Ado Shin had seen the end of the world. He had fought against gods, stood atop mountains of corpses, and bled more times than he could count. And yet—
He was weak.
Pathetically weak.
His fists struck the punching bag in his room, the force barely enough to make it sway. His breathing was ragged, sweat dripping down his face. Every punch reminded him of the divine battles he had fought. The effortless way he used to cleave through enemies. The power that once flowed through his veins.
But now?
Nothing.
No strength. No magic. No divine aura.
Just a seventeen-year-old boy swinging at a punching bag like a child pretending to be a warrior.
He gritted his teeth and kept going.
He had two years before the world changed. Before humans evolved and powers awakened. That was the moment when everything spiraled out of control. If he waited until then, he'd just be another powerless nobody.
That wasn't an option.
He had to get stronger.
Stronger than he ever was before.
And if he had to start from zero—then so be it.
---
Five Months Earlier
Ado's first few weeks were miserable.
He had thrown himself into training, pushing his body beyond its limits. Strength exercises, endurance running, combat drills—he did it all. He expected his past life's experience to help him adjust quickly.
But reality hit hard.
His body wasn't ready. His muscles ached. His joints screamed in protest. Some days, he could barely get out of bed.
It frustrated him to no end.
Back then, he could fight for days without rest. Now, a single hour of exercise left him gasping for air.
But frustration wouldn't change anything. Complaining wouldn't bring his power back.
So he endured.
He built a strict routine—morning runs, bodyweight training, reflex drills. At night, he meditated, forcing himself to relive battles from his past life, memorizing every movement, every mistake. If he couldn't use magic, he'd at least refine his instincts.
Day after day, he trained.
His body screamed.
His mind wavered.
But his determination never broke.
---
The Unexpected Setback
Then, after months of progress—he fell.
Not in battle.
Not from overexertion.
But from sickness.
It started with dizziness. Then fatigue. Then the fever hit. Before he knew it, he was bedridden, body burning, limbs weak as if he'd aged fifty years overnight.
"Damn it…" he muttered, barely able to lift his arm. He had lost three whole days of training. Three days wasted.
The door to his room creaked open.
"Ado…?"
A soft voice called his name, cautious but concerned.
He forced his eyes open. Standing at the doorway was Shimuru, one of his classmates. She wasn't someone he was particularly close to in his past life—just another face in the crowd.
Yet here she was.
And in his past future…
She had died.
Ado's breath caught in his throat. He remembered it clearly. She had been one of the early casualties when the world changed. She wasn't a warrior. She wasn't a fighter. She had been… ordinary.
And that had cost her life.
"Why are you here?" he rasped.
Shimuru frowned. "You're sick. You weren't at school, and no one could reach you, so I… I came to check."
Ado stared at her.
This had never happened before.
Not in his past life.
Was it because of his training? Because he had changed something?
Shimuru sighed and walked in, placing a plastic bag on his bedside table. "I bought medicine and food. You should take it before the fever gets worse."
He wanted to argue. He wanted to tell her to leave, that he didn't need help. But his body refused to move, and truthfully—he didn't have the energy to fight back.
She sat by his bedside, opening the medicine pack. "I don't know what you've been doing, but you look like you've been overworking yourself. Seriously, what kind of idiot trains until they collapse?"
Ado chuckled weakly. "One who doesn't have time to waste."
Shimuru gave him an unimpressed look but didn't press further. She just handed him the medicine and watched to make sure he took it.
As she stayed by his side, Ado found himself watching her closely.
She was alive. Here. In front of him.
He had a chance to change that.
A chance to make sure she didn't die this time.
And maybe, just maybe—this world wasn't as set in stone as he thought.
---
Back to Training
The fever eventually broke, but Ado had lost an entire week of training.
That was unacceptable.
As soon as he was well, he doubled his efforts, determined to make up for lost time. Shimuru, despite calling him reckless, kept checking on him, sometimes bringing him lunch at school or making sure he didn't push himself too hard.
It was… strange.
He wasn't used to having someone look after him. In his past life, he had always been alone—especially after the war began.
But here, in this past…
Things were different.
And that difference only fueled his resolve.
Five months passed in the blink of an eye.
Ado's once-weak body had changed. His endurance had improved. His strength had grown. His reflexes were sharper than ever before.
But it still wasn't enough.
The real battle was still two years away.
And he had so much more to do.
---
End of Chapter 1
This chapter establishes Ado's struggle with weakness, his determination to train, and his first major deviation from his past life—Shimuru's presence. She serves as an emotional anchor, reinforcing the idea that Ado can change things this time around.