A shimmering portal flickered open in front of a quiet two-story suburban house, its swirling energy casting an eerie glow against the night sky. The space between worlds distorted for a moment before a lone figure stepped through, his long coat billowing behind him. The moment his foot touched the ground, the portal snapped shut with a faint hum, vanishing without a trace.
The night was quiet. A warm breeze rustled the leaves of the trees lining the street, the only witness to his sudden arrival.
Eric took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the familiar air of home.
"Three months, huh?" He muttered, rolling his shoulders as his stiff muscles relaxed. "Feels like a lifetime."
His shadow rippled unnaturally beneath him, as if alive. The darkness swirled, creeping up his body before shifting seamlessly into something more casual. Within seconds, his battle-worn coat and reinforced combat attire morphed into a simple black t-shirt and half-pants—the very clothes he had been wearing before his abrupt departure.
It was as if he had never left.
Well, except for the fact that he had.
And it wasn't even his fault.
Three months ago, something had awakened within him—
Memories of his past life, at least it was his thought.
Because it was like watching a movie, he can recoil it, but he doesn't feel like he personally experiences it.
He did not dwell in the small matter because, With those memories came something else. A system. A strange, otherworldly mechanism bound to him, offering him a power straight out of a fantasy novel.
Its main function? Teleportation to another world.
Sounds great, right? The dream of any isekai protagonist. A golden opportunity. The adventure of a lifetime.
Except for one minor problem.
There was no manual.
No guidelines.
No instructions on how it worked.
And yet, despite the absurdity, Eric had not been reckless. He wasn't some naive protagonist who would blindly throw himself into an unknown world without preparation.
So, he did what any rational person would do—
He told his mother.
The Smartest Dumb Decision of His Life
To be fair, it made sense at the time. His family was powerful. Influential. If anyone could help him figure out what to do with this system, it was them.
His grandfather? A senator.
His uncle? An active-duty general.
His other uncle? The CEO of a Political Consulting Company.
If it was real, then they had resources—specialists, analysts, people who could study it. Help him plans.
At least, that was the logical plan.
But in his excitement, he had forgotten one critical thing.
He was still just a sixteen-year-old kid.
Just a teenager. And in his mother's eyes? A dumb kid with too much imagination.
He had explained everything—the concept, the potential, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that his system presented. He expected at least curiosity, maybe excitement.
At least his mom would trust him, he thought.
She was like a friend to him.
Instead—
She laughed.
Brushed it off as childish nonsense.
Didn't believe a single word.
So, in his youthful arrogance and eagerness to prove her wrong, he had made a reckless decision.
He activated the system right in front of her.
And in the blink of an eye—
He was gone.
His original plan had been simple:
Go there and immediately return.
Even if there was a cooldown period, he had intended to lay low, avoid danger, and come back as soon as possible.
He had assumed that, like in most system-based stories he read, he would have the ability to return whenever he wanted.
He was wrong.
A Year in Another World
Where did he end up?
It was a familiar world, he just saw it in his newly receive memory, The world of Solo Leveling.
And the worst part?
He had no idea if he could even survive as a bystander.
Who knows if these guys will reset the universe, he can still exist?
Faced with the possibility of dying, he made a decision.
Using the Exchange Card that came with his system, he swapped places with Sung Jin-Woo—inheriting the Monarch's power in the process.
Which meant—
He was forced to fight.
To stand on the battlefield against world-ending threats.
To survive in a war where gods and monsters clashed.
It was like playing Dark Souls on max difficulty—except He has no respawn option.
By the time he finally found a way back, the war had ended, and over a year had passed for him in that world.
But here, in his original world?
Only three months had gone by.
According to the system, time flowed differently between dimensions.
And between Marvel and solo leveling world, the ratio was 1:4.
For every hour that passed in this world, four hours passed in Solo Leveling.
Technically, he could have returned earlier.
But the system had warned him—
Leaving too soon would have had severe consequences.
Something about entropy… Something about causality…
He didn't fully understand the mechanics yet.
But in the end, the laws of reality were stronger than him.
At least for that time.
Taking a deep breath, he pressed the doorbell.
A second passed.
Then two.
Then—
The door creaked open slowly.
A middle-aged woman stood there, clad in a loose nightgown. Her once vibrant face was gaunt, her cheeks slightly sunken. Dark circles adorned her eyes, hinting at sleepless nights and endless worry.
Eric blinked.
His mother's gaze locked onto him, unblinking, unmoving. The world seemed to hold its breath. Then, before he could even utter a single word—
SLAP!
The sharp sting burned across his cheek.
Eric barely had time to register the impact before another followed.
SLAP! SLAP!
And then—a kick straight to his shin.
"Ow—Mom!" Eric yelped, stumbling back. "At least let me say something before attacking me!"
His mother's chest heaved as she glared at him, her fists clenched. "Three months, Eric. Three whole months. You vanished into thin air without a trace, and now you just waltz back in like nothing happened?!"
Eric winced, rubbing his face. "Okay, okay, I get it. But at least be glad I'm back in one piece?"
She didn't look impressed. If anything, her foot twitched as if considering another well-placed kick. Eric flinched on instinct.
"I swear, if you don't start explaining in the next three seconds, I'm dragging you to the orphanage!" she snapped.
Eric sighed, deciding just to spill it. "Alright, listen. You remember the whole 'I have a system that lets me travel to other worlds' thing?"
His mother's eye twitched.
"You mean that childish nonsense you spouted before you vanished into thin air? Yes, I remember."
"Yeah, so… Turns out, it wasn't nonsense. I really did get teleported to another world. And, uh, due to technical difficulties, I kinda got stuck there for a year."
Her stare could melt steel.
"But!" Eric quickly added, waving his hands defensively. "Due to the time difference, it's only been three months here! So technically, it's not as bad as it sounds!"
Silence.
Then—
BONK!
His mother smacked him on the head with the closest object she could reach—a slipper.
"Ow! Mom! Violence is never the answer!"
"Says the boy who disappeared to another world for a year!" she snapped, her voice rising. "Do you have any idea what I went through?! I reported you missing! The police couldn't find anything! I thought—I thought—" Her voice cracked slightly, her fingers trembling. "I thought you were dead..."
Everyone thought I was crazy, you just ran away.
Eric's bravado faded. He had expected anger, but the raw pain in her voice made guilt twist in his stomach.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to make you worry. I really thought I'd be able to come back immediately. I didn't know there'd be a time restriction…"
His mother exhaled shakily, rubbing her temples. "What kind of 'system' makes you disappear for months without a way back?"
"A very scuffed one," Eric muttered, scratching the back of his head. "Honestly, I should've known better. But on the bright side, I did some important things over there. Saved a world, fought god-like beings, got ridiculously strong—"
His mother threw her slipper at him.
"—Ack! Okay, I'll shut up now!" Eric dodged, holding up his hands in surrender.
His mother let out a long, tired sigh. "I don't care if you became the strongest being in existence. You're still my son, and you will be grounded for this." She crossed her arms. "No internet, no games, no going out with friends—"
"Joke's on you, I don't have friends," Eric quipped.
"—And no food except instant noodles for the next week!"
Eric paled. "Okay, now that's just cruel."
His mother huffed. "Serves you right. Now get inside before I change my mind and make it two weeks."
With a defeated groan, Eric trudged inside, knowing full well he had no say in the matter.
As he stepped into the living room, his mother's voice softened. "You're really back this time?"
Eric smiled. "Yeah, Mom. I'm back."
At least she hadn't disowned him.
For good this time—or at least, until his system decided to mess with him again.
But for now, home never felt so warm.