Chapter 1 - The Barcode Scanner is Actually Overpowered?!?

I go outside and see that the store—and parts of the sidewalk, a chunk of the street, and even the streetlamp—are still intact.

The streetlamp is somehow still lit, casting the only light across the area. Which makes no sense, because there shouldn’t be any power source left for it to stay on.

I look around.

Everything else surrounding me is forest—bushes, trees, and grass beneath my feet.
I am no longer in my city.

I glance up at the sky and freeze.

Two moons.

Two moons glow above me. Their light is over everything, making the night more brighter than it ever was back on Earth.

No city skyline. No hum of traffic. Just endless trees swaying in the wind.

The way the branches move almost looks deliberate. Too smooth, too synchronized. Like the forest itself is breathing… or maybe just bored.

I take a deep breath.
The air is so fresh, it is the cleanest breath I’ve ever taken in my entire life. No smoke, no smog, no car exhaust—nothing.

“This is… strange. Too strange.”

Too strange to be real.

I can’t be isekai’d. That only happens in anime, manga, or light novels.

No, this has to be some kind of foul play!

I blink rapidly, my mind racing. Wait… could this be one of those hidden camera prank shows? You know, the ones where the victim wanders around while the audience laughs off-screen?

Yeah. That has to be it.

really high-production prank designed to trick me.

Isekai has become a very popular genre as of recently afterall.

There’s no way this is real.

Which means… I’m probably standing on some kind of stage. A fake forest backdrop glued together while I was laying my head on the counter. There’s probably a hidden cameraman out there right now, laughing his ass off while zooming in on my confused face.

I place one hand next to my mouth and shout:

“Really funny, guys! I know this is a prank, and I don’t consent to my face or likeness being used on TV!”

…Silence.

No laughter. No crew rushing out to reveal the joke. Just dead quiet.

Classic comedy show tactic. Drag it out until I start losing it.

Then I heard it.
Shuffling. Movement from a nearby bush.

Aha. That has to be the camera crew.

I march toward it, ready to tear into whoever’s behind this—

Only for three small, shadowy figures to leap out.

I skid to a halt.
Three goblin-like creatures stand before me.

“…You’ve got to be actors. Still trying to sell me this whole ‘isekai’ thing, huh? No—”

The goblin in the middle suddenly swings his axe straight at my head.

“—HEY, WAIT, TIME OUT!”

I step back just in time, but the blade scratches my eyebrow. Pain flares hot and sharp as a thin line of red is at the corner of my vision.

“Hey! What the hell, man?!”

The three goblins advance, axes raised, grins stretched wide like maniacs.

Oh crap. Oh crap oh crap oh crap.
Their teeth are sharp. Their eyes are gleaming.
Those are not fake costumes.

Panic shoots through me. I quickly turn around and run toward the store.

An axe passes by my ear, missing me by a hair’s length.

I get inside, slamming the door behind me. My hands latch onto the nearest shelves, dragging them in front of the entrance. Snacks and bottles drop to the floor, exploding across the floor.

My heart is racing so hard I can hear it in my skull. My hands shake violently as I press against the barricade, holding it with every ounce of strength I have.

The first slam shakes the shelves.
The second nearly knocks me over.
The third is so strong it launches me backward, landing me over the counter.

“Ghh—!”

I groan, now I am laying on the floor with my elbows supporting me. Two goblins slip inside, grinning wickedly as they walk toward me. Their laughter is high-pitched and sickly, echoing in the small space as I back against the wall.

The lead goblin raises his axe high, aiming for my skull.

So this is how I die? At work?
Not even on the clock, but technically at work?

My right hand brushes against something cold and smooth. My fingers curl around it instinctively.

Wait… is this—?

A gun?

My breath catches. My mind races.
There’s no way. This store sells instant noodles, soda, and lottery tickets—not firearms.

Don’t tell me… was this place a black market front the whole time?!

“No… no, that’s insane. What the hell is this?!”

But crazy or not, this is my only chance.

Clutching it tight, I squeeze my eyes shut, aim at the goblin’s chest, and scream:

“Please work!!!”

I pull the trigger.

A burst of light erupts from the tip—

—BEEP!
—ZAP!

The shot slams into the goblin’s chest, launching him backward. He crashes into the second goblin, both of them fly across the store until they slam into the freezer with a heavy THUD.

I stand up, heart pounding, and slowly approach the crash site.

The two goblins twitch for a moment… then begin to evaporate, their bodies breaking down into smoke. When it clears, only a small pile of copper coins is left behind.

I stare.

“Just… what was that?”

I raise the weapon to inspect it.

It isn’t a gun.

It’s the barcode scanner.
The same one I use every night to beep chips and candy bars.

My jaw drops.

And then—
A glowing interface appears above it, words typing themselves out.

Scanned Monster: Goblin (Common/Weak). Weakness: Fire.

“…Wha—?! No way. This thing actually scanned them? And… hurt them?”

My knees go weak.
Did my barcode scanner just turn into a monster-slaying superweapon?!

“This… this scanner is overpowered!” I gasp. “I can hurt monsters with it?!”

I keep staring at the strange floating interface, lost in disbelief, when suddenly—

A shadow stretches over me.

“…Aw crap. I almost forgot about the third goblin!”

I turn around.

The last goblin is sprinting at me full force, its eyes blazing with rage.

I panic, holding the scanner up—

But before I can pull the trigger, it slips.
Its foot slips on a spilled bottle of sparkling water, sending it crashing face-first into an open bag of spicy chips.

I freeze.

He just stepped on my precious sparkling water—

— “you bastard!!!!!”

The goblin’s face immediately begins to steam. It screams, spinning on the ground as smoke comes from its mouth.

Then, with a final shriek, it evaporates into nothing.

“…The chips?”

I blink.

The bag of spicy chips sizzles where the goblin touched it.

“Wait… don’t tell me. Because the chips are spicy, they count as… fire damage?”

Another small pile of copper coins clinks onto the bag, proving me right.

I collect the coins, slump against the counter

staring blankly at the scanner in my hand, then at the coins on my hand

“…What the hell kind of world did I just get thrown into?”