Chapter 1 Unexpected Journey

Gerald looked weary. He put a notice letter to settle his overdue tuition fees into his backpack. He was heading home with a heavy heart. It wasn't just about the tuition fees; his family in the village had also delivered distressing news. His parents couldn't send money because his father was reported to be seriously ill and needed medical care.

It was a string of news that Gerald did not want to hear. Despite being a business and accounting student, he hadn't been able to find a job yet.

"Damn! Where else do I have to look for a job?" Gerald muttered to himself.

Despite his economic struggles, Gerald was frugal, always dressing modestly, even wearing worn-out clothes. His financial situation was below average for a college student.

But unexpectedly, amid his despair, Gerald encountered a group of teasing students. One of them was named Zack. Zack was someone Gerald wanted to avoid. For some reason, in Zack’s eyes, Gerald's shabby appearance was a source of trouble. It was evident when Zack accidentally saw Gerald; he became angry immediately.

"Hey, loser! Why does your face irritate me more every day? You shouldn't even be here!" Zack shouted with a disgusted look. To him, Gerald's presence on campus was like trash that needed to be thrown away.

Gerald ignored him. He understood that anything he did would only provoke Zack’s anger.

As expected, Zack continued to berate him, "Are you deaf? Pitifully stupid and poor!"

Gerald pretended not to hear, just to distance himself from the influential group of students who controlled the campus. But it couldn't be denied that Gerald, who was in a state of turmoil, was getting angry at Zack’s insults. However, he only clenched his fists to contain his anger.

In contrast to Gerald's silent response, Zack instructed his friends to hassle the unfortunate student, using only eye glances and raising an eyebrow. They understood Zack’s intention and immediately left their seats to stop Gerald from leaving.

"Where are you going? How about we have a little fun?" one of Zack’s friends said mockingly. "Don't you want to get to know your friends better?" They taunted and laughed arrogantly. They surrounded the silent Gerald, and his breath quickened. Their eyes locked onto his backpack, sensing it as a way to provoke Gerald's anger.

One of them snatched Gerald's backpack and threw it to another friend.

Of course, their childish act successfully infuriated Gerald. "Hey! What are you doing? Why did you take my bag?"

"What? A bag?! What the hell! I thought it was a dirty cloth bag for trash!" he jeered while showing the backpack he held.

The bag was tossed from one friend to another, and they laughed loudly in Gerald's ears. Their laughter slowly ignited anger in Gerald's chest.

"Give me my bag back!" Gerald shouted, trying his best to retrieve it.

The bag was thrown even farther until it landed in Zack's hands.

Gerald stared at Zack, his breath quickening. "Zack, give me back my bag!"

"Do you want your bag back?" From the smile on his face, it was clear that Zack was just pretending. He was trying to demean Gerald.

"Yes," Gerald replied, trying to control his breathing. Gerald didn't want to escalate the situation further; he still hoped Zack would return his bag voluntarily. Moreover, Gerald didn't want to prolong the issue with the wealthy young man.

However, the words that were heard were quite different from Gerald's expectations. "Kneel and beg to me!"

"Come on, stop this pettiness! Why should I kneel to you?"

Gerald knew that Zack was the child of a highly respected entrepreneur in this city, but he wouldn't demean himself to that extent.

"Someone like you is lucky that I'm only asking you to kneel. What if I want you to clean my shoes with the clothes you're wearing now?"

"Give me back my bag, Zack!" Gerald pleaded, reaching for his bag with his right hand.

However, Zack slammed the bag and stomped on it until it was dirty. He laughed at the angry but fearful Gerald.

"Zack, you're completely out of line!" Due to his escalating anger, Gerald ran and pushed Zack with both hands. He then took the bag and cleaned it as best as he could, trying to protect his belongings from being played with again.

Realizing Gerald's unexpected actions, Zack displayed his anger. "You insolent fool! How dare your dirty hands touch me!"

Now, Zack wasn't just attacking mentally. Zack immediately approached and struck Gerald, causing him to fall. Unsatisfied, he also kicked Gerald while uttering foul words.

All the students in the campus park just remained silent, watching the spectacle presented by Zack. All eyes were on Gerald, who was hunched over, trying to protect his head from the assault. None of them dared to intervene, considering Zack was the child of a conglomerate.

"Feel it! This is the reward you get for daring to defy me!" Satisfied, Zack then led his friends away from there.

After Zack’s group left, Gerald took a seat. "Insolent, why do I have to be the butt of his jokes?" he complained while groaning in pain.

Suddenly, something strange appeared in his mind. A hologram screen appeared in his mind.

With his remaining strength, Gerald tried to get up and walked out of the campus, albeit stumbling.

Upon reaching the bus stop, Gerald sat down slowly. The pain was still evident on his face and in his groans, although barely audible with his small movements.

He tried to steady his breathing to make himself feel better while waiting for the bus. Gerald held his sore stomach from Zack’s kicks. A small laugh escaped from his weary face, realizing how absurd his misfortunes were today. After all, he hadn't eaten anything since morning. All the suffering Gerald felt right now was so complete.

While lamenting his sadness, Gerald noticed a strange behaviour from a child who was about to cross the street alone. For a moment, he imagined how life could be happier if he were a child who didn't have to worry about economic issues. But when the child's small feet began to step, Gerald felt that there was something amiss in the way the child crossed, which seemed so carefree.

Gerald couldn't believe his eyes. Above the little girl's head, a message appeared: "Save Me!"

Of course, that left Gerald bewildered. "What is this? Why is there such a strange message?"

"More importantly, what does it mean?"

Gerald stared at the little girl to make sure she was okay, but his assumption was wrong. From a distance, a minivan was speeding toward them.

Without thinking, Gerald summoned all his strength to run and save the little girl. He managed to hug her as the car was about to hit them. Unfortunately, even though he successfully protected the child, Gerald was hit by the car that was desperately trying to stop.

Gerald rolled several times while securing the little girl with his embrace.

His hands couldn't hold on any longer. His body lay sprawled out. Breathing, already laboured, was now even harder to control. He could only try to stay calm in front of the crying little girl.

Gerald felt that his ribs had broken. Furthermore, without the ability to move his body, the only thing he could do was regulate his breathing.

A faint light appeared in his still-conscious mind. It was a hologram displaying the mission of rescuing the little girl, which he had previously ignored in favour of his thoughts.

"Rescue the little girl: Accept or not."

In his consciousness, Gerald felt resigned. Waiting for the medical personnel to arrive at his location, he felt it wouldn't change his seemingly impending fate.

"Is this the end of my life? Why is such unclear writing appearing at the end of my life?"

"How do I accept a mission that seems to have already been completed? Is it only through thought?"

"Alright. I accept this mission to rescue the little girl."

Suddenly, the holographic text in his mind changed. It now showed that the mission to rescue the little girl had been successful, albeit not prioritized. "Mission to rescue the little girl successfully. You have earned $10,000."

In his consciousness, Gerald could only attempt to smile. "What's the point of getting this reward if I'm already dead?"

It didn't stop there; the text appearing in Gerald's mind continued.

"Statistics:

"Loyalty: +1,

"Charisma: +1,

"Strength: +1,

"Lucky: +1,

"Please wait, the process of restoring the body to normal condition is underway.

"Regenerating damaged organs, healing minor wounds, ...."

Gerald couldn't finish reading it as drowsiness overcame him. Before losing consciousness, Gerald could only wonder at this strangeness. He had no idea how long he had been lying there when he heard the arrival of many people followed by the unmistakable sound of an ambulance siren.

Gerald woke up, holding his throbbing head, which was wrapped in a bandage. The sun was no longer in the west, and the evening atmosphere had turned into morning.

Gerald got up from his bed and leaned against it. His eyes scanned the white-themed room, which he was familiar with from his previous hospital experience. "Is this... a hospital?"

Gerald's peace was disturbed when he felt that all of his pockets were tight.

"What is this? Why does it feel like there are several cell phones in my pants pockets?" Gerald mumbled while reaching into the back pockets of his pants.

He was greatly surprised to find a lot of money in his hands right now. Not content with that, Gerald checked all of his pockets. Not only did the money make him happy, but he also felt that his body had fully recovered, just as it was before he was attacked by Zack and hit by that car.

"Is this the reward mentioned in yesterday's holographic message?" Gerald asked himself, recalling the incident. Of course, the amount of money obtained from that inexplicable event could help him solve problems at both campus and home.

"This is incredible!"