Back home, Aiden dialed a number. "Well, if it isn't the great romantic himself. What's the matter? Did you finally remember that I exist?" An irritatingly smug voice came from the other end. Aiden answered icily, "Cut the crap, Carter. You've always wanted my shares, haven't you? I'm selling them all for two billion. Do you want them or not?" "You're selling your shares?" Carter was immediately excited. "I'll take them, of course! But they're probably worth a billion at best. Asking for two is daylight robbery!" he argued. "Two billion, and not a penny less," Aiden said flatly. "If you're not interested, I'll ask someone else." "Hold up! Come on, let's talk this through," Carter said quickly, submitting to Aiden at once."Don't sell them to someone else. I'll give you two billion for your shares." "Great. You've got five days to complete the paperwork and wire the money to my account. Given your status, that shouldn't be a problem, right?" Aiden said lazily. Carter hesitated. "That won't be an issue, but with that much cash, I'll have to smooth things over with a few people. There'll be some losses and taxes…" "That's your problem," Aiden answered, cutting him off at once. "I want the money in five days. A penny less, and you won't be getting the shares." He hung up without another word, not the least bit worried the deal would fall through. After all, he knew no one wanted those shares more desperately than his cousin, Carter Kroger. Everyone at Kroger High knew that Aiden was a rich kid with family assets worth several hundred million. However, no one knew his real background ran far deeper than it seemed.His parents had founded Kroger Group, one of Grendola's largest corporations worth several billion. In truth, very few rich kids across the nation could compare to Aiden. Unfortunately, a tragic accident had taken both his parents' lives ten years ago. The massive conglomerate couldn't possibly be held together by an eight-year-old boy, and soon, greedy relatives and so-called family friends claimed the Kroger Group bit by bit. All that was left to him was a small portion of the company's shares and assets that his parents had set aside for him beforehand, and it was worth just over a billion. Even so, that amount would've been more than enough for Aiden to lead a comfortable life. Too bad he'd fallen for Piper in his previous life. Perhaps it was that emptiness and the lack of family love that made him pour so much of himself into her, as if she could fill that void. Even after she hurt him again and again, he never once stopped giving.If his parents had still been alive, and if he'd grown up in a complete, loving home, Aiden would not have foolishly thrown everything away for someone like her. "Guess that's all in the past." Aiden pressed a hand to his chest, his gaze firming with resolve. It was his desperate longing for love that had ruined him in his previous life. This time, he wouldn't make the same mistake. He would ascend the throne alone. At the same time, he'd do everything to uncover the truth behind his parents' so-called accident back then. Right now, the Kroger Group was in the middle of an intense power struggle. Whoever got hold of Aiden's shares would gain the biggest authority in the company. Despite Carter paying twice the market value for his shares, Aiden was certain that his cousin wouldn't hesitate to purchase his shares for two billion. If it weren't for the fact that he needed the money within five days, Aiden could have asked for more. Honestly, it was a bit of a loss. But compared to the massive advantage that two billion would bring him in the early stages of Doomsday, that loss meant nothing. With the experience of his previous life, Aiden was confident he could multiply that money several thousand times its original value. Just as he expected, Carter rushed over within five days. He'd brought all the paperwork, eager to finalize the deal. Once Aiden confirmed the funds had arrived in his account, he calmly signed one document after another. "I don't know why you changed your mind all of a sudden, but this is probably the smartest decision you've ever made," Carter said with a broad smile. With the transfer complete, Carter was on cloud nine. From now on, his faction would hold absolute control over the Kroger Group."Just live your life as a rich but pitiful man, and stop chasing those unrealistic dreams," he said smugly. "The Kroger Group may have belonged to your parents once, but that's ancient history. "From now on, the company has nothing to do with you. It's in my hands now. "In fact, I'm being generous enough by giving you this much money!" With that, Carter left, clutching the signed documents in satisfaction. "Oh, one more thing!" He paused at the door and turned back, pretending to sound kind. "Since we're family, I'll give you a bit of advice. Stop wasting your time on Langley. She's not worth it." He added, "You're a Kroger, for God's sake. Don't act like some lovesick idiot and embarrass the family." Aiden couldn't help but chuckle to himself, finding the whole thing absurd. Even his lifelong rival, who had always coveted his shares, could see Piper for the shallow, manipulative woman she was. So why hadn't he seen it himself before? As for Carter's parting words, Aiden paid them no attention. He looked at the long string of zeros in his account balance and smiled. When Doomsday arrived, they'd see soon enough who truly stood above the rest. … 'Welcome to Doomsday, private beta launch.' 'Congratulations, Aiden. You've been selected to participate. This testing phase will last for three days, and the public beta launch will be available then.' 'Please select your starting class, Aiden.' It was Sunday, just like in his previous life, when Aiden clicked on that mysterious link that led him to the private beta launch of Doomsday. He could choose any of the starting classes—Warrior, Knight, Sorcerer, or even Farmer. In his past life, Aiden had chosen Knight.Back then, he'd naively thought himself a knight who vowed to guard his princess forever. Looking back now, it was beyond stupid. Aiden almost gagged at the thought, feeling the same secondhand embarrassment as when adults found their old, cringey Snapchat stories. A knight guarding his princess? Please, that's just another name for a doormat. And Piper? A princess? Pfft! If anything, she'd only become one because he'd built her the castle himself. And now, the only place he wanted to escort her to was hell. "Enough with that dumb crap. Whoever wants to be a knight, be my guest. I'll be a Beastmaster instead!" He cursed under his breath and chose 'Beastmaster' without hesitation. Aiden had thought it through carefully, and it hadn't been out of spite. In Doomsday, Beastmasters were widely recognized as the class with the highest potential.In his previous life, Aiden had heard of a legendary incident. An elite guild in Grendola once offended a god-tier Beastmaster, simply because they thought they had the numbers and manpower. The Beastmaster lost his temper and summoned his divine beast, the Netherwyrm. Together, the man and his dragon wiped the entire guild off the map. The guildmaster got killed multiple times until his attributes dwindled immensely, and he ended up dying in real life too. No other class could match that kind of destructive power. Of course, the strength of a Beastmaster came at a cost. Training beasts required an absurd amount of resources, way beyond what any normal player could afford. Owning a divine beast like the Netherwyrm required an infinite amount of resources. However, Aiden couldn't care less, for money was the least of his problems.'You have completed your selection. Please enter your username.' "I'll be Nighthale!" Aiden decided at once. Once everything was set, a flash of white light surrounded him. Very quickly, Aiden materialized inside the game. Without even glancing at his surroundings, he immediately opened his Attributes Panel and looked nervously toward the bottom-right corner. Sure enough, there it was—a golden button with the word 'Reload.' Aiden exhaled in relief. Thankfully, the game's mechanics hadn't changed since his rebirth. This meant it was time for the best part.