The morning of the second day
Gerard had just woken up from a dream he had last night. Seeing that what his eyes were on was his old and dirty apartment, he wondered what was his dream about last night. A dream within a dream? Is that even possible?
He yawned and looked to his left hand to see what time it was. Suddenly, he realized that he doesn't have a watch, and he doesn't have any food, so why would he buy a useless watch? Yeah, it might not necessarily be useless, but it's not as useful and important as compared to food. Comparing the two? Only idiots would be stupid enough to compare them, or it might be because they have a ton of food that Gerard doesn't have.
He doesn't have a watch, that's true but why is there a ring on his middle finger? Did his body steal it while he was sleeping? Don't be absurd, what is his hand? Is it Thing from the Addams Family?
This time he remembered his dream, no way that could be true. He refused to believe any of it. How did he end up here then, is the old lady a stalker? Why would the old lady stalk him? He's in deep s***, and he doesn't even have any money. And to what? He just couldn't understand what was going on, but it sure has the same ring as what the old lady gave him in his dream.
As Gerard was still in deep contemplation, his stomach begins to rumble. He touched his stomach and eyed the ring, "Can it be sold?"
A bold thought entered his mind, it's like he completely turned over a new leaf comes the morning. The lifeless soul of the night began a complete transformation. What a strange man indeed, This was his true nature.
He touched the ring, he wanted to know if what he has right now is real gold. It's not like he will know if it's real or not just by touching it. What he wanted to do was feel the ring if it was real and not just a result of his hunger.
As soon as he touched it, something appeared on his face.
[ System of Everything ]
[ Total Coins: 0 (Recharge using Dollars; Conversion Rate is 1:1) ]
[ Total Fame: 2 ]
[ Arsenal:
Stock Market Expert Level Max ]
[ Store: Not Unlocked ]
[ Chance Raffle: Obtain a Light Orb ]
"What is this?" Gerard was aghast.
"What's with this Stock Market Expert? And the level is maxed out?"
"I vaguely remember in my dream something like this. It was real? Holy moly, my dream was real? I did meet that old lady last night. I can't believe it."
He looked back and notice that his fame is only two, he doesn't understand what it means or how fame is calculated so he just brushed it off.
With the store not unlocked, he went to the chance raffle. Though, he did not expect what happened afterward.
[ Insufficient Coins, 100,000 dollars are needed for the Light Orb]
"What the f***, it would've been better if it was not stated here. Where and how would I get that much money? I could barely live in this apartment with insufficient food, plus I didn't get any holiday bonus."
He couldn't utter any word, this type of system is useless. He thought he would have a somewhat decent system but this is labor without benefits. He couldn't earn that much.
While contemplating the absurdity of the matter at hand, Gerard remembered something. He still has something from the system, how could he forget that? It was the max level of Knowledge of Stock Marketing. It was stupid of him to forget that he is now a Stock Market Expert.
The system was not touch-based, yes he could touch such an interface but it's more logical to just think of it instead of waving his hand in the air like some kind of maniac.
[ Knowledge of the Stock Market level Max ]
Description: A reward handed by the God of Light. As stated by its name, this skill encompasses the skills necessary to become a Stock Market Expert. You have full knowledge regarding the subject with your skill being second to none. ]
"It is a full understanding of the stock market." Gerard was excited. He was about to earn millions.
He was excited until he remembered what kind of place he is currently living at. He doesn't have any money to start with, He doesn't have any computer much less an internet connection. He was down broke.
At this time, he was contemplating going back to his parents but his stupid ego and pride stopped him. He couldn't go back without accomplishing anything. If he were to go back, he would be back if he had at least a million in his bank that way his reputation will not be tarnished.
That is assuming his reputation is still unblemished, which in this case is highly unlikely to be so.
An hour has passed, and it is slightly after 10:00 a.m. Gerard still couldn't think of a way to get startup capital, a computer, or an internet provider.
He just gave up; he took a bath and changed his clothes. He decided to roam outside again to see if some ingenious idea would strike him with inspiration. One will never know what will happen. This is more appropriate than being stuck in his room moping; at least he'll be able to refresh his mind. That was his second reason for wanting to go out. The first was to think, and the second was to refresh and relax.
He got out of his apartment; it was still snowing but not as heavy as last night, though Gerard still has no clue if what happened last night was a dream within a dream or him going out and meeting the old lady. He shrugged it off and erased it from his mind.
He continued walking until he got to the entrance towards the main part of the city. The city streets were boisterous, with many gigantic skyscrapers, condominiums, and other buildings. Aside from buildings, the city was also filled with people. The celebration for the descent of the God of Light is tomorrow, so he'd be surprised if the city wasn't as crowded as it is today.
He collected himself and proceeded to walk. He continued walking for about half an hour, simultaneously mesmerized by the beauty of the tall landscapes. He imagined what it would be like to own one of those massive structures, not to mention the money he would have. Just thinking about him makes his mouth drool with excitement.
After a few more minutes, he decided to give up. No new ideas went into his head; it was only filled with envy.
But when things appeared to be not looking good for him, with him having a unique skill but being unable to use it, an opportunity arrived. Call it luck or plot armor, but Gerard saw a glimpse of hope.
A few meters away stands a medium-sized building. It wasn't important how large the building was; what was important was the sign at its door.
"We're looking for someone with a basic understanding of technology with no prior experience," it said.
It might not have said anything about the stock market, but the use of technology is nothing to scoff at. He could at least use it to go participate in the stock exchange. What's more, no experience is required; it works for me. Even though my expertise is not in the stock exchange, I am well-versed in technology. This is not ancient history, where we still use rocks as pens.
Gerard didn't waste any of his time and directly entered the premises of that building.
The building was quite old but still presentable. Computers are lined up, and a few of them have a person using them.
"Is this a computer shop?" Gerard didn't bother looking at what type of building this was; he was more focused on the sign on the outside. On further notice, the building was named "DoubleZ Gaming Shop." It was not a typical computer shop name; it says that this building is a gaming shop. With this kind of customer base, he was sure that this shop is not popular. The sorry customer number made Gerard wonder if he was sure about taking the job.
A middle-aged man noticed and greeted him.
"Hello, what may I help you with? Do you want to sit on one of our computers? The price is 80 cents per hour"
*Note: An orb of light can be purchased with coins, whereas fame acts as a limit, with a certain stage of the store or the raffle not being unlocked if fame is not high enough. Fame is an evaluation of how many people are thinking of him. If in some way they forget about him in 24 hours, his fame will decrease until he is remembered again.