MMORPG: Rebirth as an Alchemist Chapter 1

“Re . . . n . . .”

“Ren!”

Ren blinked, his gaze fixing sharply on his father.

“Did you hear what I said?”

Ren had to be dreaming. Just moments before, thugs pursued him relentlessly, leading him to leap from a towering building.

But after that blink, his father stood there—a man who was supposed to have passed away.

“Stop daydreaming.” Troy shifted his look to his wife, Helen. “He’s always like this. Forever lost with his head in the clouds.”

Helen clasped her husband’s hands and mustered a smile as she turned to her son. “Ren, dear. Your father is asking where you want to go for college.”

Ren gasped upon seeing his mother, who should have been stricken by a stroke and bedbound after his father’s death.

If this truly was heaven, jumping from that building was the best choice he ever made!

Tears filled Ren’s eyes, and he choked out, “M-mom . . .”

“Ren, what’s wrong?” Helen grew concerned as her son broke into tears without reason. She shot a piercing glare at Troy.

Troy recoiled in shock. He’d merely asked his son about college plans. Didn’t Ren want to attend college so badly it brought him to tears?

“Ren, there’s no pressure. You can start college whenever you’re ready. Take your time to decide,” Helen soothed, stroking Ren’s back while gripping his hand reassuringly.

Ren bowed his head and clenched his teeth. Though he fought to hold back the tears, they poured endlessly. His mother’s soothing warmth radiated through his back, her firm grasp unleashing all his bottled-up pain. He broke down completely, sobbing his heart out.

It had been ages since he last saw them. So very long.

Troy fidgeted, unsure where to look. He was never skilled at offering comfort or words of solace. He cleared his throat and added, “Well . . . you’ve got a month left to choose. I just wanted you to know your mother and I saved money for your college fees, so no stress about joining that top university you always talked about.”

Ren’s shoulders shuddered. How could he possibly stop crying after hearing his father repeat those very words from years back?

Four hundred dollars—that was his father’s monthly janitor salary, earned alongside various side jobs. Meanwhile, his mother managed the home and dabbled in small trades during her spare time.

For their family of three, monthly bills alone reached about a hundred dollars. Rent took another hundred. Food and miscellaneous costs piled on top.

Yet they somehow scraped together his hundred-thousand-dollar university tuition, and Ren knew exactly how. While he enjoyed fried eggs and chicken, his parents made do with rice and soy sauce after he slept. Who knows what other sacrifices they hid from him.

Mom . . . Dad . . .

If he had truly gone back in time . . .

—-

That night, Ren’s inability to engage in normal talk shortened the precious family dinner with both parents present.

Ren’s eyes burned red and raw as he lay on his mattress, staring dazedly at the ceiling while the fan spun with a steady hum.

He was back . . .

He was truly back in time.

Ren pinched his skin, relishing the sharp sting.

He shut his eyes, grinned widely, and clenched his fists tight. He didn’t care about the why or how of his return to the past—this time, everything would be different!

Ren leaped up and fumbled for his old smartphone. The year was 4XoX, and the blockbuster VRMMORPG COVENANT would launch in mere days.

Digging through old memories, he had skipped the game’s initial release. He joined later, when fame exploded—coinciding with his father’s death from pneumonia due to relentless overwork beyond retirement age, and his mother bedridden from a stroke triggered by her husband’s sudden passing.

He abandoned college to play, desperate for cash to support his mother. COVENANT allowed real-money trading of in-game currency, turning countless players into millionaires overnight.

But as a run-of-the-mill player, he mostly filled support positions.

That would change now!

Ren devised a strategy. He’d jump into the game at launch! Take out a college loan while using his parents’ savings for the game pod.

Once the game surged in popularity, updates would introduce in-game currency amid investor rushes a few months later. By then, Ren was sure he’d have thousands saved, making loan repayment effortless.

Though college held little appeal as it once did, he yearned to please his parents, who never even completed high school.

But first, to secure their funds and game without interruption, he had to move out. The ideal pretext? Relocating near Fate Academy.

Fate Academy ranks as one of the elite universities in Zone A. Countries on Earth have been divided by their global standings these days. Zone A stands as the richest nation, primarily home to billionaires, while Zone B caters to the middle class and Zone C shelters the poor who lease government lands.

At the same time, infrastructure and businesses across these zones were separated to keep jobs convenient and within reach for residents. However, the true intent was to scatter the population and stop them from clustering in one location.

They were presently located in Zone C, which sat a full day's plane journey from Zone A, home to Fate Academy.

Excitement sparkled in Ren’s eyes. His top priority was securing that game pod, from which everything would truly begin.

—-

A/N

Enjoying the story? Add it to your library.

Vote and leave reviews to propel the story in WPC 270 and guarantee regular updates.

Thank you! ^^