"Where am I?" Aesir groaned, clutching his head as he woke up. Memories surged back. He'd been betrayed... "That's right... I was killed."He stood, expecting the opulence of his suite. Instead, he found himself in a decrepit room, barely fit for rats. Blinking in disbelief, he checked his chest. No wounds. Just a frail body that couldn't withstand a child's punch, unlike the powerful form he once had.Despite the shock, the scene felt familiar. He recognized this place and body. It was his home and his body from 15 years ago, back when he was a cowardly young man struggling to survive. He picked up his old brick phone and checked the time – 7:40 am, 10/10/2123.Outwardly calm, his mind raced. This date meant Faction Online would launch in five hours. Shops selling the basic game Diving Gears would close in less than three hours. His once fuzzy memories of the past were now clear. These memories were fresh in this younger body, yet he also remembered everything beyond this date as if

The simple table emphasized how absurd Aesir's situation was. He was used to the complex menus of the 7th update, but he found a certain refreshing quality in this new simplicity.The AI was still gathering data for improvements, so things were pretty basic for now. But having the skill assist system active in the base version would definitely make his job easier.Without hesitation, Aesir activated his bundle. "Thank you for choosing the Master bundle!"No matter how much money you spent outside the game, you couldn't buy in-game currency. That's why these bundles offered a range of items, giving players a basic financial boost to start with. It was this clever feature that made Faction Online so special. The scarcity of resources and player support made it feel like discovering a new, untouched world—a potential goldmine. The difference here was that wealth in Faction Online didn't guarantee a big advantage.Aesir quickly moved potions into his limited inventory slots. He immediatel

Killing intent wasn't physical; it was special energy waves from the brain, interpreted subconsciously as a warning. This made people with intense killing intent seem "creepy."This kind of thing goes beyond the body and is about the mind. Even though Aesir's current body hasn't taken a life yet, his strong killing intent from 15 years of gaming and real-life experiences was fully present.At this point, he could barely get up and looked at Grim with a grimace. While Grim's face stayed neutral, his mind was spinning. How could a mere human have such intense killing intent? Who was Aesir, and what had he seen and done to have such a scary aura? Even the current Demon King might hesitate in front of this mortal.Grim felt excited about battling Aesir in the future. He thought he could find some fun in that fight.With determination in his eyes, Aesir stayed on his knees despite Grim's maximum pressure. "Good lad! This boy will give me a good fight in a few years. I should challenge him

Aesir quietly left Amzion Crib town without saying a big goodbye. Before the upcoming update, he wisely spent his gold to make his inventory as big as possible. It cost him 50 gold, a lot for most players until the update. This showed how much of an advantage Aesir had because he remembered things from his past life. If he hadn't been reborn, the game's AI would have known exactly what would happen.Aesir understood how his choices could cause big changes, like the butterfly effect. He knew it was crucial to build a strong foundation quickly before his 15 years of knowledge became useless due to the timeline changing.Now he was traveling through the countryside, going through Danger Zones from level 3 to level 5. These places had smart monsters that fought back, but none could catch him because he was higher level and faster.Before he left, Aesir had already used his skill points. Players got five points for each level from 1 to 10 to make themselves stronger. But as levels went up,

Aesir materialized in an endless grassland and sighed, reflecting with a weary smile on everything that had transpired."I didn't expect killing Kyle to have such widespread consequences."To an outsider, Aesir's last conversation with Howard might have seemed cryptic, but he understood it perfectly. Howard hadn't given him the heraldry to spread his fame. After all, the old man had chosen this remote location to avoid worldly troubles. Why would he invite trouble by attracting attention?No, Howard was a Grade 5 Warlock Sovereign—one of the hidden powers Aesir had thought would take note of his actions, and indeed, Howard had. By bestowing the heraldry and revealing his true power, Howard was conveying to Aesir that every action had consequences.Forget Grim; there were thousands of others who had taken an undue interest in him, and they would soon be knocking on his door.Howard had gifted him the heraldry to provide a means of protection until Aesir grew strong enough to confront t