Somewhere in India, 2025
"Ding."
"Sir, no more patients. It's closing time," said the staff member at the door.
"Okay, you can go. My friends will be here soon," I replied casually.
"Okay, sir," he said.
**After one hour:**
"What's got you down?" a friend asked.
"Nothing, just the usual stuff," another friend replied.
"And what about you?" a friend once asked me.
"I just saw the news about another gang rape. The suspect is out on bail again. It feels like this has become so common nowadays. A decade ago, when something like that happened, the roads were filled with protests. Now, it's just daily news, and no one gets punished. No one care anymore."
"Someone is politically connected, and others are very rich, so they think they are above the law," I replied.
"Yeah, it really feels like a daily occurrence."
There was silence for a while, and then we all went our separate ways.
**The Next Day:**
As I looked in the mirror while getting ready for the clinic, I saw a man who seemed defeated, someone who didn't know what he wanted from life anymore. When I was 18 and preparing for college, I had a fit body. I wasn't particularly muscular, but I was very active during my studies. I was always in the top three of my class without studying at home or in the library; class time was enough for me.
I had won many gold and silver medals in volleyball and football. But what I saw in the mirror was an obese man—a life with no hobbies and no friends outside of work, which I don't even enjoy.
All my muscles have disappeared, leaving only fat behind. While many people look forward to their college years, I was miserable during mine. The pressure from my family got to me. I don't know when it started, but I think it began when my family insisted I pursue medicine instead of my favorite subject, computer science.
I don't like the medical field, but due to family expectations, I have to stick with it. With my depressive mood, I didn't make any friends in college, and the few acquaintances I had were not very good. At least, despite the pressure, I don't take alcohol or drugs. Even now, the only beverages I enjoy are distilled water and tea. I don't even drink soft drinks.
Amid the pressure of studies and family expectations, I lost track of my hobbies and what I enjoyed. I have no girlfriend and no friends outside of work; it's not that I don't have a choice—it's just that the only girls who seem interested in me are after my money, which isn't much. Yes, I make enough to get by, but it's not enough for enjoyment.
I have a large family. My father passed away when I was seven, but I still have my mother, my two younger sisters, my grandfather, grandmother, and great-great-grandmother, and I love them dearly.
I am trying to get my life back on track, but I have become lazy and addicted to the internet. It's so hard to regain control. I have joined a gym multiple times, but after two to three weeks, when the weight still hasn't budged, I quit. I've tried to pick up new hobbies, but nothing seems to stick. The only thing I genuinely enjoy in my free time is reading fan fiction; it's the only enjoyment left in my life.
I can only describe myself as lazy, unmotivated, and depressed. All I want is for some miracle to change my life. I often dream of getting a system, or some genetic gift, but I don't want to be reincarnated or anything like that—I don't want to leave my family behind.
What I desire is to gain the power to change my country and world, where crime, war, and hunger are rampant, and where you don't know if you'll make it home in the evening.
As the saying goes, you often get what you least desire.
"Ahem. Ahem."
As I was lost in thought, I heard a cough behind me.
I turned to see a being made of light. My mind went blank, and I didn't know what to think.
"So, you want to make something of yourself but don't want to go to another world. Hmmm. How is this possible?"
With your personality, even with power, you wouldn't do anything, because you are lazy, and I wouldn't be entertained. Instead, I will merge your soul with Captain America from Marvel. You both have opposite personalities, which will balance each other out, and the merging will be perfect. Now, you need to gain enough power to return to this world and be with your family or do whatever you like.
Just entertain me, mortal.
Before I could even utter a word, a hand made of light passed through me, separating my soul from my body. Then, the hand thrust my soul through the fabric of the universe, and I lost consciousness.