Avatar Boarding

Back in my childhood, I lived in the countryside. There was a row of massive earthenware jars lined up behind the house—a sight so rare even back then, let alone nowadays.

One day, I spotted a caterpillar on top of those jars, thicker than an adult's finger, wriggling around. Kid that I was, I found it fascinating and poked it with a stick. I thought it was huge and kinda pretty at the time.

But my mom saw things differently.

"Eek! What kind of bug is that— so huge and gross!"

She let out a thin, shrill scream. I couldn't understand it at all.

'Grown-ups who can't appreciate the wonders of nature are the worst.'

That was the moment I swore to myself I'd never become one. Or at least, that's what I thought...

"Huge... and gross!"

The sight filling my vision now— a massive body with short, white stubs writhing in unison—was straight out of hell. Wonders of nature, my ass. The fact that I hadn't passed out yet was a miracle of mental fortitude.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Right on the verge of blacking out, I heard an unfamiliar mechanical voice declaring it would forcibly relocate me to another Earth. Was this the classic isekai transfer I'd only heard about in stories?

But why a bug? In every fantasy novel, you get reborn as a handsome pretty boy or a cute loli in another world. That's the trope, right? So why the hell was I a wriggling larva in my own damn officetel building?!

No time to waste. Red warning text flashed across my retinas like it was written in blood, urging me on.

I flipped my wriggling body over right away. I couldn't ignore those messages—they weren't the type you brush off. Given everything so far, there was a 99.999% chance they were legit.

Proof? My body had gone beyond mere helplessness into screaming agony, like knives stabbing every inch. Breathing was getting impossible.

"Avatar! How the fuck do I board the avatar, you bastards?!"

With a chime, hundreds of photos unfurled before my eyes.

If this were a normal gaming session, I'd have browsed them carefully. But right now, I was one breath from death. My breathing ragged, my skin prickling turned to axe-chopping agony.

I clicked on a musclebound guy that caught my eye—with my... stub, not hand.

Info on a barbarian-clad dude popped up instantly.

Even in the panic, instinct picked the beefiest-looking one. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Isekai'd or quested, the future was uncertain—better prep for instability with raw power. Physical dominance first, right?

Swallowing my regret, I stubbed the 'Yes' button.

"...Fuck me."

The bullshit message made me rage-quit internally. But like a positivity guru, I clicked another: a blond hunk with sword and shield.

I hit 'Yes' as the info burned into my retina. Pain had escalated to actual disintegration—soft white skin(?) peeling off, floating in the air. I was legit about to die.

'...Are you fucking kidding me?'

Rage boiled over.

"Cough, cough! Show me only the ones I can pick, you fuck! Hack, hack!"

My desperate yell amid gasps triggered a coughing fit. Hundreds of avatars vanished, leaving just two: a hooded frail human woman and a naked goblin.

"..."

Speechless.

'This a joke?'

Hikikomori beauty or goblin chick? Real life forcing this choice? If they'd shown just these two from the start, fine—no need for the 100-option torture.

"Gack!"

No time for complaints. Breath choked off; real body collapse kicking in. My ninth leg just vanished without a trace.

"Select!! Cough, fuck... cough!"

I stabbed the hikikomori girl. Gender swap over species swap any day. Dragon or elf, maybe—but goblin? Hard pass. Both female(?), so choice was obvious.

'Hurry, hurry!!!'

Axe-chopping pain unbearable. Thrashing in death's terror—

BAM!—the bathroom door flew open with eardrum-shattering noise. A head the size of a person burst out, perfectly filling the frame—like Zhang Fei from Romance of the Three Kingdoms reincarnated.

'Eek!!'

The massive noggin glared with bulging eyes, then mouth gaped wide, vomiting something.

"Gwaaak—ptoo!"

Splat—

"Delivery complete. Have a nice day."

The gravelly baritone echoed in the tiny living room. The head said its piece and slunk back into the bathroom. Door slammed shut.

Thud—

'Oh god, I'm dying...'

I crawled desperately toward survival—toward the mystery puke the head left behind, wriggling with all I had.

'That's the avatar!'

Shape unclear, but instinct screamed it. Up close: green slime cradling a naked girl. Definitely mine.

'Yes! Now board quick.'

But how? Giant bug me into tiny girl? Physics even allow—

System kindly(?) answered.

No time to think. Feasibility irrelevant. I pried her mouth open with front stubs. Luckily, rubbery stretch—enough for my head.

[7, 6, 5...]

Shoved my head in first. Then thrashed my bulk into her esophagus.

[4, 3, 2...]

Stubby limbs flailing, burrowing desperately.

[1, 0]

'Made it!!'

Survival instinct win. My massive body crammed into the tiny girl's mouth successfully.

But the sensation of my bloated form stuffing her cramped body? Grotesque as fuck.

Was this... right? Giant larva me cramming into petite girl—pure hell. Like force-feeding house-sized meat into a leather pouch. Disgusting.

Sliding down her esophagus, my flesh screamed and writhed. Struggling for space in the tight flesh amplified the weird mental erosion gnawing my brain.

"Ah, auuugh...!"

Not just physical squeeze. Avatar's nerves clashed with my oversized ego, sparking agony. Reconstruction tore my self apart.

Who was I? Human once? Always bug? Chaos overwhelmed. Terror I'd dissolve into sticky protein slurry dominated.

Upside-down in her mouth, vision inverted, insides chaos. Couldn't hold bug shape. Larva skin melted; chunks mashed into organ soup.

Meat porridge me instinctively wriggled.

'Find... space...!'

How long swimming darkness? Suddenly, thrashing mass filled her limbs, settling in eerie buoyancy.

Expansion pain ebbed; cozy stability washed in like miracle.

'...Done?'

Mental erosion receded like tide. Ego realigned, consciousness sharpened.

Cramped, humid—but firmer embrace than anything. Slowly, I pushed up the avatar's eyelids.