Chapter 5

  “Found it! It’s what, the fourth one?” Talking to myself, heaving as I clumsily set down a dusty plastic box full of electronic junk on the equally dusty floorboards of the attic, creating a dust storm of epic proportions. I opened up the windows to clear the air while coughing like crazy, waiting for the dust to settle. I need a bath.

Crisis over, I gingerly opening the box because, ew it’s dirty, I found: an old Palm PDA, some old mobile phones from 2000s, a very old console, and some other junk I can’t name and an Apple translucent monitor that have always reminded me of jelly beans. ‘No wonder it was so heavy’. Taking the PDA and muttering “Check”, a wispy information window appeared in front of me:

palm Tungsten E2

Release Date: 2005

Value: $250.00

“Wow, perfect condition then.” I placed it back and touched the box. “Scan and Check total value.”

*Ting!* Scanned 15 electronic objects. Total value of $870.00

More than I thought, awesome! “Convert.”

A week had passed since the fateful fusion with the leech. And now I’m looking for useless and forgotten things to convert to The System. Yes, to real fucking money. Basically, the objects I own will be converted by The System with its original price! Well not exactly, it’s like equivalent exchange. So it would just devaluate equal to the broken or missing parts.

I was sitting comfortably on the couch, familiarizing myself with The System after eating dinner, pizza with pineapples, when I found my money tree. My old self would’ve dropped everything and started making cha-chings right away, the greedy bitch. But I didn’t.

I leisurely went back to my room and took out my old gaming laptop, a brown 17’inch Asus. I bought it for upwards a thousand dollars eight years ago, so I was quite excited. It was converted to $980. Whew, that’s huge. I sat down on my comfy chair; palm under my chin, fingers tapping my cheek and mind running miles a minute. An unconscious habit. ‘Can’t use this carelessly’, I thought. I would just have to make do of old things for now. So for the past week, I was converting useless and old things around the house. They won’t be missed. An alert shook me out of my thoughts.

*Ting!* Successfully converted 15 electronic objects. $870.00 received.

I opened my Status Window and looked at changes. Gained 3 levels, 15 status points and $20,750.00, the total amount I’ve converted so far. That’s a little over a million pesos already. Not bad. “Not bad” my ass, already my inner shopping demon screaming at me to go out and waste money. We’re not rich, but over the years we have bought expensive things that went straight to the attic when deemed useless.

It hasn’t actually been what avid readers of this kind of genre I find my life is in right now: diving head first to the exciting task of getting more skills or levelling and not caring much for anything. Not for the lack of trying, believe me. And not that I hadn’t gained anything this past week. Just a million pesos. I have my own pace of doing things. Some may call it lazy and I agree but hey, it’s essentially who I am.

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Regardless, I was actually, extensively (yeah right), planning how to achieve my goal. I’m the laziest bitch you’ll ever meet but even then I don’t want to “wing it” or be the reactive type, no. I want a clear path to my goal hereon.

“Are we going to live for a long time?” I asked the parasite days before. Why not forever? Because nothing is forever, “walang forever” in our language, so I didn’t bother asking such useless thing. The answer was rather exhausting but it summed up to that yes we will. Now isn’t that a scary but exciting thought. Because my body has been otherwise improved and will continue to improve so it’s obvious I wouldn’t be shackled by mortal coils and that “it goes without saying”, it added. The condescending son of a bitch.

A politician. It was the first thing that came to my mind ever since discovering The System. Entering politics has always been at the back of my mind; whenever I travel around my country and seeing the poor and unfortunate people, the pockets of dilapidated squatter communities they live in scattered throughout, the rampant corruption and other things that makes my blood simmer in concealed hate.

They have always advertised my country as a haven for both nature and modern living: cities with sky-high towers, blue waters, white sand beach, lush green forests and kind people with never ending smiles. Which is all true, for the most part. But I know it’s merely a façade of a rotten and vile creature slowly choking on its own excrement, whoring itself to whoever glances its way. So the resilience and hope of the people living in this country, still being able to smile, is worth the extreme admiration I have for them.

Which is why I’ve always thought it a pity. And born from those thoughts, I’ve imagined myself being a politician to lead and help my country thrive – whatever it takes. And because of that, I gained a trait and a title:

For the People (I)

Trait

The more you help people, the more they see you in a positive light, look up to you and treat you accordingly.

+ 5 Leadership

+ 5 Charm

The Visionary

A person of great responsibility. The one who sees potential for how the world should exist.

And by taking steps to achieve it.

+ 20 Leadership

YES! “That should make things smoother.” Resolve goes a long way. But the title, really? Sounds so pretentious and arrogant. Sigh, I’ll take what I can, beggars can’t be choosers after all. I can’t help but roll my eyes at my own thoughts.

And with having a goal in mind, the how follows.

Money.

And a lot of it. So that’s why for the past week I have been converting junk to treasure. I have also been online: reading and learning more about the necessary knowledge I need for this to work. Having been enhanced really did wonders to how fast I can learn and comprehend. Levelling up due to extensive reading is plus. I really hate working out or just sweating.

Looking at my modified Status Window again, mentally adding 5 points to Intelligence, Wisdom and Luck. I nodded in satisfaction.

•

“Hey Mom, what do you think of our country now?” I asked while lounging in the terrace, sipping hot lavender tea. Birds flying and chirping merrily around. What if they shit on us? The sun thankfully covered by fluffy white clouds. The best environment to have this conversation. We have opposing views regarding the current administration but I need an opening.

“Why all of a sudden?” She muttered, her eyes still covered by big sunglasses. Lying face down on a beach recliner. Hate to disturb you rest though.

“Nothing. So, what do you think?”

“I think it’s still a mess. Look at how…” And there she goes. She doesn’t always have someone to talk to about these so it bottled up.

“… And don’t get me started with that crazy president. God knows why he won.” Sitting up now, waving her hands expressively, arm fats jiggling.

“I think he’s doing a great job so far though.” I interjected. I like him.

“And that’s why you’re crazy. Killing people…”

“I’ll be entering politics.”

Ha! Look at her face.

Money is Might