Ethan woke up coughing, sharp air tearing into his lungs like he'd inhaled glass, his eyes snapping open to blinding white light while his head throbbed as if someone was hitting it from the inside.
He groaned and tried to move, then pain exploded through him so suddenly it forced a sound out of his throat before he could stop it.
"Ah—"
His body felt wrong, heavy and weak, like it didn't fully belong to him anymore, tubes tugged at his arms when he shifted and somewhere nearby a steady beeping sound kept time.
Hospital.
The word didn't come all at once, it settled slowly, piece by piece, as he blinked up at white ceiling tiles and buzzing fluorescent lights while the sharp scent of disinfectant burned his nose.
"What… happened?" he croaked, his throat dry and raw, his voice sounding distant even to himself.
And then the memories came rushing back, fast and ugly.
The hotel, the chandeliers, Lena's cold perfect eyes, Lucas's quiet smug smile, security hands dragging him away, rain soaking through his clothes, the bank alert glowing on his screen.
Fourteen dollars.
His chest tightened painfully.
"I… collapsed?" he murmured, unsure if he was asking or guessing.
He tried to sit up and instantly regretted it, the room spinning violently as nausea slammed into him, forcing him to grip the edge of the bed and breathe through it.
And then,
A voice.
Not out loud, not anywhere in the room, but inside his head.
[HOST CONSCIOUSNESS CONFIRMED]
Ethan froze, his heart jumping so hard it hurt.
"What…?" he whispered.
The voice was flat and calm and completely emotionless.
[LINKING SHADOW SYSTEM…]
His breath caught.
"No," he muttered, panic creeping in, "I'm hallucinating, I hit my head too hard."
A translucent blue screen appeared in front of his eyes anyway, floating, solid, real.
[SHADOW SYSTEM SUCCESSFULLY LINKED]
His pupils shrank as his hands trembled and waved through empty air, but the screen stayed exactly where it was.
"…I've lost it," he muttered.
[TARGET ACQUIRED]
[IDENTITY CONFIRMED]
Name: Ethan Rowe
Balance: $14.27
Body: Below Average (Fatigue, Malnutrition detected)
Brain: Normal
Skills: Locked
Skills unlock after missions are completed and points earned
Ethan stared at the words, his chest rising and falling too fast.
This wasn't normal, it wasn't possible.
"This has to be a dream," he said shakily, "some stress thing, some breakdown."
[FIRST TASK AVAILABLE]
The screen shifted.
MISSION ONE: PROOF OF WORTH
Objective: Spend $50,000 within 24 hours
Time Remaining: 23:59:41
Failure: Unknown
Reward: System Points + Skill Unlock
Ethan let out a short, bitter laugh that scraped his throat.
"Spend fifty thousand," he repeated softly, "I don't even have fifty."
It felt cruel, like his own mind mocking him.
"I'm broke," he said aloud, "kicked out of my marriage, fourteen dollars to my name, and you want me to spend fifty thousand."
No response came.
He pressed his palms to his eyes and exhaled shakily.
"Okay… okay, I've officially lost it."
He swung his legs over the side of the bed.
Before he could stand, a sharp ding echoed inside his head.
[TRANSFER COMPLETE]
Ethan froze.
His phone buzzed on the bed beside him and after a moment of hesitation he reached for it with trembling fingers.
BANK ALERT
Incoming Transfer: $100,000.00
Available Balance: $100,014.27
His mind went blank.
The phone slipped from his hand and landed softly on the bed.
"…What?"
He stared again, numbers unchanged, hands shaking violently.
"This isn't real," he whispered, "it can't be real."
Another message appeared.
[FUNDS PROVIDED BY SHADOW SYSTEM]
[COMPLETE MISSION TO RETAIN ACCESS]
He swallowed hard, heart pounding so loud it filled his ears.
This wasn't a joke, not a hallucination, something impossible had just happened and it had handed him money, real money, more than he'd ever touched.
He leaned back against the pillow, staring at the ceiling as memories flashed through him, Lena calling him nothing, Lucas ordering security, strangers looking through him like he didn't exist.
"…A second chance," he whispered.
His jaw tightened.
"If this is real," he murmured, "then maybe this is my way out."
The system didn't interrupt.
Ethan exhaled slowly.
"Fine," he said under his breath, "I'll play along."
[MISSION ACCEPTED]
Hours later he was discharged, minor concussion, dehydration, stress collapse, no visitors, no one waiting.
He stepped out into the afternoon air with nothing but his phone, his clothes, and a hundred thousand dollars.
He paused on the sidewalk, then let out a soft, disbelieving laugh.
"Let's see what you can do," he murmured.
The hotel rose ahead of him like a challenge, the same luxury place that had tossed him out like trash.
Doubt flickered briefly, what am I doing?
Then the mission surfaced in his mind, spend money, prove worth.
He walked in.
The lobby was grand, marble floors, gold accents, faint music drifting somewhere overhead.
The receptionist looked up and her polite smile faltered just slightly.
Ethan didn't react.
"I'd like to apply for the highest membership card," he said calmly.
She blinked. "Sir… that requires a large deposit."
"How much?"
"Fifty thousand."
He nodded. "Fine."
Her eyes widened. "Cash or transfer?"
"Transfer."
Minutes later the transaction completed.
[MISSION PROGRESS: 100% COMPLETE]
Something shifted inside him, not arrogance, not pride, just a steady calm.
A familiar sneer stopped him.
"Well, I'll be damned."
He turned slowly, already knowing.
His ex-brother-in-law stood there, Lena's older brother, the man who never missed a chance to remind him he was poor.
"Didn't expect to see you here," the man said, smirking, "lost, or cleaning floors now?"
A few nearby laughed quietly.
Ethan remained still.
"Still pretending you belong with rich people?" the man continued. "Careful, Ethan, places like this eat men like you alive."
Ethan said nothing.
"Cat got your tongue?"
Under his breath, barely audible, Ethan murmured, "I'll show them all."
The man laughed. "Yeah? With what money?"
Ethan didn't answer.
He walked deeper into the hotel, leaving the scoffing behind.
He had no idea what was coming.