The Daily Sign-in Rewards System

CHAPTER 9 - THE SIGN IN SYSTEM

The fading rays of the evening sun filtered through the canopy of trees, bathing the quiet campus park in a warm golden hue that contrasted sharply with Dylan's miserable appearance.

He remained seated on the cold wooden bench where everything had begun, his shoulders slumped beneath the crushing weight of exhaustion while the dull ache spreading across his bruised body served as a constant reminder of the humiliation he had suffered only minutes earlier. His shirt was stained with dirt, his knuckles were scraped raw, and every breath sent a faint pain rippling through his ribs, making it painfully obvious that today's encounter had left far deeper scars than those visible on the surface.

Despite the physical agony clouding his senses, none of it compared to the emotional burden pressing against his chest. His scholarship was gone, his tuition debt remained unresolved, and the people responsible for turning his life upside down were likely enjoying themselves without a single trace of guilt.

Dylan was at a point where he genuinely questioned whether fate had simply decided that every ounce of misfortune in the world belonged to him and It was precisely at that moment, when despair threatened to consume the last remnants of his determination, that a strange blue radiance emerged before his eyes.

A translucent holographic panel materialized silently in the empty space several feet ahead, its edges shimmering with streams of light that resembled flowing digital particles.

Unlike the display of an ordinary electronic device, the screen possessed an almost ethereal quality, as though it did not belong to the physical world at all. The soft blue glow illuminated Dylan's swollen face and reflected within his dark pupils, making the impossible phenomenon appear even more surreal against the tranquil backdrop of the park.

His breathing unconsciously slowed.

For several seconds, Dylan neither moved nor spoke because his mind simply refused to process what his eyes were seeing. Every logical explanation he could think of collapsed almost immediately. He had not consumed alcohol, he had never experimented with drugs, and although today's beating had left him battered, he had never struck his head hard enough to justify hallucinating a floating holographic interface in broad daylight.

His gaze remained fixed on the screen as glowing words gradually appeared across its surface.

[Congratulations.]

[The Daily Sign-In System has successfully activated.]

Dylan instinctively rubbed his eyes before looking again, convinced that the strange projection would disappear the moment he refocused his vision.

Instead, the panel remained perfectly suspended before him without the slightest distortion, its luminous characters glowing with remarkable clarity. He even shifted slightly on the bench and tilted his head from different angles, yet the interface continued floating in exactly the same position as though it had been anchored to reality itself.

A dry laugh escaped his lips, though it carried far more confusion than amusement. "What... is this supposed to be?" he muttered under his breath, his hoarse voice barely louder than the rustling leaves stirred by the evening breeze.

No answer came.

The world around him continued exactly as before. Students crossed the nearby pathways while chatting about assignments and weekend plans, cyclists rode leisurely through campus, and a pair of squirrels chased one another across the branches overhead.

Not a single person reacted to the impossible sight hovering directly in front of Dylan, and that realization unsettled him even more than the mysterious screen itself. If such an extraordinary phenomenon had truly appeared, why was nobody else paying attention?

His eyes immediately swept across the surrounding area in search of an explanation. He examined the nearby trees, the decorative flowerbeds, the lampposts lining the pathway, and even the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, half expecting to discover hidden projectors or cameras aimed directly at him.

Perhaps this was an elaborate social experiment orchestrated by engineering students, or maybe someone had decided to play an unusually sophisticated prank on the unfortunate university student who seemed to attract nothing but bad luck.

Unfortunately, every possibility collapsed almost as quickly as it formed. There were no suspicious devices hidden among the trees, no strangers observing him from a distance, and no indication that anyone else could even perceive the glowing interface. The holographic panel appeared to exist within a reality that belonged solely to him.

As Dylan struggled to make sense of the impossible situation, the text upon the screen dissolved into countless tiny fragments of blue light before reorganizing themselves into an entirely new series of notifications.

[Host Bound Successfully.]

[Initializing Starter Reward.]

[Reward: $10,000.]

His eyebrows immediately drew together into a deep frown, causing the bruises around his face to throb painfully. "Seriously?" he scoffed while shaking his head. "Whoever came up with this prank has watched far too many science-fiction movies."

Under normal circumstances, he might have laughed and walked away without another thought. However, after everything that had happened that day, the appearance of a mysterious system promising ten thousand dollars felt less amusing than absurd. His tuition debt alone exceeded forty-seven thousand dollars.

Money had become the greatest obstacle standing between him and the future he had worked tirelessly to build, which made the promise displayed on the screen seem almost cruel in its irony.

Before he could dismiss the entire experience as an elaborate hallucination born from stress and exhaustion, another notification appeared across the floating interface.

[Reward Successfully Distributed.]

[Please Check Your Account.]

Dylan exhaled slowly through his nose, his expression becoming increasingly skeptical. Even if someone possessed technology advanced enough to create a realistic hologram, transferring ten thousand dollars into another person's bank account without authorization was simply impossible. The message seemed so outrageously unrealistic that he almost laughed again.

At that precise moment, the silence surrounding him was interrupted by the familiar chime of a smartphone notification.

The sharp sound caused Dylan's body to stiffen instinctively.

A faint vibration followed inside his pocket.

For reasons he couldn't explain, an uneasy sensation crept into his chest as he slowly reached for his phone. His movements, which had been confident only moments earlier, suddenly became hesitant, almost as though he feared confirming what his instincts were beginning to suspect. After unlocking the screen, his eyes immediately settled upon a banking notification that had just arrived.

Deposit Successful.

Amount Received: $10,000.00

Dylan's pupils contracted and his heartbeat became noticeably louder but still only he could hear the beats

For several seconds, he remained completely motionless while staring at the notification, convinced that exhaustion had finally pushed him beyond the limits of reason. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and counted silently to five before opening them again. The notification remained exactly where it had been, displaying the same amount with unwavering certainty.

"This... can't be right."

His voice was barely audible as he hurriedly opened his banking application. Nervousness caused his fingers to tremble against the screen, forcing him to enter his password twice before finally gaining access to his account. The loading icon rotated for only a few seconds, yet each passing moment felt unbearably slow as anticipation and disbelief battled relentlessly within his mind.

When the account balance finally appeared, Dylan felt as though the ground beneath his feet had disappeared.

Available Balance: $10,0204.76

The phone nearly slipped from his grasp.

He instinctively tightened his fingers around it while staring at the impossible number displayed on the screen. The additional two hundred dollars represented the small amount he had managed to save through countless hours of food deliveries and part-time work, making it unmistakably clear that this was indeed his account.

There had been no mistake,no incorrect login and no technical malfunction. Someone—or something—had genuinely deposited ten thousand dollars into his bank account.