Ayren sat quietly on his small bed, staring at the worn-out ceiling of his tiny room.
The silence was loud, but his heart beat even louder. After everything that had happened so far, he needed clarity. A path. A plan.
"System," he called out softly, "show me my status page."
A mechanical chime rang out in his mind, followed by a screen appearing before his eyes, floating in the air like a transparent panel only he could see.
[STATUS]
[Name: Ayren Vox]
[Age: 18]
[Race: Human]
[Rank: Mortal]
[Physique: 0.5]
[Mind: 0.8]
[Will: 0.7]
[Essence: 0]
[Talent(s): None]
[Skill(s): None]
[Infinity Points: 0]
Ayren looked at the screen, his eyes scanning each line carefully. His name was there. His age too. Everything else felt strange. Alien. What did all these numbers mean?
"System… explain the stats to me."
The system's voice echoed in his head. It was calm and cold, like a machine with no emotions.
[Physique – Represents your physical body's power, speed, endurance, and regeneration.]
[Mind – Represents your intelligence, memory, perception, and ability to learn.]
[Will – Represents your mental resilience, charisma, soul stability, and resistance to control.]
[Essence – Represents your inner power, spiritual force, and cultivation potential.]
[Infinity Points – The currency used to access and interact with the system's advanced functions.]
Ayren nodded slowly. It was simple enough to understand. But the numbers were small.
"So… 0.5 in Physique means I'm weaker than a normal person?"
[Correct. The average adult human male on Earthena has a stat value of 1.0 in each attribute. Anything below that is considered subpar. Anything above it begins to enter the realm of superhuman.]
Ayren winced. So he was weak in body, weak in mind, and average in will. His essence was zero. Completely empty.
No talent. No skills. No money.
He chuckled bitterly.
"This is pathetic…"
He rubbed his face and then looked at the screen again. "System, are there superpowers in this world?"
There was a short pause before the system answered.
[To receive detailed information about this world, access the Omniscience System Function.]
Ayren narrowed his eyes. "Wait… is that why you didn't answer me earlier when I asked if this world is more than it seems?"
[Correct. You must exchange Infinity Points to access classified world information.]
"So I have to pay to even know what's going on…" he muttered. "This system really is something else."
Ayren leaned back and stared at the ceiling again. A small smile formed on his lips.
"Hey System," he joked, "it's my birthday, remember? Can't I at least get a gift or a starter pack?"
[No.]
The cold response crushed his brief hope. He sighed deeply.
"Alright then," Ayren said. "How do I earn Infinity Points?"
[Currently, the best resource you possess is your money. You can convert it into Infinity Points.]
Ayren frowned. "Money, huh?"
He stood up and walked over to the small wooden drawer beside his bed. He opened the bottom compartment and pulled out a small metal box. Inside it were his savings—rolled-up bills and some coins. Starlings.
Children under the age of 18 weren't allowed to open bank accounts unless they had at least a thousand starlings. Ayren had never reached that threshold. Every single coin here was earned from part-time work, running errands, or selling things he didn't need.
"This is everything I have," he whispered, staring at the bundle of cash.
"How much can I get for this?" he asked.
[Conversion Rate: 10 starlings = 1 Infinity Point.]
Ayren quickly counted. He had 900 starlings saved up.
"So that's 90 Infinity Points?" he confirmed.
[Correct.]
He stared at the money for a long time. [Expand Here]
These 900 starlings were his survival fund. He used this for food. Emergency transport. Maybe even rent, if things got worse. Giving it all up meant losing his safety net. But what did safety matter if he had no future?
Ayren clenched his fists.
He remembered the eviction notice. He remembered the look on the landlord's face, cold and uncaring. He remembered the feeling of helplessness. The anger. The shame.
If he kept living like this, nothing would change.
He looked at the money again. Then, slowly, he separated 100 starlings and set them aside.
"I'll keep these. Just in case," he said to himself. "System, convert the rest."
The money glowed faintly in his hand. Then, one by one, the bills began to fade away like dust in the wind. In just a few seconds, they were gone.
[800 starlings successfully converted. You have gained 80 Infinity Points.]
[Current Balance: 80 Infinity Points.]
Ayren let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He felt a strange mix of fear and relief.
Now that he had Infinity Points, it was time to use them wisely.
"System, open the Omniscience System Function."
A new interface opened in front of him. It was blank, with only a single line of text at the top:
[What do you wish to know?]
Ayren thought for a moment. There were many questions he wanted to ask. But only one of them truly mattered right now.
"What would be the best first step I can take to build a strong foundation for my future?" he asked.
[This answer will cost 1 Infinity Point. Proceed?]
"Yes."
[1 Infinity Point deducted.]
The screen shimmered. A line of text appeared, glowing softly.
[After simulating infinite possibilities and calculating future world events, the best course of action is as follows: You must become a Trillionaire by your 20th birthday. Failure to do so will result in missing the greatest opportunity to rise in the world.]
Ayren's eyes widened. "A Trillionaire?! By 20?! That's insane!"
He stared at the message, unable to look away. The words burned into his mind.
He was 18 now. That gave him less than two years.
"System… what do you mean by the 'greatest opportunity'? What kind of change is coming?"
[This information is classified. Unlocking it will cost 1,000 Infinity Points.]
Ayren was stunned.
"One thousand…?!"
That was more money than he could even imagine. It would take forever just to get that many points.
But the fact that the price was so high only confirmed something.
Something big was coming.
Ayren stood still for a long time. His mind was spinning. What kind of future was waiting for this world? Were there going to be wars? Supernatural events? Did powerful beings already exist in secret?
If becoming a Trillionaire was only the start… then what kind of heights did he need to reach?
Earthena, his world, was a place where power and money ruled. If he became the richest man on Earthena, he'd stand at the top.
He would rival mega rich noble families whose wealth had spanned almost a century.
And yet, the system said that would only lay the foundation.
Ayren slowly clenched his fists.
No more guessing. No more waiting. No more living in fear.
He would take this one chance and rise.
Whatever was coming, he would be ready.
Even if he had to build an empire from scratch…
He would not fail.
He can't fail.
He recalled how he died at the destruction of his old world and his heart strengthened.
But then he thought...
'Isn't remembering the past at key moments something only anime protagonist do?'
'Am I like one now?'
At the thought of that his mode lightened somewhat.
'I can do this,' he himself.
'I'm gonna be...' he said the words of one of his favorite anime protagonists in his heart and felt a strange surge of motivation.
[Master?]
The system snapped him back to reality.
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