The Author's POV

Kevin's head was filled with a constant ringing sound, and he was just staring at the wooden table in front of him with no expression on his face.

He had a silver spoon in his tiny hands, which he was holding onto very tightly.

'I failed again…'

Kevin mumbled to himself, his eyes gradually losing focus.

In contrast to the first time, this time, he was defeated before even having the opportunity to engage in a meaningful conflict with Jezebeth.

It turned out that he was not even powerful enough to defeat the army of demons that were at his disposal, let alone him, who was even more powerful than them.

'Where did I go wrong? What am I missing?'

He did everything that the system told him.

He did the missions and took advantage of the opportunities from his past life…he did everything yet still failed to accomplish his mission.

Just what was he missing?

"Here's your food."

The sound of his mother's voice jolted Kevin out of his reverie and brought him back to the present.

When he raised his head, he saw her staring at him with the same friendly smile that he was so used to by this point.

Placed in front of him was the same bland soup that she used to make for him in his past life.

It was her signature soup, and one that she would start making as soon as he became five years old, which he had just reached not too long ago.

Just a single look was enough to take his appetite away.

Nonetheless, he still decided to eat it. As long as he got his nutrition in, he was fine.

Slowly, Kevin took a mouthful of the soup and had a taste of it.

"Hm?"

When Kevin looked over at his mother, who was also looking at him intently, he noticed that his brows had suddenly arched a little bit.

"Is there anything wrong?"

Kevin didn't answer her.

Instead, he blinked his eyes a couple of times. He lowered the spoon and took another mouthful.

He wanted to double check.

"…It's good."

Kevin mumbled aloud, savoring the flavor of the soup in his mouth.

As soon as he said those words, his mother immediately displayed a look on her face that indicated she was surprised; however, Kevin didn't put much thought into it as he continued to eat the soup.

'Why does the soup taste better?'

For some odd reason, the bland soup that his mother made him wasn't as bland as it had been in the past.

Why was that?

"I'm glad you like the soup."

Kevin was startled when he felt a warm hand caress the top of his head, and he looked up to see his mother looking back at him with the same smile she always wore.

Her hands were large and rough, unbefitting of her graceful and frail looks.

With just a glance, Kevin could see that they were filled with calluses and cuts.

It was obvious that these were the hands of someone who had been through a lot of adversity throughout their entire life.

Kevin knew this better than anyone.

those hands looked no different than his after practicing with his

Kevin observed about his mother was that whenever he

sit in the opposite chair from him and watch him

never really put much thought into it in

indeed strange. Maybe she also didn't

side a little and pushed the bowl

her as

"Hm? What's this?"

"Eat it."

the bowl, and his mother blinked

shook her head

eaten, you

"Lies."

Kevin cut her off.

had not eaten yet. He had been observing her since early in the

mother's job was

a shopping cart that weighed at least three times as much as she did and walk for a couple of kilometers

looked down upon by most people,

she would get less than what she worked for, but she never seemed

tough

her the whole time, and he knew that she hadn't

gave a quiet sigh and mumbled something to

speaking much, you're a sharp one. Sometimes I wonder if you're really

she stood up and headed back to the

and just eat your

'Liar.'

Kevin inwardly mumbled.

with

that she was coveting his soup, she still turned it down when it

Why was that?

himself, once again confused by

would go to such lengths

seeing his reflection, Kevin put the spoon in

'It's cold…'

Yet…so warm.

***

Kevin spent most of his

construction site to help build the new high rise buildings in the inner city, his mother, Margaret, would

pay that they received between the two of them was only 30 U per day, which

was also because of this that Margaret decided to go somewhere else to

a shopping mall in

have to drag you along with me, Kevin, but I won't take too

nodded his head

the staircase of the mall and watch his mother labor

she used a pair of worn-out gloves to collect trash from the trash

shopping mall, she continued to work diligently, occasionally flashing him

tilt his head further as

'Dangerous.'

moment, he thought that the smile was dangerous to

past few regressions, he had never really cared to look at his 'caretakers' and just single mindedly pursued his own goals…but it was at this moment, during his third regression, that he

just thought that maybe, just maybe, they didn't need to die like they

survive

will

fleeting thought, however, as he quickly discarded the

they would serve as nothing but burdens

goal, and he couldn't let anything distract

long after, and his eyes paused on the

by a bustling crowd of people entering and

with smiles on their faces and children

from their image and lingered on a small purple banknote on the

'50 U'

a 50 U

mind,

with millions of U at the time during his previous