My Counterattack System After Reborn

Chapter 24: Toolbars, Taskbars, And A Trip To The Mall 6650

Todd had Biology first thing in the morning. In his previous life, he had not paid much attention in school, but after having lost everything, he had come to understand how important it was to know things. Fortunately, he was a fast learner, and with the help of Eve Roberts, he was able to completely master the high school curriculum in a matter of days. So, when it came time for class, Todd did not need to listen to the teacher.

The minute class began, Todd began to tune the teacher out. He stared blankly at the blackboard, and as his eyes lost their focus, he called up his Pretentious system's virtual interface.

The Pretentious system was terrific. Whenever Todd gave an order to turn on the system in his brain, a virtual plane would appear on his retinas, which appeared directly in his field of vision without being seen by others.

The virtual interface appeared in Todd's field of vision like a curtain. Five sub-columns appeared on the left side like a toolbar in an online game. The different columns were labeled: Character Attributes, Lottery System, Inventory, Taskbar, and Mall.

Todd’s brow furrowed as he focused on the Character Attribute column. It said –

Host: Todd

Physical Data: Male. 18 years old. 5’7”. 152lbs. Thin build. Comprehensive Physical Fitness Score: 70

Special skills: Proficient in fighting

Slap-Face Numerical Value: 37,700 points

Todd was a little surprised when he saw how much Slap-Face Numerical Value he had. Each draw cost 10,000 points, which meant that he was almost eligible to draw four times.

Todd skipped the more familiar Lottery System and Inventory so that he could check out the Taskbar. He was disappointed to see that the Taskbar was blank, but since real life was like a video game,  he understood how it functioned. Since no task could be received, the Taskbar was a Trigger Type. Todd had played a lot of online games, and he knew these routines very well.

Todd scanned the Toolbar and decided that he wanted to check out the Mall next. He had high hopes for what he would find at the Mall. The Mall was where you went to buy or exchange items, and he could use his Slap-Face Numerical Value as currency.  

With any luck, Todd hoped to find a One-level Hun Yuan Elixir. If he did, he would be able to sell it for millions of dollars at a black-market auction. The elixir had rare restorative powers, and because there were so many sick people in the world, it was highly sought after.

Todd smiled as he prompted his Pretentious system to open the Mall, but his smile disappeared almost immediately.

Suddenly, the mechanical voice in his mind spoke up. It said, “Access Denied. Mall requires activation. Activation cost: 30,000 Slap-Face Numerical Value. Say ‘Yes’ to activate the Mall."

Todd was so startled that he nearly spoke out in class. He could not believe that it would take 30,000 Slap-Face Numerical Value to enter the Mall. He definitely wanted to get into the Mall, but if he activated it now, he would barely have any Slap-Face Numerical Value left to buy anything, and he certainly wouldn’t have enough to purchase a One-level Hun Yuan Elixir.

Todd thought about his next move carefully. As far as he could see, he had three options. He could draw three prizes. He could open the Mall. Or he could save the Slap-Face Numerical Value for now. It occurred to him, that what he wanted the most was to gain access to the Mall. Even if he could not buy anything, he could peruse. Then, if he saw anything that he liked, he could put it on hold and save up for it. “Yes,” he whispered.

Suddenly, a new set of columns appeared under the Mall column. These sub-columns were labeled: Equipment, Skill Books, Medicine, Ethereal Animals, and Groceries.

Ethereal Animals was the first column to catch Todd’s eye, but when he tried to access it, the mechanical voice in his head said, “Access Denied. Ethereal Animals require activation. Activation cost: 500,000 Slap-Face Numerical Value. Host does not have sufficient funds.”

  When Todd heard this number, the muscles on his face trembled. He felt like the world’s biggest fool for spending all of his money to gain access to the Mall. It occurred to him that maybe this was an anomaly, and he tried to access the other columns – Equipment, Skill books, and Medicine – only to find that they cost 100,000, 200,000 and 300,000 Slap-Face Numerical Value.

Very well – Todd thought – The Pretentious system has successfully cheated me out of 30,000 Slap-Face Numerical Value. He moved on to the last column, Groceries, without any hope. But, much to his surprise, he was granted access.

Beneath the Groceries column, hundreds of small picture icons appeared. Each one represented a commodity, and Todd was pleased. Not a complete waste – he thought with satisfaction. It was not long before he realized that, with the items he could purchase here, he could make a fortune. Then he could access the other columns without any problems.

One of the icons that caught his eye was a picture of a gold brick. One hundred Slap-Face Numerical Value could be exchanged for one gram of gold, and one gram of gold was worth about three hundred dollars, or so it said. Todd's brain began to make some quick calculations. He thought – If one hundred Slap-Face Numerical Value can be exchanged for one gram of gold, and one gram Gold is equivalent to three hundred dollars, and it only costs three dollars to buy a Slap-Face Numerical Value, then I paid the equivalent ninety thousand dollars to activate the Mall!

Todd felt like he had been punched in the stomach and his heart ached when he realized what he had done. Of course, you had to spend money to make money. If he hadn't turned on the Mall, he never would have gained access to the Groceries. He had been really upset, but he was able to calm himself down, and as his heartbeat slowed, a perfect plan began to form in his mind.

***

With Todd's plan in place, the school was a peaceful place, and the storm that hit the following Monday was made to his specifications. He called it a ‘Crew Cut Storm!’ He called it that because, over the weekend, he had shaved his hair, giving himself a neat Crew Cut. 

He went to school late that day so that he could arrive during the break time exercises, at a time when everyone would be outside. He gathered together everyone that was loyal to him and he said, "Listen up. The school's Crew Cut Alliance is officially established. The rules are simple. You must get a Crew Cut, and you must do good deeds. Then, when people see you doing good deeds, they will think of me!”

Everyone thought that this was a grand idea, and they broke out into grand applause.  

***

A week had passed, and everything was going according to plan. All around the neighborhood, boys with neatly shaven heads were helping people. They helped old ladies clear their leaves. They bought breakfast for the girls, and they carried the teachers’ teaching supplies for them. Everybody was talking about it. In this way, they were able to be everywhere all at once, and keep tabs on Caleb and his healers without seeming too conspicuous.