2026-07-31 06:43:29Ethan looked at the glowing treasure chest on the blue screen.
His heart beat faster.
He had already seen impossible things today.
He had died.
He had come back five years into the past.
He had met the mysterious Wealth System.
Nothing seemed impossible anymore.
He took a deep breath.
“Open it.”
The treasure chest slowly opened.
Golden light burst out, forcing Ethan to close his eyes.
A cold mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
Congratulations, Host.
Beginner Gift Pack Opened Successfully.
One reward after another appeared on the screen.
Reward 1: $500,000 Cash.
Reward 2: 100% Ownership of Golden Spoon Restaurant.
Reward 3: Master Business Management Skill.
Reward 4: Luxury Apartment.
Reward 5: One Lucky Draw Ticket.
Ethan stood there in complete shock.
“…What?”
Half a million dollars?
A restaurant?
An apartment?
Was the system trying to turn him into a billionaire overnight?
Before he could calm himself, his phone vibrated.
Then it vibrated again.
And again.
Three bank messages arrived one after another.
Deposit Successful.
$500,000 has been credited to your account.
Ethan immediately opened his banking app.
His balance had changed.
$510,284.37
He looked at the number several times.
He even rubbed his eyes.
The money was real.
For the first time in his life…
He had more money than he could imagine.
Sophia noticed that he had suddenly gone quiet.
She tilted her head.
“Mr. Ethan?”
He quickly locked his phone.
“Sorry.”
“I was just checking something.”
She smiled.
“You looked surprised.”
“I got some good news.”
“I’m happy for you.”
Her smile was warm and genuine.
Unlike Chloe, who only smiled when money was involved, Sophia’s smile felt honest.
She wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
She wasn’t pretending.
She was simply kind.
“My class starts in an hour,” Sophia said.
“I should leave now.”
Ethan nodded.
“Alright.”
She hesitated for a second before speaking again.
“Can I buy you lunch another day?”
Ethan looked surprised.
“You want to buy me lunch?”
She laughed softly.
“You helped me today.”
“I should thank you properly.”
Ethan smiled.
“Then I’ll accept.”
“Great.”
She took out her phone.
“Can I have your number?”
A few moments later, they exchanged numbers.
Sophia waved goodbye before walking toward the exit.
Ethan watched her leave.
For some reason…
He felt much lighter.
At least in this life, he had met someone who treated him with kindness instead of looking down on him.
The system appeared again.
New Mission Available.
Go to Golden Spoon Restaurant within one hour.
Reward: $100,000.
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
“So I already own the restaurant, but I still have to go there?”
The system gave no explanation.
He opened the map on his phone.
Golden Spoon Restaurant was only fifteen minutes away.
Without wasting any time, he left the mall and stopped a taxi.
…
Fifteen minutes later, the taxi pulled up in front of an elegant three-story building.
Large golden letters above the entrance read:
GOLDEN SPOON RESTAURANT
Luxury cars filled the parking lot.
People in expensive suits walked in and out.
Ethan looked at the building.
“So this place belongs to me now.”
He smiled and walked toward the entrance.
Before he could enter, two security guards stepped in front of him.
“Sir.”
“This restaurant requires a reservation.”
“I don’t have one.”
“Then you’ll have to leave.”
Ethan looked at them calmly.
“I’m here to see the owner.”
The two guards looked at each other before laughing.
“The owner?”
“You?”
One of them shook his head.
“Kid, stop joking.”
“The owner doesn’t meet random people.”
“I’m not joking.”
The taller guard crossed his arms.
“Listen.”
“People dressed like you don’t eat here.”
“So don’t make things difficult.”
Several guests nearby turned to look.
Some smiled.
Others whispered.
One man even laughed.
Ethan didn’t get angry.
He had experienced far worse in his previous life.
Just then, a black Mercedes-Benz stopped in front of the restaurant.
A middle-aged man in a dark suit quickly stepped out.
The guards immediately stood straight.
“Good afternoon, Manager Lewis!”
Manager Lewis nodded.
As he walked toward the entrance, his phone suddenly rang.
He answered immediately.
“Yes?”
“What?”
“He’s already here?”
His eyes widened.
“I understand.”
He ended the call and slowly looked around.
His gaze finally landed on Ethan.
For a moment, he stared without saying a word.
Then, to everyone’s surprise…
Manager Lewis hurried toward Ethan.
The two guards smiled.
They thought the manager was coming to throw Ethan out.
Instead…
Manager Lewis stopped in front of Ethan and bowed respectfully.
“Welcome, Mr. Cole.”
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
The smiles on the guards’ faces disappeared instantly.
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
One of them swallowed hard.
“M-Mr. Cole…”
“The new owner?”
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 146: The Woman Who Was Never Sophia
The blade pointed at Ethan’s throat.He did not move.The woman sitting across the table watched him with eyes that held centuries of anger, though she looked no older than twenty-five.“Tell me,” she repeated. “Why did you steal my name?”Ethan glanced at the system message still floating above the table.[FOUNDATIONAL VICTIM: IDENTIFIED.][NAME: SOPHIA.][STATUS: DECEASED BEFORE FIRST CREATION.][CAUSE OF DEATH: UNKNOWN.]The woman followed his gaze.“That thing has always been a liar.”“Then tell me your name.”She laughed bitterly.“You still think a name is something you can demand.”“No. I think it’s something you have the right to give me.”The blade stopped moving.For the first time, uncertainty crossed her face.Ethan continued carefully.“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what happened between us. And I won’t pretend I remember something I don’t. But if you believe I took your name, I need to understand why.”She studied him.“Do you remember the first woman you loved?
Chapter 145: The Million Lives He Could Not Remember
The screams did not stop.They came from every direction, pouring through the doors that had appeared across the white space. Some were filled with rage. Others carried the terror of people who had waited too long for someone to remember them.And some were silent.Those were the worst.Ethan stood motionless as millions of faces stared at him.He recognized none of them.Yet every time he looked into someone’s eyes, something inside him recoiled as if it remembered being responsible for their pain.The boy lay at his feet.The silver blade had shattered, leaving a dark wound in his chest. Blood spread beneath him, but the wound did not close.Ethan dropped beside him.“Stay with me.”The boy looked up at him.“You’re doing it again.”Ethan froze.“What?”“You’re looking at me like saving me will make everything else disappear.”Ethan glanced at the doors.The faces behind them were still screaming.“I won’t let you die.”The boy closed his eyes.“That’s what you said before.”Ethan s
Chapter 144: The Boy Who Died Before Creation
Ethan couldn’t breathe.The boy kneeling in the white space had his face.Not a resemblance. Not another version of him created by the machine. Not an alternate possibility that had taken a different path.It was Ethan.The same eyes. The same mouth. The same small scar beneath the left eyebrow that had appeared after his reconstruction. Even the way the boy held his shoulders, as if preparing for a blow he knew was coming, was painfully familiar.But the boy was younger.And there was a blade buried in his chest.Ethan stared at the blood spreading across the white floor.“No.”The boy looked at him.“You said that before.”Ethan took a step forward.“No, I didn’t.”“You did.”The boy’s voice was weak, but there was no confusion in it.“You said you weren’t going to let me die.”Ethan stopped.Behind the boy, the original First Choice stood silently, watching them with an expression that was almost satisfied.Noah struggled to move toward Ethan.“Don’t listen to him,” he said.The si
Chapter 143: The Choice That Should Never Have Existed
Noah screamed.Ethan had heard people scream in pain. He had heard them scream in fear, in anger, and in the final moments before death.This was different.Noah’s scream came from somewhere deeper than the body. It tore through the white space beyond the beginning and reached every reality connected to the original agreement.For one terrible moment, every world went silent.Then the doors in the Hall of Unchosen Lives began slamming shut.One after another.Thousands became hundreds. Hundreds became dozens. Behind each closing door, a possibility lost its connection to the world that had allowed it to exist.Ethan stood before the silver door, his hand still pressed against its surface.“Noah!”He struck the door with his fist.“Open!”The door did not move.A system message appeared before him.[COMPLETE AUTHORITY RESTORATION: 100%.][THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACTIVATED.][FOUNDATIONAL AUTHORITY: FIRST CHOICE.][ENDING AUTHORITY: FIRST ENDING.][WITNESS AUTHORITY: UNRECOGNI
Chapter 142: The First Sin Was Mine
For several seconds, Ethan forgot how to breathe.The child stood beside the little girl, holding her hand as though they had known each other for years. His face was identical to Ethan’s, but his eyes carried a sadness that did not belong to any child.He pointed at Ethan.“The first betrayal was committed by someone who wanted to make sure you could never choose freely.”Then he said the words that shattered the silence.“That person was you.”Ethan stared at him.“No.”The child did not look away.“You don’t remember.”“I remember the first choice. I remember the white room. I remember leaving the girl behind.”“Those are the memories you were allowed to keep.”The child’s voice was quiet.“But you don’t remember what happened before the white room existed.”Caelum stepped forward.“Who are you?”The child turned toward him.“You know who I am.”Caelum’s face went pale.“No. You were destroyed before the First World began.”“That’s what you were told.”“I watched Sophia end your ex
Chapter 141: The Woman Who Taught Death to Choose
Ethan could not move.The woman stood at the end of the corridor with one hand resting on the little girl’s shoulder. Her face was calm, almost gentle, but the words she had spoken continued to echo in his mind.I am the reason you were never supposed to become human.Behind Ethan, the stranger who had called her Mother remained motionless.The little girl clutched her drawing against her chest.Nobody spoke.Then Ethan took a careful step forward.“What do you mean?”The woman studied him.“You have spent your entire existence trying to understand what you are. You have searched through memories, questioned authorities, and challenged every rule that threatened someone you wanted to protect.”She paused.“But you have never asked the most important question.”Ethan’s voice was tight.“Which is?”“Why did you need to become human in the first place?”He stared at her.“I was created to experience a life.”“By whom?”“Adam.”“Adam created the conditions that allowed your existence. He
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