"James, here's the order for the VIP guest in the Gold VIP section. Take it to him," an elderly man, who appeared to be in his fifties, said to a young man, pointing at the two bottles of alcohol on a tray on the bar counter.

"Yes, sir," James said, as he picked up the tray and started walking towards the VIP section where the drinks were ordered from.

As James made his way to the VIP section, a lot of thoughts were running through his mind. He took a couple of glances at the bottles on the tray and sighed helplessly.

He found it very hard to understand how someone can afford to buy something so expensive, and alcohol no less. And make it a whole lot worst, this is isn't the second or third order from that particular VIP guest.

"The divide between the rich and poor kept widening with each passing day. How good must it feel to be able to spend more than $5,000 without a single thought about whatever struggles tomorrow would bring?" He mused to himself, shaking his head.

He finally arrived in front of the door of the VIP section and he knocked once, before he opened it and walked in.

James was met with a scene that captures the decadence among today's youths and society.

Seated in the centre of the VIP section is a familiar young man who looks to be the same age as James, if not younger. Around him were a group of girls dressed in skimpy and eye-raising outfits that would bring only one word, and thought to the mind of any man that sees them.

The girls surrounded the young man, running and rubbing their hands on his chest and face, caressing both locations and moving their hands towards his thigh.

One of them took it to the next level, climbing onto his thigh and grinding away to the music playing in the room.

James could only sigh when he saw this. He didn't need to be told to know that everyone in the room were beyond wasted and this could be seen from the empty and half-empty scattered across the table.

He sighed again as he walked toward the table, took the two bottles from the tray, and placed them on the table. After he did that, he nodded at the guest but actually no one in particular, before making his way to a secluded corner of the room.

James loves to make himself as invisible as he can, especially when he's serving guests like the young man. He would only make himself when he's needed.

Unfortunately for him, the young man wasn't going to allow him to enjoy whatever little peace he can in the chaos all around him.

"Hey, James. My man. Why standing there all rigid? Are you my bodyguard or what? Come here and take some sips, man," the young man said, gesturing for James to come join him.

James looked at him, putting up the best customer friendly smile he could muster, as he prepares to say no. But before he could reply, the young waved at him with a frown, and irritation on his face as he turned his attention back to girls surrounding him.

"Never mind. You will just say no anyway. I'd rather enjoy my life with my girls than allow someone boring like you to ruin it for me," he said to the girl grinding on him, spanking her buttocks and causing her to yelp with a very coquettish voice.

"Tania, get down and suck me off," the young man said with a smile, as he looked toward James.

One would expect the girl to at least try to maintain her dignity, if not because of the other girls but because of the other male in the room, but she didn't. Unfortunately, she couldn't care less as she immediately jumped down from the young man's thigh, and started slowly unzipping him, while stimulating him from above his pants.

James knew that this was his cue to leave as he knew perfectly well what was about to happen next. He knew better than to wait.

It was a mistake he made the first time something like that happened, and he was almost dragged into a full blown orgy. If he didn't run out of the room at the moment he did and with the setup of those in the room, he would had been caught in a diddy, ahem, sticky situation.

Stepping out of the room, he let out a sigh of relief and started walking to the bar. The truth is that he would love to be able to spend as his course mate in the Gold VIP section.

To James, ability to spend an average of more than $14,000 every week just for clubbing is a concept he doesn't understand. But if he has such amount and have the same spending power, he wouldn't have to worry his head for money anymore. He won't have to stay up all night, thinking of how to escape his perilous financial situation.

One might ask why he isn't taking the same route as his peers, taking the "financial freedom route", but the truth is that he has tried it and it didn't work out for him. It's actually one of the reason why he's in a debt of a more than $20,000.

It's for this reasons that he decided to take the safest and less risky method: go to school, get a degree and get thrown into the job market. But with how the world and everything is looking right now, James feel like everything was just going to be a waste in the end.

He sighed and shook his head at his situation, as he checked the time on his cheap, digital watch.

"My shift just ended. Time to go home," he said, with a wry smile.

He made his way to the staff changing room but on his way there, he was stopped by one of his colleagues.

"James, hey. The manager said that I should give this to you," he said, giving James one of the white envelope in his hand.

James' eyes narrowed when he saw the envelope and the solemn look on his colleague's face. A sense of foreboding settled over him.

He slowly reached out and collected the envelope, and nodded in appreciation at his colleague. He turned over the envelope and the line or words on it, told him everything he needs to know.

"I'm fired."

It took a moment for his brain to process what just happened and for him to fully realise the gravity of it

With the realisation, came shock and confusion. His hand shook slightly and his head was clouded with multiple thought.

He didn't understand why this was happening. He has done his job to the best of his abilities and has never gotten any complaint from customers, then why is he being fired?

James wanted to rush to the manager's office and confront him but he knew that he would only be barking up the wall with his action. And he might even get trashed for it.

Left without a choice, James sighed and walked towards the staff changing room.

"I guess this is for me," he said with a wry smile.

...

Few minutes later, James opened the doom to the triple room dorm he shares with some students.

Walking into the room, he saw that it was empty, indicating that his roommates had yet to return from their nightly activities. And given that the quarter had just ended, he doubted they would be coming back for the night—or even the next day.

James walked to his bed and collapsed into it, exhausted. He slowly turned over and looked at the ceiling, deep in thought.

He thought of how his life has gone till now. How he lost his parents to accidents at a young age, came to live with his mother's divorced friend who has a daughter almost the same age as him. How they have supported him and taken care of him like their own family.

"Patty, Leslie, I really want to repay the two of you for everything you have done for me but nothing I've done has ever worked on out

Why can't I also be happy and have the good things my mates have? Why does it seem like everyone is making progress and I'm the only one stagnant? It would had been understandable if my situation had regeessed and became worst, but it feels like I've been stuck in the same spot for eternity," James said to himself, pouring out his thoughts in the empty confines of his dorm.

James sighed as he snuggled into his bed, as exhaustion started taking its toll and sleep slowly enveloping him.

"I hope I wake to a new and great reality tomorrow," he said with the only genuine smile he has ever had for the day, and fell asleep.

.....

Unnoticed by anyone, a small white object, the size of a golf ball, hovered above the clouds for a few moments before descending at incredible speed.

As it descended, its speed increased, doubling, then tripling, until it became a blur—almost invisible.

The object continued downward, phasing through the roof of the dorm building before settling on James' head. It dissolved into liquid, seeping into his body through his ears.

.....

Meanwhile in James' subconscious.

[Assimilating System....]

[Assimilation Completed]

[Generating Host's Information... Completed]

[System Activated.]

.....

[Host Info Screen.]

[Name]: James Zolomon

[Age]: 21

[Stats]

>[Strength]: 9

>[Agility]: 8

>[Intelligence]: 8

>[Charisma]: 6

[Personal Information]

>[Account Balance: $687.67]

>[Networth: -$20,568.89]

[System Section]

>[Stat Point(s)]: 0

>[Lottery Ticket(s)]: 0

>[System Point(s)]: 0

>[Mission(s): None]

>[System Store]