Chapter 3: Ash
A day has passed since Ash's supposed 'Death'.
Right now, he was leaning against the fence of his old apartment's balcony, staring out at the bustling city below.
His golden eyes reflected thousands of emotions, however, the most overwhelming one was acceptance.
That's right, Ash had finally accepted the reality - somehow, after dying, he managed to go back in time and restart his life when he was 19 years old.
He had no clue how this happened or why, but he had learned to accept it rather than question it endlessly.
"It's getting cold, I should get inside..."
After an hour of contemplation, Ash reluctantly pushed himself off the fence and turned to head back inside his apartment. It was not a fancy place, just a small one-bedroom apartment that Ash could afford in the past, but he was satisfied with just having a roof over his head.
Being an orphan since the age of five, Ash had grown accustomed to a life of minimalistic simplicity.
As he entered the kitchen, he noticed a pile of dishes in the sink, waiting to be washed. For a moment, he simply stared at it before a wry small spread across his face.
"I was a lazy bum back then..."
Ash chuckled to himself, remembering his younger self's disdain for chores. Luckily, he had grown out of that phase and had become more responsible over the years.
Grabbing the dishwashing gloves and the bottle of dish soap, he started tackling the pile of dirty dishes. It took a while but he eventually finished washing all the dishes and left them to dry on the rack. He also made himself a cup of coffee and took a seat at the small dining table by the window.
"What to do now..."
With a look of wonder, Ash stared out of the window.
One thing was for certain - he had a second chance at life, and he was determined to make the most of it.
The first logical step was to make money, so much money that he could live comfortably and never have to worry about financial struggles again. One way to do that was to trade stocks and invest according to his knowledge of the future. However, there was one issue - he had no clue which stocks would raise and when. He only knew which companies would be successful in ten years, but not the specific details of their stock performance.
"I can't wait ten years..."
Clicking his tongue, he took a sip of bitter coffee. However, even though hot liquid scalded his tongue, an eerie smile crept upon his face.
Ash had a way to make his fortune faster.
"RuneVast. It should be released next week."
Looking at the calendar on his wall, he smirked.
In the upcoming week a new VRMMORPG game called [ RuneVast ] will be released and Ash knows it will quickly become extremely popular and a major player in the market.
A few weeks after its release, its in-game currency will also be linked to real money. The game will provide an opportunity for the poor to become wealthy and for the rich to become even richer.
This is why he was so excited about its release even though it might seem dull.
In his previous life he didn't start playing [ RuneVast ] from the beginning so he missed a lot of the initial rush and potential for quick wealth. He only found out about this game after watching his favorite streamer play it and immediately fell in love with the game.
After that it took him a month before he managed to scrape enough money to buy a VR pod and immersed himself into the world of RuneVast.
Unfortunately, he had no talent for the game. At that time Ash wanted to quit but he had already invested so much time and money into the game that he couldn't bring himself to just give up.
In the end, he even signed a slave contract with a guild and became a literal errand-boy for more skilled players. The grueling tasks and demeaning treatment he endured in the game left him bitter and resentful. Sometimes he didn't even have time to sleep or eat properly, as he was constantly running errands for his guildmates.
It was also the reason why bit by bit, his humanity started disappearing.
However, this time it will be different.
"I've decided."
Clenching his fists, Ash stood up and grabbed his phone.
In this life, he will become the best player in RuneVast and become one of the wealthiest individuals in the game and potentially even in the real world.
The very first thing he did was find a VR pod auction online and placed his bid. It was a risky move, considering that it cost him all his left-over funds, but Ash was determined to buy the best equipment possible to give himself an advantage in the game.
Then he began to apply for loans and credit cards.
Although he was not knowledgeable about stocks and investments, Ash knew which company released [ RuneVast ] and decided to invest heavily in their stocks. One thing he knew for certain was that that company would see a massive surge in profits once the game was released.
It was a way for him to make a lot of money in a short time and potentially even amass enough wealth to buy himself a better apartment in the middle of the city.
And lastly, he also signed himself up for a local gym.
Although, in his past life, Ash had neglected his physical health and well-being, he realized that in order to perform at his best in the game, he needed to take care of his body as well.
The upcoming week was bound to be a busy one for Ash, but he was up for it. It wouldn't be worse than the countless hours and demeaning tasks he had endured in the game.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone