Will Ravencliff sat quietly on the edge of his narrow bed.
The room around him was the same as always; small, cramped, and poorly lit by a constantly blinking ceiling lamp that had probably been repaired a dozen times already. The walls were patched with cheap metal panels, and a faint buzz from faulty wiring filled the air.
It was home... or at least the closest thing he had to one.
But right now, Will's attention wasn't on the room.
It was on the glowing blue interface floating in front of him.
The system interface.
He stared at it for several seconds, rubbing his eyes once just to make sure it hadn't disappeared.
It hadn't.
"…So this thing is actually real."
The screen responded instantly.
---
[Cheating System Interface]
Host: Will Ravencliff
Age: 18
Ascender Status: Nil
Cheating Rank: 0
Scum Points: 0
Shop (locked)
Skills: Cheat Insight Lv.1
---
A second window expanded.
---
Attributes
Strength: 3
Speed: 3
Endurance: 5
Perception: 8
Intelligence: 14
Shrewdness: 1
---
Will stared at the numbers.
"…Wow."
He leaned back slightly.
"Those are… really low."
The system remained silent while Will sighed.
"Well, I guess that makes sense."
He had never been a fighter or trained his body.
Most of his life had been spent studying, analyzing, or helping others solve problems.
That explained Intelligence 14 but his eyes stopped on one particular stat.
Shrewdness: 1
Will rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"…Yeah. That's probably the most accurate one..."
Being intelligent didn't mean being street smart and his entire life was proof of that.
If he had been even a little more shrewd…
Maybe he wouldn't have been cheated a thousand times.
His gaze slowly moved down the interface.
---
Skills
Cheat Insight – Level 1
Description:
Allows the host to detect exploitable weaknesses, lies, and hidden intentions in people or situations.
---
Will exhaled slowly.
That ability alone might have saved him years of pain.
He leaned back on his bed again and stared at the ceiling.
For a moment, he simply enjoyed something he hadn't felt yesterday, relief.
He was alive...
Alive after being beaten half to death and abandoned outside the Stronghold...
Alive after being left to die in the wilderness...
Alive thanks to the Cheating System.
However, the relief didn't erase the bitterness. Garret's laughter, the kicks and the insults still echoed in his mind.
Will's face turned rageful.
"…I should have known that they wouldn't be any different. I'll make sure they pay for what they have done to me."
He reached toward the small table beside his bed and grabbed his glasses.
The thin rectangular frames had been repaired several times over the years.
They were cheap compared to modern elite technology, but the lenses still contained microscopic enhancement and a couple other features he used for mineral scanning.
He slid them onto his face and immediately, his vision blurred.
Will frowned.
"…What?"
He adjusted the frames but still, it remained blurry.
The room looked distorted through the lenses.
He pulled the glasses off and blinked and the room instantly became crystal clear.
His vision was even sharper than he had ever seen it... he could see every tiny crack in the wall... every grain of dust floating in the air...
Even the worn threads on his bedsheets were perfectly visible.
Will slowly looked around the room again.
"…Wait."
He put the glasses back on and everything turned blurry again.
He took them off and vision was perfect.
Will stared at the frames in his hand.
"…Did the system fix my eyesight?"
A small system notification appeared.
---
[Integration Benefit Detected]
Vision Optimization Complete.
---
Will chuckled softly.
"Huh."
"…Another perk of the Cheating System."
He placed the glasses back on the table.
For the first time since he was a child, he didn't need them anymore.
Will stood up and stretched his arms.
His body felt surprisingly light, healthier and more responsive.
Still, he had something to do.
He glanced toward the door.
"…Right."
There was still unfinished business waiting for him in the slums.
—
The moment Will stepped outside his apartment building, the sounds of the slum district surrounded him.
The streets were crowded.
Dim neon signs flickered above small shops and food stalls. Steam rose from cheap street kitchens while vendors shouted over each other trying to attract customers.
Hovering triangular bikes, the common Tri-Glide bikes used throughout the Stronghold, zipped through narrow streets at low altitude.
Some were aesthetically pleasing and well-maintained while others rattled loudly, clearly held together by scrap parts.
People moved everywhere... workers... scavengers... mechanics... desperate citizens trying to survive another day.
The slums were chaotic but to Will, this was the everyday venture.
A voice suddenly called out.
"Hey! Whizkid!"
Will turned his head and a mechanic leaned out of a nearby repair shop and waved.
"Still alive, huh?"
Will smiled faintly.
"Unfortunately."
The man laughed.
"Don't get yourself killed out there!"
Another voice chimed in from a nearby food stall.
"Will! You still owe me a game of chess!"
Will raised a hand in greeting.
"Later."
He continued walking through the busy streets.
Will Ravencliff was surprisingly well-known around these parts and it wasn't because of power since he had none of that...
It was because he was useful.
The Whizkid of the slums.
The guy who could fix broken devices, analyze minerals, repair scanners, and solve complicated mechanical problems most people didn't understand.
But of course…
Being useful had also made him a frequent target for exploitation.
Several street vendors noticed him approaching and like sharks smelling blood, they immediately moved closer.
"Hey kid, want some fresh protein packs?"
"Got some high-grade energy cells here!"
"Best deals in the district!"
One man shoved a small metal device in front of him.
"Portable mineral scanner! Only 300 credits!"
Will paused as something flickered in his mind.
Cheat Insight activated automatically causing iformation to appeared briefly in his line of vision.
---
[Target: Vendor]
Truth Probability: 12%
Item Quality: Extremely Poor
Suggested Conclusion: Scam.
---
Will stared at the device before staring back at the vendor.
"…Three hundred credits for scrap?"
The vendor blinked.
"W-What?"
Will pointed at a loose panel on the scanner.
"The circuitry is burned out. And the power core is cracked."
The vendor immediately pulled the device back.
"How did you—"
Will simply walked away while another seller tried his luck.
"Hey kid! Fresh mutant meat! Good price!"
Cheat Insight triggered again.
---
[Food Quality: Unsafe]
Suggested Conclusion: Rotten.
---
Will wrinkled his nose.
"That's spoiled."
The man looked offended.
"It's not spoiled!"
"It's literally green."
Will kept walking while a few nearby bystanders laughed.
Soon he reached the small shop he had originally intended to visit.
After finishing his brief business there, he eventually made his way back home.
The sun was already setting and the slums glowed with neon lights as night settled over the district.
Will stepped inside his apartment and closed the door.
He exhaled slowly while seating back down on his bed.
"Only 50 Credits acquired today... I'm upping the prices. No more Mr Nice guy."
For a moment he simply stared at the wall before the system interface appeared again.
---
[New Quest Available]
---
Will raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
The screen expanded.
---
Main Quest: First Cheat
Target: Garret and Associates
Description:
The individuals who most recently cheated the host must now experience the consequences.
Objective:
Successfully cheat the targets.
Time Limit: 7 Days
---