[Congratulations, you've discovered a rare item: Soul Crystal!]
Ethan stood deep within the suffocating darkness of an abandoned mine, his pickaxe clattering to the ground as he bent down to pick up the 1000th Soul Crystal.
His lips twitched in a fleeting smile. "Three years… Three years of my life, and I've finally done it. 1000 crystals."
His eyes gleamed with a mix of exhaustion and anticipation. What kind of reward awaited him for this grueling quest? A legendary weapon? A unique talent? A rare bloodline that could change everything?
Whatever it was, he didn't care. As long as it gave him a way to rise again.
Avalon Vanguard Guild, he thought, his expression darkening. I'll make you regret every betrayal.
And then there was Zachary and Ivy, the traitorous pair who had ruined his life. You'll pay for what you did. Both of you.
Resolute, Ethan drew a dagger from his belt and plunged it into his chest without hesitation. His health bar dropped rapidly, and before long, his body dissolved into a flash of light.
When he opened his eyes again, Ethan's incorporeal form floated above a glowing altar, where a shimmering figure stood, a radiant Angel of Resurrection. Above her head, a golden exclamation mark blinked invitingly.
At last, it was time to turn in the quest.
"Honored Angel," Ethan began, his voice steady despite the turmoil within. "I've brought you 1000 Soul Crystals, fulfilling the requirements of your mission."
The angel's glowing eyes flickered.
Ding…
[Congratulations! You've completed the unique hidden quest: 'The Angel's Salvation.' Reward: One chance at resurrection.]
For a moment, Ethan froze, staring at the system notification.
"One chance at resurrection?" he muttered.
Three years of crawling through abandoned mines. Three years spent combing through ruins, dodging traps, and fighting monsters. And this was his reward? A single resurrection?
Others got resurrected for free—sure, they lost some experience points, but still!
But before he could vent his frustration, the angel raised her hands. The 1000 Soul Crystals in her possession disintegrated into a fine powder, and a brilliant light engulfed Ethan's ghostly form.
A searing heat coursed through him, different from any of the countless revivals he'd endured before. This wasn't just resurrection, this was something more.
The pain was overwhelming, like his soul was being reforged in a furnace. And then—nothing.
Darkness.
---
Ethan woke with a gasp, his body drenched in sweat. He sat up abruptly, his skin glowing faintly red, like molten metal cooling after being forged.
As the heat in his body subsided, he blinked at his surroundings.
"Wait… This place…"
The cramped studio apartment. The faint smell of cheap air fresheners. The worn-out bed shoved awkwardly against the wall.
Memories flooded back to him. This was his old apartment, the one he had rented in college during his second year. The very same one he had shared with Maya before everything went wrong.
Heart pounding, Ethan scrambled for the phone on the bedside table. The screen flickered to life, displaying the date: September 12, 2031.
"No way…" he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief.
Desperate for confirmation, he threw open the door and rushed to the next apartment. He banged on the door, his mind racing.
After a moment, it opened, revealing a girl about his age. Her messy hair and bleary eyes suggested she had just woken up.
"Uh… can I help you?" she asked, frowning.
Ethan stared at her, struggling to suppress his shock. He recognized her. She was a fellow student—someone from his program.
"Lyla," he blurted out, the name slipping from his lips before he could stop himself.
She blinked. "How do you know my name?"
"Doesn't matter," Ethan said quickly, waving her question away. "What day is it today? Please, just tell me!"
Lyla looked at him like he was insane, but answered anyway. "It's… September 12th, 2031."
Before she could say another word, Ethan bolted back to his room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, he stared at his trembling hands.
"I've… gone back in time," he whispered, the reality finally sinking in.
His thoughts turned to the quest reward—the cryptic description burned into his mind:
'The thing you desire most.'
A bitter laugh escaped his lips. He had wanted power, a legendary item, a unique skill, something to help him climb back to the top.
Instead, he'd been granted the one thing he never dared hope for: a second chance.
As memories of the past swirled in his mind, his gaze fell to his legs.
His chest tightened. Three years ago, those bastards had crippled him, leaving him with nothing but shattered dreams and burning hatred. Zachary had orchestrated the attack, but with no evidence, the authorities had done nothing.
Ethan had barely escaped with his life, fleeing to another city to avoid their murderous schemes.
His mind swirled with memories, sharp and raw.
September 11th, the day Ivy had ended things. The breakup had shattered him, blindsiding him with no warning.
By the afternoon of September 12th, desperate and unaware of the betrayal yet to fully unfold, he had gone to Zachary to borrow money. Not knowing that Zachary was the one Ivy dumped him for.
Now, things were different.
Clenching his fists, Ethan focused on the date again: September 12th, 2031.
Tomorrow was the day it all began.
By mid-2031, the gaming industry had been completely consumed by one name: Aeon Corporation.
A tech giant that had bulldozed its way to dominance, Aeon acquired every major gaming company worldwide. By then, the world hadn't seen a new game launch for over six months. Rumors spread like wildfire—Aeon was working on something massive.
And they weren't wrong.
Three months ago, on June 2, 2031, Aeon made the announcement that rocked the globe:
A fully immersive, 100% realistic virtual reality game.
The game, named Ethereal, was set to launch at midnight on September 13, 2031.
Skepticism flooded social media and news outlets. Experts questioned the safety of such technology, while others doubted that such an ambitious project could have been developed in just six months. Some even called for governments to ban its release, citing potential risks to mental health and societal stability.
But the response from world governments? Silence.
By the time Aeon's unrelenting marketing campaign began, the so-called "experts" had mysteriously quieted down. For three months, advertisements were everywhere: on billboards, streaming platforms, and even augmented reality displays.
Yet, no one knew anything about the game itself.
There were no trailers, no gameplay footage, no backstory—just one cryptic tagline:
"The world you've always dreamed of… awaits."
Speculation was rampant. Was it a fantasy game? A sci-fi adventure? A survival challenge? Most leaned toward the first option, guessing that a title like Ethereal hinted at a magic-filled, otherworldly experience.
But Ethan knew better.
He had lived it.
This wasn't just a game; it was the future. Ethereal wasn't about casting spells or slaying dragons. It was a brutal survival world—a stage for power struggles, alliances, betrayals, and unimaginable rewards.
Ethan clenched his fists, his heart racing with anticipation.
He had four years of experience from his past life: he knew the locations of hidden quests, legendary items, and shortcuts through dungeons. He knew every exploit, every strategy to dominate the game's economy, and every way to climb to the top.
This was his chance to rise again.
But there was one massive problem.
'How the hell am I going to get a VR headset?'
Ethan glanced at the clock. In his previous life, right now, he'd have been on his way to Zachary's apartment to borrow money. All for the cheapest, most basic headset that would allow him to log into Ethereal.
He winced at the memory.
What a joke. The clown was me all along.
Checking his pockets, Ethan fished out a crumpled wad of cash. Eleven dollars and fifty cents. He was still $1,988.50 short of even the most affordable headset.
His frustration boiled over. Here he was, reborn with all the knowledge and determination he needed to dominate Ethereal, but without the means to even log in.
The thought of waiting six months for Aeon's "universal distribution" program, when the company would give every citizen a free headset, made his blood run cold.
'I can't wait that long. The opportunities in the first six months are too critical. I'll miss everything!'
His spiraling thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Ethan frowned, rising to answer. He opened the door—and froze.
Standing in front of him was Lyla, the girl from next door.
But it wasn't her presence that shocked him—it was what she was holding.
A pristine, sleek VR headset. Model 207.
Ethan's breath caught. He remembered this headset. It was the exact one Lyla had gifted him in his previous life. But back then, it had been six months after they'd become close friends. Why was it here now?
"Um… hi, neighbor," Lyla stammered, her face tinged with a deep blush. "I just moved in, so… I thought I'd give you a little gift as a thank-you for, uh, welcoming me."
Ethan's mind raced, overlapping memories of the past and present. In his previous life, she had smiled brightly when she handed him the headset and said:
"Thanks for looking out for me these past six months, neighbor. This is my way of saying thanks!"
But now?
Why would she give this to me now, before we've even had the chance to know each other?
"Uh… neighbor? Hello?" Lyla waved a hand in front of his face, snapping him back to reality.
"Ah! Yes—thank you, Lyla," Ethan said hastily, reaching out to take the headset.
Her blush deepened as she handed it over. "Well, I'll… I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing. See you around!"
And just like that, she spun on her heel and darted back to her apartment, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
Ethan closed his own door, leaning against it as he stared at the device in his hands.
"Did she… always have this headset prepared?" he muttered, his mind racing. "If she did… why did she wait six months to give it to me last time? What was she waiting for?"
He shook his head, dismissing the thought. He wasn't the kind of guy to attract attention, let alone gifts like this.
No sense in overthinking it.
With trembling hands, Ethan tore open the packaging, his heart pounding as the headset's sleek design gleamed in the dim light of his apartment.
This was it.