The guide was simple. Too simple.
Draw blood. Speak the first word your soul remembers.
I stared at the knife on the counter. Its polished edge gleamed under the dim light, too clean, too perfect. Like it had been waiting for me.
This could be a scam.Or worse.
But hesitation had never saved me before.
"Please…" I whispered, gripping the handle. "Let this work."
The blade bit into my arm.
Pain flared, sharp, real, dragging something primal from deep inside me. A memory. A symbol.
Gold.A lion.
"Auron!"
The air shattered.
Light fractured across the room as a golden window tore into existence before me. My breath hitched as symbols and numbers burned into view.
Class: Mastermind
For a moment, I just stared.
Then I laughed.
Not out of joy, but disbelief.
A mastermind?
I had spent a lifetime surviving, not leading. Enduring, not conquering. And yet…
My gaze dropped.
Strength: 0Agility: 1Intelligence: 100Luck: 150
…Right.
A mastermind with a body that could barely survive a fight.
I exhaled slowly. The panic I expected never came. Instead, my thoughts sharpened, cold, precise, efficient.
Good.
If I couldn't overpower the world…I would outplay it.
I turned back to the website. In my head, I called it the "Guide Book", a terrible name, but I'd never been good at naming things.
As I scrolled, my breath hitched.
The site had changed.
A list appeared beneath the instructions.
Not just names.
Data.
Classes. Stats. Everything.
…Someone made this for me.
This wasn't a guide anymore.
It was a map.
A map for a revolution.
I scanned the list, until one name stopped me cold.
Ezekiel Brown.
Class: Warrior Strength: 159 Agility: 120 Intelligence: 150 Luck: 0
I knew that face.
Not from this life.
From the future.
A weapon.A hero.
And someone the world would eventually break.
A Warrior with that kind of power, but no luck?
Perfect.
Not just to save.
To recruit.
The question was simple.
How do you make someone like him trust someone like me?
I pushed the thought aside.
First, I needed the Golden Lion store.
As I stepped outside, I glanced at my phone. On a whim, I whispered
"Inventory."
The device vanished into distorted air.
…Convenient.
And dangerous.
Hours passed.
Same alley. Same coordinates.
Nothing.
The Golden Lion store was gone.
Frustration started to settle
Then I saw it.
A boy.
Surrounded by men in sharp suits.
Papers in hand.
Predators circling prey.
Fate really had a sense of humor.
It was him.
Ezekiel Brown.
I broke into a sprint. My mind was already moving, calculating, predicting, planning.
"Sorry, gentlemen," I said, sliding into the circle and throwing an arm over his shoulder. "This man has an appointment with me."
"I do?" Ezekiel blinked.
I suppressed a sigh.
Use that 150 Intelligence, kid.
"Yeah," I smiled. "You do."
And I pulled him away before they could react.
We ended up at a café.
The smell of coffee and sugar hit me like nostalgia. I ordered coffee, and cake.
Normal things.
Things I hadn't had in a lifetime.
"So, mister… who are you?" Ezekiel asked.
"Don't call me mister," I said, catching my reflection.
I looked barely twenty.
Sharp features. Dark eyes. Too thin.
A skeleton pretending to be human.
"What do you want from me?" he pressed.
"I'm Erik," I said, leaning forward. "And I'm looking for talented people like you."
He flinched.
"…Your smile is terrifying."
I blinked.
I looked at the mirror, and I do look like a skeleton with a terrifying smile…Noted.
"I haven't slept much," I muttered, pushing food toward him.
Suspicion melted into hunger.
Good.
"Where are your parents?" I asked.
His expression dimmed.
"My mom's in the hospital. Curse of the Classless. Coma." His hands tightened. "My dad's gone. I tried to find work… those guys offered to help if I signed."
Ah.
There it was.
The leash.
"I'll handle it," I said calmly. "The bills. The cure."
He froze.
"…Really?"
"I don't break promises."
Hope flickered in his eyes.
"Stay with me," I added. "It's safer."
"…Okay."
We arrived at the mansion.
White stone. Massive gates.
Ezekiel stared.
"You're rich."
"…For now."
As the doors opened, one thought settled in my mind.
I had just brought the future's strongest warrior…
Into the heart of a dying family.
"This time…" I whispered.
"I'll make the world kneel instead."