Parker Black slumped onto the edge of his bed, his legs finally giving out after standing all night at his part-time job.
His room was dimly lit, scattered with clothes, textbooks, and the remnants of another late night of studying. The faint glow of the morning sun peeked through the blinds, illuminating his pale, exhausted features.
His frail body, even though accustomed to the long shifts, trembled slightly as he leaned forward as it needed resting, elbows resting on his knees.
A moment later, a holographic interface blinked to life before his eyes, all his attention was on it, anticipating it's next words. The glowing text floated mid-air, surreal yet sharp:
[Congratulations host! You have unlocked the Beginner Package!
Your Beginner Package is now available. Would you like to open it?] It asked again, Parker had already told it to open the package but maybe this was some kind of process he had to go through.
"Open it system." He commanded with a hurried anticipation.
[Ding! Welcome Package has been unlocked. Host has received the following;
Set Of Skills, Start up cash, Penthouse and Aphrodite's Elixir] before him a number of welcome packages were presented to him but the last two caught his attention. He didn't even need to say anything before the system jumped to life to give a description for each one of his gifts, he could only hold his breath in excitement after he read them.
1. Master of Deception
Description: The Host has an innate talent for lying convincingly and reading people's weaknesses. The skill, Master Of Desception has improved the host's deception skills. Host can exploit social dynamics and twist conversations to their advantage.
Ideal for outsmarting enemies, conning others, or creating schemes in a corporate, criminal, or personal setting.
2. Enhanced Perception
Description: The host's perception has been enhanced to ensure heightened observational skills, allowing them to notice subtle details, read body language, or uncover hidden motives.
Useful for gaining leverage over others in negotiations, blackmail, or criminal investigations.
Description: Exceptional skills in cybersecurity and hacking, allowing the host to infiltrate networks, gather data, or disrupt systems.
Perfect for cybercrime, espionage, or gaining control in a digital-dominated world.]
When he read the system skills Parker Black realized something in all of them; The system just enhanced the skills he already has, upgrading them to perfection!
Although he had expected and would have appreciated new skills, this was enough for him.
A rush hit Parker like a caffeine overdose—his brain crackled with lines of code, laser-sharp focus, and lies so smooth he'd fool Frank Abagnale or even Charles Ponzi. He'd give them a run for their money.
Hacker Prodigy, Enhanced Perception, and Master of Deception—game on.
[Host as received a start up cash of $10,000!] Another gift was announced. Usually some systems in the novels would give from $100,000 to even 1M but he's system... Well, Parker didn't complain, that $10,000 was enough to make him millions.
It was better than his $1000 with most of it being on his crypto account.
[Ding! Money has been sent to the new card.
System Card: The Card is a digital, untraceable financial tool granted to the host by the system. It allows for anonymous transactions in both physical and digital spaces. The card operates outside of traditional financial systems, making it impossible for authorities or government agencies to trace or monitor its usage. Host can check it out later]
He nodded, this was a given, although he could have found a way to explain his wealth and money later to the authorities, this has saved him. The system card was a game changer.
"It's more or less like another welcome gift!" As if to follow his line of thoughts, the system presented to him another gift description.
[Host has received a penthouse of the Blackstone Tower!]
Hearing this, Parker's eyes widened. This was the newly built hotel, offering high-class services even better than The Ritz-Carlton.
Located near LA Live, this hotel was on the lips of high-profile customers in the club where he worked. It was said that the owner was mysterious and no one had ever seen them, but only the manager of the hotel was known.
Rumors had it that the Blackstone Tower was one of the best hotels in L.A.
Hearing that he now owned a penthouse in the 40-story Blackstone Tower, Parker was utterly speechless for a moment.
He was so lost in the news that it felt like his brain had short-circuited. The contrast between this new life about to start and his current situation was just too much to just be chill about.
His head was still spinning from the thought of living in a penthouse, but then, reality hit him. He was sitting on a hard mattress in the attic of the Blackwood mansion—this old, dusty attic that smelled like a mix of mothballs and regret.
It was like being told you just won the lottery while you're still wearing your high school gym clothes.
Parker half-laughed, half-groaned, trying to grasp the absurdity of it all. "Man, this fucking fantastic. I'm literally living like a rat in a cage one minute, then I'm basically living on top of the world the next after getting a system?" He shook his head, almost to himself. "What's next? A private jet with Serena as a hostess?!"
It felt ridiculous, almost like some kind of joke.
Here he was, stuck in the attic, yet he was on of the kings of a 40-story skyscraper.
He rolled over on the creaky bed, staring at the ceiling. "Yo, this is wild. I gotta get my head together. Can't let this get to my head. I have a lot to plan for these new changes. Gotta keep my head sober..."
It felt like the system was letting him savor his excitement before presenting him with the final gift, the last one…
[Aphrodite's Elixir: This elixir can transform the host into the perfect version of themselves, based on what they should naturally be! Host is advised to use it early.]
Parker's eyes narrowed as he read the description again. It wasn't about changing him into someone else. No, this was about unlocking his ideal self, the version of him that was meant to be. His perfect form. But it has a timeframe?
Parker's excitement swelled when he saw the final gift the system had for him: Aphrodite's Elixir. The description was clear: it could transform his appearance into his ideal self.
This was everything he'd ever wanted.
But as his mind raced, practicality kicked in. He couldn't just pop the elixir now—doing so in the Blackwood mansion would raise way too many questions. His family would definitely notice if he suddenly looked like a completely different person, and they'd freak out.
"No they would do more than freak out. I need a perfect plan, a lie or..."
[Ding! New Mission detected...!]