Julian stared at the floating blue screen, his heart racing. This wasn't a hallucination. The interface was crisp, glowing with a divine-like clarity that no technology in 2035 could replicate.
[HOST: JULIAN VANCE]
[LEVEL: 1]
[STRENGTH: 8]
[AGILITY: 10]
[INTELLIGENCE: 15]
[MANA: 0/0]
[SKILLS: NONE]
[EXCLUSIVE TRAIT: THE CHRONICLER (RANK-SSS)]
"The Chronicler..." Julian whispered, his eyes widening. "I didn't have this in my first life."
In his past life, he was a generic 'Warrior' class with zero special traits. Now, it seemed the regression had granted him something broken—something Rank-SSS.
He checked the time. 8:15 AM.
In exactly twenty-four hours, the 'Great Awakening' would begin. A massive gate would tear open in the middle of Times Square, vomiting out Rank-E Goblins. Thousands would die in the first hour because no one was prepared.
But Julian knew something no one else did. The first gate wasn't just a catastrophe; it contained the 'First Seed'—a hidden item that granted a massive mana boost to whoever touched it first.
"I need money," Julian muttered, looking around his cramped, messy room. "And I need it now."
In the future, gold and dollars would be worthless. But right now, he could use them to buy the one thing that would save his life: A high-carbon steel tactical blade.
He grabbed his laptop and began selling his limited edition 'Hunter's World' gaming accounts—his only prized possessions. Within two hours, he had scraped together $3,000. It wasn't much, but for a Rank-D loser, it was a fortune.
As he walked out of his apartment and into the bustling streets of New York, he felt like a ghost walking among the living. People were laughing, drinking coffee, and staring at their phones, completely unaware that their world was about to end.
Suddenly, a familiar scent hit him. Expensive perfume. Vanilla and lilies.
Julian froze. His hand instinctively went to his stomach, where the ghost of a dagger still burned.
"Julian? Is that you?"
He turned slowly. Standing there was Sarah. She looked younger, her eyes bright and filled with a fake innocence that had fooled him for years. She was wearing the silver necklace he had worked three jobs to buy her.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," she giggled, stepping closer to touch his arm.
Julian's eyes turned into chips of ice. In his mind, he saw her face illuminated by the dungeon's glow as she watched him die.
[WARNING: HOST'S HEART RATE INCREASING.]
[SUGGESTION: MAINTAIN CALM TO PRESERVE TEMPORAL STABILITY.]
Julian took a deep breath and forced a stiff smile. The revenge wouldn't be today. If he killed her now, he'd go to jail and miss the Awakening. He needed her to watch him rise to the top, only to take everything from her when she least expected it.
"I'm just tired, Sarah," Julian said, his voice devoid of the warmth he used to have.
"You're acting weird. Anyway, are we still on for the party at Marcus's place tonight?"
Marcus. The man who had orchestrated Julian's death.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Julian said, his smile sharpening into something predatory.
He wasn't going to the party to drink. He was going because he remembered that Marcus had a collection of antique swords in his study—one of which was actually a dormant Rank-C artifact.
In his first life, Julian was the prey. In this life, the hunt had already begun.