Kim Ji-Kai opened his eyes to find himself in a modest apartment, simple in design. He had been lying on his bed before rising to face the window, which overlooked a fine view that captured the life of Seoul's prestigious cityscape. With sharp eyes, Ji-Kai stared at the reflection of his handsome face in the glass.
« Time regression… and before that, reincarnation. Is this some kind of mockery? Or a stroke of fortune beyond reason? » he muttered under his breath, fingertips brushing against the cold surface of the window.
Jayeon Jo—the spear-wielder, an S-rank adventurer—he was the bastard who betrayed me. The irony is bitter: I once considered him my dearest friend. And the others as well—Park Soo-Ha, Kim Mari, Jinshon Ha, and that Latin man, Andreno. Those damned traitors. I always thought of their safety first, before every mission, and yet they did this to me? No matter how often I dwell on it, I still cannot fully believe it.
« Looking at this body… it seems I've returned to that day, my first day after reincarnation. But there's a glaring difference. As I recall, I opened my eyes in a dark alley back then. Now, I wake in this apartment. Something must have changed.» He cast his gaze around the room.
« The calendar… » Ji-Kai murmured, stepping toward the wall where a planner hung beside his bed. « It's the sixth of February, it seems. Now it's clear. No mistake occurred—what happened before was what was meant to happen. That day, when I awoke in the alley, I checked my phone and found it was already the seventh of February. »
Perhaps my failure to remember stems from a reason. Maybe I had been drinking heavily that night, enough to collapse in that place. A drunkard rarely recalls much afterward. If so, then my true beginning in this body was the sixth of February. And now, I've returned to that very day, in the world of…
« 2019… » Ji-Kai whispered, then spoke louder, « Which means I've gone back nearly twelve years, from 2031—the year of my betrayal. »
The cruel irony: in my previous life, I died on the sixth of February, 2019, only to be reincarnated into this body on that same day and year. After living long years, I was killed again on the sixth of February. As if the day itself were cursed. And now, once more, I return to the sixth of February, 2019…
« Well then. Since I've come back to this point, I must focus on starting anew—better, steadier. I refuse to repeat the mistakes of the past. » He sat on the bed, setting his phone aside.
Yes, though my life after reincarnation had been greater, more dazzling, it was far from perfect. It was riddled with errors and regrets I chose to ignore. All I cared about then, selfishly, was one thing: money and worldwide fame.
For now, I must revisit the memories of this body's original owner. I know them already, but I will act as though I am seeing them for the first time. To begin: his name is Kim Ji-Kai, son of a prominent corporate leader in both South Korea and China. He severed ties with his family, desiring a life free of restrictions and rules. He wasn't even the eldest son, yet still behaved in such a way.
« No matter how I look at it, I still find him unbelievably foolish. What exactly was he thinking? Even after twelve years in this body, I never understood his motives for abandoning his family, » Ji-Kai muttered, scratching the back of his head.
I never once considered visiting the family home. It felt… unnecessary, as though it were the will of the body's original owner. In any case, from what I know, he dropped out of high school after being expelled over a dispute with a teacher. From what I see, the teacher was at fault, blaming Ji-Kai without evidence, abusing his authority. A despicable man.
« Oh, I nearly forgot. System—are you there? Show up.» Moments later, a rectangular blue screen materialized before his eyes. He wasn't even surprised.
In the past, I discovered the system a week after reincarnating into this body. I panicked then. Though in my former life I was nothing more than a fool who read fantasy novels, the situation had changed. This time, I activated the system from the very beginning—an entire week earlier than before. That is how the difference must begin.
« I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad to see you—even though you nearly destroyed me with your missions before. Anyway, show me the status window. »
[ Status Window ]
[ Strength: 5 / 100 ]
[ Speed: 6 / 100 ]
[ Intelligence: 50 / 100 ]
[ Constitution: 7 / 100 ]
[ Mana: No data available ]
[ Overall Level: 13 / 100 ]
« As expected, stats fitting for this body at the start, just like before. But there's something strange. Mana is normal, even if slightly different from last time. That's fine—I'm still at the beginning. But… intelligence? »
Unlike the systems in the novels I once read, this one is brutally difficult. The maximum level is one hundred, and raising it is like paving the ocean. Each mission grants no more than one or two points. Even in my previous life, I only reached level 67. Climbing was an ordeal beyond belief. To be honest, I stuck to easy and medium missions. I never dared attempt the high-level ones, afraid of dying a meaningless death.
Yet now, my intelligence is already fifty—half of the maximum. That was a number I only reached in 2030, eleven years later. Perhaps because I retained my memories, the system judged my mind as already highly developed.
« This… is truly remarkable,» Ji-Kai said, his voice tinged with triumph.
Intelligence is divided into two: ordinary intelligence and combat intelligence. Together, they form the general intelligence displayed by the system. Back then, I excelled in combat intelligence, while ordinary intelligence… well, I wasn't naïve, at least not entirely. In any case, if my guess is correct, my current intelligence is purely ordinary. I cannot yet devise sound combat strategies.
« System, display the details of general intelligence. »
[ General Intelligence – Details ]
[ Life Intelligence: 50 ]
[ Battle Intelligence: 0 ]
« Exactly as I thought. Which means I cannot fight right now. At the very least, I need to raise combat intelligence to two or three points before I can even attempt beginner-level combat. Combat intelligence isn't always necessary, but for me, as a sword-user and… wait a moment. »
Thinking it through, I had once wielded sword and dagger, simply because I loved those weapons. But I always struggled against long-range targets, forcing me to decline many missions—especially the weekly system tasks that required ranged accuracy. It would be unwise to build upon the same flawed foundation. This time, I must change, if I am to progress further.
« System, give me the first mission. »
[ Preparing mission… ]
[ Mission One: Improve the Body's Foundation ]
[ Details: Your current body is unfit for any strenuous activity. You must improve your physical fitness. Completion requires raising Constitution to 10 and Strength to 8. Only then will the second mission unlock. ]
[ Time Limit: None ]
[ Reward: A consumable C-rank item ]
« Excellent. A consumable item right from the start! Perhaps this is thanks to my high intelligence. If I recall, my first reward before was only an E-rank item for sale—a mere shard from an E-rank monster core. It earned me little. But now, the situation is different. »
«System, provide me with a personalized training regimen »
[ Analyzing user's body condition… ]
[ Running: 3 km – Incomplete ]
[ Push-ups (Chest): 50 reps – Incomplete ]
[ Squats (Legs): 50 reps – Incomplete ]
[ Sit-ups: 50 reps – Incomplete ]
[ Plank: 2 minutes – Incomplete ]
These exercises may seem simple—especially to those who train regularly—but for someone like me, they are hellish. And they are not as straightforward as they appear. There is a hidden rule in completing them. I cannot begin with any exercise I choose; I must start with a specific one, as though solving a puzzle. Indeed, my system thrives on puzzles—in selecting items, missions, even auxiliary instructions.
For this reason, intelligence is the only stat allowed to surpass the maximum cap by ten points. How do I know? I recall the system once telling me: intelligence rises like the others, but it is not like the others. Exactly so. That is why I will focus on raising intelligence after the third or fourth mission, when things become easier.
For now… I must begin training.