Wu Chen froze, staring at the glowing panel. His pulse raced, and his fingers hovered over the shimmering letters. The words "Authority of Greed" pulsed gently, as if alive, waiting for his touch.
"Are you… finally here?" he whispered, voice barely audible.
Then a soft, mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
[Authority not fully manifested. Current functions available: conversion of Anything into Greed Points.]
Wu Chen frowned. "Greed Points… what the hell are those?"
[Greed Points are the currency of your Authority,]
[Anything you touch can be converted into them—money, objects, even abstract value. Greed Points can be used to unlock abilities, strengthen your body, manipulate reality in small ways, and eventually expand the scope of your Authority. The more points you gather, the faster your power grows.]
Wu Chen's hands trembled as he glanced down at his threadbare shirt. The collar was frayed, the fabric patched so many times it was more stitch than cloth.
"…Anything, huh?" he muttered.
Taking a breath, he pressed his palm against the shirt.
[Convert?]
"Yes."
The glow flickered faintly, and the shirt dissolved into motes of light before his eyes, leaving his torso bare.
[Conversion complete. +0.3 Greed Points obtained.]
Wu Chen's face stiffened. "…Zero point three?"
He quickly grabbed at his worn trousers, the faded fabric thinning at the knees. Another pulse of light.
[Conversion complete. +0.5 Greed Points obtained.]
His heart sank. "Not even a full point?"
He stripped the shoes from his feet, soles worn thin enough to drink water from the ground. Another conversion.
[Conversion complete. +0.2 Greed Points obtained.]
Wu Chen stared at the panel in silence, half naked, standing in his cramped room.
"…I just sold my last set of clothes, and I don't even have two points to show for it."
The shimmering interface pulsed gently, indifferent to his despair.
[Reminder: The value of what you convert corresponds to its worth in the world. The more precious the item the greater the Greed Points obtained.]
Wu Chen clenched his fists, chest heaving. "So I need something people actually want… or something they can't live without."
His stomach growled at that moment, sharp and hollow. He glanced at the tiny sack of rice in the corner, barely enough for two meals.
A cold light flickered in his eyes.
"…Then let's see what my hunger is worth."
Wu Chen dragged the sack closer, his fingers trembling. Each grain inside was survival—his last lifeline in this city that never cared whether he lived or starved.
He pressed his palm against the rough cloth.
[Convert?]
His throat tightened. If he converted this, he'd have nothing to eat. Nothing left.
But the panel pulsed with patient indifference, as if mocking him.
"…Yes."
The sack crumbled into light. A faint warmth surged through his fingertips and rushed into the panel.
[Conversion complete. +1 Greed Points obtained.]
Wu Chen's pupils shrank. "Only… that much?"
His stomach groaned again, louder now, as if scolding his stupidity. He had destroyed food for less than two points.
But then, another line appeared.
[Note: The rice held higher value because of your current hunger. Personal desire amplifies Greed.]
Wu Chen froze.
"So… it's not just worth. It's want."
His gaze swept over the empty room.
Wu Chen sat hunched on the floor, his bare chest rising and falling as the faint glow of the panel faded into the air.
The rice was gone. The clothes were gone. And all he had gained was a handful of pitiful points.
With a bitter laugh, he rummaged through a dusty wooden box under his bed and pulled out an even older set of robes. The cloth smelled faintly of mildew, stiff and rough against his skin, but at least it covered him.
He lay awake for a long time that night, staring at the cracked ceiling.
By the time dawn broke, Wu Chen was already out on the streets.
The city was alive, even more than usual. Merchants leaned out of their stalls, calling prices. Peddlers shouted over one another. Yet the true noise wasn't the bargaining—it was the gossip.
"—That Xiao Yan really has no shame. Three years ago he was a genius, and now? Trash!"
"Hah! To challenge Nalan Yanran of the Misty Cloud Sect? He must be insane. Does he really think he can win?"
"You don't get it. It's pride. A man abandoned by his fiancée can't just bow his head. Even if he dies, he has to struggle."
Wu Chen moved silently through the crowd, hands tucked in his sleeves.
Trash. Struggling in vain. Fighting for pride.
Wu Chen's steps slowed as the voices around him blurred into background noise. His eyes narrowed.
Xiao Yan… trash now, but soon to rise again. Yao Lao's guidance, the Heavenly Flame, the Xiao clan's hidden support, and even that girl—Xun'er—with her Dou Huang protectors.
Wu Chen's fists tightened inside his sleeves.
"Right now, I'm nothing but a rat scraping scraps. But if I dare to reach before Xiao Yan does…"
The panel flickered faintly at his thought, almost in response.
He swallowed hard. What would happen if I touched something like a Heavenly Flame? A treasure ranked among the top of Heaven and Earth… how many Greed Points would that give me?
His heart pounded faster. The panel shimmered.
[Estimation: A Heavenly Flame's base value surpasses the limits of your current Authority. Estimated yield upon conversion: incalculable.]
Wu Chen stopped in his tracks, breath catching. Incalculable?
A grin tugged at the corner of his lips, sharp and hungry.
"So even the system itself can't measure it… Then if I could seize one before Xiao Yan, I wouldn't just catch up—I could surpass him outright."
But the grin faltered as quickly as it appeared. He pictured Xun'er's cold golden eyes, the invisible pressure of her Dou Huang guardians that lurked unseen in the city, and Xiao Yan's inevitable return under Yao Lao's shadow.
Wu Chen's chest rose and fell. He wasn't suicidal. Not yet.
"…No. I can't touch them for now. If I draw their attention, I'll be crushed like an insect."
But his gaze burned hotter, his thoughts sharper.
Still… this world is full of things Xiao Yan hasn't yet claimed. Herbs, scrolls, beast cores, treasures lying forgotten in markets or buried in the wilds. If Greed can even devour anything, then sooner or later—I'll find a way to take everything.
The panel pulsed once more, as if whispering to him.
[Reminder: The path of Greed is endless. The more you covet, the more you can take.]
Wu Chen exhaled slowly, forcing down the fire in his chest. He turned away from the gossiping crowd, his steps light, almost invisible.
"Very well, Xiao Yan. You rise with Yao Lao at your back. I'll rise in your shadow, feeding on what you overlook. And when the time comes…"
A dangerous light flashed in his eyes.
"…even your Heavenly Flame will not escape my Greed."