His foot almost staggered, causing him to fall as he stabilized himself.
What happened at the hospital couldn't help but flash back in Solomon's mind. He had threatened Cassy and her sugar daddy with sharp objects just to chase them away.
He was too kind to do such a heinous crime of taking back what he had given to her. Even if he was going to make her pay for this, it was not in such a way.
The main reason he had to scare them off with sharp objects was that Cassy and her lover might prove stubborn and join hands to choke him to death, and he wouldn't be able to defend himself in such a condition.
He had thought of this, so chasing them off was the best way for him to return home safe...
"Grandma, I should have listened to you."
Solomon looked up at the sky and then looked back at his feet.
He took a heavy sigh and then brought his hand before him, looking at the ring on his finger.
"The system," he muttered.
The entity had wanted to stay in his head, but he refused... He didn't trust it that much to let it live in his body.
"Let me in, system."
Solomon glared at the ring, and it burnt his finger. Immediately he knew it was the system seeking revenge on him for talking to it in such tone.
"Respect the system," came the system's voice in Solomon's mind.
"Tell me more about yourself."
The system didn't respond to him.
The glitch started again before him, and Solomon saw the screen:
[Items: Knowledge Manual
System Info:
System Grades
Host Wallet: $51,000
Mission Completion History]
Solomon raised his brow, looking at the items available.
The Knowledge Manual—that sounds interesting. He could read from it...
"As expected, host, you know what to choose at the right time."
Solomon ignored the system and stared at the manual that just appeared in his hand after clicking the system screen.
He folded it and put it at the back of his pocket and instantly he earned a scream from the system.
"How dare you! This is the manual that any class of person would be happy to have in their hand, and you squeeze it like that... like some cheap trash a D-class person bought—"
"Say that again." Solomon stared coldly. The system shut up, saying no words like it had lost its words.
This was Earth, his normal world. Solomon looked around at the Mobi train subway he had arrived at. Before, he didn't dare take this because he couldn't afford such luxury. But now, he had $51k in his wallet and he was in no such good condition to go through the uncomfortable part of the D-class...
He could finally take a simple transportation of a B-class.
"Pathetic. What are you doing here? Can you afford the ride?"
The Mobi driver assistant gawked at Solomon, first looking at his tattered appearance.
Solomon stared at the man, his eyes with no emotions. He only brought his phone in front of the man.
"$51k." The screen showed. The man's lips fell open, staring at the digits.
"You—" Only stutters came from the man. He couldn't say a proper word. Solomon glanced at him expressionlessly, shaking his head, then stepped into the Mobi.
"Host, what did you just do?"
The system asked, not understanding what Solomon was thinking.
"Don't you have eyes?"
Solomon muttered like an old dog, walking to his seat next to the window, casually making himself comfortable, staring outside at the window.
The system kept shut and had nothing to say.
[ $1,000 credit alert to host wallet for giving the man a single face slap ]
Solomon raised his brow hearing the system notice.
He said no word, and the system got angry.
"No thank you or anything, host!"
"It is what I deserve."
"You!"
"Are you a female or what, dear system?"
Solomon finally said in a non-neutral tone for the first time.
"System," Solomon called and got no response.
His lips curved up into a smile.
The life of a D-class person was very different from the life of an A-class, B-class, S-class, and so on...
He accepted the position the world system put him in. He was born as a D-class. He was never greedy to be an A-class or any other class. He just wanted a stable life living with his family and getting married to Cassy. His first love, his girlfriend. He was so serious about her—that's why the relationship lasted for 5 years.
But all he got was her betrayal. If she wasn't happy with him, she should have told him. He would have set her free. But why must she have waited to take his kidney, what if the right person for him needed it in the future?
"Host, you can get a kidney in future but only after you reach a certain level."
"Ok."
"You—"
The system's voice was obviously angry at Solomon's slow, small response.
Solomon didn't care about it.
Solomon got off the Mobi as he was now at his final destination, after paying the man who was giving him a weird look—the same man whom he had shown the money in his wallet.
"Home sweet home," Solomon smiled, staring at his environment...
On the ground where he stood it was just concrete sand, no plaster on it... unlike the other class living areas that looked like a different world.
"Solomon, you are still alive?"
Solomon looked in the direction of the voice—the aunties of the area. They always gathered to gossip...
This woman had nothing else to do than gossip.
Asking if he was dead. Were they wishing for his death?
Solomon's brow twitched.
"Poor boy, sorry, we thought you were dead. We heard the rumor about you giving your kidney to your girlfriend, but you went into a coma after the complications."
"You have been out for three months."
"Your girlfriend, where is she? Why is she not with you?"
"Why is she not with me?"
Solomon finally responded after all of the aunties' questions.
"She has become a B-class person, that's it."
Solomon laughed, making all the aunties look at him with confused expressions.
"Cassy has become a B-class person? What does that mean?"
The aunties turned to each other.
"Is that girl lucky or what? Who heavenly did she meet to make her a B-class person?"
The aunties calculated in their heads and the idea started forming in their minds.
"Solomon doesn't look so happy. Did Cassy cheat on him? He should be happy for her; they would both get married and move to the B-class area."
"Oh my gosh, Cassy cuckolded Solomon!"
The aunties covered their lips and gasped.
...
Meanwhile, Solomon had walked into his family home.
"Smile, smile," he said to himself.
"Don't let Grandma find out what happened to you. Don't let your little niece see you like this."
His entire persona just cracked the moment he reached home.
The system stared in confusion at its host.
"Creep."
The air around the house felt off. Solomon stopped in his footsteps.
He frowned, walking into the main house.
"You owe us money, ma'am—20k$."
Solomon got into the house hearing the voices. They were talking to his grandma and some relatives in the place.
"Is Grandma crazy to borrow 20k$?"
Solomon walked further into the house.
"Your mama owes us a huge amount of money for six months," the loan sharks turned to Solomon, eyeing his appearance the moment they saw him—then relaxing when they saw he was no threat. Just a relative of the old woman they wanted to scam.
He would be easy to take care of.
Solomon's grandmother went to Solomon, giving him a hug, her mind forgetting about the loan sharks that were threatening her.
"Darling, it's good you are here. Grandma missed you. Sorry you had to come and witness this trouble."
"Grandma, what is this?" Solomon accepted his grandmother's hug, asking in a hushed voice next to her ear.
His grandmother tensed for a moment, thinking Solomon would be disappointed in her, but she had to say it.
"Son, Grandma just borrowed $50 from these folks to buy baby stuff for your sister."
(His sister she is a strong and independent woman who could stand for herself. But things was bad for her when she ended up with a bad man who left her with prenancy after she had given him three kids.)
The old lady looked away in embarrassment.
"Your grandma borrowed money from us, so the interest has increased. It's been a long time since she borrowed it!"
The loan shark pointed rashly, refuting Solomon's grandmother's words.
Solomon stared at the loan shark people.
His gaze pierced them; the man almost shut up.
"Huh? What is your interest rate?"
Solomon spoke after a long time.
They were clearly doing shady business here. $60 had turned into $20,000.
"Huh? You can't speak? You guys are scammers calling yourselves loan sharks."
The loan sharks didn't know how to defend themselves. Solomon was going a smarter route.
System Notification:
"Mini-Mission: Defend Your Honor ~Take Down a Pillar.
Reward: $10,000 + Local Favor Token.
Failure Consequence: Mission Lockout. Social Standing -50. Family Property at Risk."
"What!" Solomon exclaimed in his heart for the second time today. He had gotten a scheming devil for a system—letting him lose his family property for this?
He would be left homeless just because he failed to do this?
"You are crueler than these loan sharks," he finally spat at the system.
Today was just tormenting to him, but it was up to him to solve the problem at hand.
Solomon frowned, his thoughts getting serious.
The system seemed to get access to some information—could it help him get something?
What if he could get evidence against these loan sharks?
Commotion had already started happening.
The neighbors had already gathered, waiting for some gossip.
This was not good. The gossip of the aunties in the neighborhood could destroy a person's family's reputation 10x.
"Solomon, what did you and your grandmother do?" an aunty piped up, looking at the loan shark and Solomon's grandma with a small smile.
That was enough talking for today.
"Who gave you the right to enter this compound?" Solomon cut the aunty off.
Solomon glared at everybody, forcing them to leave the compound.
"You guys really offended the loan shark."
The stubborn aunty continued speaking. They wanted to talk more, but Solomon—carrying a rusty sword resting at the side—made them all run. It was just a sword his elder sister loved to play with.
"System, can you give me the number of the loan shark's account?" Solomon's attention was now on the system.
If the system would just give him the information he thought he could get from it...
The system, indeed, agreed to give him the information without knowing what Solomon would do.
When Solomon got the number and called it, the system finally reacted:
"Damn, you outsmarted me again!"
He was negotiating with the account owner for his bribing price.
When they had reached an agreement, he said:
"Thank you."
Solomon turned to the loan sharks to ask them to wait, and they stupidly waited,
thinking maybe it was someone who would give them the money that was coming.
It took a while. The accountant arrived, and the loan shark people all exclaimed:
"What are you doing here?"
The accountant ignored them and handed some papers to Solomon, then the man fled from the scene after Solomon's credit alert came to his phone.
Solomon turned to the loan sharks, showing them the document.
"You don't even have a receipt that my Grandma borrowed money from all of you, but I have receipts for all your illegal transactions. What will the cops say about this?"
The loan sharks' sweat appeared on their foreheads. They had nothing today to defend themselves.
Those documents in Solomon's hand were enough to send them decade in prison.
The men cursed Solomon before they all ran away.
"Grandma, are you okay?" Solomon turned to his grandmother with concern. The trouble now must have exhausted her.
His grandmother studied his expression, still glad he had come back from the hospital after being in a coma for a long time.
"I'm good, grandson," she just said with a small smile.
"Where's Cassy?"
"It's a long story."
Minutes later, after setting his grandmother into the house, Solomon stared at himself appearing in the mirror and the tattered phone in his hand.
"I need a new phone and dress."
He would be carrying out more transactions these days, so he needed it.
After taking a clean hot shower, Solomon went to the A-class side and purchased a brand-new phone—the best product—An action that left the mouth of the sellers agape
"Thank you," Solomon said, leaving the store, not minding them. His next destination was to rent a suit because the suit he wanted—the kind—has not existed long enough for him to buy a new one.