I could hear the voice of the system resonating inside my head.

< Congratulations, Player! Your ⬛ has finally reached its peak. >

< [] Rate: 1% >

"Please... stop. I can't bear losing anyone else..." I pleaded, my head bowed in despair.

< [] Rate: 3% >

Before me stood the withered man, his grin stretching wider as he loomed over me.

< [] Rate: 7% >

'Why was I even brought into this world? Just to endure unending suffering...?' I pounded the ground weakly with my fist, tears streaming down my face.

< [] Rate: 15% >

'Why am I so feeble and detached? How did everything I held dear only end up shrouded in agony, slipping away?'

< [] Rate: 25% >

His voice sliced through the air, a chilling whisper that pierced my soul. "Look at yourself... Has the toll of each loss, each setback, finally shattered you?"

< Rate: 37% >

"As I told you from the start, surrender. Abandon this struggle. Let THAT curse consume you. Cast aside your facade and embrace your true nature."

< [] Rate: 50% >

With a grasp on my chin, he whispered, his breath cold against my skin. "You and I are nothing alike. You attempted to rescue all, but forfeited everything. While I began with naught. I grow stronger, while you became weaker..."

< [] Rate: 75% >

In an instant, his grin warped into an unholy grimace, his eyes ablaze in crimson red as he glared at me. He hissed between clenched teeth, "You know you'll never be hailed a hero in this story. Though destined to be, we shall never be able to embody it. But enough, I'll end this swiftly."

< [] Rate: 89% >

His fist clenched, he let go of my chin and lunged his fist forward.

"Goodbye... old me."

I braced for the impact against my face, but nothing ensued.

< [] Rate: 98%... Do you wish to alter this timeline? >

"....."

Echoing within me, the question left me silenced.

< [] Rate: 99% >

As the counter neared 99%, reality, the universe, suspended in stillness.

Only I could move...

"I'll ask once more. Do you wish to alter this timeline?"

The earlier voice emerged distinct. I opened my eyes, beholding a white-haired man with ruby eyes, seated upon an ebony throne, his gaze locked onto mine.

"I..." My words faltered. Tears welled up, tracing trails down my cheeks.

This time, rather than carrying on, the man holding the timer fell silent, his expression grave.

His silence compelled me to steel my resolve.

"I... I want to!" My voice quivered. Raising my head, I met his gaze with unwavering determination.

"Are you certain? If you embrace my terms, suffering shall be your companion... yet, you'll gain a guide."

Clutching my chest, I declared, "I'm beyond caring... Even if I must endure deaths countless times over, I'll strive to save them again... No! I'll ensure that I..."

Gradually, motion stirred in the stagnation.

"I'll rescue them!"

< [] Rate: 100% >

< Congratulations, Player! The ⬛ is finally... initiating Reversing Protocol. >

"Very well," the man sighed, weariness etched across his features, his form sinking into the throne.

"See to it that this time, you save them, Athan."

With those words resounding, a reversal surged through existence.

[Initiating Project Rewrite...]

...

..

.

[You have mail!]

Staring at my computer screen, I found myself rubbing my temples in exasperation.

"This mail again..."

It all happened a couple of years ago when I suddenly received a mail from an unknown sender on my computer.

[Timer left: 00Y : 00M : 00D : 01H : 03M : 56S]

A timer ticking away, counting down to something I couldn't fathom.

At the start, I brushed it off, letting it slide as I continued with my daily routine. However, as days turned into weeks, those relentless messages intruded even as I tried to immerse myself in a novel on my phone. Frustration pushed me to hire someone to crack the enigmatic account...

But...

"Sorry, but that account doesn't exist." Those words were the refrain of the excuses I kept encountering.

Growing fed up with the perpetual excuses, I resolved to take matters into my own hands and hack into the elusive account.

"What in the world is this firewall made of?!" I vented my frustration.

After a few months of trying, I finally decided to give up, forced myself to throw in the towel.

With a deep sigh, I allowed my head to rest against the pillow.

Well, it's been six years had passed since the timer started. Although everything had returned to normal, I still couldn't help but be curious about who was behind the account.

[Timer left: 00Y : 00M : 00D : 01H : 03M : 56S]

Checking the timer on my phone, I gazed upward at the opulent expanse of my mansion's ceiling.

I wasn't one to boast, but truth be told, I epitomized the archetype of a genius and millionaire.

From my earliest days, my intellect soared beyond my age, reaching a college-level grasp of knowledge. Upon graduation, the seeds of a small business blossomed into an empire, augmented by the success of apps I designed.

Oh, right!

Even though I had everything, I still somehow felt a bit lonely. However, it was all thanks to a novel that kept me going.

My favorite novel was [Reawakened The Hero].

The story was about a talented youth named Arthur, the reincarnation of an old hero. He sought revenge against the one who destroyed his village but found himself having to save the world from an unknown enemy. As he questioned the reason for his reincarnation, he met the goddess after two hundred chapters and learned the truth of his origin.

The story wasn't too popular, but for me, it was the best.

"Hmm... Today marks my birthday." I sighed softly. "But who'd bother visiting, even if they knew?"

Stepping out of bed, I made my way outside, embarking on a leisurely stroll.

'Where to today?' I pondered. 'Perhaps a visit to the arcade—a personal celebration.'

After a few minutes of aimless wandering, I paused — awaiting the traffic light's crimson shift.

Sighing, a girl suddenly bumped into my shoulder while walking, not paying attention to her surroundings.

She crossed the road even though the traffic light was green. When onlookers saw this, many tried to raise their voices, hoping the girl would notice the traffic light.

[Timer left: 00Y : 00M : 00D : 00H : 00M : 36S]

"Hey! The light is still gr--!!"

Abruptly, a speeding truck careened forth, heedless of slowing down. My gaze flickered to the oblivious girl, my throat constricting.

The bystanders clamored, striving to break through her obliviousness, but her headphones rendered them futile.

'Haa... Life is boring anyway...' I thought.

[Timer left: 00Y : 00M : 00D : 00H : 00M : 25S]

Clutching my fist, I sprinted towards her, propelling her out of harm's way.

The truck's impact sent me hurtling several meters.

"Ugh..."

I tried to speak but only managed a groan. I held onto my phone, thinking about [Reawakened The Hero].

'I won't even know the ending...' I regretfully thought, losing vision in my right eye. 'I just wanted to read the last three chapters, but...'

Gotta admit, I'm quite stupid for doing this just to save someone I don't know.

Nonetheless, the novel was supposed to end today.

I had also bought the last three chapters and the epilogue, but before he could read them, he got hit by the truck, leaving him on the brink of death.

'I guess I'll never find out the ending...'

[Timer left: 00Y : 00M : 00D : 00H : 00M : 03S]

[Timer left: 00Y : 00M : 00D : 00H : 00M : 02S]

[Timer left: 00Y : 00M : 00D : 00H : 00M : 01S]

[Timer left: 00Y : 00M : 00D : 00H : 00M : 00S]

With a loud tick ringing in my ear, I lost consciousness.

***

In the darkness of the room, an unfamiliar voice spoke in a language I couldn't understand.

I tried to comprehend my surroundings, feeling a force nudging me.

"It's a healthy baby boy, congratulations." A woman's voice, speaking in an unknown tongue.

I struggled to open my eyes against the harsh brightness...

"Celestia, he looks handsome, just like his dad." Another woman's voice in a language that eluded my understanding.

Gradually, my vision adjusted to the light.

Before me stood a woman with ashy-brown hair, emerald-green eyes, and fair skin. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties and wore a black nightdress adorned with a white fox crest on its right side.

'Fox?' I thought.

The crest triggered a sense of recognition, as if I'd encountered it before. No, it felt more like I had read about it.

And then, a particular line from my memory struck me.

[The boy had ashy-brown hair and aquamarine eyes, making him stand out the most at the party. He wore a black and aquamarine-colored uniform with the white fox crest...]

'Don't tell me...'

Recalling those lines, only one possibility formed regarding the situation I was in.

'Damn it...'

It seemed that I had been reincarnated within the world of [Reawakened The Hero].