Ethan stayed on the bench a little longer, letting the cold night air settle inside him like a calming breath. The sky above remained quiet, stars flickering softly in the darkness as if whispering reassurances he desperately needed. But eventually, life had to continue. Night wasn't going to wait forever, and nor would morning.
He pushed himself off the bench, stretched lightly, and headed toward his car parked a few meters away. The familiar dark Mercedes-Benz sat under a streetlamp, shining faintly. The engine still held a bit of the day's warmth as Ethan opened the door and settled in.
He leaned back against the seat, closed his eyes for a brief second, then started the engine.
The roads toward Hills Estate were quiet peacefully so. The polished asphalt gleamed under the passing lights as he drove, street after street slipping by like a slow-moving film. The city was both alive and asleep at this hour, a strange mix of calm and distant noise. The occasional car crossed paths with him, but mostly he drove alone.
His villa in Hills Estate waited at the end of the route a place given to him by the system. Large, luxurious, elegant. A place he could have let his mother and sister stay in… but he couldn't. It was too flashy, too expensive-looking. His mom would question everything, interrogate him endlessly about where "all this money suddenly came from," and he couldn't exactly pull out a glowing card and say:
"Mom, a system lives inside my brain."
He would be grounded, hospitalised, or both.
He sighed and kept driving. The lights of Hills Estate started to appear in the distance tall streetlamps, gated entrances, well-maintained lawns, picture-perfect houses made to look like a magazine cover. His villa stood deeper inside, near one of the smaller hills, wrapped in trees like a private retreat.
He turned into the main road.
The estate gate rose at the detection of his license plate.
Ethan had barely driven ten more meters when something vibrated violently in his pocket.
His heart skipped.
The card.
He slowed the car, glancing around instinctively, then reached into his pocket and pulled out the card he had tucked away earlier.
A soft glow pulsed from it.
Then words began to surface across its plain surface like ink forming under plastic.
Syncing with Host…
Ethan blinked.
"Syncing?"
He frowned and looked harder.
The glowing deepened warm, steady, almost alive and before he could even speak again, everything around him went fuzzy. The road blurred. The streetlights stretched out into long streaks. The steering wheel slipped out of focus.
A wave of dizziness hit him like a sudden storm.
His breath caught.
His vision darkened at the edges.
"What"
And he blacked out.
Right there in the driver's seat.
His head slumped forward.
The car rolled silently to a stop on the side of the road.
Inside Ethan body The System's was at Work
The card in his hand glowed brighter, almost unbearably so.
It lifted gently from his fingers and dissolved like dust, sinking straight into his chest in a stream of light absorbed into his body, into his system, into the core of whatever made him "host."
Then the changes began.
Subtle. Quiet. Internal.
Not dramatic. Not transformation-like.
More like… cleaning.
As though something inside him was sweeping out waste, toxins, blockages removing what didn't belong. Not everything, not enough to change him visibly, but enough to make his body lighter, healthier, sharper.
A quiet upgrade.
A silent evolution.
His heart rate steadied.
His breathing shifted.
His muscles relaxed.
An invisible process carried out in the dark, unnoticed by anyone except the system that controlled it.
Later… Chaos
Ethan didn't know how long he remained unconscious.
But he woke to noise.
Loud noise.
Shouting.
Screaming.
Boots stamping against the ground.
The crackle and roar of flames.
His consciousness rose slowly, like someone pulling him from the bottom of water. His eyelids fluttered open.
He saw motion first.
Blurry figures.
Dark silhouettes.
Hands grabbing him.
Dragging him.
Lifting him.
His ears rang as voices shouted around him.
"Move him!"
"Hurry. something's exploding!"
"Get back, get back!"
His car door was wide open. He was being pulled out. His feet scraped against the ground as someone hauled him by the arms.
His head spun.
"What… happened…?"
He tried to speak, but his tongue felt heavy.
Through the smoke and the dizziness, he managed to lift his gaze.
And he froze.
His villa his system-given villa was burning.
The entire structure was engulfed in flames. Fire climbed the walls like hungry beasts, windows shattered under the heat, sparks flew into the night sky like fiery birds fleeing their nest. The roof had partially collapsed timbers glowing, metal bending.
The heat from the blaze washed over him even from this distance, hot enough to sting his face.
Ethan's breath caught.
"What… why…?"
The world tilted again.
Black spots danced across his vision.
The shouting voices became distant, like echoes in a tunnel.
Then everything went dark.
He fainted again.
At That Same Moment A System Notification
Deep inside Ethan's consciousness, a faint chime echoed.
A blue window unseen by the unconscious boy opened silently.
[Mission Generated]
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
The window blinked once.
Then closed.
The Next Day Downtown Hospital
The scene was a stark contrast to the burning villa.
Bright fluorescent lights.
White walls.
Clean hallways.
Soft footsteps and faint IV machine beeps echoing through the corridors.
In one hallway, Lena Park paced back and forth, her arms crossed tightly against her chest. Her eyes were red glassy with unshed tears. Her breath came fast, uneven. Every time a doctor walked past, she snapped her head toward them, hoping desperately for news.
Mary sat nearby on a bench, observing quietly.
Mary wasn't emotional like Lena.
Wasn't pacing.
Wasn't shaking.
She was calm. Too calm.
Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes revealed a storm she refused to show.
She studied Lena out of the corner of her eye.
Why am I here…?
Mary was older than Lena. A grown woman. Independent. Stable. She didn't do things like this run through a burning estate, chase after ambulances, sit in hospitals for teenage boys.
And yet here she was.
Because of Ethan.
Even though Ethan was just seventeen, he acted older. Mature. Quiet when needed. Sharp when necessary. And… he had a way of making people soften around him. A way of making her smile something she hadn't done naturally in the twelve years since her mother died.
She didn't understand it completely.
But something existed between them.
Something she wouldn't admit.
Something she wouldn't say out loud.
And still… she stayed.
A sudden noise snapped both women out of their thoughts. The door to the emergency ward swung open, and a doctor stepped out with a clipboard in hand.
Lena rushed forward immediately.
"Doctor! Ethan I mean the boy you brought in is he okay?"
Mary stood beside her, stiff, silent, but eyes sharp.
The doctor looked between the two beautiful women one tearful and frantic, the other calm and intimidating and adjusted his glasses.
"Ethan Iver is stable," he said.
Lena sagged with relief, covering her mouth with her hands.
Mary exhaled quietly.
The doctor continued:
"It's honestly a miracle. Considering his villa exploded, he should have suffered severe injuries or burns. But his condition is surprisingly mild. Minor injuries. Stress. Exhaustion."
Lena's eyes widened.
"Minor… injuries?" she whispered.
"Yes. A few scans and rest, and he will be fine. You can see him soon."
The doctor nodded and stepped away.
Lena trembled as she sat down, burying her face in her hands.
Mary placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
She didn't speak.
But her presence was grounding.
Inside Ethan's Room
Ethan lay on a hospital bed, eyes closed, bandaged lightly at the arms. His breathing was steady. Peaceful. Machines beeped rhythmically beside him. The chaos outside no longer touched him.
But inside his mind.
A blue window appeared.
Bright. Bold. Unexpected.
[Mission Completed]
Rewards are ready.
Ethan's eyes twitched faintly, reacting even in unconsciousness.
The world around him shifted.
The upgrade had begun.
And so had the rewards.