The Errand Boy’s Supremacy System

Chapter 4: A New Beginning

​The bus ride back to Leo’s apartment was quiet. The vehicle rumbled steadily along the road, its engine humming like a tired machine that had been running for far too long. Leo sat near the back window, staring outside without really seeing anything.

​Buildings passed. People walked along the sidewalks. Cars moved through intersections. But Leo’s thoughts were somewhere else; his mind still echoed with Sarah’s voice.

​“You have no future.”

​The words repeated themselves like an annoying song stuck on loop. Leo tightened his jaw, refusing to let those words control him anymore. Still, the pain remained.

​After nearly twenty minutes, the bus finally stopped near his apartment complex. Leo stepped off and began walking down the narrow street leading to his building. The place was old—paint peeled from the walls, several windows were cracked, and the hallway lights inside flickered as if they were struggling to stay alive. But it was cheap, which meant it was one of the few places Leo could afford.

​Leo climbed the stairs slowly and reached the door to his apartment. For a moment, he hesitated. Inside that room were memories—two years of them. But standing outside forever wouldn’t change anything. Leo pushed the door open.

​The apartment looked exactly the same as it had that morning: a small couch, a narrow kitchen counter, and two chairs around a cheap dining table. But something felt different. Something important was missing. Sarah’s shoes were gone from the doorway. Her jacket was no longer hanging on the wall. The air felt strangely empty.

​Leo stood in the middle of the room for a long moment, then he quietly walked to the bedroom. The closet door was slightly open, and half the space inside was empty now. Sarah had already taken her things.

​Leo let out a slow breath. “So that’s it,” he murmured. Two years, ended in a single morning.

​He sat down on the edge of the bed. The clown costume still hung loosely on his body. Leo finally removed the red wig and tossed it onto the floor. Next came the jacket, then the oversized striped pants. Soon, the ridiculous outfit lay crumpled beside the bed. Leo stared at it silently.

​“That stupid costume…” He almost laughed. A clown—that was exactly what he must have looked like in the classroom, standing there while the girl he loved accepted another man’s ring.

​Leo leaned back and covered his eyes with his arm. For several minutes, he stayed like that. The room was silent. Then, his phone buzzed. Leo slowly reached for it; another notification from the "Errand Boy" app. He opened it. Several new delivery tasks had appeared: $4, $5, $3.50.

​The same small payments he had been working for every day. Leo stared at the screen. Before today, he would have immediately accepted one, but now he hesitated. He had been running around campus like a machine for two years—working constantly, chasing small amounts of money, all for a future that had just collapsed.

​Leo sat up slowly. “Is this really it?” he asked himself quietly. “Is this the only life I’m capable of living?”

​The question lingered in the air. Leo clenched his fists. “No.” His voice was quiet but firm. “No… I refuse to believe that.”

​Leo stood up and walked to the small window beside the bed. Outside, the city stretched endlessly. Thousands of people were living their lives—some struggling, some succeeding, and some becoming rich beyond imagination. Leo pressed his palm lightly against the glass.

​“Somewhere out there… people build companies. They create empires. They change their lives.”

​His reflection stared back at him: a tired college student with messy hair and worn clothes. Someone most people would ignore without a second glance. Leo looked at that reflection carefully, then he spoke again.

​“If they can do it… Then so can I.”

​At that exact moment, a strange screen appeared in front of Leo. He froze. The display hadn’t come from outside; it appeared before his eyes like a digital interface in a game. He looked up slowly as the screen changed. A black notification box appeared in the center, the text bright and clear.

​[Congratulations.]

​Leo frowned, thinking the insults from earlier were finally breaking his mind apart. “What…?”

​The message continued: [Host qualification confirmed.]

​Leo blinked. “What is this?”

​Before he could react, more text appeared: [Supremacy System initializing…]

​Leo’s heart skipped a beat. He stared at the screen in disbelief. “System…?”

​The screen shook slightly. Another notification appeared: [Synchronization: 10%]

​Leo stood completely still. His mind struggled to understand what he was seeing. Was this some kind of illusion? A virus? But the text kept updating.

​[Synchronization: 25%]

​Leo’s breathing slowly grew heavier. He had never seen anything like this before.

​[Synchronization: 50%]

​The numbers climbed steadily. Leo’s eyes widened. “Am I… hallucinating?”

​[Synchronization: 75%]

​His heart pounded harder with every passing second. Then—

​[Synchronization: 100%]

​The screen flashed brightly. A final message appeared: [Supremacy System successfully activated.]

​Leo stared at the glowing words. For several seconds, he didn’t move. He didn’t breathe. He simply stared. Then another notification appeared.

​[Welcome, Host Leo Carter.]

[From this moment forward, your journey toward supremacy begins.]

​Leo slowly lowered the phone he was still holding. His mind raced with questions. Supremacy? System? Journey? None of it made sense, but deep inside, he felt something strange—something powerful. Something that felt like opportunity.

​Leo looked out the window again. The city lights were beginning to turn on as evening approached. For the first time all day, a faint smile appeared on his face.

​“Alright,” he said quietly. “Let’s see what you can do.”