Chapter 3
In a dark void where no light could reach and no sound could escape, a voice suddenly echoed throughout the emptiness, filled with an ancient presence, as if it belonged to someone who had existed longer than any mortal minds could imagine.
"Child, it would appear that your luck hasn't run out yet," the voice said, sounding as if it was pressing against the very fabric of the void itself. "To think you were unfortunate enough to have suffered the same fate as I."
Whoever the voice was, seemed to be sympathising with him.
Richard currently couldn't see anything, nor could he feel his own body or even tell which direction was up, but he heard every word as clearly as if they had been whispered directly into his ear.
"But since we were able to cross paths, I shall grant you a kindness," the voice continued, softening slightly. "Be sure to use it wisely. Perhaps in the near future, our paths will cross once more."
" I'm looking forward to see the type of man you'll become then."
And then, just like that, the voice was gone, vanishing completely and leaving Richard alone in the silence with nothing but his confused thoughts.
*******
Moments later, within another point in the universe, on some foreign world.
"What the hell?" Richard placed a hand on his aching head, his groggy eyes slowly regaining clarity as the darkness around him gave way to something completely unexpected.
Moreover, he couldn't remember a single thing about his brief encounter with the unknown existence.
"How did I end up here?" He groaned, realizing that he was no longer in his apartment.
Rather than lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood, he was currently standing in the middle of some forest with tall trees stretching toward the sky.
"And why on earth am I naked?" He blurted out in disbelief, looking down at himself and confirming that yes, he was completely and utterly without a single stitch of clothing.
Before he could spiral further into confusion, a translucent blue panel materialized in front of his face, glowing with text that appeared in clean, precise lines as if they were being written by an invisible hand.
[Congratulations on successfully Reincarnating host]
[Due to host being unconscious during the transfer, the system was forced to bond without consent]
[From now on, the host shall be bonded to the system]
[The bond cannot be broken]
[Once one party dies, the other will seize to exist]
"Uhh... Yeah... Sure," Richard blinked absentmindedly while staring at the system panel before him, his brain still trying to catch up with everything that was happening.
Yet when he recalled bits of his last memories on earth, the lottery ticket, the argument, the blade sinking into his flesh over and over again, his expression turned grim, with a hint of helplessness.
"Ten million dollars... Was that really all I was worth to you, Bridget?" He let out a breath.
' You screwed me over just because of a few million bucks... hehehe, just how stupid was I back then.'
' I can't believe I didn't react quick enough and let you stab me to death!'
' Crazy bitch! After everything I did for you!!!'
' This is how you repay me?!'
' Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!'
' I'm so f*cking stupid, why did I ever trust you!'
' W-Why... Why did I fall in love with a b*tch like you...' Richards eyes moistened at this point, clearly disappointed in himself.
To think after coming so far in life, he messed everything up just because of some gold digger, moreover, he wasn't even able to see the obvious signs when they were right there.
He pressed a hand to his face, taking deep breaths to suppress his chaotic emotions.
[System detected that the host is suffering from intangible pain]
[Would the host like to dispel such feelings]
[Requirement: ????]
[Error...]
[System can't gauge exact needed amount]
[Reanalysing...]
"There's no reason for you to bother yourself," Richard let out a sigh, because truly, how he felt right now couldn't be explained in words, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.
"I think I'd prefer some clothes instead."
[Clothing requirements: 1 System Point]
"But I'm not with any money at the moment," Richard showed an awkward smile.
[System has decided to offer host a loan plan]
[Would host like to borrow 10 SP at an interest rate of 10%]
[Notice: Host cannot collect new loans without first paying the existing ones]
"That's actually possible?" He asked, quite surprised, because he knew about systems from the novels he used to read back on earth, but he had never expected one to offer something like a loan right from the start, not to mention one offering such a generous loan.
[Of course]
"Then please, go right ahead." Richard said, regaining some semblance of happiness.
[Successfully loaned 1 SP to host]
[Subtracting 1 SP for full clothing set]
[Remaining balance: 9 SP]
[Current loan: 11 SP]
Right after the system panel disappeared, a new set of clothes appeared over Richard's body as if they had been there all along, materializing from nothing and settling comfortably against his skin.
"Incredible," he said, feeling relieved to be clothed once more.
On a closer look, he realized his current clothing was quite unlike the usual stuff he wore back on earth, because instead of jeans and a t-shirt, he was now dressed in a white button-up shirt with a high collar, a dark vest embroidered with subtle patterns, trousers that fit him perfectly, and leather boots that looked quite nice, bringing the whole outfit together, making him look like a well-off gentleman from 18th century Europe.
"System, might I ask what's your theme?"
" As a system , you must have something you're focused on, right?"
Since he couldn't go back to his past life and there was no point crying over what had already happened, Richard decided to focus on this new one he'd been given instead, because he knew from all those novels he had read that systems were usually focused on specific things, like a dragon system that could eventually make one an all-powerful dragon, or an extraction system that could allow one to steal other people's talents and abilities for himself.
[System type: Pay to Win]
[Function: So long as the host possesses sufficient currency, virtually any request can be fulfilled]
[SP can be gained by converting resources]
[Current most preferred resource type: gold]
[1 gold coin= 10 SP]
[Limitations: Subject to available funds and system tier]
"A-Anything?" Richard's mind trembled at the implication, because if this system was telling the truth, if money really could buy power in this new world, then maybe being murdered and reincarnated wasn't the worst thing that had ever happened to him after all.