I Hate Systems

"Huff…puff…" Shanzoa panted as he continued to run, using narrow alleyways to throw off his pursuers. He looked around before breaking into a home.

Kya!

The woman of the house screamed in fright and threw a utensil at him. Whacking it to the side, Shanzoa flinched in pain, for the utensil was heavier than he had expected. Upon observing no other change in his System, he rushed out and barged into a hotel, his face paling in response when nothing changed.

\'Did I overthink it? Shit!\' He became flustered in response, when suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind. He left the place and sauntered towards another restaurant, knocking the door. It was fitted with an AC and hence, the doors were closed.

"Please enter." A waiter opened the door and prompted his entry.

Shanzoa nodded like a normal customer and smiling upon seeing the screen before him brighten up in response, \'So, only if I enter into an establishment through its intended way would I trigger a Sign-In bonus.\'

Customers calmly entered a restaurant. The ones that barged in were thugs. This was why his System only responded when he entered the restaurant as a customer, as that was the intended way.

<Ding!>

[Signing in to Old Wang\'s Noodle Palace. Please select a reward of your choice.]

[Reward 1: Noodle Making]

[Reward 2: Extended Satiety]

Only two options were displayed this time. Shanzoa frowned at the options, \'Does Noodle Making gradually evolve into something magical?\'

[Please select a reward.]

There was no explanation presented with either rewards, so Shanzoa didn\'t have much to go about here. But as the System continued to loop the same sentence in his mind over and over, he picked the second option—Extended Satiety.

Immediately in response, he could feel energy return to his body, as if he could run another lap of the distance he had sprinted just now. It wasn\'t just a feeling, but he truly felt satiated. And that converted into his stamina, allowing him to be on the run for a longer duration.

\'This is great!\' Smiling as such, Shanzoa placed his hand in his pocked and pulled it out, placing his palm over his ear to act like he had received a call. Calmly, he exited the restaurant and strolled through the street, having swiped a pair of clothes from a hanger to change into.

He had a pretty average appearance. And hence, when he changed his hairstyle and dress, even when the police jeep sped past him, they failed to realise that he was the one they were searching for.

\'Having a common face is great.\'

But, his old identity could no longer be used. This meant that he was stranded, with nothing on him except for a gun with three bullets remaining. \'Well, this could also be called the beginning of my new life.\'

Thinking as such, he strolled into an electronics showroom, smiling when the screen flashed brightly once again.

[Signing in to Hamsung Electronics. Select a signing reward.]

[Reward 1: Virtual Smartphone]

[Reward 2: Projector Eyes]

[Reward 3: Escalator Legs]

\'What the heck is an Escalator Legs?\' Shanzoa was dumbfounded by the rewards this time. He wasn\'t sure what the second and third reward might do to his body, unwilling to take the risk for the time being as he selected the first option.

Immediately, one of the latest smartphone models from Hamsung appeared before him, but it wasn\'t solid. Shanzoa stared at his reflection from the glass panel on the wall, noticing there being nothing next to him, \'So, only I can see it.\'

The Virtual Smartphone hovered in the air and seemed to move according to his thoughts. Surprisingly, he was able to download apps and do a variety of things with it. Pretty much everything a regular smartphone could do was possible.

\'Wait, it has a signal tower!\' He was surprised to see the bar as Shanzoa realised that the Virtual Smartphone came equipped with a sim card too. The number was just a bunch of garbled text, but considering how he had data connectivity, it seemed to work.

The Virtual Smartphone vanished the moment he moved it more than a metre away from himself. Moreover, as he continued to use it, he began to feel hungry, \'So, it expends my stamina?\'

"Anyway," He opened its camera and clicked pictures, grinning upon observing the stellar quality of the images. Basically, he could record anything he pleased. And thanks to the internet connectivity, he was able to upload the content on drive and download it through other devices.

In their world, that gave him tremendous power and an immunity to most legal traps. \'But, I first need to secure a place to live.\'

Just as he left the showroom and approached another establishment, the screen flashed a message.

[First time bonus of three rewards has ended. Henceforth, user will only be eligible for one Sign-In Bonus per day.]

"That\'s a drag," He sighed before firming himself, "But, it\'s better than nothing. As long as I select the establishments wisely, I\'ll be able to grow strong over time."

With a new outlook on life, Shanzoa took a step forward, on route to becoming someone who would become the focal point of countless incidents.

…

\'A…Sign-In System? What\'s that?\' A cultivator stared in curiosity as he probed around with his divine sense, wondering if he was still under the effects of the evil cultivator\'s attack from the previous night.

\'I should treat myself in the infirmary first.\' Thinking as such, the cultivator entered his Sect\'s infirmary when suddenly…

[Signing in to Spirit Spring Sect\'s Infirmary. Please choose your Sign-In Bonus. (You can only select one)]

[Bonus 1: Nine-Lotus Body Rejuvenation Pill]

[Bonus 2: Divine Needles Technique]

[Bonus 3: Medicine Body Constitution]

The cultivator was stunned for a moment before breaking into a smile, \'This is my gateway to absolute power!\'

…

[Signing in to the Apocalyptic Shelter. Please Choose your Sign-In Bonus. (You can select only one)]

[Bonus 1: Claw Mutation]

[Bonus 2: Fiery Aura]

[Bonus 3: Anti-Zombie]

[Bonus 4: All-Purpose Tree]

…

Waves of change erupted across the multiverse as the Fate System had taken charge of things, harnessing its powers to gather more Mental Energy and also assimilate itself with more fate of protagonist-level characters.

Upon observing the actions of the Fate System, Zaira muttered, pleasantly surprised, "He has pretty much most of Arnark\'s characteristics."

"This is great!"