The park had grown quiet again — too quiet.
The streetlights hummed softly above, their pale glow flickering over damp pavement and scattered leaves. The wind rustled through the trees, carrying the faint scent of rain and earth.
Ethan stared at the woman in front of him, her body trembling as she tried to catch her breath. Her clothes were wrinkled, and streaks of dirt clung to her sleeves. Under the faint light, he could see the bruises — dark marks along her wrist and one fading across her cheek.
Her eyes were red, shining with tears that refused to stop.
He stepped closer, his voice low but steady.
"Hey, are you okay?"
She looked up at him — and in her gaze, fear and desperation twisted together. "I… I didn't know where else to go…"
Before he could ask more, the system chimed softly in his vision.
[Mission Alert – Generated Automatically]
Type: Unknown (???)
Objective: Protect the Target
Time Limit: None
Reward:
1 Helper Card
Double Reward Card
10 System Points
$500,000
1 Rare Consumable (Boosts Attributes)
Ethan blinked. "A mission…?"
He hadn't triggered anything consciously. The system had responded to her — as if recognizing her danger before he did.
He glanced back at the woman. She was still shaking, eyes darting toward the park's entrance every few seconds.
"What happened?" Ethan asked quietly. "Who did this to you?"
Before she could answer, her expression changed — panic tightening her face.
"They found me…" she whispered.
Ethan turned.
Two men had just stepped into the park. Both wore dark coats that blended with the shadows, their movements sharp and precise. Not ordinary thugs — the way they scanned the area, the way their hands stayed near their sides, told him everything. They were trained.
Their eyes found her instantly. One of them spoke in a cold, even tone.
"There you are. You made this harder than it needed to be."
The woman flinched behind Ethan, clutching his arm. Her voice trembled. "Please… please don't let them take me."
Ethan moved slightly, positioning himself between her and the two men.
The taller one frowned. "This doesn't concern you, kid. Hand her over, and we'll leave peacefully."
Ethan didn't move. "She's under my protection now."
That single sentence hung in the air, heavier than it should have been.
For a heartbeat, everything froze — and then the system flickered again.
[System Error]
Error: Active Mission Detected While Another Is Processing.
Version Limitation: Money Deck System v1.0 cannot execute two simultaneous missions.
System Recalibration in Progress…
Recalibration Successful.
Secondary Mission Queued – Active after Current Mission Completion.
Ethan frowned. "Recalibration…?"
The next window appeared immediately after:
[New Mission Generated – Pending Activation]
Mission Type: ♣ Club of 6
Objective: Repair and reopen the restaurant owned by the system (Seth's Kitchen).
Time Limit: 7 Days
Reward: 20 System Points
2 Rare Consumables
1 Rare Draw Card
$50,000
Ethan exhaled slowly, realizing what it meant.
So the system could assign multiple missions — it just couldn't run them together. Everything had to be queued one after another because the version was still incomplete.
"Guess I'll have to fix that later," he muttered under his breath.
He glanced again at the mission details. Seth's Kitchen.
That restaurant had appeared in his inventory weeks ago as a system gift — a clean, old-style place with a quiet charm. He'd thought about giving it to his mother, letting her start a small business there, maybe a new life away from endless night shifts.
But between casinos, missions, and chaos, he'd never found the time.
Now it was his next task.
The irony stung a little.
Still, there was no time to think about it. The mission window dimmed as the first one — Protect the Target — came into focus again.
He checked his stats, just to be sure.
[Money Deck System – Status Interface]
Host: Ethan Iver
Balance: $6,000,000
System Points: 25
Card Draws Available: 6
Exchange Rate: 1 SP = $100,000
System Cards:
♣ Clubs – Grind for Strength
♦ Diamonds – Earn Real Money
♥ Hearts – Locked
♠ Spades – Locked
Attributes:
Strength – 7
Agility – 7
Endurance – 7
Intelligence – 3
Perception – 3
Active Missions:
Protect the Target
Pending Missions:
Club of 6 – Repair Seth's Kitchen
System Upgrade: Version 2.0 Requires 100 System Points
He stared at the floating text, letting the numbers sink in.
He wasn't weak anymore. He'd trained, leveled up, pushed his body through hours of system workouts. His strength and agility were now at levels that no ordinary person could match.
Still, these men were different — disciplined, confident. The kind of people who didn't hesitate.
Ethan swallowed hard, feeling the tension coil in his chest.
His heartbeat slowed — not out of fear, but focus.
He turned slightly, shielding the woman behind him. "Stay close to me," he said quietly.
The taller man stepped forward, his boots crunching softly on the gravel path.
"I'll say it again," he said in that same calm, dangerous tone. "Hand the girl over. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."
Ethan didn't reply. His gaze was sharp now, steady.
He thought briefly of his mother, still working herself to exhaustion; of Anna, smiling despite everything; of Lena, who had risked everything to protect him; of Mary, warning him that powerful people had started to notice his name.
Maybe this was what she meant. Maybe the moment you start climbing out of the pit, the world sends someone to shove you back in.
But he wasn't going to fall this time.
Not now.
He flexed his hands slowly, his mind steadying.
The shorter man cracked his neck, impatience flickering across his face. "You've got five seconds."
Ethan stayed still.
"Five."
No movement.
"Four."
The woman gripped his arm tightly, whispering, "Please don't—"
"Three."
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly, focusing on their stance. Left foot forward, dominant side right. Both carried weight like professionals. The kind of movement you only learned through long training.
"Two."
The taller man sighed, lowering his center of gravity slightly. "Have it your way."
"One."
Ethan took a single step forward. "Then come and take her."
The words cut through the night like steel.
For a brief second, everything fell silent — even the wind seemed to pause.
Then both men moved.
Fast.
The taller one lunged from the front, the shorter circling from the side — perfect coordination, clean and lethal.
Ethan's pupils contracted. His pulse steadied. Every instinct screamed at once — but instead of retreating, he stood his ground.
His muscles tensed, and the system flared to life in his vision.
[Mission Active – Combat Phase Initiated]
Failure Condition: Target Harmed or Captured.
The park lights flickered, throwing long shadows across the grass as the first man's fist cut through the air—
—and the chapter ended in that instant, the moment before impact.