Zero to the Greatest and Richest

Chapter 4

[Karma System]

[Your status

Health : 50 / 100 max

Strength : 20 / 100 max

Agility : 20 /100 max

Intelligent : 60/100 max

Handsomeness : 60 / 100 max

First reward all status +2

Health : 52 / 100 max

Strength : 22 / 100 max

Agility : 22 /100 max

Intelligent : 62 /100 max

Handsomeness : 62 / 100 max]

[New Health quest #2

Walk or run 5 miles.

Push up 60

Sit up 60

Reward Strength +1]

Great, as long as I can improve myself, little by little, slowly but surely, it means I'm still alive. Even a plant grows; how can humans not grow? Only the deceased remain stagnant. The seed will eventually grow into a mighty tree, and I too will someday transform into...

‘a loser….’

‘I almost cried again; sometimes, knowing what I will become in the future, a loser, truly saddens me. There is also trauma etched into my soul.’

‘When you live in poverty for too long, you start to believe that you cannot become rich anymore, and that is a sickness. It requires more money to pay the psychiatrist or coach to make you think you can be rich, which, in the process, makes you poorer.’

On the night when my father returned home, they once again engaged in arguments and blame, with money being the root issue. My father had a gambling addiction, and despite my efforts to avoid following in his footsteps - no gambling, no involvement with other girls, striving to be smarter and better - I still found myself leading a life worse than my despised father.

"Life is a relentless storm," I muttered to myself, a vow simmering within, "Yet, I shall navigate through every bit of it with triumph. No room for regrets."

The following morning, I proceeded to school as usual. At the gate, I spotted Roger waiting for me, accompanied by some high school guys, totaling ten in number. Apparently, he had not completed his quest for revenge.

They could wait there as long as they pleased because I wasn't foolish enough to approach them directly.

I made my way to the rear of the school gate and leaped over it. Upon entering the classroom, many of my classmates gazed at me in astonishment, and rumors began to circulate. It appeared some of them had just learned of my confrontation with Roger and his friends.

"Good morning, Alex," Nina greeted me with a smile as she passed by, appearing to have overcome her shyness. Next meeting maybe on her house.

I placed my bag down and headed to a different classroom. I was walking from grade nine, room C, to grade nine, room A. In that class, there was a girl, another source of regret for me, named Linna. We had been childhood friends since grade 1, and I suspected she had feelings for me.

During her college years, while I had dropped out of college, we had gone on a few dates before a guy, a doctor, reached out to me and asked that I needed to distance myself from Linna. Given his 'great' medical career and his family's greater wealth, I made the choice to withdraw and create distance between us.

‘I don't aim to possess her, but just once, if she were to like me, why not have a bit of fun with her before she continues with her loyal boyfriend?’

Maybe one night stand.

I moved to her class, 9A. She was a bright student, and in the future, she would become a pharmacist where she would meet the doctor who would become her husband.

"Linna," I approached her table.

"Yes?" She was a stunning girl, and I often pondered what would happen if I were to marry her. She was a kind and hardworking person; she worked at the traditional market, selling fish, when she returned home.

Once, when she turned 21, she asked me, "Did you ever send me a love letter when we were in middle school?"

I replied, "I didn't."

She smiled with nostalgia, "Once, you put something in my bag. I thought it was a love letter, and I was thrilled to have it. But it turned out you had merely thrown a piece of garbage paper into my bag."

I remembered how, as kids, we used to play pranks like that. I didn't know if those memories held any sentimental value for her.

Returning to the present, I handed her my math book. "I'm returning your book," I said, playing my part.

"But this isn't my book," she replied, puzzled, with her two beautiful black eyes.

Leaning in, I whispered, "It's not about the book. It's about the love letter hidden inside." Watching her face bloom into a flush of red, her wide-eyed innocence was almost endearing. I resisted the urge to pinch her cheek, a playful gesture held back.

My plan was to take it slow with Linna. She was special in her own way but not quite the sophisticated allure of a big-city girl. Yet, there was something about her that made me want to keep her close, to not let go just yet. Simple, honest, beautiful—my regret.

"Alex!" a voice interrupted, snapping me back to the here and now.

Roger, his face a map of recent brawls, stood before me, bitterness etched in every line. The high schoolers who had loomed like specters at the gate were gone, probably back to their own school a kilometer away. I faced him, my voice laced with mockery. "What did you offer them for their hitman service? A pack of cigarettes? A beer? Or did you promise to introduce them to fuck your mother? Can your mother do a gang bang?"

His wounded pride flared. "You won't be able to run after school," he spat.

"Why wait? Let's settle this now, if you're so eager," I challenged, watching the color drain from his face. With a hasty threat, he retreated, his bravado crumbling.

The school bell's chime broke the tension, serving as a reminder of the start of the day's routine. As I headed to my class, I noticed Iris waiting in front of my classroom. She brushed past me, her words brief yet clear, "I'm okay with that."

‘Does this mean she's okay with a one-night stand or many-night stands? Damn, she polluted my virgin brain.’

‘Youthful love can be dangerous because they don't know what is right and wrong; they simply follow their desires and pleasures. It's easy to manipulate them.’

Back in the classroom, I was lost in thought. During middle school, four girls had loved me at some point, yet I had felt an attraction to the other two, though it was just unrequited affection.

The girls who loved me were Iris, Nina, Linna, and the last one was Venny. Venny was unique, and the story goes like this: I had feelings for a girl named Nita, a sweet, sunny girl who always smiled, and like most people, I was apprehensive, shy, and nervous around the girl I admired.

So, I befriended Venny in my quest to gather information about Nita since she was Nita's best friend. However, it appeared that this reserved girl had unexpectedly developed feelings for me due to our friendship.

‘Yes, I know, it's hard to be a handsome man like me.’

I only realized this 20 years later when we crossed paths on the street and engaged in a lengthy conversation. She had become a school teacher and was married. She confided in me that she had feelings for me back then but was too timid to act on them because she knew I loved Nita. Complicated? Not really. It simply meant I had the opportunity to kiss her.

Venny was a girl who consistently helped her family at their equipment store after school. Should I pursue her romantically? No, it's too risky. Nina and Venny were in my class, and their interaction might lead to conflict. On the other hand, Iris and Linna were in a different class, so no one would be aware of our connection. For now, it would be wiser not to complicate things.

However, as with the other two, was my unrequited love? I didn't feel the need to pursue them because it would consume more time, and I had to start thinking about earning money.

When I relocated to the Big City for high school, despite my efforts to rank first in the school, my parents still disapproved of the idea. Nevertheless, they sent me there. They placed me at my poor uncle's residence in the city, providing me with very limited funds, just enough for basic necessities like food, but not sufficient for another activities.

I detested the prospect of enduring three years of high school while living in poverty. Whenever my friends invited me to go out, I had to invent 101 reasons to decline, just to save face.

‘The absence of money felt like an illness; it was painful and hard to cure.’

Because I had a headache, I thought it was an opportune time to find a place to alleviate my stress. I stumbled upon a helpful technique yesterday. I was weary of being the one hunted; I desired to become the one in hunting, a hunter.

When the break bell rang, betraying my own morals, I grabbed Venny's wrist and quickly said, “I need to talk with you. Can you follow me?”

‘I need to be brave for a new world.’

“Alright!” she replied kindly.

We went to the same place at the back of the cafeteria. I smiled at her, a girl with long hair and petite, dark skin. “Do you like me?”

I could see her shocked face and her skin turn really red.

“Don’t be shy,” I said as I made my move and kissed her lips. She was biting her lips, and I whispered to her, “Kissing won’t make you pregnant.”

And she started to open her lips wide, and we had a good and awkward kiss.

She tasted sweet. Her body was tense, but after three minutes of kissing, I thought I got horny, and her eyes were already misty. I needed to stop it. I let her go and touched her head warmly. "When you like to kiss or fuck me, I am free of charge," I said. "But please, no romantic feelings, as I will move to the big town and remember my smile, my heart, and my body were for everyone."

And she suddenly ran away from me.

Mission accomplished, better move to the next step.

I headed towards Roger's classroom. I located him there and wore a sly grin. "Follow me to the back of the cafeteria!" I commanded to him.

'It is time for real hunting.'