Indonesia, Jakarta, 4:00 PM, the afternoon air heavy and oppressive.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zack. American and Indonesian blood flows within me, though honestly, I don't know much about either of my parents. Their faces, who they truly were… it's all a blur in vague memories. Since I was small, an orphanage in Jakarta has been my home. But enough of that, no need to dwell on endless sorrow. At this moment, the routine that usually soothes my soul—getting ready to go home from the office—is what I'm doing. Just as my foot was about to step out the door, Adi, a coworker, called out in a flat tone.
"Zack, Mr. Dedi asked me to call you to his room," Adi said briefly, without any preamble.
"Oh, okay, thanks for the info, Adi," I replied, feeling confusion begin to cloud my mind.
Adi simply delivered the message and left immediately, not waiting for a further response. His attitude was cold, as usual. Ever since the salary increase I received—which was indeed based on my superior performance compared to others—I've felt a distance from my colleagues. Apparently, my achievements were not well-received by them.
Now, with a mixture of anxiety and an unbearable sense of curiosity, my footsteps felt heavy as I made my way to Mr. Dedi's room.
After walking for about a minute, I arrived in front of his door. I took a deep breath before knocking. Mr. Dedi's flat voice from inside said, "Come in." I stepped inside, a nervous feeling gripping me, wondering what news he would share. Suddenly, without any emotion whatsoever, Mr. Dedi stated, "Sorry, Zack, but you're fired."
I froze on the spot. My body felt stiff, and my brain seemed to stop functioning. The words echoed, trying to process their meaning. What mistake had I made? I had always followed company regulations, never been late even for a minute, and my performance had consistently been at the top. Mr. Dedi continued without pausing, as if saying a common sentence, "The reason is, your salary is too high, and many people are complaining. Besides, my nephew will be taking your position."
Without giving me a chance to defend myself or file a complaint, Mr. Dedi immediately told me to leave.
With a broken heart and a mind in turmoil, I walked out of the office. As I passed through the gate, the cynical gazes of some coworkers caught my eye. Adi even flashed a victorious smirk that made my stomach churn. My steps quickened, wanting to get away from this place as soon as possible. I headed to the parking lot, got on my old motorbike, and hurried home. After a long and tiring one-hour ride, I finally arrived at my small rented room. Inside that narrow and silent room, sadness hit me hard. To soothe it, I took a chilling cold shower, then lay down on the bed, hoping sleep would come quickly and take all this pain away.
12:00 AM midnight.
Suddenly, my ears caught a strange sound, like a phone ringing incessantly: ding… ding… ding… Feeling dazed and still very sleepy, I opened my eyes. At first, darkness greeted me. But then, a transparent screen appeared right in front of my face, about ten centimeters away. Its soft light broke the darkness of the night.
I was utterly shocked. After overcoming the initial surprise and still feeling the remnants of the afternoon's sadness, I observed the screen carefully.
Dimensional Gate System
Name: Zack
Bloodline: Human
Charisma: 8
Stamina: 5
Strength: 5
Technique: -
Storage:
Locked Missions
Locked Shop
Suddenly, a memory flashed through my mind. "Ah… it seems like a long time ago, when I bought a laptop and felt bored, I often read online novels or fanfiction that had systems like this," I thought. "Is this real, or just a hallucination from all this sadness?" My heart pounded erratically, between disbelief and a strange glimmer of hope.
Suddenly, a human voice was heard, "Welcome to the Dimensional Gate System." The voice continued, "The Dimensional Gate System is a system that can take its owner to travel to the worlds of anime and movies."
At first, I was confused about who was speaking, but after listening to the explanation, I understood. Then, I asked, "Is there a beginner's package like the systems I often read about in fanfiction stories?"
"There is a beginner's package. Would you like to open it?"
"Please open it," Zack said, his voice slightly trembling.
"Congratulations, you have obtained a Serum, a Gelitic Blade, and a Ticket."
I was silent for a moment, trying to process this information. "This serum seems to be from the Marvel Captain America series. This Gelitic Blade is from the Terraria Calamity game, and what is this ticket for?" I asked the system.
"Correct, that serum is from the Marvel series. And the Gelitic Blade is from the Terraria Calamity game. As for the ticket, it functions to travel to another world, but it's random; you cannot choose it."
Zack took out the serum from the storage provided by the system. The bluish-green liquid shimmered softly under the light of the system screen. Without hesitation, driven by curiosity and perhaps a bit of desperation, he immediately injected the serum into his arm. Within ten seconds, a burning sensation spread throughout his body, followed a minute later by excruciating pain. He bit his lip hard, trying to suppress a scream so as not to disturb the other residents of the boarding house. Cold sweat drenched his body, and his muscles tensed severely.
After five minutes that felt like an eternity, the painful effects of the serum finally subsided. Zack clearly felt a "pulsating" power from within his body. His height had increased, and his muscles had developed proportionally, not like a bodybuilder, but they felt dense and strong. Before using the serum, his height was 175 cm, and afterward it became 180 cm. His breathing felt easier, and his vision was sharper.
With trembling hands, Zack looked back at the system screen still displayed in front of him. His statistics had changed.
Name: Zack
Bloodline: Human
Charisma: 9
Stamina: 20
Strength: 20
Technique: -
Storage: Gelitic blade, ticket
Locked Missions
Locked Shop