[Ding! Poverty Detected. Host is officially broke!]
[In this world, money isn't just wealth. It's life. Without money, dreams remain dreams. No one respects the poor. No one fears them. Power, freedom, love—they all bow before wealth.]
[A task has been triggered. Choose ONE option:]
1. Loan Shark – Receive $100,000 instantly.
Pay back $500,000 in 3 months. No exceptions.
> High risk. High pressure. Brutal punishment. Play with fire—burn or rise.
2. Sweat & Blood – Get $1 Million in startup capital. Multiply it 100x within 1 year. Return 90% to the System.
> Work hard, work smart. Or crumble trying.
3. Black Market Exchange – Receive $5 in cold cash, in exchange for 1 day of your lifespan.
> Small gain. Big cost. Some say a single day of life is worth a gold coin. But who's buying?
4. The Investment Lunatic – Gain access to $10 Billion in investment capital. Every cent must be invested. Your reward: $10,000.
> A true rich person spends with no leash. But they're not idiots either. With each of their extravagant spending, they secure their future. Show the world your might.
---
Li Tianyi froze, his eyes widened.
Wait… WHAT?!
The sudden notification along with System's voice hit him like thunder. It was overwhelming. So overwhelming that he jolted up as if he'd been electrocuted. The phone slipped from his hand and landed on the bed, unnoticed. All his attention was on the transparent screen before him.
The hell?! …Is this for real?
"…You've got to be kidding me."
He was just joking about winning the lottery a second ago—and now, this?
He blinked once. Twice.
Did I fall asleep again? Did I hit my head?
He stared blankly at the options, his mouth dry. He reread each one. Slower this time. Every word hit like a punch to the gut.
Loan shark? Three months to repay five times? That's not just debt—that's a damn death sentence.
A million dollars sounds nice… but turning it into a hundred million in a year? What am I, the next Jeff Bezos?! Or is this some secret Amazon-founder simulator? There's nothing like 'Sweat & Blood' in it. It's more like bloody hell.
And the Black Market one… $5 for 1 day? Who the hell trades years of their life just for some pocket change?! That's literally an open invitation to Grim-reaper. Are they selling kidneys too?
The last one—10 billion—sounds godly, but only ten grand for me? Am I a dog?! Kept to lick the leftover? Tsk.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the floating screen. His mood shifted from shock, to exasperation, then turned dark and ended with irritation.
"System… are you mocking me?"
[Host, I am incapable of jokes.]
"Ha, sure, sure. I didn't think that. It's my bad." He said sarcastically.
[Apologies accepted, Host. No need to belittle yourself, and besides poverty is not a laughing matter.]
The deadpan response only made him more annoyed.
"I literally said it'd be nice to win a lottery—*not* sell my soul to become the next financial victim in some interdimensional pyramid scheme!"
[Correction: This is not a scheme. It is a chance. A rare one, considering your... limited assets.]
"…Thanks for the insult, I guess."
His eyes flicked over each option again. Each one felt like an elaborate trap dressed in opportunity.
Option 1? High stakes. A lose-lose game unless he became an overnight genius.
Option 2? A cruel joke. He wasn't some startup prodigy—he studied accounting, not alchemy.
Option 3? Life for cash? What was he, a walking ATM with organs filled with unlimited lifespan?
Option 4? A ten billion dollars to invest and just ten thousand for himself? Was he an unpaid intern of the gods?
Then something flashed—
[Warning: Host's brain activity has spiked. Emotional distress detected. Calibrating emotional response level.]
"Hey, you're literally trolling me now. And don't go reading my thoughts!"
[Host, I'm your System. I *am* your thoughts, your fate. your only support.]
"That's creepy as hell."
[You're welcome.]
He rubbed his face, frustration simmering.
"System... are you mocking me? Has my situation really gotten so bad that I need to sell my life now?"
Irritated, he glared at the screen, his voice laced with sarcasm and disbelief.
[Host, I would never mock you. This is simply a way to assist you. As you've said yourself—nothing in this world comes for free. Every opportunity comes with its own… consequences.]
"Tch. Should've kept my mouth shut. Now my own damn system's parroting my words back at me like it's some smug AI philosopher. Wonderful."
He let out a bitter smirk, the frustration simmering beneath it.
"I can already see each option has strings attached... but humor me. What happens if I fail to complete the task on time? Do I fall ill? Get cursed? Or you gonna erase me from existence?"
He didn't rush to choose. Doubt lingered in his eyes as he weighed every possibility.
[No erasure. No dramatic punishment, Host. Just a small price.]
"What price?"
[A mere 15 years of your lifespan.]
He froze. "…Say that again?"
[15 years.]
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! FIFTEEN YEARS?! That's not a punishment. That's half a damn life! And you dare to say it's small?!"
His eyes widened. His mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for water.
"Am I some kind of candy factory now? You're asking for years of my life like my lifespan is some exquisite candy!"
He snapped back to his senses, panic now morphing into rage.
"And why do I get the creeping feeling you're trying to farm my lifespan like I'm a field of regret? Are you one of those cursed Systems that leech off their Hosts until there's nothing left but regret and bones?"
[Host, don't slander me like that. It's merely an appropriate cost for the reward. I even deliberately doubled the penalty to knock some sense into you. Imagine the shame if other Systems across the multiverse discovered your true nature and realized the type of Host I had bound with. What kind of reputation would I have left?]
That reply hit him like a slap made of pure ego and frustration. He stood there, silent, stunned—mouth halfway open, brain buffering.
[Host, to be honest, to a cultivator this amount of lifespan is insignificant. But considering your weak constitution… I can understand your reaction. For you, it's a decent chunk. Statistically speaking, it's only 18.7% if you live to 80, excluding margin of error.]
"You say that so casually… like it's pocket change! Do I look immortal to you?"
His breathing got irregular. The System's comments made him angry.
For a second, he genuinely considered deleting the system if there's a 'delete' button.
[If you'd like there's multiple investment path for that.]
"…Shut up."
He sat on the edge of the bed, hands gripping his hair.
"I feel like you're here to drain me, not help me."
He sighed, muttering.
'If this System were a girl sucking me off, I would've agreed for a sec there. But this damn system…'
[That's what I meant when I said if other Systems get to know about you. Such indecent thought for your own system, I doubt you will live past 50 with this toxic thoughts and unhealthy lifestyle.]
His expression darkened, storm clouds practically forming in his eyes.
'Shit… forgot I had a mind-leech.'
[Correction: Mind assistant, Host.]
He remained silent. There was a brief pause. Then the screen flickered again.
[So, Host. What is it gonna be? I advise you to see the complete descriptions before deciding your choice.]
He didn't say anything and checked the descriptions of each Option.
It was mostly about the price he would've to pay if he failed.
Option 1 penalized 2 years worth lifespan. Option 2 demands 5 years worth lifespan.
Option 3 didn't have punishment. It has a maximum limit of 15 years to trade.
Option 4 demands 10 years of life only if he failed to invest all the capital. And then there's a time limit of only 1 hour to invest that humongous amount.
"You really scared me there. You should've told me that."
[Where would be fun in that? So have you decided, Host?]
It was something that'll decide his future. So he hesitated which option to choose.
Let's be honest… he had nothing left to lose.
No savings. No job. No luxury, no true freedom—not even a damn decent phone. The money he'd lost wasn't even his. It was his dad's. Hard-earned. Sweat-soaked. Hours poured.
And he had thrown it all into the fire, chasing some half-baked dream of getting rich quick.
His fists clenched unconsciously. His jaw tightened.
This was his chance.
He couldn't cry over a thousand dollars lost when the System was offering madness like this. Because money ruled this world. No one listened to the poor. No dreams, no girls, no power, no respect—unless you could pay for it.
He closed his eyes for a second.
Fine. If this was a test... he'd play. But he wasn't doing it half-assed.
He opened his eyes, gaze locked on the screen, steadier now. The options burned into his retinas, wild and tempting.
Now…
Which option to choose?
Li Tianyi sat cross-legged on the bed, staring at the screen floating before his eyes like it was the gates of heaven... or maybe hell with a nice wallpaper.
He took a deep breath. "Screw it. I'm going full insanity."
"I choose Option Four. True Rich Mode."
[Are you sure?]
"Yes."
Tianyi sighed. "Alright, so how do I actually invest? I'm broke."
[Confirming selection… Ding! Host, you have been granted temporary access to $10 billion. Time remaining: 10… 9…]
"Wait, what do you—?!"
[Just kidding. That was for dramatic effect.]
"…You're seriously messing with me now, aren't you?"
[Unquestionably.]
[You have exactly 1 hour to invest. Even $1 left uninvested will result in a deduction of 10 years from your lifespan. Good luck.]
[Time remaining: 59 minutes 53 seconds.]
Tianyi exhaled sharply. "Alright. So how do I actually invest?"
[Use your brain, idiot. Honestly, how did I get the dumb Host?]
"You!" Tianyi twitched, nearly falling off the bed. But he composed himself. "I know that. I mean—how do I access the money? Are you transferring it to my bank?"
[Only if you want a lifetime membership to Federal Prison.]
"…What?"
[Use. Your. Brain. What do you think happens when $10 billion suddenly lands in your personal account?]
"…It causes a ruckus?" he mumbled, uncertain.
[Authorities. Sirens. Questioning. Possibly probing. Do you want that?]
He started sweating. The System was right.
If $10 billion suddenly appeared out of nowhere, he'd be cooked. Charred. Deep-fried.
"I don't need it in my account," he muttered, trying to slow his heart rate. "So… how do I invest then?"
[No need to worry about that. The System's already got it covered. It's not like you can just walk outside and buy a skyscraper. Just use your phone to invest in stocks—it's the simplest option. When it's time to pay, the System will route it from the System fund.]
"Oh. Thanks. You scared the crap out of me."
He sighed in relief, grabbed his phone from the bed, and opened the investment app he used before for the $1000 investment. His eyes scanned the screen like his life depended on it—because, well, it did.
For ten minutes, he scrolled. Tapped. Panicked. None of it made sense. It was like trying to find treasure using IKEA instructions.
Long Inv? High Risk? Dividends? Shares?
It all looked like a bunch of colorful marbles—fancy, shiny, and incomprehensible. He'd technically invested before, but that was a past version of him, probably braver (or dumber).
"Uhh… System? I don't know what I'm looking at, can you help me out here?" he mumbled, scratching his head.
[Didn't you already invest $1000? What's the issue now?]
"I can't just dump that kind of money blindly! I need to be smart about this," he argued. "That $1000 investment wasn't even me. That was my previous self, and we both know how that went. So stop interrogating me and help."
[Fine. Just pick high-return stocks. Those are your best bet.]
He went back to scrolling, squinting at numbers like they might bite him.
Ten more minutes passed. Nothing stood out. He stared at the screen, desperation mounting.
"System, seriously—please recommend something. I'm getting nowhere."
[Fine. I don't want you dying this soon anyway. I can provide the top three high-return investment options.]
"Oh, thank God."
[But…]