"You idiot! Stop standing around like a log and carry the supplies!"
Hearing the harsh, annoying voice of the manager, I reluctantly pouted, but seeing his biceps, which were larger than my own frail, scrawny thigh, I could only grit my teeth and continue carrying the cement bag forward alongside the other workers.
That's right, I am a construction worker. And let me warn you beforehand: I am… extremely weak.
But maybe that was too sudden, wasn't it?
Hello, I am Gray, Gray as in Grayson, just understand it that way. It's not Grey, but anyway, just know that.
I was never meant to be a part of this place… I mean, I was never a resident of this world.
It's simple, in my old world, I could have lived comfortably, indulging in pleasures until the end of my life with the inheritance left by my family, as long as I steered clear of fraud, gambling, tax evasion, stocks, or investments.
In short, I lived a life of extreme comfort, so comfortable that I forgot I hadn't turned off the gas valve the day before. And all it took was a single flick of the light switch.
Boom!
Nothing was left.
I mean that literally, unless you count my ashes as "something remaining". Pretty funny huh?
But never mind, that's in the past. Though I truly regret it, I should have turned that damned knob off that night.
Getting back to the main issue, I… have transmigrated.
I woke up in a truly fantastical world, a place where all my wildest imaginations could become reality. To a young, adolescent boy, this was absolutely marvelous.
In the first few moments, that's exactly what I thought.
But reality is always the most painful slap we dare not try again, like a child who no longer dares approach the fighting game machine after being thoroughly thrashed by the young man in the white tank top and baggy jeans on the other side.
Basically, a fantasy world is too beautiful, too wonderful for the adventurous souls of young men who love fighting and power. But that's only true if I had been reincarnated into a handsome body with an eight-pack, possessing overwhelmingly powerful abilities.
However, the reality is… too painful.
Even though I said it above, it is truly too painful!
The only consolation is that the unlucky guy whose body I stole was also named Gray, at least it minimizes confusion if someone calls out the wrong name, and I'm not used to another name anyway. But the drawbacks of this identity are countless.
This guy Gray has a younger brother and a younger sister who are currently in school and need financial support. Okay, no problem. Being reborn once under your identity, Gray, this me, this Gray, though I can't promise I'll love your siblings exactly as you did, I will definitely fulfill the duty of an older brother!
Alright, was that declaration heroic enough? Moving on to the next one.
This guy Gray also has a father, which sounds like good news. But this father is an alcoholic with a history of domestic violence. He frequently demands money from Gray and even dares to cut into the funds meant for his two younger siblings' support.
Doesn't that already deduct 100% of the excitement? That is… bad news.
But wait, there's more.
This rotten old man is addicted to nothing less than… gambling!
My whole life, back when I was rich, I never dared to set foot in a gambling den, but this wretched old man has played himself into madness.
In total, that deducts 200% of the excitement, meaning it's extremely bad news.
And surprise, surprise, this is still not the worst news.
This Gray also has a mother who is currently critically ill, living in a vegetative state inside a hospital. The cost to treat her and maintain the treatment conditions is literally sky-high. And to cover that astronomical expense, Gray carelessly took out a usurious loan, loan-shark loan.
Damn it!
What did I do wrong, Gray? Just because we share the same name, did you heartlessly leave and throw this mess onto me?
In my previous life, I didn't believe in reincarnation or that my deeds in this life would affect the next. But I swear, I swear, at this very moment, that I have never done anything terribly wrong. At most, I ate the meat of animals that I didn't even kill. But if switching to a vegetarian diet could help, I would gladly go vegetarian.
I mean, I did charity and public service, didn't I? Why am I being treated like this?
However, all the above reasons are still not the biggest cause of my despair.
Ways could be found to handle those other reasons after all, I'm not an idiot. But this one, I can't handle.
I am… incredibly weak, even by normal person standards.
The cause, of course, stems from Grey lifestyle and family.
Even though I indulged in endless pleasures in my past life, I didn't possess a body as weak as this one. Even carrying a single cement bag is hard labor that forces me to stop frequently, only to be yelled at by the manager.
Damn it!
Damn it!
Damn it!
In this world, a normal person is probably already incapable of doing much, and I am someone weak among normal people… I truly want to ask how much the person who arranged for my transmigration here actually detests me?
"Gray! You're slowing down the line again!"
The manager yelled again, and he even got my name wrong!
Damn it. If only I had strength…
Looking at the manager's bulging, tanned biceps, which I am certain could easily twist me like an empty plastic bottle, I could only focus my remaining strength on carrying the cement bag forward.
Damn it!