Chapter 1Rebirth In Hardcore Mode I Want A Happier Life

I've been reborn in Hardcore Mode.

My mom, Lisa Riley, is a high school dropout obsessed with romance; she doesn’t even feed me because she's busy posting online about her “man behind bars.”

Then there’s my uncle, Kyle Riley, who acts all spiritual but bought a fake beaded bracelet from the dollar store to pass himself off as a "Social Media Circle guru.”

The system gave me eight lives. I was thrilled, cheering like a mad baby, only to get tossed into the toilet the next second.

What? No one told me survival would be this hard!

* * *

My name is Avery Wayne, and I'm a baby about to be born.

The system told me I was a terrible person in my last life, so it reincarnated me in "Hardcore Mode." This would force me to understand the cruelty of human life; if I managed to survive until 18, I'd be reborn with a cushy life as a rich, only child next time around.

As a consolation, I was given nine lives.

Overjoyed, I laughed out loud, only to choke on secondhand smoke as soon as I peeked out.

“Get ready; he’s almost here!”

A girl with cigarette dangling from her mouth and bangs covering her eyes grabbed me without hesitation.

“Gosh, hurry up with the baby already! We’re all waiting for you to get out here and sing.”

I glanced around to find myself in a Karaoke Lounge bathroom. Lisa Riley grabbed a napkin, wiped her thigh carelessly, and was about to head out when another girl stopped her.

“You’re just gonna leave him here? What about the kid?”

Lisa paused, just as someone yelled from outside, “Hey, who ordered the ‘Rose Funeral’ song?”

Lisa’s eyes sparkled, and she immediately waved her hand.

“I’m going to sing, so just toss him in the toilet.”

“...?”

Before I could process it, I was swamped by a foul odor and spun around, disoriented.

The system chimed in, “Game Over.” One life gone, just like that.

Excuse me? Nobody said surviving would be this hard!