"There goes the last bit of my savings." Ben ordered a VR helmet on ebay for the massively popular online game 'Land of cultivation'.

Among the several games available right now, somehow this game alone instantly shot to the peak of popularity and even managed to make all the governments agree to the in-game currency exchange for actual cold hard cash.

Because of this, even ordinary people started playing it.

Especially considering that the game can be a substitute for one's sleep, it quickly gained popularity as the best source of entertainment.

So, the demand for the game's pods and helmets was crazy.

Although the equipment was expensive, rivaling the apple products, all of it got sold out the instant they hit the market.

Only after several weeks of its release, Ben finally managed to get his hands on a second-hand helmet.

He was not a fool. Of course, he wondered why this person was selling such a popular gaming helmet. Helmets were slightly inferior to pods, but they were still expensive.

So the fact that this person was selling his helmet for cheap made the deal look shady. it was too good to be true.

But his father had given him an ultimatum and this was the only thing he could afford.

He neither had the time nor the money to wait for a chance to buy a new one. So he bit the bullet and took the leap.

The delivery of the helmet was in 2 days and it couldn't arrive any sooner!

The next 2 days passed by in a jiffy and the doorbell loudly rang on the third day morning.

Unfortunately, Ben's father was still at home and hadn't yet left for work.

He was a blue-collar worker in one of the government agencies so he only left at a certain time and always returned back before 5 pm in the evening.

"Fuck, why is the starting itself such so bad?" Ben zoomed out of his room in the attic, climbing down the stairs as fast as he could. He wanted to receive the package before his father.

But how could fate be so kind?

When he got down, his father was already there signing for his package.

"What is this? What did you order?" His strict voice rang loudly. It was usually an indication that a long lecture was going to follow.

Ben gulped and tried to quickly get in front of it. He already waited so long for the game and did not want to hear this lecture now.

He hurriedly grabbed the package from his father and ran to the attic, without looking back.

He had never acted like this, so his dad was caught by surprise and did not get a chance to finish his inquiry.

Only after reaching the attic, Ben slowed down, closing the attic door behind him. He knew that his father wouldn't follow him up as it was late for his work.

So he used this chance to escape smoothly.

"That was close." He wiped his forehead. He then tore open the package like a raccoon. "Damn it. Be good. Be good." He silently prayed.

Inside the package, there was a shiny new helmet that resembled a bike's helmet, except a bit heavier and with a lot more buttons and wires.

"Nope. Not even a scratch." Ben grinned. He thoroughly examined the helmet and nothing looked off.

"He He. Looks like my good days are here."

With a big smile on his face, he connected the helmet to the internet and the electricity and then put it on his head, switching it on.

Almost instantly, the smile on his face disappeared and his eyes whitened out, an enormous surge of shock zapping him from head to toe.

"Ah!" Ben screamed like a teenage girl and flopped onto his bed. Everything turned black and he completely lost his consciousness.

But after a while, a small tired voice sounded from somewhere.

"Hmmm… Have I failed yet again? This time my body is also gone…"

The voice sounded sad, but Ben did not have the energy to feel sad for the voice right now. He was feeling an immense head-shattering ache.

It was as if his head was going to burst open. "Fuck. That guy screwed me. This stupid useless helmet." Ben cursed silently.

Surprisingly, the sad voice seemed to have heard his words.

"You are still alive? Don't struggle. Don't worry. Rest in peace. I will take care of everything. I will take care of your father, mother, and sister."

"The fuck?"

"Go find your inner peace, soul. I will bless you. In your next reincarnation, you will have a good life."

"Reincarnation? What the heck are you talking about?"

"Rest in peace?"

"Reincarnation?"

Ben was shocked but he was an experienced neet who had a lot of knowledge so he could roughly guess what was happening.

Someone else's soul had flown into his body because of the electric shock and it was trying to take over him.

"I am not dead yet, bastard. Why don't you go over to my neighbor Jaden's body? That guy has everything. You will live a good life! I will bless you!" Ben retorted back.

"Huh? You are quite a problematic soul. If I had more strength, I would have absorbed you. Consider it as your good luck and just move on to the next life. Otherwise, even in my weakened state, you are forcing me to take action."

Ben immediately shut his mouth. This didn't seem good at all. Absorbing soul? Was this guy perhaps some big shot?

Wait if he can absorb my soul, can I also absorb his soul?

Ben knew that he didn't have much time, so he had to act soon before the other person did something.

But the problem was how to absorb a soul?

"Meh. I will just try inhaling deeply." He instinctively did something and somehow it worked. He felt a strong rush of energy into his body.

His tilted body suddenly jolted to sit up straight and he was once again able to see. "Fuck. Get off. Get off. Get off." He removed the helmet from his head and threw it on the ground.

"What a waste!"

He was not even worried about his near-death experience. Now that he was alive, the matters of the living worried him more!

What the hell was he now supposed to do? This gaming helmet was a bust and his savings were gone!

And then, he got an idea!

"Oh! I can always take this to the company and complain to them about the electric shock! He He! They should worry about a lawsuit and immediately give another replacement right?"

After he had thought of this brilliant idea, he stood up to leave, but he became dizzy and fell back on his bed, entering a deep sleep.