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Hao Yun, on the streets, is still thinking about how he can enter those portals.
Thinking is tiring for him, but it's not like he has any other choice.
Growl...
"Let's eat something first. A hungry man can't think of anything except food, and I have a lot of money now, so I don't have to restrain myself like in the past," he thought.
He pulls out his smartphone and says, "Hey, Byuri! Recommend me some good places to eat."
[Sure, here are some good places near your location.]
He chose the best-rated one. Hao-Yun followed the directions of the restaurant, and with his current speed, it took him just 3 minutes to get there. However, just as he was about to enter the restaurant...
"You brat! I told you not to come here again!"
"But... I have enough money to eat..."
"Take your money with you and get outta here!"
The restaurant staff scolded a young girl in tattered clothes and kicked her out of the restaurant.
Hao-Yun was deeply saddened by this. he couldn't believe such a high-quality restaurant could treat people with such cruelty. Maybe they paid people for reviews. But now, more than food, his attention was focused on the young girl.
He approached her.
"Hey, lad, are you okay?"
"Huh... Who are you? Another restaurant staff member, who wants to drive me away..."
"No-no... Don't take me wrong? I'm just a passerby. Can you tell me why they were so rude to you?"
"This is none of your business!"
"I know, I am bothering you, but maybe if you share your worries with me, I could help you."
The girl asked why he didn't just ignore her like others. But for some reason, it looked like Hao Yun couldn't just do it...
The girl then explains that it's nothing special. Nobody wants to bring down their place's reputation by feeding a dirty girl in tatters like her.
"How come you are in this situation? Where are your parents?"
"My name is Joo na. I came with my parents to Seoul on a trip, but then suddenly, they died."
"People said it was because they couldn't complete their task."
"Joo na?"
Hearing that name, Hao Yun couldn't hold himself back anymore. He straight-out decided to take this girl in. Unlike his sister Joo na, whom he couldn't protect, he wanted to protect this Joo na who was standing in tatters... in front of him.
He calmly asked, "Don't you have any other relatives?"
But it looked like Joo na didn't meet any relatives until now. Maybe some personal family problem...
"So, nobody around helped you until now?"
"No, all people were running for some reason, so I also ran and hid in the corner of this street."
"Say, Joo na, would you live with me?"
"L-live with you?"
"A-are you one of those bad guys mama told me to stay away from?"
"No-no... I just can't leave a cute and small girl like you on the streets..."
"What do you say? Living with me isn't that bad. You will get to eat as much as you like, wear good clothes, and do anything you like."
"R-Really... y-you... won't abandon me?"
"Yes, so how about it, Joo na?"
"Okay..."
"By the way, what should I call you?"
"I'm Hao Yun."
"So, big brother Hao Yun then."
"Joo na, how old are you?"
"Mmm... I turned 10 two months ago."
"Oh..."
Hao Yun took Joo na to buy some clothes at a shop. Then, both take out some fast food and return to Hao Yun's temporary apartment.
"Joo na, from now on, this is your home!"
"It might be a bit small, but don't worry, your big brother will buy a larger house soon."
"It's not small, big brother!"
Grooowwwwl....
"Let's eat something first."
"Hmm... Now that I have taken in Joo na, I must earn enough money. But there's also the task deadline."
"Let's try calling Jiwon."
"Hey Jiwon!"
"Yes, brother Hao. Were the fees wasn't enough?"
Geeghh...
"N-no... It was enough... More than enough..."
"I just wanted to ask you, do you have any friends who are struggling to complete their tasks?"
"Brother Hao, are you planning to also help them? You are so magnimonius! I do have a lot of friends who are in deep trouble! I will immediately tell them to contact you."
Call-cut
"Wow... that was fast!"
"I didn't even have to explain to him anything. As expected of my benefactor. You are great, Jiwon!"
"Big brother Hao, who was that?"
"That's your second brother, my best friend in this cruel world!"
"Oh!"
Soon after Jiwon cuts the call, Hao Yun begins receiving a lot of calls, emails, messages, and some personal requests over the next two days.
He helps dozens of 2nd generations of wealthy families, and some even request him to help their whole family. The word of mouth starts showing its effects, and Hao Yun becomes a popular person among the rich and influential people.
Along with developing good ties with a lot of people, Hao Yun's dream of becoming a billionaire without doing much comes true.
"It's only 27 days left until the deadline."
Pulls out smartphone.
Tap-Tap-Tap...
[Bank Balance: 1,773,298,812]
"Now, I don't have to worry about money. As for my task, I've got another lead."
Hao Yun, completing another request of the client, walks out of their mansion and takes a glance at the large system screen.
▇▆▅▄▃▂▂▃▄▅▆▇ SYSTEM ▇▆▅▄▃▂▂▃▄▅▆▇
[New Task Assigned: South Korea]
[Task: Dimensional Resource Survey Project]
[Objective: Explore the 5 Nexus Worldsthrough your assigned portals. Locate and mark aminimum of 100 valid mineral extraction sites. Each site must contain energy stones, rare metals, or unique crafting materials.]
[Deadline: 100 days.]
[Penalty On Failure: 50% of Korea's Population would be neutralized at once. Dangerous Monsters from different Planets will get access to portals to invade Earth.]
[Rewards: Rym: A True Artificially Intelligent Humanoid, loyal to its master.]
"Just as this national-level task was issued, I knew it was my biggest opportunity to complete my task."
"Surely, the government wouldn't just send out an army to explore the highly dangerous worlds."
"Here's when my turn comes, I will apply before anyone else to help them and convince them to take me in by showing my strength."
"That way, I cannot only help in the national-level task, but also complete my own task on time."
"Still, I didn't understand why such a highly dangerous and long task has only one reward. Just a robot? What can it even do? In contrast to it, the penalty is extremely harsh, instantly wiping out half of the population."
"I just don't understand what this dog system wants to do."
Creak...
Door-open
"I'm back!"
"Welcome back, big brother Hao!"
"Did Joo na behave herself?"
"Yes, I was just watching my favorite drama."
"Oh... and what's the name of that drama?"
"That Time I Fell in Love With My Childhood Friend's Mother."
Geh...
"How did such a cute little girl develop such hobbies?"
"Joo na, it's not good for you to watch that drama."
"But Why?"
"There's a rumor going around that the drama you were watching is cursed, and those who watch it end up getting taken by Demons."
"Do you want that to happen to you?"
"Sob-sob... R-really, T-then... I don't want to watch that Drama anymore."
"Looks like I've gone too far."
"Forget about Drama, get ready, Joo-na."
"Are we going somewhere?"
"Yes!"
"Where?"
"To fulfill the promise I made to you!"
"Let's go find a Large House!"
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