Chapter: The End as Well as the Beginning

Ethan Walker's heart pounded in his chest as he led his guild, Sovereign, into the boss room of the level 400 dungeon "Abyss of Eternal Shadows" as the NPC's had been spreading rumors of a legendary ring "Ring of Eternal Shadows" which was also rumored to be able to construct portals for long-distance travel. The air was thick with tension, anticipation, and a hint of danger. It was a critical moment and an opportunity for them to be the first guild able to long-distance travel without the use of main portals in the cities that were run by NPCs. Little did Ethan know that this raid would forever change the course of his journey within the virtual realm of Nexus Odyssey.

The boss room loomed before them; a vast expanse of darkness punctuated by torches flickering with purple flames. His guildmates, their avatars standing resolute beside him, trusting in his leadership. Ethan looked at them while promising himself that he would prove their faith in him was well-placed. They had faced countless challenges together, growing stronger with each trial. However, unbeknownst to Ethan, a rival guild "Titan" sent their top assassin "Rosewood Saber" to sabotage their raid.

As they closed in on the boss room the tension grew thick like a suffocating fog. Ethan's instincts screamed at him sensing something amiss. He cast a watchful gaze upon his guildmates, seeking any signs of treachery, but the guild members all looked as if they were unaware of the looming threat. Refusing to believe his instincts had failed him he kept walking towards the boss room but was now full of vigilance.

Ethan made it to the doors of the boss room and looked back at his guildmates once more, the feeling of danger was getting stronger, but he still couldn't tell who it was coming from. This made him even more wary, but he couldn't turn back after everything as the guild's reputation would drop drastically and they would forever be called cowards. He opened the doors and stepped through, and the rest soon followed. Once they all went in the doors shut behind them and the boss finally appeared.

(Legendary) Umbra, The Shadow Specter (Level 400)

An embodiment of darkness and shadows. It manifests as a towering figure shrouded in an inky black mist, with glowing piercing eyes that radiate an eerie, violet light. Its form is ever-shifting and elusive. It's a terrible creature to fight as it's fast and it blends in with the environment making it difficult to hit.

Ethan and the top executives of his guild have been planning this raid for months and already knew this information. Ethan always placed planning as number one on his list before he did anything substantial. The guild members quickly got into formation while healers quickly cast buffs on the frontline. Before long the entire guild had formed a horseshoe around Umbra and were closing in slowly.

Ethan then leaped forward slamming his shield into the boss's head drawing the agro onto himself. Ethan has been playing the role of main tank for 30 years and his techniques are flawless and efficient. He has a group of healers that only heal him as he takes thousands of points of damage every second. After about 20 minutes the boss's health had dropped below 40 percent bringing the boss to the second stage. Ethan quickly backed off as well as the rest of the guild before the boss did their team wipe skill "Shadow Nova" which sends a powerful shockwave in a 40-meter radius.

But before Ethan could back out fully the Rosewood made his move lunging towards Ethan brandishing a blade aimed directly at his heart. His reflexes kicked in, and with lightning-fast speed, he managed to evade the first lethal blow. Chaos erupted among the guild members as they saw this happen. Although they wanted to help, they couldn't as the boss's skill would kill them.

Ethan quickly tried to run outside the circle again, but Rosewood dived towards him stabbing a dagger into his calf.

"Damn! There is Paralysis poison on this." Ethan yelled as his body went numb and hit the floor. Rosewood tried to leave but with Ethan's last bit of strength, he grabbed his ankle making them both die together.

'Oh, there's going to be a war for this!' Ethan thought as his body slowly disintegrated into particles.

Slowly he opened his eyes expecting to see his luxurious guild hall but instead, he saw a moldy ceiling housing a nest of roaches.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The hell?" Ethan questioned before his eyes opened wide in shock.

"Why do I sound so... Young!?" he sat up and looked at himself before his face turned red in anger.

"Why am I in this body again!?" Ethan yelled in frustration and confusion. "After everything I've done and all that I worked for... Just to end up back in this shitty house in this shitty body!" Ethan Screamed at the top of his lungs.

He worked extremely hard and put millions of credits into making his appearance perfect and domineering. He was tall, athletic, and had a wide stature making him look ferocious yet charming. He had graying hair that was always gelled back and kept his beard well-trimmed. He had striking blue eyes and his face was clear and had no marks. He always wore the most expensive and top-of-the-line suits and jewelry. He was known as Mr. Perfect and was listed as the hottest man alive for 15 years straight.

Now he's just some scrawny little kid. he was skinny, shorter than average, and had messy light brown hair. His face was childish and the definition of immaturity along with a few freckles spotted around his face. He was also very poor making him dress in hand-me-down clothes and lives in a house so small that it only had one room and a bathroom. not to mention the rot and mold that plastered the room.

Ethan choked on air in shock and refusal to accept his situation. He had many things that he never wanted to relive again but this one topped it all. A teenager that was just useless garbage walking only to let others trample over him.

Yes, this was Ethan 30 years ago.