Here's today's first chapter that also is the first ever bonus chapter earned by you guys.
Although, I'm bumping up the bonus chapter requirement from 5 PS to 10 PS, in order to not overwork myself.
The 3 bonus chapters still standing though.
Have a good day, and don't forget to spread kindness out to others around you, no matter how small it may seem!
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[Present Day ~ The House ~ Nangok-dong district]
This is it, I think, grinning like a madman as I stare fixedly at the building that hadn't yet been trashed by a certain quest system welding protagonist.
This is how I take my first step onto the road to wealth, where many walk, but only a few get to the end of.
After the fight in the alleyway last night, as well as the unexpected encounter with Sally Park and Warren Chae, I realized my strength for the time being is sufficient, so I decided to start gathering funds to build my crew and back my ambitions.
But the thing I couldn't figure out was how to turn my measly 87,000₩ into big numbers fast. I was stumped, until I ran into a bunch of local kids near Mama Park's house, who were making outlandish bets with each other.
[2 hours ago ~ Unknown Location in Korea~ 9:31 a.m.]
"I bet you 400₩ from my birthday you can't get Luna out of the tree!" A small girl with twin pigtails says confidently to a skinny boy who looked determined.
"Oh, yeah?" The boy says, pumping himself up, "I bet I can! Then I'll be your boyfriend, right?"
Ahhhh... Young love. Should I lend the boy a hand? I think, momentarily distracted from my money making troubles.
"Hey, kid! Kid! Come here!" I say, motioning for the boy to come over to me. He looks hesitant at first, but soon dashes over, making me chuckle.
"Yeah, white hair senior?" He says, looking at my appearance curiously. I can tell he's never seen an albino person before.
Although... I'm not exactly sure that's what I am, I think to myself. It's easier to just say I am though.
"Hey, kid. Do you like that girl over there?" I ask, a small smile playing on my face.
"Yeah! But she says I have to get stronger in order to be her boyfriend," he replies, stamping his feet and pouting in annoyance.
"So, are you going to get stronger then?" I ask.
"I've been trying!" he shouts, frustration evident in his posture and mannerisms. "I've been trying, but I'm still so skinny!"
I chuckle. This kid definitely has the mentality of someone who would thrive in the combat world of Lookism, that's for sure.
If only his talent matched his mentality.
Wait!
An idea, descending like lightning, hits me. Filing it away, I focus back on the kid in front of me.
"I'll tell you what, kid. If you get the cat out of that tree, I'll give you 70,000₩ to spend on her. It's my job as your Senior to make sure my Junior gets the girl," I say, chuckling.
The boy's eyes light up, and he asks loudly, "Really? You'd do that?!"
Grinning, I nod and pull out the 80,000₩ in my pocket, counting out 70,000₩ of it in slow, deliberate motions. "Yes, I will. That girl you like... She made a bet that you couldn't do it because she's testing you!"
He frowns and asks with a confused expression, "She's... testing me?"
I nod, my face solemn. "Yes, she's testing you. She most likely likes you too and wants to see how strong you are. No girl wants a weak man."
I say this while patting his head slightly. I feel like I'm doing that alot...
Is it because I'm taller in this life?
"Okay, Senior. I'll do it!" he says, rushing over to the girl on the other side of the road.
He says something to her and then immediately starts to climb the tree, which is easily 40 meters tall. He struggles at first, the swaying branches throwing off his balance, but he soon grows more confident in his climbing motions.
He's nearly reached Luna, the cat stuck in the tree at 40 meters, which sounds absurd, but then again, what part of Lookism isn't?
Anyway, he's nearly reached the cat when suddenly he loses traction in his left foot and falls, letting out a fearful wail as he drops.
"AAAAA!!" he screams, flailing his arms crazily. With a small sigh, I catch him, spinning as I do to disperse some of the impact from the height of his fall so he doesn't get hurt when he lands in my arms.
"Ugh... t-thank you, Senior..." he mumbles, but I barely hear him because floating in front of my eyes is a glowing red panel that's all too familiar.
[Ding!]
It has been detected that the host has spent money in the form of a bet. This condition is now registered in the approved channels to trigger a successful{10x Cashback}.
[DING!]
{10x Cashback} triggered.
Allocating funds worth 700,000₩ to the host's untraceable account.
[Ding!]
Funds transferred.
Seeing this message, my mind goes blank. What absolute luck! I think, a broad grin spreading across my face. Gambling is approved by my system for {10x Cashback}, which means I'm set for life! If I lose, I still win! If I win, I... well, I win either way, so it's redundant.
I laugh, giddily swinging the kid in my arms in excitement.
"Blurgh... Senior... set... me down... Blurgh!" His weak voice and dry heaving implore me to comply, lest I get this kid's throw-up on my Forces.
Sure, they're already dirty and beat up from the beatdown I put on those punks, but that doesn't mean I want them puked on.
Settling my excitement, I look at the boy and girl and grin before saying, "You guys are my lucky charm. Name one thing under 700,000₩ and I'll go buy it for you right now!" I smile as their eyes widen, but my smile suddenly freezes.
I... sound like a creep, right?, I think. Dammit I do, don't I? I didn't mean it like that, but from an outside perspective... yeah. I definitely sound like a creep.
Luckily, they didn't think that way, and after buying three new pairs of Jordans for the boy, I also bought a year-long pass with 3,000,000₩ worth of credit to the nearest arcade for both of them before walking them home and explaining the situation to their parents.
When all was said and done, I had spent over 4,000,000₩, including buying lunch for them, bringing my balance up to 40,700,112₩—a far cry from the measly 80,000₩ I had barely two hours ago.
Damn, this {10x Cashback} is the best ability of all, I think, stepping in front of my destination.
But I think the real money-making will be done here, in this building.
They say never bet against the house, but they're not me. I'm setting myself against the house, and I'm going all in...
. [Chapter End]