At evening air was cooler.
Lucas walked slowly along the familiar road near his house, hands in his pockets, mind calm. The neighborhood was louder at this hour, bikes passing, people returning home from work.
He stopped at a road crossing.
The signal was still green for the cars.
Lucas waited.
Beside him stood a man in his mid-thirties maybe, eyes glued to his phone, earphones in. His foot shifted forward slightly, impatient.
Lucas noticed it without thinking.
He'wasnt looking up.
The signal hadn't changed.
And a car was approaching from the left.
Not speeding but fast enough.
Then the man stepped forward.
"…Wait—"
It happened in a blink.
The man moved onto the road just as the car surged closer.
Lucas reacted before his thoughts caught up.
He grabbed the man's arm and yanked him back.
The car passed.
Close.
Too close.
Wind rushed past them. Tires hissed against the road.
The man stumbled, nearly dropping his phone.
"What the—?!" he shouted, heart pounding.
Lucas released his grip slowly.
"The light was still green," Lucas said quietly. "And You weren't looking."
The man froze, realization hitting him a second later. He turned back toward the road, then at the signal.
Red for pedestrians hadn't even come yet.
"…Damn," he breathed.
He looked at Lucas, shaken.
"You… you saved me."
Lucas shook his head slightly.
"be careful next time."
The man nodded repeatedly. "Thank you. Seriously. Thank you."
He stepped back, pulling out his earphones, attention finally where it should've been.
Lucas returned his gaze to the road.
His heartbeat slowed.
In his previous life…
He remembered this crossing.
He remembered standing here once tired, distracted.
He remembered the sound of brakes.
But he had never turned his head that day.
Never stopped.
This time
He had.
A soft chime echoed.
[DING]
[Trajectory Deviation Detected]
Event Classification:
→ Fatal Outcome Avoided
→ High-impact divergence from recorded life path
Reward Granted:
→ System Points +5
Lucas blinked.
"…System Points?"
The screen didn't vanish.
Instead, it expanded.
[DING]
[Status Window Updated]
Name: Lucas Cole
Age: 17
Core Stats:
→ Brain Capacity: 6
→ Physical Capacity: 5
→ Mental Resilience: 7
Auxiliary Stats:
→ Focus: 6
→ Learning Efficiency: 5
→ Emotional Control: 6
Available System Points (SP): 18
Lucas stared.
"Eighteen…?"
He frowned slightly.
"I didn't have that many before."
A smaller line appeared beneath.
Note:
System Points were previously awarded for:
→ Early financial investment
→ Correct market entry
→ Avoidance of past-life stagnation
Lucas exhaled slowly.
"So I already earned them… I just didn't notice."
His gaze returned to the road.
Saving someone.
It hadn't been planned.
It hadn't earned him money.
It hadn't strengthened his body.
But it had changed something.
The system wasn't rewarding power.
It was rewarding choice.
System Explanation:
System Points are earned through meaningful deviation.
Actions that alter fate—yours or others'—will be recognized.
Lucas closed the screen.
He looked down at his hands.
"Guess I really can't just walk through life half-awake anymore."
The pedestrian signal finally turned green.
Lucas crossed the road calmly this time.
Behind him, the man waited fully alert.
A small change.
But one that would never be undone.
And somewhere beneath the quiet evening sky
Lucas Cole's second life had just grown a little heavier.
Not with power.
But with responsibility.