Beep-beep-beep.
The shrill alarm pierced the stillness of dawn.
He jolted.
Jordan's eyes flew open.
No rain. No darkness. No pain.
Instead… sunlight.
For a heartbeat, he didn't move. He simply lay there, breathing. The faint light creeping through the blinds painted soft stripes across his ceiling. His ears tuned to the world around him the quiet rustle of leaves outside, the distant sound of a dog barking, the subtle creak of wood in a lived-in home.
His body?
It didn't ache.
No tight joints. No sore back. No splitting headache from bottom shelf whiskey.
Just air in his lungs. Energy in his limbs.
He pressed a hand to his face.
Smooth. No beard stubble.
His chest rose and fell rapidly. Each breath trembled.
He whipped the blanket off, standing up so fast the bed creaked in protest. He scanned the room and froze.
Posters lined the walls. Men and women mid-air, spiking with impossible height and force. Champions of the sport. Titans of volleyball.
Haikyuu!! manga volumes filled a shelf near the corner all of them, organized and clean. Next to them, trophies, DVD and an army of volleyball action figures, limited edition collectibles he hadn't seen in years.
And above the bed?
A poster of a bikini model. Well… two. Maybe three. Definitely more than three.
His jaw dropped.
"This is my old room," he whispered. "Back when I was seventeen."
No way. This can't be real.
His breath caught in his throat.
He stumbled toward the mirror.
The reflection didn't lie.
"What the hell…"
Seventeen year old Jordan Kai stared back at him.
Short black hair. Clean, sharp features. No crow's feet. No frown lines. His eyes were clearer stormy blue and alive. He stood 6'1", lean and built, his frame full of unspent energy. His arms looked like they'd been sculpted for speed and power, legs still loaded with the raw explosiveness that once made him a legend.
No scars of failure. No evidence of wasted years.
Just youth.
Just… possibility.
"I'm... seventeen again."
He rushed to the calendar tacked to the wall.
A Haikyuu themed calendar. January 2025.
January 23rd.
He counted the markings.
His heart skipped a beat.
"No freaking way…"
This was exactly one month after he quit volleyball. The same day he told the coach he wasn't coming back.
Everything hit him at once
Teammates calling him a coward.
Coaches trying to light the fire again.
His parents arguing in the kitchen.
The silence of the locker room when he walked away.
And now… he was here.
Alive.
Again.
[Welcome, Host.]
A glowing blue screen appeared mid-air, transparent and humming softly.
Jordan flinched back. "What the?"
The letters hovered, crisp and perfectly aligned.
[System Boot Complete.]
[Volleyball Pathway Detected.]
[Initializing Personalization…]
A gentle tone pinged in the room like a futuristic chime.
Jordan stared at the screen. His mouth opened and closed.
"...What are you? Did you do this? Did you time travel me?"
[Affirmative.]
[I am your Personal Growth System. My purpose is to assist you in fulfilling your potential as a volleyball player.]
"My potential?" Jordan scoffed. "I washed out before regionals."
[Your goal, is it not… to change your past? To reclaim the dream? To stand among the Sky Kings?]
His jaw clenched.
"...Yeah," he said quietly. "It is."
[Then that is your directive. Rewrite your future by changing your past.]
Jordan ran a hand through his hair. "Still… you could've brought me back to before I quit. Like, I don't know a day before? Or even an hour?"
[Correct. That was possible.]
[But where's the fun in that?]
He blinked. "What?"
[A true King rises not when it is easy… but when the odds are against him.]
Jordan narrowed his eyes.
"...Okay. I'm not even mad. But can you talk, or do I have to keep reading floating text forever?"
[Vocal Mode is currently locked.]
[System will unlock Voice Functionality upon Host reaching a higher Level.]
"Level…?" Jordan tilted his head. "This really is a game."
[Partially. You will complete quests, improve skills and stats, and unlock specialized skills. Growth is determined by effort, consistency, and in game decisions.]
[Would you like to activate the Volleyball System?]
Jordan didn't hesitate. "Yeah."
[Volleyball System Activated.]
[Mission: Rewrite Your Legacy.]
[Title Unlocked: Regretful Reincarnator.]
[Skill Acquired: Skybound Jump Lv.1]
A new prompt blinked into view.
[Would you like to view Player Profile?]
"Yes."
[Player Profile
Name: Jordan Kai
Age: 16
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 62kg
Sport: Volleyball
Position: None
Former Position: Wing Spiker (Ace)]
[Base Stats
Strength: 30
Speed: 40
Acceleration: 30
Jumping: 50
Stamina: 30
Spike: 50
Serving: 30
Shooting: 40
Passing: 30
Setting: 10
Hitting: 50
Defense: 5
Blocking: 15
Digging: 10
Overall Rating: 30]
Jordan blinked at the numbers. "Wow… not bad."
[Incorrect.]
[This is below average. You are merely serviceable in a few areas. To excel in any stat, it must be 60 or higher.]
"…Way to crush a guy's confidence."
[Truth over comfort.]
[Stat growth is achieved by training, completing quests, and unlocking skills. You may also gain bonus stats for specific achievements.]
Jordan nodded slowly. "Alright. So hard work, consistency, and missions. Got it."
[Would you like to view your Skill Page?]
"Yes." he said confused thinking that what he just saw was jis skills
[Skills]
Skybound Jump Lv.1 (Special skill)
Bellow it was a text that tells the user about the skill
[Allows the user to achieve maximum vertical height, even on poor takeoffs.]
Jordan whistled. "That's gonna be a game-changer. Especially on emergency plays plus I have good jumping already."
"Wait I only have one Skill."
[Yes for now but you will unlock more the more you level up]
But then his brow furrowed. "Wait… why isn't this in the regular stat list?"
[Because standard attributes like Passing, Setting, Blocking are game fundamentals. Every player has them, though some specialize based on position.]
[Skybound Jump is a Special Skill, unique to you. Skills are classified into Six tiers]
[Game Skills: These skills are tied to the sport a person plays. Most players focus on skills relevant to their role and position on the court. These include Spiking, Serving, Jumping, etc.]
[Normal Skills: These are advanced versions of Game Skills. Sharpened and refined, they represent a player's technique at its best.]
[Special Skills: These are personal twists on normal skills—distinct variations that only a few can replicate.]
[Unique Skills: These cannot be learned. While they may appear normal, they are performed at a level that others can't reach. These are skills a person is born with, built into their body. For example, someone who can jump high—so high that even a taller person can't match them.]
[Ultimate Skills: Similar to Unique Skills but different. These are also innate and cannot be recreated. While Unique Skills may be theoretically learnable, the user's body is simply superior. Ultimate Skills, on the other hand, are exclusive to the individual. No one else can perform them, no matter what.]
[Gift: Skills only professionals can access. With these, the impossible becomes possible.]
Jordan stared at the glowing interface, his heart drumming in sync with the gentle hum of the screen. So many categories. So many paths. It wasn't just volleyball anymore this was a whole new game.
"How can I use these skills to my advantage?" he asked, eyes narrowing.
[The more you use a skill, the more it levels up. The more it levels up, the more you climb.]
[A Game Skill becomes a Normal Skill at level 100. A Normal Skill can evolve into a Special Skill. Some Special Skills may become Unique. Rare Unique Skills may awaken into Ultimate Skills.]
[Ultimate Skills can level up, but they will never become a Gift. A Gift… can only ever be a Gift.]
Jordan exhaled slowly. "Interesting..."
[Only you have the ability to do this. Others do not have the luxury of a system.]
"Wait, what do you mean by that?"
[....?]
"Do others have the ability to use these skills without a system?"
[Yes. However, I do not believe they refer to them as 'skills.' For example:
Yuta Mori possesses long reach this would be classified as a Unique Skill.
Tobias Renner has both high jumping ability and powerful spikes these would be Ultimate and Unique Skills.]
"Alright then..." he whispered, clenching his fist. "Let's rewrite this legacy."
Just then, something on the screen caught Jordan's eye. It read: Store.
"What's 'Store'?"
[This is where you can purchase sports-related items and use them in the real world. These items normally boost your stats. However, this feature is currently unavailable.]
"Oh… okay."
The system chimed one last time:
[Quest Unlocked.]
[Objective: Rejoin the Shujin High Volleyball Team.]
[Time limit: 4 days]
[Reward: 100 EXP | Stat Boost | ???]
Knock, knock, knock. Someone starts knocking on his door
"Who is it"