98… 99… 100.
Ethan exhaled sharply as he pushed himself up after completing the last rep, his muscles were burning in protest after his workout. He stayed in position for a moment, feeling the sweat trickle down his back before finally collapsing onto the wooden floor of his room in a gasp of breath.
"Phew… they're getting progressively easier," he muttered, and rubbed the sweat off his forehead.
His eyes shifted to the calendar hanging on the wall. The date circled in red ink stared back at him.
One day left, finally.
A smirk crept onto his face.
"It's been two months already."
He let the thought linger for a moment, his fingers idly tracing the cracks in the wooden floor. Two months since he had woken up in this world—a world where everything was different.
Where he was different.
Ethan never stood out in his old world. He was the type of guy people barely noticed or even spared a glance at— he had average grades, average looks, everything about him was average. If anything, the only thing that made him different was that he sucked at talking to girls.
He wasn't ugly, but his awkward social skills had labeled him as creepy. Whenever he approached a girl, they either avoided him or rejected him before he even had a chance. It wasn't like he was aiming for supermodels either—even the plain-looking ones shot him down.
At some point, he stopped trying.
So, like many losers before him, he turned to fantasies.
Late nights on those websites to the extent that it became a daily activity to him. Scrolling through forums where guys shared their "success stories." Dreaming of the day when a hot girl with perky boobs and a round ass would miraculously fall for him.
But that day never came.
Until one morning, he woke up in this world—inside the body of someone better.
Now?
He was tall, handsome, and had a family rich enough to enroll him in an elite academy filled with beautiful girls.
And the best part?
[System Notification]
✔ 100 Sit-ups Completed
✔ 100 Push-ups Completed
✔ 100 Squats Completed
✔ 5km Run Completed
He had a system.
For the past two months, it had been giving him daily physical training tasks which he had been diligent in completing every single day—and now, he was in the best shape of his life.
His smirk widened.
"Tomorrow, everything changes."
He sat up, stretching his arms before letting out a low chuckle.
"I'm gonna bed as many girls as I can."
His voice carried a hint of excitement, but—
BANG!
A sharp knock on the door made him flinch. He turned around in shock waiting to see if someone was going to walk into his room.
"Keep it down in there!" A female voice called from outside.
Ethan froze. "Shit. Was I thinking out loud?"
"I'm Sorry, Mom! I'll keep it down" he quickly called back.
A short silence. Then—
"Dinner's ready. Come down before it gets cold. Though you are going to eat it regardless"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be down after I freshen up."
With a sigh of relief, he grabbed his towel and stepped into the bathroom. The cool water washed away his sweat, but his excitement still simmered beneath the surface.
Tomorrow marked the start of his new life.
And this time?
He was ready for it.
Ethan walked downstairs and entered the dining room, where his mother and his two step-sisters were already seated.
The room was modern and elegant, with a massive chandelier hanging above the long mahogany table. His "mother" sat at the head, sipping wine with an air of grace, while his step-sisters sat on either side, casually eating their meals.
The moment he sat down, one of them, Emily, spoke up.
"Hey Ethan, took you long enough."
She didn't even glance at him, her eyes glued to her phone screen, fingers scrolling as she absentmindedly poked at her food.
"I was training," Ethan replied, picking up his fork.
"Hah? You?" The other sister, Sophia, let out a small chuckle. "You barely move from your room, what training?"
Ethan smirked but said nothing. They didn't know.
He started eating, casually observing his step-sisters.
Emily was the eldest, a second-year college student with sharp features and long black hair that made her look like the cold, untouchable type. Sophia, on the other hand, was his age, with short brown hair and a lively personality—but she had a sharp tongue.
And his mother…
She was beautiful, no doubt. A woman in her early forties who aged like fine wine, sitting down with her long hair tied into a neat bun as she sipped her glass of red wine. She always carried herself with elegance, like she had spent years in high society, exuding an air of confidence and sophistication in every movement.
But none of them were his real family.
In his past world, he was just an ordinary kid with average parents. But in this one? He had been inserted into a rich household as the son of their deceased father.
He twirled his fork between his fingers.
Yeah, they might not be his real family, but they all treated him like one, maybe out of pity, obligation, or pure love, but he genuinely liked the way it was.
After dinner, Ethan went back to his room, feeling satisfied, and checked himself out in the mirror.
He was different now.
His face had sharp, masculine features, with deep-set eyes that made him look intense. His jawline was well-defined, his body lean and athletic. He looked like the kind of guy who girls would glance at in the hallway.
A complete 180 from his past self.
A confident smirk tugged at his lips as he spoke to his reflection.
"Tomorrow's the day, huh?"
He ran his fingers through his messy dark hair, feeling the anticipation build inside him.
This time, he wasn't going to sit in the background.
This time, he was going to take.