The faint beeping of hospital machines echoed in a slow, rhythmic pattern steady, soft, and strangely comforting. A cool breeze from the ceiling vent brushed over Ethan's skin, and the faint sterile smell of disinfectant filled his nose.
His fingers twitched.
His eyelids trembled.
Then slowly Ethan opened his eyes.
For a few seconds, his vision was blurry, washed in bright white light. The ceiling came into focus first. Then the hanging curtain rails. Then the IV tube connected to his arm. He blinked again, confused.
"Where… am I?"
He shifted slightly on the bed and immediately regretted moving. His entire body felt heavy, like his limbs were made of stone. His thoughts were foggy, drifting in fragments as he tried to piece together the last thing he remembered.
I was driving… The system card… Syncing… Then… darkness.
He exhaled slowly and lifted a hand to his forehead.
Before he could think any further, a small chime sounded in his ears, crisp and clear like a digital bell.
A blue screen appeared above him.
[Mission Completed]
Tap to claim reward.
Ethan stared.
"What mission?" he muttered under his breath.
He didn't remember accepting anything.
He didn't recall any prompt.
No notification.
No warning.
Nothing.
He reached up to dismiss the screen with a confused sigh. But before he could even investigate the mystery, the door of the hospital room slammed open.
"Ethan?!"
Lena rushed in like a gust of wind, breath unsteady, hair slightly messy from pacing for hours. Her eyes widened the moment she saw him awake and genuinely alive.
Ethan blinked again.
"L—Lena?"
Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, she was already leaning over the bed, hugging him tightly. Her arms wrapped around his neck with surprising strength for someone so small.
Ethan froze.
Then his body caught up with his brain, and he slowly hugged her back.
Her shoulders trembled slightly against him. Her face was buried in the crook of his neck. He could feel her relieved exhale brush against his skin.
"You scared me," she whispered, her voice breaking just a little.
Ethan's heart tightened.
He hadn't seen her look this vulnerable since… ever.
"Hey… I'm okay," he murmured softly, unsure if he was comforting her or himself. "I'm here."
Their hug lingered.
Too long.
Too warm.
When they finally loosened their hold, they looked at each other really looked.
Her eyes glistened slightly.
His breath caught.
They were leaning close.
Very close.
Their faces inches apart.
Their lips almost touching.
The air between them thickened, charged with something unspoken.
It felt inevitable.
Like something was pulling them together.
Lena's breath trembled.
Ethan's heart hammered.
Their eyes locked.
They leaned in.
And a loud cough echoed from the doorway.
Both of them snapped their heads toward the sound.
Mary stood there with a blank face and dead eyes, holding her purse as if it were a weapon she was debating throwing at them.
Her expression was unreadable… but her aura?
Her aura screamed:
"Are you two serious right now?"
Ethan gently let go of Lena.
Lena stepped back with a small jump, her cheeks pink.
Mary walked forward slowly, arms crossed, staring at them like a disappointed teacher catching two students in the storage closet.
Why am I annoyed?
Her thoughts churned in a loop.
I don't get jealous. I don't. Especially not over a seventeen-year-old man
She paused internally.
Waitboy? Why did I call him a man earlier? No. He's a boy. A kid. Just a kid. I'm not jealous.
Her eye twitched.
The truth was… she was jealous.
And that bothered her more than what she walked in on.
If anyone could see into Mary's mind right now the legendary "Gambling Queen," the woman who broke casinos, ruined billionaires, and walked with unshakable confidence they would have fainted on the spot.
Because Mary's thoughts were a mess.
A complete, emotional, tangled mess.
She blamed Ethan.
Stupid boy. Making me feel things I shouldn't.
Why does he act older? Why is he calm when he shouldn't be?
Why does he make me smile? Why does he make me.
She cut off her own thoughts aggressively.
Absolutely not.
Meanwhile, Lena slowly pulled her arms back and cleared her throat, cheeks still warm.
Ethan sighed softly. He opened his mouth to speak.
But the door opened again, and a nurse stepped in holding a tray.
"Excuse me," she said with a polite but firm smile, "you two need to wait outside for a moment. The patient requires another injection."
Lena and Mary exchanged a look.
Then they were ushered out before either could argue.
Ethan watched them leave, eyebrows raised, then shrugged and let the nurse handle whatever medical routine she had to do. After a small pinch and a bandage, the nurse left him alone again.
Once the room quieted, Ethan exhaled deeply.
"Time to check what exactly is happening…"
He opened his system screen and tapped Dashboard.
But before the normal menus appeared, another prompt rose like a bubble of light.
[Double Reward Active]
Would you like to double your earned mission rewards?
→ YES NO
Ethan blinked.
"Double… what rewards?"
He didn't know.
He didn't understand.
But his brain was tired, his curiosity was low, and his thumb tapped YES without thinking.
A soft digital chime echoed.
A moment later, his entire system dashboard refreshed in a flash of bright light.
When the new data appeared…
Ethan's jaw dropped.
His eyes widened.
His heart nearly stopped.
"What the WHAT?!"
The numbers staring back at him were insane.
[Money Deck System – Version 2.0]
Upgrade to v3.0 available (Cost: 250 Points)
Host: Ethan Iver
Balance: $43,100,000
System Points: 240
Card Draws Available: 10 (includes 3 Rare Draws)
Exchange Rate: 1 SP = $10,000
System Cards
♣ Clubs – Grind for Strength
♦ Diamonds – Earn Real Money
♥ Hearts – Relationship / Social Missions
♠ Spades – Locked (Auto-activates in Danger)
Attributes
Strength – 10/20
Agility – 10/20
Endurance – 10/20
Intelligence – 10/20
Perception – 10/20
Attribute Points: 40
Skills
Investment – Lv 2
(Other skills locked)
Relationship Tab
Tap names to view more.
• Lena Park – Affection: 50%, Loyalty: 70%
• Mary – Affection: Unknown, Loyalty: 10%
Ethan stared.
He rubbed his eyes.
He stared again.
"What is THIS?! A skill tree? A relationship tab? Forty million dollars?!"
His voice cracked.
He scrolled again in disbelief.
"What… what happened while I was unconscious?!"
As if responding to his meltdown, the mission finally popped open.
Mission Type: 7 of Spades (Extreme)
Mission Objective: Stay alive for 24 hours.
Reward:
• 120 System Points
• $20,000,000
• Investment Prediction Plans (Unlocked)
• Double Reward Card
• Relationship Tab (Unlocked)
• +20 Attribute Points
Ethan stared at it.
Then read it again.
Then whispered:
"…Stay alive for 24 hours? What kind of mission is THAT?!"
His heart pounded.
His villa had exploded.
He barely survived.
He had been unconscious.
His system had saved him somehow.
Everything began to make sense.
"Hah…"
He leaned back against the pillow, still staring at the insane rewards blinking on the screen.
"What kind of crazy system did I get myself involved with…?"
He didn't know.
But this was only the beginning.