Chapter 1

When I opened my eyes, my phone screen showed 7:00 AM , thirty minutes before the awakening ceremony was scheduled to begin. Outside, the bright California early summer sun shone through the blinds, casting shadows on the wall. I sat up and stared at those shadows for a long time.

Memories of my past life flooded back like a tide.

two years , I died a total of 1,203 times. Each time I resurrected, Celine would wait for me at the resurrection point, give me a kiss, and then draw her jewel-encrusted longsword.

"Honey, this is for the guild. You don't want to hold me back, right?"

I can almost still hear her gentle voice.

On the last day of my previous life, the system unlocked the permanent kill protocol. Celine didn't tell me beforehand. I only found out when I saw the dark gold longsword in her hand at the respawn point ; the words "Final Judgment" were engraved on the hilt, reflecting a cold light in the morning sun. Edric stood behind her, holding the permanent kill item he had just bought from the system shop, his smile brighter than ever.

Celine spoke without even blinking, "The guild needs this first kill achievement, and Edric needs your boss core to break through the level cap. You've already been grinding for it for two years, what difference does dying one more time make?"

What's the difference?

The difference is that I never woke up after I died that time.

My BOSS core was extracted and embedded in Edric's breastplate.

Three months later, they held their wedding on the ruins of my territory. The wedding livestream became a "memorial video" after my death as the BOSS. Celine, in her white wedding dress, smiled like an angel. Edric, in his eulogy, said, "Thank you, fate, for bringing us together."

That "fate" refers to me.

My phone vibrated. I received another notification about the awakening ritual. I stood up, went into the bathroom, and splashed cold water on my face. I was still eighteen, just turned eighteen, with a naive look in my eyes, untouched by the harsh realities of life.

In my past life, I walked into the Hall of Awakening with such naivety.

This time it won't happen.

The Awakening Hall is located in a stadium in the city center. When I arrived, a long line had already formed at the entrance. This year, over three thousand young people over the age of eighteen in the Los Angeles area will participate in the Awakening. The air was thick with a mixture of tension and excitement ; some were quietly praying to awaken the Heroic Path, while others were already discussing which guild they would join after awakening.

I saw Celine in the team.

She stood at the front of the line, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, her golden hair shimmering in the sunlight. She was chatting and laughing happily with the girl next to her. Edric stood to her left, half a head taller than her, wearing a black hoodie, his hands in his pockets, exuding an air of "I'm the best."

"Next batch, please enter the Awakening Room!"

The staff member's voice interrupted my thoughts.

The Awakening Chamber is a huge circular hall with blue orbs of light floating in the ceiling. Each person stands in a designated spot, and the orbs scan their genetic and mental data, then assign them a career path. The entire process takes only ten seconds. Ten seconds to decide your life.

I stood in my position. The sphere of light began scanning.

[Awakening countdown: 10 seconds. Begin determining initial route tendency.]

A system notification sounded in my mind. Three options appeared before me: Hero, NPC, BOSS.

Then I saw that line of text—below the options, in small gray text, text I'd never seen before:

[Hidden condition: After reaching the maximum level in the BOSS route, unlock system administrator privileges.]

My hand hovered in mid-air.

Administrator privileges.

In my past life, I was killed over 1200 times, and I never knew the boss route had this hidden condition. This line of text seems to only appear under specific conditions.

What does administrator privileges mean? It means I'm no longer a lamb to the slaughter. It means I can modify rules, reset accounts, and even—

"Dorian? What are you spacing out for?"

Celine's voice rang out to my right. She had finished awakening and was standing next to me with that familiar smile on her face—gentle and caring, but with a calculating glint in her eyes.

"What have you awakened?" She tilted her head and looked at me, as if she were looking at an interesting product.

I looked at her. This was the same expression she had when she first heard I was the BOSS in my past life.

The same smile as it is now.

"BOSS , " I said calmly.

She paused for a second. Then her smile grew wider and gentler.

"It's alright. We can work together. Right, Edric?"

Edric walked over, having just awakened his S-rank Holy Shield Knight form. He was looking down at his attribute panel with a satisfied smile. He looked up at me, then walked over and patted me on the shoulder.

"The BOSS route, huh?" His voice carried a hint of schadenfreude .

"I heard you drop equipment when you get killed? Bro, we'll have to rely on your support from now on."

I saw his hand on my shoulder.

In a past life, this hand stepped on my corpse, dug into my core, and even raised a champagne glass on my territory.

"Yes , " I said with a smile .

"I will fully support you."

Edric nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave. Celine remained standing there, reaching out to gently touch my cheek , as if soothing a frightened puppy.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you. We're husband and wife, right?"

couple.

In our past life, we got married three months after our awakening. She said she loved me, and that we would build the strongest guild together and stand at the top of the world. On our wedding day, she cried and said she was the happiest woman in the world.

Six months later, she started listing my time of death at the auction house.

"right . "

"We are husband and wife."

She smiled, tiptoed and kissed me on the forehead, then turned and left. I watched her figure disappear into the crowd.

I opened the system panel.

【Profession: BOSS】

[Level: 1]

【Experience Points: 0%】

[Hidden Mission: Reach the maximum level and unlock administrator privileges]

I stared at the last line of text for a long time. Then I closed the panel and walked out of the Awakening Hall.

The California sun was blinding. I stood at the stadium entrance, watching the crowds coming and going on the street. These people had no idea what would happen three years from now. They didn't know the world would become a giant playground, that some would be the hunters and some the hunted.

But I know.

I knew Celine would come knocking on my door in two days, carrying a "Special BOSS Cooperation Agreement." I knew I'd get killed over 1200 times until they got the permanent kill item.

I also know that this time, I will become the administrator of this game before they make a move.

My phone vibrated again. It was a message from Celine: "Come to my house for dinner tonight. My mom wants to meet you."

As I looked at the message, a smile slowly crept onto my lips.

"Okay," I replied, "I'm looking forward to it."