Elric froze mid-step on the worn wooden floor, staring at the glowing notification that only he could see. His heart hammered wildly in his chest like it was trying to escape.
What... the hell?
It was the same blue screen. The first time, he could still convince himself it was a hallucination born from exhaustion. But this second time? The damn thing had updated in real-time, and it felt far too detailed, far too smug to be fake.
MONEY-LOST SYSTEMHost: Elric Williams
Age: 24
Money Lost: $300,000
Power Points: 03
Newbie gift pack has been distributed for your first major loss.
The power points had jumped from 00 to 03. Elric's eyes widened as more text materialized below.
The host gains 1 Power Point (PP) for every $100,000 of global currency permanently lost by the host.
Then came the rules, unfolding one after another like a lazy game tutorial that refused to be skipped.
Rule 1 — The Purchase MandateLosses must come from purchases, not gifts. The host cannot donate, give away, destroy, or discard money. Every loss must be a transaction—buying an asset, a stake, a product, or a contract—where the outcome could, under at least one realistic scenario, return more than was paid.
Rule 2 — The Profit Possibility TestEvery qualifying purchase must pass the PPT. A Referee or the rules system must confirm: could this purchase, under any non-impossible outcome, generate more money than was spent? If yes, the purchase qualifies. The probability doesn't need to be high—even a 0.1% chance counts.
Rule 3 — PP CalculationPP is only awarded after the loss is confirmed—i.e., after the purchase has no remaining upside (asset fails, bet resolves, item consumed or unsaleable). Unrealized losses don't count.
Rule 4 — Power ConversionPP can be used to strengthen the body.1 PP can add one attribute point to the host's attribute of choice before 20. After that, every point needs double the previous amount.
Elric stood there like an idiot in the middle of the hallway, reading the wall of text.
Oh great, he thought. My mind isn't just hallucinating anymore — it's writing a full goddamn user manual. Complete with corporate jargon and everything. Next it'll probably ask me to rate my experience five stars.
One part of his brain was already calculating how much a good psychiatrist was going to cost him per session. Another, much smaller, quieter voice whispered in the back of his head: But what if it's real? As insane as it sounds… what if this isn't just your broken, overworked brain having a meltdown?
The possibility, however ridiculous, refused to die.
Fuck it. I'll test it first before I commit myself to the mental hospital.
Instead of doing something obviously unhinged in public, like trying to punch or yelling at floating air, Elric quickly flagged down a taxi and headed back to his apartment. The ride felt surreal. The driver kept glancing at him in the rearview mirror, probably wondering why his passenger looked like he'd just seen a ghost.
His place was nothing special: a modest one-bedroom on the second floor in a not-so-great but not-yet-dangerous neighborhood of Los Angeles. At $700 a month, it was dirt cheap by LA standards. The building smelled like old curry and broken dreams, but it was home.
The moment he stepped inside, the familiar musty scent hit his nose. He ignored it, locked the door with a loud click, drew all the curtains until the room was dim, and dropped onto the edge of his unmade bed.
"Hey… how do I use these PP?" he asked aloud, feeling instantly stupid.
Silence.
Elric rubbed his face. Of course. I'm here talking to the air.
Still, curiosity won. He focused on his own name on the blue screen and mentally clicked it.
The interface expanded smoothly.
Body: 16 [20 is human limit] + Soul: 16 [20 is human limit] + Mind: 16 [20 is human limit] +
A glowing "+" sign sat beside each one. Elric hesitated for only a second before tapping the first one next to Body.
Body: 16 → 17 [20 is human limit]
The instant the number changed, a warm current surged through his body like liquid sunlight injected straight into his veins. His muscles buzzed with energy. Suddenly he felt wide awake, as if he'd chugged five strong coffees while his brain was still half-asleep. Every ache from the long workday vanished.
Without waiting, he dumped the remaining two points.
Soul: 16 → 17 [20 is human limit] Mind: 16 → 17 [20 is human limit]
A sharp clarity exploded in his head. Thoughts that used to crawl now raced. The coding problem that had tortured him for nearly a month at work? He saw the solution instantly — clean, elegant, and obvious. It was like someone had wiped fog off a dirty windshield.
Elric sat there on his cheap bed, breathing heavily, staring at his own hands as if they belonged to someone else.
"Won't it be real, right?" he asked aloud to the empty room, voice barely above a whisper.