The bloody person just crawled! Despite seeing similar situations back in the game, I can't seem to comprehend seeing it in real life!
"Help...me..." the bloody person muttered, causing me to froze up and get serious.
Ever since the game has been developed, ghosts are no longer something that are easily believed by many because instead of getting afraid, the people seems to be more enthusiastic seeing one since it is the real deal. They said that real ghosts can be captured and used in the virtual museums for displays. It might sound bullsh*t but I find it hilarious though. Due to the advancement of technology, normal ghosts cannot perform their horror tricks anymore. The church even declared that the evil has been banished away due to the courage of every people.
Back to my situation, since I can still move, I need to help him before my Sudden Strength depletes. The duration of the Sudden Strength only have 5 minutes left on it's duration. I quickly pull the guy and lean him on the wall. This guy seems to be a scientist since he wears a lab gown. He seems to be a 47 year old guy, with his broken glasses and his small beard as the most eye catching things on his face ,his hair is grey, maybe due to old age.
"Hey! You alright?!" I panicked. This guy is bleeding to much! His abdomen and left arm are both bleeding. He is clutching his abdomen using his right hand while his left arm seems to lack function. Also, I asked him the obvious, moreover, I am in also in the dying situation too just like him! But he is more in pain, from the looks of it, he was shot by a gun.
"I recognize you... you're Relinquished Knight..." the bleeding guy said to me.
That is my game name! I only released my face and game name after I became one of the highest ranking players in Japan!
As I look closely on his face, I suddenly saw his face vaguely familiar.
"Ah! Tojiro Akisame!" I blurted out.
Tojiro Akisame is the sole creator of the game. He was a genius who understood the structure of the Virtual Reality and decided to launch the game, "Alternate World" to the Reality Verse causing a huge uproar around the world since he is the only one who successfully created a VR Game. He is a reclusive man and never appear much on media and public interviews about the success of the game. Only recently, that he showed his face publicly after calling a few top players of the Alternate World, and I am one of the fateful players that got to meet and greet in personal the genius who created the wonderful Alternate World! I wanted to see him again to express my heartfelt congratulations and thank you for making the game, however, I did not expect that I will meet him again in this situation.
"I can sense that you are also in the same predicament... with me... wanna escape this timeline?" Tojiro asked, seems to be breathing his last any moment.
"Heh, escape? If I have to, I wan't to return back in time and redo this stupid sh*t of my life," I said honestly. I wanted to return back in time and if possible, I wanted to stop everything from happening that happened in the past.
"Oh yeah? Then you need to hurry, I can sense that the poison that is used to you will drain your life not long enough for you to reach the hospital," he grinned but he seems to be struggling.
He opened his palm, and shows a small cube and a USB flash drive. Even though the technology already reached greater heights, USB flash drives are still invaluable portable storage for everyone. However, the USB flash drives nowadays are more smaller and more portable than the one he is holding. This Flash drive seems to be one of those old drives.
"Take this, I won't last anymore... this USB flash drive will help you in the game, while this cube, will allow you to travel back into time. However, it is only one time and you won't be able to return back to present...and it is already assigned to a fixed point in the past, will you still do it?"
I stared wide agape by what he just said. Time travelling is not impossible however, it is a huge taboo to use since the butterfly effect usually causes everything from the present to be different. However, he never expected to see this opportunity for him to return back in time!
"Tojiro-san, what about you?" I asked.
"With me holding this long is already a miracle... i have no energy left, I need someone to do it in my stead. My body is too weak to survive the pull of the state to return to past and also, that time travelling cube can only transport one person back into his or her original state to the past. I won't be able to live and if possible, change the timeline, shock the world and use the content of the USB in the cabin... " Tojiro said before he breathed his last.
"Tojiro-san? Tojiro-san!" Whatever I do, he already died. Also, it seems my Sudden Strength reached it's time limit.
"Not now!" but even if I wanted to, it won't happen. My body slumped on the street besides the body of Tojiro-san. The USB flash drive and the time travel cube is still in my hands, one click away.
But alas, somebody arrived. Bad timing really. It's Akari.
"Well, well, look who do we have here! The two targets are together! The other one has been slained while the other one is still clinging to his life! Honestly you gave me trouble earlier!" Akari grinned, throwing the knife she previously stabbed on me. Even though I wish she gets stabbed by that weapon, I know she wouldn't. She knows how to handle this kind of weapons.
I gritted my teeth. That b*tch! All the love, all the affections and time that I gave her, all of them are sucked into the drain. Now, only hatred is remaining in my mind as I looked at her homicidal face.
"Why did you do this?!"
"Heh, you wan't to know? Well, I can tell you since you are dying anyway! My husband already reached his patience and has grown bored by you and that old man over there so he ordered me and other hitmen to kill you and that guy. He also ordered everyone to assassinate the few people who appeared with you, but you are one of the two people who is in his highest payout targets, the other one is that guy beside you! Heh, I thought you are strong but you are just a sh*t," She grinned.
"Kazuki...!"
I gritted my teeth, no wonder, he and Akari are sweet together whenever they are together which I found strange. So she is married to this guy, Kazuki Sakatsushi! I never expected it since she accepted my proposal. But d*mn, she just used me?!
Kazuki Sakatsushi is a rich kid, owning a whole gaming company. His game ID is Scarlet Sword and one of the strongest player in the game, Alternate World. After his game failed to be developed into the Reality Verse, he gave up and instead played the game. He is also the leader of the top guild, Burning Dragon.
My hatred is growing stronger and stronger. With this time travelling cube in my hands, I have a chance to return back in time, and redo my destiny, I won't accept this!
"Now then, since you are suffering, allow me to do the honor to end the last thread of your life," Akari raised her dagger to me.
I grinned, for the first time, my hands seems able to move, something from the USB flash drive did help me to slightly move my hand.
"F*ck you and your ancestors, in my next life, I will kill you a hundred times!" and with that, I pushed the button in the cube and gripping the USB flash drive tightly. My body seems to be stretched to it's limit and I felt like I will get ripped off by the force before my body disappeared in the area. Even though I already disappeared I can still see the baffled look in Akari's face staring to my disappearing body before I lose consciousness and drifted away.
...
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" I shouted as I fell into my bed.
BANG!
F*ck, my head hurts, even my back hurts.
Wait, it's not right. This fall shouldn't cause me much damage since my body is tempered anyway. I opened my eyes and stood up from where I fell. That is the time that I just noticed the change in my appearance and physique. My body should be a bit masculine and a bit strong in the past but now, this body is frail. Then it hit me in realization. I look around my surroundings and find the place familiar, this is the place that I once grew up.
My own room.
The posters of different animes and games are posted on the four corners of the room. Scattered books and notebooks are also littered in this place. I quickly looked at the full body mirror attached to the cabinet of my old clothes. Sure enough, this is my 17 year old body. I traveled back into time and I didn't die!
I quickly put my hand in my pocket to find my phone, only to feel the same item that I have gripped back in the past. The USB flash drive. The Time Machine cube that Tojiro- san gave to me is also here, but it was already reduced to broken scrap of metal. I also felt my own phone that seems to be out of time, however, this is one of the smartphones I have before the technology boomed. I held the USB flash drive in my hand along with my phone, checking the date.
January 7, 20XX! I travelled 25 years to the past, one week before the release date of the game, Alternate World!
I grinned. My memory for the past 25 years are still intact in my mind and with the help of my photographic memory, I can't forget anything that I have seen at all. This is my time to get the Reality Verse early and for free.
In the past, I only got the game after one of my friends gave one of his Reality Verse, one month after the game released. Though I managed to play prior to that, it was a bad memory so I prefer not to remember that.
Reality Verse is a gaming cabin that allows players to go on light sleep mode. Also, the nutrients inside the gaming cabin seems to be infinite since it is supplied everyday to the game cabin after it is attached though it won't be available for now since it will be added as an add-on later on, That add-on is helping the players stay healthy despite playing the game for a very long time. However, there is a free gaming cabin being presented in the past. The gaming company made an event, giving two lucky players with free Reality Verse. It is one of the most talked topic in the past causing it to get trending in just a single day.
This time, I wanted to get my hands through this one. As far as I can remember, it is going to occur today in the Reality Verse company lobby. With my photographic memory, I still remembered what I needed to do. Since it is still very early, I decided to train my body.
I lived alone in this house since my parents takes a two year vacation to also manage their business in Sapporo. School is already done and every students are in vacation but it will reopen soon. And since I am still a high school student, I still have no money to rely on and I have no idea where to work even though I just reached my time back here. I have not looked in lottery combinations in the past. I should have done that if I have known that I would be able to return to the past.
I perform basic push ups and sit ups, even jumping jacks also helped, however this body of mine in the past is not athletic and this should be the first time my body have experienced exercise. Due to this, I can't last at least 10 push ups and can barely perform sit ups. I even need to catch my breath when I performed Jumping jacks. However, this is perfectly normal, it's not something you can do immediately since I experienced this in the last timeline.
I wiped off my sweat and go downstairs. The house feel so lonely with me alone living in the house. I opened the fridge revealing a few few vegetables and a few slices of meat. In the past, I had no experience making my own food, however, due to my countless experience in the game and the real life, I get to cook decently now. After cooking my breakfast, I immediately changed to my hoodie and black pants. It's time for me to gain the gaming cabin in advance. Even though I knew that the butterfly effect is sure to occur, I have no complaints as I need it to ensure that everything bad that happened in my past do not get repeated.