Moments later, Edward found himself thrown into a dank, dingy cell that reeked of desperation.

"Am I really behind bars?" he muttered to himself. "No way, I've got to find a way out of this mess."

Turning to the little mustached policeman, Edward pleaded, forcing a faint smile on his face, "May I know your name, sir? Please let me go. I didn't do anything wrong.”

“Call me Bill,” sneered the policeman, “you don’t know the rule, do you?”

“No, what’s the rule?” asked Edward, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“You know I’m Bill,” said the policeman, a sly grin spreading across his face, “I’ve got a lot of bills to pay. I hope you can do me a favor with my bills.”

Edward's heart sank as he realized he was dealing with a crooked cop who was trying to shake him down for money.

“Well, dear Bill,” Edward replied, forcing a faint smile on his face, “I'd be happy to help you out. But could you let me in on how much of a dent this will make in my wallet?”

“Sharp thinking,” said Bill, flashing a yellow-toothed grin stained with nicotine, “It's not as bad as all that.”

He then held up his hand, five fingers splayed out in front of Edward.

“Fifty dollars?” Edward guessed, hopeful that he could handle such a small fee. He hastily dug through his pockets and produced the requested sum. Bill scowled at him, looking almost insulted.

“Are you pulling my leg?” he growled, “It's five grand.”

“What? Five grand!” Edward exploded, his voice rising in anger,

“You've got some nerve. That's highway robbery, and you know it. I'll make sure your superiors hear about this.”

Edward attempted to intimidate Bill with his words, but the corrupt cop merely smirked, completely unfazed.

“Sure thing, kid. You go ahead and do that,” Bill scoffed, gesturing to the other officer standing beside him, “This guy's my boss.”

Edward's jaw dropped in disbelief.

“I can't believe it! You...”

But before Edward could finish his sentence, Bill delivered a vicious blow, sending him crashing to the ground. The impact was brutal, and Edward felt a searing pain shoot through his face.

“Stay put and chew on that, you blockhead,” Bill snarled, his eyes blazing with fury,

“I'll be back to settle the score in an hour.”

With that, Bill and his superior slammed the door shut and vanished, leaving Edward alone in the room. His anger surged through his veins, and he felt like a weighty stone had been placed on his heart.

The realization that he had nearly lost everything—his job, his girlfriend, even the money for his mother’s medical expenses—proved to be too much to bear.

Suddenly, a rush of blood surged to his head, and he lost all control over his body. A large gush of blood spurted from his mouth, and he collapsed, his strength completely spent.

When he came to a few minutes later, a voice echoed in his mind like a bell tolling.

“Ding! The Super Trading System has found its new master. Please be patient while it initiates.”

After that, he suddenly saw a screen glowing with silver light before him.

‘Is it a hallucination?’ thought Edward in his mind.

He rubbed his eyes a few times, but the screen did not disappear. Instead, with a flutter in his eyes, some notifications kept popping up on the screen.

[Ten percent completed…]

[twenty percent completed…]

[Fifty percent…]

[seventy percent completed…]

[One hundred percent completed… Congratulations! You’ve become the new master of Super Trading System.]

In a flash, there appeared his status on the screen, too.

[Name: Super Trading System]

[Owner: Edward Addison]

[Level: 1 as an IB Trader (Also known as Ice Breaker)]

[Balance: 1,000 Dollars]

[Equity: 1,000 Dollars]

[Stamina: 20 (weak)]

[Spirit Energy: 30 (ordinary)]

[Skills or Arts: can be acquired by consuming Luxury Points]

[Luxury Points: 0]

Before Edward could finish reading it, the same voice rang out in his mind,

“Congratulations! The new owner of the Super Trading System, Edward Addison. This unique system is only at your command. Once you die, it will be gone forever. Hope you can make the best use of it to change your life for better. Now, the balance in the system has been bound with the major banks in this world. You can pay for anything with it by scanning your fingerprints, face or even your pupils.”

 "Marvelous!" Edward exclaimed to himself, his eyes widening with excitement. "But the thing is, what are the ins and outs? Could you give me some more pointers?"

"Absolutely, my dear Edward," the voice responded. "You see, in order to obtain luxury points, you'll need to spend a cool 100,000 dollars. These points will help boost your stamina, spirit, and skills. However, I must warn you, as a promising trader, you are not allowed to haggle over the price of any item you wish to purchase. A trader who attempts to do so will not be deemed worthy of this system."

"Fascinating!" Edward murmured, "But what about advancing to the next level of trading?"

"I'll reveal the enemies you must vanquish if you wish to rise to the ranks of a higher-level trader," the voice echoed in his mind.

In a flash, a new message appeared on the screen, revealing the secret to Edward's ascent.

[Sloth Index: 100%, represented by a long, fully-filled crimson progress bar]

[Wrath Index: 100%, shown by a fully-filled scarlet progress bar]

[Gluttony Index: 90%, shown by an almost fully-filled brown progress bar]

[Lust Index: 80%, shown by a red progress bar filled to 80%]

[Envy index: 70%, shown by a green progress bar filled to 70%]

[Pride index: 75%, shown by a purple progress bar filled to 75%]

[Greed index: 100%, shown by a long, fully-filled yellow progress bar]

[Fear index: 100%, shown by a long, fully-filled black progress bar]

"Goodness gracious," muttered Edward in disbelief. "It seems I have a long journey ahead of me if I wish to become a top-notch trader."

"Fret not, my dear Edward," the voice reassured him. "As the newly appointed owner of the Super Trading system, you will undergo a rigorous training program. All you need to do is try to lower your desire indices. If you follow the instructions and put in the hard work, I'm confident you'll come out on top."

"I certainly hope so," Edward replied, his tone tinged with worry. "Right now, I feel like I'm stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. I need to scrape together five grand to escape this hellhole. However, my balance only has a measly thousand bucks. How can I fatten it up?"

"Actually, there are two ways to rake in some cash," replied the voice of the system,

"The first is to do good deeds - perform a noble act and be rewarded with a meager sum. But mind you, the amount of moolah you receive depends on the magnitude of your deed." Edward's eyes widened in disbelief, "Do good deeds for money? That's a novel idea! And what's the second way?"

"The second way is to dabble in different markets," the voice of the system was lower and serious, "But if you ask me, I'd suggest sticking to the first method, especially since you're a greenhorn Ice Breaking trader. You've got a lot to learn before you can make a killing in the market."

"Alright, I'll heed your advice. But tell me, how can I perform a noble act when I'm stuck in this godforsaken dungeon?" Edward lamented, his voice echoing through the dark, musty room.

The system remained silent this time and instead, a new message appeared on the screen. [Quest: Perform a good deed. You're no fool, the mastermind behind the Super Trading System. I have faith in you to figure it out on your own.]

"Wait, wait!" Edward pleaded, "Give me a hand here!"

But it seemed like the voice that had guided him before had retreated to a deep slumber, leaving him alone in the bleakness of his cell.

Edward glanced around the cramped room, his eyes falling upon a few pesky mosquitoes buzzing around him. In the past, he would have swatted them to oblivion with a flick of his hand, but now his thoughts were consumed by the idea of performing a virtuous act.

"I'm not sure if this counts as a good deed," he mumbled to himself, "but I'll let these mosquitoes feast on my blood without harming them."

The tiny pests continued to hover around him before finally settling on his left arm, eagerly sipping on his warm, red blood.

"I hope this works. I've given up my blood to satiate these ravenous mosquitoes. In a sense, I'm preserving their lives," Edward pondered.

As the itch on his arm intensified, he gritted his teeth and bore the discomfort. A few minutes later, the mosquitoes flew off after gorging on his blood, leaving behind large, unsightly welts on his skin.

Despite the urge to scratch, Edward focused on checking his balance on the system. His heart sank when he realized that there was no change. Just as he was about to collapse in despair, a new message appeared, catching his attention in a flutter of his eyes.

[Congratulations, Edward, for your benevolent act of donating your blood to three hungry mosquitoes. Your kindness has been rewarded with a sum of 3,000 dollars, which has been credited to your account.]

Heart pounding with excitement, Edward wasted no time in checking his system's status on the screen.

[Name: Super Trading System]

[Owner: Edward Addison]

[Level: 1 as an IB Trader (Also known as Ice Breaker)]

[Balance: 4,000 Dollars]

[Equity: 4,000 Dollars]

[Stamina: 20 (weak)]

[Spirit Energy: 30 (ordinary)]

[Skills or Arts: can be acquired by consuming Luxury Points]

[Luxury Points: 0]

Overcome with joy, Edward was on cloud nine as he gazed at his newly inflated balance.

"Amazing!" he exclaimed, "If only there were more mosquitoes here to feast on my blood. I could earn another cool grand in no time!"

Regrettably, the pesky hungry mosquitoes were nowhere to be found.

"Damn it!" he muttered under his breath, scratching his head in frustration, "Looks like I'll have to perform yet another good deed to earn more money. But where do I start?"

After pacing back and forth in the dingy cell, Edward finally settled on the idea of cleaning up the filthy surroundings.

Edward surveyed the room with a critical eye, his jaw tightening at the sight of the cluttered chaos.

"What a disaster," he muttered, his mind whirring with plans to make things right. "A clean room makes for a happy life, as they say."

With a newfound determination, he rolled up his sleeves and set to work, throwing himself into the task with gusto. He attacked the grime and dust with a vengeance, determined to leave no surface unpolished.

In no time, the room was transformed, a shining beacon of cleanliness that would rival any palace.

As he wiped the sweat from his brow, Edward felt a sense of satisfaction that transcended the mere act of cleaning. It was as if he had exorcised some inner demons, purging himself of the clutter that had threatened to overwhelm him.

And then, like a gift from the heavens, the notification appeared on his screen. Edward couldn't help but grin from ear to ear when he noticed his balance now turned 5,000 dollars.