Starting from Nothing, Going All In

On his way home, Cheng Yu opened the system messages.

Congratulations to the host for unlocking the achievement:

Life Mentor (unrated)

Achievement description: You are now a successful life mentor, at least when it comes to fooling people. One more thing: your imitation of the big shot's pose was pretty good. Congratulations, congratulations.

The corner of Cheng Yu's mouth twitched, and he looked at the system panel.

Strongest Wage Earner System (shimmering gold)

Host: Cheng Yu (unrated)

Ability: Heart-Bewitching Spell (Black Iron Three-Star)

Equipped title: The Kid Watched by the Big Shot (Epic)

Title: The Kid Watched by the Big Shot (Epic). Ability effects: ... (click to expand)

Equipment: None

Achievement: Life Mentor (unrated)

Currency: 50

Items held: Carbon-Based Virus (Black Iron Two-Star), Big Shot's Aura (Epic)

Evaluation: I already said you were unrated. What more of an evaluation do you want? Without the big shot watching over you, you're nothing.

Only fifty left. Sigh, I'm broke. ┭┮﹏┭┮

Hmm, wait. Holy shit! Big Shot's Aura is Epic-grade. Well, of course it is. What else can I say? The big shot is awesome. (￣^￣)ゞ

Convert to currency.

A clinking of coins rang out.

The currency field now displayed 650.

Huh? A hundred more than last time?

A passage of text also popped up on the system's Light Screen.

Unrated achievements cap out at 1,000. Black Iron ranges from 1,000 to 10,000, Bronze from 10,000 to 100,000, and so on.

Understanding dawned on Cheng Yu. Oh, so that's how it works. Then a rather dark thought suddenly sprouted in his mind.

If I used that bottle of Carbon-Based Virus, it'd be a Gold-grade achievement. That's at least a million in currency, and it'd unlock Legendary-grade merchandise too.

Forget it, forget it. Amitabha. To think this old monk entertained murderous thoughts. What a sin, what a sin, Cheng Yu silently mocked himself.

Just then, the system popped up, utterly refusing to spare his dignity.

As the big shot's representative, the host harbors faith in another being. This system hereby issues the host a warning.

Cheng Yu froze, then sneered.

"Listen, System, you really take bootlicking to a whole new level. The big shot is all-knowing and all-seeing. He knows everything about me. Who are you trying to impress with this show of loyalty?"

"Besides, what's the point of warning me? If you've got the guts, erase me like those other systems do. Never mind whether you can-even if you could, would you dare?"

When the system fell silent, Cheng Yu chuckled inwardly.

Heh. This old monk is the big shot's favorite kid. As if I couldn't put a bootlicking system like you in your place.

He wondered where this bootlicking system's intelligence had come from.

Just then, a voice entered Cheng Yu's mind.

(The system's intelligence came from a copy of your behavioral patterns. You could also consider it a manifestation of another you.)

Cheng Yu turned to stone and nearly got into a traffic accident.

(Big shot, you're joking, right?) (・ε・｀)

Fine. Turns out the bootlicker was me all along. ┭┮﹏┭┮

Back home, Cheng Yu looked at Yog, who was sitting on the sofa, and gave an awkward smile.

"Big shot, you're here. You were joking about what you said earlier, right?" (oﾟωﾟo)

"What do you think?"

"Fine. I knew it." (´-﹏-`;)

Cheng Yu slumped onto the sofa and stared at his system currency, considering his next move.

The script showed that Elder Bai would come to assassinate him two nights from now.

At that thought, Cheng Yu glanced toward Yog.

Yog raised his teacup and said,

"I'll be there that night too. I'll see for myself what you do."

With that, Yog took a sip of tea.

Cheng Yu pulled a miserable face. ∠(´д｀)

That makes things a little tricky.

While Cheng Yu was thinking, Miss Puppet brought him a cup of tea and refilled Yog's cup.

"Uh, thanks, ma'am."

Hmm, I should strengthen myself next. But everything I can afford in the shop seems pretty useless. And there are so many things in there-how long would it take me to scroll through them all?

Sigh, doesn't the system have intelligence? Hmm, let's give it a try.

(System, I know you know what I'm thinking. Come on, got anything suitable?)

There are no suitable products in the shop within the host's current currency budget.

Cheng Yu said nothing. He was waiting for the system to continue.

Seemingly unable to endure Cheng Yu's silence, the system displayed another message.

Therefore, this system recommends that the host draw prizes.

Heh. As if I couldn't handle you.

(How does it work?)

The host may perform a basic draw.

A basic draw costs 100 currency. The drop rate for unrated items is 90%, Black Iron items 7%, Bronze items 2%, and Silver items 1%.

For every additional 100 currency invested, the drop rate for unrated items decreases by 5%, while the rate for Black Iron items increases by 3%, Bronze items by 1.5%, and Silver items by 0.5%.

Cheng Yu rubbed his chin. Seeming to think of something, he asked the system,

(My Epic title turns one draw into three. How are the drop rates calculated for that?)

It counts as a single draw by the host, performed three times.

Looking at his mere 650 currency, Cheng Yu laughed.

"Starting from nothing, going all in. Draw!"

He put in 600 currency and started the draw.

Accompanied by the clinking of gold coins,

three sheets of parchment appeared once again.

Universal Clean Energy Technology (Black Iron One-Star): An energy technology originating from the Code-Name Taki Superuniverse World. This technology marked the beginning of the glorious Taki Civilization. It laid the foundation for the future god-tier civilization capable of rebooting the universe: the Taki Civilization.

War God Gene Injection (Black Iron Four-Star): A technology originating from the Code-Name Broken Edge World. This genetic serum was developed by the Humankind of the Broken Edge World using every technological resource at their disposal. Its effects are based on the Humankind of Broken Edge: the closer the recipient's physical structure is to theirs, the stronger the serum's effects, with a minimum effect of Black Iron One-Star. Note: ineffective on nonhuman body structures.

A graffiti-covered stone slab (unrated): A drawing by a half-orc child with high spiritual sight, originating from the Code-Name Z-5532 World. He recorded the appearance of a species called Xixi Fish. An ideal item for frightening children.

A pretty good hit! Is there even a choice here? The second one!

As the parchment burned away, a syringe containing an aqua-blue liquid inside a metal casing dropped into Cheng Yu's hand.

How do I use this? Cheng Yu stared at the syringe in bewilderment.

The system's Light Screen offered instructions.

Place the tapered needle against any part of your skin, then press the button on the side of the metal casing.

Cheng Yu read the instructions. Any part of my skin? After a moment's thought, he positioned the tapered needle against his carotid artery. That was how they always did it in movies, after all.

Then he lowered it again. No, that feels a little creepy. Better use my arm.

With a soft hiss, the aqua-blue liquid visible through the metal casing's viewing window disappeared.

Hmm, just a little sting. Pretty considerate.

Just as Cheng Yu was marveling at that, images surfaced in his mind.

In what looked like an abandoned city, a burly man wearing a tight black nanosuit was running for his life. Most of his body was encased in gray metal armor made of some unidentifiable material, and he was moving at a speed approaching several hundred meters per second.

But the sky suddenly darkened. A creature floating overhead, resembling a locust standing upright, raised one hand, and the burly man stopped. Then the creature clenched its hand (?).

As though subjected to extreme pressure, the burly man's metal armor began to shatter. Bulges swelled across his nanosuit until his eyes protruded grotesquely.

The burly man became a mass of flesh and blood, which floated toward the locust-man. Holding that mass aloft, the locust-man entered a high-tech room and placed it in a bowl-shaped container.

A beam of light shone down onto the mass from above the container, and strands of aqua-blue liquid drifted out of the flesh and blood.

Another locust-man arrived and loaded the liquid, now gathered into a small sphere of water, into a metal tube. Then the tube disappeared.

The locust-man looked around in confusion and left.

Cheng Yu remained silent. The way that burly man had died had shaken him somewhat.

Then he felt his body begin to heat up, but it passed after a while.

Huh? That's it?

Cheng Yu clenched his fists.

I don't feel all that powerful.

Then he looked at the system panel.

Strongest Wage Earner System (shimmering gold)

Host: Cheng Yu (Black Iron Three-Star)

Details omitted...

Evaluation: You barely qualify as a weakling now. Though you relied on outside help, Black Iron is still Black Iron (lol). Keep working at it.

I'm already Black Iron, so why don't I feel any different?

Cheng Yu wondered to himself.

Just then, Yog interjected.

"Throw a punch at me with all your strength, and you'll find out."

Cheng Yu froze.

"Uh, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Yog took a sip of tea and said,

"What, do you think you can hurt me?"

Cheng Yu hurriedly waved his hands.

"I wouldn't dare think that! ∑(っ°Д°;)っ"

Then his expression turned serious, and he cupped his fist in his other hand.

"Then, big shot, pardon me."

He stepped out, lowered his center of gravity, drew back his right fist, raised his left hand into a guard, and punched!

Boom!

A few centimeters from Yog, his fist stopped as though a wall stood in its path.

Seeing Cheng Yu's confusion, Yog smiled.

"Do you think you can break through a spatial barrier with pure physical strength as you are now?"

Cheng Yu smiled sheepishly, then looked around. Well, the place was wrecked.

The gust from Cheng Yu's punch had damaged everything within a meter of him, except the spot where Yog was sitting.

Yog snapped his fingers, and everything that had been damaged returned to its original state, as though time were running backward.

Cheng Yu's mouth fell wide open. Though he had always known this big shot could control time and space, knowing and seeing were two different things.

The sight of time reversing was still profoundly shocking.

Having experienced his own strength, Cheng Yu no longer felt the slightest fear about Elder Bai coming to assassinate him in two days.

He was even looking forward to it a little.