"Hah!"
Kael jolted awake with a sharp intake of breath. His chair creaked softly as his body straightened.
His heart was pounding fast. He looked around and found himself inside a classroom that felt familiar in his mind.
"Kael, are you sleeping in my class??"
The reprimanding voice came from the front of the room. Kael lifted his head and saw a middle-aged woman standing there, clearly a teacher.
Kael was familiar with this teacher. Her name was Luna, and she taught mathematics.
When Kael was scolded and noticed many other students also looking at him, he quickly adjusted himself into a proper sitting position and said, "Sorry, Ma'am."
Luna looked at him with her brows slightly furrowed, then nodded faintly. She seemed to understand her student's condition and let him off without punishment.
Ignoring the confused, curious, and slightly suspicious stares, along with the small whispers around him, Kael lowered his head, pretending to focus on his desk while keeping his face calm.
But behind that calm expression was a feeling difficult to describe.
Hiss.
He pinched his thigh hard and felt pain.
Not a dream.
Not a hallucination.
He had truly returned… ten years into the past.
That second chance was real. And he was determined not to repeat the same regrets.
"Kael, you worked late again, huh?"
Kael turned his head and saw his seatmate beside him, named Ash. A skinny and smart student, the son of a local police officer.
He remembered when his junior high school certificate had been withheld because he couldn't pay the outstanding school fees. It was this seatmate who told his father to gather donation money to help pay it off.
Kael had been deeply moved back then, to the point that he considered Ash his brother. As the two grew closer and always called each other brothers.
Not long after, about a month later, Ash was found dead by a remote riverside. The last thing Kael knew was that Ash had gone sightseeing with his girlfriend.
His girlfriend was later found by the SAR team, crouching in bushes, covered in many abrasions.
No one knew what had happened to the two of them. Kael was devastated when he heard about Ash's death. Now that time had turned back, he was determined to change the fate of those around him.
At that moment, a phrase surfaced in his mind:
The future does not change because of knowledge, but because of action.
Kael returned to reality and replied to Ash in a whisper, afraid of being heard by Ms. Luna, who was writing on the blackboard with chalk.
"As far as I remember, it was only until 11 p.m. at the rice transport warehouse. But the pay was decent." Kael whispered.
Ash raised his eyebrows and gave a thumbs-up with a smile. He liked seeing Kael being hardworking, though on the other hand, it looked pitiful.
While others focused on studying and improving their academic scores for the final exams, Kael focused on working to help with finances. And Ash also knew that Kael had a little sister who was currently three years old.
Ash put a hand on Kael's shoulder and leaned closer. "Next time, help me clean the fish pond at my house again. But this time, you can't refuse the payment. Don't worry, my allowance has piled up a lot, you know."
Ash deliberately emphasized the last sentence so Kael wouldn't refuse. Back then, Ash had given him some money after he helped clean the fish pond, but Kael always refused it. So Ash often bought him food instead.
"Hmm, alright. Just tell me when. Forget about the pay, we're friends." Kael said with a smile.
"Tch, I know I can't force you anymore. Fine." Ash replied, sighing.
He knew Kael wouldn't accept money again. Maybe next time, he'd give something else instead.
...
Kael's eyes shifted toward the blackboard, not to see what was written on it, but something floating right in front of him.
[ User Confirmed: Kael Raven
Timeline: November 2010
Status: Regression Complete... ]
Loading...
[ System loading new interface ]
...
[ User: Kael Raven
Age: 15
Condition: Very happy, normal
Charm: 9
Strength: 6
Intelligence: 5
Endurance: 8
Perception: 7 ]
(Average adult: 10)
[ Beginner Gift Package released.
— Status: Not claimed. ]
[ Do you wish to claim? ]
... System?
His heart rate spiked for a split second, then settled. He glanced sideways, Ash was only watching the blackboard and occasionally writing. Looking around, no one else reacted or noticed the transparent panel before him.
Calm down... don't panic.
Kael slowly inhaled and exhaled. His face remained flat, as if he were paying attention to the lesson.
"This system is like an RPG game status." he whispered in his mind.
Kael recalled his life before regression.
Occasionally, he played games with his coworkers, and RPGs were always his favorite genre.
Not by choice, but due to limitations.
His phone was an old brand with outdated specs, unable to run games released after 2015.
So he only played old-school RPGs.
Now, seeing the system interface before him, that familiar feeling returned.
Kael couldn't wait anymore and said briefly:
"Claim."
»Beginner Package Distributed«
[ Congratulations! You have obtained the following rewards:
1. Future Fragment System feature added!
— Description: Provides glimpses of important events that will occur, helping users predict trends and opportunities, especially in investments or strategic decisions.
2. Inner Insight!
— Description: Beginner-level inner perception ability. Allows the user to see and sense the presence of unseen beings, emotional auras, and anomalies that cannot be detected by normal senses.
Current status: Not applied. Please go to a secluded place to apply this attribute.
3. System Points +10
— Description: System currency that can be used to unlock features, enhance attributes, or exchange items in the System Shop. System Points are obtained through missions, achievements, or special events. ]
Kael's eyes widened as he saw the rewards.
Future Fragment?
His eyebrows lifted reflexively. He knew a bit about it—or at least something that felt similar. His thoughts immediately drifted to digital coins that had become popular in his time: crypto, a topic often discussed by his coworkers.
They often talked about getting rich through crypto.
But what Kael saw was the opposite.
The day after payday, there was always someone complaining that their salary was gone from buying memecoins.
Kael could only snort quietly whenever he heard it.
To him back then, it all sounded like a dream that was too expensive to try.
Kael felt it wasn't much different from gambling, just wrapped in the term "investment."
But now, with Future Fragment in his hands, maybe he could truly do something worthy of being called a real investment.
And as for… Inner Insight?
"What the hell is this…?" he wondered.
He wasn't the type who truly believed in unseen beings.
"But now the system gives me an attribute like this. Does it want me to become a shaman?" Kael muttered inwardly.
He didn't know how to feel, whether to laugh or cry at such a reward.
Oh! Kael suddenly remembered something.
He had once passed a place where people held strange performances, someone claiming to be possessed, dancing erratically, even eating offerings.
At the time, Kael found it absurd. To him, it was nothing more than a setup, mere entertainment to draw money from people.
He never commented. Not because he believed, but because he knew how hard it was to make a living in this country.
But with this attribute, maybe next time, he could see it for himself.
Were such performances just an act… or actually real?
...
Ring!
The sound of the break bell echoed throughout the classroom, cutting Kael's thoughts short.
"Alright, children. Math class will continue tomorrow. Since Mr. John, the PE teacher, can't attend, PE will be replaced with math." Ms. Luna said.
She paused briefly, then smiled meaningfully.
"This is good news. You get to meet me again."
"Oh, nooo!"
A collective groan filled the class.
Some students slumped in despair, others rested their heads on their desks, as if they had just received the worst news of the day.
Kael quickly packed his books and stood up. Just as he stepped out of the classroom, someone tapped his shoulder.
"Kael," Ash called with a smile.
"Let's go to the cafeteria. My treat, chicken noodles with meatballs."
Kael glanced back. For a moment, the offer was tempting.
But he had something else on his mind.
"Next time, Ash." he replied while shaking his head slightly.
"I'm going to the rooftop for a bit," he added.
Ash raised an eyebrow. "The rooftop? Alone?"
"Just want some fresh air. No need for company." Kael replied shortly.
Ash shrugged. "Alright. Don't stay too long, I heard a story once."
"What story?" Kael asked curiously.
Ash grinned faintly.
"They say a female student fell from the rooftop back in 1990."
Kael frowned. "Fell?"
"Yeah, during break time. The rooftop was closed temporarily afterward. They said it was an accident," Ash continued casually.
He paused, then patted Kael's shoulder while chuckling softly.
"Hey, relax. Just an old story my dad told me."
Kael snorted quietly.
Ash had already turned away.
But before leaving completely, he glanced briefly toward the rooftop stairs.
"Oh right," he added as if remembering something.
"They say… no eyewitness has ever been found to this day."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
Ash chuckled, then waved his hand.
"Just don't stay too long."
Kael nodded briefly. "Relax."
Ash headed toward the cafeteria, while Kael walked in the opposite direction, toward the stairs leading to the school rooftop.