2 The Choice

"I... I... I'm sorry!" Marcus yelled as loudly as he could while staring at the letter that announced his master's death.

He looked at himself in the mirror and couldn't help but break down. He had become stronger, much stronger, but still not strong enough. He was only a third-rate martial artist, almost on the verge of becoming a second-rate one. Marcus bellowed in frustration, wishing he was just a bit stronger. He got up from the floor and faced the mirror once again. He was now around 29 years old and looked weak. Far too weak to face his family. He once again stared at himself with his long flowing white hair with red tips. If one looked closely, they could see his skin was pale, resembling the moon, but alas, he wasn't an albino, but something similar.

As if to remind him of his great genetics, he looked down at his stomach, which had an eight-pack and an extremely good build for his age of 27.

You Ungrateful shit I want a six pack, back to the story.

He had dark red eyes that resembled blood and sharp teeth. He thought he might be able to be happy, but now he couldn't. He left the temple where he resided and whispered, "Thank you for protecting me for as long as you could. Goodbye. I hope you can do just as good for the next person." His voice was deep but quiet, and it contained a deep hatred and sadness. Finally, he walked away, walking far before arriving at a place none would think would reside in this world: the mercenary guild.

As he entered, people started but soon returned to whatever they were doing. He walked straight to the desk where a seemingly young lady was sitting. "Hey," Marcus said in his alluring voice. It was deep but kind, yet it would feel like you would fall into a pit of darkness if you got involved with him. He repeated his words, as it seemed the young lady wasn't listening. "Serve the man, Jessy," a loud male voice said coming from behind the desk. The young lady, Jessy, looked up only to see a towering man about 6.8 feet tall.

Jessy breathed out a large breath, then said, "Are you here for a quest or to sign up?"

"To sign up, if possible," Marcus said. "Okay, hold this orb. It will measure your strength." As he had used the device before, he said the words for the orb to activate. Before Jessy could tell him, Jessy was surprised to say the least. She wanted to ask the man about his upbringing, but from the scar that was under one of his eyes, she thought everyone has a backstory, maybe she shouldn't ask. The orb started to glow, and the people who had been drinking decided to see if he was worthy to scout, but to the dismay of everyone, he was just a C rank. Everyone let out breaths of disappointment, realizing that he was just a mere third-rate martial artist.

"Hello there, Arthur! I thought it would be helpful to share with you the different ranks in both martial arts and mercenary work. Knowing where you stand can be quite valuable.

Let's start with martial arts. The ranks go from F for beginners, to E for third-rate, to D for third-rate close to second-rate, to C for second-rate, to B for first-rate, and to A for masters. It's worth noting that most of Marcus' siblings are at this level. Moving on to the highest ranks, we have S for peak, which is where his oldest brother and older sister currently stand.

Now, for the most elite fighters, we have SS+ for supreme peak, a level that only the most skilled fighters can reach. Marcus' father is at this level, and he is a force to be reckoned with. And finally, we have SSS+ for the heaven and devil rank, the highest level attainable. Marcus' mother has reached this rank, and even though she doesn't specialize in fighting, she is still closer to S rank in battle."

"I... I didn't expect to be lower than that," Marcus said as he picked up the orb. "But I guess it's only natural since I haven't been focusing on my martial arts lately." He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing as if deep in thought. "But that will change. I'll become stronger, stronger than anyone else in this guild. Just wait and see."

With that, Marcus turned around and walked out of the guild, his mind set on becoming the strongest. He knew it would take hard work and dedication, but he was willing to do whatever it takes. As he walked down the street, he couldn't help but let out a dark laugh. "They have no idea what's coming," he thought to himself. "I'll show them all. I'll make them regret underestimating me."

After a year of intense training, Marcus had grown to a towering height of 7 feet and was on the cusp of becoming B RANK But all he could think about was how much better his life would be if he had been born with some actual talent. And just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, a demon rank master blew up his entire town.

Marcus found himself in the presence of the gods after his untimely death. Fuming with anger, he cursed everyone in sight - the master who killed him, his father, and even the gods themselves.

"Human, do not disrespect us," the gods thundered in unison.

But Marcus didn't back down. "Fuck you, you fucking mindless, brain-dead gods! I don't want to be here! I was tall, handsome, and had everything going for me. If only I had a bit of talent, I'd be up there with you assholes. My life is ruined!"

The gods were taken aback by Marcus's disrespect, but they couldn't deny that he had a high IQ. "We can give you a second chance to reincarnate in a different body and rise to the top," they offered.

But Marcus had other plans. "No way! Send me back to the past with OP powers. I saw it in a book. I made so much progress. I wasn't even born with talent, and I made it to D rank. That's impressive! So, fuck all of you. Just send me back!"

The gods considered destroying his soul for his insolence, but they couldn't. You see, Marcus's ancestors had made a deal to protect all of their descendants.

"Who wants to give this boy their power?" the gods asked.

No one raised their hand. Why would they give their power to a rude kid who demanded things from them?

"I will," an old god said, with a massive clock behind his back. "But I get to decide where to send him. I will give him my time magic, but he must cause chaos. Is it a deal, boy?"

"Fuck you, grandpa but fine I will make chaos my middle name!" Marcus yelled, shocking the gods once again at how he disrespected one of there own.

But it was too late. Krono had already sent him back in time, and all Marcus could think was, "I will get revenge, bitches! Why didn't you just send me back?"

The gods shook their heads. They knew they had made a huge mistake.