Chapter 0 - Second Chance.
Adam Joel never understood how some people made life look easy.
He wasn't asking for much — not fame, not luxury, not some dream job.
Just a job.
Any job.
But somehow, even that was too much for the world to give him.
He'd been rejected from everything.
Retail.
Customer service.
Warehouses.
Internships.
Even fast-food chains.
People told him:
"Just apply everywhere."
"Put passion into your cover letter."
"Show confidence."
But Adam did all of that — every single time — and still never made it past the automated rejection email.
Not once.
The latest notification buzzed on his cracked phone screen.
"We regret to inform you…"
He didn't even bother reading the rest.
Adam let his head fall back against the damp metal bench, the paint flaking off against his hoodie. The park around him was quiet except for the distant hum of cars and the soft drip of water falling from the leaves above.
The bench was wet.
The sky was grey.
And he felt… tired.
"Again…?" he muttered, staring up at the clouds.
The word wasn't angry — just empty.
His reflection in the phone screen looked worse every day.
Mid-20s.
Short.
Slightly underweight.
Scruffy black hair that stuck out in uneven directions.
Eyebags that made him look permanently sleep deprived.
Cheap clothes that hung off his frame.
He looked like someone the world had already given up on.
And maybe it had.
Adam had failed almost every class he'd ever taken.
Not because he didn't try — he studied harder than most people he knew — but his brain felt like it was always one step behind everyone else.
Every subject.
Every exam.
Every attempt.
He'd dropped out of college thinking work life would treat him better.
It didn't.
It kicked harder.
Now he sat in that park every evening, rain or shine, just to escape the stale walls of his apartment.
Just to breathe.
Just to pretend tomorrow wouldn't be the same.
Adam closed his eyes and whispered to himself:
"…What am I even doing anymore?"
The wind didn't answer.
The world didn't care.
***
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
Adam sat slumped on his couch, the TV buzzing with empty static.
He wasn't watching — just staring through it, lost somewhere far behind his own eyes.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
This time harder.
Sharper.
More impatient.
Adam sighed.
He pushed himself off the couch, dragging his feet across the carpet as he reached the metal door. The knocking stopped the moment his hand touched the handle.
He opened it.
Standing there was a woman so striking he almost forgot to breathe.
Long brown hair that fell past her shoulders.
A white dress that made her look almost angelic under the hallway lights.
Brown eyes with a faint golden tint near the center.
Soft expression — but firm posture.
His landlord.
She was older than him, but her presence…
bright, elegant, effortlessly put together — everything Adam wasn't.
"Adam," she said, her voice steady.
He immediately looked away, avoiding her eyes like they were something sacred he didn't deserve to touch.
"Adam…"
She repeated his name, quieter but heavier this time.
Then she sighed — the kind of sigh tired adults make when they've run out of patience but still care too much.
"I can't keep letting you stay here," she said.
"One month behind rent is one thing, but come on…"
Her voice tightened.
"Four months."
Adam swallowed, saying nothing.
"If my father was back in town and found out how generous I was being—"
Her eyes flicked down the hallway nervously.
"He would absolutely kill you."
She wasn't exaggerating.
Adam believed her.
And yet, here she was — still giving him warnings, still knocking gently before the world kicked him harder.
He wished he could look her in the eyes.
He wished he could say he was trying.
But all he managed was a quiet, ashamed:
"…I know."
The door was still open when she turned away.
She exhaled softly — the kind of defeated sigh someone gives when they've run out of hope — and began walking down the metal stairs. The old apartment complex groaned beneath her heels.
Moonlight poured through the broken window panels, streaking silver across the concrete walls and rusted railings.
For a moment, Adam just watched her go, guilt twisting in his chest.
He reached for his door to close it—
And froze.
A choked, terrified gasp echoed from below.
Adam leaned out.
His landlord was pinned against the stairwell wall, her body trembling violently.
An unknown man — tall, masked, dressed in dark, dirty clothing — had her trapped.
A knife glinted in his hand, the blade catching the moonlight.
"Give me everything you have," the man hissed.
She shook her head frantically.
"Please… don't…" she whispered, voice cracking.
The man pressed the blade closer, inches from her throat.
"I said— give. me. EVERYTHING."
Adam's heart punched against his ribs.
He didn't think.
Didn't plan.
Didn't even breathe.
He vaulted over the railing.
His body dropped two floors in a single desperate motion.
He hit the metal stairs hard — pain shot through his ankles — but he didn't stop.
He lunged forward and slammed into the masked man, knocking him off his feet and crashing him onto the concrete.
"Get away from her!" Adam yelled, his voice breaking from fear and adrenaline.
The landlord crashed to the ground, scrambling back, tears in her eyes —
and Adam stood between her and the attacker, shaking but refusing to move aside.
Adam swung.
His fist cut through the air—
But before it connected,
everything stopped.
A strange warmth bloomed across his stomach.
Warm…
and cold…
at the same time.
For a moment, there was no pain.
Just a heavy, sinking pressure.
Why…
his mind whispered.
Why me?
He looked down.
A metal knife was buried deep in his abdomen, the hilt pressed against his hoodie.
Blood dripped over the attacker's hand, running down Adam's shirt in dark, messy streaks.
His breath hitched.
The world around him tilted.
The masked man ripped the blade out and bolted down the stairs, his footsteps echoing brutally against the metal as he vanished into the night.
Adam's knees buckled.
He collapsed, hitting the concrete with a dull thud.
His vision blurred—
the colours smearing into a messy, spinning haze.
Somewhere to his right, he heard sobbing.
His landlord.
She was on the floor, hands shaking violently over her mouth, hyperventilating, mascara streaked down her cheeks.
He wanted to say,
It's okay.
You're safe.
I tried…
But his throat only filled with copper and heat.
Adam looked at his own hands — trembling, losing strength — as blood pooled beneath him.
A quiet thought drifted through his fading mind:
Oh…
I'm going to die.
And for the first time in years,
he didn't feel tired.
Just cold.
Adam closed his eyes.
Everything went black.
Not darkness —
something deeper.
A void so absolute it felt wrong.
A place where even if the sun were thrown into it,
not a single ray would survive.
Abyssal.
Silent.
Endless.
No sobbing.
No breathing.
No heartbeat.
Not even the lingering echo of his own thoughts.
Nothing.
Just oblivion.
…
…
Then—
A flicker.
Adam's eyes snapped open.
Light.
Blinding, pure, impossibly white light.
Not a room.
Not a tunnel.
Just an infinite, empty plane of white stretching forever.
And floating in front of him:
A small, simple text box.
Black letters.
Cold font.
Emotionless.
CONTRACT PENDING
Choose an option:
YES – Drawbacks: UNKNOWN
NO – Drawbacks: UNKNOWN
Adam stared.
What… what was this?
His hands trembled as he lifted them.
They were clean.
Not bloody.
Not broken.
He swallowed hard.
"…Where… am I…?"
The white plane did not answer.
The text did not change.
Just those two choices.
Yes.
Or no.
Both unknown.
Both dangerous.
Both waiting.
Adam lifted his finger.
It hovered over the glowing word Yes, his hand trembling slightly.
His breath caught — hesitation pulling him back for one last moment.
But he still pressed it.
His fingertip touched the word.
The entire text box dissolved into white static.
Then a new window blinked into existence.
* NEW SYSTEM MESSAGE *
Do you want a second chance?
YES – Drawbacks: UNKNOWN
NO – Drawbacks: UNKNOWN
Adam squinted.
Something felt wrong.
His pulse quickened as he stared at the choices…
Then he noticed it.
The No option wasn't glowing.
It wasn't selectable.
It was greyed out, dull, untouchable — as if it were never meant to be chosen at all.
His inner voice whispered:
"…No is greyed out?"
The space around him felt suddenly colder.
Tighter.
As if the white void itself was watching him.
Waiting.
Demanding.
And Adam Joel realized something horrifying:
There was never a choice in the first place.
Adam tapped Yes with his finger.
The screen blinked, and a new popup unfolded in front of him.
What will your name be?
Joe
Aiden
Zack
Adam
Ken
Zain
Peter
Sung
Hang
Adam stared carefully at the list.
His eyes landed on something familiar.
Adam.
His name.
Maybe… maybe he could stay himself.
Maybe this wasn't completely insane.
He reached out and tapped his name—
A new message snapped into existence, overriding the entire list.
Are you sure Kang Jaehyun is the name you want?
YES
NO
Adam froze.
"Huh…? I didn't click that."
He pressed NO.
The list returned.
He tapped Adam again.
Instantly—
Are you sure Kang Jaehyun is the name you want?
YES
NO
"…Huh?"
His voice cracked — confused, irritated.
He clicked NO again.
Fine. Try something else.
He tapped Peter.
The screen didn't even wait this time.
Are you sure Kang Jaehyun is the name you want to choose?
YES
NO
Adam's eye twitched.
He clicked NO again, teeth kissing in annoyance.
"This is bullshit," he muttered under his breath.
He slammed his finger onto Adam — harder this time, as if force would matter—
The screen flashed a deep, ominous red.
Are you sure Kang Jaehyun is the name you want to choose?
Failure to accept – Drawback: death.
YES
NO
Adam's breath caught.
He slowly looked at the message.
The words felt like they were sinking into his skin.
His heart dropped into a cold pit inside his chest.
This wasn't a choice.
It never was.
This world… this system…
whatever it was—
it had already decided who he was going to be.
And "Adam Joel" wasn't part of that plan.
Not anymore.
Adam hesitated.
His finger hovered over Yes.
His heart hammered against his ribs — fear, confusion, a sinking dread deeper than anything he'd felt in his life.
But in a place like this?
There was no running.
Slowly… painfully…
He clicked Yes.
The screen shattered into white static before reforming into a new message.
Welcome, Kang Jaehyun
Class : ???
Level : 5
Gender : Male
Age : 21
His breath stopped.
Those weren't his details.
That wasn't his name.
That wasn't his age.
And before he could even react—
Everything went black again.
He flinched.
His eyes shot open.
Sound — suddenly everywhere.
Wind rustling through trees.
Birds calling overhead.
Leaves brushing against each other like whispers.
He sat up sharply.
Massive structures floated in the sky — impossible shapes, metallic towers, ancient stone platforms suspended by nothing.
Mountain cliffs curved unnaturally, carved by hands centuries beyond anything on Earth.
This was—
Not his world.
Not the alley.
Not the apartment.
Not the place he died.
Adam — now no longer Adam — looked down at his hands.
Different shape.
Different skin tone.
Stronger.
Older.
Not him.
His clothes were unfamiliar — fitted, cleaner, higher-quality fabric than he'd ever owned.
He was someone else.
He was Kang Jaehyun.
His throat tightened.
Shock drowned out everything else.
He didn't even notice it at first — the faint blue UI glowing at the edge of his vision.
When he turned, it followed him.
Top-right of his POV.
No matter where he looked.
Level 5
Health: 100 / 100
Mana: 30
Class: ???
Weapon: None
He squinted, muttering:
"…Huh…"
His inner thoughts crawled in slowly:
So it's like a game…?
Not a dream.
Not a hallucination.
A system.
A world that renamed him.
Rewrote him.
Resurrected him.
And he had no idea what it wanted.