The notebook lay open on the farmhouse’s dining table.
Mario rested a pencil between his fingers, absentmindedly tapping its eraser against the paper.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Outside, the magical crops swayed peacefully beneath the afternoon breeze.
It was hard to believe that only a few hundred meters beyond the invisible barrier, monsters capable of flattening mountains wandered the ancient forest.
This place had become his sanctuary.
His planning room.
His second home.
“…Alright.”
“Let’s decide my priorities.”
He drew a horizontal line across the page before writing a single sentence.
Everything starts with a base.
He stared at those words for a long moment.
His apartment had served its purpose.
It gave him a roof over his head.
Nothing more.
The walls were thin.
The neighbors were noisy.
The landlord could knock on his door at any time.
And most importantly…
There wasn’t a single place suitable for hiding a magical doorway that connected two different worlds.
That alone made moving an urgent priority.
But Mario wasn’t interested in buying just any house.
He wanted one he would never regret owning.
He leaned back and closed his eyes.
Memories from his first life resurfaced.
Weekend trips.
Family outings.
Roads winding through cool mountain air.
Then…
A familiar view appeared in his mind.
The vast waters of Taal Lake stretching toward the horizon.
Tagaytay.
A faint smile formed on his lips.
“…Of course.”
He remembered how expensive the area would become years later.
Especially the quiet residential communities overlooking the lake.
Places that were still relatively affordable in this timeline would eventually become some of the country’s most desirable addresses.
He opened his eyes and wrote another heading.
Phase One
Acquire a permanent residence.
Requirements:
Detached house and lot.
Exclusive subdivision.
Quiet neighborhood.
View of Taal Lake.
Enough land for future expansion.
Purchase entirely with cash.
Mario underlined the final sentence.
No mortgages.
No bank loans.
No monthly payments hanging over his head.
If he couldn’t afford it outright…
He simply wouldn’t buy it.
Debt had trapped too many people he once knew.
He had no intention of joining them.
His pencil stopped once again.
Transportation.
He could continue using public transportation.
There was nothing wrong with buses or jeepneys.
They were practical.
Affordable.
Reliable enough.
But they weren’t efficient for someone who intended to travel frequently between cities while quietly managing multiple investments.
A personal vehicle would eventually become necessary.
His expression softened.
“If I’m finally buying one…”
“…I might as well choose something I’ve wanted for years.”
A black Dodge Charger.
Not brand new.
That wasn’t even possible in this timeline.
He would have to search for an imported used unit.
Probably through a specialty importer or private seller.
Finding one wouldn’t be easy.
Neither was building a new life.
He added another page.
Vehicle
Target:
Black Dodge Charger.
Imported used unit.
Purchase only after acquiring the house.
He looked over everything he had written.
House first.
Car second.
Simple.
Practical.
No unnecessary luxuries before securing his foundation.
Another realization surfaced.
“I’ll need more than just one property.”
His pencil began moving again.
He listed places from memory.
Areas that looked completely ordinary today.
Empty farmland.
Vacant lots.
Quiet towns.
Places few investors bothered to notice.
But Mario knew what history had planned.
New expressways.
Commercial centers.
Industrial parks.
Residential developments.
Entire communities would emerge where only grass and trees existed today.
People would eventually call those investors lucky.
Mario disagreed.
Luck had nothing to do with remembering the future.
He wrote another sentence beneath the growing list.
Buy land before everyone else realizes why it matters.
That would become one of his greatest advantages.
Land couldn’t disappear overnight.
Unlike stocks.
Unlike businesses.
Unlike trends.
Strategic land appreciated with time.
And Mario intended to let time work for him.
His thoughts drifted somewhere else.
“…Bitcoin.”
The word escaped his lips almost automatically.
A quiet laugh followed.
Most people who knew the future would simply buy Bitcoin.
Mario had no interest in doing that.
Buying left records.
Exchange accounts.
Transaction histories.
He preferred something cleaner.
Mining.
The original method.
Creating Bitcoin instead of purchasing it.
That meant he still had several years to prepare.
He needed knowledge.
Computer hardware.
Mining software.
Wallet security.
Probably Linux as well.
He sighed.
“I’ve got homework.”
Fortunately…
Homework had never bothered him.
He turned to another blank page.
Long-Term Project
Bitcoin Mining
Objectives:
Learn Linux.
Build a dedicated mining computer.
Study blockchain fundamentals.
Secure cold wallet storage.
Status:
Preparation Phase.
He closed the notebook halfway.
Not fantasies.
Not dreams.
Actual plans.
Plans could be executed.
His gaze shifted toward the Dimensional Vault.
Hundreds of monster materials remained safely stored inside.
Enough to generate far more money than he currently needed.
Still…
He resisted the temptation.
One crystal core appeared in his hand.
His appraisal estimated its exchange value.
Nearly enough to cover several months of ordinary living expenses.
Mario smiled.
“Perfect.”
Not too much.
Not too little.
Exactly enough.
He exchanged it for cash.
A thick bundle of Philippine peso bills materialized on the dining table.
He counted every note carefully.
Then placed the money inside a plain canvas bag.
He repeated the process with only a few additional monster materials.
Nothing extravagant.
When he finally finished counting…
He stopped.
The bag now contained enough money to begin searching for a property.
Mario zipped it closed.
“No more.”
The remaining materials stayed inside the Vault.
Untouched.
His objective wasn’t becoming rich today.
His objective was purchasing freedom.
The afternoon slowly turned into evening.
Mario stepped outside onto the porch.
Cool mountain air drifted across the magical garden.
Beyond the wooden fence…
The ancient forest remained eerily silent.
He looked toward the distant trees.
Then quietly spoke to himself.
“I need to grind.”
Not just levels.
Money.
Knowledge.
Assets.
Everything.
Every monster he defeated brought experience.
Every monster material became future capital.
Every investment purchased today would become wealth tomorrow.
The path ahead suddenly looked incredibly clear.
Tomorrow…
He would begin looking for his first home.
After that…
His first car.
Then…
He would quietly accumulate land while the rest of the country overlooked it.
Years from now…
People would wonder how Mario Mortiz had built such an enormous fortune.
They would call him visionary.
Lucky.
A genius investor.
None of them would ever realize the truth.
His greatest investment had never been money.
It had been knowledge.
Mario picked up the notebook one last time and turned to the very first page.
Below his original goals, he added one final line.
Current Mission: Grind until I can afford tomorrow.
He smiled.
Then closed the notebook.
For the first time since receiving a second chance at life…
He wasn’t reacting to fate.
He was building it.
End of Arc One
How do you feel about the first arc?
This is my first Fanfic.
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