Chapter 2

The voice faded away. At that moment, reality crashed back into his consciousness, reminding him of the impending doom he had narrowly escaped. The blaring horn of the approaching train pierced his ears, blending with the terrified screams of the onlookers who had gathered around the train tracks, anticipating a gruesome end. Instinctively, Keagan raised his arm to shield his face, bracing himself for the impact he desperately hoped to avoid.

But then, something extraordinary happened.

A blinding explosion of light erupted from within him, engulfing his surroundings and momentarily blurring his vision. The brilliance of the light-shielded him from the oncoming train as if a protective barrier had been erected in an instant. Simultaneously, a powerful buzzing sound filled the air, akin to the sizzle of live wires coming into contact and releasing a surge of electric energy. The buzzing grew louder, reaching an almost deafening pitch.

BZZZ! BZZZ!

Suddenly, Keagan found himself hurtling through the air, descending from the height of a three-story building toward a solid slab of concrete below. All he could anticipate was the painful impact that awaited him—bruises, broken bones, and aching limbs. To his astonishment, as he collided with the ground, it felt as though he had merely shifted in his sleep. He run his hands over his body in disbelief, searching for any signs of the fall. Yet, there were no marks, no indications of the tremendous impact he had just experienced. It was as if he had defied the laws of gravity and emerged unscathed.

"What's going on?" he exclaimed, his voice filled with confusion. The augmented display materialized before him, presenting a new item in the top right corner of the screen—a large green bar that pulsated with a steady rhythm, accompanied by a smaller red bar beneath it.

"What is this?" 

He asked aloud, not expecting anyone to answer since he was in an alleyway alone.

“This is your health system. It monitors the current status of your body and strength. The green bar shows the status of your body physically, notice that the bar has dropped from 100 to 98 because of a fall you took that broke your ankle, you will need to spend on your health if you want to heal faster, or let your body heal naturally, it might take a few days for a full recovery.”

The voice resonated, offering a brief introduction to the intricate monitoring system that had become a part of Keagan's existence. 

As the display materialized before him, Keagan's attention was drawn to the prominent green bar. It represented the physical condition of his body, a direct reflection of his health. His eyes scanned the bar, and he noticed a slight decrease, the gauge dropping from a pristine 100 to 98.

Beneath the health indicator, a smaller red bar caught his gaze. It denoted his strength level, currently residing at a modest 24 percent out of 100.  He acknowledged the cause—the neglect of proper nourishment. His eating habits had been far from optimal, and now he bore the consequences in the form of diminished strength.

Though the system's words were straightforward, Keagan understood the significance behind them. His health and strength were precious resources, demanding his attention and care. The display served as a constant reminder of the choices he would need to make to restore his well-being and bolster his physical capabilities.

At that point, Keagan was not surprised by the voice. He took his time to survey the display, often tracing back to his account balance. He had never seen so many zeros under his name.

“Do not forget your daily task, it will help with your progression. If that is all have a good day spectral Guardian, I am always here if you need any assistance,”

“What should I call you?”

“You can choose whatever name you desire,”

Keagan was still on the ground unable to get up, his ankle was broken yet he felt no pain emanating from the gruesome injury. He then remembered what he was told.

“UUH… I shall call you system, I can't think of any other name," Keagan said.

“Very well, from now on I shall respond to the system whenever you summon me,”

“Okay, system, you said that I can spend money to heal myself, how much would that cost?”

“The money doesn't directly heal you, you use the money to buy items and upgrade your attributes, as of now with your current attributes your injury will take about 2 days to fully heal. If you opt to use the money to upgrade your attributes to +5, it will take about 4 minutes for your injury to heal, that will cost you 5000 dollars, 1000 dollars for each attribute point,”

“5000 dollars! That much!” Keagan was shocked, he had never spent that much money so casually.

“Yes, 1000 dollars for each attribute, that will deduct your account balance to 99,999,995,000 USD,”

“Okay, that’s still a lot of money left, okay it is fine I will use the 5000,”

“....... Purchase complete, your healing attribute is now at 45!”

The voice resounded, washing over Keagan's senses. In that instant, a tingling sensation coursed down his leg, a chill that brought both comfort and rejuvenation. It was as if an unseen force had gently caressed his injured limb.

With a surge of newfound strength, Keagan summoned the courage to rise from the ground. Dusting off the remnants of his fall, he cast a glance toward his leg, his eyes widening in disbelief. The injury that had once plagued him was now a distant memory.

Amazement danced in his eyes as he absorbed the miraculous transformation. The swift recovery, defying all logic and expectation.

“System!” he beckoned,

“Yes!”

“You said I could use this money in the real world to fund my hero activities right? What does that mean exactly ”

“Yes, money is tangible in the real world. You can transact with it as any currency would. You can also withdraw from the account using any ATM or bank, the account details are in your central hub, and only you have access to the money,”

“Does that mean that everyone has access to this kind of money…. Whatever this is?”

“No, you are a C-Class hero, most C-Class heroes starting have less than 1000 USD in their accounts,”

“Well, then how did I get a hundred million in mine?”

“Because, you are the Veiwalker, spectral Guardian. The system has chosen you to take the mantle of the next veilwalker, this rarely happens. But you are the chosen to be the next no1 ranked hero,”

The magnitude of this newfound information loomed large, yet he hesitated to delve deeper into its implications. Despite the gravity of the situation, his mind fixated on a single, staggering fact— a hundred million dollars. The sheer enormity of such a sum left his thoughts and reasoning scattered.

The augmented display projected before his eyes once more. He cast furtive glances at the passing pedestrians, a nagging fear gnawing at his conscience, wondering if they were seeing what he was seeing.

Swiftly navigating the blocks, Keagan's footsteps quickened as he approached a nearby gas station. An ATM stood resolute outside. Determined to test the system's claims, he input his account details as displayed on the central Hub, his fingers trembling with anticipation. He entered his password and was greeted by the prompt to enter the desired withdrawal amount.

Staring blankly at the ATM screen, Keagan struggled to process the reality before him. The enormity of the situation had left him unable to grasp the truth.

1..0…0..0  Enter!

Gently, as if handling delicate artifacts, Keagan pressed the buttons on the ATM with utmost care. Each touch seemed to hold a weighty significance, as though the machine itself might shatter under the slightest pressure. Time momentarily froze, the world waiting in anticipation. Then the mechanical gears whirred to life inside the ATM. The slot beneath the display came alive, disgorging a rain of freshly minted 100-dollar bills.

Caught off guard by the sudden windfall, Keagan involuntarily jumped back, his body colliding with the glass door behind him. The abrupt noise startled the small queue who had gathered outside, eagerly awaiting their turn at the ATM.

"Hey! What's taking so long in there? Move it, you idiot!" barked an irate elderly man.

The man's sharp words snapped Keagan back to reality, jolting him into action. He reached out to snatch the crisp bills as if they might vanish into thin air at any moment. His hands fumbled, crumpling the money in his pockets without a second thought. Exiting the machine's enclosure, he was met with a sea of judgmental eyes. If only they knew the lucky turn his day had taken.

Lost in a daze, Keagan stepped onto the sidewalk, the path ahead uncertain. Amidst his thoughts, one promise echoed resolutely in his mind— a vow he had made a long ago.

/././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././

“What do you want for your Birthday Josh?” Keagan asked as he passed on the half-eaten bowl of instant ramen noodles.

“ I’ve always wanted a Bike, like those fancy ones with five gears and a horn,” Josh replied, his face plastered with a vibrant smile.

“Don’t you worry bro, As soon as I get my first paycheck that’s the first thing I’m buying okay?” 

“Really! Yeey I can't wait,” Josh said happily, receiving the ramen bowl as they sat on the corner of a room in a rundown house they were squatting in.

/././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././

Keagan turned back and joined the line to the ATM, his mouth widened with a smile. He stared at the other end of the street, at the entrance of the mall where he had never stepped foot in, but now, he had a reason to go in for the first time.

“Josh is never going to believe this!” he said, extremely happy as he grabbed the door handle and stepped back into the ATM.