"Mr. Vincent, Only got a few remaining to live..."

My world came to an abrupt stop as the words that I heard continued to echo inside my head.

My knees became weak, and I struggled to find my balance. A hoarse voice called out to me out of the blue.

"Hey kid, come here." An aged weak voice called out to me.

The world that had momentarily stopped before my eyes started moving once more.

"Can you please leave us for a moment?" he asked the people surrounding us in his weak voice.

As the crowd dispersed, I approached the old man.

His tired eyes met mine, and filled with a mix of resignation he chuckled. "I don't have much time left." he whispered, his voice barely audible.

"But there's something important I need to tell you."

He took hold of my hand and handed something to me.

I started to feel the object he handed me as I grabbed it. 'A pocket watch.'

"Your father gave it to me before he disappeared fifteen years ago."

I couldn't help but notice the mysterious patterns engraved on the pocket watch as I examined it.

"Your father said to pass this on to you if I'm unable to care of it."

"He said that it's a source of fortune and misfortune. He warned me to keep it hidden and protected, as there are those who would stop at nothing to possess it."

"Now, it's time for you to carry on this watch. His voice came to an abrupt stop seemingly reminiscing something before continuing.

"He also said that it's connected to the phenomena that happened many years ago."

A memory came into my mind.

I always heard of it when I was a kid. Growing up, I always thought of it as a mere children's tale made to scare kids.

But as I grew stronger in the original timeline, I learned about the deep secrets and mysterious phenomena that happened in this world.

'The Great Happening.' Average rankers didn't even notice a thing. But people with high mana sensitivity notice changes.

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Experts all around the world came to a conclusion after studying the changes in the fabric of reality. 'The time stopped.'

Some say that it has stopped for a day, but others say that it was just a matter of seconds or minutes.

And after that event, the majority of the population around the world received a system.

As a child, I was startled when a blue panel appeared before me. It was a surreal moment, as the blue parchment like thing seemed to hover in mid-air, emitting a soft glow.

The believers and fanatics of the primordial time believed that the primordial god of time had finally awakened.

The church of Land and Fertility and the church of Light released a kill order on the believers of the primordial time.

I don't know the motive of the order, but an old friend of mine said that both churches are afraid of something.

My thoughts came to a halt, as the old man tapped my arm. "Beautiful right."

"But my gift is much more beautiful. Happy birthday!" His weak hands handed me a beautiful dark sword wrapped in a white cloth.

"I made that using a rare nightmare ore; its blade is very sharp and sturdy. I hope it serves you well in your journey."

I stared at the sword in awe. Its intricate design and dark aura captivated me. I thanked him for this extraordinary present, knowing that it would forever remind me of the unique connection we shared.

"You know, you remind me so much of your father. You guys are both alike in many ways." His eyes seemed to stare at a distant location as he reminisced about the past.

"Remember the time that you rebelled because I wouldn't let you train to be a hero when the churches were recruiting."

Tears started to fall to his wrinkled cheeks. My heart ached as I saw the emotion in his eyes. "I remember." I whispered softly with a voice filled with sadness.

"I'm sorry for being selfish... You're the only one I had at that time. I don't want to lose a family again."

He suddenly lifted his bloodied hands and put them on my cheeks. The coldness of his hands and the texture of dried blood sent shivers down my spine.

I wanted to cry but at the time, it seemed as though there were no more tears left to cry in my eyes.

I held his hands on my cheeks as he uttered his last words. "Live the way you want to live." As his life slipped away, I felt emptiness inside me, realizing that these were the final words, And I would never hear his voice again.

At that moment, I made a silent promise. I would dictate my own life and not be controlled again. Fuck the false sense of honor and deceit of heroism.

'I will live the way I want.'

...

In a dimly lit room, two figures can be seen talking. One figure is seated in a chair, while the other paces back and forth. The air is filled with tension as their voices carry whispers of urgency.

"So, Mr. Allen, you were saying that the Iron Blood leader personally stabbed the old man and left a message."

"Yes, yes. He amplified his voice with magic and shouted, "This is what happens if you mess with us. Even though they're just worthless lackeys, they are still members of the Iron Blood. No one has the right to kill my men except for me. May this be a lesson to all of you that we, the Iron Blood, cannot be trampled. Burn their house down."

The room fell into a heavy silence, the atmosphere grew tense, and Mr. Allen experienced an unexplainable fear as he stared at Adrian's face, seemingly devoid of any emotions.

"Adrian, I know what you're thinking. Please be calm. The leader of the Iron Blood is known as a cruel man, and according to the reports, his rank is already D-.

"And the people behind him, the baron, In your current state, clashing with them is suicide, so please calm down."

The Guild master of Iron Blood is already in D- Rank. The gap in ranks in the beginning rankers is close to nothing.

But fighting someone In the middle rank that already received a profession is just suicide for other beginner rankers. But it's not impossible for me.

"I am calm, Mr.Allen. I am calm." Staring at Adrian's deep, dark eyes, Allen felt the opposite. 'An insatiable thirst for revenge can be seen in the depths of his eye.'

In the original timeline, there are several reports of rankers that are able to breach the gap between ranks and defeat an enemy higher ranked than them.

People called them Breachers, One in a thousand-year geniuses. And the mysterious leader of the 12 seats is one of those so-called geniuses. I don't know how he managed to defeat a ranker that is

Two whole ranks higher than him.

'He was just a D rank but he defeated an early B ranker.'

'That fight branded him as the top genius of humanity.'

'In my situation, I can use the sword manual that I learned from the original timeline to gain the upper hand.'

"Looks like you've already made up your mind..."

"Well, if you don't have any more will to live, follow me."

Mr. Allen opened a trapdoor with a bronze key and swiftly came down the stairs. The lantern that he holds dimly illuminates a crate.

"I bought this one for a very cheap price a long time ago. I didn't really know why I bought it, But I never had a chance to use it."

When he opened the crate, neatly stacked rows of magic bombs welcomed us. He gazed at my face to see if there were any reactions, but all that he could see was my expressionless face.

"Here, take this ring. It's an old spatial ring of mine. I used to put Ingredients in there, but now that I have a new ring with a much bigger space, it has lost its value. Take it and put the bombs on it."

"Oh, and one more thing, please do survive."