At wits endGarrick Gayle trudged through the rain-soaked streets, his eyes cast down at the pavement. It had been months since his family disowned him, blaming him for his father's death. The pain still lingered, a constant ache in his chest.As he turned a corner, he spotted a familiar figure leaning against a graffiti-covered wall. It was Vex, the leader of the gang Garrick had joined a few weeks ago."Yo, Garrick! What's up, man?" Vex called out, his voice laced with a hint of excitement.Garrick shrugged, approaching Vex. "Just trying to stay dry, I guess."Vex chuckled. "You're always so gloomy, Garrick. Lighten up, man! We've got a score to settle tonight."Garrick raised an eyebrow. "What kind of score?"Vex grinned mischievously. "We're hitting a convenience store on 5th Street. Easy in, easy out. We'll make some quick cash and have some fun."Garrick hesitated, his mind racing with the risks. But Vex's enthusiasm was infectious, and he found himself nodding along."Alright,
Epilogue. AgendaAtlas had just seen Ella today, how could he have prepared a present in advance when he didn't even know Amelia was going to adopt the child from the orphanage. Just as he was about to think of what to say, the system's robotic voice rang in his head.«Ding!System sense's Host's complicated emotion. Deploying the moonstone bracelet.Moonstone bracelet description: a piece of the moon, capable of enhancing a person's Will and also eliminate fatigue as well as stabilize emotions.Worth: Three million dollars ($3,000,000).Object: Tradable.»Atlas put his hand in his pants pocket and felt a bead bracelet. He brought out the bracelet from his pocket and gave it to Ella.“Happy Birthday, Ella. Daddy wishes you to grow up safely and happily.”Although Atlas had obtained this gift from the system and it's description suggested it was extremely worthy, it still looked like an ordinary bead bracelet to people.Amelia reached out and snatched the bead bracelet. After taking a
Ren Davis walked out of the office building, his shoulders slumped in dejection. "Sorry, kid," the gruff interviewer had said with a shrug. "You've got the credentials on paper, but there were just...better candidates. More experienced. We have to go with who we think is the best fit."Those last words burned in Ren's mind as he trudged down the city sidewalk, feeling defeated. How was he supposed to get experience if no one would give him a chance? It was an endless loop of rejections, each one more demoralizing than the last.Ren was from a humble background, where his parents struggled to make ends meet and barely managed to pay the bills. Despite their financial hardships, they exerted every ounce of effort to provide for him, even though he was already thirty years old and capable of fending for himself. Ren felt a desire to achieve success, aiming to make a difference in their lives by offering them the support they had selflessly given him throughout the years.Up ahead, Ren
Ren found himself floating in a huge, empty space filled with stars and galaxies. The silence was almost deafening, and a strange calmness surrounded him.Confused and disoriented, Ren looked around, his heart racing. He reached out, trying to grab onto something, but there was nothing.Before Ren could react, an invisible force seemed to reach out and grab him, pulling him inexorably forward until he was falling, tumbling through a swirling mix of colors and shapes.The cosmic maelstrom battered his senses from all sides, overwhelming him with a dizzying barrage of sights and sounds unlike anything he had ever experienced.Just when Ren thought he couldn't take it anymore, everything suddenly stopped. He found himself floating in a huge, empty space filled with stars and galaxies. The silence was almost deafening, and a strange calmness surrounded him.Confused and disoriented, Ren looked around, his heart racing. He reached out, trying to grab onto something, but there was nothing.
The warm rays of the morning sun gently streamed into Ren's room, signaling the arrival of summer vacation. As he woke up, a surge of memories from his previous life flooded his mind, leaving him momentarily overwhelmed. In one swift motion, he sat up in bed, his chest rising and falling rapidly as flashes of past experiences flickered through his consciousness.His eyes fixated upon a disarray of unpaid bills scattered across his desk - electricity, rent, and medical fees, all demanding attention. Among them, he was reminded of his father's debt which made them houseless. In his previous existence, he had been burdened by his parents' financial struggles, but this time, things were different. “I have the knowledge of the future I have to make use of it"Ren threw off his blanket, racing over to boot up the old desktop computer lying dormant in the corner."Okay...gotta get the jump on this. Three...two...one!" The website for digital illustration software pulled up and Ren smashed
Ren hung up the video call with ComiXStream's CEO, a satisfied smirk playing across his lips. He had totally outmaneuvered those big-shot publishers, forcing them to agree to his terms. That sweet $10,000 payment was sent to his account, plus he'd be getting 50% of the profits from Thunderstrike's crazy success. *Ding!*Ren's eyes lit up as they saw the notification, and they couldn't contain their joy. "Finally... I've made my first $10,000!" Ren exclaimed, unable to believe. He had never had the opportunity to make $1,000 in his previous timeline, let alone $10,000, so this was an incredibly joyful moment for them.But his moment of triumph was interrupted by a loud banging at the front door. Ren's brow furrowed as he heard his dad's slurred voice from the living room. "I'm coming, I'm coming!"The sound of the door being unlatched, and then a booming voice that Ren recognized as their grumpy landlord, Mr. Zimmer. "Where's my money, Riley? The rent was due three days ago, and I'm
Ren's fingers flew across the keyboard as he executed a series of complex trades, his mind racing with the wealth of knowledge from his previous life. He had spent the last several hours methodically building up his stock portfolio, drawing on his intimate understanding of future market trends to secure massive gains.The numbers in his trading account continued to climb, far exceeding the modest $10,000 he had started with. Ren couldn't help but feel a surge of exhilaration - this was his chance to finally lift his family out of the cycle of poverty and debt that had plagued them for so long.With a few more decisive keystrokes, Ren closed out his latest positions, locking in a staggering profit of over $250,000. He leaned back in his chair, a triumphant grin spreading across his face."Time to put this plan into action," he murmured, reaching for his phone.Ren quickly composed a message to his parents, informing them that he had a surprise for them and asking them to meet him at th
Ren sat on the crowded school bus, music playing softly through his headphones as he gazed out the window. It was a familiar routine he had gone through countless times before, but now everything felt different.As the bus rumbled down the street, Ren couldn't help but overhear the whispered conversations of the girls around him. "Did you see that guy? He's so hot!""I know, right? I wonder who he is..."Ren felt a small smile tug at the corners of his lips as he recognized the familiar words. It was a stark contrast to the way things used to be, when he would sit on this very bus, invisible and overlooked, desperately hoping to catch even the briefest glance from the object of his affection.He remembered how the girls would chatter excitedly about the popular, good-looking boys, never sparing a second thought for the shy, skinny outcast he had once been. Ren would sit in the back, hunched over and trying to make himself as small as possible, his heart aching with unrequited longing