Just as he was about to call for a nurse, something straight out of a novel happened.
A holographic screen appeared right in front of him!
You have no idea what that signifies—it indicates that he has now totally lost it. He must have hit his head hard to suddenly see a screen, just like in the novels that he had read.
'But what if it is true? At the very least, it should not harm to try, right?
Glancing back, he read the words displayed on the holographic screen.
`Congratulations!
Conditions met to bind with the ProfitMaster System.
Accept or decline? ´
'Should I accept? Why do I even need to ask, Isn't the answer already clear? I don't think that there is anyone who has read these kinds of novels and has not once dreamed of this happening to them. They would also make the same decision as I.'
'I accept,' he said confidently in his head; the next second he felt a little awkward, 'Wow, I must have really hit my head hard.'
'I said "I accept" so confidently, thinking that it was real, that it is now even more embarrassing, that nothing happened. But the screen also doesn't seem to go away; have I done something wrong? Maybe I should try again.'
He pondered and wasn't sure what to do. He looked around to see if anyone was around, and when he saw that no one was there, he ordered, "I accept."
But this time he didn't feel embarrassed and was surprised, then the screen changed, and something actually happened; he wasn't just hallucinating.
He wasn't exactly sure why he had to answer the system out loud but was happy that he wasn't mentally ill; he just finally became a main character instead of some sad extra. At least that should be it, since he had a system now, right?
`Binding with host.
1%
…
18%
…
56%
…
99%
…
100%
Binding with host was successful. ´
He waited some time but after this screen, nothing else came, Lucien had thought that he would maybe get some kind of Guide or something like that, but it seemed like he was mistaken and would need to find out himself.
The first thing he tried was "status," which was fairly basic and worked. This time, it worked perfectly well if he said it or even just thought about it. However, because it was unlike any status panel he had ever seen, he was a little taken aback.
`Status:
Name: Lucien Wilson
Titles: Hard Work Pays Off, Orphan
Age: 21
Occupation: /
Level: 0
Experience: 0/100
Stats:
Intelligence: 80
Interpersonal Skills: 63
Innovation: 72
Charisma: 67
Leadership: 56
Adaptability: 79
Luck: 84
Available Points: 0
Abilities:
Swimming: Average
Quick Learner: Good
Decision Making: Good
Critical Thinking: Average
Emotion Regulation: Proficient
Visionary Thinking: Average
Foreign Languages: Good
Skills:
Craftmanship: Active (LVL. 3 / 5)
Cooking: Active (LVL. 2 / 5)
Writing: Active (LVL. 3 / 5)
Guitar: Active (LVL. 2 / 5)
Driving: Passive (LVL. 1 / 5)
First Aid: Passive (LVL. 3 / 5)
Resources:
Cash: $276
Investment Money: $0
Investments: $0 ´
It took him a while to go through all the information on the status screen because it was rather large. However, after going over it multiple times, he came to several conclusions based on the information that he currently had.
First, it seemed like he could level up, so he could probably also get rewards; one assumption that he made is that he can probably upgrade his stats with it.
Second, the system ProfitMaster, quite obvious by the name, is based on helping the user in the business sector. It seems like the stats are also in that kind of direction, as are the Resources that are shown.
Thirdly, it appears like he might also be able to upgrade his skills, although it seems to be possible in a natural way as well, through hard work. Though it was true that he could readily bring his emotions under control, he was also taken aback by the high rating for his ability of Emotion Regulation since he considered himself to be a rather emotional person. As he was still able to manage his emotions, it was likely for this reason that it was labeled regulation rather than something akin to emotionlessness.
The fact that his limited funds were displayed on the system's status monitor did not exactly lift his spirits.
The only thing he wasn't too sure about was what Occupation meant. He had some ideas but he wasn't sure if it was like in games, where he could choose his occupation, or if it would automatically be chosen for him. Additionally, he was not entirely sure what the titles meant. Normally, when he played a game, he would get some sort of buff, but he was not able to find out what it was, so he would have to wait and see. He would eventually figure out what they meant.
He next attempted a few more typical commands; like that, he first looked at the missions tab, which currently displayed two missions.
`Missions:
___________
Daily Missions:
Fitness Mission
Recovery Mission ´
When he willed for it, he got a description of what the task of the mission was and what he would get as a reward. For the fitness mission, he had to do 50 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, and run 5 km; as a reward, he would get 10 experience points.
The task for the recovery mission was that he had to do gentle stretching, breathing exercises, and light walking; as a reward, the recovery speed of his wound would increase by 30 percent for 12 hours.
Though they initially startled him a little, the missions and tasks looked reasonable. If he completed the fitness mission consistently for ten days, he would even be able to level up.
The last command that gave him a reaction was when he tried to open the shop, but in the end, he wasn't able to; instead, he got this screen.
`System Alert: Shop unavailable
Access denied.
Requirements to Unlock: Lvl.10´
It seems like I will need to wait till I'm level 10 to see what I can get in the shop. Just as he was done, another screen popped up.
`System Alert: Available Functions Checked
Starter Pack is Now Available
To retrieve it, check the Inventory. ´
When he checked it, he saw that one slot had something in it. When he first looked at his status, he had tried to put something in it but wasn't able to. It seemed like he could only store stuff that he got from the system there.
'Retrieve `Starter Pack´ from Inventory'
In the next moment, a little box appeared in front of him, and he carefully opened it.
"Wow, it really is like in a game. It's even more fascinating since I can also touch it." It seems like this is actually really happening, and I have not gone nuts just yet.
As soon as the box was opened, the box began to disappear, and particles flew through the air.
`System Alert: Starter Pack Opened
Congratulations! You have received the following rewards:
50 Experience
Temporary Ownership of Bargain Bin Mart
$1.000 Investment Capital
The items have been added to your inventory. ´
The experience was self-explanatory, but with temporary ownership and investment capital, he would need to take a closer look. He summoned them, and in his hand, a thick stack of papers and a check for $1000 appeared.
First, he looked at the papers that he got; it was a contract that seemed legitimate. The Bargain Bin Mart was a convenience store that actually had a pretty good location but was still running bankrupt. From what he could see, it was probably a problem of marketing and because of the thick competition, as well as lost innovation to lure in customers. Additionally, the agreement said that he would receive temporary ownership of it and be free to do as he pleased.
The $1,000 check appeared to be standard, but upon closer inspection, he saw that the system had sent him a notification specifying that the money was only to be used for the convenience store.
He had already thought that something like this would happen, but he was still disappointed. He had thought that he could use it to pay for his apartment, but it seemed like he would need to get that money in another way.
Before returning his focus back to the system, he thoroughly examined his rewards. He had also noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that the contract he was holding had initiated a new mission.
`Customer Satisfaction Mission
Grade: Gold
Objective:
Serve 100 Customers in the convenience store "Bargain Bin Mart" and ensure their satisfaction.
Rewards:
Complete Ownership of Bargain Bin Mart.
All Earnings of the Day.
+ 50 Exp.
Time Limit:
72 hours.
Bonus Objectives:
Achieve a customer satisfaction rating of 85% or higher for an additional 10 Exp.
Serve 120 customers for an additional 20 Exp.
Accept Mission? [Yes] [No] ´
He looked at the mission and noticed that the Time limit was quite short if one takes his current condition into account. But the rewards are pretty good, and he didn't see any penalties or disadvantages for him. It was even better since he now could earn the rest of the money that he needed for this month's rent.
'Accept Mission'
He was finally through all the notifications and had a good idea of what the system was capable of, as well as his status.
Just as he wanted to ponder some more, he heard a knock on the door, luckily just a second before he had retrieved the items back into the inventory; otherwise, people would have looked at him strangely.
The door slid open, and a young nurse came inside. She was slightly surprised when she saw that he was awake and even looking in her direction.
"Looks like you are finally awake. I would have some questions that I would like to ask and also some other matter that I would like to discuss if that is possible." She looked at him and tried to see if he could follow what she said. Since he still looked pretty battered up and had two deep stab wounds on his body, she wasn't all that sure how much he could register.
Lucien answered, "Go ahead, ask what you need to ask, but before that, could I ask for some more pain medication since the effect is almost gone? Although I do take pain pretty well, it still hurts quite much," he smiled wrily when he noticed that the nurse got flustered by what he said; she quickly apologized, feeling embarrassed that he had to remind her to give him his medication.
She asked him some questions, like who he was, if he had any problems with any medication, and some similar questions. Only then did Lucien remember that he got stripped of everything that he had, so they probably had no idea of who he was the whole time.
There was no clock in the room, so Lucien asked what time it was, to which she answered that it was the 19th of December, a Friday.
Lucien was now quite shocked, and he was pretty sure that he had been stabbed on the 17th of December, which was Wednesday night.
The nurse who saw his reaction suddenly remembered something and quite embarrassedly said, "Oh, I'm really sorry. I should have mentioned this before. When you came into the hospital, you were in pretty bad shape. The operation was difficult and seemed to have taken quite a toll on your body, which was why you were in a coma for a full day. Before you then got some medication to wake you up from your coma, since the question regarding who you are and what happened needed to be answered."
Lucien had a pondering look on his face before another realization hit him. He hadn't spoken to his aunt and uncle for the last three days; they must be so worried. Usually, Lucien would give his aunt a call once a day or so to let her know everything was alright.
Lucien quickly asked if he could borrow a phone from her since it got stolen; she got him a phone before excusing herself; at the end, she only told him that the police would also come later on to get a report on what had happened.
He quickly dialed his aunt's number; luckily, he memorized it, for such a case.
After a short while, the call came through, and he heard his aunt from the other side say, "Hello, who is this?"
"Hey, aunt. It's me, Lucien."
As soon as she knew that it was him, she began to bombard him with many questions, "Oh, Luc, it's you; are you okay? Is everything alright? Why are you not calling from your phone? Did something happen?"
"Everything is okay, aunt. I just lost my phone and had some small problems, so I didn't call before. I have borrowed the phone of a friend, so I can't talk to you for long, but I will soon buy a new phone, so don't worry."
"Okay. Are you eating properly? How is the semester break so far? Do you have much fun with your friends?"
"Yeah, aunt. I'm eating properly, and yeah, I have a lot of fun; you don't need to worry."
"Okay, then when are you finally going to come and visit us in Ardenvale? We really miss you. Lizzie also often asks when you are finally coming back."
"Soon, I will come over soon. How are you all? Is everything alright? What about Lizzie? What does she do?" He quickly tried to avert the topic and asked his aunt worriedly. He knew that they weren't good financially usually, but they wouldn't tell him if they needed help; most of the time he would only hear the truth from Lizzie.
"Everything is alright, you don't need to worry, you also really don't need to send us any money, we can manage without. Lizzie is as bubbly and curious as ever, she recently said that she started, what was it called again? Ah, yeah, streaming; she started streaming. But you will need to ask her yourself; you don't know that from me, since she wanted to tell you herself."
"Okay, aunt. I need to say goodbye now; my friend wants his phone back."
"Okay, take care of yourself, bye-bye." As soon as they hung up, he could finally relax his breath. It took considerable willpower not to make any noises that might give him away since his whole body was stiff and everything hurt when he talked.
Why did he not tell them? Why would he? He didn't want them to have any more worries; he was alright; he would recover, so he didn't need them to worry about him when they already had enough to worry about with their financial problems.