DAMIEN WEST ALMIGHTY SYSTEM

Chapter 4

The rain started coming down harder. Damian could barely keep his eyes open. Everything hurt. His vision kept fading in and out. He'd lost too much blood.

The car stopped.

The guards yanked him out and dragged him toward the edge of a bridge. The river below was dark and moving fast. They tied his hands together. Then his legs. The rope cut into his skin, but he didn't have the strength to pull against it.

One of the men leaned down close to his face. "In your next life, you'll know when to quit. You'll know some things are only meant for the rich."

They picked him up.

And then they threw him over the edge.

Damian's body hit the water hard. The cold swallowed him whole. He couldn't swim. Couldn't move his arms or legs. The current pulled him under immediately. Water filled his nose, his mouth, his lungs. He tried to hold his breath, but there was nothing left in him to hold.

He was sinking.

His mind went to his grandmother. Lying in that hospital bed. Waiting for him. She had no one else. If he died here, she would die too. Alone. No one would take care of her. No one would pay her bills. She'd be gone within days.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

Damn it. I trusted the wrong person. I worked myself to death for the wrong person. And this is where it got me.

He remembered the manager's words from earlier that night. The way he'd looked at him with concern. The warning in his voice.

If only I could go back. If only I could turn back time and do it all over again. I wouldn't make the same mistake. I'd never trust her. Never waste my life like this.

His vision started going dark. The water pressed down on him from all sides. His body was too heavy. He couldn't fight it anymore. He was drowning.

This is the end. The poor never get justice.

Then something flickered in front of his eyes. Like a screen. Glowing words appeared in the darkness.

[Detected: Host has suffered ultimate betrayal and despair…]

[Conditions met! Awaken the "Fate Rewind Rebate System"?]

[Please choose: Yes / No!]

Damian stared at the glowing words floating in the darkness. He didn't understand what he was looking at. Didn't know what any of it meant. But none of that mattered. He was drowning. His lungs were burning. His body was shutting down. He had seconds left.

Desperation took over. The need to survive. The need to live. The need for this not to be the end.

He didn't have time to think.

He chose yes.

The moment he did, everything exploded.

The water around him twisted violently, like the entire world was being torn apart and stitched back together. A bright panel burst into view in front of his eyes, glowing with impossible light.

【Fate Rewind Rebate System】

[Host: Damian]

[Current Level: Lv.1]

[Fate Points: 0/100 used for rewinding; acquired slowly in the early stage]

[Total Accumulated Rebate: $0]

[Core Functions:]

【Fate Rewind】Can be triggered when the host suffers a major setback, humiliation, betrayal, or threat to life. Early-stage limits: maximum once per month; full memory retained after rewinding, but no physical objects can be brought back.

【Comeback Rebate】Rebate settled based on the completeness and influence of the comeback. Bonus reward: Ability Points.

The words burned into his mind. Then everything went white.

Time shattered. Spun backward. The river disappeared. The pain disappeared. The cold, the blood, the betrayal all of it ripped away like it had never happened.

And then—Damian opened his eyes.

His vision cleared slowly. The world came back into focus piece by piece. He wasn't underwater. He wasn't tied up. He wasn't bleeding.

He was standing, he looked down.

The envelope was in his hand.

His heart slammed in his chest. He blinked hard, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

The manager stood in front of him, arms crossed, staring at him with that same concerned look.

Damian's breath caught in his throat.

He was back. Back at the restaurant. Back at the exact moment the manager handed him his pay.

The manager's voice broke through the silence. He was repeating the same words from before. The same concern. The same question.

"Does all this suffering really matter? Working yourself to death like this. Is it worth it?"

Damian didn't answer right away. He just stood there, frozen. His hands were shaking. His mind was racing. He couldn't process what had just happened.

"I'm alive."

He looked down at the envelope in his hand. Felt the weight of it. Real. Solid.

"I went back in time."

His heart was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears. Everything from before was still there. Crystal clear. Vivid. He remembered the pain. The betrayal. Megan's face. His uncle's voice. The cold water pulling him under. The rope cutting into his wrists. All of it.

But he was here. Standing in the restaurant. Before any of it happened.

The manager tilted his head, studying Damian's face. "Is something wrong with you?"

Damian snapped out of it. He blinked and forced himself to focus.

"Yeah. Everything's fine." His voice came out hoarse. "It's just… sometimes I think about what you said. About turning back time. If I could go back and understand that some things aren't worth it, I would. And now…" He paused. His grip tightened on the envelope. "Now I do understand. I'm not going to waste it."

He didn't wait for the manager to respond. He turned and walked straight toward the back room. Grabbed his jacket. Didn't look back.

He pushed through the door and stepped outside into the rain. The cool air hit his face, but this time it didn't feel comforting. It felt sharp. Real. A reminder that he was still here. Still breathing.

One thing was absolutely clear in his mind now.

I'm not making the same mistake twice. I'm not going to fall for the same lies. I'm not going to trust the wrong people. This time, I do things my way. I make my own choices. And I won't let anyone use me again. This time, I know exactly what I need to do.

This time, Damian knew exactly where he went wrong.

The first time, he'd walked straight into the house without thinking. He confronted Megan and his uncle head-on, right there in the bedroom, like some kind of fool. He didn't consider the consequences. Didn't think about the power his uncle had. The men. The money. The control. He just reacted. Let his emotions take over. And that's what got him killed.

But not this time.

This time, he was going to be smart. Strategic. He wasn't going to let them see him coming. He was going to take control of the situation before they even knew he was there. He would dictate what happened next. Not them.

He walked through the rain, his mind sharp and focused. Every step felt different now. Heavier. More deliberate. He wasn't the same man who left the restaurant the first time. That man was naive. Trusting. Blind.

This version of him had died and come back.

When he finally reached his neighborhood, he didn't go straight to the house. He stopped two streets away and ducked into an alley. He stood there for a moment, catching his breath, letting the rain soak through his jacket.

He remembered the men. His uncle's bodyguards. The first time, they'd been waiting outside. Positioned around the house like silent shadows. They must have seen him walk up to the front door. Must have been watching the whole time. That's why they came in so fast when he tried to attack Nathaniel. They were already there. Ready.