The screen hovered, translucent and unshakable.
Carter blinked, rubbed his eyes, even threw a pen at it. The interface didn't vanish.
> [SYSTEM REBOOT – ACTIVE]
[STATUS: Reincarnated User]
[QUEST LOG – Initialized]
[SKILL TREE: Locked]
[Class: Undefined]
[You are currently Level 1]
[Welcome back, Carter Kane.]
He sat up in bed, heart thundering in his chest. "This has to be a dream," he whispered.
But it wasn't. Outside, the sun streamed in through his cracked window. His phone flashed the date—Monday, May 2nd.
Two days before the Windspire Rift raid.
The day he died.
"No way…"
He jumped out of bed, yanked open his drawer, and pulled out the same scratched badge the school gave him: "Unranked – Hunter Candidate." The plastic corners were still curled. Same stain near the 'U' where Lucas spilled soda on it two weeks ago. This wasn't a hallucination. This was a reset.
Only this time, he had the System.
---
The school halls felt different now.
People still ignored him, but he didn't care. He was too focused. A strange energy buzzed in his veins. Like everything was clearer. Sharper.
Every time he blinked, the HUD reappeared. Floating panels, blinking indicators, a Quest tab pulsing in the corner of his vision.
> [QUEST: First Blood]
Defeat 1 dungeon monster
Reward: +100 XP | +1 Stat Point | Unlock Starter Skill
He clenched his fists.
He had two days. This time, he wasn't walking into Windspire empty-handed.
---
Carter snuck out during lunch, backpack slung over one shoulder. The east edge of town was full of abandoned construction zones and collapsed Rift nodes—places that never fully opened but left behind pockets of unstable dungeon energy.
He found one behind an old gas station.
> [UNSTABLE FIELD DETECTED]
[Enter Instance: YES / NO]
He swallowed and tapped YES.
The world shimmered. Gravity warped. His ears popped.
And then… he was inside.
---
The dungeon was small. A gray corridor, wet and narrow, flickering with half-formed light. Rocks shifted beneath his feet. Static crackled through the air like broken pixels.
Then something moved.
A rat—but not a normal one. This one had glowing green eyes and bone protrusions like armor. It hissed, lips curling back to reveal fangs way too large for its body.
> [ENEMY: Bonefang Rat – Level 2]
[HP: 45/45]
[Type: Beast / Corrupted]
[Drops: Bone Shard, Feral Tissue]
It lunged.
Carter dodged instinctively, stumbling backward. The rat's claw scraped his arm—tearing fabric, drawing blood.
Pain exploded through his nerves. This wasn't a sim. This was real.
His hands fumbled for the rusty dagger he'd packed, the same one from his school-issued gear. He gripped it with both hands, barely able to stop the shaking.
The rat charged again.
He swung wildly. Missed.
Again. This time the blade connected—just a graze, but it was enough.
> [5 DMG DEALT]
[ENEMY HP: 40/45]
The rat shrieked and hissed, faster now, more savage. It leapt—
He ducked, jammed the dagger upward, and twisted with everything he had.
A sickening crack.
> [CRITICAL HIT – 45 DMG]
[ENEMY DEFEATED]
[+100 XP]
[+1 STAT POINT]
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: Energy Slash (Lv.1)]
[QUEST COMPLETE: First Blood]
The rat dropped limp at his feet. Carter collapsed against the wall, chest heaving.
His arm throbbed. His heart pounded.
But he was alive.
And he'd won.
---
He sat in silence, watching the blue interface flicker and change.
> [LEVEL UP: Carter Kane – Level 2]
[Choose 1 Stat to Improve]
He hesitated, then tapped Agility.
The moment he did, warmth pulsed through his muscles. His limbs felt lighter. Faster. Like someone had trimmed the weight off his bones.
> [Skill Acquired: Energy Slash (Lv.1)]
A short-range burst of kinetic force. Increases damage based on Speed.
Cooldown: 10 seconds.
He grinned.
This was real. He was changing.
---
Back at school, no one noticed the dried blood under his sleeve or the bandage peeking from his collar. He didn't care. Not anymore.
As he walked the hall, the System pinged again.
> [NEW QUEST AVAILABLE]
[Quest: The Butterfly Effect]
Survive the Windspire Raid
Bonus: Prevent more than 3 deaths
Reward: Unique Title | Access to Memory Log
Carter read it twice.
He wasn't just reliving his timeline.
The System was giving him a chance to change it.