The sound of traffic was muffled.
Not because of headphones. Not because of a bug.
But because his heart had stopped beating.
Jayden Seo — former e-sports prodigy, undisputed jungle god, master of teamfights —
was now lying on cold concrete, eyes locked on the headlights of a car that didn't bother to brake.
The sky above felt ironic tonight.
No epic music. No slow motion.
Just blurry lights, distant noise… and a mental notification:
"Repayment overdue by 7 days. Final balance: 0 chances remaining."
And then… black.
Not pure black.
More like endless white. Like a screen that had never been turned on.
A blink later, he was there.
Standing. Barefoot. Pain-free.
Everything was silent.
And at the center of that emptiness — a silhouette.
Not human.
Not monstrous either. Just… blurry. Shifting.
Like a glitched-out model in a badly coded cutscene.
"You're dead."
The voice was calm. Not warm, not cold. Not happy, not sad. Just... there.
Jayden stayed quiet for a second.
"…Weird cutscene again?"
"You're dead. But you get a restart. One time only."
A screen appeared before him — floating, ethereal.
Like a character creation menu… but cleaner. Way cleaner.
Race selection. Ability slots. No tutorial. No going back.
His gamer instincts kicked in instantly.
He read every description like a sweaty tryhard. Took his time.
Then, with the precision of a pro min-maxer, he made his choice.
---
Race: Primordial Vampire
A rare, pure bloodline. Feared across the continent.
Supernatural strength. Longevity. Regeneration.
And… lots of nobility.
Why this choice?
Because he was done being broke, that's why.
---
Skill 1: Sanguinomorphosis
Absorb a portion of the abilities, memories, or talents of those whose blood you drink.
Perfectly legal skill theft. Delicious.
---
Skill 2: Archeognosis
Greatly boosts learning and comprehension speed. Not instant, but deep and fast.
Ideal for learning spells, languages, battle tactics, or decoding ancient rituals without skimming through twelve moldy tomes.
---
He clicked "Confirm." The screen shattered into light.
Jayden looked up.
"Wait… why me? Why give me all this? I mean, I didn't save kittens or anything."
"You were the best at what you did. I'm curious what you'll do… without a UI."
The silhouette vanished.
And the white was swallowed by darkness.
---
New Life
Light returned. Dim. Reddish.
Pale faces hovered over him — cold eyes, blood-red and ancient.
Noble clothes. Antique jewelry. A room dripping with old power.
A deep voice echoed through the vast chamber:
"Behold Jayden, firstborn of the Pureblood House of Iserath."
Wrapped tightly in fine silk, his tiny arms pinned down,
Jayden slowly realized:
He had reincarnated.
In a mansion. Surrounded by ancient vampires.
Powerful. Wealthy. Old as sin.
And as hot tears streamed from his newborn eyes,
his first coherent thought was:
"NEVER. BE. POOR. AGAIN."