"System Online. Laziness Engaged."
"Is this the end?"
Mavel coughed out blood, the arrow buried in his chest pulsing with each heartbeat. The world blurred around him — sirens in the distance, shattered concrete beneath him, smoke rising from the collapsed dungeon gate.
"So that's how I die, huh?"
"Seth... sorry, lil bro."
[System Initialization Complete]
[Regression Activated – Host Age Set to: 16]
The pain vanished.
---
He jolted up in bed — sheets soaked in sweat, chest heaving like he just ran a marathon. The dim glow of his cracked ceiling light flickered. Neon signs from the city buzzed through the window.
The smell of instant noodles hung in the air.
> "Wait—what the hell… this is…"
"My old room?!"
A poster of some washed-up K-pop idol still hung crooked on the wall. His scuffed gaming chair, duct-taped together, sat like a throne in front of a laggy, ten-year-old laptop.
This was the apartment.
Back when he was just a weak, broke student grinding F-rank dungeon runs to feed himself and his kid brother.
"Mavel?"
A soft knock on the door.
It cracked open, and Seth poked his messy head in — hair everywhere, holding a toothbrush in one hand, blanket around his shoulders like a cape.
"Yo, you good? You're looking like you saw a ghost."
'No, I just saw the past... and now the future.'
Mavel blinked hard. His throat felt tight. But he grinned anyway.
"Y-Yeah, yeah, just a nightmare. Go brush your teeth properly, gremlin."
Seth squinted at him. "You sure? You look like you're gonna cry."
"Shut up and brush."
The door closed.
---
[Daily Reward Received]
[Welcome Package Granted]
[Skill Acquired: Clone Creator (SSS Rank)]
[You may create 1 clone per week. Clone can have: custom race, skill, gender, and world.]
[Clone #1 Creation Available. Begin Customization?]
"...Holy crap. I got an SSS-rank clone skill?"
"I died, came back, and got gifted a whole-ass anime production studio?!" Mavel thought to himself, Fascinated by this.
---
Mavel stretched, already grinning like a man who had no plans to ever leave the house again.
> "Alright... Let's make history."
He focused his thoughts.
"I create you."
----
[Clone #1 Created]
[UI Loading…]
Name: Michael
Race: Demon
Gender: Male
Skill: Absolute Authority
World: Hell
---
Mavel leaned back in his squeaky chair, watching the new POV window load up like a Twitch stream.
"Good luck, Michael. Try not to burn hell down too fast."
Then he glanced at the closed door again. His hand hovered over his heart, where the arrow once struck.
"This time… I'll protect him."
Even if someone else has to do all the work.