Chapter 1

'My legacy has fallen'

Caleb bitterly thought.

He was kneeling on the ground as if a gallant knight paying his king respects.

However, his current location is unsuitable for what he is doing.

He wasn't in a palace or any other grandiose setting; instead, he was on a dark, chilly, and muddy cliff.

He can hear the splashing of waves on the cliff's feet behind him. It was slightly raging, possibly due to the area's current bad weather.

Caleb noticed his hands when he looked down.

They were stained red, and he remembered using them to wipe the blood from his cheeks.

He then raised his eyes to see people standing in front of him. They were dressed in full black tuxedos and each held a gun.

Since he had been beaten so severely, his vision had deteriorated to the point where he felt he would faint at any moment. As a result, he can't say how many there are.

However, Caleb, still on his knees seemed indifferent to this and the happenings around him.

His face is surrounded by wounds and blood gushing from his head but he continues to stare ahead of him.

His sight caught three people standing afar.

His girlfriend, his best friend, and his enemy.

Confusion lit up his eyes as if he wanted to ask the question that had been ringing in his head.

Why?

These three people were the true cause of his internal pain.

His girlfriend, whom he considered his wife, and his best friend, in whom he had never failed and in whom he had complete faith, stood alongside his enemy.

He couldn't believe they'd do something like this to him for money.

He was the guild leader of the guild Cardinal in the massive virtual game LEGACY.

It was extremely difficult to raise a guild, but after five years of arduous fighting, their guild finally made it into the top 30 guilds that dominated the entire game.

However, it was only fleeting happiness because the two people he trusted the most had betrayed him.

His best friend was the vice leader, and his girlfriend was a member of his guild's executive.

They had both agreed on joining the guild Silverfang.

The Silverfang was one of the top five most powerful guilds in the game. Even in previous virtual games, large corporations have backed them.

The said guild wishes to destroy their newly formed Cardinal.

However, he delivered a few blows with skill, which is why seeing this upstart guild is not yielding, they had to change their approach.

They offered a large sum of money to the Cardinal in exchange for becoming a branch of Silverfang.

Caleb, on the other hand, understands that by joining another powerful guild, Cardinal's name will eventually fade away. Which, he can deduce, is his adversary's true plan.

However, after being offered a large sum of money and a position in Silverfang, the two people closest to him are willing to set aside their hardships and memories.

They wanted to torture him outside of the game because they couldn't get his permission or that of his guild followers.

After contemplating all of this, Caleb gave up and hung his head in disappointment after receiving no response from the two.

He let out a deep sigh after calming his thoughts. He was now ready to accept everything that had happened.

Lifting his head once again, he stared resolutely and opened his mouth.

"I refuse."

One sentence. But it was already enough to convey the message he desired.

He refused, despite the fact that he had no idea what would be going to happen next.

He will not submit simply because he is in pain.

He cannot afford to lose his pride and become shameless, as these people have done.

"Hahaha, excellent! Indeed, guild leader Caleb, you never cease to amaze me with how stupid you can be."

As he came to a halt in front of him, a man in his late twenties laughed. He is clearly enjoying the scene, as evidenced by his sinister grin.

Caleb locked his gaze on the man.

This person is the guild leader of Silverfang, Kenneth Lazaro.

He was from a well-to-do family.

His father is the founder of the Lazaro Corporation. It is one of the financial groups with a great stronghold. It supported several professional players and guilds, particularly the Silver Fang.

The said person squatted in front of him and roughly gripped his neck.

"Ughk!?" Caleb widens his eyes because of the pain.

He wanted to fight back, but he was already limp from multiple injuries throughout his body.

"However, I've finally run out of patience; really, you just need to approve the agreement and everything will be fine," sneered Kenneth, tightening his grip even more, causing Caleb to gasp for air.

"Whatever you do, my guild was more powerful than yours; I'm not sure if that's tenacity or you're just stupid?" he continued, staring at Caleb.

Kenneth let go of his neck, and when he didn't get a response from the man, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

As a result, he stood up impatiently and ordered his men to finally move.

Caleb, seeing these things realizes that this is the end of the road. This is the end for him.

He resolutely fixed his gaze on the two people he had recently considered to be his family.

'Really, I was an idiot,' he thought as he laughed weakly. He shifted his gaze to the ground as he awaited the bullet, as he awaited his death.

At that point, time appears to slow down as if it were a flowing river, with every second becoming a minute and the events of his life replaying fluidly.

All regrets, promises, agony, and happiness.

And a question arises in his mind.

What exactly is death?

Death was the polar opposite of living.

Death is yet another event in one's life that no one can undo.

Death became others' only hope.

Death, whether it is the end or a new beginning, is a difficult concept to grasp.

But, death simply carries its purpose, to end one's life—to end the suffering of the living—and to become a source of strength to live for the fullest.

How ironic.

Humans feared death but death is their weapon.

Humans tend to strive, work harder, eat, survive, and be able to make something because there was death.

"Man fears death and yet, at the same time, man is drawn to death."

He remembered the famous man's exact quote.

But do these things really make a difference? Is it important to understand the true meaning of death? Especially when I'm barely clinging to life? Caleb asked, but not a single word came out of his mouth.

Because he can't.

Splashh!

Caleb felt a cold sensation run through his body, but he can't feel it any longer. He's going numb.

He is unable to move, his limbs feel dead and heavy, and he no longer has control over them.

He noticed that the reflected light above the surface was getting further and further away. He just stared at it, unable to even lift his hands.

But he was calm now.

'Death is so calming'

With that last thoughts, he cast a lonely smile as his eyes were slowly closing and then everything went black.

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"...leb"

He could hear a faint voice.

He had no idea how long it had been since he had felt nothing but emptiness.

The voice became audible to him gradually, and it appeared to be a female voice calling his name.

"Caleb!"

Caleb unconsciously opened his eyes as a result of the sudden increase in volume. Above him was a vaguely familiar ceiling, but he couldn't remember where he'd seen it before.

"How long are you going to sleep for? Your graduation is today, and you'll be late!"

A sigh can be heard from his side. When he turned his gaze to it, he saw a woman he would never forget, even if he died.

There was no one else, and he was certain that this was the woman he love the most.

"Mom..."

He is now genuinely bewildered by what is going on.

First and foremost, he could feel a throb in his chest. He is still alive, which is unusual given that he was shot for who knows how many times and drowned afterward.

The second reason was due to the woman in front of him. His mother passed away as the virtual game 'Legacy' enters its third anniversary.

She had been in a car accident. That was it, a sudden death that left him in grief for months.

But the woman in question was now right in front of him, still enthusiastically shouting.

As a result, he couldn't help but smile.

"What are you smiling about? Get up; there's food on the table; hurry up so we don't be late!"

She said it irritably, but there is a hint of concern in her voice.

"Yes, mom."

Caleb did not know what had happened and why he was still alive, even on his graduation day. That is, he went back six years ago when his age was still 19.

After his mother left his room, he breathed a deep sigh.

He slapped both of his cheeks and he can feel how tingly was it.

'...it's true, this is really not a dream.'

Having employed a classic reality-check technique, he had confirmed that the situation he now faced was no dream. There was no choice left but to accept it.

He did not know how many hours had passed since he died. As far as he knew, in his heart, he had become calm.

He closed his eyes and began to organize his mind. He made plans, for himself and his mother. He did not want to repeat what had happened and to only call himself a 'fool' in his final moments.

With a steel mind, Caleb open his eyes that lit with determination.

He was now ready to make a change in his life.

This time, he will correct his mistakes and amass wealth so that no one can trample him.

He will revive his fallen legacy.