Dusk was deeply puzzled by the system's answer. He was trying to figure out whether he and the so-called villain had anything in common.
He had never considered himself a righteous man, but neither did he see himself as a villain. It was true that he had done many terrible things in the past—not because he enjoyed them, but because they were necessary to achieve his goals.
"System, did you make some kind of mistake? Why would you want me to become the greatest villain of all time?" he asked, realizing that thinking too much about it wouldn't get him anywhere.
[The system has made no mistake. You are the only one worthy of becoming my master. In this world, no one else is qualified.]
"Why?"
[Because you possess a heart that is purely dedicated to a single goal. If it were the you from a hundred years ago, I would never have chosen you. But the you standing here now is more than worthy.]
At that moment, Dusk realized the system could see into his past. He felt that even at his peak, when his strength had shaken the heavens, he might still have been powerless before this mysterious system.
But he didn't dwell on it for long. In the end, a system like this was a good thing. This was clearly a second chance—a chance he would never let slip through his fingers.
"System, can you let me live again?" he asked, a faint hope flickering in his heart. He didn't know why, but something told him the system truly had the power to make it happen.
[I cannot.]
Reality was no dream. The system's cold reply was like a bucket of ice water, dousing the tiny spark of hope he had just kindled.
'No… that can't be right. If I can't be reborn, how could I possibly become a villain? The system must have already accounted for all of this before choosing me.'
He tried to think, linking all the clues together. In the end, the conclusion he reached left him utterly stunned.
"System… What you're saying is that—even without your help—I was already going to get a second chance? That my appearance in the River of Time has nothing to do with you?"
[Correct, Master. You did not need my help to be reborn. Your appearance in the River of Time was not something orchestrated by me.]
Receiving the system's confirmation, Dusk felt both relieved and uneasy. He had already suspected something, and if his guess was right... someone else might have interfered.
"Has… has someone been tampering with my life?" he asked hesitantly. The mere thought of some unknown force watching over him sent a chill down his spine. If such an existence truly had its eyes on him, even asking this question could bring danger.
But to his surprise, the system gave him a vague, incomplete answer.
[Master, there is no need for you to worry so much. If fate were truly so cruel to you, I would not have chosen you. Think of everything you've experienced as destiny at work. One day, when you are strong enough, you will come to understand everything.]
Though the system's tone was gentle, Dusk could grasp the meaning behind the words. There was only one reason he remained in the dark about all of this: he was still too weak.
"When… when will I be able to live again?" Dusk voiced the question weighing on his heart.
But before he could think further, his eyes suddenly narrowed with tension.
Out of the endless void, an enormous hand descended. It was impossibly vast—so vast that Dusk couldn't even begin to measure its size. It seemed to stretch beyond all boundaries, infinite and omnipotent.
With the slightest wave of that hand, his body—once frozen along the River of Time—was flung backward like a speck of dust.
'This feeling of powerlessness… It's unbearable.'
That was his final thought before his consciousness was completely extinguished. In over three hundred years of life, never had he felt so insignificant… so utterly helpless.
...
With a lingering sense of unwillingness, Dusk suddenly opened his eyes.
"Huff… Huff… Where… Where am I? This place… it feels familiar somehow," he muttered between breaths, turning his head to scan his surroundings.
He was now inside a modest little apartment. Other than a bathroom and a single bed, there wasn't much else to be found.
A flicker of an old memory surged through Dusk's mind. He was close—so close—to realizing where exactly he had ended up.
Without hesitation, he rushed into the bathroom and stared at the mirror, eyes widening in disbelief at the reflection staring back at him. The face was his—familiar in every sense—but also… different. Younger. Cruder. More mortal.
"No way… Did I really return to the past?" he murmured, gently rubbing his youthful face as if trying to confirm it wasn't a dream. "Thinking back… I was pushed upstream along the River of Time."
Right now, he was nothing more than a lowly laborer. No education. No family. Just a lone soul trying to survive in the cold, ruthless city.
Back then, he had no dreams, no goals. He only knew one thing: to keep living, he had to keep carrying heavy loads. That mindless cycle repeated day after day, trapping him in a dead-end existence.
'Wait… what day is it now? How long until that event?'
Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat. He remembered a day—a world-shaking day—when everything had truly begun. A moment in history that marked the true start of his journey.
He pulled out an old phone with a cracked screen and checked the date. His expression darkened.
"April 30, 2025… It really is that day. So I've returned to this exact point in time."
He clenched his fists.
"I have to act fast. If I don't, I'll lose the chance to gain an advantage in the coming era… I need weapons. As many as possible."
He tore through the tiny apartment, searching every nook and cranny—but deep down, he already knew. Back then, he had nothing. He had been dirt-poor, scraping by every single day.
'Damn it… How could I forget? I didn't own anything of value at this point in my life.'
Cursing under his breath, Dusk suddenly remembered the one thing that might change everything.
"The system… Hey, System, can you help me get weapons?"
[Apologies, Master. The only assistance I can provide is assigning quests that grant rewards.]
Though the response was a letdown, Dusk didn't falter. He had backup plans. Throwing on a worn jacket, he gathered the few important documents he had and stepped out of the apartment.