The Daily Sign-in Rewards System

CHAPTER 10 - THE SIGN-IN SYSTEM (2)

A thousand different explanations rushed through his mind in rapid succession, yet every single one collapsed under the weight of simple logic. Banks did not accidentally transfer such enormous sums into random student accounts, nor could any ordinary prank escalate to the point of manipulating financial institutions. 

As unbelievable as the conclusion seemed, the evidence before him left little room for doubt.

Slowly raising his head, Dylan looked once more at the holographic interface still floating patiently before him. For the first time since its appearance, he no longer regarded it with complete skepticism. Confusion still lingered, and countless unanswered questions continued to race through his thoughts, yet beneath all of that uncertainty, another emotion quietly began taking root.

It was hope.

Fragile, unfamiliar, and almost frightening in its intensity, that single emotion rekindled something within him that he had nearly lost after today's humiliation. Nevertheless, Dylan forced himself to remain cautious because extraordinary claims demanded undeniable proof. Digital numbers displayed on a screen could still be manipulated, but physical cash was something entirely different.

Without wasting another moment, he rose from the bench despite the sharp pain protesting throughout his battered body and hurried toward the nearest ATM outside the campus convenience store. Every hurried step aggravated his injuries, causing his bruised ribs to ache and his swollen face to pulse painfully, yet he ignored the discomfort completely because only one thought occupied his mind.

If he could withdraw the money with his own hands, then everything that had happened tonight would cease to be fantasy and become undeniable reality.

The convenience store stood just beyond the university's eastern entrance, its brightly lit storefront contrasting sharply with the dim evening settling over the campus. 

A handful of students wandered in and out carrying snacks and bottled drinks while others lingered outside, chatting idly without a care in the world. To them, it was merely another ordinary afternoon. None of them could have imagined that the battered young man hurrying toward the ATM nearby had just experienced something capable of overturning his entire life.

Dylan forced himself to slow his pace as he approached the machine. His breathing had grown noticeably heavier from the short run, and every movement reminded him of the injuries he had sustained earlier. 

The bruises covering his torso throbbed beneath his shirt, while the swelling around his face made even the slightest facial movement uncomfortable. Even so, the physical pain had become secondary. His mind remained completely occupied by a single question.

Was the money actually there?

Several students stood ahead of him in line, waiting their turn to use the ATM. Under normal circumstances, Dylan would have paid little attention to the delay, but tonight every passing second seemed unbearably long. 

His gaze remained fixed on the machine as one customer after another completed their transaction before casually walking away, completely unaware of the storm raging inside the young man waiting behind them.

Finally, the line cleared.

Dylan stepped forward and inserted his bank card into the machine. Although he tried to appear calm, the slight tremor in his fingers betrayed the nervous anticipation building within him. After entering his PIN, he selected the withdrawal option and hesitated briefly when prompted to choose an amount.

He deliberately entered one thousand dollars.

It was a substantial amount by his standards, yet small enough that he believed the transaction would proceed without issue if the balance truly existed. Once he confirmed the withdrawal, the machine began processing his request, and the familiar loading icon appeared on the screen.

The mechanical hum coming from inside the ATM sounded unusually loud in the quiet evening.

Dylan found himself unconsciously holding his breath.

His heartbeat echoed loudly inside his ears as countless possibilities raced through his mind. Perhaps the transaction would fail at the last second. 

Maybe the banking notification had been generated by some elaborate cyberattack, or perhaps the balance displayed inside the application had merely been a temporary system error.

 Although those explanations sounded increasingly unlikely, they still felt easier to accept than believing a mysterious holographic system had genuinely deposited ten thousand dollars into his account.

The machine suddenly came to life.

A series of crisp mechanical clicks echoed from within its metal frame before the unmistakable sound of currency being counted filled the air. Seconds later, the cash dispenser slid open, revealing several neatly stacked bundles of hundred-dollar bills resting inside the compartment.

Dylan stared silently.

For a brief moment, his body refused to move.

Then, almost cautiously, he reached forward and picked up the stack of cash. The rough texture of the crisp banknotes against his fingertips instantly erased every lingering doubt that had remained in his heart. 

He could feel their weight, smell the faint scent of freshly printed currency, and hear the soft rustling sound they made as he tightened his grip around them.

The transaction receipt emerged immediately afterward, confirming that one thousand dollars had been successfully withdrawn while displaying his updated account balance beneath it.

Everything was legitimate.

There had been no error, no  glitch or illusion.

The impossible had become reality.

Dylan remained standing before the ATM for several moments, completely oblivious to the impatient student waiting behind him. His eyes shifted repeatedly between the stack of money in his hand, the printed receipt, and the balance displayed on his phone, desperately searching for some inconsistency that would expose the entire situation as a misunderstanding. However, every piece of evidence pointed toward the same unbelievable conclusion.

The Daily Sign-In System was real.

A strange chill traveled down his spine despite the warm evening air.

Until now, the system had existed only as an impossible hologram accompanied by unbelievable promises, but the physical money in his hands changed everything. Whatever force had created that floating interface possessed the ability to influence reality itself. Such power far exceeded anything modern technology should have been capable of accomplishing.

His thoughts immediately returned to the old woman.

The mysterious amulet.

The strange smile she had worn before placing the object into his hand.

The way it had shattered only moments before the holographic interface appeared.

Individually, each event might have been dismissed as coincidence. Together, however, they formed a sequence far too precise to ignore. Without another moment's hesitation, Dylan stuffed the cash securely into his wallet before breaking into a hurried run.

Ignoring the protests from his battered body, he sprinted back toward the pathway near the flower shop where he had encountered the elderly woman earlier that afternoon. 

Every impact sent fresh waves of pain through his ribs, yet the urgency consuming him outweighed any concern for his injuries. If anyone possessed answers regarding the mysterious system, it had to be her.

Nearly ten minutes later, Dylan arrived at the familiar location. His eyes swept across the surroundings almost desperately.

The flower shop remained open, its colorful arrangements decorating the storefront exactly as before. 

The wooden bench where he had briefly rested earlier still stood beneath the large maple tree, while students continued walking along the pathway, immersed in conversations about classes, sports, and upcoming examinations.

Everything appeared exactly the same.

Everything except the woman herself.

She was gone.

Dylan searched every nearby corner before walking around the surrounding pathways in widening circles, refusing to believe she could have disappeared so completely. 

He questioned the florist, glanced into neighboring stores, and even examined the quieter corners of the park where she might have been resting, yet his efforts produced nothing.

The elderly woman had vanished without leaving behind the slightest trace of her existence.

Eventually, the relentless search forced Dylan to stop. His breathing had grown ragged once again, while exhaustion and physical pain gradually reclaimed the attention that adrenaline had temporarily suppressed. Leaning against the backrest of the same wooden bench, he released a quiet, self-deprecating laugh.

"What exactly was I expecting?" he murmured bitterly. "That she'd still be sitting here waiting for me?"

The thought itself sounded ridiculous.

Even if she had remained there after giving him the amulet, campus security would almost certainly have asked her to leave hours ago. Yet despite recognizing the logic behind that conclusion, disappointment still settled heavily within his chest.

He slowly lowered himself onto the bench, allowing the cool evening breeze to brush against his bruised face as his thoughts drifted endlessly between the shattered amulet, the old woman's mysterious words, the impossible holographic interface, and the ten thousand dollars now resting safely inside his bank account.

None of it made sense.

And yet, none of it could be denied.

Whatever had happened today had irreversibly altered the course of his life, whether he fully understood it or not.

After sitting quietly for several minutes, Dylan finally pushed himself back to his feet. Continuing the search served no purpose anymore. Answers would not magically appear simply because he refused to leave.

For now, all he could do was move forward and hope the mysterious system would eventually reveal the truth on its own.