Chapter 1: Universal Sign-In System

Jude stood by the reception podium, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Welcome," Jude said, forcing a customer-service smile onto his face as two figures stepped over the threshold. "How may I—"

A woman in a stunning designer dress walked into the showroom, a pair of oversized luxury sunglasses perched on her styled hair.

Hanging off her arm was a young man wearing a casual outfit that probably cost more than Jude’s yearly salary, a bored expression across his face.

It was Chloe. His ex-fiancée.

Chloe paused, lowering her sunglasses slightly to peer at the employee greeting them.

For a brief second, shock registered on her face, quickly followed by a twisted smirk.

"Well, well, well," Chloe chuckled. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen. From dreaming big to greeting real men at the door..."

The few affluent customers browsing the floor turned their heads, their brows furrowing at the sudden disturbance.

The young man next to her let out a breath of amusement, adjusting his watch. "Who is this, babe? A friend of yours?"

"Hardly," Chloe scoffed, taking a step forward to look Jude up and down with disgust. "Trent, this is Jude. The loser I told you about. The one who thought he could marry me while struggling to pay rent in a shoebox apartment."

Jude felt his chest tighten but he kept his hands clasped behind his back. He dug his nails into his palms to maintain his composure.

"Ma’am, if you are here to view our collection, I would be happy to assign a senior specialist to guide you," Jude said.

"Ma’am?" Chloe repeated. She turned to Trent, laughing. "Did you hear that? Just look at him, Trent. Look at that pathetic suit. He doesn’t even belong in the same zip code as these cars, let alone inside this building."

"It is quite the eyesore," Trent agreed lazily. "Makes me question the standards of this establishment."

Jude’s jaw clenched. The muscles in his neck jumped, but he swallowed his pride.

He needed this job. He was already drowning in debt, and losing a position at a high-end dealership would be the final nail in his financial coffin.

"If there is no specific vehicle you wish to see," Jude managed to say, "I kindly ask that you keep your voices down for the comfort of the other clients."

"Oh, giving orders now?" Chloe’s eyes flashed with cruel delight. She let go of Trent’s arm and strutted directly up to Jude, jabbing a finger toward a sports car parked on the center display.

It was the newly imported Zenith V12, carrying a price tag of over three million dollars.

"You want to talk about vehicles, Jude? Fine," Chloe sneered. "Buy that one."

Jude stared at her, his expression tight. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," she challenged, stepping even closer so the showroom could hear her declaration. "You always talked big when we were together. Always said you were going to make it, that you just needed time. Well, here’s your chance. Buy the Zenith. If you have even an ounce of manhood left in that pathetic body of yours, put down the cash and buy it right now."

Whispers broke out among the onlookers.

A few staff members had gathered near the offices, watching the spectacle with wide eyes, whispering to each other.

Jude stood silent. He couldn’t buy a tire on that car, let alone the vehicle itself.

He had exactly $42 in his checking account. Chloe knew this. She knew exactly how utterly destroyed his finances were because she was the one who had drained their joint savings before abandoning him.

"Nothing to say?" Chloe laughed, turning back to Trent. "See? I told you. All bark, completely hollow on the inside. Just a broke, useless—"

"What is the meaning of this?!" a voice shouted from the back of the showroom.

Mr. Sterling, the general manager, came sprinting across the floor.

His face was flushed red, and he was sweating profusely as he shoved his way past Jude.

"Mr. Sterling," Jude started. "These guests were just—"

"Shut your mouth!" Mr. Sterling barked at Jude before spinning around to face Trent.

The manager’s posture immediately hunched into a bow. "Mr. Belmont! I am so incredibly sorry! I didn’t realize the Belmont family heir was gracing our showroom today. If I had known, I would have cleared the floor for you!"

Trent waved a hand. "Your hospitality is lacking, Sterling. I come here to browse for a new toy, and my girlfriend is forced to interact with this trash. It really ruins the prestigious image you claim to have."

Mr. Sterling turned deathly pale. The Belmont family owned half the real estate in the city; offending Trent was akin to career suicide.

The manager whipped his head toward Jude, his eyes burning with fury.

"Jude, you incompetent fool!" Mr. Sterling roared, not caring who heard him. "How dare you disrespect our most esteemed VIPs? Look at yourself! You look like a beggar who wandered in from the slums! I told you to stay in the back and clean the glass, not interact with the clients!"

"Mr. Sterling, I was simply standing at the podium. She approached me and—"

"I said shut up!" the manager screamed, his spit flying onto Jude’s lapel. "Pack your things, leave your uniform in the breakroom, and get out of my sight. You’re fired! And don’t even think about asking for this week’s paycheck to cover the damage you’ve done to our reputation!"

Jude looked from the red-faced manager to Trent, who was smirking in victory, and finally to Chloe, who was glowing with satisfaction.

The injustice of it burned in Jude’s chest like swallowed coals. He wanted to throw a punch. He wanted to scream at the ridiculous unfairness of a world where the wealthy could casually destroy a man’s livelihood just for a fleeting moment of entertainment.

But he didn’t.

Because what would it accomplish? He had no power. He had no backing. If he fought back, Trent could have him thrown in a cell by the end of the hour, and no lawyer would ever take his case.

Without a single word, Jude untied his company tie, draped it over the reception podium, and turned his back on them.

He walked past the hypercars and pushed open the doors.

Jude walked down the busy sidewalk, ignoring the throngs of wealthy pedestrians passing him by.

He kept his head down.

What was the point of playing by the rules?

He had worked seventy-hour weeks. He had smiled at the insults. He had swallowed his pride every single day, hoping that hard work and decency would eventually pay off. But the reality of the world was far colder.

In this society, if you didn’t have money or a powerful background, you were just an NPC in someone else’s game.

You were dirt meant to be stepped on so the rich could keep their shoes clean.

He stopped walking and leaned against a wall, letting out a long sigh.

He closed his eyes, wondering how he was going to explain the eviction notice on his door to the landlord now that his sole source of income was gone.

Suddenly, a sound echoed inside his skull.

[Ding!]

Jude snapped his eyes open, looking wildly around the empty alleyway. "Who’s there?"

[The Universal Sign-In System has successfully initiated. Would you like to bind with the System?]

Jude froze. "A system? What... what are you? Am I hallucinating?"

[I am the Universal Sign-In System,]

[I am an auxiliary interface designed to elevate the host’s status across all measurable metrics. By signing in daily at designated locations, the host will be rewarded with limitless wealth, peerless skills, rare items, and physical enhancements. The more prestigious the location of the sign-in, the more extraordinary the reward. Through me, the host can conquer the world.]

Jude stared blankly at the wall opposite him. Unparalleled wealth? Skills? Status?

Everything he had just been despairing over was being handed to him on a silver platter by a voice in his head.

He hesitated. Was the stress finally breaking his mind? Was he standing in an alleyway, having a psychotic break from the trauma of losing his job and being humiliated?

Yet, as he stood there, feeling the bite of his cheap shoes and remembering the mocking laughter of those who thought they owned the world, his hesitation dissolved.

If he was crazy, so be it.

If this was real... if this was his one chance to flip the board and crush the people who looked down on him, how could he ever walk away?

[Would you like to sign in?]