Chapter 2: A New Feature

Jude swallowed hard, his throat dry. He looked back toward the glass doors of the dealership where his entire life had just been dismantled.

"Yes," Jude whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "Sign in."

[Ding! First Sign-In successfully registered.]

[Location: Zenith Motors Service Alley.]

[Location Evaluation: Very Low.]

[However, First-Time Sign-In Bonus applied!]

[Reward: $10,000,000 USD.]

Jude stopped breathing.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out with shaky fingers and stared at the screen.

It was a push notification from his banking app... an account that had sat at a depressing forty-two dollars for the past two weeks.

Apex National Bank: Direct Deposit Received.

Available Balance: $10,000,042.00.

Jude wiped his eyes, thinking his vision was blurring.

He unlocked the phone, opened the app, and stared at the dashboard. He counted the zeros.

One, two, three... six zeros. Ten million dollars. He refreshed the application. He closed it completely and launched it again.

The numbers stared back at him.

The unpaid bills, the threat of eviction, the endless agonizing over grocery prices evaporated in a single heartbeat.

Jude let out a breathless laugh, leaning the back of his head against the wall.

He shoved the phone back into his pocket and walked toward the main street.

Just as he rounded the corner to the sidewalk, a voice called out from behind him.

"Hey. Jude, wait up."

Jude turned. Walking toward him was Derek, one of the junior sales associates from the dealership.

Derek had a black trash bag in one hand, having clearly been sent out to do the grunt work.

Derek dropped the bag by the curb and wiped his hands on his slacks, his posture hesitant. He looked Jude up and down, offering a soft, almost pitying smile.

"Listen, man," Derek started, stepping a little closer. "I’m sorry about what happened in there. Sterling is a tyrant, and that Trent guy... well, he’s a jerk. I didn’t want to say anything inside, you know, to keep my job, but it was really messed up."

Jude blinked, momentarily caught off guard.

He had expected Derek to throw out a sarcastic comment or laugh at his expense. But sympathy? That was unexpected.

Still, Jude didn’t feel any of the lingering anger he had felt inside the building. It was hard to be angry when you had ten million dollars sitting in your pocket.

"It’s fine, Derek," Jude said with a relaxed smile, and turned to resume walking down the block.

"Wait, hold on!" Derek jogged a few steps to catch up.

Jude paused, raising an eyebrow.

Derek dug into his wallet, trying his best to look helpful, but Jude could see the burning curiosity in his eyes.

Derek wanted to know what the ’ruined’ guy was going to do next.

"I know things are tight," Derek said, pulling out a crumpled fifty-dollar bill and extending it. "With Chloe draining your accounts and now losing this gig... take this. Get a hot meal. And hey, if you need a reference for a warehouse job or something, let me know. What are you going to do now?"

Jude didn’t answer right away. He looked at the fifty-dollar bill, then up at Derek’s expectant face.

A few hours ago, Jude might have swallowed his pride and taken the cash just to survive the week.

Now, he just found the situation incredibly amusing...

Jude gently pushed Derek’s hand back. "Keep it, Derek," he said simply. "You’re going to need it for the new car payments you were complaining about yesterday."

Derek blinked. "Are you sure? Man, you don’t have a job."

"I’ll manage," Jude chuckled softly.

He didn’t explain further. He just gave Derek a confident nod and walked away.

Derek stood on the sidewalk, watching Jude go. He had fully expected Jude to break down crying, or at least look panicked. Instead, the guy looked like he had just won the lottery. Derek shook his head, thoroughly confused, and walked back to the dealership.

...

Instead of heading toward the subway station to take the train back to his cramped apartment, Jude walked to the edge of the busy avenue and raised his hand.

A sleek, black premium cab pulled over. Jude slid into the backseat.

"Where to, buddy?" the driver asked, eyeing Jude’s cheap, slightly wrinkled suit through the rearview mirror.

"The Obsidian Grand," Jude replied, his tone smooth.

The driver raised an eyebrow. The Obsidian Grand was a seven-star luxury hotel in the heart of the financial district, famous for hosting foreign diplomats, celebrities, and billionaires.

"You sure about that, pal? It’s on the other side of town. Meter ticks fast."

"I’m sure," Jude said, leaning back and crossing his legs.

The drive took twenty-five minutes. When they pulled up to the glittering, gold-trimmed entrance of the towering hotel, Jude opened his banking app, linked it to his digital wallet, and tapped his phone against the driver’s payment terminal.

He added a five-hundred-dollar tip.

The driver’s jaw unhinged when he saw the receipt print out. "S-Sir! Thank you! Have a wonderful night!"

Jude stepped out onto the red carpet. The doorman, impeccably dressed in a tailored uniform, hesitated for a fraction of a second upon seeing Jude’s attire, but his elite training took over. He pulled the doors open with a respectful bow.

He walked straight to the front desk. The receptionist, a stunning woman with perfectly pinned hair, offered a polite smile.

"Welcome to the Obsidian Grand, sir. How may I assist you?"

"I need a room," Jude said casually. "Your best available suite."

The receptionist paused, her fingers hovering over her keyboard.

She did a quick, subtle sweep of his frayed collar and scuffed shoes.

"Sir, our luxury suites start at five thousand dollars a night. Furthermore, we require a substantial incidental deposit upfront..."

"The Presidential Suite. Book it for a month," Jude interrupted.

He tapped his phone against the platinum reader on the desk.

The receptionist’s eyes widened as the terminal chimed instantly.

A month in the Presidential Suite, plus the deposit, came out to over $180,000!

She fully expected the machine to flash red with a loud decline.

*Approved.*

The green text lit up her face. Her demeanor changed instantly.

"R-Right away, Mr. Jude," she stammered, standing up a little straighter. "I apologize for any delay. I will have our head concierge escort you to the top floor immediately. Shall we send up a tailor? Or perhaps arrange for room service?"

"Both," Jude said.

Not long after, Jude was standing inside a living space larger than the entire car dealership he used to work at.

Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the sparkling city skyline. There was a private bar, a grand piano, and a bathroom encased in black marble.

He ordered food. Wagyu steak cooked rare, butter-poached lobster, truffle risotto, and a bottle of vintage wine.

When the food arrived, wheeled in on silver carts by bowing staff, Jude sat alone at the dining table. He plated the food carefully.

Each bite tasted better than the last.

For the first time in his adult life, Jude was eating because he wanted to.

The rest of the evening drifted by like a dream...

He took a long, steaming shower in the jacuzzi tub, letting the jets wash away the sweat, and the humiliation of the day.

He put on a ridiculously soft silk bathrobe, poured himself a glass of cold juice from the minibar, and reclined on the king-sized bed.

*So this is how the top one percent lives,* Jude thought, staring out at the city lights.

Jude stared at the ceiling, his heart rate picking up.

What about the system? He hadn’t heard the voice since the alleyway.

What if the system vanished tomorrow?

Sure, ten million was a lot of money, but what if that was it? What if he woke up tomorrow and the magic was gone?

The anxiety gnawed at him. The thought of losing this feeling, of ever having to go back to begging for scraps or being looked down on by people like Trent, made his chest tighten painfully.

He was just about to sit up and try speaking to the system out loud, desperate for an answer, when a chime echoed in his skull.

[Ding!]

[A new day has arrived. Would the host like to Sign-In?]

Jude sat up so fast he nearly spilled his juice. A relieved grin broke out across his face.

"Yes," Jude said to the empty room.

[Sign-In Successful! Location: Obsidian Grand Hotel, Presidential Suite.]

[Location Evaluation: Very High.]

[Reward: $3,000,000 USD, +5 Attribute Points.]

[The Host has accumulated enough rewards to unlock the System Interface.]

[To view your current standing and allocate points, please say ’Status’.]

His phone buzzed on the nightstand almost immediately.

Jude grabbed it, opened the banking app, and laughed out loud when he saw the new balance.