Dave sat on the edge of his bed, the echoes of the mechanical voice still reverberating in his mind. 'This can't be real,' he thought, staring at his hands as if expecting them to glow with some newfound power. But everything seemed normal—too normal.
Still, the system's words lingered. Whenever you spend money, you will receive one hundred times the amount back. Dave couldn't shake the thought. What if it was real? What if he could actually change his life?
'No harm in trying, right?' he reasoned with himself, standing up. He walked over to his small desk where his wallet lay. Opening it, he counted his money—$50. It was all he had left for the week. 'I can't believe I'm doing this,' he sighed.
Determined to test the system, Dave grabbed his coat and headed out the door. The streets were busy, as usual, filled with people going about their day. He walked to a nearby convenience store, his heart pounding in his chest. Every step felt surreal, like he was in a dream.
Entering the store, Dave wandered the aisles, picking up a few snacks and a cheap energy drink. He approached the counter and handed the items to the cashier. As the total rang up to just under $10, Dave hesitated. 'This is crazy...but here goes nothing.'
He handed over the money, collected his change, and left the store. Outside, he stood still, waiting—expecting something to happen immediately. But the world carried on around him, unchanged. Dave frowned, checking his phone. No notifications. No sudden influx of cash. 'Maybe I was just imagining things,' he thought, disappointed.
But as he started to walk away, his phone buzzed. Dave quickly pulled it out, his heart racing. There it was—a notification from his bank. He stared at the screen, his eyes widening in shock. His account balance had skyrocketed, multiplying exactly one hundred times what he had spent in the store.
'It's real...it's actually real!' he thought, barely able to contain his excitement. 'With this, I can finally...' His thoughts trailed off as possibilities flooded his mind.
The system's voice returned, calm and precise. "Congratulations, Host. You have received $1,000. Would you like to convert it into System Points?"
Dave grinned, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "Yes, convert it!" he replied without hesitation.
"$1,000 converted into 1 System Point. You now have 1 System Point. Spend wisely, Host."
Dave's excitement was short-lived as a sudden realization hit him like a ton of bricks. 'Wait… why did I convert it into System Points? I need money right now, not System Points!' He slapped his forehead in frustration. 'Great, just great... Now I'm stuck with points I can't even use to pay rent!'
The system remained silent, but Dave swore he could almost hear it smirking at his blunder. 'Well, that was a brilliant move, genius. Now what?'
With a sigh, Dave pocketed his phone. 'I guess this whole system thing will take some getting used to,' he thought, heading home with a mix of excitement and exasperation. 'But seriously… next time, money first, System Points later!'