He was frustrated and wanted to scold the system, but his life depended on it, so he decided to just suck it up.
'Alright, let's see what you've got for me,' he grabbed the bronze-colored box.
It wasn't much larger than a shoebox, and when he tried to lift it, he was surprised by how light it felt, almost as if it were empty.
But now that he was stuck in a motel with a system, he wouldn't be too surprised if a giant sword—or something just as ridiculous—popped out of the box.
'Is this like one of those space storage things?' he wondered, slowly opening the box
It creaked—a soft groan that broke the silence—then—FLASH.
A blinding light exploded from inside, blinding him.
He stumbled backward, shielding his face like a flashbang had gone off right in front of him.
When the light faded and his vision returned, he squinted at the floor.
There, sitting, was a laptop. Not a sleek, advanced model, but one of those big, bulky things from at least two decades ago.
The kind with the clunky keys and a thick, heavy screen.
'Please, Grandpa, why are you doing this to me? Why can't you just give it normally? Feels like you're holding a grudge.'
He took a deep breath and tried to see it in a more positive light. Maybe this was a test—to teach him valuable lesson.
'Yeah, it's just a test. Because of this, I'll be way more careful when opening stuff. That's all!'
He started grinning, feeling like his genius brain had finally cracked the code.
Because if he was wrong… well, then his mysterious grandfather was just a certified nutjob who got his kicks from causing pain and emotional damaged for absolutely no reason.
With all his heart, he wished it was the former.
Reaching out, he opened the clunky, ancient laptop. "Is it working?"
Outdated or not, the only thing that mattered was whether it worked.
He fumbled for the worn power button near the keyboard's top corner.
The screen flickered to life with a soft hum. The startup dragged on painfully slow, revealing a very old operating system.
'At least it's functional, even if it looks like it belongs in a museum.'
He watched as the loading bar crawled across the screen, hoping this relic would give him some kind of advantage .
click!
Luck was immediately prompted to create a password. Without thinking twice, he typed,
"Fmylife12345"-a not-so-subtle reflection of his mood-and hit enter.
The laptop finally loaded, revealing a surprisingly serene background of a vast, sunlit grassland.
It was almost calming, though the contrast to his current reality made it feel like a sick joke.
Scattered across the desktop were several unfamiliar icons to him.
Except for one.
His eyes locked onto a logo he would never forget. A small, pixelated crown emblem: H.E.O.
'What's that doing here?' he wondered.
[DING!]
A notification popped up in his view, interrupting his thoughts.
[Earn E-Coins by converting Gold Coins from the game. Ratio 1:10,000]
[Second Mission: Save up to 200 E-Coins]
'10,000 gold for 1 E-Coin? Just fucking rob me!' Luck grumbled, glaring at the notification.
10,000 gold coins was about $100 in real-world money,
Even someone like him, who spent a decent amount on the game, didn't have piles of in-game currency just sitting around.
Most of it went toward leveling up, upgrading gear, and keeping his empire competitive in H.E.O.
'I have a spare 80,000 gold coins, and an existing 100 E-coins' he thought, calculating quickly.
'If I stop production and stop making more army units, I could save up to 10,000 gold coins in a day. But that would mess up my whole operation.'
Losing momentum in H.E.O. wasn't just a setback—it could cost him his competitive advantage and leave his empire vulnerable to invasions.
On top of that, earning the missing 100 E-Coins required at least 1,000,000 gold coins in the game. That's $10,000..
"This is nuts,"
"Is there any other way to get E-Coins?" he asked, hoping the system would somehow respond.
Nothing
Desperate for an alternative, he began clicking through the other unfamiliar icons , his eyes landing on one that resembled a small bank.
[Loan System: Borrow E-Coins with interest.]
[Investment Option: Invest E-coins and hope for the best]
[Personal Savings. Money that could be converted to E-coins]
0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0
Curious, he clicked on the Loan System option, hoping it might offer some leeway.
Instead, a bold red notification popped up:
[Rejected - Delinquent Account]
He stared at the screen, his blood boiling.
"Motherf-! That's my grandpa's debt, not mine!" he shouted at the laptop, as if it would somehow acknowledge the injustice.
He let out a long, frustrated sigh. "Thanks a lot, Grandpa. You're really screwing me."
Shaking it off, he glanced at the other options on the bank's menu. Personal Savings
[ 25,500 Yen / 177 USD]
Luck patted his pocket, half-expecting some miracle, but as he suspected, his cash was gone. It had all been converted to digital currency.
'Can't believe this,' he muttered, rubbing his temples. 'This is the one time I wish I was a freaking billionaire.'
With enough money, he could buy his way out. Maybe even turn this dump into something livable
'Don't tell me that he actually expected me to have that kind of cash..'
He paused, then his eyes widened. 'Shit. If I used my god given talent the right way, I would be a multimillionaire by now. So in the end... this was all on me.'
It all made sense now. The mission wasn't too hard—he was just too weak.