Edward smiled faintly. The pain in his head was fading, replaced by a strange lightness — like a heavy curtain had been pulled away from his soul. He opened his eyes. The morning sunlight filtered through the cracked blinds of his small apartment.
Everything looked the same — the peeling wallpaper, the half-empty instant noodle cups, the single bed pushed against the wall.But he wasn't the same.
For the first time, there was warmth inside him — not from the sunlight, but from the memories now living in his heart.
"Alright," he said, standing up slowly. "If the mission says take my first step... then I guess I should start moving."
He stretched his arms, took a deep breath, and dropped to the floor.
"Well, I've never exercised properly before," he muttered with a grin. "But this'll be the first of many."
"Let's go. I can already see the dollars rolling in."
"One... two... three..."Each push-up burned, but with every rep, the fire in his chest grew stronger — not from exhaustion, but from determination.
"Hahh... fifteen... sixteen..." His arms trembled violently. "Huh, I guess... this is my limit."
His strength gave out, and he collapsed onto the cold floor.
A soft chime rang in his ears. Moments later, his phone buzzed on the bedside table.He reached out weakly, checked the screen, and froze.
[Notification: Your account has been credited with $1,600 from AGS (Aegis Capital Group).]
"Wait... what?! Just like that?" His eyes widened. "I actually earned sixteen hundred bucks... for doing push-ups?"
He laughed, half in disbelief, half in glee. "Heh, even prostitutes don't earn this much in a few minutes! Guess I'm in the wrong line of work."
He rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling with a goofy grin. "With this, I can actually eat proper food for once."
Then his expression shifted thoughtfully. "Hmm... hey, System— wait, I can't just keep calling you that."
He rubbed his chin, pretending to think. "Someone who gives money to a poor guy like me... that's basically a sugar mommy, right? But since you're my system... I'll just call you Sugar. Yeah, perfect."
Edward chuckled. "Why do I feel a chill down my spine when you say that... probably just excitement."
He sat up, still grinning. "So, Sugar, tell me — are there any other features besides missions?"
The voice cut off abruptly.
Edward frowned. "Huh? Sugar? What do you mean meet the what? Don't go all mysterious NPC on me now."
Silence.Then—
Edward sighed. "Great. A system with bad Wi-Fi. Just my luck."