In the end, I was taken out by a jellybean.
Not a fucking flaming meteor. Not a jealous ex. Not even an evil god or a runaway isekai porter truck-kun.
Just… a jellybean.
I suppose that's poetic in a way. Quiet, dumb, colorful. Kind of like me.
It happened on a Wednesday. I had just finished my shift at the campus library—because of course the most invisible person in school works at the one place everyone pretends doesn't exist—and I was munching on some leftover candy I found in the back room.
One bounced. I slipped.
Then boom. Back of my head. Cold floor. Static darkness.
And just like that… Game Over.
Or so I thought.
Somewhere Else
"Oops."
That's the first thing I heard when I opened my eyes.
Not "welcome," not "you've died," not "rise, chosen one."
Just—
"Oops."
I blinked. A Beautiful girl stood over me in what looked like an office that had been hit by a magic tornado. Floating paperwork, runes glowing mid-air, some kind of celestial calendar flipping pages by itself. Her hair sparkled like starlight, and her clothes looked like someone combined a lab coat with a wedding dress and decided not to explain either choice.
"Okay, listen," she said, holding up her hands. "Funny story. You weren't supposed to die yet."
"…Cool," I said, already regretting being conscious.
She winced. "Also funny story number two—you weren't supposed to be isekai'd."
I sat up slowly. "Ise-what now?"
She pointed behind me. A glowing portal swirled like a magical Ramen bowl. A box of jellybeans floated inside it, marked…
[DO NOT EAT: SACRED OFFERING TO THE HERO OF LIGHT.]
"Oh," I said.
"Yeah," she said.
We stared at it for a long second.
Then the floor vanished.
Somewhere Else
I woke up in a field.
Well, sort of. There was grass. Trees. A mountain in the distance shaped suspiciously like a dragon's sleeping face.
The sky was blue, but the kind of blue that made you think someone cast a Make the Sky Nicer spell.
In my hand was a slip of paper.
Welcome, Random Human!
Due to clerical error, you've been reincarnated in [World No. 104-Q].
Please enjoy your stay.
Skill(s) Granted: [Shadow Talent – MAX].
Role: Background Villager (Disposable Tier).
Name: Unregistered.
Fate: Unknown.
I read it again. Then again.
Then I laughed. The kind of laugh you make when your brain decides it's safer to be amused than terrified.
Because this?
This was the perfect setup.
Everyone always dreams of being the hero.
I'm going to be something better.
The guy no one sees coming.
I Just Got an IDEA!
[End of Prologue]