2026-01-09 10:43:57Jael's eyes snapped open.
For a moment, everything felt strange.
He was alive. Somehow, against all odds, he was still alive.
He had just been hit by a speeding bus. A brutal, violent crash that should have ended him right there on the cold street.
But now, there was no pain.
No screaming agony in his bones. No burning wounds. No broken limbs.
That was impossible.
Maybe he was in a hospital. Maybe he had been knocked out cold and was now under heavy anesthesia.
But the strange thing was, Jael didn’t feel numb. He didn’t feel like his body was shutting down.
Instead, he felt fresh. Alive. Like he had just woken up from a long, deep sleep and stretched his arms for the first time in years.
He slowly opened his eyes wider, blinking against the soft light.
Around him, everything was quiet. No ambulance sirens blared in the distance. No cold pavement pressed against his skin.
Instead, he was lying on a bed.
His bed.
Or at least it looked like it.
But it wasn’t the bed from the penthouse. It was the bed he hadn’t seen in years.
His childhood bed.
The soft sheets smelled faintly of lavender and memories.
Jael’s heart hammered in his chest.
“Is this a dream?” he wondered, his thoughts barely more than a whisper.
“If this is a dream, then what kind of sick, twisted dream is this?”
He looked around the room.
Every corner, every poster, every small thing was just as it had been ten years ago.
The faded posters of his favorite bands, the stack of books piled haphazardly on the floor, the old music box that played a shaky tune, and in the corner, a dusty PlayStation 3 sitting silently.
Everything was frozen in time, as if someone had taken a photograph and stepped inside it.
His breath hitched.
Was this heaven? Or was this some strange place where people went when they died?
Just then, a loud buzzing cut through the stillness.
Ringggggg!!
Jael jerked his head toward the nightstand.
His alarm clock was buzzing like it always did.
Without thinking, he reached out and slammed the button to silence it.
That quick, familiar movement hit him like a wave of nostalgia.
It was a reflex, drilled into him when he was twenty-one.
Slamming the alarm, hating the noise so much that he just wanted it to stop.
His eyes widened in shock.
“No way,” he muttered. “This can’t be real.”
He grabbed the clock and flipped it over to show the date instead of the time.
His breath hitched again as the date flashed in bold letters:
"July 29, 2010."
Jael’s heart thudded wildly.
This wasn’t possible.
He scrambled out of bed and stumbled toward the mirror hanging crookedly on the wall.
He froze when he saw the face staring back.
It wasn’t the worn, tired face of a man in his early thirties.
It was the fresh, smooth face of a twenty-one-year-old.
No lines, no wear, no scars from years of heartbreak and struggle.
He touched his face with shaking fingers.
“I actually… regressed,” he whispered, disbelief thick in his voice.
“I went back ten years. Back to the start.”
Jael sat back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling of the room from his youth.
The white paint was chipped in places. The glow of the afternoon sun spilled softly through the window, casting warm shadows on the walls.
His mind raced.
He had died.
Really died.
Paul Wilson had killed him.
And then laughed at his broken, dying body.
Jael clenched his fists tight enough to hurt.
What kind of fool had he been in that life?
So weak. So easily broken.
Why had he let people walk all over him?
**Caden Ryder.**
The man had never liked him.
When Jael got his internship at Ryder Financial Corp, he thought it was a golden ticket.
Working at a top-tier financial firm was a dream for any young finance graduate.
Landing the financial assistant role felt like a step toward greatness.
But no matter what Jael did, Caden never promoted him.
Never gave him the respect he deserved.
It was all part of a plan.
A bitter thought coiled in Jael’s chest.
Caden had never wanted him there.
He had only used him.
Taken Jael’s knowledge, his strategies, his ideas.
Stolen everything and never once gave him credit.
It wasn’t just firing him.
It was betrayal on the deepest level.
Paul always wanted **Kira Ryder**.
Caden wanted to secure a powerful corporate alliance.
And to do that, Caden had to get rid of Jael.
Yes. That was the truth.
They all got what they wanted.
The only loser was him.
Jael’s eyes burned red with hate.
“Is that why fate did this?” he thought bitterly.
“Is that why I’m back here? Ten years ago? Just weeks after I started at Ryder Financial?”
He sat up, burying his face in his hands.
“No use asking why,” he said quietly.
“Fate chose me for some reason. Fine.”
“But I’m not wasting this chance.”
“I won’t make the same mistakes.”
“I’ll take down Ryder Financial.”
“And I’ll destroy Paul Wilson.”
“Even if it’s the last thing I do.”
His voice cracked with determination.
“I will—”
Suddenly, his vision flickered.
A translucent violet screen appeared, floating before his eyes.
Jael jerked his head back and froze.
“What? What is this?”
He reached out, but his hand passed through the screen like it was made of air.
“This… this is a hologram.”
Words appeared on the screen in neat, glowing lines:
┏Welcome Host, to the Nexus System┛
┏Host Profile has been activated┛
Lines of data and graphs formed, filling the screen with detailed information.
His name was there.
Jael Frost.
Age: 21.
Assets and liabilities.
His checking account balance.
His debts.
His net worth — a harsh number in red, deep in the negative.
The screen laid out his finances with brutal honesty.
Jael’s eyes scanned the numbers.
Cash: $232.47
Personal belongings: $900
Student loans: $3,500
Debt to co-worker: $100
Net worth: –$2,267.53
His heart sank.
He was deep in the red.
Barely scraping by.
This regression wasn’t a reset.
It was a harsh reality.
Jael muttered under his breath.
“This is rock bottom.”
The screen confirmed it.
┏Achievement Unlocked: Rock Bottom┛
┏You’ve hit the lowest point in your life. There’s nowhere to go but up!┛
Jael chuckled bitterly.
“Thanks for the motivation.”
His gaze flicked over the other sections.
Financial milestones locked tight.
Legacy counters empty.
No companies created. No rivals defeated.
It was a clean slate.
But also a heavy burden.
He was a man with a second chance.
And a system designed to guide him.
The Nexus System.
Was this why he was sent back?
To use this system to become powerful?
To build an empire?
To crush his enemies?
The screen displayed quests—simple tasks waiting to be completed.
Early Investor: Make your first investment.
No Debt, No Stress:Pay student loans and other debts.
Build a Foundation:Save $500 this month.
Jael’s eyes lit up as he tapped the Early Investor quest.
A list of potential investments appeared.
Aparagon
F******k
Doxercoin
Wesla Cars
Nexus Coin
Silver
Esper
His heart raced.
He selected Nexus Coin.
The screen displayed the price:
$0.08
Jael stared in disbelief.
“Eight cents?”
A slow smile spread across his face.
“I’m going to be a billionaire.”
The future was his to rewrite.
---
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 11: FIRST CAPITAL MOVES
Jael lugged the heavy briefcase up the uneven steps of his tiny apartment. The strap of his backpack dug into his shoulder, and a faint ache had started in his jaw from clenching it so tightly. He placed the case on the floor, letting it thud against the tile, and paused. The faint smell of damp carpet and stale smoke filled the room.He knelt and unlatched the case, the crisp scent of fresh bills almost shocking against the grit of the apartment. He counted once, then twice, just to make sure. Two hundred thousand. Every single bill exactly as it should be.His hands trembled just slightly—not from fear, but from the strange surge of possibility that rolled through him like water breaking a dam. Two hundred thousand dollars. He could feel it in his bones: this was the first move of everything he was about to build.Jael sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by the soft hum of the apartment’s single fluorescent light. Dust clung to the corners like forgotten memories, and the old
CHAPTER 10: MORE DEBTS, MORE LOANS
Jael Frost parked his battered old bicycle a full block away from Crane Street. The familiar creak of the bike’s frame echoed in the quiet air as he locked the briefcase tightly to the seat. His eyes swept the street with a cautious sharpness, trying to drink in every detail around him.This part of the city was nothing like the busy, shining downtown where glass towers caught the sunlight. Here, the street was quieter. Too quiet. The flickering streetlights sputtered on and off like tired candles about to die. The storefronts were boarded up with splintered wood nailed crookedly over glass that had long since shattered. The air felt thick and heavy, almost like it was soaked in fear and desperation.Jael shivered a little, not just from the cold but from the heaviness that pressed down on his chest. This was the kind of place people avoided at all costs. Not just because crime thrived here, but because it sucked the hope right out of the air, like a black hole of lost dreams and brok
CHAPTER 9: WHAT THE HELL IS A CHARACTER BONUS? WELL YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO FIND OUT
The afternoon sun dipped low, casting gold across the city’s skyline. Streets hummed with life—cars weaving, pedestrians moving, conversations drifting on the breeze.Jael sat on a worn bench, the rusty metal creaking beneath him. A cigarette rested loosely between his fingers, tip glowing faintly as he inhaled, smoke curling upward. His eyes stared into empty space, where the faint flicker of the Nexus System interface hovered only for him to see.A sudden notification cut through the haze.┏**Character Bonus Earned!**┛Jael’s eyes widened, cigarette paused mid-air. *Character Bonus? What’s this about?*The system continued, calm and clear.┏**Character Bonuses are awarded for demonstrating exceptional composure and strategy under pressure. Your conduct with Caden Ryder has granted your first Character Bonus.**┛A slow, calculating smile spread across Jael’s face. *So that’s what it’s for. Because of how I handled the meeting. Interesting.*Another alert chimed.┏**New Feature Unlock
CHAPTER 8: HELL HATH NO FURY THAN A DEFEATED NARCISSIST
The air inside Caden Ryder’s spacious office felt thick, charged, like the breathless pause before a storm broke. Jael Frost sat across from him, the two men locked in a silent contest of will. It felt like a fight had already begun—no fists, no weapons—just sharp eyes and unspoken challenge.Jael could feel Caden’s gaze pressing down on him, heavy and deliberate. It was the kind of stare meant to crush confidence, to remind people of their place. But Jael didn’t shrink.He sat straight, shoulders relaxed, hands tucked calmly into his jacket pockets. His face was unreadable. He was no longer the anxious graduate who bowed his head and swallowed humiliation. That version of him was gone.Between them, on the polished mahogany desk, lay the resignation letter.Still. Untouched. Almost mocking.Jael had expected an outburst—anger, shouting, maybe even threats. Instead, silence stretched between them, long and uncomfortable. Caden Ryder was clearly more shocked than furious.Interns didn’
CHAPTER 7: A REBORN FROST
JAEL stood still for a brief moment, frozen in place. Kira Ryder’s arms were still around him, her familiar scent lingering like a memory he no longer wanted. Sweet. Soft. False.He didn’t want it anymore.He didn’t want her anymore.Slowly, he lifted his hands and gently pried her arms away from his neck, careful—not because he cared, but because he didn’t want a scene. His eyes never met hers.“I’m fine,” he muttered as he stepped past her, brushing her warmth away like something toxic. “Just caught off guard.”Kira tilted her head, confusion clouding her expression. “Are you sure? You look pale.”He nodded once and turned away, setting his briefcase down on Sandy’s desk without ceremony. “Thanks for letting me know.”She stared at him. “That’s it?” Her voice wavered. “Jael… are you mad at me?”He exhaled quietly.She still didn’t know. Of course she didn’t. The Kira who betrayed him hadn’t existed yet—not in this timeline. That version of her was still years away. Right now, she wa
CHAPTER 6:THE FACE OF BETRAYAL
Jael rolled into the underground parking lot of Ryder Financial Corp, the wheels of his bike screeching against concrete as the sound echoed through the cavernous space. His chest rose and fell as he removed his helmet and looked up.There it was.Again.Ten years younger, yet unchanged.The company emblem rested proudly on the polished stone wall—a minimalist merge of the letters R and F. Not creative. Just expensive. Cold.Jael climbed off his bike and secured his helmet in the rear compartment. He brushed down the sleeves of his faded blazer. His fingers paused at the frayed cuff. It was the same jacket from before, still carrying the weight of struggle.He didn’t rush inside. He stood there, letting the memories wash over him.In his previous life, by the time of his death, Ryder Financial had rebranded everything. The logo had become a silver phoenix tearing through a digital sigil. The tower itself had been rebuilt—taller, sharper, wrapped in glass and sensors, voice-activated d
You may also like
Two Worlds Conqueror System
RJ James Low19.8K viewsMy Werewolf System
JKSManga126.6K viewsSystem Activation: Becoming a Super Rich
Enigma Stone73.4K viewsThe Reign of Zane Gardner
Herolich31.1K viewsCHANGING THE GAME WITH THE CASHFLOW SYSTEM
Dominant pen1.3K viewsThe Lazarus Protocol
Sami Yang573 viewsMy Ex-Wife’s Secret System
Rosfun699 viewsI GOT POPULARITY WITH THE STREAMING SYSTEM
Riku Ormstrom7.1K views