From Outcast to Legend: Thiago's Rise

Chapter 6

After leaving the courthouse with the divorce papers finally signed, Thiago felt an unfamiliar lightness settle over his shoulders.

The invisible chains that had bound him to the Morgan family for years had finally been broken. There was no celebration waiting for him, no friends congratulating him, but he did not need any of that. Simply walking down the busy street without worrying about another phone call demanding money or favors was satisfying enough.

Instead of rushing anywhere, he found a well-known restaurant nearby and ordered a generous lunch.

A perfectly grilled steak, creamy mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, fresh bread, and a bowl of rich mushroom soup soon covered the table. For dessert, he treated himself to chocolate cake and a cup of expensive coffee.

In his previous life, every cent he earned had gone into supporting Vespera, Caius, Nicola, and even Evren. He had always eaten the cheapest meals while the Morgan family enjoyed expensive restaurants using his money.

This time, he intended to enjoy every meal he wanted.

After finishing lunch, Thiago checked the time before heading directly toward a lottery shop.

Based on memories from his previous life, he carefully filled out ticket after ticket, purchasing every winning number combination he could remember. Every dollar he possessed disappeared into those slips of paper.

When he finally finished, his wallet contained almost nothing. Still, he smiled. Compared to the fortune waiting tomorrow, today's poverty meant absolutely nothing.

Since very little cash remained and he could not openly sell the mountain of gold bars hidden inside the mysterious ring, he simply used the remaining balance on his credit card.

He maxed out nearly every available credit line before booking one of the city's finest luxury hotels.

Within minutes he entered a spacious executive suite overlooking the city skyline. The room alone was larger than the apartment he had once shared with Vespera.

He placed his luggage down before locking the door.

Finally... he had completely severed his living arrangement with the Morgan family.

Standing in the center of the room, Thiago slowly raised the ancient ring. The storage space opened once more.

Again and again, he tested every function.

A glass of water disappeared into the space before instantly reappearing, then a book vanished. Even electronic devices.

Everything entered and exited effortlessly.

Over the next several hours, he carefully explored every rule governing the mysterious storage space. Firstly, he noticed that before any upgrades, the ring could only store non-living objects.

Secondly, the stored items remained perfectly preserved. Food never spoiled, ice never melted, and even hot coffee remained steaming exactly as it had been when stored. Temperature could also be maintained indefinitely.

Third, the storage automatically categorized every object, allowing him to retrieve any desired item almost instantly through thought alone.

Yet Thiago sensed these were merely the ring's most basic functions.

The strange feeling lingering in his mind suggested many hidden abilities remained sealed until future upgrades unlocked them.

Once he thoroughly understood the current rules, his thoughts became much clearer. This storage space was never meant to function as a simple warehouse. It was the ultimate trump card!

Eventually, it would become the foundation for building his own powerful survivor base. While others fought over scraps of canned food, he would possess enough resources to support an entire city.

His future plans became increasingly detailed. Once the lottery prize arrived, his very first purchase would be property located on elevated ground, far above the regions destined to disappear beneath floodwaters.

That property would be transformed into a fortress, so when the floods came, his fortress would remain untouched. And when zombies overran the cities, they would never breach his defenses.

As for the enormous quantity of gold bars hidden inside the ring... He smiled faintly.

There was no need to rush. Selling such a fortune openly would attract governments, banks, and criminals alike. Instead, he would quietly dispose of small batches through trusted black-market channels over time.

According to his calculations, the gold would eventually earn him nearly two billion dollars, and every cent would then be reinvested. He would purchase even more gold.

More gold meant expanding the mysterious storage space, and expanding the storage meant upgrading the ring. And upgrading the ring would reveal abilities he could not yet imagine.

...

That night, exhaustion finally overcame Thiago. He lay upon the soft king-sized bed and slowly drifted asleep.

Unfortunately... Sleep brought nightmares. He saw black floodwaters swallowing entire cities. Floating corpses drifted endlessly through ruined streets.

He heard desperate screams echoing beneath storm clouds. Then... a pair of familiar hands suddenly shoved him from behind. He plunged into icy floodwater filled with bloated bodies.

As unimaginable agony consumed him, Vespera's cold laughter echoed above. Then came the cruelest truth. Evren... the son he had raised with endless love... was never his biological child.

The betrayal pierced him even deeper than the zombies' bites.

"Ah!"

Thiago bolted upright. His breathing became ragged. Cold sweat soaked the hotel sheets. For several seconds he could not distinguish dreams from reality.

His trembling hands instinctively reached for the bite wounds that no longer existed. He could feel nothing. Only smooth skin.

He looked around. The luxurious hotel room remained exactly as before, and his ring rested safely on his finger. Reality slowly returned. He had truly been reborn.

This was not another hallucination born from regret, nor was it some illusion created moments before death. He was alive.

His resilient will quickly suppressed both the lingering fear and the murderous rage threatening to consume him, and his eyes gradually became calm once more.

"In this life... I will never tolerate the Morgan family again. They will never use me. I will never become their walking ATM or work as their unpaid servant."

Every word became another vow carved into his heart.

After showering, Thiago dressed neatly before heading downstairs. He ordered a luxurious breakfast using his remaining credit.

In less than an hour, none of that would matter.

Returning to his suite, he switched on the television. The lottery drawing would begin at exactly ten o'clock. He trusted his memories completely.

Still... seeing the numbers appear would erase the final trace of uncertainty.

The broadcast finally began, with the host smiling brightly.

"The first winning number is..."

A ball rolled into view. It was exactly the number Thiago remembered.

The second, correct! Third, correct! Fourth, correct!

One after another, every number matched perfectly. Not a single digit differed.

When the final number appeared, Thiago slowly exhaled. History had not changed. His memories remained perfectly accurate.

His previous life had become the greatest source of information imaginable. He immediately calculated the after-tax winnings. Approximately one billion dollars. Enough to begin everything.

Without wasting another second, he opened his laptop and documents rapidly filled the screen.

He also began researching elevated regions suitable for constructing a secure fortress capable of surviving both catastrophic floods and the zombie hordes destined to appear during the early apocalypse.

Every decision could save thousands of future lives or determine whether he survived.

...

At that very moment, chaos erupted inside the Morgan household.

"What do you mean he actually divorced you?"

Caius slammed his hand onto the dining table so hard that several bowls rattled. His face flushed with disbelief.

Nicola's eyes widened. "He really left?"

Vespera frowned impatiently. "Yes, I already signed everything."

Silence filled the room before exploding.

"You fool!" Caius roared. "Do you know what you've done?"

Nicola stood up furiously. "Bring him back immediately!"

Vespera frowned.

"Why should I?"

"Because he's useful!" Caius snapped. "Who will pay the bills now? Who'll repair everything around this house? Who'll drive us everywhere or lend us money whenever we need it?"

Nicola clenched his fists. "Our free slave just walked away because of your stupidity! You'd better bring him back. No matter what it takes."

Neither father nor son cared about Thiago himself. What they truly mourned was the loss of the obedient man who had financed their comfortable lives for years.