Omniscient Revenge System

The burning pain in his lungs wasn't leukemia. Seth Corbyn only realized the truth in the final seconds of his life.

In the dead silence of the St Jude horpital room, Seth stared at his emaciated left arm, covered in purple bruises and countless needle marks.

For the past ten years, he believed the routine blood draws were part of his therapy. But Seth had just overheard a strange conversation from the nurses passing by his room—that he was scheduled to die today.

Even though he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, no one should be able to predict his death so precisely.

The door opened. His best friend, Max Wagner, strolled in casually. A luxurious Rolex watch gleamed on his wrist.

Behind him, Seth's wife, Leila, stepped in without a single trace of sorrow on her face. Without hesitation, Max wrapped his arm around Leila's waist and kissed her right in front of Seth's horrified, widening eyes.

Seth tried to struggle, but his body was paralyzed. Thick blood trickled from the corner of his lips.

"You never had cancer, buddy," Max whispered, walking up to the bed and staring down at Seth with a triumphant smirk.

"A little low-dose mercury poison in your food for the past decade, plus some 'vitamins' in this IV. It's all over."

"Why...?" Seth's voice cracked like shattered glass. "Ten years... you tortured me... Dustin... what about my son...?"

Hearing Dustin's name, Leila scoffed in boredom. "That crippled brat? His organs will sell for a premium on the black market after you're dead."

Max chuckled softly, leaning in close to Seth's ear. "Did you really think I was helping you survive cancer for ten years? You're too naive, Seth."

Max's eyes glinted with deep satisfaction. "Ever since I borrowed your necklace ten years ago, I took over your true identity as the heir to the House of Olympus."

Seth's heart beat faintly. His fogged brain tried to process those words. Heir? House of Olympus? What family was he talking about?

"Unfortunately, I still needed you alive," Max continued, gently patting Seth's pale cheek with a condescending gaze. "For the past ten years, I was forced to keep you breathing."

The cruelty of that fact slammed into what was left of Seth's sanity.

He didn't understand much of what Max said, but he knew for certain that the man he considered his best friend had deceived and exploited him for the last ten years.

Seth thought his suffering—being pricked by needles every week—was part of his treatment. He thought Max was the hero funding it all. In reality, this bastard had only used him as a pawn in his malicious scheme.

"Then... why now...?" Seth hissed with his remaining breath. If Max still needed him, why kill him today?

"Because the old geezer finally died yesterday." Max's smile widened, bearing his teeth. "My position is secure. So I don't need you anymore."

Shock and pure fury exploded in Seth's chest, hurting far more than the poison gnawing at his organs. Max reached out his large hands, choking Seth's neck.

"Just die, Seth. Your job is done."

Seth's vision faded to black—along with his struggle to draw breath as Max's fingers tightened their crushing grip around his throat.

Then, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly shattered the silence inside his head.

[Conditions met. Disappointment, Ten Years of Suffering, and Vengeance detected exceeding mortal limits]

[Initializing 'Omniscient Revenge System']

[Restoring consciousness... Initiating time leap to the branching point of fate.]

Seth's heart stopped beating. However, the darkness only lasted for a split second.

A blinding white light flashed before his eyes. Seth gasped awake, taking a huge, desperate breath until his lungs felt full.

Cold sweat drenched his body. He frantically touched his neck—there was no suffocating grip. He immediately looked at his left arm—it was clean and muscular, without a single purple bruise or needle mark.

He was sitting in his old, cramped apartment. "What the... When?"

Seth glanced over, and his eyes widened when he saw the calendar on the desk: May 15, 2014. Exactly ten years ago.

"Am I... alive again? Or is this some pre-death hallucination?"

Before his brain could even process the miracle, a transparent blue holographic screen suddenly lit up right in front of his face.

[Omniscient Revenge System: Active.]

[Host: Seth Corbyn.]

[First Mission: Reclaim your identity as the Heir to the 'House of Olympus']

Seth rubbed his face roughly, taking a step back until his back hit the wall. "What the hell is this? What kind of hallucination is this?"

The phone in his pocket vibrated. A message came in.

Max: Mate! Leila and I are already at the usual cafe. Hurry over. Everything is sorted. You'll get the money. Don't forget to bring the necklace with you!

Seeing Max and Leila's names, nausea and pure rage boiled over once again. The image of them kissing in front of his dying body quickly made him see red.

Dustin!

The vengeance was momentarily sidelined. Seth's thoughts instantly shifted to his son. If the day was truly 2014, Dustin would be at the daycare—and still safe.

To hell with Max and this crazy blue screen. Seth needed to see his son right now—he could deal with everything else later.

Seth grabbed his jacket. However, right as his hand touched the doorknob, the blue screen flashed a red warning light.

[Tutorial Mission Unlocked: Do not run from fate. Meet Max Wagner at the cafe.] [Time Limit: 20 Minutes.] [Failure Penalty: Total Nerve Paralysis (Reverted to previous physical condition)]

Seth scoffed cynically. "You think I care? I'm not wasting my time entertaining that bastard when my son's life—"

THUD!

Both his legs suddenly went numb. Seth crashed hard onto the wooden floor of his apartment.

[Warning. The host ignored instructions. Pre-penalty activated. Paralysis level: 15%]

That all-too-familiar pain struck again. His left arm suddenly throbbed with agony, as if it had just been pierced by a thick syringe.

His fingertips trembled violently, drained of all strength. His blood felt like it was freezing over, exactly like the effects of the poison disguised as 'medicine' from Max.

Seth's eyes widened in horror. He panted heavily on the floor. This was no hallucination! This system... is real! And its threats are real!

[Time remaining: 18 minutes. Paralysis will increase by 5% for every minute the host does not move toward the target location.]

The pain in his chest grew more suffocating. Seth realized a bitter truth: If he became paralyzed now, Max would still steal his necklace.

He would become a prisoner for another ten years, and Dustin would be sold to the black market.

No. Never again! With what little strength he had left, his jaw clenching against the pain, Seth forced himself to crawl, leaning heavily against the wall to stand up.

"Okay... Okay! I get it!" he growled, glaring fiercely at the holographic screen. "I'll go!"

[Host shows compliance. Pre-penalty withdrawn. Physical condition restored.]

In an instant, air flowed smoothly back into his lungs. Strength returned to his arms and legs. Seth stood tall, his chest heaving as he steadied his breathing.

He looked down, touching the black obsidian pendant necklace hidden beneath his shirt—the very object that had apparently been the key to his ten years of torment.

"House of Olympus." Seth muttered the name that was Max's ultimate goal.

Seth stared at his phone screen one last time, rereading Max's message. The panic and confusion in his eyes had completely vanished, replaced by a deadly intent.

"You want to steal my identity, Max?" Seth whispered, adjusting his jacket collar before stepping out the door with firm strides, his voice as cold as the grim reaper.

"Let's see who dies in the end."

***

The door bell chimed softly. As soon as Seth stepped into the Blue Jay Cafe, a transparent blue screen immediately flickered before his eyes.

[Time remaining: 02:14. Target identified. Paralysis penalty permanently canceled.]

Seth breathed a sigh of relief. The horrific penalty didn't happen, and he quickly learned that ignoring the missions would bring disaster.

[Congratulations, Tutorial Mission Completed.]

[Unlocking Basic Feature: Omniscient Eye—Level 1]

[Remaining Points: 50]

[Accumulation System: The worse the target's fear, pain, and mental breakdown, the more EXP the Host gains. Collect 100 EXP to advance to Level 2 and unlock far more powerful system abilities.]

Seth smirked faintly. The agony of crawling through the pain earlier had paid off completely. This system would become his weapon.

He walked past the rows of tables. Only as he got closer did he clearly see the sight that made him feel as if he had been blind in his past life. How could he have not seen that the closeness between his wife and Max was more than just friends?

It was painfully obvious now. Max sat leaning back casually, his hand freely caressing Leila's thigh beneath the table. Meanwhile, Leila—his wife—smiled sweetly as if nothing were wrong.

Keeping his facial expression perfectly normal, Seth stopped right in front of their table.

"Seth! Mate!" Max jolted cheerfully, standing up and opening his arms—instantly letting go of Leila's thigh under the table—and flashing a fake smile. "Have a seat!"

Leila looked at him—displaying a concern that was undoubtedly just as fake. "You look pale, Honey. Are you sick? Sit down."

Seth did indeed still look pale. But ignoring their sickening pleasantries, he remained standing—staring straight at Max and activating the Omniscient Eye.

[Target: Max Wagner.]

[Deepest Secret—Cost: 50 points. Remaining points: 0]

[Max Wagner is drowning in a $25,000 gambling debt to the Black Skull Syndicate, due this afternoon. They are currently looking for him. Target plans to bring the obsidian necklace to Lawyer Lucian Travis to claim the Olympus inheritance.]

Seth scoffed softly. The mystery was finally unraveled. On his way to the cafe, Seth had finally remembered. Olympus was the name of an ancient family that owned a massive corporate empire. A wildly wealthy family.

Seth still didn't understand how his necklace could be the deciding factor for the heir, but he certainly wasn't going to hand it over to Max in this life.

So, instead of immediately lashing out, Seth pulled out a chair and sat down. He deliberately chose a position that blocked Max's exit from the corner booth of the cafe.

"So, the capital request was finally approved?" Seth smiled faintly, resting his chin on his hand. They had indeed arranged to meet to discuss Seth's request. Max worked at an investment firm and had promised to provide capital for Seth last week.

"That's right! I brought the documents with me!" Max pulled a folder from his briefcase, but his eyes were busy darting outside—in a panic. He had to leave the cafe quickly before his debt collectors spotted him.

Seth pretended not to notice, instead flipping through the documents page by page, reading them excruciatingly slowly.

"Seth! I already explained all the details to you yesterday. You don't need to check it again." Max was obviously losing his patience. He wanted to get his hands on the necklace and get out of there immediately.

"I'm reading it first. You know yourself that signing documents without reading them is foolish!" Seth glared sharply at Max.

That was the exact foolishness he had committed in his past life. He hadn't bothered to read it back then, and the debt had choked him with its exorbitant interest rates. Seth immediately pointed at the problematic figures.

"Twenty-five percent? And the interest compounds every month?" Seth looked up, staring at Max with a flat yet imposing expression. "I recall we agreed on five percent, Max. If I sign the document, my debt will balloon to hundreds of thousands of dollars in just a year."

Max's face stiffened for a second, but he hastily forced an awkward laugh. "Oh, my god! The guys at my office are absolute idiots. That must be a typo, Mate. Don't worry about it."

Max offered his gold pen to Seth. "Just sign this one for now. Once I get back to the office, I'll personally revise it in the system. Trust me."

Leila chimed in with a coaxing tone that sounded absolutely sickening. "He's right, Honey. Just sign it so we can get this over with quickly. Max has helped us a lot."

Seth looked back and forth between his wife and his best friend. In the past, he would have signed it without hesitation out of blind trust. This foolishness had resulted in ten years of torture.

Calmly, Seth closed the folder and pushed it away. "No. I will sign it after the numbers are fixed."

Max's jaw clenched. His eyes darted wildly toward the cafe window again. His panic was becoming impossible to hide.

"Come on, Seth! I don't have time to argue!" he snapped impatiently. "Then just give me the necklace now! You promised to lend it to me today!"

Seeing Max losing his temper, Seth deliberately put on a look of innocent confusion.

"Why are you so angry, Max? Isn't that necklace just a regular antique? It's not gold, nor is it the main collateral for our transaction. Why are you so desperate to take it right now?"

That direct question left Max completely speechless. He couldn't appear too desperate, as it would only make Seth suspicious.

"I-it's..." Max stammered, his brain spinning rapidly to find an excuse.

"I have an appointment with an antique collector! I need the necklace to put on display today! I have to leave right now, Seth!"

"Alright then, just go," Seth replied casually, leaning back in his chair. His seating position was still blocking Max's way out of the booth.

"But I'm not signing anything, and the necklace stays with me. Or..."

Seth smiled faintly. He had a way to make Max wait even longer.

"...you can call your office. Tell them to print a new document with a five percent interest rate, and bring it to this cafe. We'll wait here until the document arrives. Then the signature and the necklace are yours."

"Wait here?!" Max's voice pitched up in panic. He turned to Leila, silently begging for help, but Leila herself was confused by his frantic state.

Leila knew nothing of Max's debt; she only knew Max needed the necklace to get rich. "It's fine. We can just wait a bit longer."

Leila failed to notice that Max was growing increasingly frantic. He wanted to rage but couldn't.

[Target's panic increased drastically! +1 point]

"I can't wait in here, Seth! The weather... I mean, the air is too stuffy!" Max tried to stand up, attempting to squeeze his body through the gap between the table and Seth. "I-I'll call my office from outside—"

But swiftly, Seth's hand clamped down on Max's arm and yanked him back down into his seat with surprising force.

"Stay here, Mate," Seth said in a low voice. "You said we're best friends, right? Keep me company while I drink my coffee. Why are you panicking like you're being chased by loan sharks?"

Hearing the word 'loan sharks,' Max's body stiffened rigidly. It was too accurate—but it had to be just a coincidence. There was no way Seth could know about the debt.

Left with no other choice, Max pulled out his phone and called his subordinate to quickly bring the new documents.

Minute by minute passed. The system screen in Seth's eyes kept chiming, popping up notifications in tandem with the sweat flooding Max's collar.

[Target is experiencing immense mental pressure. +2 points]

[Target feels trapped and desperate. +3 points]

Max kept glancing at the door, his foot tapping the floor in an erratic rhythm that displayed his absolute terror. He was barely even breathing.

Fifteen minutes later, the cafe's door bell chimed.

A young man in a neat suit—Max's subordinate—walked in, clutching a folder and panting heavily. "Mr. Wagner! Here are the documents you asked for!"

Max's face lit up instantly. It was as if he had just seen his savior. "Finally! Here, give it to me, and then—"

However, before Max could grab the folder, two burly men in black leather jackets stepped in from behind Max's subordinate, shoving the young man until he crashed into another table.

The eyes of the two leather-clad men swept fiercely across the cafe, immediately locking onto Max's table.

Max gasped in horror. The air felt violently ripped from his lungs.

"Well, well. Look who's relaxing here waiting for documents," growled one of the thugs, his face scarred.

He sneered cruelly, striding toward their table while pulling out a collapsible steel baton from inside his jacket. "We've been looking for you everywhere, Wagner."

Seth calmly sipped his coffee, hiding a devilish smile behind his cup. The main event had just begun.