His consciousness hovered over the purchase interface.
The build was ready. Pain Threshold at Ultimate tier. Top Speed at Excellent. A solid foundation across key abilities. 14,850 AP spent. 150 AP remaining.
This gives me a real edge. Solid foundation. Room to grow.
He reached for the confirmation button.
Then stopped.
Wait.
Something felt wrong. Not about the build itself, but about the thinking behind it. He was approaching this like someone trying to get by. Someone trying to be decent with one good ability.
Why am I thinking small?
The question cut through everything else.
He'd spent twenty-two years defined by limitations. Couldn't move. Couldn't run. Couldn't choose. His entire life had been about accepting what he couldn't do. About making peace with mediocrity forced on him by circumstance.
And now he had the GOAT System.
The literal Greatest Of All Time System.
And he was planning to be... decent?
The system isn't called the "Pretty Good Athlete" system. It's called GOAT.
Real GOATs didn't have one signature ability and some solid fundamentals. They encompassed the whole sport. Usain Bolt wasn't just fast. He had perfect technique, mental dominance, race strategy. Michael Johnson didn't just run the 400m well. He redefined what was possible.
GOATs were complete.
I'm thinking like someone who's still trapped.
The realization hit hard. He'd been free for what felt like minutes and he was already limiting himself. Already deciding what he couldn't do, what he couldn't afford, what was too risky.
All four options he'd considered were compromises.
Option one: Competent but not great.
Option two: Strong but incomplete.
Option three: Too cautious, starting weak.
Option four: Better, but still limited thinking.
Every single option was about managing scarcity instead of building greatness.
I died watching Quincy Hall make a comeback from lane eight. Watching him make snow angels on the track because he gave everything he had.
That was GOAT mentality. Not calculating the safest path. Not hedging bets. Going all in on becoming the absolute best.
But going all in didn't mean being reckless.
Think like a GOAT. Not like someone trying to get by.
GOATs weren't reckless. They were strategic. They identified what they needed and pursued it systematically. They didn't try to be good at everything at once. They built mastery over time.
And that was the key. Over time.
He had 15,000 AP now. But the system said he could earn more through training milestones, competitions, achievements. This wasn't a one-time grant. It was starting capital.
The question isn't "What can I afford with 15,000 AP?"
The question is "What foundation do I need to start the path to complete greatness?"
Those were very different questions.
Darius pulled back from the purchase screen. Looked at the four categories again. Physical Attributes. Technical Skills. Mental Attributes. X-Factor Abilities.
He needed all of it. Eventually.
But he had no idea what he was walking into.
The system said it's creating a perfect body. Preparing rebirth. But rebirth as what? Where? When?
He could be reborn as a baby. Could be dropped into a teenager's body. Could be twenty years old in a different world. The system hadn't told him anything about his circumstances.
What age would he be? Would he have family support? Access to coaching? Competition opportunities? Money for training? Time to develop?
All unknown.
But the foundation remained the same regardless.
What does every sprinter need at ANY stage? Any age? Any circumstance?
Speed. You can't sprint if you're slow.
Power. You can't win without explosive starts.
Endurance. You can't run 200m or 400m on speed alone.
Technique. You can't waste physical gifts with poor form.
Focus. You can't compete without concentration.
And his edge. Pain Threshold. The one thing that would define him regardless of where or when he started.
Build the universal foundation. Save resources. Adapt once I understand my situation.
That was GOAT thinking. Not trying to be complete now when it was impossible. Not spreading thin across everything when he didn't know what he'd actually need. Not going all-in on assumptions about circumstances he couldn't predict.
Building foundation. Keeping resources. Adapting to reality.
He opened the purchase interface again. Started over.
I need to be able to sprint. Really sprint. Everything else can come later once I know where I am.
Top Speed: Good (750 AP)
Collegiate level speed. Enough to build on. Worked whether he was starting young with years to develop or older with less time. Not flashy. Not dominant. But necessary. He could upgrade later based on what he actually needed.
Explosive Power: Good (750 AP)
Every sprint started with explosion. Getting out of blocks. The first ten meters. Good tier gave him solid foundation. Enough to not lose races at the start. Critical at any age.
Speed Endurance: Good (750 AP)
Critical for anything beyond 100m. The 200m and 400m required maintaining speed. Good tier meant he could develop properly. Could push through without falling apart. Would need upgrades for elite level, but the base had to be there.
Stride Efficiency: Good (500 AP)
Perfect technique multiplied physical ability. Poor technique wasted Top Speed and Power. Good tier meant efficient movement from the start. Prevented bad habits. Could refine with coaching if he had access to it.
Block Start Technique: Good (500 AP)
Fundamentals mattered. The first ten meters set up the entire race. Good tier meant solid basics. Meant he wouldn't have to unlearn bad habits later. Could master through practice.
Race Focus: Good (500 AP)
Can't develop properly if you're distracted. Concentration mattered in training and competition. Good tier gave him solid mental baseline. Critical whether he ended up young or old.
And the one that mattered most.
Pain Threshold: Excellent (1,500 AP)
Not Ultimate. Not Genius. Excellent. National level pain tolerance. Professional capability. Already better than most competitors would ever have.
This was his edge. His unique advantage from his previous life. The one area he invested more in because it was his identity.
But Excellent was enough. For now. Room to upgrade to Genius, Ultimate, Limit Break as he earned more AP and proved he needed it. And pain was pain. Didn't matter if he was eight or eighteen. This would work.
Darius looked at the total.
750 + 750 + 750 + 500 + 500 + 500 + 1,500 = 5,250 AP
Remaining: 9,750 AP
He'd spent only a third of his budget.
This is GOAT thinking.
Seven critical abilities. Six at Good tier. One at Excellent. Enough to sprint properly. Enough to have his edge. Enough to start the journey wherever it led.
But saving two-thirds of his budget for strategic future purchases. For abilities he'd discover he needed once he understood his situation. For upgrades when he hit the limits of Good tier. For X-Factor abilities when he'd earned enough AP to afford them.
Not trying to be complete now. Not spreading thin. Not making assumptions.
Foundation plus adaptation. Present plus future.
He selected each ability deliberately.
Top Speed: Good ✓
Explosive Power: Good ✓
Speed Endurance: Good ✓
Stride Efficiency: Good ✓
Block Start Technique: Good ✓
Pain Threshold: Excellent ✓
Race Focus: Good ✓
A system prompt appeared.
[Confirm purchases?]
[Total Cost: 5,250 AP]
[Remaining: 9,750 AP]
[Warning: Purchases are permanent and cannot be refunded]
[Proceed? Y/N]
Darius looked at the warning. Permanent. No refunds. No changing his mind.
This is the foundation. Everything else comes through work and adaptation.
He confirmed.
[Processing purchases...]
[Deducting 5,250 AP...]
[Current AP Balance: 9,750]
[Integrating abilities...]
Progress bars appeared. Seven of them. Each one filling rapidly.
[Top Speed (Good) integration...100%]
[Explosive Power (Good) integration...100%]
[Speed Endurance (Good) integration...100%]
[Stride Efficiency (Good) integration...100%]
[Block Start Technique (Good) integration...100%]
[Pain Threshold (Excellent) integration...100%]
[Race Focus (Good) integration...100%]
[All abilities successfully integrated]
The information flooded into him again. But different this time. Not raw data like before. This was capability. Potential. Muscle memory for movements he'd never made. Understanding of techniques he'd never practiced. Knowledge of pain management he'd never needed in this way.
All of it settling into his consciousness. Waiting to be activated when he had a body.
[Ability integration complete]
[User profile updated]
[Remaining AP: 9,750]
[AP can be spent at any time through System Shop]
[Additional abilities can be purchased as resources allow]
[Existing abilities can be upgraded to higher tiers]
A new display appeared. Clean. Organized. His profile.
[CURRENT ABILITIES]
Physical Attributes:
Top Speed: Good Explosive Power: Good Speed Endurance: Good
Technical Skills:
Stride Efficiency: Good Block Start Technique: Good
Mental Attributes:
Pain Threshold: Excellent ★ Race Focus: Good
[★ = Highest tier ability]
Seven abilities. Six at Good tier. One at Excellent. Enough to start the journey properly.
Not enough to be GOAT yet.
But that was the point.
He didn't even know what he was walking into.
GOATs aren't born in a day. They're built over years. And I don't even know how many years I'll have.
He had the tools to begin. The foundation to grow from. The system to guide him. Resources to adapt to whatever circumstances he faced. And most importantly, the mentality.
His previous life had been limited by circumstances beyond his control. This life would face unknown circumstances, but he'd have the power to overcome them.
Previous life: watching others achieve greatness.
This life: building his own greatness piece by piece.
He'd assess his situation after rebirth. Train harder than anyone. Compete fearlessly. Earn AP through achievement. Systematically eliminate weaknesses. Upgrade abilities strategically. Add new capabilities as needed.
Become complete.
Not just good at sprinting. The GOAT of sprinting.
No matter where or when I start.
[Ability integration complete]
[User preparation finished]
[Perfect body construction verified]
[All systems operational]
[Ready to proceed with rebirth sequence]
This was it.
After everything. The death. The void. The system. The choices.
He was about to get his second chance. About to have a body that works. No idea what kind of life awaited. But ready for whatever it was.
[Initiating rebirth protocol...]
[Selecting optimal insertion point...]
[Analyzing timeline...]
[Determining ideal circumstances...]
[Calculating maximum development potential...]
Optimal insertion point? What does that mean?
What age? What year? What family? Timeline analysis. Was he going back in time? Forward? Ideal circumstances. What did the system consider ideal?
So many questions. No answers yet.
The void shifted. The darkness that had been constant started to change. Not disappearing, but transforming. Darius could feel it. Something was pulling at his consciousness. Gently but insistently. Like being drawn toward something.
[Rebirth location selected]
[Rebirth date selected]
[Family circumstances determined]
[Physical parameters finalized]
[Beginning consciousness transfer...]
Location? Where? Date? When? Family? Will they support athletics? Physical parameters? What age am I starting at?
No time to ask. The system was moving forward.
The pull intensified. No longer gentle. Urgent now. Darius's consciousness being drawn forward. Toward something he couldn't see yet but could feel approaching.
Fast.
First sensations came. Not the void anymore. Something else. Pressure. Warmth. Hard to tell exactly. But different. Real.
And confining somehow.
[Rebirth commencing...]
[Welcome to your new life]
[Good luck, Future GOAT]
His consciousness compressed. The void fell away. Something new approached fast. Darius let it happen. Didn't fight it. Embraced it.
Whatever awaited, he'd adapt.
That's what GOATs do.
Sound came first. Muffled, distant, but there. Rhythmic. Then more sensations. Warmth surrounding him. Pressure from all sides.
And for the first time since dying...
A heartbeat.
Not his memory of a heartbeat.
An actual heartbeat.
His heartbeat.
But something felt... small. Confined. Not like he'd expected. The space around him was tight. Warm. The sounds were muffled like he was underwater.
What...
The realization began to dawn. The confined space. The muffled sounds. The surrounding warmth. The pressure from all sides.
Oh.
I'm actually being BORN.