A heavy downpour drenched New York City that night. Streetlights flickered faintly through the incessant drops, casting a golden sheen on the wet asphalt. People took shelter under umbrellas, walking briskly, avoiding the biting cold. But in a narrow alley near Brooklyn, a thin young man in shabby clothes crouched, staring at a can of cheap soup being heated on a small, rusty stove.
He was Aiden Cross. He was only 20 years old, but life had already crushed him more than enough.
From childhood, Aiden knew the meaning of loss. His father, a construction worker, died in a workplace accident, and his mother died of an untreated illness. Since the age of 14, Aiden had lived alone, surviving by working odd jobs, delivering groceries, washing dishes in restaurants, and sometimes even sleeping on the street.
Now he was living in an old apartment owned by an old acquaintance of his father's, with cheap rent that he often couldn't even pay on time.
Aiden stared at the can of soup and sighed.
"Here's my dinner again... the same as yesterday, and the day before." he muttered softly.
Outside, the sound of sports cars roared past the main road. The laughter of the rich partying in nightclubs echoed in his ears. The world felt so unfair.
Aiden stared at his thin, scarred hands from manual labor. "If I had been born into a wealthy family... maybe things would have been different."
But life never gave him a choice. He was a poor child, trapped at the bottom of the modern food chain.
That night, after a meager meal, Aiden walked out of the alley. He worked as a freelance courier for a delivery company. The work was irregular, the pay low, but enough to keep him alive.
At exactly 10 p.m., he delivered the last package to an old building in Manhattan. It was deserted, almost unoccupied. As he waited for the recipient, a flash of lightning suddenly struck him from the sky!
"Argh!" Aiden screamed. The package in his hands fell, his body shaking violently as if he had been electrified by thousands of volts.
But strangely... he didn't die. His body remained intact, but something appeared before him.
A sparkling blue transparent screen floated in the air.
[ System Installing… ]
[ Congratulations, you have been selected as the Host of the Luck-Making System! ]
[ Activating basic functions… 10%... 50%... 100%... ]
Aiden gaped.
"What the hell? A hallucination? Am I so hungry I'm hallucinating?"
However, the screen was clearly real. He could see moving numbers, symbols, and writing floating in the air.
[ Host Profile...
Name : Aiden Cross
Status : Beginner
Level : 1
System Points : 0
Luck : D (low) ]
[ Initial Mission: Survive the next 24 hours. Reward: +100 System Points, +1 Luck Boost]
Aiden rubbed his eyes repeatedly.
"A… system? Like an online game? No way… this must be a dream."
But when he tried to pinch his cheek, the pain was real.
Not long after, the sound of a car engine roared from behind the building. A group of tattooed men got out of a black car, their faces stern and filled with evil intent.
"So this is the courier, huh? The package should have reached the boss, but it's late. How dare you delay our business?" One of the men approached, lighting a cigarette.
Aiden froze. He didn't know what was happening, but he had a bad feeling.
Suddenly, the blue screen appeared again.
[ Warning! Host in danger. Additional mission activated! Escape the mafia threat in 5 minutes. Reward: +200 System Points, +1 Random Item. ]
"Ma-mafia…?" Aiden backed away slowly.
The tattooed man approached. "Are you deaf? Give me the package, and maybe we'll let you go home alive."
The problem was, the package had already fallen when the flash of light hit him and was now gone.
"I… I don't know where the package is!" Aiden replied in panic.
The man's eyes narrowed. "What? You dare mess with us?!"
He drew his knife.
Aiden knew that if he stayed here, his life was over.
"Run!" he thought.
Without waiting any longer, Aiden turned and ran as fast as he could. The men immediately chased after him.
Aiden's heart pounded. His legs felt heavy, but fear gave him extra strength. Around the corner, he found a large pile of trash and without thinking, he ducked into it.
A few seconds later, the mobster ran past him without noticing.
The blue screen flashed again.
[ Special Mission Successful! Reward : +200 System Points, +1 Random Item. You received a Lucky Coin.
Description : An old coin that brings a bit of luck. When kept, all success chances increase by 10%. ]
Aiden panted, cold sweat drenching his body. He stared at the screen wide-eyed.
"I-it's real… it's real. I almost died, but… because of this system, I survived?"
He clutched the old coin that had suddenly appeared in his hand. Its weight was tangible, its coldness palpable.
...
The next morning, Aiden woke up in the cramped bedroom of his apartment. Sunlight streamed in through the cracked window.
He was still holding the old coin. And when he fully opened his eyes, the blue screen reappeared.
[ Initial Mission successful! Survived 24 hours. Reward received: +100 System Points, +1 Luck Boost. Luck: C (normal) ]
Aiden paused, then slowly smiled. For the first time in a long time, his heart felt warm.
"If this is real… it means my life can change. I won't be poor forever. I won't be stepped on forever."
Outside, police sirens blared, a sign that the city was fraught with danger. But Aiden no longer felt afraid.
Because now he had something no one else had: a system.
And he swore, starting today, he would use everything to rise above.
To prove that even a poor child can become rich, even become the ruler of the world.