Benny’s gaze slowly shifted back to the number displayed on the screen.

500,000.

He stared at it, eyes locked, mind already racing.

"With this much..." he murmured, a grin creeping onto his face, "I could hire a whole team and jump straight into crypto market."

His smile widened.

"Last I checked... it’s pretty easy to lose money that way."

[ Ding! Unauthorized operation detected. ]

[ Investments involving cryptocurrency, Ponzi schemes, or similar high-risk/illegal structures are prohibited. ]

[ The company must operate strictly within legal and regulated business activities. ]

"...Uh..."

Benny scratched his cheek.

"Well... fair enough," he muttered.

Guess the system wasn’t going to let him speedrun bankruptcy that easily.

With a small sigh, he grabbed a jacket and slung it over his shoulders, heading for the door.

"If nothing else, I’m not letting five hundred thousand just sit there collecting dust inside a screen."

He stepped outside, the morning air hitting his face as his thoughts began spinning again.

"I’ll figure something out on the way... but first, I’ll need a place. Renting a plot sounds like a good start..."

Then his steps slowed slightly and a frown formed.

"...Wait. What if they ask where I got the money from?"

[ No need for concern. ]

[ All financial origins and documentation have been handled by the system. ]

[ Your sole responsibility is the operation and management of the business. ]

"Oh..."

Benny blinked, then nodded slowly.

"Well... alright then. Thanks."

There was no hesitation after that, he raised a hand and hailed a cab, slipping into the back seat.

"Real estate agency," he said.

The car pulled away and just like that, Benny’s second life officially began to move.

___

The cab came to a stop in front of a modest real estate office.

The signboard looked slightly faded, the kind of place that had seen better days but was still standing.

Benny paid the fare and stepped out, adjusting his jacket before walking in.

A bell chimed softly as he pushed the door open.

Inside, a middle-aged man looked up from behind the counter, surprised at the early customer.

"Looking to buy or rent?" the man asked, eyeing him curiously.

"Rent," Benny replied without hesitation. "A commercial space."

The man’s posture straightened a little.

"Budget range?"

Benny paused for half a second and then, casually said.

"Not an issue."

That answer did its job.

The man’s eyes sharpened immediately, a hint of enthusiasm slipping through his professional demeanor.

"I see... any specific requirements? Location? Size?"

Benny pretended to think, though in reality, he was testing the edges of the system in his head.

"Somewhere... decent traffic. Not too small. Not too big either."

The agent nodded and quickly pulled out a few files.

"I have a few options that might interest you."

He laid them out one by one.

Photos, floor plans and pricing.

Benny leaned forward, scanning them, not like a buyer looking for value...

But like someone searching for the worst deal that still looked reasonable.

If it was too cheap, he won’t be able to spend all the system fund.

If it was too expensive, he might not have any left to spend on his business.

And as for the place, if it was too remote, the price would most likely be cheap.

He tapped one of the listings.

"This one."

The agent blinked.

"That’s... a bit on the higher end for its area," he said cautiously.

Benny shrugged.

"Does it meet my requirements?"

"...Yes."

"Then I’ll take it."

The agent stared at him for a moment, clearly trying to process what kind of customer he was dealing with.

"...Alright," he said slowly. "We can proceed with the paperwork." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The agent gave a brief nod before stepping away, returning moments later with a neat stack of documents.

One by one, the papers were laid out across the table.

As the signatures were placed, Benny felt a quiet thrill stir in his chest.

He leaned back slightly, pen still in hand, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

Lease Summary:

• Location: Mid-tier commercial street (moderate foot traffic)

• Size: 1,000 sq ft

• Rate: 25¥ per sq ft (monthly)

• Total Monthly Rent: 25,000¥

• Advance (6 months): 150,000¥

• Security Deposit (refundable): 50,000¥

Total Spent Upfront: 200,000¥

System Fund: 300,000¥

Personal wealth: 6919

Benny’s eyes lingered on the final number.

Two hundred thousand... gone in one clean move.

His eyes flickered with anticipation as he stood up, the contract now finalized.

"Now..." Benny muttered to himself as he stepped out of the office, the freshly signed documents still warm in his hands.

"What kind of business should I ruin first?"

"A game studio...?"

He paused on the sidewalk, frowning slightly.

"No... I’ve read a novel about it before. The protagonist went ahead and ended up getting rich instead of losing money."

He clicked his tongue.

"I’ll take a different route."

His gaze drifted, unfocused, as he ran through the idea again.

"Besides... there’s no way they can burn through this kind of budget in just a month. Games take time and it’s too slow..."

He exhaled.

"...Hmm. Let’s see."

For a moment, he just stood there, thinking.

Then suddenly, he turned back around and pushed the door open again.

The bell chimed and the agent looked up, a bit surprised. "Oh? Did you forget something?"

Benny walked up casually, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah... sort of."

The agent raised an eyebrow.

Benny leaned slightly on the counter, his tone almost offhand.

"Out of curiosity... what kind of businesses around here are losing money these days?"

The agent blinked.

"...Losing money?"

"Yeah," Benny said, completely straight-faced. "Something that looks normal, operates legally... but just isn’t doing well."

The man studied him for a moment, clearly unsure whether this was some kind of trick question.

"...That’s a strange thing to ask," he admitted.

Benny shrugged. "Call it market research."

The agent leaned back slightly, thinking.

"Well... if you’re asking honestly..."

He tapped a finger on the desk.

"Food businesses."

Benny’s eyes sharpened just a little.

"Restaurants, cafés, small diners—especially new ones. They’re always struggling with high rent, staff costs, ingredients and wastage... if they don’t catch on quickly, they bleed money fast."

He added, almost casually,

"And there’s one just down the street that’s been struggling for months now. It’s in a good location, but the owner can’t seem to turn things around."

Benny’s lips slowly curled upward.

"Oh?"

Now that sounded promising.