Fenix's eyes snapped open as he jolted upright in bed, his heart racing and beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Come back here!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the modest-looking hotel room. Fenix was completely unaware of his surroundings; his only thought was to chase after Camille.

  He quickly swung his legs over the edge of the mattress and stood up, but his feet tangled in the sheets, causing him to crash to the ground. His head hit the solid wooden floor with a deafening thud, sending sharp waves of pain through his skull.

  Through gritted teeth, Fenix swore under his breath as he gingerly touched the growing lump on his forehead. But he couldn't stay down for long - he had to catch that conniving bitch before she got away with what she did.

  As he prepared to rise and pursue her, his knees buckled, keeping him in pce as he finally got a clear look at his surroundings.

  Confusion washed over him like a tidal wave. This wasn't the hospital room he remembered being in just moments ago.

  "Where the hell am I?" he wondered aloud, trying to piece together how he ended up here.

  In a daze he pulled himself up off the wooden floor and back onto the bed. Bewildered and a little scared. He couldn't help but wonder if he had been abducted or something.

  However he quickly dismissed that notion. If he were abducted wouldn't he be tied up or something? Soon another idea came to mind.

  'Maybe this could be a dream and I'm still in the hospital,' he considered, scratching his chin. However, the dull ache in his head dissuaded him.

  As he struggled to make sense of the situation, his eyes caught his reflection in the mirror. He was taken aback and stood up, making his way towards it in a trance-like state. To his amazement, his scars were now absent - except for the ones on his hand and left leg.

  They remained as rge, pink reminders of what that bitch did to him. Although they had faded over time, they still stood out prominently against his skin.

  Just knowing that it was that woman's actions that caused his hand and leg to become like this made him stomp his feet in anger. If she were a man, he would kick her in the groin, so she could feel a fraction of the pain she caused him.

  "I would kick her forty times..." A spark of realization surged through Fenix. He was standing without feeling intense pain. The theory that this could be a dream was becoming more feasible.

  Tears welled up in his eyes as he began to pace back and forth with a slight limp. After the second boiling oil "accident" that covered his whole body, his nerves became damaged, rendering him unable to walk for long periods without pain.

  This occurred atop the injuries sustained from the initial "accident" that left him with a mangled hand and a limp, worsening the old injuries. But now, it was as if it had never happened.

  As he blissfully paced back and forth, a sudden thought struck him. He remembered what the main protagonist from the mystery books he loved once said: 'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?'

  The only improbable thing he could think of was time travel. But, from what he read in different manga's, doesn't that only happen when a person dies?

  Suddenly, he remembered the rge wound on his chest when he was in the hospital, him pulling out all the wires keeping him alive, and colpsing to the floor.

  "Shit, I died."

  He knew he should be upset about his unfortunate demise, but he just couldn't bring himself to be so. Instead, he was mad that Camille had gotten away with everything.

  Clenching his fists, Fenix looked around the room, trying to find some proof that this was really time travel. Because if it was, that means he still has time to change things.

  Seeing a smartphone on the dresser next to the bed, he rushed over and quickly picked it up. As he examined it, he saw that it was the phone he had five years ago.

  How could he tell? Well, it was simply because of the cracked screen that was due to him throwing it against the hospital wall in despair after being told his hand couldn't be healed.

  Touching the deep crack, he was completely sure that this phone was his. But he also knew that he had pawned it for money for food three years ago.

  Fenix shook his head before muttering, “This is so fucking surreal.”

  Switching the cell on, he looked at the date. What he saw made him drop the phone in shock. After double-checking with the television and the electronic assistant on the hotel's dresser, he was sure that this was what he thought it was.

  It was difficult for him to wrap his head around the fact that he had traveled through time. It seemed like just a few hours ago, he was sitting in his run-down apartment.

  He remembered that his game session had just ended and was feeling hungry. But as usual, there was nothing to eat in the fridge except two bottles of beer.

  He regretted not having a pod and being stuck with a cheap VR headset. If he had a pod, he wouldn't have to worry about food since it would come with nutrient supplements.

  But due to being stuck working for an exploitative company as a gatherer in the game, his funds were limited, since the company took 90% of his earnings.

  As he considered scavenging for scraps behind the nearby bakery, his phone suddenly buzzed. Checking it, he saw that he had finally received his payment for harvesting for the past two weeks.

  Letting out a sigh of relief, he decided to order a cheap meal. While waiting for his food, he turned on the television and began flipping through channels. As he was browsing, he came across a familiar face - Camille.

  She was being congratuted by the CEO of The Haven Online for winning the Golden Pot and becoming the number one chef in the game. To add to her list of achievements, she announced that she was opening a restaurant chain and getting married.

  At first, he tried to convince himself that he should be happy for her since he thought she was his friend, but deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling of envy. After all, those recipes were originally his.

  Although Camille never managed to get her hands on Fenix's mother's treasured recipe book, she did get her hands on his. Which she used to its fullest. And she made the most of it.

  Feeling envious and a bit down, Fenix reached for his forearm crutches and stood up, making his way to the kitchen for a beer. Sadly, alcohol became his medicine of choice to numb his pain.

  With a cold beer in hand, Fenix began his trek back to the living room. As he made his way across the tiled floor, he felt a sudden slickness under his feet. Before he could react, he slipped and fell forward, the bottle flying from his grip and shattering on the floor.

  As he hit the ground, a rge shard of gss from the broken bottle pierced through his shirt and skin, sending sharp pain exploding through his stomach. He struggled to catch his breath as blood poured onto the floor, staining his clothes and the white tiles. His vision blurred, and he let out a curse before losing consciousness from the shock and pain.

  The st thing he remembered was being in the hospital. He couldn't help but feel that Camille was partly responsible for his third trip there, and ultimately his death.

  Fenix wasn't one for seeking revenge, but he couldn't just let it go either. Unfortunately, he had no concrete evidence to accuse her of anything, so his next course of action was to sabotage her dream instead.

  "That bitch is only interested in marrying into wealth, isn't she?" He murmured to himself, "And becoming the top chef is her only shot at achieving that. I can’t help but wonder what would happen if someone were to take that opportunity away from her." A smirk appeared on his lips as he entertained the idea of sabotaging her chances.

  Clenching his fists, Fenix swore that this time would be different. He was determined to avoid repeating the mistakes of his past. "This time, I will make my dreams come true.”

  A wide grin stretched across Fenix's face, causing tears to trickle down his cheeks as he felt a surge of overwhelming happiness. This moment was his golden opportunity to finally change everything for the better.

  Unbeknownst to him, in some distant realm beyond our own, a man and woman stood side by side, their faces beaming with pride and encouragement for Fenix's determination to change his fate.