Chapter 3

"Big brother?"

Seeing Shinji stop and look at the window display, Sakura also stopped and tentatively called out.

Shinji gazed indifferently at the shop window of the accessories store and said coldly, "Go inside and pick something you like."

Hugging a white bunny plushie, Sakura kept her head down and silently followed behind Shinji.

"Thank you."

Before Sakura could finish her sentence, Shinji interrupted her with his cold words, "It's only because I'm the eldest son of the Matou family. I don't want people to think the eldest son of the Matou family can't even remember his sister's birthday. It would bring shame to the Matou family."

"Oh, I'm sor—"

Sakura's timid apology was cut off by Shinji's sharp retort and the sight of his clenched fist. The words stuck in her throat, and she fell silent once again.

For nine-year-old Sakura, who had endured unimaginable torment, the realization that the only person who had shown her any warmth in this house also now hated her, was a crushing blow. Yet, despite everything, Sakura couldn't bring herself to hate her brother. Even if he was cold, even if he threw the dessert she disliked at her as if it were trash, it was still one of the few things she could eat that wasn't poisoned.

Even though he never missed giving her a birthday present each year, Sakura often comforted herself by thinking that her brother still cared for her. But the cold, increasingly resentful look in his eyes shattered her heart every time.

His attitude towards others contrasted sharply with his treatment of her, and this too gnawed at her spirit. Although he frequently skipped classes, he was top in both academics and sports, always polite and sociable with everyone around him. But towards her, he maintained an icy indifference, pretending not to know her even when they met at school, never speaking more than necessary.

She must truly be someone nobody cared about.

Shinji understood Sakura's feelings, but he had no choice. He needed an excuse for his training. What he didn't realize was that his actions were deepening Sakura's despair, laying the foundation for a twisted affection towards him in the future. Unbeknownst to Shinji, the story was veering far from its original path.

Shinji's plan was simple: survive in the most logical way, develop his strength, and deal with everything else later.

Under the bleak moonlight and the flickering old street lamps, the already gloomy Matou residence looked even more foreboding. Returning home, Shinji saw a middle-aged man waiting in the living room—his father Matou Byakuya—and an old man with a bald head, wearing a dark blue and gray kimono, leaning on a cane. This skeletal figure with sunken eyes, emanating a sharp gleam, was Matou Zouken, Shinji's grandfather.

Seeing them, a glimmer of hope flashed in Shinji's eyes.

"Grandfather! Father, I—"

Before Shinji could finish, Byakuya interrupted him.

"Sakura, come here. Shinji, go to your room."

At the same time, Zouken stood up from the sofa, his eyes never leaving Sakura, not sparing Shinji a glance.

Clenching his fists tightly, Shinji bit his lip and lowered his head, hiding his expression in the shadows.

It felt all too real.

Even after the two left with Sakura, Shinji didn't unclench his fists.

In his room, Shinji lay on his bed, mentally praising his acting skills. If this were his previous life, he'd surely win an Oscar.

"System," Shinji called out in his mind.

[Grandfather is here.]

Damn it, it's taking advantage again!

Cursing silently, Shinji began to examine the system panel.

The system panel was divided into the Task Bar and the Points Shop. The Points Shop wasn't accessible yet due to Shinji's weak cultivation level.

Currently, only the Task Bar was available.

The Task Bar was divided into Daily Tasks, Main Quests, Regular Tasks, and Strategy Tasks. Completing tasks yielded various rewards.

Daily Tasks were the simplest, like today's training task, usually offering a small amount of spiritual energy as a reward.

Regular Tasks hadn't appeared yet.

The Main Quests were twofold:

[Main Quest One: Redeem Matou Zouken (Makiri Zolgen) within ten years. Difficulty: SSS]

[Hint: The best redemption for him is to remind him of everything he has forgotten and send him off without regrets. Quest Reward: ???]

[Progress: 0.01%, Time Remaining: Seven Years (Grandson, hurry up! There's no time to waste in redeeming an old man with dementia!)]

This task irked Shinji. Initially, the system had straightforwardly demanded that he eliminate Zouken within ten years!

His conversation with the system went something like this:

Dog System: Kill someone for me within ten years.

Shinji: Body Cleansing Pill + Cultivation Technique + Meridian Chart + 200 drops of high-concentration spiritual energy liquid.

Dog System: Here, take it as a deposit (Body Cleansing Pill + Cultivation Technique + Meridian Chart).

Shinji (after checking and accepting): System, who do you want me to kill?

Dog System: The head of the Matou family—Matou Zouken!

Shinji (shocked): Who?! System, you know he's my grandfather, right?

Dog System: Do you even care about such things?

Shinji: System, you misunderstand. He's my blood relative, a close elder!

Dog System: ...

Shinji: You need to add more compensation.

So after much haggling, the Main Quest changed from [Eliminate Matou Zouken within ten years] to [Redeem Matou Zouken within ten years]. The compensation didn't increase, and the task remained essentially the same! This dog system really knows how to play!

Next was the second Main Quest.

[Main Quest Two: Completely destroy and eliminate the Holy Grail system. Difficulty: SSSS]

[Hint: Fifth Holy Grail War, Holy Grail System, Einzbern Factory. Quest Reward: ???]

[Progress: 0.003%, Time Remaining: Seven Years]

These tasks were insane.

Shinji sighed. After three years of daily training tasks, he had barely started his cultivation journey. Achieving these tasks in time for the Fifth Holy Grail War in seven years seemed impossible.

But…

[Grandson, these are all tests from me. I believe you can complete them, which is why I set the highest risk rewards for you! If you succeed, the rewards will exceed your imagination! However, the risks are also high—if you fail, there's a 90% chance you'll end up in a vegetative state. But I believe, as my descendant, you have zero chance of failing. Go for it!]

Shinji: ... I******!