July 12th.
The air in City A was thick, suffocating, the kind of summer heat that stuck to your lungs and weighed on your bones. Asphalt shimmered like hot glass, and the neon haze from Starlight Avenue's endless signs only made the night feel more feverish. To most, it was just another date on the calendar. To me, Caleb Moore, it would become the day my life was ripped apart and stitched back together by something I couldn't explain.
I was twenty-three years old and already drowning.
Delivery boy. College dropout. Bank balance: $5.37. Debts hanging over me like storm clouds, courtesy of the kind of loan sharks who didn't bother with paperwork. A nobody in District B, scraping pennies in a city that demanded blood.
That night, I had just finished another twelve-hour shift delivering takeout for a food app that treated drivers like disposable batteries. My phone buzzed with reminders I couldn't deal with—rent due, utilities late, Jamal blowing up my texts about covering his half of the electric bill again.
I cut through Dawn Street, an alley lit by a single flickering bulb, when my foot hit something solid.
Clink.
A shard. Black as midnight, with veins of green light crawling under its surface like living circuits. The moment I touched it, the world screamed.
My palm burned, fire searing into flesh as the shard dissolved into me. I staggered back, gasping, clutching my hand as rain began to drizzle through the alley's broken gutters.
"W-what the hell is this?!" My voice echoed off the walls.
The answer came immediately.
A translucent screen flared before my eyes, casting eerie light on the soaked bricks.
[Wealth System Online.]Host Detected: Caleb Moore.Synchronization Complete.
I froze. My knees nearly gave out.
"This—no, no, this is impossible…"
The words weren't just on the screen—they echoed in my head, sinking straight into thought.
[Welcome, Host. From this day forward, your fate is no longer chained by poverty. Own your life. Paint City A with a colorful existence.]
Rain hammered down harder, each drop cold against my fevered skin. My palm throbbed with a jagged scar shaped like the shard, faintly glowing with its own pulse.
Another notification burned into existence:
[First Task Generated.]
Sign-In at Your Residence.
Reward: 100 Wealth Points + Starter Pack.
Deadline: 24 Hours.
Residence. That dump on Ironwood Avenue.
I clenched my teeth. If this was real… if any of this was real… then it was either the biggest break of my life or the cruelest joke the universe had ever played.
The scar pulsed again. My gut screamed: Go.
I mounted my rusted bike and pedaled hard. District B swallowed me whole—the stench of frying oil from street vendors, the hiss of neon signs, the chaos of sirens and gangs shouting in the distance. I knew every crack in the road, every pothole, every corner where muggers waited like vultures.
"System," I muttered under my breath, "you said protected at all times. You'd better mean it, 'cause this place doesn't forgive mistakes."
Ironwood Avenue's tenements loomed out of the storm, their windows glowing faintly with broken light. My chest tightened as I walked my bike inside.
Home.
A bitter word.
I pushed open the warped apartment door. The stale smell of cigarettes and cheap liquor greeted me before Jamal's voice did.
"There you are, Moore." Jamal was slouched on the couch, controller in one hand, half-burned cigarette in the other. He didn't even glance at me. "You're late again. Rent's due tomorrow. Don't expect me to cover your sorry ass this time."
I dropped my soaked jacket, my hand still throbbing with the shard's scar.
"Back off, Jamal. I've got bigger things on my plate."
He barked a laugh, finally turning to face me. His eyes were bloodshot, his smirk full of disdain.
"Bigger? You're a delivery boy who barely makes enough for instant noodles. Stop pretending like you're some kind of hero."
The words cut, sharper because they were true.
But before I could snap back, the System chimed in my ears:
[Sign-In at Residence Initiated.]Stand in the center of your home.
My heart pounded. Jamal stared as I stepped into the middle of the apartment, eyes wide and unfocused like I was listening to someone invisible.
"Moore, what the hell are you doing?"
"Shut up."
[Sign-In Successful.]Reward: 100 Wealth Points + Starter Pack.
The screen expanded:
[Starter Pack Unlocked.]
$500 Cash Deposited.
Skill: Financial Acumen (Beginner).
Item: Lucky Coin.
I fumbled for my phone. My jaw dropped. My bank balance—$505.37.
"Holy—"
Before the words left my mouth, a golden coin materialized in my palm. Warm. Heavy. Runes glowing faintly along its rim. It pulsed in rhythm with the scar on my hand.
Jamal's eyes widened. "What the—where'd you get that coin? You stealing now, Moore?!"
I shoved it in my pocket. "None of your business. Stay out of my way."
The System chimed again:
[New Task Generated.]
Invest Your First $500.
Reward: 200 WP + Random Skill Unlock.
Deadline: 48 Hours.
Risk Meter: 60%. High Risk. High Reward.
[Host, seize your destiny! Invest wisely, and paint City A with your ambition!]
I stood frozen, heart hammering.
Invest. I wasn't some Crystal Avenue broker. I didn't know Wall Street from Sesame Street. But something inside me shifted—the moment the words Financial Acumen appeared, my brain lit up. Numbers made sense in a way they never had. Ratios, trends, risks—it was like my thoughts had been sharpened into a blade.
My phone buzzed with a flood of investment ads and notifications. One app stood out: StarCoin, a local crypto startup from District B. Risky. New. Barely hanging on. But beneath the noise, my instincts screamed—it would rise.
"This… feels right."
My thumb hovered. Then I slammed the buy button. $500 gone in an instant.
[Investment Confirmed. Bold choice, Host. Your colorful life begins.]
The rush was intoxicating. My heart pounded with reckless adrenaline.
Then—
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Heavy fists hammered the apartment door.
"Moore!" A growl rattled the walls. "I hear you got cash. Open up, or we break it down!"
My blood ran cold. Vince Russo's voice. The loan shark who owned half the slums. His men didn't knock unless they smelled money.
I froze, every nerve screaming. How the hell did he know already?
The Lucky Coin in my pocket pulsed warmly, steadying me.
The System chimed one last time:
[Emergency Task Generated.]
Evade Vince's Goons.
Reward: 150 WP + Temporary Skill: Street Reflexes (Beginner).
Deadline: 10 Minutes.
I clenched my jaw.
Evade? Hide? No.
For the first time in my life, I wasn't just prey anymore.
I stepped toward the back window, rain slashing across the fire escape beyond. The shadows of Vince's men stretched across the alley, searching.
The Street Reflexes skill surged through me—my body lighter, sharper, every instinct honed.
I grinned, teeth flashing in the storm.
"Vince wants my money? He'll have to catch me first."
The System pulsed with one last alert:
[Warning: Rival Shard-Bearer Detected. Marcus Vane's influence expanding in District A.]
My pulse roared in my ears. This wasn't just about me anymore.
This city was a battlefield.
I vaulted onto the fire escape, the storm swallowing me whole.
"Alright, City A…" I whispered. "Let's see who breaks first."