Chapter 1: Betrayed by the System
"Sir," An actress-turned show host spoke with sparkling eyes, "You have inspired millions of entrepreneurs around the world. Starting without a penny to your name, today, you have become the richest man in the world and is also the world's largest electronics and weapons manufacturer. How does it feel to reach the pinnacle of success at the young age of 35?"
"Haha, good question," Seated opposite to her was a young man, seemingly in his early twenties based on his appearance alone. Possessing an aloof gaze with a humble demeanour, he was a man with weight to every word he uttered, "To others, my life might seem like a success story. But I am just another human with human needs, wants, and fears. Due to my busy schedule, I cannot even have three meals per day."
Upon seeing his mildly pained expression, the host lady became sad, "To think even the richest man in the world feels the same as us. Can't say I'm not overwhelmed by this notion."
"Despite my monetary wealth, I am naught but a human." The man smiled.
"I am naught but a human..." The host lady muttered with an enlightened gaze before announcing with a loud voice to the audience, "That's all, everyone! Give a round of applause to our chief guest, Compass Carburettor."
The seated audience gave raucous cheers as the sounds of clapping filled the studio. The interview was being broadcast through all major television channels, reaching the eyes and ears of more than a billion people.
The chief guest, Compass Carburettor gave a polite nod to the host lady, got up from his seat and exited the place, accompanied by a couple of his bodyguards.
Seeing his swiftly leaving figure, the host lady sighed in disappointment, "Aw, I wanted to get his number."
Leaving the studio, Compass Carburettor boarded his bullet and bomb-proof car and headed towards the airport, entering a route maintained exclusively for him. He then boarded his private jet, watching it take off from the window.
"Sir, would you like to drink?" The air hostess pushed forth a tray, outlining a limited-edition collection of the most expensive wine in the world.
"Sure," Compass Carburettor nodded, watching with a smile as the air hostess poured him a glass and left, knowing very well that he only drank a glass per day.
Once the air hostess left, there was only him in the cabin. Peering through the window, he saw a sea of clouds, raising his glass as he spoke, "A great day must be accompanied by wine."
He then brought it close to his nose, sniffing it once to take in the aroma, "Pristine, elegant, the wonder of human civilisation."
<Ding!>
[Host Status: Intoxicated]
<Ding!>
[Removing Alcohol Intoxication]
"..."
He then brought the wine glass closer to his mouth, intending to take a sip when he inhaled by mistake, taking in the aroma of the wine, "Pristine, eleganntttguegsgsfg..."
<Ding!>
[Host Status: Intoxicated]
<Ding!>
[Removing Alcohol Intoxication]
"..."
He then pinched his nose, smirking as he brought the glass closer, taking a sip, "Pristineeeeeeee!"
<Ding!>
[Host Status: Intoxicated]
<Ding!>
[Removing Alcohol Intoxication]
"...I give up!" He grunted, placing the wine glass on a nearby table, sighing, "Why has my alcohol tolerance never improved?"
<Ding!>
[Replying to Host: It's your body's disposition. You can improve your alcohol tolerance by taking some of your Body Management Points from the Beauty Section and placing them in Alcohol Tolerance Section]
<Ding!>
[You don't have any free Body Management Points]
"It's fine," Compass Carburettor sighed, "A healthy, strong, and handsome body is infinite times better than a body with alcohol tolerance."
<Ding!>
[As you say, Host]
"Pull up the system interface," Upon his command, a screen flashed before him, displaying everything he had obtained to date.
<Ding!>
[Money-Making System: Level 6]
[Host: Compass Carburettor]
[Race: Human]
[Physique: Health (Level 10), Strength (Level 10), Dexterity (Level 8), Stamina (Level 7), Intelligence (Level 7), Cognition (Level 9), Natural Recovery (Level 6), Five Senses (Level 10), Resting (Level 10)]
[Skills: Logic (Level 10), Bargain (Level 10), Money Sense (Level 10), Profit Acquisition (Level 10), Leadership (Level 8), Higher Bargain (Level 4), Merchant (Level 8)]
Upon seeing the extent of his growth, Compass Carburettor was giddy, "I'm getting more powerful and richer with every passing day."
Recalling his appearance from when he was a student to his current peerless handsome self, there was barely any resemblance. And, their character and disposition were heaven and earth. "From a rash, good-for-nothing student with zero excelling fields to the owner of the largest conglomerate on Earth, I've come a long way."
"Everything's thanks to you, Money-Making System." He smiled, watching the passage of the clouds from the window, noticing a grand landmass be revealed under.
"System, begin upgradation." He commanded.
<Ding!>
[Replying to Host: System Upgradation from Level 6 to Level 7 will take seven hours. Do you wish to comply?]
"Yes, begin upgradation!" Compass Carburettor nodded, hearing a beep sound as something within him seemed to have been switched off. When he first obtained the Money-Making System, every 'ding' was irritating. But now, they were his ASMR.
The reason he was intimated by the System was that when it was upgrading, all his Skills would become inactive. This meant he wouldn't possess any of the abilities he normally wielded through the System.
This would prove to be dangerous if he engaged in any deals or talked with a client during this time. Without his Skills, he was almost useless against the cunning people he dealt with on a daily basis. So, only when he had enough time to rest was upgrading the System feasible.
And, since he dealt with clients from around the world, he never had a fixed schedule of sleep. That was why he had upgraded his Resting to Level 10, the maximum limit in the current Level 6 Money-Making System. This way, he was able to remain fresh with the minimum most sleep.
At Level 10, he only needed 3 hours of sleep per day to remain perfectly fresh for the rest of the day.
"Once the System upgrades to Level 7, I'll unlock food-related abilities to upgrade my physique further." He muttered, watching the jet exit the layer of clouds as a vast stretch of land was outlined beneath.
It was a private island that was situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, a landmass that spanned a radius of 30 kilometres. And, this was his private property, the place where his factory, office, etc. was located.
As everything was in one place, and since it was situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, he never had any problems with security. And, since the island was self-sufficient, all his employees lived on the island, forming a bustling metropolitan city.
As it was an artificial island, it was equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, keeping the place free from pollution.
Carburettor Island!
Named after his family name, it was his home. Once the private jet landed at the airport, his team escorted him to his home. Until now, he was all smiles and giggles. But once he entered his home, he noticed the lifeless atmosphere within, immediately turning sullen as he asked his assistant, "Where's Stencil?"
"Sir, she's still in school. It'll take her four more hours to return home." His assistant replied.
"Alright," He sighed, heading to the sofa as he sat on it, looking at the picture frame nearby. In it was a family photo, consisting of his parents, his wife, and his daughter, Stencil."
Unfortunately for him, five years ago, when his company was in a dangerous conflict with another company that operated in the same business field, they had clashed. And, his foes targeted his family that had been on a holiday trip.
His daughter had been the sole survivor. But, she had lost her right arm in the process. Even though he had invested tremendously in the bionic arm technology to fit her with a hand that was almost the same as her original, the scars of that incident never healed.
Even though he had caused his rival company to go bankrupt and jailed everyone responsible for the death of his family, he was left with a hollow heart. After all, despite his revenge being successful, his family couldn't return.
He had hoped upgrading his system would one day allow him to revive his wife and parents. That was his only hope. Now, Stencil was his only family, his only driving force. It made him realise that money and power were only the means to an end, not the principal wants of being a human. Feelings, the familial bond was what made a greedy beast, a human.
"I better complete my work so that I can spend some time with Stencil when she returns." Compass Carburettor accompanied his assistant and headed towards one of his R&D facilities. This was where research was being conducted on a ground-breaking weapon technology.
The skyscraper was fully dedicated to the creation of this weapon. More than half the floors were just equipped with a supercomputer and the components necessary to keep it functional. Arriving at the basement, Compass Carburettor looked at a shooting range where a team of scientists were huddled around, calibrating something in a giant screen.
Upon seeing his arrival, the head scientist smiled, "We were just about done; the world's first evergreen gun."
"Show me," Compass Carburettor approached a table where a bunch of machines were scanning a delicate-looking gun. Appearance, wise, it was plain-looking. The barrel and the grip formed a perfect 'L'. There was a trigger attached to it. Overall, it didn't have a cool or breath-taking appearance.
It had an ivory appearance, sleek to the design. Upon touching it, Compass Carburettor was satisfied, "Does it have all the specs I specified?"
"Yes," The head scientist explained, "The entire model is made purely from carbon and carbon-based products. It is solar-powered and takes around a day for a full charge. After being charged, it has enough power to shoot 24 bullets. The bullets are launched using the railgun principle."
He then boasted with a smile, "The nozzle can suck in the air and filter in only the carbon and carbon-based products. And, it processes them internally to create bullets. Everything is automatic. It takes an hour to create a bullet. They are rectangular in shape with a sharp edge, and a minute after it is launched, the bullet sublimates into air, leaving behind no traces. The magazine holds six bullets."
The barrel only spanned a length of 20 centimetres. Overall, it was a small gun.
The head scientist laughed as he spoke, "The gun weighs 250 grams, and when we did impact testing, it hardly suffered a scratch after we dropped a tonne of steel on it from a metre high. The bullets are launched at speeds only below the speed of sound. And, the perfect accuracy range is 50 metres. Beyond that, the accuracy drops by a centimetre for every metre in length. Moreover, its internal air circulation system absorbs all the knockback from shooting. Once the magazine is emptied, it expunges the air that had absorbed all the shock."
"Overall, this is the perfect, self-replenishing gun, never requiring any maintenance or supply. Even a child can shoot it without feeling any wrist/arm pain. In the future, this would change the tide of war." The head scientist spoke, looking at Compass Carburettor, "Please do the honours of naming it."
"Anthozoa!" Compass Carburettor said after staring at it for a while, "I feel the name is apt for a weapon of such calibre."
He then grabbed the gun, walked towards the shooting range, and made a couple of shots, nodding in praise, "Incredible, peerless, wonder of modern science!"
He then brought the gun with him back to his house. Even though the head scientist wished to stop him, he didn't have the guts to do so, watching Compass Carburettor play around with the gun as he returned home.
He placed it in the holster attached to his hip, checking out his appearance in the mirror as he laughed. Upon hearing the bell ring, he checked the time, beaming with a smile since his daughter had arrived.
He waved his hand to the assistant, telling her to remain in her position as he hopped around in joy, opening his door to greet his daughter, "Oh my precious!"
Though, just when he was about to hug her, the world turned black and white as time seemed to have stopped. And unlike the usual tone, something seemed different as he heard the notification from his system.
<Ding!>
[Money-Making System has successfully upgraded to Level 7]
[Returning to the System World now]