In a shared apartment for borers, I stared at a weird message that popped up in front of me while lying next to the smelly hogs I called friends.

  Your game avatar has reached the end of the expected lifespan at 50 years old and died.

  Would you like to conclude this life now? Y/N?

  Warning: Life Conclusion causes immense mental strain. Please rest in a safe location before proceeding.

  Warning: Without concluding this life, the Progress System can't continue running. Please conclude this life as quickly as possible!

  This message has been in front of me since this morning, yet no one else could see it, peacefully snoring like the three tired work animals they are. As for why this message appeared?

  Let's go back to a month ago, 33 days to be exact, during my 18th birthday...

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  "Cheers to Apollox!"

  "Cheers, buddy! You're finally a man!"

  "Hahahaha!"

  Inside a slum tavern, a rowdy bunch of workers, my roommates and co-workers, celebrated my 18th birthday with me, drinking piss-poor, diluted mead and eating a poor-man's meal, gruel with shredded bits of vegetables and mystery meat.

  In the New Roman Empire, when one reaches 18, people are officially independent. Of course, to me, an orphaned street urchin who was adopted by an old borer, learning his skills before he died, this was quite the achievement, considering all the hazards I had to endure and the ck of healthcare.

  To us borers, who have unknown futures, we live in the moment, living life as best as we can while trying to survive, and I am just one of many. At least, I am not a sve, although some sves might actually live better than I do...

  Anyways, another reason why we group up is to defend ourselves from... less pleasant people.

  "Hey! You're new here, right? Where is our protection money, old man?" An unpleasant voice sounded from the side.

  I couldn't help but frown, my good mood souring as I looked to the side. In a shady corner, a cloaked old man was having a drink alone, three half-drunk thugs surrounding him like vultures and hyenas.

  This made my mood particurly bad, considering I especially respected the elderly. And thus, I stood up.

  "Apollox, don't!" One of my fellow borers, Ryker, hurriedly grabbed my arm and hissed.

  "But Ryker..." I couldn't help but frown, feeling displeased.

  "These guys are enforcers from the Purple Snake Gang. All of them are at least Junior Warriors, and their leader is a General Warrior! Don't act rashly..." Ryker pleaded.

  I couldn't help but narrow my eyes.

  In our world, people who train their bodies and fighting spirit are collectively called Warriors. Those who didn't train, usually due to a ck of resources and natural talent, are called Commoners, while those who trained a bit are called Junior Warriors.

  To even qualify to join the auxiliary legions, one must at least advance to the Junior Warrior Realm. Otherwise, even the Auxilia wouldn't accept them.

  Junior Warriors were much stronger than Commoners, and three able-bodied Commoners were needed to beat a Junior Warrior in hand-to-hand combat. That was also why we borers stayed together, as a form of deterrence and self-protection on the streets.

  After all, the risks outweighed the benefits of bothering us poor bastards. All of us combined barely had a few Denari...

  I sat back down, clenching my hands in indignation and unwillingness, holding myself back, and watched the scene unfold, my heart weighed by a feeling of powerlessness.

  At this time, perhaps it was my imagination, but the old man seemed to gnce at me with appreciative eyes, wink at me, and look at the three thugs.

  "Sure, how much is it?" The old man calmly asked, drinking his mead.

  "Five Denari." One of the thugs said an outrageous number.

  Hearing this number, my eyes bzed. A denarius was the expected payment for a workday for a borer like me. But how many workdays can I get done in a year? About 200-250 at most! And most of this money was for food and shelter! Taking 5 denari for nothing was like killing us!

  But to my surprise, the man calmly took out 5 silver coins, pcing them on the table, and calmly looked at the three thugs.

  "Is this enough, sirs?" The old man patiently asked with a calm smile.

  The thugs looked at the coins, but didn't take them yet, a hint of greed in their eyes.

  "Now we want 10." The leading thug narrowed his eyes.

  My hand subconsciously reached for my dagger. I was really tempted to stab them to death. However, several strong hands grabbed me, preventing me from moving.

  "Apollox, stop. Now." Ryker lowly growled, holding my dominant arm.

  "Forget it, kid. Don't meddle in this mess." Laene, another borer, grabbed my shoulder and added.

  "Don't drag us into that mess, kid. Now sit down." Fynnegun, a third borer, said, holding my other arm.

  "Fuck..." I muttered, feeling dejected as I sat down, feeling heavy and guilty in my heart.

  "If I were a Warrior, I could beat those bastards down and protect that old man. I wouldn't need to be held down... Dammit... Dammit!"

  At this time, the old man smiled at the three thugs and spoke.

  "I am sorry, sirs. I don't have any more money to give you."

  The three thugs' eyes fshed with a vicious light, one of them pulling a dagger.

  "Don't lie to us, old fart! Give us your money, or we will ssh your wrinkled face!"

  However, to my surprise, the old man completely ignored the knife, as if it were nothing, sighed, and calmly spoke.

  "Hah... foolish mortal. I gave you a way out, but you failed to walk it..." The old man lightly sighed.

  "What is he talking about?" I asked myself, dubious.

  However, the thugs obviously took it as a provocation.

  "Fucking old fart, you asked for it!" A thug raised his knife, ready to stab the old man!

  "Wait, DON'T!" I stood up and shouted, but it was too te.

  As the thug stabbed down, the old man suddenly snapped his fingers and-

  Woosh*

  The three thugs and the old man disappeared, as if they were never there.

  "Eh...?"

  But at the same time, something even MORE bizarre happened.

  "Crazy d, what are you shouting for?" Ryker chastised with a confused look.

  "I-I... Where are the old man and thugs?!" I asked, pointing at the clearly empty table.

  The borers who went to celebrate with me looked at one another before bursting into ughter.

  "Hahahaha!"

  "Seems like Apollox got drunk!"

  "What a madd! Hahaha!"

  My mouth opened and closed, still shocked and speechless, before sitting down in a daze.

  "I'm not crazy... I'm not... Okay?" I bitterly thought.

  Later that night, after we paid the barkeep and went to our cheap apartment, my mind was still filled with the bizarre scene that happened.

  "Did... Did I see a sorcerer? Or maybe a god? Or was it a trickster spirit? Or did the stress finally get to me?" I asked myself.

  I wasn't drunk enough to hallucinate, so only these options crossed my mind.

  Unable to come up with an answer, I went to take a piss before going up the tall and dangerous apartment building I lived in. After all, there wasn't a bathroom on the fifth floor! It wasn't one of those fancy magic apartments the wealthy people live in...

  After I finished taking a leak, pissing away some of the alcohol in my bloodstream, I was about to climb to my apartment and get some well-deserved rest. After all, I need to work tomorrow and make a living!

  But just when I was about to go up the stairs, I heard a familiar voice.

  "Young man, may I have a moment of your time?"

  I shook slightly and turned around, only to see the old man from before, my heart filled with shock, awe, and horror.

  "I-I-I-I-I... I greet Lord God..." I timidly said, lowering my head and shaking in fear.

  What stood before me was a being I could only call a god. Even if he wasn't a real god, he was godly enough!

  The old man raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

  "Come now, young man. I didn't come to you to py god. Now raise your head." He said with a warm voice that somehow held undeniable power.

  My body involuntarily straightened up, as if raised by an invisible hand. Or perhaps it was just my body obeying this godly man's words.

  "Now, then, young Apollox, do you know why I approached you?" The old man asked.

  "I-I don't know, my lord..." I hesitantly said.

  "Because you stood up for me." The old man smiled.

  "I-I just did what anyone would do, my lord..." I honestly said.

  "And yet, no one else stood up in a poor and unknown old man's defense..." The old man replied.

  I quieted down. Indeed, even my fellow borers and friends refused to help, scared of the consequences. Only I stood up. And yet...

  "But I didn't help in the end..." I bitterly said.

  The old man's smile became wider.

  "And that is because you were weak. You could have helped me if you were stronger."

  His words hit me where it hurt. Indeed, if I were stronger, I could have helped him... Unfortunately, I am a weak commoner, the lowest of plebs, just an unskilled borer and day worker.

  Seeing me like this, the old man continued speaking.

  "Regardless, despite your weakness, you still risked yourself for me in the end... and for that, you deserve a reward."

  Once he said that, his eyes became hypnotic, and he asked.

  "Now... Tell me your deepest desire, and I shall fulfill it... Do you want Wealth? Power? Strength? Women? Fame? Glory? Longevity? I can help you... All you need to do is say your heart's desire..."

  I felt compelled to answer him. Yes, I wanted all of these things... But I didn't like the idea of all of them being given to me. I wanted to earn them myself. All I wanted was-

  "An opportunity..." I spoke.

  "Hm?" The old man tilted his head, blinking.

  "I want wealth, power, strength, women, fame, glory, and Longevity... but I want to achieve them all by myself. All I want is an opportunity." I honestly replied, compelled to answer.

  That was really my dream. Sure, who didn't want all these things?

  "Hm... interesting..."

  The old man's eyes flickered before disappearing, appearing right in front of me. I found that my body was frozen, unable to move, disobeying my orders as the man spoke.

  "Then I shall give you many lifetimes of opportunities... Use them wisely in this lifetime..."

  After he said that, all I saw was the old man's glowing hand approaching my face-

  And then, I bcked out.

  Progress System is being installed...

  Putting the host into a safety coma.

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  "Apollox, you sleepyhead, wake up already!"

  "We're gonna get te for work! Wake up!"

  I was shaken awake by my friends, feeling as if everything that happened to me was just a dream.

  "That was the weirdest dream ever..." I thought.

  But at this moment, I saw something that almost made me shit myself.

  "Holy shit! What is that?!" I widened my eyes, looking at a blue box.

  The Progress System has been installed successfully!

  Would you like to start a new simuted life?

  "???"

  bignt