The chest wasn't much larger than a shoebox, and when he tried to lift it, he was surprised by how light it felt, almost as if it were empty.
But considering he was now in a motel with a system, he wouldn't be too shocked if a giant sword or something equally absurd came out of it.
'I's this like those space storage things?' he thought to himself as he slowly opened the chest.
He paused for a heartbeat, a mix of excitement and doubt swirling in his gut.
What if it was something dangerous?
'No, I can't hesitate now. It's not like I have other options,' he steeled himself and continue.
It creaked, a soft groan that filled the silence around him, and then—FLASH.
A bright light burst from inside, momentarily blinding him.
When the light faded and his vision returned, he squinted at the floor.
There, sitting, was a laptop. Not a sleek, advanced model, but one of those big, bulky things from at least two decades ago.
The kind with the clunky keys and a thick, heavy screen.
'Is it working?' he muttered, moving to open the clunky old laptop.
He didn't care if it was outdated—if it worked, that was all that mattered right now.
His fingers fumbled to find the power button, a slightly worn square near the top of the keyboard.
The screen flickered to life with a soft hum. The startup was super slow, and the screen displayed a familiar but ancient operating system—one he hadn't seen in years.
'At least it was functional, even if it looked like it belonged in a museum.'
He watched as the loading bar crawled across the screen, hoping this relic would give him some kind of advantage in his bizarre situation.
CLICK!
Luck was prompted to create a password almost immediately. Without giving it much thought, he typed,
"Fyou12345"—a not-so-subtle reflection of his mood—and hit enter.
The desktop finally loaded, revealing a surprisingly serene background of a vast, sunlit grassland.
It was almost calming, though the contrast to his current reality made it feel like a sick joke.
Scattered across the desktop were several unfamiliar icons to him.
Except for one.
His eyes locked onto a logo he would never forget—a small, pixelated crown emblem of H.E.O.
'What's that doing here? he wondered, his curiosity rising.
[DING!]
A notification popped up in his view, interrupting his thoughts.
[Earn E-Coins by converting Gold Coins from the game. Ratio 1:10,000]
[Second Mission: Save up to 200 E-Coins]
"10,000 gold for 1 E-Coin? Just rob me!" Luck grumbled, glaring at the notification.
10,000 gold coins was about $1,000 in real-world money,
Even someone like him, who spent a decent amount on the game, didn't have piles of in-game currency just sitting around.
Most of it had been used to level up, upgrade gear, and keep his empire competitive in H.E.O.
' I have a spare 8,000 gold coins, and an existing 100 E-coins' he thought, calculating quickly.
'If I stop production and stop making more army units, I could save up to 25,000 gold coins in a day. But that would mess up my whole operation.'
Losing momentum in H.E.O. wasn't just a setback; it could ruin his competitive edge in the game and get invaded.
Plus, to gain the missing 100 E-Coins, he needed at least 1,000,000 gold coins in-game.
'This is nuts,' he realized, shaking his head in disbelief.
The numbers were staggering, and the grind was impossible.
"Is there any other way to get E-Coins?" Luck asked, hoping the system would somehow respond.
Desperate for an alternative, he began clicking through the other unfamiliar icons on the desktop, his eyes landing on one that resembled a small bank.
o - o - o - o - o
Loan System: Borrow E-Coins with interest.
Investment Option: Invest E-coins and hope for the best
Personal Savings. Personal money that could be converted to E-coins
o - o - o - o - o
Curious, Luck clicked on the Loan System option, hoping it might offer some leeway.
Instead, a bold red notification popped up:
[Rejected - Delinquent Account]
He stared at the screen, his blood boiling.
"Motherf—! That's my grandpa's debt, not mine!" he shouted at the laptop, as if it would somehow acknowledge the injustice.
He let out a long, frustrated sigh. "Thanks a lot, Grandpa. You're really screwing me from beyond the grave,"
Shaking it off, he glanced at the other options on the bank's menu. Personal Savings
[ 97,226.36 Yen / 652 USD]
Luck patted his pocket, half-expecting some miracle, but as he suspected, his cash was gone. It had all been converted to digital currency.
'I can't believe this,' Luck groaned, rubbing his temples in frustration. 'This is the one time I wish I were a freaking billionaire.'
If he had money, he could buy his way out of this mess, maybe even make the motel a decent place to live.
Instead, he was stuck in this rundown place, dealing with a system that felt more like a death trap than a support.