Chapter 7
The Laws of the Deck
The classroom was silent save for the scratching of pens against paper, the occasional shuffle of shoes beneath desks, the faint creak of wooden chairs. Sunlight filtered weakly through tall windows, dust motes drifting lazily in the beams. To everyone else, it was just another exam.
But for Ethan, the world had shifted.
Hovering above his paper, glowing faintly like something drawn from a fever dream, was the interface he had tried so hard to deny.
--- [Money Deck System v1.0] ---
Name: Ethan Ivers
Balance: $0
System Points: 5
Cards Available: 1 (Undrawn)
[Next Action]– Draw a new card
Ethan stared at it, his hand frozen mid-turn over his paper. His throat felt dry, his chest tight. No one else reacted. Not a single student even glanced his way. To them, nothing hovered in front of his desk.
So I really am the only one who can see this…
His pulse thundered in his ears. He wanted to reach out, to press, to finally draw—
The screen flickered.
Another set of words slid across, overlaying the first. His breath hitched as glowing lines shaped themselves into sentences, smooth and deliberate, as if carved from light itself.
Tutorial Prompt – Initiating
Welcome, Host. System Level: 1.0
The Money Deck System is built on the laws of risk, reward, and growth. At Level 1, your functions are limited but sufficient for survival.
[Cards]– Every mission comes in the form of a card.
– Four Suits exist:
• Clubs → Effort-based missions (work, physical grind).
• Diamonds → Money-based missions (earn, trade).
• Hearts → Locked.
• Spades → Locked.
– The higher the card rank, the harder the mission… and the better the reward.
[System Points]– Earned from completing missions.
– Used to upgrade the system.
– At Level 1, only a small amount can be stored.
[Rewards]– Missions grant:
• System Points (+1 to +5 typically).
• Free Card Draws (guaranteed new mission).
• Small consumables (rare).
– Money rewards are possible, but modest at this stage.
[Free Card Draw]– Grants one new card instantly.
– Can trigger a new mission or a rare bonus card.
– Free draws are your lifeline when broke.
[Limitations – Level 1]– Skills cannot be viewed yet.
– Shop is locked.
– Relationship and Influence features are locked.
– Only Clubs and Diamonds missions are available.
Survival begins with small victories. Complete missions, earn points, and climb higher.
The glowing lines faded back into the screen, leaving the interface pulsing faintly once more.
Ethan's hands were clammy against the desk. His pen slipped from his fingers, clattering softly onto his paper. The sound was small, yet it seemed to echo in the silence of the exam hall. A few students glanced at him briefly, then dismissed him as nothing more than a clumsy distraction.
He hardly noticed.
His mind reeled.
Missions… suits… points… shop? Free draws?
It read like the rules of a game, something out of the cheap arcade machines he'd once wasted coins on as a boy. But the memory of the alley was still fresh—the surge of strange strength in his arms, the clarity that had filled his head when he faced those men. That had been no game.
And now the system itself confirmed it: risk, reward, growth.
Ethan's jaw clenched. He wanted to dismiss it, to tell himself it was madness brought on by stress, but the weight of the words wouldn't allow it.
He swallowed hard, staring at the option still waiting for him.
Draw a new card.
The phrase pulsed faintly, steady, patient, as if it could wait an eternity for his answer.
He bit his lip, his thoughts spiraling.
What if I draw and something impossible happens again? Another mission, right here in the middle of the exam hall? What if people notice?
But alongside fear came something else—an itch beneath his skin, a spark in his chest. Curiosity.
The system promised survival. Growth. Even money. And wasn't that what he had always needed? What his mother needed? What his entire life had been choking without?
The teacher at the front called out, "Ten minutes remaining!"
Students bent lower over their papers, pens scratching faster. Ethan barely heard. His exam was already finished, pages filled with precise, deliberate strokes. He had nothing left to do—except choose.
His hand hovered.
A bead of sweat slid down his temple.
Draw a card… or don't.
Risk… or stagnation.
For the first time, Ethan realized the system hadn't forced him. The mission at the alley had been triggered, yes—but the draw? That was his choice. His will.
And the more he stared, the more he understood: this was not just a system. It was a deal.
He had already taken the first step with blood.
Now the deck was waiting to see if he would take the second.
His finger trembled in the air.
The system pulsed once, as though holding its breath.
And Ethan, heart pounding in his chest, whispered to himself—
"…All right."
His fingertip moved.
He tapped Draw.