Xu Lan stared at the floating quest window, blinking against the blue glow.
Quest: Sell any item for 10× its original value within 24 hours.
Reward: ¥10,000 seed capital
Failure Penalty: -30 System Trust Points
(System trust below 0 will result in host termination)
"This isn't real..." he muttered. "It's a prank. A hallucination. Maybe I've finally snapped."
He turned away, rubbing his face. But then—
[Do not ignore the system. Countdown begins now.]
[Time Remaining: 23:59:59]
Before he could react, a sharp buzz jolted through his spine—like sticking a fork in a socket.
"Damn it!" Xu Lan yelped, staggering into the alley wall. His heart thudded wildly.
Okay. Not hallucinating .
---
Back in his crumbling apartment, Xu Lan flipped open drawers and tore through boxes with frantic energy.
"Something—anything... what can I sell?"
He paused at a small metal box.
Inside were two antique coins—dusty, copper, marked with faded inscriptions.
One was from his grandfather. A keepsake. A memory from a better time.
He stared at it for a moment… then gently set it aside.
The second coin was different—he barely remembered where it came from. It was a little strange, a bit exotic-looking, and completely forgettable.
Probably worthless.
Perfect.
He held it up to the light. Weathered. Mysterious. It didn't have to be valuable. It just had to look the part.
---
Two hours later, he stood in a dingy pawn shop near the night market.
The air reeked of cigarette smoke and mold. The owner, a short man with thick glasses and stained fingers, peered at the coin.
"Where'd you get this?"
"Family inheritance," Xu Lan said calmly. "It's a rare merchant coin—pre-colonial Southeast Asia. Traders used them in border towns before silver backed the currency. I research up in it once."
That part was technically true—he had research up on some coin once. This just wasn't it.
"Looks old," the man muttered. "How much you asking?"
¥1,000. Firm."
The man raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"I had it appraised. Could go for ¥2,000 online—easy. But I'm offering it to you first. Fast deal, no paperwork."
Xu Lan forced a confident smile.
There was a long pause. The shopkeeper scratched his head.
Then, finally, he opened the till and slowly counted out ten ¥100 notes .
Xu Lan accepted them with sweaty palms, bowing slightly. "Appreciate it."
He stepped outside, heart pounding—partially from adrenaline, partially from guilt.
He'd lied. Hyped up a scrap coin and sold it as treasure.
But before he could reflect too much, his phone buzzed.
[Quest Complete.]
Reward: ¥10,000 successfully deposited into host's linked bank account.]
His eyes widened. He opened his mobile banking app in disbelief.
Balance: ¥38.65 → ¥10,038.65
"No. Freaking. Way."
He leaned against a lamppost, staring at the number. It wasn't a game. The system had really wired ten grand into his real account.
[Trait Unlocked: Bold Hustler I – Slight bonus when profiting from pressured deals.]
Xu Lan chuckled softly. "I just ran a scam, didn't I?"
He looked at the ¥1,000 in hand, then at the bank app again.
Part of him felt proud.
The other part... deeply uneasy.
If the system rewards real money—what happens when I fail?
His phone vibrated again.
[New Quest Available: Outsell a professional vendor in a real-world transaction.]
Time Limit: 12 hours
Reward: Skill Unlock – "Negotiation (Lv. 1)"
Penalty: -10 System Trust
Accept Quest?
`[YES]` | `[NO]`
Xu Lan stared at the glowing prompt, then slowly tapped [YES].