Gongcheng Yuandu believed he was ill, suffering from a severe psychological disorder of some kind.
Why would he think that?
Today at noon, while having lunch with his family, a voice calling itself the "System" had suddenly appeared in his mind.
As soon as lunch was over, he had his driver take him to the psychiatric department of a hospital for an examination. He certainly didn't believe he could actually acquire a "System" like the protagonists in web novels—or in layman's terms, a golden finger.
For a moment, he suspected that a rival family had secretly slipped him some kind of hallucinogenic drug, but after careful consideration, Gongcheng Yuandu dismissed the idea as impossible.
The Gongcheng Family had no actual rivals to speak of.
As for the conglomerates and noble houses of Yamato Province, which had been incorporated into the embrace of China a few years ago?
The mere thought of it brought a smirk to Gongcheng's face. After all, although the Gongcheng Family had ambitions to break into the Yamato market, that was merely a spur-of-the-moment whim of his father's. Those conglomerates were worlds away from his main family, and it was absurd to think they could eavesdrop from such a distance.
Besides, even if they had somehow eavesdropped, could they have reacted quickly enough to drug him? His father's sudden whim had only occurred that very morning.
"Host, do you really distrust me that much?"
Just as Gongcheng Yuandu was about to delve deeper into his thoughts, the System in his mind spoke up in a timely manner, seemingly displeased by his skepticism.
"Tell me, if a normal person suddenly found a strange voice in their head claiming to be some sort of 'System', would you expect a normal person to believe it?" Gongcheng Yuandu sat at his desk, gently rubbing his temples as he mentally retorted to the System in silent speech.
"Then... what will it take for you to believe me?" the System asked cautiously.
The teenager pondered for a moment, and as if a thought struck him, he laid down his condition: "If you can cure my hearing impairment, then I might consider whether or not to believe you."
The System fell silent as well, weighing the feasibility of the request, but finally replied: "Can you pick a different condition? I can give you a newbie gift pack instead."
The faint light of the desk lamp illuminated the teenager's handsome face as he let out a soft, mocking laugh: "A newbie gift pack? In those web novels, that's something you get the moment you bind! Still, go ahead and issue the newbie gift pack so I can see if I've really gone mad."
The System watched in silence as the teenager at the desk fiddled with a ruler, and eventually compromised: "Newbie gift pack issued. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained: Dark Spark ×1, Galactron Spark Doll ×1, High School Comprehensive Knowledge."
Looking at the two objects that had abruptly appeared on his desk, the teenager furrowed his brow instantly. He hurriedly rubbed his eyes, and upon confirming that he wasn't hallucinating, the corners of his mouth curled uncontrollably upward.
"Does the Host believe me now?"
"Yeah, I believe you. But... System, shouldn't you explain what these two things actually do?" The teenager tried several times to smooth down the corners of his mouth, but remained clueless about the purposes of the "Dark Spark" and the "Galactron Doll", so he asked.
Instead of answering, the System silently injected a stream of information directly into Gongcheng Yuandu's mind—details regarding the mutual love and rivalry between Dark Lugiel and Ultraman Ginga (from the tokusatsu series *Ultraman Ginga*).
The moment the information was injected, Gongcheng Yuandu felt a stabbing pain in his head and clutched it tightly, only coming to his senses after the pain subsided. He looked at the Dark Spark with a trace of weirdness in his gaze: "Are you sure you aren't messing with me? I admit I have some dark corners in my heart, but you..." The more he looked at the Dark Spark, the more exasperated he felt.
"Besides, since I was born, this world has never seen a single monster. What use is it to hand these things over to me?"
"That relates to future System missions, of course, and to the future peace of this world," the System replied with absolute conviction.
In its view, no one could resist the temptation of becoming a savior.
"How so?" Gongcheng Yuandu pinched his chin, frowning deeply in utter confusion.
"Before long, monsters and Ultramen—or rather, entities beyond ordinary human comprehension—will begin descending upon this world one after another. When that time comes, the Host will need to step up, resolve the crises, and protect world peace!" The System attempted to ignite the teenager's inner chuunibyou soul.
"Are you sure I wouldn't just be an overworked corporate slave?" he asked coldly in return.
"Don't put it like that! Look on the bright side—sooner or later, you'll be featured across the major media outlets of every nation, hailed as a hero by the people. Doesn't that tempt you? Just imagine: after defeating a monster, you stand tall upon the earth while crowds cheer and praise you as humanity's hero. Doesn't that tempt you at all?!" The System tried to use psychological manipulation, but Gongcheng Yuandu wasn't foolish enough to be swayed by its rhetoric.
"When you boil it down, isn't that still just an odd-job laborer?" the teenager replied dismissively.
"You..." The System looked utterly exasperated as the teenager stood up to stretch his limbs.
"Did I break your defenses? Alright, cut the nonsense and tell me this: I have a hearing disability, and you're asking me to go fist-fighting monsters and space aliens? Are you out of your mind?"
"No, I'm dead serious. Besides, there are rewards for eliminating monsters and completing missions. As long as the Host puts in the effort, you might even obtain remedies to cure your hearing in the future," the System answered earnestly.
After hesitating for a long while, Gongcheng Yuandu replied: "I understand. I'll be counting on you from now on."
The System answered cheerfully: "Looking forward to working with you, Host."
"By the way, what is this High School Comprehensive Knowledge?"
"It contains all the high school-level knowledge of any normal world—including this one, naturally. You could say that right now, the Host's intellect is on par with a god within the confines of a high school."
"You certainly have a lot of confidence in your own inventory," Gongcheng Yuandu replied with amusement.
"Naturally! As the saying goes: 'Anything produced by the System is a masterpiece!'" the System responded with utter confidence.
Gongcheng ignored it further, glancing out the window and checking his phone. Seeing that it was getting late, he prepared to climb into bed and sleep, but after a glance at the Dark Spark and the doll on his desk, he asked: "You must have a System Space, right? Can you put these two things away? I don't want my family seeing them. Also... can the Dark Spark be bound to me, just in case I lose it someday?"
The System replied: "Of course. Binding Dark Spark... Binding successful."
As it spoke, the Spark and the doll vanished from the desk, and a virtual screen resembling a video game character sheet appeared before Gongcheng Yuandu's eyes.
Name: Gongcheng Yuandu
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Health: Acquired hearing impairment (completely deaf in the right ear)
Identity: Fourth Young Master of the Gongcheng Family, prospective transfer student of Shuchiin
Bound Items: Dark Spark, Spark Doll
System Space: Dark Spark, Galactron Spark Doll
The teenager looked at the health entry, his eyes filled with a fleeting darkness that vanished instantly.
Without dwelling on it further, the teenager took off his jacket, changed into his pajamas, turned off the desk lamp, and climbed into bed. Lying flat and staring at the ceiling, he drifted into a deep sleep before long.
And where the teenager could not see, a faint streak of golden light flashed and sank silently between his brows.