Three days remained until the Awakening Ceremony.
Lucas woke early that morning.
For a moment, he stared at the ceiling.
Then he remembered.
Three days.
That was all the time he had before his life would officially begin again.
He got dressed, ate breakfast, and left for school without saying much.
The city looked the same as it had in his memories, but Lucas knew better than anyone how quickly that would change.
The Awakening Ceremony was where his life had truly begun the first time.
In three days, it would begin again.
When Lucas arrived at school, the atmosphere was already different from normal.
Students crowded the halls, talking excitedly about the upcoming ceremony.
Some were confident.
Others looked terrified.
A few were already comparing themselves to famous Awakeners.
Lucas ignored the noise and headed toward his classroom.
He already knew what would happen during the ceremony.
Students would awaken abilities ranging from F-rank to S-rank.
Some would become famous.
Some would become powerful guild members.
Others would awaken useless abilities and eventually abandon the path of an Awakener.
And Lucas knew exactly what would happen to him.
He would awaken Boost Breaker.
F-rank.
At least, that’s what everyone would see.
Lucas sat down at his desk.
His friend turned toward him.
“Are you nervous about the Awakening?”
Lucas shook his head.
“Not really.”
“How?
It’s only three days away.”
Lucas smiled.
“I’ve got nothing to worry about.”
His friend laughed.
“You say that now.”
Lucas didn’t respond.
There was no point explaining.
His friend couldn’t possibly understand.
Lucas had already lived through the Awakening once.
He knew what it felt like to place his hand against the Awakening Stone.
He knew the disappointment of seeing F-rank.
He knew the whispers.
The judgment.
The feeling that everyone else had received something better.
But this time was different.
He wasn’t the same Lucas anymore.
The first Lucas had seen Boost Breaker as a weak ability.
The second Lucas knew exactly what it could become.
Lucas opened his notebook.
He had already started making a list of things he needed to accomplish after awakening.
Resources.
Items.
Dungeons.
Guilds.
People.
He wasn’t going to change everything.
That would be dangerous.
The crystal had sent him back without the gods remembering him.
That meant the timeline had remained mostly intact.
Lucas intended to keep it that way.
He would only interfere when necessary.
He didn’t need to destroy the future.
He simply needed to take advantage of it.
The school day passed quickly.
When Lucas left the building, he noticed something strange.
A faint pressure.
It was so weak that he almost ignored it.
Lucas stopped walking.
He looked around.
Students were leaving the school.
Cars passed along the road.
Nothing appeared unusual.
Then the sensation disappeared.
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
“Interesting.”
He continued walking.
Three days later, everything would change.
But for now, the world was still normal.
That night, Lucas sat alone in his room.
He opened his system.
A translucent window appeared.
[Regression successfully completed.]
[Memory retention: Complete.]
Lucas stared at the message.
He already knew that.
Another window appeared.
[Original Ability]
[Boost Breaker]
[Current Rank: F]
[Growth Type: Quest-Based]
Lucas looked at it carefully.
This was the ability that had carried him through his previous life.
At F-rank, it was nothing impressive.
But Boost Breaker had never been about what it could do at the beginning.
Its true strength came from its quests.
Every time Lucas completed certain requirements, the ability would evolve.
New effects.
New abilities.
Greater boosts.
Eventually, it had become powerful enough for Lucas to challenge beings far beyond the known ranking system.
And now he had it again.
But there was something else.
Lucas opened another window.
[Secondary Ability Detected.]
[Time Manipulation]
[Rank: ???]
[Status: SEALED]
Lucas stared at it.
This was the power nobody else knew existed.
Not his family.
Not the government.
Not future guilds.
Not even the people who would eventually fight beside him.
As far as everyone else was concerned, Lucas would only possess Boost Breaker.
Time Manipulation would remain his secret.
The system displayed another message.
[Sealed Ability cannot be detected by external systems.]
[Only the user can access this information.]
Lucas smiled.
“Perfect.”
He closed the window.
He didn’t know when the seal would weaken.
He didn’t know what requirements were needed.
And he wasn’t going to force it.
He had already learned that power couldn’t be rushed.
Three days.
He could wait.
Lucas leaned back in his chair.
His thoughts returned to the god.
The final battle.
His SS-rank.
Boost Breaker activating.
The ability showing him two ranks above his opponent.
And then…
?
That question mark had been the last thing he saw before his death.
It wasn’t an SSS-rank.
It wasn’t SS-rank.
It wasn’t any rank he knew.
It was something beyond the system’s known limits.
Lucas had spent years believing SSS-rank was the peak.
Then he discovered that even SSS-rank was only another step.
This time, he wouldn’t make the same mistake.
He would find out what existed beyond it.
But there was no reason to rush.
He had three days before awakening.
After that, everything would begin.
Lucas closed his eyes.
For the first time since returning to the past, he felt completely calm.
He didn’t need to change the world overnight.
He didn’t need to become powerful immediately.
He simply needed to take one step at a time.
Three days later, everyone would see an F-rank Awakener.
They would think Lucas was ordinary.
They would be wrong.
Because Lucas wasn’t starting from nothing.
He was starting with the knowledge of someone who had already reached the top.
And this time…
He planned to enjoy the climb.