In one of the poorest and worst streets of Khenchela City, a young man suddenly woke up, drenched in sweat and gasping for air to breathe. He tried to move, but he found himself lying in an old wooden bed. When he was struggling to catch a breath, his heart was pondering, as if it wanted to leave his chest. breathe. He tried to move, but he found himself lying in an old wooden bed. When he was struggling to catch a breath, his heart was pondering, as if it wanted to leave his chest.

That's all because of a nightmare that he couldn't even remember.

"what's happening? Why is there no light?" Manho thought that as the panic started to rise in his mind, he tried to get up, but his body didn't listen to him, as if his body didn't recognize his orders.

'What's wrong with my body? Why does it feel weird to try to move?' When Manho was thinking about this weird situation, he started to move in the lightless environment, but his body wasn't moving as he wanted to, but he still moved. He reached for his hand and found the light switch. When he turned on the light, he saw that he was in an old room with one old desk and an old wood bed. 

The room was a normal room, but when Manho saw the room, his eyes widened and his hands started to shake. 'This can't be...'. He thought, then he mumbled in a low voice, "This is my old room, from 20 years ago. Is this a dream? or is someone playing a sick joke on me?"

when he was like a child who just learned how to walk. His brain was filled with questions. When he woke up in the bathroom, he looked in the mirror, and his face changed and his blood started to boil. The reflection that was supposed to show a 40-year-old man was now showing a young man with short hair. It was Manho when he was 22 years old.

"This has to be a dream," he muttered. But Manho knew deep inside that it was not a dream; it was too real to be a dream. "What the fuck is going on?"

Suddenly, Manho started touching his face, and he removed his shirt. When he saw his body, he was shocked even more. His body was below average, like any young man who never trained hard. It was a normal young man's body, not too muscular or too skinny. What shocked Manho was a scar right beside his chest. It was a red scar that looked terrifying. 

Manho thought, 'What is this scar? I never had any scars in my life...' Then a creeping realization started to get into his thoughts and mind: 'Did I really get back in time?!'

His hands trembled as he rushed back to his room, grabbing his phone to check the time. It was 2:00 AM, and the date flashed across the screen—January 12th, 2230. "Two days before New Haven is released..." Memories flooded back of the game that would change everything. "The VRMMORPG that took the world by storm... But if I'm really back in time, then Charlie's still alive."

Without wasting any more time, Manho dashed down the narrow hallway to another room, opening the door without even knocking. The room looked exactly like his room, and in the bed was a younger version of his brother Charlie peacefully sleeping. When Manho saw that, tears started to roll down his eyes as he switched on the lights.

Charlie's face twitched, and he opened his eyes slowly and looked at the door in confusion. "What's wrong? Why are you in my room at this hour?" He grumbled and continued, "Don't tell me you are crying over what that bitch did to you." Charlie rubbed his eyes and got up in bed.

Manho couldn't hold back and rushed to hug Charlie. Charlie couldn't evade Manho's grip, and Manho started crying more. "You're alive. Charlie, you're alive." His voice was weak and fragile from the emotion he was feeling.

"Of course I am alive; we just had dinner together!" Charlie replied and tried to run away from Manho's hug.

Manho finally realized Charlie and looked at his face. In his previous life, Charlie died from a rare disease five years ago. He got diagnosed in his later stages, so the doctors couldn't do anything to treat him. The loss of Charlie gave Manho a scar that he never recovered from, and the sight of his brother alive stirred his emotions, and he started crying.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Charlie asked, as he looked at the sweat and the terror in Manho's face, "Did you have a nightmare or something?".

Manho hesitated for some time and said, "Yes, it's just a bad dream. Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep."

When Charlie heard that, he gave Manho a worried look and didn't ask any further. He was used to his brother's odd behavior, and with the work in the morning, he needed to rest. "alright weirdo. Don't do anything crazy." Manho got up from his brother's bed and walked to the door to turn the light off. He then closed the door and walked in the hallway to the kitchen.

When Manho was walking to the kitchen, his mind was racing with old memories of their old home. They had been dirt poor, clinging to the last remnants of their parents' legacy—the house they grew up in. After their parents passed away, they were left with only a small amount of money, which they quickly spent just to survive. Charlie, younger by a year, had dropped out of school to work, doing anything from washing cars to more unsavory tasks just to make ends meet. Meanwhile, Manho had struggled through his studies, now in his final year at university.

Manho swiftly clenched his fists and said in a low voice, "This time, things will be different." He didn't know everything, but he knew the most important thing, and that was the release date of the new immersive game, the latest and best VR game, New Haven. It was a game that gave any poor player the chance the chance to change his fate for the better.

As Manho thought about New Haven, he suddenly tried to recall the events leading up to his return in time. But as he strained to remember, a sharp pain shot through his head, forcing him to stop. After a few moments, the pain subsided, but dread began to creep into his heart. "I can't remember five years of the twenty years I spent playing the game in my last life. I remember what happened in the real world, but the details of the game are gone. My mental power hasn't developed enough yet. But I still have fifteen years of memories—I can at least become one of the best, if not the best."

When Manho thought more about the lost memories, a deep sense of terror started to rise from his soul: 'Why am I getting scared for?' He thought, I can't remember, so I shouldn't waste my time on something I can't change.

He grabbed his phone and tried to call someone, but there was no answer. "Probably still asleep," he muttered. "I should try to get some rest, too."

At 9.00 AM, Manho woke up from another nightmare; he was drenched in sweat again. The details of the dream were foggy and hazy, and the only thing that he remembered were two voices. One of the girls was telling him, "You need to hurry...", but the other voice filled him with dread. Manho heard the voice telling him, "None can escape me!" Manho thought as he was going to the shower to clean himself, 'What is this nightmare I'm having? and that voice...'.

When Manho was in the shower, he turned it on, but the water didn't come out. "No water... I forgot we didn't pay the bill."

In his previous life, Manho had managed to climb the ranks in the game, eventually joining one of the best guilds in Kenchela City, the Black Knights, and quickly rising to become its vice guild leader. _New Haven_ was a massive game that changed everything, offering even the poorest a chance to get rich. Manho had moved out of the slums, relocated to a wealthy area with better security, and lived comfortably. But this time, he knew he had to aim higher.

as Manho walked out of the shower and got to the kitchen. He spotted some money on the kitchen table—50 credits, barely enough to get by. "Charlie must have left this for me, acting like the older brother again," Manho thought, a sad smile tugging at his lips. He clenched the credits in his hand, his resolve steeling. "Don't worry, Charlie. I'm going to get us out of here. This time, I'll make sure we both make it."

He grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen and went to the shower. Without running water, he used the bottle to clean himself as best as he could. After drying off with a towel, he dressed in one of his outfits and slipped on his flip-flops.

As Manhoo got out of his house, he found himself in a bustling street. A wave of bad weather hit him, but Manho didn't feel bad, but he felt nostalgic as he looked at the sight and sounds of Kosidar Street. It was a lively place full of people trying to make a living from selling to buying to doing all sorts of things. As he was imbued with his thoughts, he heard his name getting called.

Manho turned to see a short young man with long hair and a black eyes with an above-average face. "Axel...", memories flooded in Manho's brain about his best friend; 'he was the same as I remembered him,' Manho thought.

"What's up, shortie?" Manho called out with a grin, feeling a strange mix of emotions.

Axel's face twisted in annoyance. "Shut up, you weirdo! You are not that tall either," he shot back, the familiar banter pulling Manho back into the present. 

Manho said, "I'm still insecure about you, Hight as always." Axel didn't say anything as he continued to look at Axel with some annoyance in his face.

"Anyway, what are you doing here? Don't you have classes at college today?" Manho asked Axel. Axel looked at him with a strange expression. "Didn't I tell you I never went to that place? I only go to exams or mandatory classes. I never liked college; they all look at us like we have some kind of virus. And we have a 10-day holiday. Did you lose your memory or what?"

When Manho heard that, he remembered that his years in college hadn't been that great. If not for the scholarship he got with Axel, they wouldn't even have attended college. Even if they had the money, they would never have been accepted because of their background. Suddenly, Manho glanced at the table in front of him and noticed some random stuff—old phones, some new. He said with a smile, "You need to stop stealing. If you get caught, you'll end up in jail, and you know what happens to short people in jail."

Manho remembered that Axel got caught stealing in college and got expelled from it, which led him to join a local gang and end up in jail. Their friendship didn't continue as it once did because Manho was busy with exams and other matters. After discovering the game, he became even busier and lost touch with Axel. But in this life, he intended to change that.

When Axel heard this, he replied, "I'm not you. I never get caught. Anyway, why are you suddenly like this? Didn't you ask me to teach you not too long ago?" Manho was almost sick to his stomach. "Fuck, I forgot. I was such a stupid guy back then," he thought. "Anyway, see you later," Manho said and continued walking. Axel thought, "Done tell me that bitch Cecilia scared him this bad."

Suddenly, someone stepped in front of Axel and asked about what he was selling. Manho was nearly out of the street when he stopped in front of a big building. Two men stood in front of the building. One had a tattoo on his neck, and the other was a huge black, muscular man. When Manho tried to enter the building, the large black man blocked his way and said, "Where are you going, kid? Get the fuck out of here before I beat you to death."

When Manho looked up and met the gangster's eyes, the gangster felt a wave of fear. He thought, "How can I feel fear from a kid?" Suddenly, the tattooed man spoke, "What brings you here, Manho? Your brother isn't going to be happy when he hears you're here."

The black man asked, "Do you know him?" The other man replied, "He's the older brother of Charlie." When the black man heard that, he thought, "That's why I felt fear. He's the older brother of the beast." The reputation of Charlie, Manho's younger brother, was well-known in this part of the city. He was once the leader of their gang before suddenly leaving the gang to start working a real job.

When Manho heard them, he said, "Hello to you too, Alex. I'm here to meet Ghost."

Alex looked at him strangely and said, "Suit yourself," stepping aside to let Manho through. Inside, Manho saw more people holding guns—old and outdated models commonly used by lowly gangs. As he walked in, people made way for him. He climbed the stairs until he reached a door. After knocking, he entered and found a man in his late 20s with messy red hair, one of his eyes looking red, which made him look weird, and a muscular build.

When the man saw Manho, he laughed and said, "What brings the prince of nothing here? Your brother is going to be so mad he might even come after me, so you better have a good reason for coming here."

Manho laughed at being called the "prince of nothing," as in his brother's gang days, he was treated like royalty. But when his brother left the gang, everything changed. Manho didn't care much for being a prince or anything like that.

Suddenly, Manho said, "Ghost, I need to borrow 50,000 credits from you, and I need you to not tell my brother about this."

Ghost started laughing even more and said, "You're funny as always."

Then Manho said, "I'll pay you double the money in 10 days." Manho needed the money to buy a headset for the game and was confident he could earn double in 10 days. Ghost looked at Manho and thought, 'There's something off about him. He seems more confident, and his eyes look like those of someone who has killed a lot of people. Why did the lazy weird brother change this much?'

Ghost smiled and said, "I see you're serious. I'll give you the money because of your brother. But remember, if you don't pay me back, even though your brother is the Beast, I'll have you chopped up and sold."

Manho chuckled and remembered that Ghost and Charlie started the gang together. Despite Charlie being younger, Ghost allowed him to lead the gang because Charlie was skilled at fighting and because he knew no fear. When Charlie wanted to leave the gang, Ghost disagreed, leading to a fight that no one knew the outcome of. Manho knew Ghost lost, which is why Ghost still held some grudges against Charlie.

Manho said, "Don't worry, I'll get you the money."

Ghost got up from his chair, opened a safe, and took out some money, handing it to Manho. Manho took the money and quickly left. As Ghost watched him go, he thought, 'That's interesting...'

Manho sprinted out of the street. The environment began to change, and the buildings looked nicer with cleaner, well-dressed people. He entered a store and found an old man with gray hair at the cashier. Manho said, "Give me one of the cheapest headsets you have."

The old man, noticing Manho's simple clothes and average build, handed him the headset without speaking. He said, "50,000, no less."

Manho smiled, realizing the old man probably knew he was from the slums. He paid and left the store, sprinting back home. Once home, he placed the headset on his bed and began exercising on the carpet. He quickly discovered how weak his body was, barely lasting 10 minutes before breaking a sweat.

The following four days passed quickly. When the time came, Manho was excited. When his brother asked about the headset, Manho said he got it from a friend, and his brother didn't question further.

When Manho put on the headset and entered the game "New Haven," he was thrilled. In the game, time moved three times faster than in the real world—72 hours in-game, with 48 hours of day and 24 hours of night.

Suddenly, the lights went out, and he found himself in a cosmos-like place with countless stars. In front of him was a child with two wings, looking adorable. He introduced himself as "Castiel" and began explaining the different classes available in the game. There were 12 classes categorized into 4 main groups:

**Fighters**: Knight, Shield Fighter, Berserker

Weapon Users: Thief, Archer, Swordsman

**Magic Users**: Elementalist, Summoner, Dark Elementalist

**Healers**: Druid, Cleric, Shaman

Fighters act as tanks, weapon users focus on physical damage, magic users handle magic damage, and healers are self-explanatory. While there are thousands of jobs in New Haven, only these are available for selection at the beginning.

Manho had been a thief in his previous life, so he chose the thief class again.

"Class selection is complete. You are now a thief."

"Enter the name of your character now."

"Prince of Nothing."

Manho thought "Prince of Nothing" was a fitting name, as in his previous life, he was simply known as Manho.

"Name completed. You can adjust your appearance, but only to a limited extent."

Manho made some adjustments to avoid being easily recognized.

"You will be spawned randomly in the world of New Haven. Have fun."

Manho was enveloped in light and found himself in a town square. An announcement from the system welcomed him to "Start Light Town."

Manho began laughing maniacally. The other people in the street looked at him with disdain, some saying, "Look at that noob. I bet he's never played a VR MMORPG before." Someone else commented, "Yeah, I bet he probably never had a girlfriend."

Manho stopped laughing and thought, 'What are they even saying? What's wrong with people?' He laughed because the town was the same one from his past life.

Manho said, "Now my journey begins."