Harem Stealer: Reborn with the God-Tier Sharing System Chapter 1 1: The Beginning After The End

"W-what?"

Brandon’s voice wavered, cracking under the strain.

"You heard what I said." Emmie’s reply was sharp and filled with impatience. "I’m done with us. I’ve found someone better—a real man. Someone capable of taking care of me and providing everything I desire."

Her words struck him with the force of a sledgehammer, but she wasn't finished yet.

"Not some weakling like you, wasting your life away in a pathetic restaurant."

Brandon’s grip tightened around his phone. His breathing became shallow and erratic. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a nightmare.

"Don’t bother calling me again," Emmie added, her voice cold and final. "Actually, it doesn't matter. I’m blocking you right now."

Tinnt!

The line went dead. Just like that, it was over.

Brandon stood there paralyzed, staring blankly at the dark screen. His mind was a void, and his heart… it was shattered into pieces.

The waves crashed rhythmically against the shoreline, the air heavy with the scent of salt. This setting should have been romantic; this night was supposed to be the pinnacle of his happiness.

His right hand shook as he looked down at his palm. Resting there was a small box—red and gold, exquisitely crafted and elegant. Within it, a ring sparkled under the pale moonlight.

He had spent five long years saving every penny for that ring.

For her.

For the woman who had been his pillar of strength after his mother passed away. The one who had dragged him out of his darkest moments.

Was it love? Perhaps. Or was it merely a desperate dependence?

A bitter laugh escaped Brandon’s throat as his chest tightened. He looked around at the scene he had meticulously prepared—the soft glow of candlelight and the flower petals scattered across the sand. He had put so much effort into making everything perfect.

It was all for nothing.

"I can't believe she just walked away like that..."

His voice was barely audible, a faint whisper swallowed by the ocean breeze.

"Was I just a game to her this whole time?"

Something deep inside him finally snapped.

Without a second thought, his fingers clamped shut around the ring box. With a primal roar of fury, he flung it deep into the ocean.

Fshhh!

A moment passed. Then another.

Suddenly, his stomach plummeted.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait—MY MONEY!"

Panic surged through him as the reality of his actions hit.

"What the hell is wrong with me?!"

Kicking off his shoes, he bolted toward the water without hesitation. He wasn't about to lose five years of hard-earned savings and his girlfriend on the exact same night.

The waves were relentless and wild, roaring with power. But Brandon didn't falter. He dove in, the icy water stinging his skin as he fought his way forward. His eyes scanned the surface frantically, hunting for the box.

There—it was bobbing further out into the deep.

He swam with everything he had, his arms slicing through the swells as desperation fueled his movements.

"Get back here, you stupid—"

A massive wall of water slammed into him.

The impact was brutal, hitting him like a solid brick wall. Saltwater flooded his mouth, his throat, and his lungs. He thrashed his limbs wildly, but the ocean’s strength was overwhelming.

He began to sink.

Deeper and deeper.

The crushing pressure surrounded him, and his vision started to fade into darkness.

"No. No, no, no."

He fought to stay afloat, but his body felt as heavy as lead. Every frantic movement exhausted the tiny bit of oxygen remaining in his system.

His lungs burned, screaming for air.

"Damn it! If it wasn't for Emmie, I wouldn't be in this mess! If it wasn't for my own idiocy—!"

His thoughts became sluggish. His will to fight began to drain away.

Fine.

I give up. There’s nobody waiting for me anyway.

His body went limp as his consciousness began to slip into the void.

Then—

CRACK.

His head collided with something hard.

A rock.

It began to pulse—no, it was glowing.

A sudden, brilliant light of otherworldly origin erupted from the stone, lighting up the dark depths. Brandon barely had a moment to comprehend it before everything—his agony, his thoughts, his very being—ceased to exist.

He died.

⸻

Brandon’s consciousness flickered back to life in a void. A vast, infinite expanse of nothingness.

He felt weightless. Different. He had no body—only a shimmering wisp of energy drifting in the abyss.

"Wait… where am I?"

A mechanical chime rang out around him, followed by a cold, emotionless female voice.

[System Activated.]

[You have received the Sovereign Bond System.]

[You Have Died.]

Brandon froze in shock.

[You Will Be Reborn Into a New World.]

"Reborn? What?!"

The voice continued, completely indifferent to his confusion.

[Analyzing Host's Memories…]

[Searching for a Suitable World…]

[Scanning Novels the Host Has Read…]

"Wait, hold on! You're moving too fast!"

Then, a final alert appeared:

[Ding! The World of Laeh Has Been Chosen.]

Brandon’s nonexistent heart skipped a beat.

"Oh. My. Lord."

[Host, Brace Yourself. You Are Being Reborn.]

Before Brandon could even begin to process the situation, the darkness swallowed him whole once more.

…What the flying fuck is going on?!

—End of chapter 1—