1 Repaying Kindness

Authors Note: Sorry for the inconsistent grammar, mixing up past tense and present tense.

Please do give me feedback on what I can approve for upcoming chapters especially chapter 5 onwards.

***

2024, Dragon City

8PM:

"Any spare changes please?"

I held a plastic cup and bent over, asking for some money from a busy street of Dragon City.

"P...Please, any spare changes?"

*tttttt*

At that moment I was shivering in the cold winter and my teeth were clattering against each other.

*tttttt*

"Please... any spare change.. help.."

My voice grew tired as it echoed down the street, but no one batted an eye.

"Man, I should quit Uni"

I sighed and thought to myself what has lead me here.

If you're all wondering why I am homeless and begging for some Krowns on the streets, it was because I got evicted from my apartment.

I'm Damon, a 21-year-old struggling student at Dragon University. For years, I've been fighting to make ends meet, but it's been an uphill battle. My rent is $400 KR a month, and even with part-time jobs and studying relentlessly, I only manage to scrape together $20 KR.

Eventually, I was evicted from my apartment and ended up homeless. I had just $20 KR left in my bank account, and it was all I had for the month. The average monthly salary for a citizen of Dragon City was $1,300 KR, but I barely made a fraction of that from my part-time job.

With nowhere to go and little money left, I spent my days wandering the streets of Dragon City, consumed by the daunting task of survival. I searched for odd jobs, but opportunities were scarce, and competition was fierce.

Have you ever heard of a homeless university student?

Well now you've seen one. Although I was homeless, It wasn't long before that I was a member of one of the most influential and powerful family in Lumen City....

My life story began in the bustling city of Lumen, where my family was known not just for our immense wealth, but also for our compassion and humbleness. Raised by parents who believed in the power of kindness, I grew up with a strong sense of empathy and a desire to help others, regardless of their circumstances in life. I was taught to respect even the janitor the same as CEO's.

Tragedy struck when I was just 7 years old. My parents were killed in a devastating car accident, leaving me orphaned and adrift. Tragic, right? It's like every main protagonist's backstory ever—boring. But hey, everyone is a main character in their own story. You just happened to be reading mine. In the aftermath, my uncle Richard stepped in to take care of me.

Initially, I was hopeful that my uncle would provide the same love and support that my parents had given me. However, it quickly became apparent that Richard was not the man I had thought him to be. Instead of offering comfort, he treated me like a burden, belittling me and making me feel unwelcome in my own home.

As the years passed, my situation only grew worse. Richard, who was also a shareholder in the family business, saw me as a threat to his own position and treated me accordingly. I was relegated to the role of a servant, forced to endure constant ridicule and abuse from my uncle and cousins.

Despite the harsh treatment I received, I remained determined to honor my parents' memory by staying true to the values they had instilled in me. I worked hard in school, excelling in my studies despite the difficult circumstances.

However, on my 18th birthday, Richard revealed his true intentions. He stripped me of my inheritance, leaving me with nothing. I was devastated, feeling as though I had lost my family all over again.

With nowhere else to turn, I was forced to leave my uncle's home and strike out on my own. I found work wherever I could, doing odd jobs to make ends meet. Life was a constant struggle, but I refused to give up hope.

Despite the hardships I faced, I remained determined to forge my own path and seek justice for the wrongs done to me and my family.

Okay enough of the sad story shit, I'm going to sleep now it is late.

The morning sun rose, but I was still in the same spot. I had a thin blanket on the ground, but it did little to keep me warm. I couldn't sleep all night, so now I was exhausted and cold. People were still walking past me, ignoring my pleas for help.

A few hours later, as I was still shivering wrapped in my blanket, a passer by had dropped 5 Krowns into my cup.

[Ding! Host Found]

[Ding! Host Conditions Requirement Have Been Met]

[Ding! Binding Host To Broke Man's System]

[Ding! Congratulation!]

[You earned $5 KR. Random bonus 10,000x]

[$50,000 KR has been sent to your account]

As I looked up, I saw a holographic screen projected in front of me.

"Huh?...."

I repeated my word as I was in absolute shock.

"I must be seeing things"

"Ahahahaha!"

I laughed it off and continued to beg for spare changes.

[Ding! Congratulations!]

[You earned $4 KR. Random bonus 500x]

[$2,000 KR has been sent to your account]

*Buzz*

I checked my phone to see what it was.

Now you might be wondering why do I have a phone. It's because I was only homeless a few weeks ago. It's an old iPhone XS Max with 128gb of storage space. I mostly use it for group assignments and never was on social media.

{Dragon Bank: $50,000 KR have been deposited into your account. Current Balance: $50,020 KR}

{Dragon Bank: $2,000 KR have been deposited into your account. Current Balance: $52,020 KR}

"What?...."

At first, I thought that I was hallucinating because of the holographic screen I saw earlier; however, this confirmed that I wasn't just seeing this nor was I on drugs. I had never done drugs before, so maybe I thought that because I was so hungry that I started to hallucinate.

But, $52,020 Krowns was in my bank account? I couldn't believe the text message I had received, so I checked my bank app.

I dropped my phone in shock and because I was also cold.

"$52,000 Krowns?...."

I yelled in shock. As my voice echoed through the streets, people stopped and stared at me, even the dog that was next to the granny stall that was selling ramen stopped his licking to look at me.

"Sorry!.."

Everyone then resumed what they were doing.

"I can't believe this..."

I dropped everything and left this shithole to the ramen stall that granny was selling at.

"Good Morning, Granny Lin!" I greeted as I sat down on one of the stools.

The stall was small and cramped, with only three stools, but it was one of the busiest stalls on the street. As a broke university student, I often ate there, and granny would give me discounted ramen at the end of the day.

When I became homeless, I settled near her stall for warmth from the steam of her cooking, but I moved 20 meters away to avoid hurting her business.

For the past few days, granny had taken care of me with leftovers from the end of the day. She was genuinely kind, and now that I had money, I wanted to repay her.

"Good Morning, Damon, love. Same as usual?"

"Yeah, please,"

I replied, pulling my thin blanket tighter around me.

Granny Lin's eyes sparkled with warmth as she prepared my spicy tonkotsu ramen.

"Here you go, one spicy tonkotsu ramen"

"Thank you Granny Lin"

Her warm smile reminded me that there were still good people in the world.

As I ate the ramen, the hot ramen soup and noodles warmed me up as tears rolled down my eyes. Granny Lin noticed and asked.

"What's wrong Damon?"

"N...Nothing Granny"

As I tried my best to finish eating and swallowing my food while also crying.

"It's just that I haven't had a full meal for days now"

Granny Lin then smiled and said.

"Oh poor child, you could just come and ask you know"

"But I don't want to hurt your business and I feel bad for eating without paying"

Granny Lin chuckled softly, her eyes twinkling with warmth.

"Damon, my dear, you could never hurt my business. And as for eating without paying, consider it a gift from me to you. You've been like family to me, and family looks out for each other."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at her, overwhelmed by her kindness.

"Thank you, Granny Lin. You've been more than just a neighbor to me. You've been my family."

She reached across the counter and gently wiped away my tears.

"And you've been like a grandson to me, Damon. Now, finish your meal and let an old woman spoil you a little."

I nodded, and continued to finish my meal. After finishing my meal, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. Granny Lin had a way of making everything feel right, even in the midst of hardship.

"Granny Lin, today let me pay for it in full"

"Oh Damon, you don't have to use your hard earned money to pay"

"I insist granny"

I took out my phone and paid with the QR code. The bowl of ramen costed 5 Krowns, and even though I did have 5 Krowns in cash, I wanted to pay with the new balance I received.

*Beep*

Payment Successful

"Thank you for everything granny Lin..."

"You didn't have to pay me you know"

"I just wanted to repay for your kindness to me"

I rushed out of the stall and said goodbye to her.

*Buzz*

Granny Lin looked at her phone.

{Freedom Bank: $10,000 KR have been deposited into your account. Current Balance: $26,367 KR}

At that moment, granny Lin fell on her knees and in shock.

"Oh Damon, you really shouldn't have"

Granny Lin stared at her phone in disbelief, her hands trembling. She quickly composed herself and looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

As I walked down the street, a fire burned within me, fueled by the newfound wealth from the mysterious system.

"Now that I have money, thanks to this mysterious system, just you wait, Ashburn's. I will get revenge on all of you,"

I thought to myself, clenching my fists tightly around my phone.

The thought of confronting my uncle and cousins, who had treated me so cruelly, filled me with a sense of determination. I would make them pay for what they had done to me, for stripping me of my inheritance and leaving me with nothing.

With the power of the system at my fingertips, I feel unstoppable. The Ashburn's would soon regret the day they crossed me.

The problem is, how do I remove this screen from my face it's annoying.

"Ahhhhh!"

[Ding! you have done an act of kindness]

[Achievement unlocked: Mr Beast]

[Mr Beast: Every dollar that you spend, you received 2X the amount]

[Ding! you receive one gift]

Next chapter