He awakened in a strange place.
The room was unfamiliar—dimly lit, cluttered, and faintly echoing with silence. A dusty television sat in the corner, flickering static. Scattered clothes and books littered the floor.
On the cracked wall hung a few family photos—faces he didn't recognize, yet somehow… they felt eerily familiar.
"Looks like it really worked."
"I've successfully transmigrated."
Realizing that he had escaped death, he couldn't help but laugh. The reason for his survival was no ordinary thing—a secret he had hidden from everyone.
The Goblet of Rebirth.
It was during one of his solo explorations, while hunting for rare materials in the Labyrinth of Dark Sin Planet, that he stumbled upon this relic.
At first, he was stunned by the artifact. But what if it was real? There was no harm in trying it. What if he truly needed it one day?
So, he fused the Goblet of Rebirth with his soul—and told no one. Not even Damien.
"Even if I had told him, he would've just laughed it off."
Zarethul wasn't sure of its power back then, so he kept it secret.
It felt like fate. At the moment he self-detonated to escape annihilation, he gambled everything on the Goblet of Rebirth—and won.
"Who wouldn't laugh after escaping death?"
But then... he remembered.
His best friend—no, more like a brother—had betrayed him at the critical moment of his breakthrough.
His laughter stopped.
"Damien. I trusted you. You were the only family I had left… and you betrayed your own brother."
Zarethul's face twisted with anger. He clenched his fists.
"Indeed, I trusted you with my life."
"But never more than I trusted myself."
"That's one of the reasons I survived… and kept winning."
He exhaled deeply, emotions stirring in his chest.
"But… where am I? And what is this body?"
Looking around, he studied his surroundings and then glanced at his skinny, pale hands. There were bruises scattered across his arms.
And then—like a dam breaking—the memories surfaced.
This boy's name was Lu Shenye. An orphan.
Lu Shenye lived in a modern, Chinese-style nation called Tianxuan. This world had been thrown into chaos five years ago when the gods made their First Announcement.
They declared that the apocalypse was coming.
In response, they began granting "blessings"—divine powers to chosen mortals.
Those chosen were called Players.
Players entered mysterious Towers, where they awakened unique Systems to track and grow their strength. These towers became the foundation of a new power structure. Chaos erupted, but so did opportunity.
Now, eight powerful guilds dominate society, loosely regulated by the Guild Association, backed by the government.
The old Lu Shenye—this body's original owner—had no such luck.
His parents were killed during an early monster horde when a tower breach occurred. Orphaned, powerless, and poor, he was pushed to society's margins.
He lived a miserable life.
Bullied at school. Exploited by his so-called girlfriend, Liu Yueran, who clung to other men while stringing him along. Looked down on by everyone. A pitiful existence.
Zarethul was stunned.
"This body… weak, spineless, pathetic. But the name? Lu Shenye?"
He chuckled darkly.
"Heh. Fate must be mocking the heavens."
But he shook his thoughts away.
"So this is a world ruled by gods… and people are called Players?"
He quickly assessed the situation. Zarethul was sharp, always reading ten steps ahead.
"Wait…!"
Suddenly jolting, he closed his eyes and turned inward—into his spiritual world.
He had to confirm something.
"There it is…"
"Thank goodness."
His divine core still existed.
It glowed faintly—surging with crimson and dark energy, the mark of his godhood.
But the moment he laid eyes on it, Zarethul's expression became grim.
The core was cracked. Fractured.
"To think… so much damage…"
He had expected it—but seeing it for real still rattled him.
He sighed and pushed those thoughts aside.
"There's no going back now."
Thousands of years of wisdom grounded him.
'What's done is done. I can't reverse time.'
"The only thing that matters now is how I use what's left…"
"…to reclaim my—"
"Godhood."
Though the divine core was damaged, the foundation remained. He could rebuild. Rise again. Ascend to the higher god realm—just like before he was betrayed.
But just then… his thoughts were broken by a very human interruption.
Growl~
His stomach rumbled.
Zarethul blinked, resting a hand on his abdomen. He looked around.
"To think that I, the great Zarethul, feared even by gods…"
"…am now reduced to a hungry mortal."
He opened the fridge—empty.
He checked the kitchen cabinets—nothing.
He sighed.
Memories of Lu Shenye's life returned.
Bullied by classmates. The lowest in academics, sports, and every competition.
And then… Liu Yueran.
The girl who constantly exploited him for money. Even when he had nothing to eat, he'd give her what little he had.
A complete simp.
Zarethul's eyes narrowed. His smile turned icy.
"No wonder you were pathetic."
"But now… I've taken your place."
"And your name will be carved into the heavens beside mine."
"This is the only way I'll honor your death."
"If you're watching from the afterlife… be grateful."
"For now… I shall be called—Lu Shenye."
He collected his thoughts and focused.
"In this world, people awaken their powers at the age of sixteen… and tomorrow is the awakening ceremony."
He walked to the window. The city glowed with tall buildings, radiant lights piercing the night sky.
His gaze reflected the skyline—calm, yet filled with fire.
He lived now in a poor neighborhood, a forgotten corner of this evolving world. But not for long.
"I'll lay low for now. I'll act mortal…"
"…until I'm stronger than everyone on this planet."
His eyes narrowed. His voice was quiet—but powerful.
"Tomorrow's awakening ceremony… is the first step."
"They'll all regret looking down on me."
"From commanding the stars… to being mocked by mortals. How amusing."
As his name echoed through the hall, Lu Shenye stepped forward—eyes calm, lips curling into a cold smirk.
"Let's see what fate dares to give me this time."