He almost didn't want to hear the answer. If time could be stopped that would be best. That moment when you find out you have a system is the sweet spot. Rather than finding out it's a useless system like a cooking system or that the system gives suicidal quests; it is much better to just know that you have a system.
[ I can read your mind. I am not a useless system and I won't give suicidal quests.]
"Haha let's not talk about any of that dark stuff. So what kind of system did I get exactly?" Michael asked.
[The Supreme Emperor System allows the host to become a powerful emperor who builds an unparalleled empire by offering many skills and functions for the host to unlock by hard work and luck.]
"But this is the 21st century and Earth doesn't have any empires. I mean there are a few dictatorships but I don't think I can build an empire"
[The system was being figurative; there are many different types of empires like business empires, criminal empires, and political empires. The system provides tools and skills; the host can choose what to do.]
"Phew good thing the system is flexible." Michael cannot imagine what would happen if he tried to establish an empire in America. He probably will be killed by some CIA agents.
For now, he needed to get back home so that Michelle does not come and see him in this pitiful state. He cycled home as fast as he could; only to see Ryan waiting for him.
"Michael there is a toilet leak in Number 16. Fix that and don't forget to mow the lawn this weekend" Ryan knew Michael had no choice because he could not afford the full rent and had nowhere else to go. Looks like the system has to wait. Michael grabbed the tools and spare keys from the storehouse and headed to fix the toilet. Luckily the tenants were not there. It was a quick fix and the scary pit-bull was stuck inside the cage.
When he got back home he realized he still didn't have any food as Brett squashed his dinner. Well compared to the system, hunger did not seem like a big priority right now."System open the menu" He couldn't wait to see what all the system can do.
[Host just has to use his mind to express the thought to interact with the system and use its functions.]
It seemed easy Michael cleared his mind and tried to access the Menu.
When he opened the menu he saw several tabs. There was a store, mission tab, and an inventory. When he opened the store he saw it split into a skill store and a general store. Most of the things in the general store were grayed out. He probably has to unlock them later on. The skill store was split into 4 sections: Combat, Social, Business, and Technology. "How do I buy things?" Michael could not wait to get some crazy skills and see what is inside the general store.
[The system uses a currency called credits. The host can earn them by doing missions. However, Missions are rare since the system does not wish to restrict the host. There is an exchange center in the store where the host can exchange the world's currency into credits. This will be the primary income for the host as an emperor needs to figure out how to earn money for his empire by himself.]
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
That seems reasonable because it does not force Michael to do ridiculous missions; however, Michael had a feeling that the skills and goods in the store were going to need a lot of real-world currency. Michael then turned his attention to the inventory. "So how does the inventory work?"
[The inventory is a complimentary dimensional storage offered by the system. It has near infinite space and can store pretty much anything; on the other hand, it cannot store living creatures. It can also be upgraded to include additional functions such as: remote collection, Sub dimensions/Folders, and auto sorting.]
Infinite storage! That is ridiculous and can be so helpful. However, this is not a fantasy world with dimensional rings so Michael knew he has to be cautious in order to avoid trouble. The inventory was already good enough so he did not have to worry about upgrading it for now. He noticed a starter gift in the inventory and tried opening it.
[Starter gift box opened: basic genetic potion, Basic training manual, and 1000 credits granted. Basic genetic potion unlocks the potential of your body and by using the techniques in the training manual, Host can strengthen your body and mind. ]
It sounds like a cultivation method; "can you show me my current stats?"
[System can quantify current stats. The average human has 1 point per stat]
Name Michael Rodriguez Strength 0.7 Intelligence 1.1 Stamina 0.6 Agility 0.6 Status Healthy Credits 1,000
Well at least I have good intelligence and am healthy, he thought. Maybe I can buy some skills to get stronger. "How do skills work?"
[Skills can be purchased in the skill store; all skills when bought are at basic tier and then can be upgraded to intermediate, advanced and supreme tiers. However, each upgrade will be more expensive. Skills do not affect physical stats; only training and genetic potions can increase physical stats.]
Michael opened the skill store and went to the combat section. When he checked out the prices he was flabbergasted. All the skills started at 10,000 credits; He noticed the exchange rate for dollars was 1:1, which meant the cheapest combat skill was at least $10,000. He saved up $6,000 for college and that took him 1 year. He did not know how he was going to buy these skills.
Oh well, at least I have the stuff from the starter pack. He noticed the mission tab was blinking; he opened it and saw a new mission.
Mission 1: A strong emperor (part 1)
Objective: Every emperor needs to be strong in order to realize his goals of building an empire. Use the genetic potion and practice the basic training techniques to increase all stats to three.
Rewards: Intermediate genetic potion, Intermediate training manual, 1000 credits
Well, a training mission is nice and it gives the materials for the intermediate level. He retrieved the potion and noticed it was clear like water. Without hesitating he drank it in one gulp. It tasted awful but he didn't notice because an intense pain hit him and knocked him out.