Evan couldn’t react. It was shocking enough to return to the past. Now, a screen appeared before him, like something he had read about in novels.
“I must be going crazy,” Evan muttered. His world had turned upside down in just a few hours. How could this all happen? Did he really gain powers? Could he become stronger? As if reading Evan’s thoughts, the words on the screen changed rapidly. What was initially a welcome message now began to answer Evan’s questions. Player Evan has the opportunity to restart his life and achieve greatness never before attained. Evan frowned. “What does that mean? Can you read my mind?” As a new player in this world, players start their journey from level 1. To develop their abilities, players need to complete various quests and challenges. Reflexively, Evan looked at the screen that had suddenly appeared before him, similar to a HUD (heads-up display) in a game. The screen displayed basic information, such as current level, health status, and a list of quests to be completed. Name: Evan Theodore Walker Job: - Title: - Level: 1 Experience: 0 (10 experience points to reach Level 2) Health: 100% Stats: Strength Points: 5 Agility Points: 5 Quest: Rescue the Cat from the Tree (0/1) Evan was stunned by the quest list. “Rescue a cat? This must be a joke.” Evan wanted to ignore the quest in front of him, but he couldn’t sleep because of everything that had happened. Do I really have to rescue a cat? Where can I find a cat that needs help? Just as Evan asked himself this question, he heard the sound of a cat outside the window. Evan immediately got out of bed and went to the window. There was a kitten stuck in a tree. Evan felt shocked and confused but remembered that he needed to complete his first quest. “Do I have to climb that tree?” Considering the late hour, Evan thought about completing the quest the next morning, but the system warned him about the consequences of not completing the quest. Players will incur a penalty if they do not complete the quest within one hour. Penalty 1: The cat falls and dies. Penalty 2: The cat’s owner will become hostile to the Walker family. Evan was stunned. He couldn’t ignore the penalties because the system had already proven some things to him. With renewed determination, he decided to save the cat. Evan left his room and went to the backyard, where the cat was stuck. Evan was only 8 years old, and the tree in front of him was quite tall. Nevertheless, Evan had to climb the tree. Carefully, Evan began to climb. He complained about having to do this in the middle of the night but was haunted by curiosity. What would he gain by completing this quest? Would he become strong like in the novels? After a lot of effort, Evan successfully rescued the cat and brought it down. As soon as he landed, a notification appeared on his HUD screen. Quest Completed: Rescue the Cat from the Tree Experience: +5 Rewards: Strength Points +5 Agility Points +5 Evan felt a surge of new energy in his body, even though he had been tired before. He experienced an instant increase in strength and agility. He refocused on the screen and checked his stats. Name: Evan Theodore Walker Job: - Title: - Level: 1 Experience: 5 (5 experience points to reach Level 2) Health: 100% Stats: Strength Points: 10 Agility Points: 10 Quest: Help the Vegetable Seller (0/1) Deadline: 1 day Evan felt inspired by this system. “So, I need to complete quests to level up and gain new powers. It’s like a game, only more real.” Since the deadline for the next quest was one day, Evan decided to rest for the night. Now he was sure that he had returned to the past and gained the power to change his life. While feeling happy, Evan also held onto his resentment. If he had returned to the past, he might be killed again at age 17. Thus, Evan also had another motivation to become stronger. “I will become stronger and get my revenge!” Evan swore under the moonlight. ***The next morning, Evan went to the small market near their house, where he found a vegetable seller who looked distressed. The seller appeared exhausted and frustrated.“Is there anything I can help with?” Evan asked.The seller looked up in surprise. “Oh, you’re just a kid. What can you do?”Evan felt a bit hurt but decided not to give up. “I can help. Show me what needs to be done.”Although somewhat skeptical because Evan was a child, the vegetable seller explained that he needed help moving some of his goods.“Alright! I’ll do it!” Evan said with determination.With the seller’s guidance, Evan began to help lift and move the vegetables to their proper places. He felt that his new strength made him quicker and stronger than usual. Every time he completed a task, he felt a slight increase in his body, as if he was getting closer to the full potential of his abilities.After a while, the seller felt very grateful and thanked him. “You’re truly an amazing kid. Thank you for your help!
Marco and his friends laughed when they saw Evan ready to fight. “Look, it turns out there’s someone dumber than Riley the nerd!” Marco jeered.Evan felt adrenaline coursing through him. He knew this wasn’t an ordinary fight. He decided to use his new strength. This would be his first real lesson and fight. All this time, he had only been able to stay silent while he and Riley were bullied. But now, Evan had decided to fight back.Marco stepped forward, clenching his fists. “You think you can beat us?”Evan didn’t answer. He raised his hand, aiming his palm at Marco. In seconds, Marco felt a powerful punch land on his stomach.“Ughh!!” Marco fell to the ground, clutching his belly.Not only Marco and his friends, but Evan himself was surprised by his punch. Was he really that strong?“What are you doing?!” Marco growled. “Attack him!” Marco ordered his friends.Two of Marco’s friends, Tony and Jack, moved in to attack. Evan responded quickly, dodging their punches with increased agili
Time passed quickly. Evan and Riley's relationship grew closer. After the quest to save Riley and defeat Marco, Evan still received other quests, but the quests he got were not as challenging as fighting Marco. Besides that, there was something strange about the rewards he received. If previously Evan received 5-10 status points and experience, this time Evan only received one each time he completed a quest. This happened when Evan reached level 5. Of course, Evan felt frustrated because instead of progressing faster, his development actually slowed down. On a cold evening, Evan sat in front of his house with Riley, contemplating his progress. “What are you thinking about?” Riley asked, curious. Evan sighed deeply. “Nothing.” Riley frowned. “But you look like an old man thinking about his false teeth.” Evan rolled his eyes. He couldn't tell Riley about his powers. Maybe he would tell her in the future, but not now. “Why do you like helping people in our district so much?” Rile
“What should I do?!” Evan muttered, frustrated. For the past three days, Evan had been focusing on two main things: protecting the Blade of Eternity and finding a way to save Riley’s father.Every day, Evan spent hours in an old, abandoned warehouse, practicing his combat techniques and skills. Failure not only meant losing the reward but also the risk of losing Michael Chang and the possible destruction of the world in the future. The pressure made Evan even more focused and determined.Outside of his training, Evan spent time exploring the district, learning more about the sword's history and who might be interested in stealing it. He talked to Michael Chang, who had extensive historical knowledge, but no clear leads. Evan could not find information about the sword's origins, past owners, or evidence that it was cursed. From Michael Chang's accounts, those who held the sword often ended up dead.“Are you not afraid of the sword’s curse, Mr. Chang?” Evan asked.Michael Chang smiled a
In the moments before the sword struck Evan’s neck, a car suddenly turned and illuminated Evan with its blinding headlights.Tiinnn!!Evan didn’t think twice. He jumped in front of the car and closed his eyes.Citttt!BrughhEvan felt a heavy impact. But due to his high endurance stat, he was able to get up quickly.“Hey?!! Are you okay?!!” The driver of the car got out and looked at Evan’s body. “I’ll take you to the hospital!”Evan ignored the driver. He scanned his surroundings, searching for the thief who had attacked him.“Kid?”Evan looked back at the driver. “I’m fine. I’m okay.”The driver was silent. He was sure he had hit Evan hard. The front bumper of his car was even dented, but Evan only had minor injuries. Was that even possible? The driver wondered to himself.After ensuring the area was safe, Evan ran back across the street to the shop.The chime of the door greeted Evan as he entered.“Hello Evan. What do you need?” asked the shop owner, kindly.“Do you have a large f
Evan stared at the man with undeniable intensity. "This is the end," he murmured to himself. The man launched his final attack, a swift and deadly thrust aimed directly at Evan’s heart. But at that crucial moment, Evan leapt forward, his body spinning in mid-air. The tip of the man’s sword only managed to graze Evan’s shoulder, while Evan, with perfect precision, drove his knife into the man’s stomach. The man groaned in pain, blood pouring from his wound. He staggered back but still wanted to continue the fight. “Who’s there?!” Evan and the man stared at each other. Evan had given everything he had. If this fight continued, Evan knew he would lose his life. “Hurry! It sounds like there’s a fight over there!!” The voices of the townspeople grew closer to their location. The man didn’t want to leave because of his wounded pride, but he had no other choice. This battle was over, and his mission had failed. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t have another chance. "This isn't over. I w
Evan lay on the hospital bed, his wounds bandaged, yet the pain still lingered. The room was filled with the scent of antiseptic, and the dim lights created a calm atmosphere.In the silence, Evan stared at the floating screen above him.Name: Evan Theodore Walker (9 years old) Job: - Title: 3/3 - Steel Heart (Permanently increases all status points by 5) - Helper of District 37 (Increases affinity with the residents of District 37) - Animal Lover (Increases the chance to tame animals by 2 points) - Light of Arcadia (All stats increase by 10 points when fighting enemies with dark attributes) Level: 10 Experience: 100 (150 experience points to reach Level 11) Health: 80% Stats: Strength Points: 80 (+5) Agility Points: 70 (+5) Stamina Points: 60 (+5) Sensitivity Points: 30 (+5) Intelligence Points: 30 (+5) Endurance Points: 70 (+5) Mana Points: 10 (+5) Special Abilities: Animal Taming (2/10) Fireball (1/10) Evan thought the progress he made reac
The darkness of the night enveloped the Sterling household, obscuring the light from the now-dead lamps. Clara Sterling, with a pale face and labored breath, carried her terrified daughter, Aria, in her arms. Amidst the chaos, Clara ran through the corridors of the house, the bodies of her family lying scattered around. Despite the overwhelming pain and sorrow, Clara pushed forward.From a distance, Clara could hear the screams and footsteps of the approaching enemies. The toxic gas deployed by Victor’s forces had spread, eliminating any hope of resistance. Clara knew their time was running out.“Aria, dear, we have to hurry!” Clara whispered with a trembling voice, trying to muster strength in front of her nine-year-old daughter.Aria, with wide, fearful eyes, clung tightly to her mother. Clara moved quickly, her heart shattered but her determination unshaken. They reached the back door of the house, where Clara had promised to escape with her daughter.As Clara opened the back door,