My Superstar System

SuperStar System.

Zach was confused.

He sat up slowly. Had he imagined it? Or did he really just hear those words?

“Installation complete.”

The voice had been clear and loud even. Not like a passing thought or some internal monologue. It felt like it had echoed directly inside his mind.

He rubbed his face, maybe it was the stress. He hadn’t slept well in days, hadn’t eaten properly, hadn’t even smiled in what felt like forever.

[Racking up Fame Points]

[Fame Points Throughout Lifetime = 102]

This time, it was crystal clear, Zach heard it.

[Superstar System is ready.]

Then there was a long silence. Zach was confused. What was that just now? he thought silently.

After a long silence, Zach heard another voice.

“Woah, I’m finally out?” It sounded like a baby’s voice.

Just then, Zach saw a big wheel appear in front of him. He was shocked.

“Hey, hurry up and spin it! You have three free spins,” Zach heard the same childish voice again.

“Who are you?” Zach asked.

“You don’t need to know who I am. Just know that I’m here to help you… Now hurry up and spin.”

“Here, let me explain it to you. You were chosen by me, the Superstar System. Your life just got a whole lot easier. The wheel in front of you is a starter pack. If you're lucky, you might get something huge from a single spin,” the Superstar System continued.

Zach was confused, he didn’t understand a thing this voice was saying.

But when he looked over at the wheel, his eyes went blurry. There were so many things, too many to count. Then his eyes caught something.

“Life Fruit?” Zach muttered.

“That?…” the system paused. “That’s the Fruit of Life. The chance of spinning that is like one in a million. Even if you had a million spins, you still might not get it.”

“What does it do?” Zach asked.

“As its name implies, it adds 50 years to a human lifespan. It can also bring someone back who’s at death’s door.”

Zach’s eyes widened.

“Can I use it on my mom?” he asked, a spark of hope in his voice.

“Yes, anyone can take it. But don’t get your hopes up, kid. Don’t think you’ll get that with just three starter spins.”

Zach took a deep breath. He still felt like he was dreaming. He didn’t know if any of this was real, but he didn’t care, he had to spin.

No harm in trying, after all.

Zach spun the wheel and watched it go.

It spun fast, then began to slow. It was about to land on something. Zach held his breath.

[Congratulations, you have gotten an item: “30 Minutes Rewind.”]

“What luck! This item helps you to—” the Superstar System started.

“Cut the bullshit, I need the Life Fruit,” Zach said and spun again.

Zach wanted his mom to live, no matter what.

The wheel spun again.

[Congratulations, you have gotten an item: “Lucky Tablet x10.”]

“You’re kidding me, right?” the system shouted.

“What’s that?” Zach asked.

“That tablet is so rare. Unlike other items, it boosts your luck. It helps you in the moment, based on what you really need. But how much luck you get depends on what you’re aiming for. If it’s the Life Fruit, then you will probably need a thousand lucky tablet to get it, it’ll also only boost your odds for 10 minutes.”

“If I take this tablet, will I have a chance at getting the Life Fruit?” Zach asked.

“Yes, but like I said, even with the tablet, your chance is close to zero, if not zero.”

Zach didn’t listen. He took the tablet. It had an ethereal feeling in his hand, like it was real and unreal at the same time.

He swallowed it. It had an oily taste.

“Taking multiple at once can also increase luck,” the system said.

Zach immediately threw more into his mouth. When he got to the fifth one, he heard a sound.

[Warning: You have exceeded the number of items you can use in a single day.]

“Huh?” Zach was confused.

“Forgot to mention… you can only use a maximum of five items per day,” the system said.

“What?!” Zach was shocked.

“Why didn’t you say that earlier?! And how am I supposed to use the Life Fruit after getting it?!” Zach was too annoyed to even finish.

“Sorry… you’re out of luck,” the system said after a long silence.

Zach felt a sharp pain in his heart.

Zach felt like crying, but he spun the wheel again.

It spun fast, then slowly came to a stop.

[Congratulations, you have gotten an item: “Additional Item Storage” and “One Free Spin.”]

Zach wasn’t sure if he heard it right, but he definitely heard “free spin.”

“Now this is luck,” the system said. “You got an additional item storage. That allows you to use one more item beyond the normal five. And the free spin, as you guessed, gives you another spin right now.”

Zach was overjoyed and quickly spun the wheel again.

The wheel spun and landed on something.

Zach held his breath.

[Congratulations, you got an item: “Healing Pill.”]

Zach’s mind went blank. He hadn’t heard Life Fruit.

“Don’t make that face, kid,” the system said. “That’s a Healing Pill. Do you know how rare that is? That pill can heal your mother’s injury. If you’re lucky, it might completely fix whatever is draining her life force.”

Zach’s eyes lit up.

Lucky? he thought, then looked at the timer for the Lucky Tablet—it was still counting down.

5:46. He still had over five minutes of enhanced luck.

Of course he was lucky. He might not have gotten the Life Fruit, but the Healing Pill was still a major win.

“How do I give it to her?” Zach asked.

“Just feed her the pill. Simple.”

Zach immediately held the pill in his hand. It was small and had a glowing green color.

He gently held his mother’s head, opened her mouth, and placed the pill inside.

His mother's face was deadly pale, but gradually, the strained look began to fade.

It didn’t take long before her eyelids twitched and slowly fluttered open.

“Mom,” Zach said, his voice filled with joy.

“Zach?” his mother whispered.

Zach hadn’t truly expected the pill to work. Part of him still felt like his mind was playing tricks on him. But now, all doubts vanished, this was real. He had received something powerful, something that might change everything.

He quickly hugged his mother tightly.

“The Superstar System, huh?”

Zach smiled to himself. How strange... and I’ve always dreamed of being a superstar.