The Hero never starts off at the top.

After waking up and then again falling unconscious yet again from shock and trauma. The big boss himself - me. Wandered lifelessly into the small wooden shack pressed against a small bread shop with large towers hanging like a canopy enveloping the quaintness and friendliness of the small bread shop.

The bread shop had old tiles with a extremely unattractive color palette set. The walls outside had darkened due to various reasons from fungus and the pollutants of this metropolitan city.

The year was 2003 and the world seemed completely different.

I walked in almost as if by muscle memory into the small bread shop.

The smell of dough and freshly made bread seemed to cause my nerves too shoot off and it was almost like I was floating. The world seemed to pause and unexpectedly tears seemed to cascade downwards.

Even though I'm the hero, I have to admit I looked like a little kid as I began to hiccup.

A old lady wearing her hair in a bun came out from the depths of the shop.

I... Those hands. Why are they burnt! Why didn't you take care of yourself! No. This time I'll make sure auntie you won't have to burn your hands or listen to that pig complain! I'll make it so you get the best creams and best spa treatments! When people see you they will bow in respect. I'll make it so everyone knows how amazing you are.

Clenching my small fists I felt my heart pounding violently such that I uncontrollably lost control running into her arms.

Yes boys and girls, your big bro here sadly has a cliche. I have a parental figure I let down... and yes in this life I'll definitely make it so she won't ever suffer!

Auntie said as she patted my hair, "My, my Leng Tao what is this? You never hug me. Huh, are you crying? Tell me my darling your auntie will go beat up whoever bullied my precious!"

Laughing I said, "What bullies? Auntie don't you know your nephew? I'm the one who bullies others! Auntie can I eat some puff pastries?"

Auntie laughed and said, "Of course take as many as you want. Sigh, anyway it's not like we've been getting many customers anyway."

I stayed silent and then quickly took some pieces of bread and left quickly.

Yes, your big bro like all heros was an orphan. It would be right to call me the lowest order of society.

Auntie? Well an orphanage isn't always as kind as you know, but well that and those repressed memories are for later in the story of the hero... probably? Anyway Auntie took me off the streets and prevented this lousy kid from starving. How did I fail her? I was me. Yes I may have been a hero, but that's in the most basic sense. This time though I will really try to become a hero worthy of my little brothers and sisters who are readings admiration and adoration.

It was currently April and I needed to make as much money as I could before December twelfth this year.

Yes a Hero must carve his own path, but am I a fucking looney to start with no foundation or help.

I stand stop a tree facing the east. I gently flow my body even if unfamiliar into lotus position.

The sun hangs atop sifting burning flakes of fire and heat upon my black hair and pale skin.

I take a deep breath as if swallowing myself up, like a wave lapping into itself. As air presses heavily against my lungs, slowly time passes and soon I feel as if I am... dying.

My eyes shrink until only a thin black drop can be seen with two small inclines of white. My eyes lose it's vigor as if I am asleep or dead.

Slowly my abdomen begins to flex with my precise control. A rapid beating violently erupted from my heart as it began to suffocate and my abdomen and fresh warmth flowed gently to every limb.

If one looked closely they could see my pores gently open like a mouth and begin to breathe in and out.

Around me slowly a faint lull or shade fell causing the light to become exhausted and the tree I was on to begin to slowly lose it's vitality.

This process continued for an hour until I finally breathed outwards releasing an extremely dirty and foul air with wisps of black and red twirling.

I feel a sudden emptiness and I quickly take a piece of cream bread and stuff it in my mouth.

The sugary goodness quickly slips down my esophagus down into my stomach and quickly it becomes digested.

The sugar rapidly turns into energy and the loose feeling in my head subsides.

I again repeat the process for a full six hours. Now the sun had gone to sleep and a curved moon tilted downwards, but too bad there were too many clouds blocking the lunar radiance.

My pale skin had turned a very healthy light bronze and as I moved cracks and creaks could be heard from my bones.

I sighed in relaxation. Slowly making my way back I entered the small wooden shack which not much to describe.

Your hero then snuggled into aunties embrace and fell asleep.

Again like a true hero I practiced every day the mystical art I managed to procure from a random soul when I was in Hell, it has a pretty shitty name for the hero's path, but still. Oh you want to know what my trump card in this life is? Well it's a Cultivation scripture called, "Essence stealing," basically the skill allows me to extract all sorts of energies and allow it to enter my body and thus I advance. When I was in hell the only essence around was soul and Yin so I became a top class Cultivator in those fields. Yes in the Cultivation scripture there are no limits and no boundaries except the environment one stays in. I've been absorbing wood essence and Yang essence currently, but later on I'll absorb more essences.

Yes, yes. Your hero is a bad ass.

Today marks the tenth day since I've gone back in time to when I was a nine year old kid. Today I ran out of bread fast and had to go home early and I saw that pig.

Yes the first enemy. He wore a cheat black suit and always had loads of hair gel. The smell of aftershave following him could poison ones palate. He owned the building Auntie ran her shop at and he never once gave an once of kindness or respect to her. He charged double whenever Auntie did well, he never reduced his price. He was a piece of shit who owned all sorts of small shops and extorted them. When the women of some shops couldn't pay he exchanged payments for sex. He was the worse kind of person, but this time he started a death flag. Me.

Yes, yes. Essence stealing was powerful, but not to the point of making me unbearably potent. Plus that bastard Yama would definitely steal whatever I had if he knew about it. So how did I survive? No how did I strike terror into the most abhorrent and intolerable beast and demons in hell? How did I become known as the Kings Right hand of Plague? My fists? My mind? No it was my insanity.

So yes. Shall we let the hero run amok?

I ain't gonna lie I might be a bit of a psychopath... Still you guys probably ain't better. The worlds fucked right? So what do you need to do? Let the rich guy boss you around, let your girl be taken by someone better, let your life fail endlessly because you think you aren't deserving? Well my friends let me show you what a hero HAS to do.

In Hell a famous soul existed. The soul didn't remember it's name most probably from decay, but he used to say very smart things. One thing that caught my attention was, "To trap a tiger, you must first pull it's tail."

What did it mean? Anger, or any kind of emotion when not controlled is the best weapon for your enemy. A tiger the king of the jungle, would simple traps or tactics work? It's senses are trained for danger, it's mind focused and never losing focus. Yet a tiger is also ferocious and prone of anger. If one were to pull a sleeping tigers tail blinded in anger one could lead it to a trap and easily counter it.

The pig said with his piggy voice, "Ai, madam I've been so kind to you, yet this is how you repay me? A hundred dollars a month, that's already blind robbery on your part! Look there, there, there all these new apartment and business buildings. The price of my land had skyrocketed, yet I still have enough grace to allow you to stay."

Auntie bowed wiping her sweat with his apron, she said, "Mister I'm sorry, but because of the high rise buildings almost no one has come to my shop. If you could lower the rent by a little, I would be able to..."

Waving his arms around as if given up he said, "Ah, I'm sorry madam you will either pay or I'll have to ask you to leave."

The hero said loudly, "Actually if you want to do that we could possibly randomly exchange information with the courts on your violent behavior, your abuse of our rights and exploitative behavior. How about it Mr. Piggers?"

The pig turned in anger when suddenly a chestnut shot outwards and hit him in his chest.

I repeated, "I said you can play with fire, why can't we? You want to kick us out? Well I'll send you to jail!"

The pig roared, "You brat how dare you!"

Another chestnut shot outwards and hit him.

I repeated, "What?! I dare, so what now?"

The pig spat out filth and quickly caught me and raised his hand out.

My aunt took a long hard piece of bread to fight, when a loud voice spread. The coiling streets and halls echoed my childish voice out.

"Help! Help! This man is trying to kill me!"

Some women who were close by ran and slammed their handbags on the Pig and said angrily, "What's wrong with you? How dare you hurt an innocent child!"

The pig muttered incoherently, "But... he started it."

One of the women said, "Wow. You are saying a little cute boy like this hit you. Let's say he did, shouldn't you try and use words to teach him and not Violence! Wow, what a total scumbag! Let's call the police Alice."

The pig ran away looking fiercely at me as small beads of tears rolled down my cute face.

I bowed and said, "Seniors thank you for your assistance."

The two women said, "What an adorable and respectful little boy, but little brother call us Big sister. Senior makes us seem like old grannies."

I repeated, "Yes, Big sister thank you for helping me."

I then ran to aunty and said angrily, "Auntie, you can't let that pig boss you around! It's illegal to increase the price by that much! Furthermore if you take into account the value of the neighborhood and of the city itself it would have to be discounted! Our cities economy is horrible! I mean look at these walls as well! In the contract it says that the owner is liable for maintenance of the building. Yet look at all this damage to the building. The heater broke and we nearly froze! Auntie you have to keep your back straight otherwise people will just push you down."

Auntie showed a suprised expression but then grabbed my cheeks and began to roll them and said, "Ai! Look at how my little one talks. You must really be learning at school. Good, good that private school really was worth it."

I said, "Auntie!",

Auntie tossled my hair and said, "Hm. It might be hard to take it all, but for my adorable child what can I do. Instead you should work hard so it's all worth it."

I knelt down and Kowtowed and said, "Auntie I swear by my soul that in this life you are my closest family. You are greater than a mother or father, and even the heaven and earth. I swear I will make you have a happy life or let me be struck by lightning never to reincarnate."

Wait! That's the cliche line! Damn boys we'll get them next time, right?

...

In the night I sat up while Auntie slept.

I said as I took out a piece of paper, "I need to first invest in these companies. Then I need to start a gang for protection and procurement of supplies. I'll also need to choose some viable business strategies to monopolize my power. Even if I become as strong as I was back then it isn't enough."