Overwatch System

"System, or rather, Athena, what exactly is the Overwatch System?" William asked curiously.

"War and disaster have torn the world apart, shrouding it in endless darkness. New hope has descended with the dawn; heroes from across the globe have gathered to safeguard world peace. They are Overwatch..."

William couldn't help but smack his lips; he felt like he had heard this cringey line somewhere before.

"Although the legend of Overwatch has become a thing of the past, their abilities and spirit have been passed down. From the moment you triggered the Overwatch System, you became a member of Overwatch."

"You must unlock Overwatch equipment, weapons, skills, and more to grow stronger and become a true hero!"

"I don't like being called 'Host'. Just call me William from now on."

Athena's voice paused, likely recording William's name. "Very well, William. The Overwatch System has successfully bound to your soul. If you have any questions, why don't you take a look for yourself?"

As Athena spoke, a blue floating panel appeared before William. It looked just like a game's system interface, displaying five modules: Heroes, Personal Info, Missions, Map, and Shop.

William first tapped on the Heroes module. Icons of various heroes appeared, identical to those in the game. He could see familiar faces like D.Va, Hanzo, Lucio, Soldier: 76, Mercy...

Unlike the game, however, these icons were all grayed out, and William couldn't click them to view detailed information.

"Athena, how do I unlock new heroes?" William asked.

"There are three ways to unlock heroes: First, complete missions. Whether main or side missions, the Overwatch System will reward you with loot boxes based on the situation, and opening them gives you a chance to obtain a hero."

"Second, level up. Every time you level up, the system will also reward you with a loot box."

"Third, the Shop. You can choose to purchase new heroes in the Shop, though they are quite expensive, and I do not recommend it."

William sighed; it seemed the best way to unlock heroes was still through loot boxes. He wasn't in a rush, though. Since the Overwatch System was now his, he had plenty of time to study it. With that thought, he opened the Personal Info module.

Personal Info:

Overwatch: William

Level: 0

Gold: 0

Energy: ??

Skills: ??

Items: ??

Unlocked Heroes: 0

With the screen full of zeros and question marks, there wasn't much to say.

Next, he entered the Missions module, only to find no available missions. He saw that missions were categorized into three types: Main Missions, Side Missions, and Hidden Missions.

Having played many games, he understood what main and side missions were, but what did "hidden" mean?

"Hidden missions are just as the name suggests; they do not trigger under normal circumstances. They only trigger when specific events occur. Once you successfully complete a hidden mission, the system will grant you generous rewards."

Before William could even ask, Athena answered. Since the Overwatch System was bound to his soul, she knew his thoughts.

Next to the Missions module was the Map module, but when he opened it, it was completely blank. Athena immediately explained: "The Map module can only be used when a mission is active. During a mission, the map will guide you to the correct location to minimize unnecessary trouble."

William curled his lip. He had hoped the map would be usable at all times so he wouldn't get lost, but the system clearly wouldn't make it that easy for him. A map that only worked during missions was useless for now.

Finally, there was the Shop module. Opening it revealed two options: Heroes and Loot Boxes. He browsed the heroes, noting that each had a different price.

For instance, the cheapest was Soldier: 76 at 10,000 gold, while the most expensive was D.Va, requiring 100,000 gold to unlock.

Yes, he had read that right—ten times the price of Soldier: 76. William wasn't happy about this; even if Soldier: 76 wasn't his favorite, he shouldn't be that cheap. And why was his favorite hero the most expensive?

"I warned you earlier. Heroes in the Shop are expensive, and I do not recommend purchasing them."

"That's not just expensive, that's highway robbery!" William said, eyeing the "30% Off Limited Time" tag on the heroes. If the price was this high even after a limited-time discount, the original price must be terrifying.

After checking the heroes, William looked at the loot boxes. The Overwatch loot boxes looked just like the ones in the game, but they were grayed out, with a "0" displayed below.

In other words, he didn't have a single loot box.

"Honestly, I hate opening boxes..." William said with a mournful tone, as the boxes before him seemed to stir up unpleasant memories.

He remembered during the anniversary event, he really wanted the legendary skin for Soldier: 76—the cool Strike Commander Morrison. He spent over 500 on loot boxes, but he never got it.

All he got were blues and whites, with the occasional purple. He hit the legendary drop rate five times, but they were all just gold, and in the end, he had to buy the skin with gold.

It wasn't just Overwatch; when he was obsessed with Onmyoji, he really wanted SSRs, especially Ibaraki Doji and Arakawa. Even after pulling every support SSR, he couldn't get the shikigami he wanted. His only output SSR was Yoto Hime, obtained by sacrificing other units.

Sigh... the memories were nothing but tears.

William felt his luck was truly cursed when it came to gacha and loot box games. If the Overwatch System really relied on opening boxes and limited-time purchases to unlock heroes, he felt he was doomed.

"Besides heroes, what else can you get from loot boxes?" William asked, trying to calm himself.

"Before answering that, I believe you have forgotten something important."

"What is it?" William frowned. Had he forgotten something?

"Today is Wednesday," Athena continued.

"Wednesday?" William struggled to recall if anything important happened on Wednesdays.

Suddenly, it hit him—he had forgotten his job!

He worked as a delivery driver for a pizza shop in Brooklyn, and every Wednesday was the shop's promotion day, meaning orders would be piling up.

If William remembered correctly, he was going to be late!

Luck cannot save the unlucky, and spending money cannot change one's fate.