Rise of the Commoner: Johnny Burns's The Lost Heir

Firing off a text, Johnny waited for the customer to come out and retrieve their items. He leaned back in his seat and took a moment to catch his breath. If things went well, he might get a tip to bolster his paltry income. Unfortunately, that was a small hope, as the company he worked for loved to take the employees' tips. Of course, they didn't say they were taking the tips. It would be illegal.

However, the company had a policy where employees were guaranteed a certain amount per delivery, and if a customer paid below that number, then they would still only get what the company paid them. If it was more than that, the company would find some way to get their hands on the money. Basically, the company was trash and trying to cut corners.

Johnny tapped impatiently on the wheel as the customer still hadn't arrived to take their package. They better come soon. He needed the money desperately, especially after his girlfriend dumped him. His head hit the wheel, and there was a loud horn before he lifted his head. Just thinking about that woman pissed him off. Seriously, he had no luck with women.

Every single time, they would suddenly dump him or cheat behind his back. His latest girlfriend was no different. He could still remember how shocked he was to come home with a bouquet to celebrate their anniversary, and she was in bed with another man. The worst part was that the man she hooked up with was a hotshot.

There was nothing Johnny could do unless he wanted to be beaten within an inch of his life. To add insult to injury, he was kicked out of the apartment even though he paid for it. His ex-girlfriend didn't even let him take anything except for the clothes on his back and his car. He was now effectively homeless. All he could do now was survive from paycheck to paycheck and sleep in his car until he could find something.

He didn't have much hope of finding anything in this economy. Well, he supposed it could be worse. After all, he once lived out of a dumpster. It was a miracle that he even graduated with a high school diploma instead of dropping out like some people he knew. Once he got big, he swore he would get back at everyone who treated him like trash.

Looking back at the apartment complex, he saw that there was still no sign of the customer anywhere. He considered whether he should wait another half an hour since he only got paid if the delivery reached the customer when there was an explosion. Immediately, he took cover. Peeking over the edge of the wheel, he scanned the area for signs of where the explosion had come from.

Another explosion was enough for him to give up on the idea of waiting for the customer. There was no way he was going to risk his life when there were a bunch of blessed running around throwing fire, lightning, or buildings everywhere. Starting up the car, he barely managed to go a few feet before something crashed into the car.

Johnny cursed as the front of the car caved in and the airbags came up. With his vision blocked, he couldn't see what had hit him, but he doubted it was anything good. Struggling with the seatbelt, he could feel sweat pouring down his face. It finally gave way, and he threw himself out the front door. Peeking over the edge of the car, he saw a pretty woman sitting up from the large dent.

She didn't seem to notice that he was there and launched into the air. His eyes followed her movement and saw her facing off against another beautiful woman. He watched on as they duked it out, showcasing amazing abilities that only the divine power system could grant. He quickly came to his senses and ran for it. Unfortunately, he didn't get very far when a giant blocked his path.

"Look at what we have here," the hulking monster said. "Tough luck. It looks like it just wasn't your day."

Then he punched Johnny in the gut and sent him flying. His body crashed into the neighboring building as he coughed up blood. It didn't take a genius to know that he had broken some bones and probably ruptured his organs. Honestly, he wasn't sure how he was still alive, but it hurt like hell. As he lay dying, he couldn't help thinking he should have quit his job.

Suddenly, something appeared before his very eyes. With the blood pouring down his face, he couldn't quite see what it was. It took him a few moments before he had a clear enough head and saw well enough to know what it was. The moment he realized what it was, he wondered if he was hallucinating. There was no way he was seeing the divine power system, but the text wasn't disappearing.

[Greetings, this is the Divine Power System.]

[You have been selected to receive a power from the system.]

Everyone knew only a few were blessed to receive the system, hence the name blessed. Of course, the ones with the system were people with a lot of influence already, like CEOs or superstars. It wasn't meant for a nobody like him, but if it was really in front of him, then there was no way he would give up on the chance to get power.

[The user has been determined to receive the power of fire.]

[However, the user's body is too damaged to receive it.]

Just his luck. When he got the chance to get a power, he couldn't get it because he was on the verge of death. The world was really unfair. He wanted to curse everything, but he coughed up blood instead. It was getting harder to stay awake. Johnny could feel everything fading away. He was going to die. That's when he saw new text appear.

[The system has determined a solution for this problem.]

[The user will receive the power of healing too.]

He was at a loss for words. He had never heard of anyone receiving two powers from the system. It had always been one power per person. Had he actually hit the jackpot? This had to be the world's way of making up for his horrible life. More text appeared to replace it, but he didn't get a chance to read them when he was suddenly hit by a wave of intense pain and blacked out.