Morning came quiet and pale, the kind that made the world seem gentler than it really was.Ethan drove down the familiar road toward the downtown district, the city rising in the distance. The glass towers gleamed in the early light, each reflection reminding him of the balance between the life he used to live and the one he had now.
The hotel wasn't far—a modest building near the city park, nothing fancy but safe enough for his mother and sister. He'd chosen it carefully, away from attention, the kind of place where no one asked questions.
As he parked outside, the doorman nodded, recognizing him from his previous visits. Ethan returned the nod and walked through the lobby.
Inside the suite, Anna was already awake, sitting cross-legged on the couch with her tablet glowing."Ethan!" she called, eyes bright.
He smiled. "Morning, kiddo."
"You finally visited! Mom said you've been busy again."
"Work," he replied, ruffling her hair lightly. "Always something."
His mother appeared from the adjoining room, wearing a simple cardigan and the same gentle expression that always managed to calm him. "You didn't have to come so early."
"I wanted to," he said simply. "I've got time before I head back."
They talked for a while—small things, normal things. It felt good. For a brief moment, Ethan almost forgot about the noise outside his other life: systems, missions, and silent wars behind smiling faces.
He had breakfast with them in the hotel café. Anna laughed between bites, his mother telling stories about when Ethan was younger. The warmth in that room made the chaos in his head fade just a little.
When it was time to leave, he stood by the door, hugging them both. "Stay inside as much as you can," he said. "If you need anything, call me. Don't go out alone."
His mother looked at him quietly. "You sound worried."
"Just being careful," he said with a small smile. "That's all."
He stepped outside, the sunlight sharp against the street. The air carried that faint metallic tang before a storm, though the sky was clear.
Ethan opened the door of his car, slid inside, and started the engine. But before he could move, he caught the reflection of something in the rear-view mirror—two cars idling a little too close, men inside pretending not to watch.
He sighed. "Figures."
He pulled out slowly from the parking lot. The two vehicles followed.
For three blocks, they stayed at the same distance—close enough to track him, far enough not to make it obvious. But Ethan didn't need obvious. His Perception: 8 picked up their every move, every adjustment.
When the third car joined from the opposite side of the road, he knew.
They weren't here to talk.
At the next corner, he took a sudden right, then another, leading them into a quiet industrial stretch near the river. Empty warehouses, cracked asphalt, no pedestrians.
He stopped the car, stepped out, and closed the door gently.
The three cars fanned out, blocking both ends of the road. Doors opened, and men in dark suits spilled out, one after another—around ten in total.
The one in front, clearly the leader, adjusted his tie and walked forward. "Ethan Iver?"
Ethan tilted his head slightly. "You already know who I am. So what do you want?"
The man smiled thinly. "A warning. You've been stepping into things that don't concern you. Our employer wants you to stay clear. Especially where your family is involved."
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly. "You shouldn't have said that last part."
The man's smile faded. "We don't want trouble. But if you keep—"
Ethan raised a hand, cutting him off. "You already brought trouble."
He exhaled slowly. His expression remained calm, almost bored. Then he whispered under his breath.
"System, display attributes."
[Money Deck System – Version 1.0]
Attributes:Strength – 10Agility – 10Endurance – 10Intelligence – 10Perception – 8
He smiled faintly. "Good enough."
The men began to move, surrounding him. A bat clanged against metal. Someone drew a knife.
Ethan rolled his shoulders, eyes steady.
"Last chance," the leader said. "Walk away."
Ethan took one step forward. "No."
The next second, the world exploded into motion.
A fist came from his left—Ethan caught it, twisted, and drove his elbow into the man's jaw. The crack echoed. Another came from behind; he ducked, swept the man's legs, and kicked him down.
He moved like water—each motion clean, precise, no wasted effort. Strength and agility in perfect balance.
A punch slammed into his side; he didn't flinch. Endurance: 10 held steady. He turned, caught the attacker's wrist, and threw him across the hood of a car. Metal dented with a screech.
Someone shouted. A gun was drawn. Ethan stepped aside before the trigger even clicked, closing the distance in two strides. The weapon went flying; the man went down with a single strike to the throat.
Within minutes, the asphalt was littered with groaning bodies.
Blood, bruises, and silence.
Ethan stood in the middle of it all, his breath calm, his expression unreadable.
He grabbed the leader by the collar and pulled him up. "Listen carefully," he said, voice low. "You don't touch my family. You don't follow them. You don't even breathe in their direction."
The man's face twisted in pain. "Y-You don't understand—"
"I do." Ethan tightened his grip. "Now tell whoever sent you: next time, I won't stop here."
He let go. The man collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.
Ethan wiped a drop of blood from his knuckles, glanced once more at the wrecked scene, then turned back toward his car.
He didn't look back again.
A week later, the storm had passed.
The days were quiet, routine. He spent them overseeing the final touches at Seth's Kitchen, the restaurant that had become his latest mission and silent project. The building gleamed again—fresh paint, new equipment, new life where there was once dust and ruin.
When the last inspection was done, he stood before the reopened doors, sunlight streaming across the sign.
A quiet chime echoed in his head.
[Mission Completed]
Mission Type: ♣ Club of 6Objective: Repair and reopen the restaurant owned by the system (Seth's Kitchen).Time Limit: DoneProgress: 100%
Reward:
20 System Points
2 Rare Consumables
1 Rare Draw Card
$50,000
Ethan smiled faintly. But before he could close the screen, another holographic line flickered across the interface.
[Double Reward Card Activated]
All rewards doubled.
Updated Reward:
40 System Points
4 Rare Consumables
1 Rare Card + 2 Additional Draw Cards
$100,000
The light faded, and the new balance appeared.
[Money Deck System – Version 1.0]
Host: Ethan IverBalance: $7,100,000System Points: 61Card Draws Available: 7 (including 1 Rare Draw)Exchange Rate: 1 SP = $100,000
System Cards:♣ Clubs – Grind for Strength♦ Diamonds – Earn Real Money♥ Hearts – Locked♠ Spades – Locked
Attributes:Strength – 10Agility – 10Endurance – 10Intelligence – 10Perception – 8
He stood in the empty restaurant, watching the holographic text fade above the polished counter.
"Another one done," he murmured. "Not bad."
He sat down at one of the tables, leaning back in the chair. The scent of new wood and fresh paint filled the air.
The Money Deck System hovered silently in front of him, waiting.
He still had seven draws left—six regular, one rare.
His fingers hovered over the interface.
"Let's see what's next."
[Initiating Card Draw Sequence…]
Shuffling…Shuffling…Shuffling complete.
A bright glow spread across the room, forming a spinning pattern of glowing suits—♣, ♦—each radiating faint light.
The cards hovered before him, swirling in a slow circle.
Ethan reached out and tapped one.
It pulsed once, then flipped.
[Card Drawn: ???]
Suit:To be revealed…
System calculating mission parameters…
He waited quietly, eyes fixed on the flickering interface. The card shimmered between forms, the symbols changing rapidly—club or diamond—before freezing on one.
[Mission Type: ♣ – Grind for Strength]
Mission Generating…
The holographic card burned with faint green light before expanding into lines of text.
Ethan's reflection shimmered across the glowing surface.
The system's familiar tone echoed through his mind.
[New Mission Available]
Category: ♣ Club MissionDifficulty: ClassifiedObjective: Pending RevealReward: Hidden Bonus Tier – System Growth Potential
Note: Mission details will unlock upon initiation.
The card folded itself into the air, dissolving into faint energy that sank into his chest.
Ethan exhaled slowly, resting his arms on the table.
Another mission. Another climb.
The rhythm had become almost natural: fight, build, grow, repeat. Yet each completed cycle brought the system closer to something—something it hadn't yet shown.
He looked at the faint reflection of himself in the table's polished surface.
"Guess we're not done yet," he said quietly.
The system pulsed once in response, faint and rhythmic—almost like a heartbeat.
That evening, as the city lights flickered on beyond the restaurant's glass windows, Ethan stepped outside. The air was cool, filled with the distant murmur of traffic.
He gazed at the skyline for a long moment before slipping his hands into his pockets and walking down the street.
The road ahead was still long, and the game wasn't over.
But for now, his path was clear.