I walked up to the switch on the wall, flipped it on, and plugged the television cord into it, but still, nothing changed. My actions didn't make any sense, though, but I needed an explanation, so...
I looked back as I approached the entrance to the living room just to be sure that no one was playing tricks on me using the television remote. But how could that be possible when the door was shut and everyone was in their rooms? I got lost in my thoughts but finally knew things weren't right just when the power went out. And the television remained on.
I decided to go call my dad because surely this was worth waking him up for. I turned around as I reached for the door handle when I heard a voice from the television. I turned back swiftly.
I couldn't believe my eyes and at the same time understand what was going on.
This voice wasn't like the ones used on our AI robots or tech. This was different, something I had never heard before, as it displayed its words in a holographic form shooting out of the screen of the television.
_DESPERADO SYSTEM AWAKENED_
_USER PROFILE_
- _Name:_ RALPH
- _Level:_ 2 (Complete quests and missions to level up)
- _Steeze:_ -11 (Unattractive, affects interactions with NPCs)
- _Aura:_ 10 (Commands respect or fear from others, increases with level)
- _Love Life:_ Single and Depressed (Pending)
_MISSION BRIEFING_
- _Objective:_ Retrieve the valuable artifact from Mr. Bony's gang hideout (John's Third Street Bakery)
- _Gang Members to Recruit:_ 6
- _Current Recruits:_ - _NULL_
- _SOLO_ (Status: Pending)
- _Warning:_ Failure to complete the task within 48 hours will result in rank degradation and loss in various aspects of your already miserable life.
- _Reward:_ 400,000 credits deposited into the main account upon successful completion.
YOUR TIME STARTS ONCE YOU ACCEPT THE MISSION
"I raised my hands in shock towards the television. "What the f**k," I muttered silently, covering my mouth.
I took a deep breath and tried to process what was happening. A mission? Artifacts? Gangs? It sounded like something out of a video game or a movie. But the system's words had a strange ring of truth to them. And what did it mean by 'aspects of miserable life'? Was it talking about me? Why was the television acting like this? I had seen much higher standards of televisions in my life but never heard of one that makes holographic projections.
I hesitated for a moment, still looking at the warning tab, thinking to myself, "What do you mean by 'aspects of miserable life'?" Just then, the system began again like it read my mind.
YOUR CURRENT LIFE SITUATION/SETBACKS
(RALPH)
*. BROKE
* LONELY
*. SINGLE
*. DULL
*. DEPRESSED
*. ...…|
I felt a surge of anger and embarrassment. How did this system know all this about me? And why was it being so blunt?
"Shut up!" I yelled, not wanting to hear anymore. But the system continued, its voice calm and detached.
"...These aspects will be affected if you fail to complete the mission within 48 hours. You have been warned, Ralph. Now, will you accept the mission?"
I stared at the screen, my heart racing. How worse could it probably make those lists it gave about my life? And accepting a mission from a mysterious system that seemed to know everything about me? It sounded crazy, but a part of me was curious. What did I have to lose, anyway?
And besides, 400,000 points? I stared at the screen. Is this money or what? I wondered to myself just when the system replied again like it was reading my mind.
POINTS CAN ONLY BE MADE IN DOLLARS AS TASKS GET COMPLETED AND ACHIEVED….. |
ALL TRANSACTIONS WILL BE DONE INTO PRIVATE ACCOUNT ONLY WHEN MISSIONS ARE COMPLETED.
MIND ACCEPTANCE OF THIS MISSION IS AN AUTOMATIC DEAL / BOND / LIFE CONTRACT AND CANNOT BE REVERSED IN ANY WAY.
DO YOU ACCEPT THE MISSION, YOUNG BLOOD?
Still shocked and confused, I knew something wasn't right, but still, what was there to lose? I remembered a friend telling me about a story of how a guy got digitally initiated through tapping accept buttons on a strange site on his phone and he lost his soul after that but became rich, now owning mansions and a fleet of cars, definitely living good.
But I wasn't on any site. If at all, this one was on me, right?
So f**k it, I'm going to do it, I whispered to myself as I said, my voice piercing through the silence in the room.
"I accept."
I said it just when the television went off with the holographic words, and the power came back on immediately.
A few seconds later, my dad came through the door. As our eyes met, he scanned me from head to toe in my tight and very short undies.
"So this is what you do in the midnight when everyone's asleep?" he asked, looking quite perplexed.
"What? No, no, no, I was just... just wanted to watch some TV and then... um... um some s-"
"I mean, it's past four am in the morning and you're here in the living room almost naked where we do our prayers?" my dad interrupted.
"What, four?" I said as I looked at the digital wall clock. "4:24 am? What the hell, how long have I been here?" I exclaimed out of shock as I faced my dad.
"I swear it was just a few minutes to midnight when I came in to watch movies. I don't know, the clock must be broken or something," I explained to him as he cut me off again.
"That's enough. Get out of here right now before any of my daughters come in and see this."
He said as I immediately picked up my biscuit and moved towards the door when he stopped me again.
"Who has that?"
"It's mine," I said, holding the biscuits back.
"Oh, so now you steal my money to get biscuits, hey?"
What an annoying statement. That mentality of me not being able to do or get anything if it wasn't your money I used, like I wasn't ever expected to have money in my life, just thinking of that somehow made me stop regretting my actions accepting that system's request.
"No, Dad, someone gifted them to me."
"Liar! You stole my money to get it and—"
"Please, Dad, enough of all this. Can't I live without your money? Can't I be given something anymore or buy something of mine? Must it have your touch in it?"
I raised my voice back at him out of my frustration.
"You dare shout at me because of biscuits, hey? Well, get ready to eat those biscuits for the rest of your life," he said, rage very evident in his eyes as he storm towards his room.