“What’s with these constant push notifications?”
Derwin Carter frowned at his phone screen, clearly unimpressed.
“Another dumb question—‘750 on the college entrance exam or 7.5 million cash?’” He rolled his eyes. “Seriously, who comes up with this stuff? Must be those keyboard warriors on Q&A sites trying to act deep.”
He was about to swipe the notification away, but his finger paused mid-air. Out of nowhere, he felt oddly curious.
Staring at the ridiculous question, Derwin started to think it over.
“Okay, sure, 7.5 million would solve a lot of problems. But that’s it.”
“As for the 750 score… it’s just a number, right? Even if it gets me into Yan University, with my current abilities I'd probably still crash and burn.”
He stared at the screen, sinking into thought. A top score means nothing without the skills to back it up—just empty bragging rights. Even if you somehow got into a top university, without the brains to survive, it’d be a total disaster.
The question might sound grand, but really, it was just fluff.
Derwin shook his head and was ready to close the tab.
Then, the phone screen flickered.
[You are about to return to the summer of your eighteenth year.]
[Your choice: 750 score or 7.5 million cash.]
[Please tap to make your selection.]
“What the hell?” Derwin let out a laughter of disbelief, “Are ads seriously going this far now? What kind of trashy gimmick is this—do they think people are that gullible?”
He tried pressing the exit button a few times, but the pop-up wouldn’t budge. It was like it was glued to the screen.
After failing to close it, Derwin shrugged. “Whatever. It’s obviously a prank, doesn’t matter which one I pick.”
“So… 750 points then. Not like it matters anyway.”
He tapped the screen without much thought, still half-laughing at the absurdity of it all.
But the next second, he froze.
The world around him began to twist—like someone grabbed reality and crumpled it like a piece of paper. Everything blurred and spun, as if time was folding in on itself.
“Derwin? What's with the blank stare?”
A clear, familiar voice cut through the chaos. Derwin shook his head, trying to clear the dizziness.
In front of him stood a girl in a baggy school uniform. Her pretty face was full of concern and her bright eyes locked onto his.
Seeing her face hit him like a truck. Memories came flooding back.
He opened his mouth, barely getting the word out: “Emma...”
That face. That name. Etched into his past—and now, she was right in front of him again.
“You’re acting kinda weird today.”
Emma Collins tilted her head, studying him with a suspicious look.
Derwin scrambled to pull himself together, forcing an awkward smile. “It’s nothing... I think I just zoned out.”
Emma looked like she wanted to press further, but the school bell interrupted her.
“Riiing—”
She gave him one last worried glance before hurrying back to her seat.
Derwin watched her go, still a bit dazed.
The classroom smelled like chalk dust, and the blackboard was crammed with high school review topics—so familiar, yet strange all over again.Everything looked exactly like he remembered—like someone had hit rewind and dumped him back at eighteen.
“No way... this can’t be real.”
Derwin Carter pinched his face hard, and the sharp sting confirmed it wasn’t a dream.
A mix of disbelief and wild excitement washed over him. The guy who always caught the short end of the stick had somehow walked straight into a real-life time travel plot.
But the thrill didn’t last. As soon as he thought of that stupid choice he’d made a moment ago, Derwin’s stomach twisted with regret.
The question had been simple: 750 on the exam or 7.5 million cash? And he, without thinking, had picked the score.
“Idiot! Why the hell did I go with 750 points?!”
He groaned to himself.
Back in 2011, with that much money and future knowledge, he could’ve been investing left and right—easily turning that into hundreds of millions. He could’ve cruised through life, doing whatever he wanted, instead of sitting here in a sweaty classroom again.
Derwin gritted his teeth, stomping the floor in frustration, wishing he could go back and smack the old him.
Right in the middle of his mental breakdown, a crisp notification sound chimed in his mind.
“Ding—Congratulations! You’ve been successfully transported back to before the college entrance exam! You’ve chosen the full score route. Now activating: Top Student System!”
A translucent blue screen lit up in front of him:
【Host: Derwin Carter】
【System: God-tier Choice System】
【Math: Lv0
0/100
】
【Physics: Lv0
0/100
】
【Biology: Lv0
0/100
】
【Chemistry: Lv0
0/100
】
【Computer Science: Lv0
0/100
】
【Linguistics: Lv0
0/100
】
Derwin froze, staring dumbfounded at the panel. He quickly looked around.
Everyone else in the classroom was either zoning out or taking notes—nobody else saw it.
“So this thing’s visible only to me...”
He let out a shallow breath. Then his eyes lit up.
Yeah, missing out on 7.5 million sucked big time. But this system? This changed everything.
This wasn’t just about acing an exam. This was a chance to turn things around in a big way.
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. Seeing the words “God-tier Choice System” made his heart race with anticipation. If he couldn’t be crazy rich out the gate, why not go full beast mode and dominate academically?
If he could crush it at school—win a few top-level awards on the way—he’d still bag recognition, money, and open so many doors. That sense of achievement? Way better than just stacking cash.
Right as he started daydreaming about that future, another chime cut through his thoughts.
【Ding, system has detected your potential to score full marks on the entrance exam. Unlocking a new choice for you now.】
【Option 1: Climb your way up with hard work and prove you deserve that perfect score. Rewards: One brain development pass and two random draws.】
【Option 2: Take it easy, let the world doubt your results—you’ll still walk away with no proof of cheating. Rewards: 7.5 million in cash and the honorary title “Supreme Slacker.”】
