I Gave Them Glory, Now I Take It Back

After completing my system mission, I give up the massive reward and choose to stay in this world because I have a happy, loving family. My sister, Naomi Sullivan, is a world-renowned genius scientist, and every one of her discoveries bears my name. My mother, Gloria Lynch, heads a financial empire that controls the global economy, and she transfers every share she owns into my name. And my father, Arnold Sullivan, is an action star. He's a legendary screen icon, but he retires to watch me grow up. I'm the golden child everyone envies until Daniel Sullivan, their biological son, shows up at our door. Overnight, their love for me vanishes, and I become the outsider who stole the rightful heir's place in the family. Daniel stages a fall down the stairs, and Dad breaks my ribs to make me pay. I take a single bite of Daniel's leftover cake because I'm starving, but Mom locks me in the basement with an attack dog for three days. Then, she has a gold cake made just to cheer him up. All it takes is one offhand complaint that his chest feels tight, and Naomi removes my heart to give it to him, replacing it with an artificial one. "It's just a heart. You're strong enough to handle it. Daniel needs it more than you do." Naomi stands nearby with a tablet in hand, coldly logging the results. "Don't worry. Artificial heart technology is already well established. The survival rate is excellent in theory. You won't die." After my soul leaves my body, I watch Daniel casually toss my heart into the trash. Then, the long-silent system finally awakens. "Clifford, would you like to take back everything you bestowed upon them in exchange for a chance to be revived? This includes your mother's fortune, your father's extraordinary physical gifts, and your sister's incredible mind." Chapter 1 Agony ripped through me as death closed in. Still, I gritted my teeth and answered affirmatively in my head. [Selection confirmed. Return protocol initiated. 72-hour countdown.] [Violation detected: Unauthorized extended presence in this world. Additional return conditions activated.] [Within 72 hours, you must obtain the following: Your father performing a demonstration of his combat technique for you once, your mother spending a sum of money on you, and your sister naming a scientific experiment after you.] The artificial heart sparked a violent rejection response, and my chest felt like it was filled with molten iron. Step by step, I dragged my broken body home. The Sullivan family was holding a lavish welcome-home party for Daniel Sullivan. When I appeared in the doorway in a bloodstained hospital gown, I instantly became the center of attention. The second Dad saw me, his composed expression darkened. "Clifford Sullivan!" he barked. "It was just a minor surgery. Daniel had a procedure, and he's already at the party, chatting and laughing as if nothing happened. You're a grown man. Stop acting like you're on your deathbed!" I stared at him and pressed my pale lips into a thin line. Back then, Dad had been nothing more than a background stuntman in a theater. He trained until he had broken nearly every bone, only to spend his days as a human punching bag in the corner of the stage. I had sacrificed my own coordination and natural athletic instincts. From that moment on, I became so hopelessly uncoordinated that I could barely run without tripping over my own feet. In exchange, Dad gained a once-in-a-lifetime combat talent that carried him to the peak of the fighting world. He had gone undefeated, winning championship after championship. However, at the peak of his career, he had retired to devote himself entirely to training me. Maybe it was my unwavering stare that finally made him relent. His tone softened slightly as he said, "Clifford, stop competing with Daniel. "He's been out there alone for years and suffered more than you can imagine. As long as you behave, we will take care of you for the rest of your life." I forced myself to stay upright and spoke in a low, hoarse voice. "I won't compete with him anymore. Dad… could you demonstrate one last combat technique for me?" As soon as the words left my mouth, Daniel walked over with a glass of red wine in his hand. "Come on, Cliff. Isn't that a little selfish? Dad's combat techniques aren't yours to keep. They're something the whole world gets to see," he commented, his voice dripping with sarcasm. I let out a cold laugh and held his stare. "But he promised me that he'd quit fighting to train me." Tears immediately filled Daniel's eyes as he turned to Dad. "Dad, I grew up without a father. Even seeing you perform in person was something I could only dream about," he said, his voice shaking. He added, "Clifford had you all to himself for so many years. Why is he still trying to take this from me?" All at once, Dad's anger flared. He snapped, "You think you're in any position to make demands? Clifford, I've spoiled you rotten. You want me to demonstrate, huh? Fine." Then, ignoring the fact that I had just undergone surgery, he seized my shoulder and hauled me onto the stage in the center of the reception hall. "Since you're so eager to watch, be my sparring partner. I'll make sure you see everything up close!" The drums thundered to life as Dad unleashed the Iron Fist, the brutal technique that had made him famous. In the next instant, he spun and kicked me. I couldn't dodge, and blood gushed from my mouth and nose. At the same time, the stitches across my chest gave way. Another takedown followed. Dad's fist crashed into my ribs, and I heard the sharp crack of bones. Chapter 2 I had to complete the task. So, I gritted my teeth and endured everything in silence. At last, Dad's kick sent me flying several yards. He looked down at me coldly and spat, "That's all you can take? And you think you're ready to learn how to fight? Fine. Then you can be my training dummy." With that, he went to work on my back and limbs, wrenching every joint with practiced precision. The agony was so intense that I broke out in a cold sweat, blood soaking into the carpet beneath me. I heard my joints pop out of place as the guests erupted into gasps and applause. "No wonder he's a legend! Every move is perfect! He doesn't miss even when it's a real person!" one exclaimed. When the demonstration finally ended, I lay in a pool of my own blood, and my vision blurred. Above me, Dad straightened his clothes, nudged my face with the tip of his shoe, then said coldly, "Remember this. Don't ever think you can compete with Daniel for our affection. You're not worthy!" At the same time, the system's notification echoed in my head. [Condition one complete. Recovering father's gift for combat.] Mom, on the other hand, had just wrapped up an international conference. As soon as she pushed through the door and saw me drenched in blood, she frowned. "What happened here? Look at this mess!" With the last of my strength, I forced the words out. "Mom… save me. Just pay to get me to a hospital." Before I'd chosen to stay in this world, Mom had been a struggling laborer. She'd worked construction, hauled bricks, and had even sold her blood on the black market to make ends meet. She had endured every hardship imaginable. Her hands, rough and calloused, were proof that she had done everything to keep our family afloat. I couldn't bear to watch her work herself to the bone. Thus, I sacrificed the fate that would have made me rich and traded it for her fortune instead. I had condemned myself to a lifetime without wealth so she could build a business empire of unimaginable riches. Later, believing I was simply bad with money, Mom transferred every share she owned into my name without a second thought. But of course, those assets had long since ended up in Daniel's hands. The instant Daniel heard what I said, he put on a worried look. "Mom, I know money isn't an issue for us, but Clifford really needs to stop spending money like there's no tomorrow. I heard he's racked up a huge gambling debt." I glared at him before turning back to Mom. "I never gambled. Look at me, Mom... I'm injured all over. Just give me enough money to get to the hospital." Hesitation flashed across her face. But Daniel shrank behind her, feigning terror. "Clifford… the way you're looking at me is scary. You know I grew up poor. I used to have to make every dollar last." As he spoke, tears streamed down his cheeks. Mom instinctively shielded him. "Don't cry, Dan. You're the true heir to the Sullivan name. Everything I make is yours, and no one will ever take it from you." Daniel immediately broke into a smile. Then, he pointed at me in disgust. "But Mom, Clifford stinks. He reeks of blood! He's dirtied the place, and now he's ruined the evening." The moment he showed the slightest displeasure, Mom—the powerful businesswoman—sprang into action. "Don't be upset. If he's dirty, I'll have him cleaned up." Having said that, she snapped her fingers and several workers in hazmat suits carried in a massive industrial cleaning tank. Then, barrel after barrel of highly concentrated industrial cleaning solution was brought in, each one worth a fortune. At last, a decontamination crew marched in, armed with pressure washers and wire brushes. Eager to curry favor with the world's richest woman, the guests erupted into thunderous applause. Two bodyguards tossed me into the chemical-filled tank, as if I were trash. "Mom! Are you really going to do this to me?" I bellowed. "You once shut down an entire hospital just because I nicked my finger!" Chapter 3 Mom looked at me, impatience flickering in her eyes. "Clifford, I've spoiled you rotten," she said coldly. "What Daniel went through out there was so much worse than this. This doesn't even come close to what you owe him. "Don't worry. I told them to use the most expensive cleaning solution available. You won't die." As soon as Mom finished speaking, the workers closed in on me. They then scrubbed my open wounds with heavy-duty wire brushes used to clean industrial boilers. The corrosive solution seeped into every wound, and it felt as though a thousand knives were cutting through my nerves. Layer after layer of skin was scraped away, exposing the bright red muscle beneath before the chemicals bleached it white. The pain drove me to the brink of unconsciousness. But every time I started to black out, the workers blasted me awake with pressure washers. That million-dollar cleaning bill had truly been spent on one thing alone—torturing me. Nearby, Mom wrapped an arm around Daniel and pointed toward me as I writhed in the tank. "See, Dan? Worth every penny, right? He's much cleaner now," she said, a satisfied smile touching her lips. Daniel clapped his hands, all smiles and menace. The icy liquid swallowed me whole. My artificial heart strained under the stress, its steady whir giving way to a harsh wheeze like a broken bellows. I desperately reached for the edge of the tank, only for a polished shoe to stomp down on my hand. Just as I thought I was about to die, the system's voice echoed in my head once more. [Condition two complete. Recovering mother's wealth.] A split second before my artificial heart sounded its final shrill alarm and shut down for good, someone wearing sterile gloves hauled me out of the tank. It was my sister, Naomi Sullivan. For a moment, I thought maybe she still cared about me. But she merely adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, glanced at the portable monitor attached to me, and said coolly, "Chemical exposure tolerance test. "The artificial heart's shutdown threshold was 17.3% lower than I predicted. What a defective piece of work." My skin was raw and peeling, yet I gritted my teeth and forced myself to speak. I had one final task to complete, after all. "N-Naomi… conduct an experiment and name it after me." She scoffed. "I only pulled you out because of who you used to be to me, Clifford. And now you think you get to take the credit and have the experiment named after you instead of Daniel? Have you lost your mind?" Naomi was so rational that she seemed almost inhuman. As I looked at her, my thoughts drifted back. She had once been an ordinary little girl who couldn't even memorize her multiplication tables. She cried over her homework every day, but no matter what, people still called her a blockhead. I couldn't bear watching the sister who had always protected me suffer like that. Thus, I sacrificed my own brainpower, leaving me dull and painfully ordinary. I became nothing more than a handsome fool in everyone's eyes. In return, Naomi gained the brilliant mind that would one day be hailed as humanity's greatest gift. She used to spoil me rotten. Every major breakthrough she made bore my name. And whoever objected, she'd cut their funding. But now, her eyes remained fixed on the data streaming from my artificial heart. Just then, Daniel came running over, cradling an expensive robotic dog. He looked utterly miserable as he whined, "Naomi, my puppy stopped working. Its battery died. This is a limited-edition military-grade model. The battery is custom-made, and they stopped making it years ago." "You're a brilliant scientist. You'll figure something out, right?" he asked while tugging at the sleeve of Naomi's lab coat. Naomi's gaze settled on the freshly torn scar across my chest. Then, she said, "I remember now. Clifford's heart runs on a micro nuclear battery. Its energy density is exceptionally high. It should be a perfect match." Chapter 4 Realizing what Naomi was about to do, I grabbed the edge of the operating table and yelled, "Naomi! I'll die without that battery!" However, she ignored my struggle and ordered her assistants to strap me down on a wheeled operating table beside her. "What are you yelling for? Don't you trust my abilities? I'm just removing a battery. You're not going to die." After that, Naomi turned to Daniel. Her voice was unusually gentle as she said, "Hang on, Dan. Once I take out the battery powering his heart, your robotic dog will be able to stay with you forever." There was no anesthesia or disinfectant. Naomi simply sliced open my bloodied chest with a laser scalpel. Cold metal pressed against my lungs while mechanical arms probed and searched inside my chest. "Target located!" Naomi's voice carried the unmistakable excitement of a scientist on the verge of a breakthrough. Then, she ripped it free. In that instant, it felt as though every drop of blood in my body had frozen. As the glowing battery left my chest, I felt my life draining out with it. With practiced precision, Naomi rerouted the battery's connections and installed it in Daniel's robotic dog. In an instant, the dog's eyes blazed red, and its mechanical tail wagged furiously. "Wow! Naomi, you're incredible!" Daniel exclaimed as he hugged and kissed the dog. Tilting his head, he suggested with undisguised malice, "Naomi, we should give this great experiment a name. How about 'The Human Trash Recycling Project'?" She smiled fondly and nodded in agreement. On the experiment report, under "Project Name", she wrote "Clifford Sullivan's Human Trash Recycling Experiment" in her neat handwriting. After all these years, she'd finally named another experiment after me. At that moment, my lungs stopped expanding. Then, my arms and legs slowly grew cold and stiff. Yet, my mind remained unnervingly clear, making every moment of my death feel unbearably vivid. Dad, Mom, Naomi, and Daniel stood together like one happy family. They gathered around my body as they happily discussed the robotic dog's performance. Even at that point, Naomi calmly continued recording data from the equipment. "Once we've collected all the data, I'll revive him." In the final second before my consciousness faded, I gathered the last of my strength and thought, "I won't be coming back this time." Then, the system's alert chimed urgently. [Condition three completed. Reclaiming sister's intellect.] [All return conditions satisfied. Full recovery protocol initiated.]