SKY'S JETS : THE RETRIBUTION SYSTEM

Chapter 3 Stupid Scenarios, Instant Noodles, and the First Gacha

The scent of jasmine and musk from Erisia’s body was so close that Amar could count the individual strands of the woman’s long, curled eyelashes. Amar’s heart pounded like a drag racer’s piston. As a poor guy whose only entertainment was N*****x using his ex’s password, being within a four-inch radius of this dark-aura’d, sexy goddess was a true mental gauntlet.

Erisia’s cat-like eyes stared straight into Amar’s pupils, searching for a lie, or more accurately ... searching for the trace of a god. At the same time, a slow heat crawled out from her gaze, a sort of magical allure that would usually make any man’s knees go weak in a plea for mercy.

However, instead of kneeling or babbling with passion as Erisia expected, Amar’s response completely ruined the mood.

"A-chooo!"

Amar sneezed loudly, spraying a gust of air right in front of Erisia’s elegant face.

Silence filled the VVIP room. Erisia froze, her eyelid twitching slightly.

"Oh, jeez, sorry, Ma’am!" Amar stammered, hurriedly rubbing his nose. "It’s just your perfume is really strong. That jasmine scent. I’m traumatized, Ma’am, my old place used to be right next to a cemetery. I’m just a normal guy, I swear, not some kind of shapeshifting demon or anything."

Inside Amar’s head, Astraeus’s voice exploded in incredibly noisy, mocking laughter.

"BWAHAHAHA! Oh, this is magnificent. You used the Cosmic Desire-Repelling Shield for something this trivial?! Hey, you Lowly Woman, guardian of Sin! Your charms don't even work on one of my sewer rats!"

Amar scowled internally. Ugh, shut up, Lord God. My head’s gonna explode with all your noise! Besides, what charms? I’m just allergic to dust and flowers.

Erisia slowly pulled her face back, standing tall and straightening her hair. She gave a thin smirk. Her ability, derived from a fragment of the Goddess of Desire, had been flatly rejected? This made her even more certain that the scrawny loser with the stupid face in front of her was hiding a top-tier existence.

"Cemetery trauma, huh?" Erisia murmured in a low, mysterious tone. She turned, stepping gracefully toward the vanity, and tossed a black paper gift bag onto Amar’s bed.

"You can use the money that pathetic pig dropped earlier. Clean yourself up in the bathroom over there. Your new clothes are in that bag. I have a meeting this afternoon," Erisia said casually without looking back, grabbing her Hermes bag from the sofa.

"Wait, I can leave?" Amar was shocked. "Miss Erisia, you aren't asking for a cut or something for helping me last night?"

Erisia stopped in the doorway, glancing back with a sharp look over her shoulder. "Your secret ... or whatever entity told you to sneeze at me just now ... is payment enough for the time being, Amar. Just remember one thing: the people from the North, where that pig Surya hails from, do not take humiliation lightly. If you need protection, you know where to look. Oh, of course, the price might be your soul."

With one last lethal wink, the carved wooden door closed. Click.

Amar exhaled a long breath, deflating like a leaking balloon, and flopped face-down onto the silk mattress. "Insane. She’s gorgeous ... but the vibe around her makes me feel like I’m being roasted alive."

An hour later, Amar was standing in the lobby of the ultra-luxury apartment. His old clothes had been tossed. He was now wearing a black hooded jacket and clean cargo pants from a high-end local designer brand (which Amar, unfortunately, didn't even know how to pronounce). Thirty million rupiah in cash was folded tightly inside his small carry bag.

Stepping out onto the steaming hot asphalt that afternoon, Jakarta looked the same as ever, congested and indifferent. But for him, the world had taken a 180-degree turn.

"Finally free."

Amar’s stomach immediately protested. After all the threats of murder, the most important thing right now was one thing: Carbs mixed with MSG. Without a care that he now carried enough cash for a house down payment, his feet moved lightly toward a roadside stall not far from the luxury complex.

"Hey, Boss! Double portion of spicy lime instant noodles, add corned beef and a soft-boiled egg. And an unsweetened iced tea. Make it fast!" Amar shouted as he slumped onto a somewhat rickety long wooden bench. He smiled contentedly, smelling the aroma of the noodle broth.

Astraeus broke the silence of Amar's mind again with a tone of utter disgust.

"I was once feasted with the wine of victory in the Supreme Pantheon ... I carved out the heart of the Dragon Nidhogg to gain immortality, and my primary vessel, the container for what remains of the Great Astraeus, God of War, in this filthy dimension, celebrates his victory by consuming ... shavings of synthetic wheat dough cooked in dirty ditch water?! WHAT KIND OF DISGRACE IS—"

Shut up, dammit! Amar snapped back mentally, just as fierce. I’m a human with a 'certified poor' ID card. Eating good noodles without worrying about going into debt tomorrow, this is heaven. Instead of whining about my taste buds, you said last night I had that ... power lottery thing, right? Bring it up!

As soon as Amar's words echoed in his mind, his optical system changed drastically. The background of the real world faded slowly like a blurred filter on a phone screen, replaced by a silver screen in the air with glowing neon red edges, waiting for the touch of his finger.

No one around him noticed. The stall owner was busy preparing his double noodles to the clink of a rusty pot and the sound of noisy radio music coming from a messy corner of the tent. Only he could see the divine interface of the System!

[COSMIC RETRIBUTION SYSTEM]

Master/Host: Amar Pradana

Primary Title : Lucky Little Bastard (Status: Temporary Vessel of the Conqueror)

God Energy Affiliation : 2% Connected [Critical. Risk of Mortal Body Overheating is still Very Low]

INITIAL ATTRIBUTE STATISTICS

Physical : 8 (Healthy enough for manual labor, but nutrition is concerning. Don't dream of punching iron pillars!)

Agility : 10 (On par with a purse-snatcher running through village alleys.)

Rational & Mental Cunning : 14 (Bonus Mental Resistance from Life's Cruel Suffering).

Cosmic Charisma Alignment (Importance of Provocation) : Pathetic!

[ANNOUNCEMENT! RECORDED POINTS : 50 Cosmic Energy ]

Unique Feat : Insane Flick of Supreme Prideful Retribution—Level: Launching Hot Tea at Target's Manhood, Rewarded with a Special Cosmic Roulette Ticket!

Action Unlocked : Pull / Start Spinning Ticket [Pull Lever to Determine Starter Status!]

Amar swallowed hard, mesmerized as he looked up at the aesthetic design of the rotating roulette. There were images of flaming spears. Silhouettes of star-shielded cloaks. Even the illusion of winged boots of speed lined up as potential prizes on this Wheel of Fortune that now held his fate.

Astraeus stopped criticizing the bowl of instant noodles and became equally ambitious.

"Boy!! Take the ‘Slaughter Scythe’ belonging to Hades' legion! Or choose the Holy Blood Relic of Destruction Resistance so that your frail hands can be moved by me directly in the future!! Concentrate the chilling aura of your strongest ambition in your head right now!!"

Astraeus’s eyes grew predatory within the void. He was waiting for an Epic-SSS tier ability!

Alright then, let’s call upon this kid's never-fail luck! Amar said cheerfully, radiating a thin laugh of confidence as his hand swiped through the air to press the virtual 'lever' button labeled "Spin God Rank."

Whrrrr ... Click

The holographic needle of the spinning wheel roared at lightning speed, a blur of rainbow flashes dancing across the system display in front of Amar’s weary eyes. From images of crossed axes to divine steel armor, the tension mounted ... then the golden needle began to slow, crawling past the high-tier loot toward a shabby wooden box. Its rotation stuttered ... missing Zeus’s Poisoned Axe by a fraction of a millimeter. The needle snapped to a dead stop on the symbol of a Grinning Masked Clown Icon.

CLANG.

A bizarre, tacky sound effect suddenly shattered Astraeus's inner silence.

[TING-TENG-TENG!!! CONGRATULATIONS, you have not accessed a Combat Ability, Instead, you have ]

[ UNLOCKED PASSIVE SKILL, ABSOLUTE ANNOYANCE STATUS: CERTIFIED SHAMELESS CORRUPTION AND CONTROL LEVEL 1! (Cosmic Trash Talk, Truth Piercer)!! ]

"Huh?" Amar’s face, which had been brimming with excitement, now deflated like a stale cracker in the wind.

Astraeus truly wanted to go on a rampage and commit suicide for the third time, if only he possessed a fully independent soul at that moment. On the system screen, it read.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!!! A trash skill, goddammit!!"

[ TUTORIAL SKILL INFO (Cosmic Trash Talk Zone) ]

Skill is triggered by channeling a small amount of system energy when under physical duress. Any "provocative words or mild sarcastic snark" from the Main Character when facing an opponent's resistance (regardless of their attack power!), as long as the target experiences a "gap of doubt or an emotional spike of at least 3% irritation", their attack will automatically miss, resulting in a backfire effect of bad luck for the target. Triggers blind rage that makes people look suddenly stupid, with counter-effects to their ego or weapons exploding.

(Skill Cooldown—5 Minutes / Point Cost - 10 E)

"Hey, buddy!! Your noodles are ready!!" The shopkeeper shouted, slamming a plate of savory-smelling Indomie right in front of the dizzy bachelor’s nose. It severed the shimmering silver screen from Amar’s dazed mind, pulling him back to the real world.

Amar sat in silence for a long time, staring at his drying egg soup, a stark contrast to Lord Ares's explosive fury ... Then, Amar began to grin like an idiot. His smile bloomed wide, Look, Brother Astra, Amar greeted him softly, clearing his throat and savoring a thick spoonful, for me, skills for fighting and cracking heads open lack artistry ... This type is perfect for my mission to cause chaos while lying back, singing casually as I take down opponents while they get mocked. You're a perfect fit as a passenger in my head. Amar felt a wave of emotion, his bite of soup tasted like the spice of sweet success to his brain. Ah. This is crazy, my life is going to be messy but incredibly fun from here on out!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Jakarta horizon.

High atop the panoramic glass on the 72nd floor of the Mega Corps Bintaro Center. A silhouette in a pure white suit tossed a stub of a premium Havana cigar onto the bronze rim of a small gold trash can in the dimly lit room. His eyes watched the bustling capital below as if it were his own personal playpen.

The cold, arrogant, and handsome man massaged his fingers. "Direct all remaining clan members to the Western sector. Find the little runaway rat from the highway crossing that escaped the tracking of the bald man’s Mercedes last night. Erisia's men didn't confirm his death? The sun was destroyed by tea trauma ... Funny, impossible. The heartbeat of the War God’s Vessel is still leaking slightly onto the radar down there. Leave no one alive in the surrounding radius." He paused sharply, his expression hardening.

"Find him, because if I pierce the final core of the former Sky Commander before this red eclipse ... this new order will belong to Malakor, to us, for eternity ... Do you understand, you filthy subordinates? Leave no room for error. No matter how small it may be on the ground." So decreed the King of Wills, the cunning manipulator, the God of Vice, Malakor, as he flashed a wide smile. Slowly, the storm of the celestial game cried out, promising deep danger in a mad hunt ready to slice through Amar’s peaceful night on Earth by tomorrow morning.