2026-05-08 21:59:22Ethan woke to the sound of his Nokia phone's alarm that tinny, obnoxious ringtone he'd deleted years ago. No, not years ago. Twelve years from now.
Marcus Beni was still snoring on the other side of the cramped dorm room they'd been assigned for senior year. Ethan had been planning to move off-campus with Derek in the fall, but the lease hadn't kicked in yet.
He shot upright in bed, heart hammering, and stared at the cramped dorm room around him. Posters on the wallet The Dark Knight, some indie bands he'd forgotten he liked. His roommate Marcus Beni's side of the room was a disaster of textbooks and dirty laundry. The air smelled like cheap ramen.
New York University. Senior year. May 15th, 2014.
"Holy shit," Ethan breathed. His hands were smooth, unscarred. No gunshot wound in his side. He looked down at himself skinny, unimpressive, wearing a ratty NYU t-shirt he'd gotten at a college fair. He was twenty-two years old again.
[WELCOME BACK, HOST]
The blue screen materialized in front of him, translucent, visible only to his eyes. Text scrolled across it with that same mechanical precision.
[REBIRTH SUCCESSFUL]
[DATE: MAY 15, 2014]
[HOST STATUS: LEVEL 1]
[AVAILABLE POINTS: 0]
[FIRST QUEST LOADING...]
"This is real." Ethan's voice was different,younger, without the bitterness that had hardened it over years of failure. He touched his face, his arms, confirming his existence. "This is actually real."
The System's voice echoed in his mind, dripping with sarcasm. "Congratulations, you've mastered basic observation. Yes, it's real. You're twenty-two again, with all your memories intact. Try not to waste this gift by being the same doormat you were the first time around."
Ethan stood up, legs shaky, and walked to the mirror above his dresser. The face staring back at him was both familiar and foreign, younger, unmarked by the stress lines and defeat that had carved themselves into his features. But his eyes were different now. Harder. Behind them lurked years of knowledge, betrayal, and fury.
"What happens now?" he asked.
[QUEST INITIALIZING]
[FIRST REVERSAL QUEST: DEFEND YOUR FUTURE]
[OBJECTIVE: Today at 3 PM, Derek will ask to "borrow" your cryptocurrency research notes for his "economics paper." In the original timeline, you agreed. Derek used your research to create the foundation of Crypto shield, the platform he pitched to investors in 2016 and sold for $45 million in 2019.]
[MISSION: Refuse Derek's request and protect your intellectual property]
[REWARD: 100 Points, Skill Unlock: Enhanced Perception Level 1]
[FAILURE: -50 Points, Regression Risk Increased]
[TIME REMAINING: 7 HOURS, 23 Minutes]
Ethan's jaw clenched. Derek. Of course the System would start with Derek. The memories flooded back at 3:00 PM in the library, Derek approaching with that friendly smile, asking for help with a "research paper." Ethan had handed over months of work without question because they were "friends."
"I was such an idiot," Ethan muttered.
"Accurate assessment," the System replied. "You were a people-pleasing doormat who confused being used with being liked. But that's why we're here, isn't it? To fix your spectacular failures."
A knock on the door interrupted them. "Ethan! You awake, man? We're gonna be late for Henderson's lecture."
Marcus Beni, Ethan had forgotten about him. His college roommate who later moved to Seattle after graduation, and they'd lost touch. Good guy, terrible with money, but loyal in a way Derek had never been. Seems the dude was awake from his sleep with all the snoring as Ethan smirked such a guy .
"Yeah, I'm up," Ethan called back. He grabbed clothes from his closet, his mind racing. Seven hours until Derek's betrayal, version one. This time would be different.
The morning passed in a surreal haze. Sitting in Professor Henderson's marketing lecture, Ethan found himself analyzing everything through the lens of future knowledge. Henderson's examples about emerging social media platforms? Ethan knew which ones would dominate and which would crash. The girl in front of him checking F******k on her laptop? That platform would lose its cultural relevance in less than a decade. The guy beside him taking notes on an iPad? Apple's stock was about to explode.
Everything was an opportunity now. Every conversation, every decision, every interaction was a chance to rewrite his failure into success.
But first, Derek.
At 2:45 PM, Ethan positioned himself at a table in the main library with his laptop open, pretending to work on a paper. His cryptocurrency research notes months of analysis on Bitcoin's potential, blockchain security protocols, and the theoretical framework for a decentralized exchange platform were saved in a folder on his desktop.
In the original timeline, he'd had them in a printed binder that Derek had "borrowed" and never returned.
This time, everything was digital and password-protected. Ethan had spent the lunch hour transferring all his research to an encrypted cloud drive and deleting it from his laptop. The only copy existed in a place Derek couldn't access.
At 2:58 PM, Derek walked into the library.
Ethan's hands tightened on his laptop, years of rage crystallized into cold focus. He forced himself to breathe evenly, to appear casual, to be the Ethan Hayes that Derek expected, naive, eager to help, pathetically grateful for attention.
Derek spotted him and smiled, that easy, charismatic smile that had fooled Ethan for years. He was handsome in that effortless way. Some people had good jawline, styled hair, expensive clothes that somehow never looked try-hard. His father owned a tech consulting firm, and Derek had always had money, connections, and confidence.
"Ethan! Hey, man." Derek slid into the chair across from him, setting down his messenger bag. "I've been looking for you. You got a minute?"
"Sure." Ethan kept his voice neutral, his expression open. Inside, he was counting down the seconds until he could watch Derek's face change.
"So, I'm working on this economics paper about emerging financial technologies," Derek said, leaning forward with practiced sincerity. "Professor Michaels wants something cutting-edge, you know? And I remembered you mentioned you've been researching cryptocurrency stuff. Bitcoin and all that."
"Yeah, I've done some research on it." Ethan's tone was carefully mild.
"That's perfect, man. I was wondering if I could borrow your notes? Just to help me understand the basics, get some sources, maybe quote a few of your insights. I'll give you credit in the bibliography, obviously."
In the original timeline, Ethan had been so flattered that Derek remembered his "boring crypto obsession" that he'd handed over everything immediately. Derek had taken the binder, promised to return it in a week, and Ethan had never seen it again. By the time Ethan realized Derek was building something with his research, it was too late. This time, Ethan let the silence stretch. He watched Derek's confident smile hold steady, watched the
expectation in his eyes the absolute certainty that Ethan would say yes.
"No," Ethan said simply.
Derek blinked. "What?”
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 9: The Calculated Courtship
Few days after rejecting Sophia at the coffee shop, Ethan sat in Professor Henderson's marketing lecture and felt her eyes boring into the back of his head.She'd been staring at him for the entire class period; he didn't need to turn around to know it. Enhanced Perception tracked the weight of her gaze like a physical pressure, cataloging every shift in her attention, every time she glanced away and then back.The old Ethan would have been flattered.The reborn Ethan knew exactly what it meant: confusion had transformed into challenge, and Sophia Chen didn't like being dismissed."Someone's persistent," the System observed as the lecture ended. "She's looked at you forty-seven times in the past ninety minutes. That's obsessive territory."Ethan packed his laptop slowly, deliberately taking his time while the classroom emptied around him. Through his peripheral vision, he watched Sophia hesitate by the door, saw her grip tighten on her Prada bag (the fake one she thought no one could
Chapter 8: The Viper's Smile
Ethan's pitch to Castellano had ended with a handshake and a business card—no commitments, no promises, but the old man's eyes had gleamed with something that looked like respect. "We'll be in touch, Mr. Hayes," he'd said, and Ethan knew that meant he'd passed the test.For now.He rode the subway back to campus in a daze, adrenaline still coursing through his veins. The meeting had gone better than he'd dared hope, but it had also painted a target on his back. Castellano didn't forget people who interested him, and interest could be either salvation or destruction.The System had been quiet since he'd left the tower, which was somehow more unsettling than its usual sarcasm.By the time Ethan reached the East Village apartment he shared with Derek, it was nearly 2 PM. He climbed three flights of stairs in the walkup building, the hallway smelling like curry and someone's perpetual weed habit, and unlocked the door to their cramped two-bedroom…Derek was sprawled on their secondhand co
Chapter 7
They finished dinner with lighter conversation, Chloe telling terrible art school jokes and Ethan actually relaxing for the first time since waking up in 2014. He paid the bill over her protests, leaving a generous tip that made her give him a suspicious look."Since when do you tip 30%?" she asked as they walked toward the subway."Since I realized money is just a tool," Ethan said. "And that waiter worked his ass off for minimum wage. He earned it."Chloe looped her arm through his as they walked, the gesture They finished dinner with lighter conversation, Chloe telling terrible art school jokes and Ethan actually relaxing for the first time since waking up in 2014. He paid the bill over her protests, leaving a generous tip that made her give him a suspicious look.Chloe looped her arm through his as they walked, the gesture casual and comfortable. "I like this version of you. Less stressed, more... present.""I'm working on it," Ethan said, and meant it. They took the train back to
Chapter 6: Queens Roots and Wall Street Shadows
" Some weeks later, Ethan hauled the last box into the East Village walk-up. Derek had secured the rent-controlled unit through his father's connections—just like in the original timeline. Marcus Beni had helped carry boxes, then clapped him on the shoulder with a 'Don't let that guy walk all over you, man.' Now Ethan was officially Derek's roommate. Perfect. Closer access made the trap easier to set."The subway rattled toward Queens, and Ethan watched Manhattan's skyline recede through scratched windows. He'd taken the 7 train a thousand times in his first life, but tonight felt different he was choosing to go back instead of running away from where he'd started.Chloe Rivera had picked a small Italian place in Astoria, the kind of neighborhood spot where the owner knew your name and the pasta was made fresh daily. It was the opposite of the pretentious Manhattan restaurants Ethan would eventually conquer, and that's exactly why it mattered."You're being sentimental," the System ob
Chapter 5
She was younger than Ethan remembered, thirty-six instead of forty-eight, but she carried the same predatory confidence. Tailored black suit, designer heels, dark hair pulled into a severe bun. She moved through the park like she owned it, her gaze finding Ethan immediately."Ethan Hayes." Amanda sat down beside him without invitation, crossing her legs and studying him with unnerving intensity. "You're harder to track down than I expected for a college senior.""Should I be flattered or concerned?" Ethan kept his voice neutral, his posture relaxed despite the tension coiling in his muscles."Depends on how smart you are." Amanda smiled, and it didn't reach her eyes. "I work for Titanium Capital Management. We identify promising talent early, before they graduate into the market. I've been watching you." Lies, Titanium didn't recruit college students, they poached established traders. Amanda was fishing, testing him and Ethan's Enhanced Perception caught the slight tell in her body la
Chapter 4: Coffee Shop Reversal
The Campus Grind buzzed with its usual morning chaos—espresso machines hissing, students cramming for exams, the smell of burnt coffee mixing with cinnamon pastries. Ethan sat at a corner table with perfect sightlines to the entrance, laptop open to a fake economics paper while his mind ran through the script he'd memorized years ago.10:13 AM. Two minutes until Sophia Chen walked through that door and ruined the next few years of his life. Except this time, the story had a different ending."You're nervous." The System's voice cut through his thoughts, clinical and amused. "Heart rate elevated. Palms sweating. She's just a girl, Host.""She's not just a girl," Ethan muttered under his breath, pretending to type. "She's years of my life I'll never get back. She's the reason I believed love was real while she was fucking my friend in our apartment.""Semantics. In two minutes, she's just another obstacle to eliminate."Ethan's jaw clenched, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. The r
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