after reflection.

He doesn't know who trapped him, but he's not a good person. That's why Alex chose skills focused on confronting bad people.

[Welcome to the dimensional mercenary agency. I really hope you can satisfy our clients.]

[Good luck among us, and here's your new life as a welcome gift.]

Alex didn't have time to respond before his phone exploded with abnormal violence, tearing off his head.

Later, the police will discover his body on the sidewalk. Unfortunately for Alex, no one in his entourage will mourn him.

...

In a poorly lit room in bad condition, a young man with black hair was sweating profusely in his sleep.

"What!" The young man woke up with a start in his bed.

"I... I'm alive?" Alex touched his body all over to reassure himself, but he noticed various anomalies.

"Since when do I have such soft hands, and why am I so thin?" He got up, staggering slightly before heading towards the shower.

He didn't know how he knew the location of the shower in this unknown house, but Alex slowly continued on his way.

Once inside, Alex dipped his face in water to chase away the lingering drowsiness, then glanced at the mirror.

Ouch. Alex couldn't help but groan in pain. He felt like he was receiving years of information at once.

"I... I've become Andrew Graves," he said, still holding his head.

(Image)

[Launching mercenary system...]

[10%... 20%... 29%... 80%... 100%]

[Installation successful.]

[Hello, host, I am the AI of the system.]

[I am supposed to provide some information that you didn't receive in your mind from the dimensional mercenary agency.]

"I see, can you show me your main capabilities?"

Alex, or Andrew, had received basic information from the dimensional mercenary agency. He hoped to get more details from the AI.

[Affirmative.]

[Thanks to the mercenary system, the host can check their status, exchange with other mercenaries via the shop, access an inventory, and obtain quests to earn karma points.]

Alex nodded with satisfaction before opening his mouth again.

"Show me the status."

Name: Andrew Graves (formerly Alex)

Age: 22 years old (formerly 24 years old)

Status: Hunger (weakened)

Class : (locked)

Strength: D (C)

Speed: E (D)

Potential: B+

Intelligence: S+

Robustness: E(D)

Mana : (locked)

[Note: the average for adults is "C" and you are currently suffering from a severe lack of nutrients which affects your overall statistics except for intelligence and potential]

Passive Skill: Eyes of truth (rank D), Five Points Star Mark(weakened) (rank E).

Active Skill: None.

Talent: Jack of all trades (rank C).

Karmic Points: None.

"I see, I'm really weakened," thought Andrew, frowning.

*Knock knock*

"Andy! Are you there? I found some food," a familiar voice echoed behind the door.

"Yes, I'm cleaning up a bit... and stop calling me Andy," Andrew growled, irritated without really knowing why upon hearing this nickname. He ended up linking it to the former owner of this body.

"Okay, Andy, I'm waiting for you to eat these delicious canned tomatoes." After these words, the owner of the voice moved away from the door.

"She must be Leyley... I never thought I'd end up in this game."

After inheriting Andrew's memories, Alex quickly understood that he had fallen into the game The Coffin of Andy & Leyley.

It was both good and bad news for him.

"I didn't know I'd end up in a random fictional universe. I'm really lucky that this universe is close to Earth, apart from the supernatural."

That was the good news, but the bad news was just behind the door.