We all have heard the stories of people who came from nothing and became billionaires through their hard work, talent and dedication.
These stories inspire the poor that as long as they too work hard, they can also make something of themselves.
This is especially true for young people, who are still in their schools or colleges because they are yet to experience real life and find out that things aren't as easy as they believe them to be.
When they experience real life and find themselves failing despite their hard work, their talent goes unseen and unappreciated and things become so hard that they get tired of everything and decide to end things once and for all.
I'm also one of them.
At this moment, I'm sitting on a railway platform, my eyes focused on the railway tracks where I have planned to throw myself at right when the next train arrives and put an end to my miserable life.
Honk~!
A loud horn sounded in the distance, informing everyone that the train was about to arrive.
As people picked up their belongings, and stood up, ready to board the train as soon as it came, I stayed seated, patiently waiting for it to reach the platform. Or maybe I just wanted to savor the last moments of my life.
However...
"Get up, son, get ready. It won't be stopping here for too long." A kind voice sounded in my ear before I felt someone nudge my elbow tightly, snapping me out of my zone.
"Huh?" I looked beside me and saw an elderly lady, probably 50-60 years old, standing up from the bench.
"Come on, or you will miss it." She said,
'It seems the universe also doesn't want me to live any longer.' I thought, then I nodded at her and stood up, "Yeah, thanks."
Seeing me stand up, she nodded in satisfaction and walked forwards, getting in one of the short lines of the passengers.
I stood there and stared at the cloudy sky, 'It's going to rain today?' I thought.
A few seconds later, I could hear the sounds of the train's engine and wheels clattering against the tracks as it sped towards the platform.
'Here we go.' I took a deep breath when the train neared the platform and began slowing down.
However…
Just as I took a step forward, a bright, golden light filled my vision, causing me to stop in my tracks and close my eyes.
Then, floating texts appeared before me even though my eyes were closed.
[Congratulations, Mr. Henry Cooper! You have been selected to host the {Sugar Daddy System}]
[System fusion… 1%... 5%... 15%... 55%... 75%... 99%...]
[System fusion complete!]
[System Initializing… 1%... 5%... 15%... 55%... 75%... 99%...]
[The system has successfully initialized!]
[Welcome to the Sugar Daddy System!]
[...]
[Alert! An urgent quest has been issued!]
I was in disbelief when I saw these texts. In my school days, I was an avid fantasy webnovels reader. So, I knew what the term 'system' entailed.
Before I could overcome my disbelief and rejoice because I could now turn my life around with the system's help, red, blinking texts appeared, obscuring the welcome package and other notifications.
[Quest: Save Casey Nestor!]
[Time Limit: 10 Seconds]
[Rewards:..]
The moment I saw the time limit, I forced myself into the alert mode, snapped my eyes open and began looking around.
On the right… I saw no one who needed to be saved.
My front was clear too.
When I looked to the right, I caught a glimpse of a girl in high school uniform, a white shirt and blue checkered skirt standing at the edge of the platform.
Immediately, I knew she was Casey Nestor because she had the same, bleak, hopeless expression as the one I had been wearing for the past couple of days.
Bang!
I practically launched myself into a sprint. I ran so fast that I could feel my legs burning, but I didn't dare to slow down because the time was ticking… The train had entered the platform and she was about to make the jump.
[Time: 8 Seconds]
[...7 Seconds]
Swoosh!
"Move out of the way!"
[...5 Seconds]
"Casey!" I shouted when I saw her lower her body a little in preparation to jump.
"Stop!"
[...4 Seconds]
"Huh?" Casey's head jerked in my direction upon hearing the shout. She clearly didn't recognise me, and opened her mouth seemingly to ask something but right then… her feet slipped and she began falling towards the tracks.
"Ahh—" It was completely unexpected, so her pupils constricted and she cried out.
However…
Shua!
Pat!
Before she could fall completely, I reached her, grabbed her flailing hand and pulled her over.
Swoosh!
Just a moment later, the train swooshed past us.
Honk~!
Clank~!
As the train slowly came to a halt, I pulled Casey back, but not before glaring at a middle-aged man, who was standing in the line after Casey, completely engrossed in his phone, like many others.
I really wanted to snatch his phone and throw it away, but he wasn't at fault here, so I kept it inside.
"You alright?" I asked Casey as nearby people began whispering amongst themselves. What really infuriated me was the fact that several of them had started filming us.
Casey also noticed this and her expression fell.
"Come with me." I said, grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the platform before leaving the train station altogether.
"Hey, where are you taking me?" Casey finally asked, stopping in her tracks.
"Nowhere in particular." I said before taking a good look at her.
She was a beautiful, young lady. Her black hair was short, barely reaching her neck, and framed her cute face.
She had big, innocent, faded-blue eyes, currently misty with tears, stared at him through her black-rimmed glasses with a hint of gratefulness, helplessness and anger.
She was around 5'5'' tall, had C-Cup sized breasts if he wasn't wrong, and a well proportioned body that her shirt hugged tightly, enhancing her curves.
Her knee-high, pleated skirt was wrapped tightly around her impressive ass and sexy thighs. If it wasn't already enough to attract men's gazes, her slender, long legs increased her charm.
I would have loved to date her in my school days, heck, I would love to date her even now.
After taking a quick look so as not to appear creepy, I looked her in the eyes and asked, "Want to share what's troubling you over a cup of coffee?"
"Huh?" Casey's eyes widened in surprise at my sudden offer. She chewed her soft, pink lips in hesitation for a bit before nodding, "Mm."
"Good." I nodded and began walking towards the nearby coffee shop while checking my quest.
When I saw the rewards I got for completing it, much of my remaining gloom vanished and a small smile appeared on my face.