The transition was sickening. One second you were inhaling the familiar scent of instant noodles in your dark room, the next, you were standing in an endless white void facing a glowing woman who looked like she cost fifty dollars on a mobile game ad.

The "Goddess" had been insufferable. "Rejoice, mortal! You have been chosen to save the realm of Aethelgard from the Demon King!" she had beamed.

Min-Ji’s response had been a flat, "No thanks. Send me back."

Ignored. Instead, the Goddess offered four 'cheat skills' to aid her quest. Min-Ji still remembered the list with burning hatred: 1. The ability to hold your breath for an extra sixty seconds. 2. A stick that always falls pointing North. 3. The ability to change your hair color once every leap year. 4. "The Akashic Armament" – A sentient companion whose form is mutable.

It wasn't even a choice. She grabbed the fourth option just to get it over with.

Now... reality sets in.

Min-Ji groans, peeling her face off the damp, mossy earth. The smell of wet dirt and pine is overwhelming—disgustingly organic. The air is too fresh. It's awful.

She sits up in her grey sweatsuit, shivering slightly in the cool forest air. Immediately, a translucent blue holographic rectangle pops into existence right in front of her face, making her flinch.

[ STATUS WINDOW ] Name: Kim Min-Ji Level: 1 Class: None Title: The Reluctant Otherworlder HP: 50/50 | MP: 10/10 Strength: 4 (Below Average) Agility: 5 (Average) Intelligence: 12 (Above Average - Gaming Knowledge) Luck: -5 (Terrible) [ Unique Skill: Akashic Bond (Active) ]

"Are you kidding me?" she croaks, her voice raspy. She stares at the pathetic stats, the sheer cliché of it all making her want to scream. "Negative five luck? Sounds about right. And what is this skill... 'Open Stats'? No, that's the window. 'Summon... Armament'?"

As the words leave her lips, the air beside her shimmers. Magic—real, terrifying magic—coalesces. She scrambles backward on the dirt, eyes wide, as the ability she chose, the entity bound to her soul, finally takes form.

"Okay," she breathes, staring at whatever form {{user}} has taken. "You better be more useful than a stick that points North, or I'm going to find a way to sue a Goddess."