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Silas jolted awake in his bed and immediately bolted to the bathroom. Yeah, there was no mistaking it—he’d really been reborn as his teenage self in the orphanage.
He stared into the mirror. Black hair, bright red eyes, about 5'6" tall, and a frail, skinny body dressed in the orphanage's hand-me-down clothes.
"Shit," Silas muttered, touching his face, still in shock.
"I thought he was just screwing with me," he grumbled, checking the game screen that had popped up earlier. It was still there, with the profile and shop menus displayed.
XP: 10
He looked at himself in the mirror again, grabbing his arms.
"This body... it's so damn thin!"
"Silas! The caretaker said to come down for breakfast!" A girl’s voice called out from the hall.
"Yeah, I’m coming!" he yelled back before pausing. "Wait... what’s the date today?"
The girl poked her head into the doorway, looking confused.
"It’s October 31st. Now hurry up!"
"And the year?" Silas asked, turning to face her.
"Are you crazy? It’s too early for this," she said, annoyed.
"Just answer me, and I’ll go downstairs."
"Year 2000, weirdo." She rolled her eyes before slamming the door shut.
Silas placed his hands on the sink, staring into the mirror. His head hung low, deep in thought.
"There’s no doubt," he muttered. "The selection day is today."
The selection. The day the gang came to the orphanage to pick who would start working for them. The chosen ones—usually 16 to 18 years old—would deliver goods, run errands, and hand over all their earnings to the gang.
They called it "graduation," but they will know what it really mean when they stepped outside. You became a pawn, a disposable worker for the gang. No pay, no freedom, just orders to follow.
Silas clenched his fists. He was 17, dead in the middle of the selection age range. Last year, he’d been passed over because of his weak frame.
The orphanage had only been around for three years, but out of the kids chosen in the first two batches, most of them had vanished. No one knew where they went.
Silas was part of the third batch. If he didn’t get chosen this year, he would have to wait next year. And if he wasn’t picked then… well, Silas knew exactly what would happen.
Your body gets sold. That’s how his friends had disappeared.
"Silas… Silas." A girl's voice called out softly.
"SILAS!" she shouted, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Maria, no shouting at the table," the caretaker scolded. Maria quickly bowed her head. "Sorry."
"Huh?" Silas blinked, looking confused as the room fell silent.
"Why are you spacing out?" Maria asked, leaning closer.
"Don’t mind me. Let’s just eat, hahaha," Silas said, ruffling her hair as he tried to brush it off.
The dining hall went quiet again as everyone focused on their food. Silas and Maria sat side by side, surrounded by six other kids their age, with ten younger ones seated across from them. The average age in the orphanage ranged from five to seventeen.
Maria broke the silence.
"Silas, do you think you’ll get picked today?" she asked casually.
Silas didn’t answer right away. He was too busy chewing his food.
"Yeah?" he finally said, but his tone wasn’t exactly confident.
"Pfft. You probably will. I mean, you’re the oldest one here," Maria teased with a laugh.
Silas didn’t reply this time. He just smiled at her.
"Hey… do you think I’ll get picked too? You know, graduate?" she asked, her voice quieter now.
"I don’t know. Maybe," Silas replied, his tone serious this time.
"Maybe? Like 50-50?" Maria asked, her expression shifting to something more anxious.
"Yeah, maybe. You’re sixteen, right? Plus, you look old enough, so they might go for it," Silas said, chuckling.
Maria glared at him, her face showing she was two seconds away from strangling him.
"Hey, I’m just kidding," Silas added quickly, tapping her arm to calm her down.
"Yeah, whatever," Maria muttered, now focused on her plate.
After breakfast, everyone split up to do their routines. Each age group had assigned tasks. The little ones handled light work, the middle group helped the younger kids and did additional chores, while the oldest handled most of the heavy lifting.
Washing dishes, cleaning clothes, sweeping the floors—it was just part of their day. The caretaker often gave them extra jobs if needed.
For most of them, it wasn’t about responsibility; it was just life. Free food, a bed, a roof over their heads—it felt like a fair trade for the work they did.
But Silas knew better. He was the only one who understood the truth. The orphanage wasn’t a charity. It was a front, owned and controlled by gangsters.
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After the chores, they are tasked to clean themselves thoroughly for the reason that the selector are going to arrive later on.
After finishing their chores, the kids were told to clean up thoroughly since the selectors were coming later.
"Haa, it’d be nice if this whole selection thing got delayed for a bit," Silas muttered, sprawled out on his bed, trying to rest.
Bored out of his mind, he started tapping around on the system screen, just to pass the time.
"Hey, can you hear me?" he said, half-jokingly talking to the screen.
"Hey, system, say something."
Kring!
A notification sound popped up as the system screen appeared in front of him.
[Do you like working out?]
[Yes] or [No]
"A random question huh?" Silas said, staring at the screen with confusion.
Silas had always hated working out. Even in his thirties, his physique was average at best. He’d always used the excuse that he "just wasn’t into it."
But now, for whatever reason, he clicked [Yes].
----------------------------------------
[Wait for a sec.]
[Analysing data]
[Working on a workout plan]
........
[Success!]
Kring!
[Here’s your workout plan]
Note: This workout plan is intended to give your body more growth suitable for your current physique but then you have to also eat properly.
----------------------------------------
- Push-Ups: 0/100
- Pull-Ups: 0/50
- Tricep Dips: 0/50
- Plank Shoulder Taps: 0/30 (15 per side)
- Chin-Ups: 0/30
- Squats: 0/100
- Lunges: 0/50 (25 per leg)
- Calf Raises: 0/100
- Step-Ups (on a bench or sturdy surface): 0/30 (15 per leg)
- Wall Sit: Hold for 0/2 minutes
- Plank: Hold for 0/2 minutes
- Sit-Ups: 0/50
- Russian Twists: 0/30 (15 per side)
- Leg Raises: 0/50
- Bicycle Crunches: 0/30 (15 per side)
- Mountain Climbers: 0/50
- Burpees: 0/50
- Jump Rope: 0/100 skips
- Sprint Intervals (30 seconds sprint, 30 seconds rest): 0/10 sets
- Stair Climbs: 0/10 flights
----------------------------------------
[This is a live challenge so you have to do this everyday]
Failure to do so will result in SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF LIFETIME!
----------------------------------------
"What the actual fuck is this?!" Silas shouted, his voice echoing through the room.
"Hey Silas, did i just hear you curse?!" the caretaker yelled from downstairs.
"Shit," Silas muttered under his breath. "How the hell am I supposed to get through this today?" He started biting his nails, feeling the pressure.
After a moment of pacing, he got off the bed and dropped to the floor.
"Alright, let’s start with something simple," he said, positioning himself for push-ups.
He lowered himself and pushed back up, groaning as he tried to keep going.
"Ughh... what the hell is wrong with this body..." he grunted.
By the time he hit his fourth push-up, his arms were trembling like they were about to snap. He collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily.
Push-ups: 4/100.
He stared at the counter on the screen, disbelief all over his face.
He groaned, rolling onto his back. "What am I? A f*cking noodle?!"
He smacked the floor in frustration, then just lay there, staring at the ceiling.
"God, if I’m this weak now, I might as well start praying those criminals have heart conditions."
After hours of struggling, Silas somehow managed to finish most of the workouts.
Drenched in sweat, he looked like someone who just lost a fight with a waterfall.
“I’ll do the rest later… maybe,” Silas muttered, flopping onto the bed. “This is my first workout in years, give me a break.”
A knock on the door snapped him out of it.
“Silas, the selectors will be here soon. Make sure you’re downstairs after your... uh, rituals,” Maria called out.
“Got it,” Silas replied, dragging himself to the bathroom to wash off the sweat.
Screech!
“There they are,” Silas whispered, peeking out the window.
Three sleek sedans lined up in front of the orphanage. Three selectors stepped out: two men in sharp suits and...
A woman with short green hair.
Silas narrowed his eyes, staring at her for a long moment. She wasn’t familiar and she look so young too. But he didn’t remember her being aa selector from his past life.
“Did I mess something up?” he muttered under his breath, trying to make sense of the situation.
After a while, he headed downstairs, where the caretaker and the other candidates had gathered: Maria, Oliver, Leo, Vincent, and himself.
“Look who we have here—the boy who lived!” one of the suited men, a beefy guy named Dallas, laughed, sizing up Silas.
“You look worse than last year. What are they feeding you here, sawdust?” he added, grinning.
“Dallas, cut it out,” the other man, Shane, said, rolling his eyes. “Let’s just finish the selection quickly.”
Dallas shrugged. “Fine, fine. This is simple—stand still. We’ll analyze you one by one, top to bottom. Got it?”
“Yes, sir!” the group answered in unison, except Silas, who kept glancing at the green-haired woman.
Their eyes met briefly. Her violet gaze felt like it was hiding something deep and unreadable. Silas quickly looked away, forcing himself to focus.
The two men got to work, checking muscles, posture, and overall health. Minutes passed, and finally, it was time to pick.
But the absurd part? They didn’t even bother to examine Silas.
“This one’s mine,” Shane said, pointing at Vincent.
“Ha! You would pick the troublemaker,” Dallas laughed. “Alright, I’ll take Leo.”
The woman, however, didn’t move. She stood off to the side, arms crossed, uninterested in the process.
“Tessa, aren’t you going to pick anyone?” Dallas asked.
Silas froze. Tessa. The name sparked something in his memory, but he couldn’t piece it together.
“I’m not choosing anyone this time,” Tessa replied coldly, turning toward the door.
“You’re wild, Tex,” Shane said with a smirk, following her lead.
Tex.
The name hit Silas like a truck. Suddenly, it clicked.
“Wait!” Silas shouted, stepping forward.
Everyone turned to stare, stunned by his outburst. Dallas moved to stop him, but Tessa held up a hand, signaling him to let Silas speak.
“What is it?” she asked, her tone calm but sharp.
“Are you… from here?” Silas asked cautiously.
Her violet eyes betrayed a flicker of surprise, but her expression remained cold and composed.
“What are you talking about?” she replied, her voice steady.
Silas hesitated, studying her face for a moment longer. Then he sighed and stepped back.
“I’m sorry. Forget it. It’s nothing,” he said, bowing slightly.
“Tsk.” Tessa turned away and walked out, followed by Shane and Dallas. Oliver and Leo waved goodbye as they were loaded into the cars.
Vrooom.
Maria, Silas, and another boy were left behind, locked into another year at the orphanage.
For Oliver and Leo, it wasn’t paradise they were heading to. It was hell.
“Oi, why’d you stop that woman earlier, Silas?” Maria asked, leaning against the doorframe.
“Nothing,” Silas replied, waving a dismissive hand. “Thought she was someone I knew, but she wasn’t.”
“Guess we’re stuck here for another year, huh?” Maria muttered, slumping against the wall.
“Yeah,” Silas said, heading upstairs.
Back in his room, Silas flopped onto his bed and knocked out almost instantly.
Zzzzz...
Kring!
Kring! Kring!
[Warning]
:5 seconds remaining to complete today’s workout challenge
5...
4...
Kring!
2...
“Huh? What?” Silas mumbled, groggy and confused as he jolted awake to the sound.
1...
Poof!
[Failed]
Lifetime: 10 days (-5)
Current lifetime: 5 days
“What the HELL?!” Silas yelled, sitting upright, his heart pounding.
“Hey! Stop the damn shouting up there!” the caretaker barked from downstairs.