On top of the Evil Hill cliff, a warrior was panting heavily, a sword stabbed into the body of a massive monster.

The warrior's name was Roland, and the monster before him was the final boss of the game Eternal World — God of Oblivion.

Eternal World was a VR game extremely popular among young people and even adults.

And this game, known for being incredibly realistic and difficult, had just been conquered by a level 100 warrior — alone.

A voice echoed from the sky.

> [Congratulations to player 'Roland' for completing Eternal World!]

The voice resounded across every corner of Eternal World, and now, his name was known to all players.

Suddenly, four people appeared from behind Roland — they were his comrades from his guild.

Roland turned around and smiled at his companions, his face tired and stained with the monster's blood.

"We finally... finished this damn game," said Roland.

"Yeah... we finally defeated that demon," replied one of Roland's friends with a smile.

As Roland looked at his companions, he realized that one of them was missing.

"Hey... where's Kira? Wasn't he with you guys just now?" Roland asked.

Then a faint whisper came from behind him.

Stab!

Suddenly, a sword pierced through Roland's back, making him cough up blood.

"Ugh! W-What is the meaning of this, Rayne?!" Roland asked, stunned.

Rayne, Roland's childhood friend and the one who had spoken to him earlier, lowered his head.

"Thank you, Roland, for defeating the final boss. But we're tired of living in your shadow," Rayne said, raising his gaze toward Roland.

Kira then pulled out his sword from Roland's body, letting the blood flow freely.

Roland's body collapsed instantly, all strength leaving him.

Slowly, his body turned into glowing particles and vanished.

"Damn... Is this how it ends for me? Betrayed by the teammates I've trusted for the past five years?" he muttered.

> [Your character has died. You will be logged out and your character will be deleted.]

Whoosh!

Roland opened his eyes. But he wasn't in his room — he was suddenly standing in front of the beginner town square.

"Huh? My character wasn't deleted? Did it just reset to level one after death?" Roland muttered in confusion, rubbing his head.

He looked around the town square, where only NPC merchants were standing at their stalls.

"Isn't this town way too empty? Did everyone move to the next city?"

Suddenly, a crowd of people entered the town square, all wearing beginner equipment.

"Are these... new players who just installed the game?"

Roland approached a girl who had just entered the game. "Hey! Did you just start playing this game?" he asked with a somewhat intimidating expression.

The girl backed away in fear after seeing Roland's serious face. "I-I'm just a newbie... I-I don't have any money..." she stammered.

"Hey! I'm not a damn robber! I was just asking if you're new to this game!" Roland snapped.

"Huh? Of course I am! This game was only released two days ago," the girl answered.

"Are you a beta player?" she asked.

"What? Just released?" Roland thought, shocked.

Grab!

Roland grabbed the girl's shoulder. "What year is it?" he asked urgently.

"2025..." she replied.

Roland froze. He couldn't believe it — he had returned to the past.

Sitting at the city fountain, Roland stared blankly, trying to process that he had truly gone back in time.

But then, the memory of Rayne and Kira's betrayal resurfaced in his mind.

"Just you wait... I'll make you pay and put myself at the very top," he muttered.