"They called me a nobody. A filler player. Just another nameless face in the crowd."
"But this time... I knew the future."
June 30th, 2049 – 12:00 PM
Kael Arin's eyes snapped open.
The ceiling above him was stained with watermarks. The fan squeaked in its endless loop. Dust hung in the air. His cheap LED clock blinked on his cluttered desk.
For one dizzying second, he expected a burning sky, a collapsing raid, and the feeling of his body dissolving into golden particles.
But all he saw was the room he had abandoned years ago.
No way...
He grabbed his phone with shaking hands.
Date: June 30th, 2049
Time: 12:00 PM
*Exactly 12 hours before DivineTech would announce Eidolon.
Exactly one month before the world would be reshaped by full-dive reality sync.
Exactly one year before Gates would open across the planet... and everything he knew would go to hell.*
Kael didn't scream. He didn't celebrate.
He moved.
Phase One: Secure the Advantage
1:17 PM
His fingers flew across keyboards, draining accounts with surgical precision. Freelance payments. Crypto wallets. Even forgotten digital coupons.
Total Liquidated: $3,417.29
"Enough to start... "
The NeuralForge Series-A capsule—the same model that would sell out in six minutes post-announcement—was already in his crosshairs. He navigated to an obscure manufacturer portal, bypassing the public storefront that didn't exist yet.
Subject: Urgent Pre-Order Request
One Series-A Full Dive Capsule with real-sense neural sync. Immediate payment. Must ship today.
The reply came faster than expected:
NeuralForge Labs
You're... early. First inquiry this quarter.
Invoice attached. Warehouse can dispatch tonight.
Kael transferred $3,199.00 without hesitation.
Phase One complete.
Phase Two: The Dangerous Play
4:26 PM
The burner phone felt heavy in his hand.
Kael dialed a number he'd sworn never to use again—Sloan Dax, the underground lender who'd financed half the black-market RMT deals in his past life.
"Who is this?"
"I need $20,000. Wired today. You'll get $25,000 in sixty days."
A pause. "...who gave you this number?"
"Does it matter? Check your ledger. I always paid."
Ten minutes later, the dummy account pinged.
+$20,000.00
No contracts. No collateral. Just a sixty-day timer before Sloan's collectors came knocking.
Kael exhaled sharply and opened a private trading terminal.
DivineTech Inc. – $10,000 Market Buy
NeuralForge Systems – $10,000 Market Buy
In his past life, these stocks had mooned overnight.
Now, he front-ran the entire market.
Phase Three: The Edge of Tomorrow
11:58 PM
The capsule arrived at 10:47 PM—sleek, obsidian-black, humming with potential.
Kael's journal lay open beside it, filled with:
Hidden quest triggers
Stat-scaling exploits
Obscure class evolution paths
Every advantage he'd watched others discover too late
On the burner phone, Sloan's final warning glowed:
"Sixty days, Kael. I collect with or without the money."
The clock ticked:
11:59:58...
11:59:59...
12:00:00
[BREAKING: DivineTech Reveals Project Eidolon]
[NeuralForge +283% | DivineTech +412%]
[Capsules Sold Out in 4m 58s]
Kael stood, running a hand along the capsule's frost-cold surface. Somewhere in its depths, the Key of Azariel pulsed—a phantom heartbeat from a future that no longer existed.
Last time, I was nobody.
This time?
He slid into the pod as the world outside erupted into chaos.
I rewrite the rules.