Futuristic College of Engineering – Manila
7:00 a.m., Friday
It was a bright day. The sun beamed through the tall windows of the modern classroom. Killua sat silently in front, his fingers interlocked on his desk, gazing out the window, blankly lost in thought.
Suddenly—thunk!
A book smacked the back of his head. He winced but said nothing, just clenched his teeth and fists. Laughter erupted behind him.
A cocky, handsome student strutted toward him.
"Look! Look at his hands. He's clenching them! The poor bastard wants to fight back!"
Another boy walked up behind and landed a loud slap across Killua's cheek.
PAK!!!
A red handprint bloomed across his face.
"Ooooooh!"
"Hahaha, that was solid!"
"Damn, that must've hurt!"
Arnel, the one who slapped him, leaned close with fury in his eyes.
"You got a problem, scholar scum? Huh?! You gonna fight back now?!"
He shoved Killua sideways, sending him crashing to the floor. Then the kicks began. Killua curled up, covering his head.
Two more boys joined in.
"You don't belong here, trash! This school's for the elite!"
"Yeah! Should've died with your family—you're all alone anyway."
"Let's teach him his place!"
The class just watched, some laughed, none helped.
Then—
TRIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
The bell rang.
A sweet voice called out, "Hey! Stop hitting Killua. The professor's coming!"
They scattered like rats. Killua stayed down for a moment, then slowly sat up, wiping blood from his nose.
The professor, a bald old man with a wrinkled face, entered the room. He glanced at Killua and snorted.
"Tsk."
He said nothing and walked past.
---
After enduring a whole day of humiliation, Killua trudged back to his dormitory—just five minutes from campus. He collapsed on his bed, still in his bloodied uniform, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He raised a trembling hand as if reaching for something beyond the roof.
"Is this what they meant?" he whispered. "That people like me... can never reach the rich and powerful?"
A tear rolled down his cheek.
"I never hurt them… so why do they hate me?"
He curled into himself and muttered through his tears.
"If I had one wish… I wish this world didn't care about being poor or rich at all."
---
[Ding!]
"Huh…?"
[Welcome, Survivor.]
[Congratulations. You have been chosen. Would you like to check your status? Yes / No]
"Chosen? Status? What the hell…?" He blinked. "Hah… maybe I'm going crazy. Too many hits to the head today…"
He passed out.
---
The Next Morning
Killua opened his eyes to something glowing above him.
A holographic window hovered midair.
[Would you like to check your status?
Yes / No]
He hesitated, then tapped Yes.
[Player: Killua
Age: 22
Level: 1
Agility: 5
Stamina: 5
Strength: 5
Active Skills: None
Passive Skills: None
(Inventory) (Daily Quest) (Daily Reward) (Spin of Fortune)]
Killua's jaw dropped.
"This is like… a video game system! What the actual hell?"
Just then, a red warning flashed.
[ALERT: GLOBAL TEMPERATURE WILL BEGIN TO PLUMMET!
Secure shelter and supplies.
Time Remaining: 168 Hours]
Killua sat up straight.
"Plummet!? You mean like… Ice Age level?!"
Then another prompt appeared.
[You haven't used your free spin at the Spin of Fortune!
Would you like to spin now? Yes / No]
"Uh… yes! Yes!"
A glowing wheel appeared and spun rapidly for a few seconds. Killua held his breath.
[Congratulations! You've gained 100% LUCK for today!
Come back again tomorrow.]
"100% luck?! What does that even mean?" he gasped.
He started tapping around.
"Let's check… Daily Reward!"
[Reward Claimed! Check Inventory.]
He opened the inventory and tapped on a glowing icon.
**[White Winter Coat & Cold Weather Pants
Keeps you warm up to -100°C.
Say 'Equip' or 'Unequip' to use.]**
"Equip!" he said.
The clothes appeared on his body instantly.
"Whoa! This is amazing… So warm."
"Unequip."
They vanished.
He noticed a small question mark in the corner of the window.
[Tip: You can store and withdraw items using your thoughts.]
"Cool…"
He grabbed a full bottle of water from the fridge.
"System, store this in inventory."
The bottle vanished from his hand.
"Holy crap. It really worked!"
He tested again with a half-full bottle. It separated neatly in the inventory.
He paused, stared at the fridge.
"…No way this works…"
"System, store the fridge and everything inside."
Nothing happened.
"Maybe I said it wrong?"
"System, store the fridge and all goods inside!"
Fwoooosh—
The refrigerator vanished.
His inventory now showed:
Refrigerator +1
Chicken Drumsticks +2
Water Bottles (Full) +5
Water Bottle (Half) +1
Eggs +10
Potatoes +10
Tomatoes +10
...and more.
Killua was stunned.
"This is insane!"
He tried returning it. Poof!—the fridge reappeared.
---
An hour later, Killua lay on his bed, hugging his pillow.
"I can't believe it actually worked… But that warning… temperature drop… Is this really going to be an Ice Age?"
He stared at his glowing system window.
"Why me? Am I the only one with this?"
Another notification popped up.
[Daily Quest:
Buy food supplies from any supermarket worth ₱30,000.
Failure: None
Reward: EXP, ???]
"Thirty thousand pesos? What the hell! That's like four months of supplies!"
He sighed.
"Good thing I still have money from my scholarship. If it weren't for the apocalypse, no way I'd spend this much…"
---
He got dressed and walked to the nearest supermarket.
Immediately, people began whispering.
"Isn't that the guy from the engineering school?"
"He's buying so much. Must be rich."
"Maybe he's crazy… end of the world prep?"
"Haha! Probably just hoarding for a sale."
Killua ignored them.
I don't care what you say. One day, you'll see.
He loaded cart after cart: canned goods, sauces, noodles, frozen meat, dried fish, rice. The cashier watched in disbelief.
Finally—
"Sir, your total is ₱30,132.45. Pay with cash or credit?"
"Credit," Killua answered, swiping his card.
"Please fill out this form, sir. You qualify for free delivery. Congratulations!"
Killua smiled. "Wow, really? That's kind."
Three helpers began loading everything onto a small truck.
[Ding!]
[Mission Complete!
Would you like to claim ownership of all resources in this supermarket?
Yes / No]
Killua's eyes bulged.
"WHAT THE F*CK!!!"
Everyone turned.
"Hey! Watch your mouth!"
"What's his problem?"
"Damn nutcase…"
Killua bowed quickly.
"Sorry! Sorry! Almost won the lottery. Got too excited."
The cashier relaxed. "Whew… You scared me."
He leaned in and whispered to himself:
"…Yes. Claim everything."