Mario woke before sunrise.
The farmhouse remained peaceful.
Outside, the magical crops gently swayed beneath the morning breeze while Luna continued sleeping on the porch, completely unconcerned with the dangers lurking beyond the wooden fence.
He smiled as he watched the oversized Maine Coon lazily stretch before rolling onto her back.
“…What happened to the proud Fenrir from yesterday?”
Luna opened one eye.
She yawned.
Then promptly ignored him.
Mario chuckled.
“Fair enough.”
After preparing breakfast for himself, he sliced a piece of roasted monster meat into smaller portions and placed one on a plate.
Luna sniffed it.
One bite later…
Her ears stood upright.
The meat disappeared in seconds.
“…I guess you approve.”
A satisfied purr was the only answer he received.
Once breakfast was over, Mario returned to Earth.
Unlike World Travel, the World Gate synchronized both worlds at a one-to-one time ratio.
Every hour spent here…
Was another hour passing back home.
He glanced at the old apartment one last time.
Boxes of cash remained hidden exactly where he had left them.
Stacks of neatly bundled Philippine peso bills.
Enough to buy what he had worked toward for the past several weeks.
He picked up one canvas bag.
Then another.
Heavy.
Very heavy.
Money had weight.
More than most people realized.
By midmorning, Mario found himself driving through Tagaytay.
Cool mountain air drifted through the partially opened window of the rental vehicle.
His eyes wandered across familiar roads.
Restaurants.
Coffee shops.
Quiet neighborhoods.
The city hadn’t yet become the bustling tourist destination he remembered from his previous life.
There were fewer establishments.
More open land.
Less traffic.
It felt…
Peaceful.
Exactly why he wanted to live here.
The real estate agent looked at him with polite curiosity.
“So, Mr.
Mortiz.”
“What exactly are you looking for?”
Mario answered without hesitation.
“A detached house.”
“Large lot.”
“Privacy.”
“Preferably inside an exclusive subdivision.”
“And…”
He smiled faintly.
“A good view of Taal Lake.”
The agent nodded.
“I believe I have several properties you’ll want to see.”
The first house was beautiful.
Too close to neighboring homes.
Mario declined.
The second property had excellent security.
The lake view was disappointing.
He declined again.
The third…
Old construction.
Small lot.
Not enough room for future renovations.
Another no.
The agent remained professional despite the repeated rejections.
By late afternoon…
They arrived at one final property.
The moment Mario stepped out of the vehicle…
He knew.
This was it.
A two-story contemporary home sat quietly near the edge of an exclusive subdivision.
Tall trees surrounded the property.
The neighboring houses were comfortably spaced apart.
The lot itself was generous.
The backyard overlooked the breathtaking expanse of Taal Lake.
The afternoon sun reflected across the water in shimmering gold.
A cool breeze drifted across the balcony.
Mario slowly walked toward the edge.
The view…
Matched his memories almost perfectly.
For nearly a full minute.
Then spoke only one sentence.
“I’ll take it.”
The agent blinked.
“…You don’t want to see the rest of the house?”
Mario smiled.
“I already know.”
The paperwork took several hours.
Fortunately…
Money solved many things.
Especially when there was no need for financing.
The agent looked visibly surprised when Mario calmly opened the canvas bag.
Bundles of cash.
Neatly organized.
Counted.
Documented.
Everything legitimate.
“There won’t be any loan.”
Mario said calmly.
“I’ll be paying in full.”
Even after all the documents were signed…
The agent still seemed slightly stunned.
By sunset…
The property officially belonged to Mario Mortiz.
He accepted the keys.
Simple silver keys attached to an equally simple keychain.
Nothing extraordinary.
Yet…
They somehow felt heavier than the legendary weapons stored inside his Item Box.
Because these represented something different.
Ownership.
Stability.
A future.
The following day…
Mario visited several specialty vehicle importers.
Finding one particular car in 2006 wasn’t easy.
Especially not in the Philippines.
Still…
Persistence paid off.
Late in the afternoon…
He finally saw it.
Black.
Long body.
Aggressive front grille.
Powerful stance.
A used imported Dodge Charger.
The dealer smiled proudly.
“Not many people ask for these.”
Mario slowly walked around the vehicle.
His fingers brushed against the polished paint.
Years ago…
Owning something like this had been nothing more than a distant dream.
Today…
It simply felt like checking another item off a list.
“I’ll take this one too.”
Again…
Cash.
No financing.
No monthly payments.
No debt.
The dealer couldn’t hide his excitement.
Mario couldn’t hide his satisfaction.
As evening approached…
The Charger quietly cruised along the road leading away from Tagaytay.
The engine hummed smoothly.
The cabin remained surprisingly comfortable.
Mario rested one hand lightly on the steering wheel.
“…Worth the wait.”
For the first time in both of his lives…
He owned a house.
And a car.
Neither had been inherited.
Neither had been borrowed.
He had earned them.
Instead of returning home immediately…
He drove somewhere else.
A place he knew by heart.
His parents’ neighborhood.
The streets looked exactly as he remembered.
Children played outside.
Neighbors chatted across front gates.
Life moved slowly.
Normally. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
His grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly.
There.
His childhood home.
Still standing.
Still modest.
Still filled with memories.
He parked several houses away.
Then quietly watched.
A familiar woman stepped outside carrying a small basket of laundry.
His mother.
Healthy.
Smiling.
Still several years away from the diagnosis that would eventually change everything.
Mario felt something tighten inside his chest.
In his previous life…
He had watched helplessly as hospital bills piled up.
He remembered her pretending she wasn’t hungry.
Pretending she wasn’t tired.
Pretending everything would somehow work out.
It never did.
He closed his eyes.
“…Not this time.”
He couldn’t simply walk over.
He couldn’t explain who he was.
He couldn’t risk changing the timeline recklessly.
But…
There was something he could do.
Earlier that morning, Mario had stopped at a lottery outlet.
Normally…
Winning depended entirely on chance.
Mario wasn’t entirely sure whether his incredibly high attributes influenced probability.
There had been no skill named Luck.
No visible statistic.
Still…
He had a feeling.
An intuition.
He bought a handful of inexpensive tickets.
Nothing excessive.
When the results came later…
One ticket had won.
Five thousand pesos.
Not life-changing.
But enough.
Enough for groceries.
Enough for medicine.
Enough to make someone’s week a little easier.
He placed the winning ticket inside a plain white envelope.
Along with a small handwritten note.
For Mom.
No signature.
No explanation.
Nothing else.
Late that evening…
When nobody was looking…
Mario quietly walked to the front gate.
Slipped the envelope inside.
Then returned to his car.
He never looked back.
Some things…
Didn’t require recognition.
Night had already fallen by the time he returned to Tagaytay.
The house stood quietly beneath the stars.
Still empty.
Still unfamiliar.
He unlocked the front door.
Walked inside.
Silence greeted him.
The kind of silence only an unfurnished home could offer.
Mario stepped onto the balcony.
Cool wind drifted across Taal Lake.
Far below…
The lights of nearby towns reflected beautifully against the water.
He rested both hands on the railing.
“…Home.”
Not because it was luxurious.
Not because it overlooked one of the country’s most beautiful views.
Because for the first time in a very long time…
He finally had a place where his future would begin.
Behind him…
The empty house waited to be filled.
Ahead…
The future waited to be claimed.
And Mario intended to harvest every opportunity it offered.
End of Chapter 19