Chapter 1
(You Died)
A sizzling sound was made as the virtual gaming capsule opened. A handsome looking young man angrily got out and threw his helmet away from frustration.
"Those little fu*ks. Just you wait. I'll kill you all." He yelled.
His phone which was resting on the table besides, then vibrated a couple of times as messages entered. He looked at the phone for a few seconds before picking it up.
"What now?" He grunted.
He read the contents of the messages and his expression immediately changed into a furious one. He threw the phone, smashing it into the wall.
"Those fuc*ing bast*rds, after all my sweat and efforts. Those old as*ess had the balls to lay me off." He screams, almost going mad from anger.
Then he started chuckling, which turned into laughter. After laughing like a madman for over three minutes straight.
He went to where his phone was and picked it up, then he dialed a number and it rang.
"Hello." He said. "Can we at least have one party, to celebrate our accomplishments of the past years before I go."
"We'll do well to honour that request." The person on the phone said.
"I'll text you guys the address." He said before disconnecting the call.
------------------------
The night air was heavy. A thin drizzle tapped against the car's windshield as he drove through the lonely highway. Neon lights from passing billboards reflected on his sharp eyes, cold and distant.
The radio hummed faintly with a soft song, one he barely noticed. His mind was elsewhere.
On betrayal.
On anger.
On payback.
He gripped the steering wheel tighter. "They think they can just toss me away like trash," he muttered. "After everything I built for them."
The rain started to pour harder, blurring the road ahead. The wipers screeched back and forth, struggling to keep up.
A call came in, from one of his friends. He reached for his phone, his eyes flicking off the road for just a second.
"Yeah, I'm on my—"
A flash of light.
A blaring horn.
CRASH!
Metal twisted. Glass shattered. His car spun violently, rolling off the wet highway and slamming into a tree. Everything went silent.
Smoke rose from the wreckage. The dashboard lights flickered. His vision blurred, pain burning through his body.
He tried to move his hand… but couldn't.
Blood trickled down his forehead. His breath came out in shaky, shallow gasps.
'Is this the end of my journey?' He smiles weakly as he slowly closes his eyes and drifts into the endless darkness.
'This feels... Nice.'
His soul was currently floating aimlessly in the dark endlessly abyss.
'If I do get to live another life, I'll live it my way and no one else.'
His soul floated aimlessly through the endless darkness, weightless and calm. There was no pain. No sound. Just silence deep and infinite.
For a moment, he thought this was it, eternal nothingness. 'Is this the afterlife?'
But then…
A faint shimmer flickered somewhere in the distance.
A single spark of light.
It pulsed once. Twice. Then began to grow brighter and brighter, until it swallowed the darkness completely.
The void trembled around him, and his body or what was left of it began to dissolve into the radiant glow.
He felt warmth.
'What is this…?' he thought, squinting against the brilliance.
The light expanded, wrapping around him entirely. Covering his vision.
_______________
Adam opened his eyes but shut them again, squinting at the sunlight pouring through the window. His head felt heavy, like he'd just woken from a long dream.
"…Huh?" he muttered, rubbing his temples. The last thing he remembered was.
Being engulfed by the mysterious blinding bright lights. He jolted up from his bed observing his surroundings.
"Isn't this my old room?"
Adam could help but ask out loud as his eyes scanned through the small shabby apartment. This was a simple one-room apartment, with just a bed, shelf, a small wardrobe where he kept his clothes and table with an old outdated computer.
He then saw a phone on the table and quickly checked the date.
(2070-09-23)
"How could this be?" Adam said in utter disbelief. "Did I just travel seven years back into the past?"
And the exact date.
'It's today!' Adam's eyes widened from the sudden realisation that hit him.
Today was the day that the world's biggest and best virtual reality game Last Haven officially launched after twelve years of working the game.
Adam sat down for some minutes trying to gather his thoughts. If really he had been sent back in time. Then this time, he's going to be the king of all of Last Haven.
In his past life, Adam skills were abysmal and only after he had joined The White Fangs guild did he start to get better due to the guilds training and he eventually became one of the five guild masters of the said guild.
This time it was different, not only had he been reborn, he also had his memories intact. In this life Adam was bound to flourish.
'I need to get my hands on a gaming helmet.'
He immediately got up, went to his wardrobe and changed his clothes. While changing, Adam caught a glance of his reflection from the mirror in front of him. He looked scrawny and heavily malnourished.
'I remember only surviving on instant noodles during this time,' Adam thought, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. This time, it's going to be different.
Back then, he had scraped together every coin he could find saving over ninety percent of his weekly allowance for six straight months just to buy the new Last Haven gaming helmet. It was a decision that had left him broke, hungry, and clinging to cheap noodles for survival.
But now… knowing what was to come, that same sacrifice felt like the first step toward an empire.
He quickly changed into more presentable clothes: a simple black hoodie, jeans, and sneakers then grabbed his phone from the desk.
Without wasting a second, he bolted out of his cramped apartment and down the stairs, his heart pounding with excitement.
'The future starts today,' he thought. 'And this time, it's mine.'
Adam surfed through the internet as he walked to the store. Reading some articles about Last Haven reaching almost ten million Neos in sales after launching less than six hours ago.
Upon finally reaching the store, there was a long queue of people both young and old all wanting to purchase a gaming helmet from Last Haven.
Adam took the extra time to surf through the internet some more. After about half an hour, it was finally his turn to buy and luckily for him, it was one of the last ten sets available in the store at the moment.
"The helmet costs twenty thousand Neos." The sales person spoke.
He already knew what everyone present was here for so he didn't need to ask what they wanted.
Adam nodded and wired the money to him. Due to his outdated phone, the payment process took longer than expected making some of the people behind impatient.
After a couple of minutes Adam was done with the payment and he left. He still had some changes left in his account so he went to the nearest convenience store and bought some instant noodles as the one he had left was almost finished.
The evening sky had already dimmed to a deep orange by the time Adam made it back to his apartment. He carefully set the black box on his desk and took a step back, staring at it in silence.
The sleek logo of Last Haven shimmered faintly on the packaging.
Adam peeled back the seal. The box hissed open softly, revealing a smooth, obsidian-black helmet lined with faint neon-blue circuitry veins. Its design was elegant
After connecting the helmet's power cord, he watched as it pulsed with life a thin glow tracing across its surface.
He wore the helmet and then laid on his and clicked the activation button located at the side of the helmet.
A faint hum filled the room as the device powered on.
[System Activation Sequence Initiated.]
[Neural Link Engaged.]
[Synchronizing consciousness 2%]
[10%]
[48%]
[89%]
[100%]
Adam felt a gentle wave of warmth wash over his body. His breathing slowed, his senses dulled and then the world around him faded into darkness.
Moments later, a blinding white light swallowed his vision. Weightlessness followed.
[Welcome to Last Haven.]
[Please Edit Your Character]
The voice was calm, mechanical, yet almost divine.
Players could edit their characters if they wanted to keep their real identities secret. To avoid future problems Adam chose to change his hairstyle, face shape, height and eye colour. Now his character looked nothing like him.
As the light dimmed, Adam found himself standing in an enormous hall made entirely of shimmering glass and gold. Towering statues of legendary heroes lined the sides, their eyes glowing faintly with ethereal energy.
A glowing blue screen hovered before him:
[Please enter your username.]