"AHHH! MOTHERF—!"
I slammed my head again and flailed both hands around like a madman.
And that's when it hit me.
"I'M INSIDE A FREAKING COFFINNNNN!"
No joke. Any normal human would panic — and I was no exception. I was panicking like a fish flopping on dry land.
I kicked. I screamed. I was sweating buckets in that oxygen-starved wooden hellhole.
After a few exhausting minutes of blindly smashing around and whispering every prayer I could remember, a thought finally sparked.
"Alright, Oliver. Relax. Think. You've seen that one video on how to escape a coffin if you're buried alive... This is your moment, man."
Clearly, I was lying to myself. But I had to say something to stay sane.
I balled up my fist and threw a solid punch.
"BANG!"
"BANG!"
"BANG!"
Absolutely nothing happened... except my right hand started bleeding.
"Freaking fantastic," I muttered, wincing. "NOT AGAIN!"
Still, I kept punching the same damn spot like a stubborn idiot who thought willpower could break solid wood. (Spoiler: It can't.)
"Damn that 5-minute life hack video!"
Until—
I felt something sharp against my neck. I reached up and touched it.
A necklace. Wait… no… a pendant. And it was sharp. Sharp enough to cut.
I wrapped the pendant around my fingers like brass knuckles.
"BANG!"
"BANG!"
"AHHHH—BAN—"
Before I could finish my war cry, a sprinkle of sand hit my face.
My eyes widened.
"YES! I MADE A HOLE!" I cheered. "ONE MORE TIME!"
This time, I put everything — my rage, my regret, my entire past life's trauma — into one final punch.
"SHHHHHHHHHH"
The wood cracked.
I shoved my hand into the hole, grabbed the edge, and yanked until it splintered. Sand poured in fast, nearly burying half my body. But I had just enough space to wriggle free.
The hole wasn't big, but I forced my way out like a determined potato squeezing through a Pringles can.
But the fight wasn't over. I still had to dig up through what felt like wet cement. But hey — compared to being trapped in a coffin, digging felt like vacation.
After five grueling minutes, I heard it.
A bark. A little puppy's bark.
It was soft, high-pitched, and adorable enough to make me tear up on the spot.
I couldn't see it, but it gave me hope. I kept clawing my way upward, faster now.
"Ahh... finally."
Light. A dim, warm streetlight blinded me as I broke through the ground. I blinked rapidly, adjusting to the brightness.
I gasped for breath. "YESSS!" I cried, hands in the air like a champion.
But then I froze.
"Wait…"
"Why… is everything so huge?"
I turned to look at the streetlight again. It was way taller than I remembered. Everything was!
"Oh hell no. I'M SMALL?!"
Yup. I was trapped in the body of a 5-year-old.
"What kind of weird dream is this…?"
"BOW BOW!" a dog barked beside me. I turned. A tiny, golden-furred puppy trotted toward me. He looked no older than a month, cute enough to melt steel.
He started licking my face like I was his long-lost owner.
We stared at each other like we'd just made an unspoken best friend pact.
Suddenly, I heard the rumble of a car. I turned just in time to see a sleek, two-seater luxury car pull up beside me. The top was open. A young couple inside leaned out, surprised.
They didn't have children of their own.
They saw the name Salix engraved on my pendant…
And just like that, they adopted me and named me Salix.
FLASHBACK ENDS
Salix gasped awake, jerking out of a night-long coma. His new parents were waiting outside the hospital room.
He remembered everything now — the coffin, the reincarnation, even God-as-Robert-Downey-Jr.
He always suspected he had been reincarnated. Now he knew it.
Suddenly—
"GOOD MORNING, SIR."
"Agh! Yeah, yeah. Good morning. Where the hell were you when Malfoy nearly murdered me?"
"I WASN'T ALLOWED TO ACT. I'M A SYSTEM THAT ONLY GIVES YOU POWER WHEN YOU COMPLETE CERTAIN TASKS."
"Oh. So nothing for free, huh?"
"YOU GOT THAT RIGHT, SIR."
Salix scowled. "I swear I'll curse Malfoy like he cursed my toffee."
🟡 'Ding! Side Quest Activated: Impress Professor Snape (without dying)'
Reward: Shadow Clone Jutsu
"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUUUUUUU—"
Salix's eyes widened like dinner plates.
"Shadow Clone?! That's like… the real deal!"
Sure, impressing Snape sounded impossible — but getting Shadow Clone Jutsu?
Totally worth it.
"But wait… isn't that from a completely different world?"
"THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED A 'SPECIAL' POWER, SIR."
Salix grinned.
"Alright then… Anything for the Shadow Clone."
-----------------------------------------------
Power stone pleaseee
and guess what story begin