"Where am I?"
Shang Zhen blinked up at the ceiling, his mind foggy, like someone had dropped him into a half-finished dream.
The room smelled faintly of old wood and laundry detergent. The curtains were the same dull gray ones he remembered hating. The ceiling light had a tiny crack running across the edge—something he knew too well.
A strange mix of familiarity and disbelief crawled up his spine. He pushed himself up on the bed and slowly scanned the room.
Same desk.
Same old fan.
Same creaky wardrobe.
And then—his gaze landed on the wall calendar.
He froze.
April 1st, 2010
His breath hitched. "No… that's impossible. It should be 2015."
For a moment, the world felt distant, as if it were holding its breath with him. Shang Zhen stared at the date until his eyes stung. He dragged a hand through his hair, trying to force a logical explanation into his spinning head, but nothing made sense.
The TV across the room was on, the volume low but clear enough. The nation's biggest channel was hosting an interview—one he had seen before. Too many times, back in the day.
Tonight at 12 o'clock, Arcana World Online opens its servers…
The host's excited voice filled the room. Sitting on the opposite sofa was Water-Flowing-East, the superstar player, smiling calmly at the cameras.
Shang Zhen watched them talk, every word digging deeper into his nerves. The lines… the reactions… even the background crowd noise… it was exactly the same broadcast from five years ago. The same interview that had hyped up Arcana World Online before launch.
Then the camera switched to the helmet sales points—long queues, people laughing, some holding the simple silver helmets like treasure.
It wasn't a déjà vu.
It wasn't a coincidence.
He'd already lived this.
Shang Zhen swallowed, touched his arm, then pinched it hard.
"—Ow!"
It hurt. A sharp, clean pain.
So… he wasn't dreaming. He was back.
Back before everything happened.
Just then, his phone exploded with a cheerful ring, snapping him out of the whirlpool inside his head. He reached for it on reflex—then paused.
It was his old phone. The one he used to drop all the time. Even the tiny crack at the corner was still there.
A name flashed on the screen.
Song Yue
A name that made his eyebrows twitch.
Song Yue—his old superior. A petty tyrant who always picked on him, always acting like she was doing him a favor. Shang Zhen remembered her all too well.
He took a breath and answered. "Hello? Yue'er?"
A beat of silence… then a furious roar. "Shang Zhen! What did you just call me?!"
He almost laughed out loud. He had almost forgotten how sharp her voice could be. "Why're you calling so early in the morning?"
"You—! You bastard! Don't bother coming tomorrow! You're fired!"
Shang Zhen leaned back on the pillow, his grin spreading. The anger in her voice felt like a gentle breeze now. "Great. Then I won't go. Oh, and remember to pay me what you owe. Thank you."
He hung up before she could explode again, blocked the number, and let out a long, loud laugh—one that came from deep inside, from the relief of getting a second chance.
But as the laughter faded, something colder settled behind his eyes.
If he was truly reborn…
If fate had really pulled him back to the beginning…
Then he wouldn't waste this life.
"Since I'm back," Shang Zhen whispered, "none of those regrets will happen again."
He could still see it clearly—five years later, him standing as guild president, forced to dissolve one of the strongest forces in Arcana World Online.
The Alliance of the Shadows—his Assassin Guild. A group of only a few hundred players, but each a top-tier demon on the battlefield. Their clean records, their perfect missions, their ruthless precision… everyone in the game knew their name, feared it, respected it.
They had followed him.
They had believed in him.
And in the end, the Alliance had been torn apart overnight.
A traitor had exposed their real identities—every elite member, every officer.
Too many powerful factions they had offended seized the chance to retaliate.
Social media exploded.
The whole network pointed fingers.
Hunting parties formed in every major city of the game.
Thousands were chased down.
Nearly a hundred elites had their accounts forced back to level zero.
And Shang Zhen… the "King of Shadows," the player whose name made enemies tremble… He had to step out, take all the blame, dissolve the Alliance, and declare that he—Reaper—would leave Arcana World Online forever.
He remembered walking through the in-game square during the livestream, the entire world watching, some pitying him, some celebrating his fall.
That weight.
That humiliation.
That helplessness.
His fists slowly tightened on the bedsheet.
Not this time.
Never again.
This time, he would protect his people.
This time, the Alliance would stand unbroken.
This time… the world of Arcana World Online would be his.