Richest Man: It All Started With My Rebate System-Chapter 6: A Lossless Situation

Steven got out of the car with his shopping bags in hand. He looked toward the driver and nodded once in thanks.

With the bright smile that had been on his face for almost half the afternoon, he started walking toward the apartment building’s entrance.

He had barely taken a step when he stopped in his tracks.

[You spent $12. A 4.5x rebate was triggered.]

[You received $54. The money has been sent to your account.]

"Really? What terrible timing," he muttered and sighed, feeling complicated emotions in his chest.

Steven wasn’t dissatisfied with the rebate multiplier. Rather, the complicated emotions came from the fact that he had been hoping for a multiplier like that on a higher amount. Like when he bought the phone, for example.

But while the timing wasn’t what he wanted, he was still appreciative. Lucky or not, his account balance kept growing regardless.

The smile that had nearly faded bloomed again when he thought about how the whole deal was completely lossless for him.

He walked to the apartment building’s entrance, opened the door and stepped through.

***

Three minutes later, he stepped into his room. He dropped the shopping bags on the bed and sat down.

The new clothes still needed to be taken out of the bags, but he intended to do that later. Besides, he didn’t have a wardrobe or a dedicated place to put them yet.

His mind was on something else. He had been curious about the source of the money from the system.

While it did sound strange to only be worrying about that after receiving more than $4,000, it was still a valid concern.

It would be very bad if the IRS came knocking on his door.

He had already confirmed that the system didn’t respond to questions, so he had no way of getting answers. But then a thought occurred to him.

I wonder if I can get any useful information from the [Account Balance] section.

Just like the [Name] section, the [Account Balance] section had seemed self-explanatory, so Steven hadn’t bothered checking it. But now, he felt he probably should, just to be sure.

He called up the system screen.

[Rebate System]

[Name: Steven Craig]

[Physique: 12]

[Intelligence: 18]

[Account Balance: $4,924.98]

[Exclusive Points: 0]

He focused his attention on the [Account Balance] section and the next moment, it expanded in his vision.

[Account Balance: This shows the host’s account balance. Asset values are not included.]

[Note: Host does not need to worry about the legality of the funds. Spend a total of $100M to upgrade the system. More panels will be added to the screen when needed.]

"Checking it was the right call. That’s some valuable information," Steven muttered to himself.

Not only had the system indirectly addressed his concerns about the legality of the money, but it had also given him something to look forward to.

The system could be upgraded, and to do that, he would have to spend a total of $100M.

It was an enormous amount for where he currently stood. But considering he had spent more than $4,000 in just a few hours, reaching that number wouldn’t be impossible.

Thinking about the upgrade condition, Steven smiled to himself. "This is the dream."

He lay back on the bed, thinking about what he was going to do tomorrow. His account balance was sitting at nearly $5,000, which was a decent amount.

It was enough to do a few things, but not a lot. There were still plenty of things Steven felt he needed to take care of now that money was coming in, and one of them was moving to a better place.

His current apartment was in a rented space, and he would eventually have to leave when he found somewhere better.

He thought of renovating it tastefully, but he knew that it would be a waste he won’t be here for long.

The neighbourhood he lived in had all the familiar problems that came with being at the lowest rung. He had no desire to stay longer than necessary.

The best move was to find a new apartment and get out.

The question now was whether to buy or rent. His current balance could only realistically cover renting, but Steven felt that purchasing made more sense in the long run. He didn’t plan to move again after settling somewhere, unless he eventually had enough to buy a building of his own.

"I can actually get the best of both worlds," he said to himself. "I’ll rent a place but have a clause added to the contract giving me the option to purchase it later. A condo would be the best fit for that."

Steven nodded as the decision settled in his mind. By his estimate, he should have enough to rent a condo. All he needed to do was visit an agency and apply.

He pushed himself up from the bed and started packing his new clothes into his bag.

Once that was done, he moved to the kitchen. It was already evening, and Steven was someone who ate early. With everything that had happened today, he felt like celebrating, and he intended to do that with fried chicken, cornbread, and baked beans.

While he was cooking, his phone rang. He paused, walked over, and picked it up.

The caller ID read Perfect Asylum Candidate, and he smiled. He thought about it for a moment, then decided to answer.

The first thing he heard was the familiar voice of his former boss, sharp with anger.

"You ungrateful wretch. I took pity on you and gave you a job, and you repay me by quitting? Not only that, but you ruined Mr. Watson’s appetite and left him completely dissatisfied with me. You’re a waste, no matter how I look at it, and you will never amount to anything in life. I’m glad you’re gone. But just know that you won’t be seeing a single cent of your paycheck. Consider it compensation for the damage you did to my business today."

Steven scoffed when he heard this.

"Your business? You talk like you own the place. You’re just a staff member who can be fired by the actual owner at any time. As for the paycheck, keep it. I’m sure you need it more than I do. And trust me when I say this — I’ll be the last person you see before you hit rock bottom."

He ended the call without giving his former boss a chance to respond.

He set his phone back down on the bed, walked back to the kitchen, and continued cooking with a smile on his face.

He didn’t allow what his former boss said to affect him, and he meant every word he said.

***

Meanwhile, in the manager’s office of Steven’s former workplace, the man sitting behind the desk stared at his phone in shock. Then he slammed it down and shouted, his voice shaking with rage.

"Steven, you bastard!"

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