After breakfast ended, Reed excused himself.
Suzie waved lazily at him, her cheeks still faintly red, while Sophia reminded him not to skip lunch again. Reed smiled, nodded, and stepped outside.
The door closed softly behind him.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the warmth faded.
The street looked the same—clean roads, parked cars, distant chatter, a normal city, but he... He had changed. Reed stood still for a few seconds, letting the illusion settle.
Calculating the time, he was reborn 86 day prior to the apocalypse, giving him almost 3 months of ample time to prepare.
He walked back to his house, unlocked the door, and went straight to his room. Once inside, he shut the curtains and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Alright, Let's stop pretending."
Reed muttered, rubbing his temples.
A faint shimmer flickered in the air.
Elise appeared, floating cross-legged, her tiny hands folded, golden eyes watching him closely.
"What were you trying to say back then?"
He asked, majorly concerned about the 'Cube' that hadn't yet made its appearance.
"My child, Do you want to be strong? Do you desire to be on top of the world? Do you want a grand opportunity, young one?!?"
Elise haughtily inquired, acting like a old grandmaster, all while stroking her non existent beard.
Reed: "???"
'Where's this came about? Opportunity? One that can make me stronger?'
Reed, even though doubtful, decided to play along for now. Knowing full well they were now like two tigers in one Mountain, unable to throw the other out. So he had to compromise.
"So, what's this opportunity of yours?"
Poor Elise didn't know that a certain son of a b*tch is cursing her right under her nose.
Snapping her fingers, she made a translucent black panel appear in front of them.
『You should feel blessed, human, for it is I, the great Elise, who through great affords, has created the Heavenly tribunal primordial origin profound mystery... bla... bla... bla... apocalypse system.』
『hahahahaha *cough* Ahem, sign here to proceed—』
Handing him a pen, Elise gave him an expression that said 'hurry up'.
"No."
He outright rejected it.
"Why?!?"
Elise looked at him in disbelief, unable to understand this hairless ape.
"The name's... kinda cringey. How about we just call it system, and skip this hustle of signing."
Reed, not want to sign, made up an excuse and probed her, trying to determine her purpose.
He wasn't the one to trust, how could he, when in the apocalypse, trusting is not just a mistake, it's a crime. One whose lightest sentence is death.
Maybe he was being paranoid being this signing stuff being a trap, but it's better to be cautious.
"Hmm, i think the name 'Heavenly tribunal primordial origin profound mystery... bla... bla... bla... apocalypse system' is quite good, don't you think so."
Poor Elise didn't know a certain son of a b*tch is doubt her. She, feeling the name wasn't bad at all, tried to persuade him.
"Ok, you can keep the name. Now tell me about the system, what can it do, how can it make me stronger?"
Seeing his goal of distracting her had succeeded, let her be. He also felt guilty about not trusting her. Wait! Why is he guilty towards her, he shouldn't—
Stopping his rain of thoughts, Elise began to explain.
"Through the internet, I got to know about the system in the novels, and with the power of the prism, i made this one."
"The system targets the childs of heaven, it helps you identify them and let you know their storyline, so that you can plunder their luck and defeat them. The stolen luck can also be used to strengthen yourself."
"Umm... are you sure that people like that really exist?"
He asked, unsure if protagonists really existed. The system nothing but a gimmick she tried to make, being 'inspired' by fantasy novels, with the power of the cube.
But protagonists? This is the real world we are talking about, if people like that existed, the world could be in chaos long ago.
"Umm... in the novels they do exist, so in the real world they would too, right?"
She replied, a little unsure herself.
"Let's just... change it."
Shaking his head, he told her to modify it, to which she timidly replied.
"I... can't. I-i used my authority to modify many of its core principles, which resulted in me getting rejected from further modifications."
He wore an expression that said 'seriously?!'
...
Two days later.
Reed came back home tired, laid on the sofa, relaxing his mind.
Knowing he couldn't count on Elise and her stupid system, he took it upon himself the responsibility of preparing for the apocalypse.
In these two days, he had sold all of the companies, properties, luxuries and anything useless that could be sold.
One by one, Reed liquidated the companies his parents had left behind—Tech firms, Logistics chains, Real estate holdings, Stock portfolios spread across continents.
He had to give a huge applause to his parents, for they got huge ambitions and the ability to boast that ambition, reaching out to everywhere they could. They got huge business chain.
Unfortunately...
'Mom... Dad... may you enter heaven and your soul rest in peace.'
Reed prayed, giving his final farewell to his parents.
By the end of the first day, the numbers alone were enough to make a grown man jump in joy and even faint from sheer excitement.
While the money from selling the companies and major properties had not arrived yet, it could, in most a week.
To the outside world, Reed was a grieving heir making irrational decisions under emotional distress. Financial news outlets buzzed with speculation, while the big-shot just thought he was simply incapable of maintaining the the companies and rationally chose to sell them.
Reed stared at the final balance on the screen, eyes calm.
"It's enough," he said quietly.
From the doorway, unseen, a tiny robotic elf floated silently, arms crossed, watching him with an unreadable expression.