[Welcome to the Calamity Game.]
[You have died in your previous world. Here, you are a Reincarnator, and your lifespan is limited.]
[Do you wish to live longer? Do you wish to reincarnate? Then fight to survive in this twisted world, and face the dark secrets hidden within this monstrous realm.]
[Whether you live or die depends entirely on your own ability.]
[The game begins.]
[Ding! You have received lifespan equal to the time required to complete the mission.]
[Ding! You have received a Newbie Gift Pack. Do you want to open it now?]
"Ha... ha... ha..." Rover jerked awake, gasping for breath as he looked around. He quickly checked his entire body.
His hands were still there.
His organs were still intact.
His whole body was perfect---without a single wound.
But even though he was no longer being tortured, the phantom pain of having his hands chopped off, his stomach opened, and his organs pulled out still echoed brutally through his mind.
He trembled violently for a long time before he finally regained a bit of calm, memories of everything that happened flooding back.
His name was Rover, 25 years old. About 180 cm tall, a well-built body dressed in athletic clothing. His face was handsome with sharp, masculine features and tanned, weathered skin.
"Damn it!" He gritted his teeth, cursing inwardly: "If I hadn't signed that damn marriage contract, I wouldn't have died such a miserable death."
Yes.
Rover had never been the type to believe those cliché romance tropes where the poor male protagonist marries rich and magically gets a happy ending.
He knew perfectly well... Yilin needed a husband to stabilize the family's scrutiny.
He needed money.
Yilin was rich. He was not.
His job was simple: be Yilin's husband, don't disturb her, don't interfere in her life, and act like a harmonious couple in front of others.
He received half of the payment upfront---and he had been so happy he felt like he could fly.
As long as he completed these three years of fake marriage, he would get the rest of the money and could flee abroad to enjoy a peaceful life until old age.
Out of professional ethics, Rover had taken care of Yilin like an actual husband---no, more like her personal butler or even her mother.
And just when he was about to complete the contract, Alderic---her ex-boyfriend---returned from overseas. After that...
Everyone already saw what happened next.
Rover exhaled deeply, sitting down on the cold, hard floor, trying to process everything.
'Luckily... I still have a chance to start over.' he thought.
He looked up at the sci-fi holographic screen floating in the air, then surveyed his surroundings.
It was a small, moldy, gloomy room with only one door.
He was certain he had been reincarnated into some bizarre space.
"This setup... seems familiar." Rover thought. "Reincarnation... a Game... limited lifespan... It's just like that manga GANTZ I used to read."
Exactly. In that manga, the dead were transported into a special space where they had to fight horrifying monsters to earn more time to live and eventually reincarnate back into the real world.
He sighed. He adapted to the situation surprisingly fast---perhaps being poor all his life had taught him to adapt quickly.
'Alderic... that motherf---! Rover gritted his teeth. I can't swallow this anger. Damn it! I have to go back. I'll tear that bastard into a hundred pieces.'
Rover gritted his teeth and commanded, "System! Open the Newbie Gift Pack!"
[Ding! Newbie Gift Pack opened successfully. You have received: -- Random Profession Card x1 -- Random Item Card x1 -- Energy Crystal x10 (Rank F)]
Two cards and a small pouch floated in front of him. Rover immediately shouted:
"Use the Random Profession Card!"
[Ding! Using Random Profession Card...]
The card emitted a brilliant flash of light. Rover clasped his hands together, praying desperately:
'Please... I've been unlucky my entire life. Just give me something useful for once. Please...'
[Ding! Congratulations. You have obtained the Rank F profession -- Contractor.]
[Description: You can forcibly compel any creature of the same rank and level to form a Pact. Creatures bound by a Pact will be absolutely loyal to you.
Note: Pact success rate is 20%.
Maximum number of Pacts: 0/2.]
Rover: "..."
"Motherf---!" He genuinely wanted to curse. He wanted to punch the System right in the interface.
He didn't know the full ranking hierarchy yet, but anyone could guess Rank F was the lowest of the low.
And seeing the conditions required for his profession to function, his despair only deepened.
First: He could only form Pacts with creatures of the same rank and level.
Second: Even if he forcibly activated the Pact, the success rate was only 20%.
Third: He could only have a maximum of two Pacts.
This profession wasn't just weak---it was tragic. Calling it trash would be an insult to trash; at least trash could be recycled.
Rover sighed heavily and shifted his gaze to the Random Item Card. He prayed again:
'Please! All the luck I wasted on gacha---just gather here for once!'
He inhaled deeply, then shouted:
"Open!"
[Ding! Random Item Card used successfully. You have received: Forced Contract Scroll.]
[Description: Forces a Pact with a random creature no more than one rank higher than you (maximum Rank D).
Success rate: 100%.
However, initial Loyalty starts at only 50%, and must be raised manually. Otherwise, there is a high chance the creature will rebel and break the Pact.]
Rover stared at the small scroll glowing with blue light floating before him. He sighed again.
It wasn't a miracle, but at least it was better than his pathetic profession.
Suddenly, Rover felt a burning sensation on his wrist.
"What the hell?" He raised his arm and found the bracelet on his wrist began glowing softly, strange symbols shifting across its surface.
He remembered clearly---his parents had given him this bracelet when he was ten years old. They told him to always wear it... never take it off.
And then they vanished, leaving no trace behind.
A new notification window appeared, making Rover's heart leap with joy.
[Ding! Congratulations. You have successfully activated the Rebate System.]
'System, what can you do?'
A circular wheel appeared before him, divided into nine triangular sections numbered 1 through 9. Sections 1 to 5 were huge, covering almost 70% of the wheel. 6 to 8 were tiny. And 9... was so small Rover could barely even see it.
[Ding! The Rebate System allows you to receive multiplied returns on resources used by your Pact creatures. Your Rebate Multiplier will be determined after you spin this wheel twice.]
[The two numbers you receive may be added, subtracted, multiplied, divided, or rearranged in any way to create the largest possible value.]
Rover heard the System's explanation and muttered internally: 'Good. Let's begin.'
He refused to believe that after getting a Rank F profession, his luck would be bad enough to pull trash numbers again.
[Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the number 4.]
"Tsk!" Rover clicked his tongue in frustration. 'Spin again!'
The wheel spun once more, slowing down gradually. The pointer slid past 7... past 8... inching toward 9.
Rover's eyes lit up with hope.
But as if mocking him, the wheel didn't stop--- it slipped past 9... past the top section... and finally settled on 2.
[Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the number 2. Please choose which operation you would like to use to combine the two numbers.]
Rover: "..."
He felt pure despair. 'System, you're rigging this, aren't you?'
[Ding! The System is perfectly fair. The wheel's result is purely random.]
[However, the System kindly suggests that 42 is the largest number you can form from those digits.]
Rover clenched his teeth. Of course he knew 42 was the largest normal result.
Even 2×4 or 2^4 couldn't compare to 42.
[Ding! If you do not decide, the System will automatically set your Rebate Multiplier to 42.]
Rover felt despair freezing his very heart. But then--- a spark of inspiration flashed through his mind.
"Wait!" he shouted. "You said I can arrange the numbers however I want, as long as the calculation is reasonable---right?"
[Ding! Correct.]
A slow, wicked smile spread across Rover's face.
He reached down and wrote the numbers on the ground--- a giant 2, and a much smaller 4, barely a third of the size, positioned at its upper-left.
The System's voice suddenly hesitated.
[Ding... Are you certain? 2 raised to the power of 4 is much smaller than 42.]
Rover sneered. "No, System. You're mistaken. 2 to the power of 4 means the 4 is on the upper right."
"My 4 is on the upper left. Which means..."
The System froze for a moment---then its mechanical voice actually carried emotion:
[...Impossible!]
"Hahahaha! That's right!" Rover laughed triumphantly. "This is tetration, 4 tetrated by 2, giving me 65,536!"
"System, don't you dare go back on your word."
The System: [...]