As I sat alone in my lonely apartment, I embraced the solitude of my room as my mind began to dance around my memories and thoughts of my past life.
I could vividly recall who Logan was and the significance he held in my past life. He was a stock broker and my friend, in fact my only friend.
He was genuinely a good person, but he’d made a lot of bad choices and financial misjudgments here and there which caused him to rack up a large amount of debt, a lot of debt which he had no active source of income to pay back with.
You could say that the major prerequisite of our friendship was the fact that we both had financial issues and lived crappy lives, and Logan, my friend, became my intricate guide into the world of stocks and the possibilities it presented.
And he was probably my main drive toward my passion for stocks in my past life. I threw myself into studying how it functioned, the fluctuations in the rates and I knew the most profitable investments at that time.
I was practically obsessed, another factor that took most of my teenage years in my past apart from gaming. I could never have imagined that that knowledge of stocks I have amassed over a long period of time would prove to be so useful now.
As I flipped through the pages of my handwritten notes, I carefully noted down the significant events from my past life. I was genuinely surprised at how much of the intricate details that my photographic memory could retain.
It had been a week since my regression, and in that one week I’d spent, I had spent time meticulously documenting every crucial aspect, notable events, conversations, interactions, I left no stone unturned.
The memories flowed effortlessly, a reminder of how deep the depth of my knowledge could go.
Thinking about how much wealth I had accumulated in the past week, approximately $150,000 from the sales of my prized possessions which I no longer had a need for, I couldn't help but wallow in disappointment at how frivolous and negligent my past spending habits had been.
‘Well not anymore,’I thought. The thoughts of my shitty life before regression simply fueled my drive to try and attain a perfect life and also maximize the system to its full potential.
‘I haven’t been given a quest since my fight with the bullies or made use of the system, I should do that soon, farming SP is another priority.’
My thoughts shifted to Logan, the stock broker. My friend who once guided him through the complexities of the stock market.
A smile played on my lips as I envisioned a future where both of us would break free from the shackles of debt and thrive together. I owed him at least that much.
I mentally committed to obtaining the necessary details and finalizing an agreement to embark on this wealth-building journey.
All these thoughts and more filled my head as I laid out the foundation for my future financial advancements.
However the present moment called for a shift in focus. I had classes soon and I was determined to never miss a day of class. I was more disciplined with my time management now, I had a time table and followed it, not skipping a single day.
My days went thus: Before I left home, I performed some basic stretches and engaged in yoga to improve my flexibility, then I would go out to the gym determined to work on my physical appearance as I was pissed off by my current lanky posture, at the same time I took self defense and kickboxing classes. The episode with the bullies reminded me about how much more I would need to commit in order to be able to defend myself more properly, and became a constant reminder. When I returned home, dedicated research on stocks came next, a daily routine that further strengthened my understanding of market dynamics.
My evenings were reserved for attending cram schools, it wasn’t a necessity as the knowledge I gained from there I mostly already knew but I saw it as a necessary commitment in pursuit of my goals. If I hadn’t mentioned before I didn’t believe in education in my past life, I was considered very smart by most, but I refused to be bothered by anything concerned with education as I considered it a waste of time. I basically refused to try, I never saw the point in trying, there really was no purpose driving me and I was basically a shadow or had a background character cliche.
My new life presented a solitude that I genuinely enjoyed, devoid of friendships and interactions, I was free of distractions and was fully committed towards achieving my goals.
‘I guess becoming a billionaire wouldn’t be all that bad’ I thought, chuckling to myself as I fantasized about my dreams.
Freshening up with a sense of purpose, I prepared to attend my classes, simply passing the time till my exams arrived so I could get my admission into university.
It was a fresh week. ‘Another week to chase the bag, I wonder if I could get a girlfriend, hehe, nahhhhh, probably not’ I thought laughing as I left my house.
Finally taking care of my features and styling my hair ,sleeping adequately and maintaining a healthy diet, I went from looking unkept and like a bum and was what most would consider as a fine young man.
‘Haha, regression really is fun, System!’
<How may I be of assistance?>
‘Display my status information’
<Understood.>
[Status Window]
{Additional Information}
You have discovered a new found determination and are actively working towards achieving your goals and perfecting your second life.
[End Of Information]
‘I like the sound of that additional information, I guess it’s up to me not to disappoint the system again as well’ I thought to myself again, chuckling.
This was the first time in a long time I’d experienced genuine happiness.
And you know what? I liked it!
I increased my pace as I hurried to class, I was late. ‘I spent too much time playing around, I shouldn’t let this happen often’ I thought to myself.The large lecture hall was filled to the brim with other students attending the cram school and buzzed with anticipation, one could easily notice the conversations between students and shuffling of papers all coming together to create the sense of harmony that was university life.Each step I took, my heart felt heavy as I realized that classes had already started, meaning I would basically have to avoid the stares of every single student and face the unnecessary attention given to me by the lecturer who felt like she had this obligation to look after me as I opened and walked through the large doors of the lecture hall.I honestly couldn’t care less at that point and as I walked into the lecture hall, the large doors creaking loudly as I pushed them open, an uneasy silence fell across the classroom as everyone stopped their conversing
Fast forward to a week later, and I'm in the gym, getting my grind on.This is how I'd been living my life for the past week. I'd wake up, go to the gym for a workout, take my self-defense classes, go home, do some research on stocks, and then prepare for cram school for the rest of the day.My schedule wasn't all too versatile, and I was content with it as I had enough time for myself and for my goals.After finishing my sets, I went to the restroom to take a small break. Looking in the mirror, I was impressed with the amount of progress I'd made. It had been about 4 weeks, so I wasn't expecting anything too much, but I was finally gaining some weight and coming out of my lanky frame.This was good; I'd keep this up and continue to monitor my progress."Okay, it's back to the grind, I guess," I thought as I finally left the restroom.I was on my way to resume my sets when I noticed another guy working out on my spot. "Bro probably doesn't understand gym culture; well, I might as well
I got home that day more furious than ever. This was the first time I’d tasted defeat since my regression, and trust me, I didn’t like the feeling. I sent a message to my tutor and called in sick without going into too much detail.I was in no mood for class as all I had on my mind was revenge, and the rage I felt kept increasing by the minute.The rest of the day went on as a blur, and nighttime came calling pretty quickly. I lay on my bed, dejected. I tried closing my eyes to sleep, but it didn’t work.I’d practically wasted the day away. I didn’t go to class, I made no research on stocks and other money-making prospects, and I also missed my self-defense and martial arts session for that day.I was mad at myself for letting my bad experience at the gym put a wedge on my goal progression, but I just couldn’t help it.When I finally came to and realized I had wasted the whole day complaining like an angered baby, I chastised myself.Whenever a problem presents itself, instead of acce
I woke up with terrible eye bags the next day. My discovery of the SP shop and the possibilities I could obtain from it kept me up almost all night, and I paid the consequences now.I had the gym in a couple of minutes, so I had to get prepared. Once again, I felt like I was dreaming; it was all too good to be true. The SP shop provided a wide range of abilities that even made the gym secondary.The abilities section of the SP shop was just a fraction of what it actually contained. Using SP, you could upgrade physical attributes, height, attractiveness, sex appeal, hair – it was all there.I could also upgrade my stamina, my speed to run faster, my intelligence, my luck, by just farming SP.I could purchase any material item I wanted; it was just all too much.I realized I shouldn’t have been relying on the system too much because I didn’t know its origin, and it was still a mystery I was far from uncovering.But for now, I would maximize it to its full potential and begin my SP grind
I accompanied the receptionist to the office of the manager, and she stood at the door, beckoning me to enter without following me in.I nodded and walked in, taking a seat in front of the manager. I noticed the gang who the bully always rolled with were already in the office but paid no attention to them.“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t call the cops,” he said with a pronounced frown on his face.“I think that’s my line; an altercation was undergoing in your gym, and your officials thought it feasible to stand by and watch while I could’ve possibly been assaulted,” I snapped back.“That’s some bullshit!” shouted one of the guys, and the other guys raised their voices in agreement. The manager stared at them in annoyance as they quieted down.“Why don’t you fellas take your leave, eh? I’ll handle this,” said the manager. The men were reluctant at first but eventually obeyed.It seems they’d been working out at this gym for a long while and had caused situations like this in t
I bailed on martial arts classes for the day and decided to head home.This week had been so eventful already, and I barely had any time to speak to Logan about business.I took a shower as soon as I got inside, and in a few more moments, I was seated at my work desk with my phone in my hand.Before calling him, however, I decided to take a look at my updated status window.‘Display my status window,’ I thought.[Status Window]Name: Malcolm ShadeAge: 18 yearsOccupation: StudentCurrent Status: Healthy/UnemployedHP: 100/100 (Fully recovered)SP: 150Stamina: 100 (Recharged)Skills: Foresight (D+ Rank){Additional Information}Repeated use of foresight has caused it to undergo a slight upgrade. Continue using the skill to increase its rank.[End Of Information]I guess the constant use of skills leads to them being upgraded. And an increase in rank? Another loophole.‘System, explain the concept of skill ranking to me,’ I thought.*SKILL RANKING*Skills are grouped into various rank
The next day, I woke up, and my normal routine unfolded. I went to the gym, attended my martial arts classes, which I'd been really undisciplined about recently, and chastised myself for it. I got home and delved into my research.Things finally got eventful when I reached my cram school. Eager to maintain my early run, I arrived early once again. Not shocked to see that only a few people had arrived, including the girl I thought was staring at me.I walked past her and positioned myself at the back seat, my usual routine, and rested my head on the desk. This was the first time since my regression that I'd been bored.I jolted myself back to life as I realized I had things to do concerning the system. It was about two weeks to my university exam, and although I was confident in my abilities, I thought of purchasing a skill that could aid me and make things much easier."System, open my status window," I thought.[Status Window]Name: Malcolm ShadeAge: 18 yearsOccupation: StudentCur
[Ariel’s POV]‘I’d been noticing this for a while now, I’d been noticing…him. He, he’d changed. He used to look so goofy and cute but now Malcolm, had something cold and sinister about him.He seemed scary and weirdly smarter, at first I thought it was just my imagination and that he’d be back to normal soon enough. But then when I saw him speak to the teacher that day, I knew within me that something had changed about him.I can’t believe he caught me staring at him the other day, Ugh I feel like such an idiot. He didn’t even smile or anything, he just…stared back, coldly.I shouldn’t be thinking about this.’ These were the thoughts that passed through my head when I was alone in class. I arrived particularly early and was bored out of my head.I scanned the class and saw some familiar yet unfamiliar characters, people whose faces I’d seen but didn’t speak to at all and I felt lonely.My friends hadn’t arrived and I thought of what I could do to pass time, then he walked in. I looked
“Genesis, I don’t intend to engage them in a prolonged battle. My plan is simple: I’ll transport them to a specific location in another world, use Starforge to unleash an all-out attack, and then transport myself back to my world before they can retaliate. I won’t give them a chance to regroup. It will be swift and decisive.”I stood firm in my conviction, determined to see this through, despite the risks.Genesis remained silent for a few moments, processing the information.Genesis let out a long sigh, almost as if the system itself was struggling to come to terms with my proposed plan.[Damon, with the potential for so many things to go wrong, I must give you a more honest assessment of the situation. Based on my calculations, I estimate your chances of success at only 10%. This is an extremely risky endeavor. If even one variable does not go as planned, you could be facing a formidable enemy without my support, and your odds of survival would diminish drastically.]I took a deep b
As the garments glowed, Genesis's voice rang out once again, its appraisal clear and concise.[Holy Garments of the High Pontiff (Legendary, Level 70)][Effect: +300 Intelligence, +5% Holy Damage, +15% Resistance to Dark Magic, Spell: Holy Shield, Blessing of the Pontiff]I considered the garments carefully, recognizing the potential they offered me. While I couldn't use the Grimoire, these robes could prove invaluable in my journey.It was from one high level equipment to another, but I couldn't keep this up for long.Considering the amount of damage they could potentially cause to my world, as well as the constant sneak attacks, I knew I had to get moving…quickly.However, there was still one more thing I needed to confirm."Genesis, the skills I obtain each time I'm attacked, are they permanent?” I conveyed my thoughts toward it expecting a response.[Damon, the skills you obtain through the Counter skill are indeed temporary. Cognos provided you with the ability to create these t
[Skill Created: Celestial Shield (Lv. 1)][Skill Activated: Celestial Shield (Lv. 1)]A shimmering, silver-white energy shield manifested around me, just in time to deflect the beam of light with a resounding CLANG!Though I still felt the intense heat, the shield held, protecting me from the destruction of the safe house. My whole line of sight was enveloped in smoke, and my vision was hazy.Suddenly, another panel manifested before my eyes.[Skill Created: Celestial Gust (Lv. 1)]I raised my hands, channeling the power of the wind to clear the smoke around me. With a simple gesture, I activated the new skill:[Skill Activated: Celestial Gust (Lv. 1)]A burst of air rushed through the safe house, scattering the smoke and revealing the aftermath of the destruction.The whole surrounding area was left in ashes, and right next to me was a horrible sight.Remains of Vlasdilav’s body lay there on the floor, a pile of bones nearly burnt to ashes.I felt the anger well up within me, whoeve
As Vladislav shared his experience with the Player Wars, I couldn't help but grin, a spark of recognition in my eyes. "I've been through it too," I admitted, nodding in solidarity."So you know what it's like then," he said, a sense of camaraderie growing between us."Yes. The Player Wars are no joke. They're brutal, but I survived. I'm still here." I said, a sense of pride and resilience in my voice."Looks like we have more in common than we thought," Vladislav replied.Curious about the skills that made him such a formidable assassin, I asked, "So, what are your skills? What's your main specialty?"Vladislav's eyes narrowed as he considered my question. "Assassination, obviously. My skill set includes Shadow Cloak, which lets me become invisible for a limited time. Silent Stalker, which muffles my footsteps and masks my presence. And, of course, Bloodlust. The more enemies I kill, the stronger I become.""Not to mention my enhanced senses. There's also Silent Strike, which allows
I still felt some sort of apprehension at the fact that the other person in pursuit had escaped, but that was beyond my power now.All I had to do now was focus on what came next, and honestly, I had no idea what to do.‘Genesis, if only you were here,’ I thought to myself. ‘You'd know what to do.’Just as I finished that thought, I was startled by a sudden notification in my mind.NOTICESystem upgrade completed. Rebooting.A progress bar appeared, counting from 0% to 100%.The progress bar steadily crept towards 100%, and I couldn't shake the thought that Genesis would once again be available to me. ‘It'll be back, I'm sure of it,’ I thought, and I felt a surge of optimism and relief washing over me. The assassin, sensing my distraction, cleared his throat. "Do you have a plan?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice."For now, we return to the safe house. I'll need some time to think things through." My response seemed to placate the assassin, and he nodded in agreement.We mad
He then explained the quest log that they all received to me.The assassin, still trembling, began to reveal the contents of the quest log that had been shared among all players. His voice shook as he explained that I had been marked as a target, and every player had been transported to this world with the sole purpose of eliminating me. According to the quest, until my demise, none of the players would be able to leave my world. They were granted unrestricted access to their skills, allowing them to utilize their full potential in their pursuit to end my life. The rewards for succeeding in this quest were immensely valuable, with each contributing player being granted a single wish.This revelation shed light on the relentless pursuit I had been facing from them, as well as the desperate lengths that the players were willing to go to claim their rewards. It became clear that, to them, my life was nothing more than a means to an end, a stepping stone to fulfilling their deepest d
“Now it's my turn,” I said.The two men stared at me in horror, before making their moves.The assassin threw out some pouches to the floor which generated a dark mist, preventing me from seeing them.I brought out my wings and flapped them with so much might that it generated enough wind to disperse the mist.However, they were nowhere to be found.I closed my eyes and heightened my senses, searching intently for any hint that they might have decided to give away.By combining my Draconic senses with Thought Acceleration, I was able to comb the vast expanse of land in mere moments.Suddenly my ears picked something up to my left, it was the assassin, using yet another camouflage skill.I flew toward him at top speed and crashed into the ground right in front of him.I got up and paced angrily toward him. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now,” I said.The assassin, realizing he had been discovered, quickly activated a skill that shrouded him in an aura of dark e
A wave of confusion swept over me as I watched the two men recoil back in fear of me. "What's going on? Did you feel that too?" the assassin asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice."Yes, I did," the other man replied, and he locked his eyes onto mine. "I don't know what he did, but he feels like an entirely different person from when I first faced him."I couldn't help but ponder their reactions. ‘Huh? Why did they suddenly back away from me? I don't feel any different from before, so what's wrong?’ I thought, perplexed by the situation.I decided to try contacting Genesis again, hoping to shed some light on the matter. ‘Genesis,’ I thought. However, once again, I received no response.The silence was as puzzling as the men's reactions, and I couldn't help but wonder what had changed. ‘This all began after my meeting with Cognos, what did he do?’ I thoughtDespite the lack of communication from Genesis, I knew I had to press on.“Tch, you snooze you lose, I'm about to steal my p
Cognos looked at me with a mix of understanding and concern. "You must understand, young one, with great power comes great responsibility. The pursuit of power alone often leads to a dark and destructive path."I felt impatient, my mind was simply fixated on the quest he'd entrusted me with. "How am I supposed to carry out the quest you gave me then?" I asked, and the frustration was clear in my voice.Cognos paused, then reluctantly nodded. "Very well. If power is what you seek, I shall grant it to you. I will give you the power to counter anything that stands in your way."I stepped closer, with a look of curiosity mixing with anticipation. "How?" I asked."Come closer," he said. I complied, and he placed a hand on my head. A comforting warmth spread through me, soothing and invigorating at the same time. It felt like pure energy was flowing into me. When he finally removed his hand, the sensation remained, leaving me feeling stronger and more capable than ever before. I didn't kn