There was nothing but a deep, endless darkness stretching for as far as my eyes could reach. I searched for just a sliver of light to fill my vision, but all that met my gaze was a pitch black void. It was like my eyelids were closed, trapping me in a dark abyss.
My body felt weightless, resting on a soft surface with a faint warmth wrapped around me like a loving embrace.
Damn. This must be the afterlife. Sigh, I wouldn't even mind it if that damn angel hadn't brought my hopes up at the very end…
I instinctively swung my palm to my face with the memory of that dirty bastard flashing through my mind.
A sharp sting suddenly tore across the bridge of my nose and eyes, jolting me upright in pain.
Huh?
I quickly ran my hands all across my body, and to my surprise, everything was still there.
HUH?
My hands wandered further down to the surface around me, tracing the contours of a warm blanket and a thinly cushioned mattress resting on a cold wood floor.
What the hell? Am I alive? But why can't I see anything? Don't tell me that I'm blind in return for coming back to life… God damn it! I knew that dirty angel scammed me somehow! He should have let me know about this beforehand! Even loan sharks have clauses laid out in their contracts these days! So much for being an angel! He's the damn devil for all I care!
And then, I opened my eyes. The world suddenly came into view in a cacophony of lights and colors.
Oh… nevermind then.
I swiftly got up and sprinted to the bathroom, knocking over a few loose bottles of alcohol in the process.
I glared into the mirror and saw a reflection of a young man in his mid to late 20s staring back. The man in the reflection had messy charcoal hair and a worn-out face with deep black eyes carrying years of sleepless nights and booze.
It was the reflection of my younger self.
Holy shit! I really returned to the past!
I tumbled back to my living room — well, my only room — and turned the tv on to a random news station.
The news played some story about a charity event that was delayed due to a rift that opened up on the Strip. The rift had opened up two weeks ago on December 2, 2025.
That meant today was the 16th, two days after my 25th birthday. It was also the day my apartment was blown to shreds after a rift break incident.
I slumped down to the floor and exhaled a deep sigh. I really didn't want to complain anymore than I needed to. He did give me a second chance at life like he promised after all, but that damn angel chose today of all days to send me back to…
Well, I guess it's better than nothing.
I reinvigorated myself and sat back up with a fiery determination. Moping around wasn't going to prevent my mom from growing old in a crummy hospital, so I needed to ensure I did more than just gamble my life away this time around.
Still, the first issue that needed to be resolved was the upcoming rift break incident. I racked my brain for a solution but came up empty.
Huh, maybe it's best to decide my course of actions after the rift break. It's not like I can prevent it anyways. If I had some awakened abilities, maybe I could do something, but as I am now… wait. Wait!
I suddenly remembered the thousands of regurgitated regression stories I had read during my youth. They all had the same storyline: A pitiful loser dies tragically and regresses back in time with a system that gives them overpowered stats and abilities.
Hey, I'm kind of a pitiful loser too… kind of. And I died tragically and regressed! I've got to have some broken abilities now! That's the least that damn angel could do for me after my poor excuse of a life.
I hastily imagined a blue system box appearing out of thin air in front of me, but nothing happened.
Do I have to say it out loud?
"Open system!"
Nothing happened.
"System, open up!"
Nothing happened again.
I hung my head low and slumped down to the floor once again. I closed my eyes and kicked a nearby beer can in shame.
Of courseit didn't work! Am I a fucking child? God, I'm so stupid…
Suddenly, a string of white words interrupted my thoughts as it faded into my mind.
[Name: Damin Lee]
[Trait: The Gambler]
[Abilities: Martingale]
[Martin Gale:]
[Ability Type - Passive]
[Ability Description - The user grows 2x stronger with every injury received from an enemy. The ability is reset once the user is out of combat or when spirit energy is depleted.]
"Wh-What the hell!"
I jumped up and exclaimed in complete shock, shaking the apartment walls with my voice.
I was in denial of what I had just seen, but the text reappeared everytime I closed my eyes and pictured a system in my mind.
"I-I'm really awakened. I even have a system and an ability! I'm gonna be rich! I'm gonna be fucking loaded!!"
I danced around my house for a good few minutes until my lungs gave out and left me panting on the floor. I shimmied my shoulders some more and creased my cheeks to form an ecstatic grin. I must have looked like a maniac, but I didn't care. Nothing could stop me from reveling in cathartic joy.
After all, an opportunity finally presented itself to me. An opportunity to change my life for the better — no, to change my mom's life for the better.
I kept smiling like a fool as I lied on the ground, contemplating a lavish future full of thousand dollar dinners with my mom in the healthiest condition that modern medicine could provide her with.
After some enjoyable day dreaming, I slapped myself back to reality. I inhaled a deep breath in and recomposed myself.
Calm down Damin. Remember, life never lets you off easy. We still have the rift break to deal with first anyways.
I promptly jumped back onto my feet and formulated a plan.
Well, it wasn't much of a plan in all actuality. I simply decided to visit the rift and close it before it broke and released devilish spirits into the world. It was a great way to test my new ability and prevent my apartment from being blown apart.
More importantly, the government would likely acknowledge my heroic actions if I succeeded. In my past life, the rift released a giant spirit that blew the neighboring buildings apart in an instant. The shaman that defeated the spirit was rewarded with a rare artifact.
If I managed to prevent the rift from breaking at all, the government would surely grant me an even better reward.
Maybe even a monetary reward…
My pupils formed into dollar signs as I pictured a stack of hundred dollar bills spreading into a beautiful spiral in my hands. I could almost smell it. The scent of freshly minted banknotes penetrated my mind and made me drool uncontrollably.
Yes, reward money… Maybe it'll be enough to pay for mom's treatment.
The thought sparked an irrepressible vigor in my soul. I bolted for the door, eager to receive a generous lump sum .
When I swung it open, an old lady interrupted my path, spitting a storm of curses at me in Spanish. She was no doubt berating me about the loud ruckus I had caused earlier.
"¡Pinche pendejo! ¿Por qué demonios estás gritando a las nueve de la mañana?"
The thought of money stole my focus, drowning out whatever complaint she was shouting. I brushed past her, smushing her face on the wall of the building's hallway.
"Sorry ma'am. I have no idea what you're saying. And I'm a bit busy right now, so you'll have to excuse me."
I burst through the building's exit, ready to take on my first mission as a newly awakened shaman.