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Chapter 1 – Regression of a Wasted Life
Rain slapped against the glass walls of Adrian kane's office, blurring the neon skyline of the city he had once dreamed of conquering.
The clock ticked past midnight. His desk was littered with contracts, empty coffee cups, and a single unopened letter from twelve years ago — the letter that had started it all.
The university acceptance letter… the one he never received.
He had missed the entrance exam back then — just one damn morning — because he'd overslept after working a night shift to help his mother pay rent.
One absence had cost him his scholarship. Without it, he'd taken odd jobs, clawed his way into the business world, and somehow built a modest empire.
And yet… the taste of victory was ash.
He had money, yes. But no friends left. No real love. Not even the warmth of his mother, who'd passed before he could afford her treatments.
Madison Hale — his first crush — had gone on to marry someone else, not because she didn't notice him… but because she never saw him as worth noticing.
And Ethan Blackwell…
That bastard from high school.
The man who had "helped" him prepare for the exam only to switch his alarm off the night before and steal his chance. Ethan, now a smiling corporate devil, running one of the companies Adrian secretly supplied.
Adrian's hands clenched around the glass of whiskey until it cracked.
If I had one more chance… just one…
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It didn't come as an answer from God.
It came as a voice — sweet, mocking, dripping with amusement — in the empty room.
> "One more chance, is it? Oh, I can give you that… but it comes with a game."
Adrian looked up sharply. A woman was leaning against the far wall, wearing a dress spun from shadow and moonlight. Her eyes glowed like molten gold.
"Who… the hell are you?" he rasped.
> "Names are for lovers and enemies. For now, you may call me the Demoness of Second Chances."
"And I'm here because you're dying in fifteen seconds."
Before he could scoff, pain exploded in his chest. His knees hit the carpet.
A heart attack — swift, merciless.
> "Twelve years wasted… but I can rewind your clock. Back to eighteen. Back to the year of your entrance exam. You'll keep your memories. You'll have… help."
The darkness in her smile made him shiver.
"What's the price?" he whispered, fighting the weight crushing his chest.
> "Play my game. Entertain me. Achieve the life you should have lived — wealth, power, women, revenge — and I'll leave you in peace. Fail, and…"
She didn't need to finish. The air itself seemed to tighten around her.
> "Oh, and you'll have a System. It likes… beauty, charm, and drama. It will give you tools to rise. But it demands you play."
The last of his breath rattled out. The rain outside froze mid-fall. Her hand brushed his cheek.
> "Try not to waste it this time, Adrian kane."
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When his eyes opened again, sunlight spilled through a bedroom window he hadn't seen in over a decade.
The faint smell of laundry powder and instant noodles filled the air. A poster of his favorite band — long disbanded — hung crooked on the wall.
He stumbled to the mirror.
The face staring back was eighteen — jawline soft, hair messy, eyes still holding that naïve light.
On the desk beside his old flip phone, a glowing notification hovered in midair.
> [Welcome, Host. Initiating Starter Protocol.]
Time Remaining: 7 Days until Main Missions Begin.
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Tutorial Objective – Day 1: Rebuild Your Body
50 Push-ups
50 Sit-ups
30 Pull-ups
5km Run
Reward: +3 Strength, +2 Endurance, Fatigue Recovery +50%
Adrian grinned, flexing his hand.
This time… Ethan Blackwell was going to pay.
And Madison? She was going to notice.
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