The next morning, Maluck lay sprawled across his luxury hotel bed, sinking into plush pillows that didn’t feel like bricks for once in his life.
The sheets were soft. The room was silent. The air conditioning was at the perfect temperature.
This… was heaven. Could he stay here forever? Not just in Calgary, or this hotel, literally the bed.
For the first time in as long as he could remember, he hadn’t woken up to something going wrong.
No cold coffee. No expired food. No sudden, unexplained bruises.
Just pure, uninterrupted comfort.
He stretched, sighed in satisfaction, and opened up the System Store.
His Luck Points total?
130 LP.
“…Not bad.”
His eyes flicked to the room service menu on the nightstand.
He had free breakfast included, but… did he deserve breakfast in bed today?
A devilish grin spread across his face.
Yeah. Yeah, he did.
He tapped the screen to browse the System Store while waiting for the most glorious morning meal of his life.
New System Store Items Unlocked!
Maluck scrolled through the newly refreshed System Store and nearly spit out his drink. The items were insane.
?(150 LP) Horseshoe of Serendipity – Walking under it grants an immediate, unexpected stroke of luck. Must be recharged by hanging it up.
?(250 LP) The Ever-Finding Key – Unlocks any lock, including metaphorical ones like “locked potential.”
?(500 LP) Infinity Clover – A four-leaf clover that never wilts. Holding it makes every situation end in your favor.
Maluck’s eyes practically glowed.
“…That last one sounds straight-up broken.”
He double checked his Luck Points.
130 LP.
“…Well, shit.”
He couldn’t even afford the cheapest one.
Maluck groaned, rubbing his temples.
“Alright, alright, no big deal. I’ll just save up. Unless…”
His mind clicked.
Didn’t he still have some Lucky Spins?
[System Response] You have 3 Lucky Spins remaining. Are you certain you wish to use them now? Moderation in all things, even luck, is a virtue.
Maluck grinned.
“Hell. Yes.”
Maybe, just maybe, he could win something crazy and skip the saving part altogether.
He tapped “Activate Lucky Spin” and watched the prize wheel appear in front of him, spinning wildly.
Time to see if his luck was truly on his side.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
***
Maluck watched as the wheel spun, his anticipation rising.
The first spin slowed to a stop…
“Sorry. Try again.”
“Oh, come on.”
The second spin landed on 10 Luck Points.
“Alright, not terrible, but I need something big here.”
The third and final spin clicked into place.
A new item appeared in his inventory.
[New Item Acquired]
The Appraiser’s Lens – A device that spots hidden value and potential in objects, investments… and even people.
Maluck blinked at the description.
“…Wait. That actually sounds kinda OP.”
He immediately pulled up the details.
It looked like a sleek, high-tech monocle, like something a cyberpunk auctioneer would wear.
It wasn’t just for physical objects either—it could detect undervalued assets, overlooked opportunities, and even talents in people they didn’t know they had.
“Holy shit.”
Forget gambling—this could make him rich.
Maluck grinned, feeling the weight of his new acquisition.
Maybe he couldn’t afford those fancy System Store items yet…
But with this?
He’d get there a whole lot faster.
***
Time to see what he could spend some LP on.
His current numbers:
?Luck Points: 140
?Bad Luck Points: 52
?Luck Level: 1 (70/100)
His luck description?
Kinda Unlucky – You step in a puddle right as you leave home, but at least it’s just water. Probably.
Maluck stared at that last part.
“Probably?”
That wasn’t the kind of luck he wanted.
He was still thirty points away from leveling up, but he had more than enough LP to hit 100.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
He mentally hovered over “Upgrade Luck Level”, anticipating a life where stepping in puddles didn’t immediately send a shiver of dread down his spine.
Maybe Level 2 would finally be where things stopped screwing him over.
Maybe random misfortunes would start skipping him.
Maybe, just maybe—
KNOCK
KNOCK
“Room service.”
His luxury breakfast had arrived.
Maluck glanced at his System, then at the door.
Luck upgrade… or steak and pancakes?
The choice was obvious.
He mentally snapped the screen shut mentally, bolted to the door, and welcomed his morning feast like a man greeting a long-lost lover.
He practically sprung out of bed, throwing aside his System screen like it was yesterday’s news, and opened the door.
A waiter in a crisp uniform stood there, pushing in a cart loaded with what could only be described as morning perfection.
With a polite nod, the waiter set the tray on the table and left, leaving Maluck alone with a meal fit for a king.
The steak was perfectly seared, dripping with butter, and sliced like a dream. The scrambled eggs were fluffy, the hash browns golden and crispy, and the toast actually looked like it belonged in a bakery, not a sad, plastic-wrapped grocery bag.
The pancakes were stacked high, each layer dripping with real maple syrup, topped with fresh whipped cream and a handful of wild berries. Yes maple syrup, not maple flavoured syrup. This was the real deal.
The coffee smelled like pure ambition, rich and velvety, served in a sleek cup with an artistic swirl of foam on top.
The orange juice was freshly squeezed, none of that carton crap, and ice cold with the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.
Then there was the bacon and sausage.
Thick-cut, crispy bacon that had just the right amount of crunch. And again this was bacon, not back bacon, or what annoying Americans called Canadian Bacon.
Sitting there merrily waiting to be eaten were also two juicy, maple-infused sausage links that smelled so good it was practically illegal.
And just when he thought it couldn’t get any better—a pastry basket. This was a surprise thank you gift? Wow.
A flaky croissant, a chocolate-filled Danish, and a buttered scone, because apparently, when you order breakfast at a luxury hotel, they flex on you just a little.
Maluck stared at it all, momentarily speechless.
This… this was what winning felt like.
He grabbed his fork and sliced into the steak, taking a bite.
Holy. Shit.
Soft, juicy, perfectly seasoned. If this had been served to medieval kings, entire wars would’ve been fought over it.
The pancakes melted in his mouth, the syrup just the right amount of sweet without being overpowering.
The coffee hit his soul like a divine blessing.
This was better than any casino win.
For once, nothing was going wrong.
No spilled drinks. No expired food. No bullshit.
Just luxury.
He sat back, fork in hand, soaking it all in.
His first truly perfect morning.
And once he finished?
Time to level up that Luck.
Yeah, that definitely needed an upgrade.
He had enough Luck Points to push it past 100.
‘What happens when I hit Level 2?
Would the universe finally stop treating him like its personal chew toy?
Would stepping in a puddle guarantee that it was just water?
Would he finally experience effortless, breezy luck’
Maluck grinned like a madman as he eyed the “Upgrade Luck Level” button.
This was it.
The moment where he stopped being “Kinda Unlucky” and stepped into the world of people who didn’t have to triple-check their pockets for their keys every time they left a room.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself like he was about to launch a missile.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
With a dramatic flair, he slammed the button. The screen flashed. A low hum filled the air.
And then—
Everything on the System screen began shifting. New text, new numbers, new possibilities. Maluck leaned in, eyes wide, heart pounding.
“Oh shit. Oh shit. What’s it gonna be?”
His fate was being rewritten before his eyes. And whatever came next?
It could change everything.
Atlas Back to the Present is a story about a guy who got sent back in time, two years before the portals that sucked people into the post apocalyptic wasteland occurred.
I wrote it as someone who loves regressor novels, but I hadn’t found anything that really focused on the regression itself if somebody knew portals were coming.
Like, how could he spread the knowledge of the portals without seeming like a total nutcase and getting locked in a padded room?
How would he improve himself to become better? How could he prepare?
Set in modern times in book one, Atlas has a goal of forming a kick-ass team to help him in the wasteland when it opens.
Currently there are 4 books on KU with book 5 in editing.
Book 1
