The night was dark and the wind howled, even in the bustling metropolis of Taipei.

  Smith sat quietly on the leather sofa by the French window, a stack of reports in his hand. He gazed at the night scene outside, his heart heavy with loss and resentment.

  As the leader of NTU (National Taiwan University), one of Taipei's top four universities, commanding a guild of thousands, and renowned in Taipei as the "Sword Magician," a top-tier player, he was now reduced to sitting at home, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

  Ten years of gaming. Ten years of bloody battles. He had endured countless pains and hardships, finally leading the NTU Guild to establish ten major city-states in the game "The World." They were on the verge of competing with first-rate guilds and enjoying endless glory when a single document turned everything into fleeting smoke, gone without a trace.

  Smith had never imagined that his decade of effort would be in vain. He had sacrificed so much for the game, only to become a stepping stone for others. All because he opposed NTU's merger into the super guild Azure Sky. Before the next day was over, Azure Corporation had given him notice, deleting his level 200 Sword King account, painstakingly built over ten years.

  He was told to settle his salary at the finance department. All he received was five million credit points and a mansion, a pittance compared to the ten city-states he had established, a virtual kingdom that generated wealth daily.

  Smith thought of how much he had contributed to NTU, how much his efforts had helped Azure Group become a major conglomerate. A significant portion of their success was due to him, yet he was discarded like trash. He vowed to retaliate against Azure Corporation's actions.

  "I will never let this go. If worst comes to worst, I'll start all over again."

  Confidence and determination flickered in Smith's eyes as he tore the termination papers to shreds. He then picked up a bottle of red wine from the table and took several large gulps.

  Even without the Sword King account, without the support of his team, the skills and knowledge he had acquired in the game would not betray him. As long as his skills remained, he could rise again in "The World" and rebuild a virtual kingdom that belonged to him.

  Early morning, the sun had just risen.

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  The insistent ringing of a phone broke the silence.

  Smith grumbled as he was unwillingly awakened. He reached for the phone beside his bed, the hangover from the previous night still clouding his mind.

  "Hello, what is it?"

  "Smith, it's Artemis. What do you mean 'what is it'? We agreed to become professional gamers! Today is the day NTU Studio at school is recruiting. Haven't you always wanted to be a core member of NTU?"

  Smith was confused.

  Having just been fired by the Azure conglomerate, why would he be going to NTU for an audition?

  "Smith? Smith? Are you listening? They're starting the tests at ten o'clock. If you don't hurry, you'll be late!"

  "Artemis, stop joking. I just got fired by Azure."

  "Fired? Smith, how much did you drink yesterday? You're still not awake! NTU hasn't even started recruiting yet. How could you have been fired? Alright, just hurry up and come over."

  Before Smith could react, Artemis hung up.

  His head still heavy, Smith looked at the phone in his hand. He realized this old HTC Butterfly was not his. His was the latest iPhone 19.

  He then glanced around his surroundings.

  The small bedroom, less than fifteen square meters, was a mess. Books on game strategies were scattered everywhere, and an outdated laptop sat on the desk in the corner. Clothes were strewn about inside the large wardrobe by the wall. And in the wardrobe's dressing mirror, a familiar face appeared.

  Smith stared at the incredibly familiar face, suddenly startled.

  "How did I get younger?" Smith immediately got up and walked to the dressing mirror, looking again and again to confirm that he had indeed become younger.

  Yesterday, he had slept in a spacious and luxurious bedroom. Now, he woke up in this dilapidated place, and he was younger.

  Smith had some memory of this place. It was ten years ago, when he was a senior in college and had gritted his teeth to rent this small apartment for more than half a year to focus on conquering "The World." Later, after earning some money in the game, he had moved to a larger apartment in the city.

  Back then, life had been incredibly tough. His family's financial situation wasn't good, and they had accumulated considerable debt to send him to university. Despite this, his parents still worked hard every month to send him enough living expenses, letting him endure hardship.

  Smith was focused on making money to improve his family's situation, but college graduates were everywhere, and finding a well-paying job was incredibly difficult. So, he turned to the most lucrative option: virtual reality games. To improve his gaming skills, he had made the tough decision to buy a virtual reality helmet, aiming to become a professional gamer and diligently honing his skills in the virtual world.

  During that time, he ate instant noodles every day to save money. He never attended any class gatherings or social events, making him the invisible man in his class, scorned by the boys and avoided by the girls. Whenever he went to the supermarket to buy instant noodles, he had less than ten credit points in his wallet, not even daring to buy a one-credit-point sausage. A kind female clerk, seeing Smith's plight, recommended discounted ham, but Smith, looking at the tempting ham and then at his wallet, still gritted his teeth and refused.

  "Could someone be playing a joke on me?"

  Smith looked at the familiar surroundings and his younger self in the mirror, shaking his head to dismiss the thought.

  Even the most advanced technology in America couldn't achieve such rejuvenation. Who would play a joke like this on a down-on-his-luck middle-aged man?

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Smith then looked at the date on his phone.

  April 19th, 2027.

  "Could it be... I've been reborn?" Smith let out a wry smile, half-joking.

  He remembered that today was August 5th, 2050. It couldn't possibly be April 2027, when he was still a senior in college.

  Smith shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but a sliver of hope remained in his heart. He hoped he had been reborn, truly returned to ten years ago. So, he walked to the computer desk and turned on the old laptop.

  If the phone's date could be faked, surely the information online couldn't be.

  After browsing the internet for a few minutes.

  Smith was completely stunned. All the information he searched online confirmed that today was indeed April 19th, 2027. Even the official website for the globally anticipated game "The World" clearly stated its official launch date, with a countdown showing six days remaining until April 25th.

  "I've really been reborn! Have I really gone back ten years?" Smith stared intently at the news reports about "The World," tears of激动 forming in the corners of his eyes.

  At this moment, Smith's emotions were indescribable, a mix of regret, sorrow, and joy.

  Everything before his eyes felt like a dream.

  However, the chirping of cicadas outside the window and the cool air blowing from the air conditioner reminded Smith that it was all real.

  Looking at the family photo taken during his university days, Smith had never noticed before that his father had gray hair, and his mother had wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. They had really aged, no longer as vibrant as they used to be.

  He had only noticed his parents' aging a year and a half after "The World" was launched. Heavy debts, excessive labor, and pressure had caused both of them to fall seriously ill, bedridden. Treatment and recovery would have cost millions of credit points, but at that time, Smith was just a small team leader in NTU Guild, and the money he earned couldn't cover such exorbitant expenses.

  Smith had tried every possible way to raise money, but it still wasn't enough. Despite his best efforts to sustain them, his parents had passed away a few months later.

  In his previous life, he hadn't taken good care of his parents. Who could understand the pain and regret he felt?

  Even though Smith had later earned millions of credit points, this had become a permanent ache in his heart.

  He never expected fate to play such a trick on him, actually starting him over from scratch, everything returning to its original point.

  "Good, great, hahaha! Since I've been reborn, I will change everything. I will earn enough money to cure my parents' illnesses and prevent them from toiling for a living." Smith wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and secretly vowed.

  Just as Smith was planning his future, Artemis called again, constantly urging him to go to the university for the assessment.

  However, Smith took his time, got dressed, and tidied himself up before heading to Jinhai University.

  He was very familiar with NTU.

  He remembered that during his university days, Lan Hailong, the eldest son of the Blue Flower Group, had established the NTU Studio and provided a large amount of funding to organize skilled students from Jinhai University to conquer "The World." He had gone for the assessment back then and became a core member, while Artemis became an outer member. He had been happy for a long time then.

  Three years later, under his leadership, the NTU Studio had made a fortune for the Blue Flower Group in "The World," propelling them to become a major conglomerate. Unexpectedly, he was eventually fired by Lan Hailong himself.

  Now that he was reborn, he possessed unparalleled advantages in "The World." Naturally, he had no intention of joining NTU again to become someone else's tool, making money for others. He wanted to take a different path, to fight for his own life, no longer relying on his parents for living expenses and paying off all debts. So, he wanted to start his own business, open his own studio, create his own company, build his own virtual empire, and live a good life.

  When Smith arrived in front of Teaching Building No. 1, he saw a tall, thin, dark-skinned young man pacing anxiously at the entrance. This person was none other than Artemis.

  "Smith, you finally arrived! Luckily, registration hasn't closed yet. Let's hurry in and register," Artemis said anxiously upon seeing Smith.

  Smith shook his head and said very seriously, "Artemis, I'm not going to NTU. I want to open my own studio. Will you join me?"

  Smith and Artemis had met in a virtual reality game and had excellent teamwork. They were practically brothers, having worked together at NTU. Although Artemis didn't have outstanding gaming talent, his management skills were exceptional, keeping the guild of hundreds of thousands of people well-organized. With Artemis's help, achieving his goals would be much easier. However, he would respect Artemis's choice. After all, he currently had nothing, and Artemis's family situation wasn't good either. He had decided to become a professional gamer and join NTU to earn a living.

  Artemis was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head in silence. Smith's words were too sudden, and today Smith felt very different, exuding confidence and composure, unlike his usual impulsive self.

  A full minute passed before Artemis looked up at Smith.

  "Smith, don't talk nonsense! Do you know how much a virtual reality helmet costs? It's eight thousand credit points! Opening a studio would require at least six people, a workspace, salaries, and so on. The initial investment alone would be seventy to eighty thousand, not to mention the subsequent expenses. That's a lot of money! Do you even have that much money right now?" Artemis knew Smith's situation well and wanted to dissuade him from this crazy idea.

  "You're right. I don't even have the money to buy a 'The World' virtual reality helmet right now," Smith nodded silently in agreement. As Artemis said, even seventy to eighty thousand was an underestimate. He remembered that Blue Hailong's hundred-person studio had cost over five million, and they had spent much more later to improve the studio's quality and strength.

  "In that case, why take the risk? Isn't going to NTU more stable? At least NTU can provide virtual reality helmets. Otherwise, we won't even be able to play, let alone become professional gamers," Artemis said, relieved that Smith understood the key issue, and tried to pull Smith towards the teaching building.

  Smith shook off Artemis's hand and looked at him earnestly, his expression extremely serious. "However, I still plan to open my own studio. I don't want to be controlled by others. Artemis, will you join me?"

  Smith wouldn't force Artemis. After all, he had no guarantees to offer and couldn't reveal his secret of being a reborn individual. He could only hope that Artemis would trust him.

  Seeing Smith's serious expression, Artemis felt that Smith was very strange today, too reckless. Everyone knew that it was impossible to make money in the early stages of virtual reality games. Could Smith have a way to make money in "The World"? Even if he could, it would be months later. They didn't have that much time to waste.

  Artemis hesitated for a long time, then gritted his teeth and finally agreed. "Alright, since you're the boss, I'll open a studio with you. But what about the virtual reality helmets? We can't play without them!"

  Smith's tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed. He happily patted Artemis's shoulder and laughed, "That's my good brother! Don't worry about the virtual reality helmets. I remember 'The World' has a trial offer for university students. Every university has a distribution point. As long as we have our student IDs, we can get free trial helmets for ten days. Let's go take a look."

  "What about after ten days?" Artemis's dark face turned ashen. He felt like his future was bleak. Why did he trust Smith? Was it Smith's confidence and composure? Would starting a business with Smith really be okay?

  What could they do in "The World" in ten days?

  After ten days, they would definitely miss the good recruitment opportunities of various studios. In the end, they would still have to buy virtual reality helmets, but where would the money come from?

  Earning sixteen thousand credit points in the first ten days of "The World"'s launch was wishful thinking, even for a team of professional players!

  "Leave the money issue to me."

  Smith patted Artemis's shoulder, a confident smile on his face.

  Earning sixteen thousand credit points in ten days was a pipe dream, but he had the spirit of a reborn individual. No matter what difficulties he faced, he would overcome them one by one.

  And the launch of "The World" was the beginning of his rise.

  Afterward, Smith took Artemis to claim the trial helmets and used all his remaining money to buy instant noodles, placing two large boxes by the computer desk in their rented apartment, enough food for more than ten days. Then, he explained some things about "The World" and quietly waited for its launch.

  At nine o'clock in the evening on April 25th, a few faint lights flickered in the dim and silent small room.

  Smith lay quietly in bed, closed his eyes, and gently pressed the power button on the helmet.

  "The World, here I come."