Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Oliver, open the door, you bastard!"
The heavy banging of the door and the shrill voice of his landlord woke Oliver up. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced up the old wall clock and cursed, "Fuck! Who comes so early in the morning to demand rent."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Don't play dead. Open the door or do you want me to tear this door down. Remember, if I'm forced to do it, you'll be the one to pay the damages."
The landlord kept shouting. Temporarily ignoring him, Oliver went to the bathroom to wash his face but no water came out from the tap.
His expression darkened, "This old bastard!"
"It's been two months. If you don't pay the rent today, I'm going to throw you—"
Walking out of the bathroom, he slapped his face, put on an amicable expression on his face and opened the door amidst the landlord's shouts.
"You little twerp! Why did you take so long?!"
Oliver's eyelids twitched in annoyance but he forced himself to stay calm. Looking at this infuriating, pot-bellied and half-bald man, he said, "Uncle Jack, didn't you agree just two days ago to give me a week's time?"
Jack, the landlord, waved his hand and scoffed, "I don't remember giving you any more days. It's already three days past the deadline. Moreover, you didn't pay last month either. If I don't get my rent, I'll throw you out on the streets. You have until evening."
Saying this, he glanced at Oliver's neighbours who had come out after hearing the commotion and scolded, "The show's over. Go do your thing and remember to pay my rent on time or I'll throw you all out too."
Saying this, he turned around, ready to walk away when Oliver stopped him, "I'll try to arrange the money. So, open the water supply to my flat."
"You'll have water when you pay the rent." Jack scoffed coldly and walked away, leaving Oliver standing there with a dark expression on his face.
Just then he heard a sweet and concerned voice.
"Oliver, you can use our bathroom today. Also, I'm preparing breakfast for Lisa. I'll make one more portion for you since you are getting late for college."
Oliver turned around and looked at his neighbor next door, Mrs. Smith—a woman in her mid-thirties—standing there in an apron, looking at him with a gentle smile on her beautiful face.
Looking at her, half of his anger evaporated.
This woman was very kind.
Even though she herself was struggling to make ends meet, seeing he was a poor student, she always tried to help him. At least two times a week, she would invite him to her house for breakfast or dinner. Sometimes, she would even give him a few Zeni (A/N: Currency in this book).
"I would have loved to come over, Mrs. Smith, but I need to go somewhere before college. So, I need to leave immediately." Oliver smiled and headed inside.
Mrs. Smith sighed and also went inside where a beautiful young girl, dressed in white shirt and navy blue skirt with long socks, furrowed her brows, "Why do you always invite that creep, Mom?"
This girl was her seventeen years old daughter, Lisa. Unlike her, Lisa didn't like Oliver even a tiny bit. In fact, she loathed him. This was why Oliver had to always make excuses to reject her kind invitations.
"Why do you hate that poor kid so much, Lisa?" Mrs. Smith frowned, dissatisfied.
"Didn't I already tell you? He is a creep. He always looks at you weirdly." Lisa said with a disgusted look on her face.
Mrs. Smith sighed and shook her head, no longer wanting to continue this topic.
…
Oliver left his house with a backpack and headed to the college. On the way, he used the last of his Zeni to buy a bun and some milk.
Wroom~
Just as he reached the college and was entering the gate, a car sped past him, almost hitting him and causing him to stumble.
'These rich fuckers!' He cursed inwardly and continued on his way. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened, so he was used to it.
When he first came to the city and was bullied by these rich people for being poor, he had tired fighting back and had complained to the college authorities. But the result taught him that despite being a free country, the poor had no rights, especially in front of the rich.
So, after learning his lesson, he refrained from offending anyone, but as if these people would feel good if they didn't bully him, they always found him, annoying him to no end. If he was a weak willed person, he might have ended his life by now.
"Hey, beggar. Move out of the way." Suddenly a cold voice sounded and before he could move, someone shoved him to the side.
While keeping his anger in check, he looked over and saw a group of five passing by—two girls and three boys.
Oliver was familiar with all of them because they had several common classes.
"Eww! How can you touch someone like him, Adam?" One of the girls wrinkled her nose in disgust as she looked at him.
"I didn't know it was him. Shit! Now I have to wash and sanitize my hands again." Adam, the bulky boy, who had shoved Oliver away, cringed.
"Maintain some distance until you are clean again."
Oliver clenched his fists as he watched them leave and heard their conversation.
'Just half a year more.' He thought silently, slowly calming down. In half a year, he would graduate from the college and would no longer need to deal with them. He would return to the countryside where people treated humans like humans, not insects.
Thinking this, he began walking but after taking just one step, he froze in place because a voice sounded in his head and a panel appeared in front of him.
[System initializing… 1%... 5%... 15%...50%...80%...99%...]
[System initialization complete!]
[Scanning the world… 1%...5%...]
[World scan complete!]
[Scanning the host…]
[Host scan complete!]
[Initializing bonding process…1%... 5%... 15%...50%...80%...99%...]
[ Would you like to finish the bonding process with the Business Tycoon System? {Yes} {No} ]
'Is this really happening? I'm not hallucinating, right?' He thought, looking at the panel before shifting his gaze to the people around him. He then pinched himself, closed and opened his eyes.
After confirming he hadn't lost his mind, while trying to stop himself from trembling in excitement, he said in his mind, 'Yes. Finish the bonding process.'
[System bonding complete!]
[Welcome host to the Business Tycoon System!]
[Main Mission: Achieve World Domination through business!]
[Sub-missions have been issued.]
[Mission 1: Earn 50 Zeni.]
[Description: Everything starts small. Earn 50 Zeni.]
[Time Limit: 1 Day.]
[Rewards: 100 Zeni. Universal Black Card.]
[Mission 2: Sharp Mind and Healthy Body.]
[Description: A businessman must possess a sharp mind and healthy body. Although the host possesses a sharp enough mind, your body isn't strong enough. Start training your body, complete 1000 push-ups, 20 km run.]
[Time Limit: 10 Days.]
[Rewards: 500 Zeni. Money Converter.]
[Total Assets: 0 Zeni.]