The cold evening air brushed against Ethan's face the moment he stepped out of the newly finished restaurant. The glass door of Seth's Kitchen closed softly behind him, carrying with it the faint lingering scent of fresh paint, polished tiles, and the sharp, hopeful smell of a place reborn. For a long moment, he simply stood there on the sidewalk, hands tucked into his pockets, letting the quiet night wrap around him.
The road was calm almost unnaturally so. The streetlights glowed a soft yellow, lining the path like a trail of warm lanterns. Their light reflected off the smooth asphalt, giving the street a kind of dreamy realism that only late-night cityscapes had. People were scattered here and there, moving slowly, peacefully.
A couple walked past him, fingers interlocked, whispering to each other with gentle laughter. A tired office worker passed by next, dragging his backpack behind him. A group of students talked loudly on the other side of the road, their voices fading in and out with the wind. Nothing dramatic. Nothing dangerous. Just life.
Ethan smiled.
For once, there were no screams, no running, no men in black suits chasing someone, no system quests suddenly exploding in his ear. Just… normal life. The kind of scene he rarely noticed before gaining a system. Maybe it was because trouble seemed to follow him now. Or maybe because he was finally slowing down enough to appreciate moments like this.
He exhaled softly and began walking.
The path felt lighter under his feet, as if the city had decided to give him this one night of peace. A small reward, maybe. A break. And he needed it more than he realized.
His mind drifted.
My life now… what even is it anymore?
He had a system an actual, real, intrusive, money-eating, life-changing system. One that threw missions at him without warning, upgraded menus, gave him cards for beating people up or flipping a restaurant, and somehow even responded when a certain girl kissed him. Was the system good? Bad? Dangerous? Helpful?
He didn't know.
But one thing was certain.
It had changed everything.
For better or worse, the Money Deck System was now part of his life. And with money came new problems. The type of problems that dragged him toward trouble, mysterious organizations, jealous ex-girlfriends family and a girl with unknown enemies living in his house.
He rubbed his forehead.
I'm only eighteen. What kind of teenage life is this?
His steps remained steady even as his thoughts swirled. The cold air cleared his head the more he walked, blowing away the stress like dust.
After a few minutes, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The screen lit up, too bright in the dim world, but he didn't mind.
He checked the time.
He checked the date.
His eyebrows twitched.
"Two weeks left… then the term exams will be out," he muttered.
Two weeks. Then his results. Then the university application. Then a new phase of life he wasn't even mentally prepared for.
Great. Another problem to add to the list.
He imagined his mother nagging him about results. He imagined his teachers. He imagined the system giving him some weird diamond card like, "Earn 100,000 by passing Chemistry."
He shuddered at the thought.
But there were still things he needed to settle before the next phase of life arrived. Big things.
His mom and sister's living situation? Still unstable. They were safe for now, but not permanently.
His ex-girlfriend's new fiancé? A headache.
The new girl Faye he had helped? Connected to an organization he didn't understand.
Lena? PX? The kiss?
His system reacting emotionally?
He needed clarity. Answers. Peace.
For once.
But first he needed to upgrade the damn system.
That thought brought him back. Back to the present. Back to the glowing streetlights and the quiet sidewalk.
He exhaled and called out his system menu mentally.
And the familiar translucent blue screen materialized in front of him, floating gently in the air like a holographic window made just for him.
[Money Deck System – Status Window]
Host: Ethan Iver
Balance: $7,000,000
System Points: 61
Card Draws Available: 7
(includes 1 Rare Draw)
Exchange Rate: 1 SP = $100,000
System Cards
♣ Clubs – Grind for Strength
♦ Diamonds – Earn Real Money
♥ Hearts – Locked
♠ Spades – Locked
Attributes
Strength – 10
Agility – 10
Endurance – 10
Intelligence – 10
Perception – 8
The faint glow reflected in his eyes.
Sixty-one system points.
He needed one hundred to upgrade to Level 2.
Thirty-nine more points.
He frowned.
That was… actually doable.
But what caught his attention wasn't the missing points. It was the balance.
His balance had changed. He had used $100,000 earlier to rebrand the restaurant. And yet the number still stood at seven million.
He tilted his head.
But that wasn't what bothered him.
It was the exchange bar.
One point is one hundred thousand dollars…
Ten points was one million.
Thirty-nine points was only $3.9 million.
He had enough. More than enough.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Well… if money can solve this problem, then it's not a problem."
He tapped the exchange option.
A smaller window expanded.
[Exchange]
Convert $3,900,000 → 39 System Points?
WARNING: Exchange is irreversible.
→ YES NO
Ethan didn't hesitate.
He tapped YES.
A soft chime sounded. The balance dropped sharply. His system points jumped instantly.
Balance: $3,100,000 → $7,000,000 – 3,900,000 = $3,100,000
System Points: 61 → 100
His heart skipped.
He had done it.
A new prompt slammed into view, bold and bright.
[System Upgrade Available]
Upgrade to Level 2?
→ YES NO
"Finally," he breathed.
He tapped YES.
Immediately, everything froze for a split second his vision, the air, the system windows then dissolved as if scattered by an invisible gust.
The lights around him flickered.
The system interface vanished completely.
Then,
A new message appeared.
[Upgrading…]
Upgrade Time: 2 Hours
Please wait.
Before he could even comment, something materialized right in front of his face.
A card.
A physical card.
Not a hologram. Not a projection.
An actual card floated down into his hand, glowing faintly like a sheet of enchanted plastic.
Ethan caught it carefully, blinking.
It was…
Plain.
Completely plain.
No symbol.
No suit.
No rank.
No color.
Just a card with a soft, pulsing glow.
Then, slowly, across its surface, a thin loading bar appeared. Pixelated. Old-school. Like a retro video game.
And beneath it, a message:
Loading… Please wait 2 hours.
Ethan stared at it.
"…A loading card? Seriously?"
He shook the card slightly. The loading bar vibrated with it, as if the card was complaining.
His lips twitched into a helpless smile.
Of all the strange things the system had ever done, this one might have been the funniest. A card without wires. Without a screen. Without anything. Just a floating loading bar trapped on the surface of a physical object.
He sighed and tucked his hands back into his pockets, still holding the card carefully.
The night was quiet.
The city gentle.
The air cold.
And for the first time in weeks, he had nothing to do but wait.
Two hours.
Two hours before the system evolved.
Two hours before whatever new features, new problems, or new missions arrived.
For now… just two hours of breathing, walking, and existing.
The road stretched before him.
Peaceful.
Clear.
Almost beautiful.
Ethan looked forward, exhaled softly, and with the glowing card in his hand, continued down the calm night street.
The upgrade had begun.
And so would everything that came after.