Chapter 1: The ‘Iron Fist’ of Zero Love

“Woohoo~”

Thanks for the invite, I’m in Egret Island, just got off the train.

“Finally out of the house, I really can’t get used to the rhythm of the Spring Festival.” The young man looked at the bustling city in front of him and took a deep breath of fresh exhaust fumes.

Going home for the New Year is always a torment, especially for someone like him, a fragile worker. The Spring Festival at home is nothing but endless questions from all sorts of relatives.

“How’s work going?”

“Got a girlfriend yet?”

“When are you getting married?”

“You should save more money to buy a car and a house…”

Hilarious, can’t save a dime.

His job was already a mess, struggling every day just to make ends meet. Over twenty years and almost nothing to show for it, and his aloof personality (social anxiety) made facing those familiar yet unfamiliar relatives incredibly awkward.

“Since it’s my zodiac year, I’ll buy a scratch-off to start the Year of the Dragon on a high note!” The young man carried his luggage into a lottery shop.

“Boss, give me two scratch-offs!”

The middle-aged owner chuckled as he took the money and handed over a sheet of scratch-offs. “Young man, pick your own!”

Looking at the sheet of scratch-offs, the young man didn’t hesitate, picking up a coin and scratching at one near the center.

[Grand…]

“Wait, this character…” His eyes lit up with excitement.

Heaven bless me, good luck indeed in my zodiac year!

He quickly scratched off the rest of the ticket.

Sure enough, at the top of the scratch-off, in bold golden letters, were the words [Grand Prize]! But strangely, in the middle, instead of the prize amount, there was a black and red ink character.

‘Demon.’

A bizarre and evil character.

The middle-aged owner glanced at it and his eyes showed a hint of surprise, his face breaking into a complex smile of joy, mockery, and relief.

“Boss, is this scratch-off authentic?” The young man pointed at the ‘Demon’ character with dissatisfaction. “It clearly says Grand Prize, but it looks fake.”

“Doing business without integrity, boss.”

“Don’t worry, young man. I always conduct my business honestly, and you’ve indeed won a one-in-a-million Grand Prize.” The owner replied with a mysterious smile.

“Really? Then tell me, how much did I win?” The young man couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

The Grand Prize!

Even a few tens of thousands would be a windfall for him!

“What you’ve won isn’t money, but an opportunity.” The owner shook his head with a grin, then reached under the counter and pulled out a long object.

“Young man, it’s time for your isekai adventure.”

Seeing the object pointed at him, the young man broke out in a cold sweat, staring in shock at the ‘Iron Fist Rocket Launcher’ in the owner’s hands.

Isn’t this the Iron Fist Rocket Launcher from the game?

“Cough, boss, you’re joking, right?” The young man asked cautiously.

“You are my last candidate for crossing over. Once I send you off, my task is complete!” The middle-aged owner laughed heartily, finger poised on the rocket launcher’s trigger.

“Wait, no…”

The young man’s eyes widened in terror, watching as the rocket launcher burst into fierce flames. Then, everything went white and he lost consciousness.

In his final moment of awareness, the scratch-off ticket with the black and red ‘Demon’ character flashed before his eyes.

(End of Chapter)