Kaiser was just about to shut down his laptop for the night when the notification popped up.
[Transmigration Group Chat Activated.]Welcome: Kaiser[1]Countdown: 00:30:00
He stared at the floating, translucent panel in disbelief. It hovered in midair, casting a faint bluish glow over his darkened room. The words shimmered slightly, as if reacting to his stunned silence.
"No way…" he muttered, eyes wide.
He poked at the panel. His fingers passed through it. No heat, no texture—just cold light.
Members: Kaiser[1][You are currently the only member in this group chat.]
That didn't reassure him. In fact, it was worse. He knew this trope. He'd read enough web novels to recognize the setup immediately. A group chat that only he was part of? With a countdown?
He was going to transmigrate.
And he had thirty minutes.
The room fell completely silent except for the ticking of the wall clock. The digital countdown pulsed like a heartbeat in the corner of his vision.
"…Shit."
Kaiser shot to his feet, grabbing the small hiking backpack he used for school trips. There was no time to waste. If there was one thing he'd learned from reading dozens of survival isekai and apocalypse stories, it was this: you prepare before the timer hits zero—or you die.
He yanked open drawers. Underwear, extra shirts, socks, pants—stuffed. He grabbed his phone and connected it to the external hard drive. All the documents, files, and notes he'd collected over years of obsessing over hypothetical scenarios with his friends were still there: survival guides, crafting tutorials, first-aid manuals, wilderness cooking tips, even files on herbal medicine and how to make a toothbrush from a twig.
He dumped it all onto a flash drive, then tucked it into a small plastic case and popped it in his mouth. Just in case. He could swallow it if needed.
His parents were out. Good. No time to explain.
He scribbled a quick note on the back of an old receipt:
"Dear Mom and Dad,I'm not kidnapped. I'm not dead. I just… left. I promise I'm alive. Don't cry. Don't go to the police. I'll come back if I can. Love, Kaiser."
Then he dashed into the garage, grabbed both of their credit cards from the kitchen counter, and ran to the nearest convenience store.
Compressed biscuits. Bottled water. Protein bars. Multipurpose soap. Lighter. Cheap multitool. Duct tape. Aluminum foil. Trash bags. Emergency blankets. Batteries. Paracord. Poncho. Toothbrush and paste. Wet wipes. Painkillers. Gauze. Antiseptic. A cheap first-aid kit.
The cashier stared at him like he was prepping for a natural disaster. He didn't care.
He sprinted home, every second counted. Countdown: 00:17:42.
Once inside, he stripped off his indoor clothes and switched to outdoor gear. Durable pants. Breathable, long-sleeved shirt. Windbreaker. Gloves. His old biking helmet. Shin and knee guards from his old baseball days. A light but solid aluminum bat. Duct-taped a knife to the side of his backpack strap for easy reach.
The bat went through a shoulder strap sling on his back. He wanted to keep his hands free.
He looked like a dork. He didn't care. It might save his life.
00:12:58
He forced himself to sit. Breathe. Calm down.
"Think," he whispered.
This wasn't a game. Group chat transmigrations could land people anywhere. Volcano. Desert. Ocean floor. Abandoned dungeon. A fantasy world in the middle of a demon raid. He had no guarantee of a "civilized spawn."
But… some things were consistent.
He opened the downloaded backup folder. His chat with his old friend Sam popped up: "Bro if we ever get isekai'd and it's some random teleport shit, we bring duct tape, water, sugar, knife, and Wikipedia. That's survival kit level one."
Kaiser smiled faintly. They had spent whole weekends building detailed "transmigration prep" plans. Sam would've freaked out if he knew Kaiser was actually going.
But Sam had moved away. No contact in two years. Kaiser didn't even know if he'd read novels anymore.
00:08:49
He checked the chat panel again.
[You are currently the only member in this group chat.][Teleportation will commence when timer hits zero.][Location: Randomized.][Cheat System: Randomized.]
Cheat system?
He nearly choked on his own breath. "So it's that type of novel…"
His fingers itched to type something, anything, into the chat—but there was no input field. It wasn't an interactive group. Just a passive UI. Like a loading screen before the game starts.
00:05:34
Kaiser picked up his bag. Adjusted the straps. Tightened everything until it sat snug on his back.
Everything felt too light. Not in terms of weight, but meaning. He was really about to leave everything he'd ever known behind. Friends. Family. School. This bedroom. That annoying dog next door. The vending machine on the corner that always gave him the wrong drink.
"Don't get emotional," he muttered. "Save it for after you don't die."
He double-checked everything.
Bag with gear. Check.
Flash drive in mouth. Check.
Helmet. Gloves. Shin guards. Bat. Check.
Letter left behind. Check.
Wi-Fi backup files stored. Check.
Everything was ready.
00:01:12
His heart thudded harder with each second.
He sat in the center of the room, legs folded. He tried to meditate. Steady breaths in and out. He remembered what Sam used to say: "Panic kills faster than poison."
The panel flickered. The countdown pulsed brighter.
00:00:2900:00:2800:00:27...
He didn't look away.
Not this time.
Wherever he was going, whatever he would face—he had thirty minutes to prepare.
And he used every second.
00:00:0500:00:0400:00:0300:00:0200:00:01
The world flashed.
Blue. White. Black.
Then—
Nothing.