Aurelius sat beside his bed, fingers tapping restlessly on the wooden desk. The room was quiet except for the faint sound of him closing off the desk's compartment.
"Is this a diary?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
The cover was scratched and faded, the handwriting inside messy and crude.
"Let's see what secrets you've been hiding."
He flipped the first page, expecting something important. Instead, his eyes landed on a wall of text. The paragraphs stretched endlessly, drowning him in poorly written prose. Each line was a clumsy attempt at storytelling, riddled with awkward pacing and childish dialogue.
"...Is this some kind of novel instead of a diary?" he muttered, irritation creeping into his voice. But after taking a deep breath, he read the novel...
It was absolute garbage. The kind of trash a desperate teenager might scribble down in a notebook thinking they were writing something deep. He scowled and flipped through the pages faster, barely glancing at the worthless content.
However, midway through the book, something unusual caught his eye. The thick pages had a square cutout inside — the edges clean and precise, like someone had intentionally carved it.
Aurelius frowned as he peered inside the hollow space. A smaller book was tucked neatly inside, tightly bound in black leather with a thin silver clasp.
His heart began to race.
"Now this... this is what I'm talking about."
He smirked and slid the notebook free. The leather felt cold against his fingers. There was weight to it, like it held something important.
With curiosity burning inside him, Aurelius cracked it open.
RETARD, YOU FELL FOR MY PRANK!
His smile vanished instantly.
"…What?" Aurelius muttered.
He stared at the childish scrawl on the page, his fingers tightening around the leather. A wave of irritation surged through him. His fingers twitched as he resisted the urge to crush the book right then and there.
"Of course the bastard would pull some dumb shits like this..." he muttered through gritted teeth.
For a brat who couldn't even make it past ten chapters in that trashy novel, this was par for the course. His irritation spiked, and he raised the book, ready to throw it across the room.
However, just before it left his hand, something cold brushed against his fingertips.
Aurelius paused. His fingers traced back to the page where he felt it. His gaze sharpened.
He turned the page back and found it. Another compartment had been carved inside, this time with a metal lining. Resting inside was a small, silver box no larger than a playing card.
Aurelius chuckled dryly.
"I guess you weren't as brain-dead as I thought."
With a little force, he pried the box open. Inside was another notebook, smaller and thinner than the last one. Across the cover, bold letters read:
"My Dreams"
"Oh? So this was your motive…" Aurelius muttered, intrigued as be understood that the previous two set ups were made to drive away anyone who tires to read it.
"Maybe I was a bit harsh calling you trash," he added. "You're at least mediocre."
He flipped the notebook open.
A hideous clown head shot out the moment the cover lifted.
Aurelius flinched back slightly, but his irritation swallowed any surprise. His fingers clamped down, crushing the prank toy like paper.
"This... is getting ridiculous," he muttered, tossing the broken clown head aside.
"If this diary doesn't hold something useful, I swear I'll make anyone you ever care before dying face their biggest nightmare."
Taking a slow breath to calm himself, Aurelius opened the book once more. This time, no tricks. No pranks.
The first few pages were embarrassing to read — pathetic lines about wanting to be a prodigy, endless whining about his family's neglect, and childish thoughts about changing the world.
Aurelius skipped to the final page, expecting more nonsense. Instead, his eyes widened slightly.
I've sacrificed 99 people... Now I just need one more sacrifice, and I'll finally get the superpower the 'book' promised.
Aurelius stared at the words for several seconds.
"...Huh."
His fingers tapped against the desk as his mind worked. Was this some twisted joke? A delusion? Or had the previous Aurelius been more dangerous than anyone realized?
"Maybe this idiot was actually onto something…" Aurelius muttered under his breath. "Was this some butterfly effect from my transmigration… or some setup by that bastard author?"
His gaze hardened.
"And what's this 'book' that promises power in exchange for sacrifices? Sounds like a scam... but what if it's not?"
His mind wandered back to the novel's protagonist.
Cassius Marcus.
The regressor. The cheat wielder. The man destined to become the strongest.
His cheat ability was called Achilles: The Godly Swordsman — a power that let him master the sword in record time. Even as a human level, Cassius could tear through trained fighters like they were made of paper.
Aurelius's fingers curled into a fist.
"If I face him now, which I'm bound to face because of this idiot's mistake of kidnapping his fiancee... I'm finished."
His breathing grew heavier.
"Do I really have no other option?"
He clenched his jaw.
"I don't want to do this…" he muttered. "But if this ritual's my only chance…"
His hand gripped the notebook tighter.
"It's just one more person…" he whispered.
The words didn't feel right — not even to him. For a man who had spent years as a street thug, violence was no stranger. Killing people who threatened him was nothing new.
But this...
This felt different. He wasn't cornered in some back alley. There was no knife at his throat. He didn't have to kill anyone right now.
Yet here he was, trying to justify it.
"Just one more…" he muttered again.
The words felt heavier each time he said them.
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Hello! Just wanted to say; Check out auxiliary chapter because I've updated a power system chapter in there for easier understanding of the power levels in this world..
Throw your stones + comments! 👊🏻