Chapter 1: This is Worse Than Poison! July 7, 2009. Sunny. Inside a rundown internet cafe in XA City. "Old Mo, wake up! How'd you fall asleep here? Hurry up and clock in—work starts in ten minutes!" "Huh...?" Chen Mo jolted awake, blinking groggily. His gaze landed on the figure leaning over him. Red foil perm, diamond-studded earrings, black skull T-shirt, pink saggy pants with a white belt slung low. Wait—why did this person look so familiar? Wasn't this Wang Lei, the buddy he'd met years ago while working part-time at this very cafe? Wang Lei? The cafe? Oh no—he must’ve hit his head too hard! This had to be a hallucination! Chen Mo vaguely recalled passing out in a luxury club just last night, surrounded by two beauties. Just hours earlier, he'd been ruined financially after failing his business ventures in Dungeon & Fighter, scammed by his mentor Lao Lin into stockpiling unsellable junk items. Desperate and drowning in debt, he’d decided to go out in style—splurging his last savings on an elite club membership and treating himself to a pair of twin sisters he’d always been too cheap to hire. After 180,000 milliseconds of intense pleasure, he’d finally passed out. So why did he wake up here, in this time-warp? Could it be…? Suddenly, a flood of fragmented memories surged through his mind—flashes of scenes he hadn’t lived in years. After several long minutes, the truth crystallized: he’d time-traveled! Back to 2009, his days as a broke vocational student. Now, he was once again a penniless 182cm-tall, 147-pound pretty boy with a monthly allowance of $60 and two rock-solid kidneys. "This is worse than poison! I got reborn just from pulling an all-nighter? Unbelievable!" Frustrating? Definitely. But Chen Mo quickly accepted reality—he wasn’t getting back anytime soon. If resistance was futile… Why not lie back and enjoy the ride? He turned to Wang Lei with a genuine smile. "Old Wang, long time no see!" Wang Lei blinked. "???" "Old Mo, what are you talking about? You slept through the night or something? We just saw each other yesterday!" "Haha, right, right! Just kidding! What’d you wake me up for again?" Chen Mo smoothly redirected the conversation. Wang Lei sighed, exasperated. "Clocking in! It’s 7:58—don’t want to lose your perfect attendance bonus, do you?" Attendance bonus? Right! He was working summer shifts at the cafe to save tuition money. Glancing at the clock, Chen Mo relaxed. Still time! "Thanks, Old Wang—I’ll clock in first. Catch you later!" "Yeah, yeah. Go on. I’ve got cleaning to do." After parting ways, Chen Mo hurried to the time clock at the counter. Slotted his time card in—Ding! Success. The $8 bonus was safe! Yet as he exhaled relief, another sigh escaped him. This plot twist sucked! Other protagonists got ancient saint bodies or supreme bones upon rebirth. At minimum, they became chosen ones. But him? Sweating his ass off just to survive? No way! Absolutely not! How could someone worthy of rebirth end up like this? He needed to change this! But how? Bitcoin? Lottery? Business? School? Real estate? Other… less legal methods? Ideas flooded in—then crashed. No time, no funds, no way. Nothing fit his current situation. "Surely I’m not doomed to grind Dnf again for decades?" Dnf? Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Wait! Why not Dnf? He still had all the knowledge from his past life—the entire timeline of game updates, the hidden strategies, the meta changes. With that alone, he could easily stockpile the must-have items from every update. A few million? Pocket money! "Looks like heaven grants me this second chance for a reason—time to become a millionaire!" Mind racing, Chen Mo rushed toward a computer. "Jingjing! Activate my staff account!" The staff account privilege let employees game for free during downtime. Why else would he take this job? Bai Jingjing, the goth-punk cafe girl, handed him his card with a smile. "Mo-ge, did you finish watching The Final Class I recommended? Want another series?" "The Final Class? Oh, still watching it. Let me finish first!" Though Bai Jingjing’s beauty rivaled top celebrities from his past life, Chen Mo had zero interest in small talk. Right now, only one goal mattered—making money! Card in hand, he strode to the nearest computer. Boot up. Insert card. Seamless. Windows XP greeted him. Thank god, not Windows 2000. That would’ve been a nightmare. After a minute, the classic blue-and-white desktop appeared. Icons for World of Warcraft, Fantasy Westward Journey, Zhengtu Online, Wakaka, Legend of Mir, Haofang Battle Platform… But Chen Mo’s eyes locked onto one—the iconic brown gear emblem of Dungeon & Fighter. Double-click. Login. Deng-deng-deng deng-deng, deng-deng-deng—the familiar battle theme sounded as the title screen loaded. Chapter 3: Gifts of Otherworldly Power The update news flashed: - Awakened Assassin class unlocked - New sub-profession: Enchanter - New monster cards added Back in his day, updates packed dozens of features. But in this era, this meager trio was all they got. "Ah", Chen Mo sighed. "Wish I’d brought those thousands of fire cards I hoarded in level 85. One-time investment, instant fortune!" As he lamented, a cold voice pierced his mind: "System detected host has logged into Dungeon & Fighter. Binding Divine-Level Warehouse System… Progress: 1%... 5%... 10%..." …… Fellow readers surely know Dnf novels are niche—few writers, fewer readers. To survive, data matters. So please, show your support! Favorites, monthly tickets, comments—all are vital! Also, feel free to comment with feedback—I read every one daily! (End of Chapter)