I Eat Pasta For Breakfast

I never thought betrayal would hit me this hard. I caught my girlfriend cheating on me with the most popular guy on campus. I stood there, frozen, watching as she laughed in his arms—like I never even existed. And when I confronted them, I was the one who got blamed. Me. Because I was poor. Because I had no influence. She didn’t even try to defend me. And when I was at my lowest, when I thought I was about to die, something impossible happened. A screen appeared in front of me, glowing with strange letters. [Spend one million dollars within three days to unlock a greater prize.] It was a system—one that could give me unlimited wealth, but only if I played by its rules. With this, I could have anything. I could crush the ones who humiliated me. I could make them pay. But I quickly realized that money alone wouldn’t be enough. The man I was up against wasn’t just some rich playboy—he was dangerous, and he wasn’t going down easily. If I wanted to win, I had to be smarter. I had to use every trick, every advantage, and push the system to its limits. The question is—do I have what it takes?

My name is Joe Mzalendo. Mine country is Credonia, a third-world country. Born and raised here, I loved my country just like every other patriotic citizen. As I grew up, all I ever wanted was a good degree and a good job with the government. All that I looked forward to so that I could help others and see to it that things went the right way. I had a dream of transforming my country through fighting and nipping Corruption by the roots. I thought getting in was the right move and the only way to make a change. In the end, I was all wrong. I found myself imprisoned by powers I couldn't control and forces I could not break. Without options, I watched people suffer as I did nothing. It was a stab through my heart. I had to live with the knife through my heart and in pain. It was either that and try to help those I could or die. I not only walked with death but saw it most of the time. It was then that I learned; some things are better done from a distance. I learnt never to put out a conflagration from inside a blazing house.

I was the last one left, I watched as humanity's greed took over, as brothers killed brothers and fathers turned on sons. I watched humanity end and with nothing left to live for, I ended my life. Now I'm back to a month before the apocalypse, I've been given a second chance and I will not waste it. I'll prevent the death of those I love and make sure humanity survives. If the world can't control itself, then I'll conquer it and lead us to survival.

They call me Julian Mercer and I keep my head down because I learned the hard way that a name can be a target. I answered an ad for a rental and signed a paper I promised myself I’d never sign: a marriage contract. The job was simple — be the son-in-law for thirty days, take the money, be gone. The family needs a “son” to secure a heritage grant and I need the cash to buy a clean slate. What I didn’t plan for was the way Lila Ardmore looked at me like she already knew what I was hiding. Another thing I didn’t plan for was the ledger in an old piano and the way a neighbor called my mother’s name, and the knot in my gut that felt like an alarm the night someone tried to burn the past into ash. I came to act. I stayed to fix what I broke, and the longer I stayed the more I realized the man I was taught to be will not survive who I have to become. If you want my story, read it from where the dark starts.

“Please… don’t kill me!” My voice trembles as I stare at the two people standing in front of me, my own brother and my wife, the woman I love more than my life. “Why…?” I whisper, my throat dry. My brother smirks and she avoids looking at me, as if I mean nothing to her. That silence… it breaks me more than anything. I step back slowly, but my foot slips near the edge. Panic rises in my chest as I realize where I am the cliff behind me, the darkness waiting below. “No…” I murmur, but it’s too late. A sudden push and I fall. The wind roars in my ears as my body drops into the abyss. Fear grips me, but stronger than fear is the burning betrayal inside me. My eyes shut as darkness swallows everything. They think I die that night But I don’t, I survive and I change. Years pass, and Now I return to the same world but I am no longer that weak man. I am something else… something darker. The city fears my name. The underworld bows before me. Power runs through my veins. Money, influence, control everything is mine now. And I don’t return alone. With a mysterious princess, beautiful yet dangerous, her secrets as dark as my past. She understands me in ways no one ever could. This time, I don’t beg. This time, I don’t fall. Because I am no longer the man they betrayed… I am the nightmare that has returned for revenge.

Running away from home is just the only option I have right now to stay away from this toxic man, how can I even survive a day with a man I never loved? A wicked and heartless man. I have to make a plan now before it becomes too late to escape. What if I run away with my daughter, will I succeed? What if he sends his men after me? How will I manage to outrun them? But this is my only chance, if I can make it to the Moon Sea outside the borders before dawn, he will not notice I’m gone and before he realizes it, I will be two steps ahead. But I have a problem, how will I run away with my little baby without being noticed? Or should I leave her behind? He has placed a spell on this bangle on her wrist, if she goes close to the Khah’s Kingdom Magic barriers, it will trigger the alarm and I will be spotted in no time. What will I do? Should I leave my baby behind and run for my life and come back later? What if she dies?

I'm a special guy, no doubt. No one can do what I do. No one has the ability I have and if the government found out about what I can do, they'd probably lock me up to do thousands of experiments on me... and yet, I still manage to do everything wrong. Even with all the advantages anyone can possess and having the literal answers from the universe, I am absolutely lost. In fact, the universe and I have a rocky relationship and are in a constant fight. So, I hope you know that the universe is telling my story wrong. I am not a genius, I am not an innovative visionary and more importantly: I AM NOT GAY.

My peaceful short life had been quickly cut off by a band of bandits that had raided my village, killing my father and capturing my mother. The bandit leader took a fancy to me and decided to make me one of them because of my face, for reasons unknown to me, but this was only the start of my journey. The more I grew up the more I realized that I had no talent, I was as ordinary as I could be, with no inherited memories, no old masters to help me improve my talent, no legacies left behind, no locked bloodlines that would burst into activity when I was in danger. But I still had something that most people didn't have. A stubbornness that many wouldn't possess, the stubbornness and sense of danger that I got for life after I saw my father die in front of me. And with that, I shall predate upon those that are more talented than me. I shall walk forward and reach the apex of the world, not because I want to protect anyone, but because that's simply what I want to do! Regardless of the methods that I have to use or the people that I have to push out of my way!

I hated being locked up like a damsel in distress. Like I was some princess that needed constant protection, but deep down I was grateful. I was still struggling to summon my powers, so if I was attacked alone I would be defenseless. I understood why Valerian wanted me to stay confined within the walls of our home since there was a protection spell suffocating the entire atmosphere that surrounded it. But I was so bored. Valerian was not there to take me out and keep me occupied with his cocky smiles and quirky comments. The only thing I could think to do to pass the time was to take a stroll around the castle grounds. I exited out into the courtyard and walked past the beautiful wooden benches and vibrant trees. Roses of every colour confiscated the grounds and it was like I was walking through a rainbow. My fingertips caressed the petals and I inhaled the sweet scent of their exquisiteness as I walked through the trails. I was so mesmerized by the area that I didn’t realize where I was going. I gasped as I reached for the next rose in my path, and it crumbled from my touch. The rest of the walkway was filled with black and decayed roses that tumbled to the ground like ash from a horrible wildfire. My frightened eyes glared out into the distance as I realized the dead flowers led to a shadowy tunnel made from black brick. A sign barely dangling from a broken chain at the top of the entrance read ‘dungeon.’ My body cringed at the sight. This was the dark side of Valerian that I knew and wanted to avoid as much as possible.

I am Kava, an ordinary person as usual. I'm not the chosen person by the system. One day, I got a lot of money. I went to a cafe to celebrate with my sister, Mika. It was then that we came under attack from a chosen system user. I lost the fight and my sister was taken away. I found a Florine system bracelet and I put it on. However, that's not a combat type system and I wasn't chosen. Even the system guide insulted me. What do I have to do to be able to use the system?