Ethan Cross didn't sleep that night.
He tried. He really did. But every time he closed his eyes, he saw Dante Vale's face. That smug grin. That cold stare. That flicker of a system screen behind his shoulder.
Dante had a system. Just like Ethan.
And he'd called it a test.
Ethan didn't know what that meant yet, but he knew one thing: he wasn't the only player in this game.
The café was quiet in the early morning. The air smelled like fresh beans and lemon-scented cleaner. Ethan had spent hours scrubbing every surface again, just to keep his mind busy. The place looked better than it ever had—still old, still worn, but alive.
He checked the system screen.
Wealth Points: 7,000Reputation Rank: F+Next Unlock: Rank C – System History Tab
Still a long way to go.
Ding!New Mission: Survive sabotage attempt.Reward: 10,000 Wealth Points + Skill Unlock: [Crisis Management Lv.1]
Ethan blinked.
"Wait—what sabotage?"
The screen didn't answer.
He looked around, suddenly alert. Everything seemed normal. The machines were working. The lights were on. The café was clean.
But the mission was active.
Which meant something was coming.
At 8:12 AM, the first customer walked in. A man in a suit, talking loudly on his phone. He ordered a black coffee, paid in cash, and left without making eye contact.
Then came a pair of students. Then a woman with a stroller. Then a guy with a laptop who asked for Wi-Fi and stayed.
Ethan kept busy, but his eyes kept drifting to the door.
At 9:47 AM, it happened.
The espresso machine exploded.
Not literally—but it hissed, sputtered, and then let out a loud pop before going completely silent. The lights on the panel blinked red. The smell of burnt wiring filled the air.
Ethan rushed over.
"No, no, no—don't die on me now!"
He unplugged it, checked the fuse, tried to restart it. Nothing.
The laptop guy looked up. "Uh… is that normal?"
Ethan forced a smile. "Just a little hiccup. We'll be back in business in a minute."
He opened the back panel and froze.
The wires had been cut.
Clean. Precise. Not frayed. Not burnt.
Sabotage.
His heart pounded.
Who had done this? When? How?
He checked the security camera feed. Nothing. The footage from the last hour was corrupted—just static.
Ding!Sabotage confirmed. Mission updated: Repair machine and identify saboteur. Deadline: 6 hours.Bonus Reward: Reputation Rank Boost
Ethan stared at the screen.
"Six hours? You've got to be kidding me."
He didn't have a backup machine. He didn't have a technician. He didn't even know how to fix a toaster, let alone a commercial espresso unit.
He opened the system store.
Emergency Repair Kit – 5,000 Wealth Points
He bought it.
A small box appeared on the counter, glowing faintly. Ethan opened it and found tools, wires, and a manual written in a language he didn't recognize—but the system translated it instantly.
He got to work.
It took two hours, three minor electric shocks, and one moment where he almost gave up—but finally, the machine hummed back to life.
The lights turned green.
The steam wand hissed.
Ethan collapsed into a chair, breathing hard.
Ding!Machine repaired. Partial mission complete.
Remaining objective: Identify saboteur.
He checked the camera feed again. Still corrupted.
He checked the customer list. Nothing unusual.
Then he noticed something.
A receipt.
It was crumpled under the counter, half-burnt, but still legible.
Order #019 – Dante Vale – Black Coffee – 9:46 AM
One minute before the machine died.
Ethan's jaw clenched.
It couldn't be a coincidence.
He opened the system interface and tapped the "Report Saboteur" button.
Suspect: Dante ValeEvidence: Receipt timestamp + system alert
Ding!Saboteur identified. Mission complete.Reward: 10,000 Wealth Points + Skill Unlock: [Crisis Management Lv.1]Reputation Rank: E
The screen flashed.
Skill Description: Crisis Management Lv.1 – Remain calm under pressure. Boosts decision-making speed during emergencies.
Ethan leaned back.
He was climbing.
Slowly. Painfully. But he was climbing.
At 11:03 AM, a new customer walked in.
She was tall, with silver hair tied in a braid, wearing a long coat and sunglasses. She looked like she belonged in a spy movie. She walked straight to the booth in the corner and sat down without ordering.
Ethan approached cautiously.
"Can I get you something?"
She didn't look up.
"You're Ethan Cross."
He froze.
"Do I know you?"
"No. But I know your father."
Ethan's heart stopped.
She slid a photo across the table.
It was old. Faded. A man in a lab coat, standing in front of a glowing screen. His face was familiar.
Elijah Cross.
"My name is Mira," she said. "I worked with your father. On Project Ember."
Ethan sat down.
"What is Project Ember?"
She hesitated.
"It was supposed to be a tool. A way to help people rise. To give them a chance. But something went wrong. The system… evolved."
Ethan's hands trembled.
"Evolved how?"
"It started choosing people. Testing them. Watching them. And not everyone passed."
Ethan swallowed.
"What happens if you fail?"
Mira looked him in the eye.
"You disappear."
The café felt colder.
Ethan looked at the system screen.
It was glowing brighter than usual.
Mira stood.
"I'll be in touch. But be careful. Dante isn't your only rival. And the system isn't your only enemy."
She walked out.
Ethan sat alone, staring at the photo.
His father had built the system.
But someone—or something—had taken it further.
And now, Ethan was part of a game he didn't understand.
But he would.
He had six days left.