The man died at his desk.
Not in a heroic way.
Not in a dramatic accident.
Just quietly.
Arman was staring at lines of code on his monitor, debugging a feature his boss demanded be finished before midnight. The office was dark, silent except for the hum of computers and the ticking clock on the wall.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
His chest tightened.
That's strange…
His vision blurred. The cursor stopped blinking. His hands slipped from the keyboard.
And then—nothing.
When he opened his eyes again, there was no office.
Only light.
Warm, endless light stretched in every direction. He stood on something that felt like clouds yet solid beneath his feet. In front of him was a presence—not a person, not a shape, but something vast that pressed gently against his soul.
A voice echoed.
"You have reached the end of your first life."
Arman swallowed. "So… I'm dead?"
"Yes."
He laughed bitterly. "Worked to death at thirty. Sounds about right."
The presence paused.
"You were not meant to die yet. Your life was misused."
Arman clenched his fists. "Then what happens now?"
"I will give you a second chance."
His heart skipped. "A second chance?"
"In another world. A world where mana exists."
Arman's mind raced. Fantasy novels. Magic. Escape from a life of endless deadlines.
"If I can choose," he said slowly, "then I don't want to be weak again."
"What do you wish to become?"
"A wizard."
The world shattered.
Wind roared. His body felt torn apart and rebuilt.
Then—
He landed on grass.
Real grass. Cool and damp. Above him stretched a deep blue sky with two faint moons.
A translucent window appeared before his eyes.
Name: Arman
Race: Human
Age: 30
Occupation: Blank
Level: 1
HP: 100
Mana: 50
Stamina: 100
Another window followed.
A beginner's guide appeared, explaining that this world was ruled by mana and that his occupation was currently blank. To become a wizard, he would need to sense mana, learn spells, and survive.
Arman looked around. A vast forest surrounded him.
"No more wasting time," he muttered.
He closed his eyes.
And reached for magic.