2 New Beginnings

A red Mustang pulled into the parking lot of the gas station. The door slammed open and a blonde youth with tattoos barged in. Michael the cashier looked up "Hello, welcome to Quick Gas -" before he could finish the youth rushed into the restroom. He wasn't a customer; just another person looking to use the restroom. Michael sighed and checked the clock and noticed that he still had 2 hours left in his shift. Michael Rodriguez was just an average 18-year-old living in the small town of Briarcliff, Texas.

Michael was an orphan who grew up in a Christian orphanage. He graduated from high school with decent grades but did not have money for college. He decided to upgrade his part-time job at the gas station to full-time and save up money. Or at least that was the plan, however now Michael was having doubts. Michael loved reading web novels and loved the adventurous lifestyles the characters had. Somehow he didn't think he will be happy working some desk job for the rest of his life.

"Hey dude it stinks in there" the blonde youth complained and left. He didn't even buy anything! Maybe a desk job is better than this. Time quickly flew by and his shift was finally over. When he was walking towards his bicycle he noticed a suspicious briefcase sitting next to it. It was a plain leather briefcase that looked like the kind salesmen carried around. He looked around and didn't see any potential owners. "Did it fall out of the sky or something? Whatever maybe I can sell it at a pawnshop" said Michael.

He headed toward his apartment hoping that the manager wasn't around. In order to save money on rent, he agreed to do handyman jobs at the apartment. So every time Ryan the lazy manager saw him, he would be stuck fixing some clogged toilet or leaky pipe. He pulled in to the driveway and noticed the coast was clear of Ryan. He locked his bike and bolted to his apartment. The AC was not working so he had to make do with the portable fan. Damn it is too hot in Mid-June in Texas.

He noticed the Suitcase lying there inconspicuously blending in with the stained walls. "Should I check what is inside?" Maybe there will be something valuable; It's not like the gas station had a lost and found so he can claim it.

He opened it and found a glowing green gem inside. It was about the size of his fist and was surprisingly lightweight. The gem was definitely valuable! He tossed it around and noticed it was very tough. The edges were so rough and jagged that his finger was pricked.

Blood flowed into the crystal and it seemed to dim; losing its luster, it crumbled away within seconds. "Crap did I break it?" He could have sold it for some good money.

Oh well, it wasn't his, to begin with. It was probably a fake imitation gem; why would anyone leave a real gem at a parking lot. "Growl" His stomach grumbled, reminding him of bigger issues. He checked the fridge and frowned; the cheese sandwich was moldy and the chocolate milk was definitely sour. Since it was Friday maybe I can treat myself to some tacos and eat out. Of course Michelle also coincidentally worked on the weekends at her family cafe. He grabbed some cash from under the mattress and ran to his bike. The restaurant was really close; In this small town, everything is close by. He pulled up and walked into the café.

"Hey look who it is? If it isn't the nerd from Loserville" great, Brett was here along with his gang of jocks. Brett was a football jockey and the person who took the most delight in Michael's misfortunes. He always had his crew with him ready to pick on anyone he deemed too nerdy. Michael ignored him and headed to the counter.

"Hey Michael, how are you doing?" Michelle asked while glaring at the football jockeys. She was part of the cheerleader team and was actually the only person nice to Michael. She was just always around the wrong crowd so he could never approach her.

"Hey, Michelle I am doing fine. How are you?" Michael replied while trying to flex his nonexistent muscles. "Well I am doing alright just helping out my dad with the café; can I get you anything?" She asked while fiddling with her beautiful dirty blonde hair. Michael was still zoned out but was woken up when Michelle started coughing. Well, that was embarrassing "Umm.... can I get the number two with extra taco sauce". He paid the cash and waited while trying to stay as far away from Brett as possible.

Michael pulled out his phone and checked on his favorite web novels. No updates, damn why can't these authors update every day. The best feeling in the world is definitely when there is an unexpected mass release of chapters. Hopefully, there will be some new chapters by tomorrow.

"Here you go Michael, do you need anything else?" Michelle asked while glancing at the cloak. Maybe she is going to a party? It is Friday and not everybody is a shut-in like him. "No I'm good, thanks" he grabbed the bag and headed out.

When he walked out he saw Brett waiting by his bike. Oh great, he was wondering where the gang vanished to. "Hey, Nerd we were waiting for you. You see I noticed you staring at my Michelle and wanted to teach you a lesson." Brett said while signaling his friends to surround Michael. "I wasn't staring and it's none of your business Brett," Michael said while getting ready to fight. Brett did try to ask Michelle out but was rejected mercilessly. "It is my business to make sure you stay away from my girl" Brett obviously didn't want to debate.

His friend Jimmy was easy to handle because he is too slow but Brett and Larry were both in good shape and he could not handle them 1vs1, much less 3vs1. He tried to throw a punch but missed; Larry landed a roundhouse kick to Michael's stomach and Jimmy grabbed him and pinned him. He couldn't shake Jimmy off and was helpless as Brett and Larry turned Michael into a punching bag. It hurt like hell but sadly he was kind of used to it. They took turns till it seemed like he was going to pass out. "Make sure you stay away from Michelle or we won't go so easy next time" they dropped him like a sack of potatoes. Michael felt a sharp pain as his head hit the concrete and he abruptly passed out.

Michael woke up and winced as he felt his entire body in pain. He still had a terrible headache when he heard a sound [Beep Beep System initializing]. Who was that? He looked around. He was still at the café but there was nobody around.

[System initialized, linking with host's DNA. Congratulations, you have successfully bound the Supreme Emperor System]

He is definitely hallucinating. He pinched his cheek and felt the pain. [Host is not Hallucinating. The host has absorbed organic hard drive containing the system.]

"NANI !! That gem was a hard drive and I absorbed a system? "If that was true then his wishes really did come true. Can that really happen in the 21st century? It sounds like a plot from an isekai novel but he didn't reincarnate so that can't be true right? Not to mention he did not see a truck anywhere nearby that ran him over. "Truck-Kun where are you?"