Chapter 1: Fifty Shades of Grey, Frozen Fruit

Ethan Hayes pulled the bank card from the ATM. The numbers that had flashed on the screen just moments ago left him in silence.

"I paid too much for this," he thought. "The negotiations with publishers, agents, and Warner… I can't even count how many brain cells I've burned."

If the source of his money ever got out, it would rock the entire country and become the focus of countless debates. After all, a minor writing a world-renowned, provocative novel wasn't something people would brush off lightly. The global uproar would be inevitable.

"It's not time to be exposed yet," he murmured to himself. "At least not now. Even with a Warner contract, they'll eventually reveal the author's identity for profit—and that's me."

He smirked. "The royalty check's in, and now it's time to leave."

As Ethan walked down the street, a few passersby shot him unfriendly glances, but he ignored them. He wasn't carrying cash, after all. There was no need to worry. Besides, he was just a student attending Midtown Tech High School—where even Spider-Man went.

But Ethan was more than just a student. He was a writer.

Not of something like Harry Potter or Twilight, but of the only book that had truly left an impression on him. He'd spent over a year laying the groundwork, and now it had finally paid off.

That book? Fifty Shades of Grey.

"The copyright has been sold. If Warner ever breaches the contract and leaks my information, they'll owe me $100 million!"

Ethan adjusted his backpack and started walking toward Hell's Kitchen.

"System, begin task settlement."

Ding! First task: Harvesting desire points worth 100,000 has been completed.

Ding! Second task: Harvesting wealth worth $20 million USD is a success.

Since the host chose the task scrolling mode and completed it excellently, blue blind box and cyan blind box rewards are combined. Critical strike reward activated. Congratulations, the host has received a purple blind box reward.

Note: Task reward levels include: white, blue, cyan, red, purple, gold, black.

The royalties for Fifty Shades of Grey had totaled $14 million after taxes, with the potential for an additional $30 million from film, TV, game adaptations, and more. But Ethan's real goal was to spread the novel and gather the desire points needed for his mission.

What's the fastest way to amass mission points while also igniting millions of desires? Fear? Anger? Joy? Or something else? Male and female pleasure, perhaps?

Ethan had chosen to complete the first two tasks together.

According to the system's rules, completing a task earns you a reward. But there was an extra twist: if you didn't claim the reward right away, you could choose to keep going, stacking the tasks, increasing the difficulty, and ultimately, the reward.

It was like one of those game shows where answering a question wins you some money, but continuing to answer could win you the grand prize.

Ethan chose to keep rolling the tasks. The two—Desire Points and Wealth—were naturally related. So if he completed the second task, the reward for the first would double.

With his hood up, Ethan avoided the bustling crowd, quickly making his way back to his Hell's Kitchen apartment.

He unlocked the door and glanced down the hallway to ensure no one was following him before slipping inside.

"I need to find a new place soon. Hell's Kitchen is getting worse."

The shrill voice of his neighbor rang out, "I'll KILL YOU!"

Ethan chuckled as the sound of fists pounding on the wall followed. He knew his neighbor—Jessica Jones—was capable of smashing through cars, let alone walls.

When Ethan first moved to Hell's Kitchen, he met a blind lawyer named Matt Murdock, also known as Daredevil, and realized he'd landed in the Marvel Universe. Luckily, with Murdock around, Ethan felt safe enough to stay in the dangerous neighborhood.

But knowing Jessica Jones lived on the same floor kept him on edge. She wasn't the scary part—it was her former tormentor, the Purple Man, Zebediah Kilgrave, who could control minds with a mere word. If Kilgrave ever found Ethan, he'd be completely defenseless.

"I'll buy some peace!" the shrill voice continued.

Ethan had long gotten used to it.

"System, open the blind box," he commanded.

Ethan had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

After finishing middle school, his parents had moved him abroad, selling their house in China and renouncing their citizenship for that of the United States. He hadn't wanted to go, but their decision was final.

When Ethan was sixteen, his parents were killed in a robbery at a local supermarket. The criminals were still at large, hiding out in Hell's Kitchen, and had joined a gang.

With his current abilities, Ethan knew he stood no chance of exacting revenge.

Host, please open the purple blind box. Warning: Blind boxes carry risks. Proceed at your own risk.

A virtual box appeared in front of him, glowing with regal, purple light.

"Open," Ethan whispered.

The box revealed a blue-white fruit with swirling patterns.

Ethan's eyes widened, and a grin spread across his face. "Devil fruit. Oh, this is good stuff."

He covered his mouth quickly, but his excitement was palpable. Luckily, Jessica Jones's yelling drowned out any noise.

Congratulations to the host for acquiring the Frozen Fruit from One Piece's Natural Devil Fruit category. Since this world lacks Sea Stone, the devil's curse will not apply.

Ethan's excitement shot through the roof.

Frozen Fruit! From One Piece! Who didn't know about Aokiji, the Ice Age, and the sheer power of the Frozen Fruit?

Without hesitation, Ethan reached into the virtual box and devoured the fruit.

"It's sweet, without any awful aftertaste."

His body began to change, and instinctively, he knew how to control his new freezing abilities. His fingers turned to ice, and frost began to spread across his apartment.

The temperature plummeted. The goldfish bowl in the corner froze solid.

With a thought, Ethan pulled back his freezing powers.

"First time using it, and I nearly lost control," he thought. If he hadn't, he could have frozen all of Hell's Kitchen.

"The system really came through. No devil's curse means I can fully harness the power of the Frozen Fruit."