005

Jack looked at his hands where there were no signs of him ever having held an instrument.

'Yeah, a lot of training is in order. At least my fingers are thin and long.' Maybe he was a little bit too fast in thinking he would get it done in no time.

[Host doesn't need to worry. As long as you manage to do something that corresponds to a skill, it will be generated in your status for you to keep track of your progress.]

'Huh, ain't that convenient.' Jack's mood suddenly took a small uplift since he could figure out that he was always able to see his own progress.

For a musician, it was always a hard thing to judge themselves. You could have a lot of confidence but being too cocky is also a thing that could happen. So getting a system to judge your skill level makes it so much easier to know where you stand.

"Right, speaking of instruments. I still would like to have my own set. At the least, a microphone and a guitar are a must. Are there any part-time jobs available that you know off?" After Jack stopped thinking about his system he realized that he had no financial base at all.

The money that they got from the court case was obviously used for his tuition fees. So he had to get at least a part-time job to collect some money for his plans ahead.

There were many ways to get money but each still needed a start-up investment.

"There are some. You could ask to help out in our mall. There are probably some shops that could need it. To tell the truth, I would love to get some help in the florist shop myself. My employee Kassey is currently on sick leave and the work doubling is so bothersome. I would stock up your spending money with that." She winked at him and then sniped with her fingers.

"Right, I nearly forgot. Here, your weekly money." With that remark, she pulled out her purse that was inside the hanging bag on her chair and handed him a bill.

Jack widened his eyes since it was a whole $100 bill.

"Isn't that a little bit too much?" Jack raised a brow to that.

"It's nothing much. You still need to buy your lunch at school and get some extra materials for classes yourself. Even though I did say our campus is now able to support a bachelor's degree, it's still in its early infant stages. Not much of your money will remain if you really use it for all that."

"Then it's a good thing I'm already searching for a part-time job." Jack chuckled about finding more expenses in his daily life to come.

"Yes, that is correct. Where were we? Oh, right. There would be our local pizzeria as well. They always seem to give young people a delivery job as long as you have some vehicle to do so. I presume you got a driver's license?"

"I actually do." It was a positive surprise to find his driving license inside his wallet. Jack had thought that with a father like the one he has, it would be a foregone matter.

"That's good. But until you get yourself a car or at least some other vehicle, it won't be an option. Can't go running on foot. Though they pay very well so you should keep that in mind. Otherwise, I'm not aware of any open posts. You would need to search around yourself."

"Thanks, I will keep that in mind." Jack nodded after she seemed to have finished counting the possible options.

Seriously, why couldn't he have some money from the start? Then just by keeping it low profile he could just buy cryptocurrency later and be done with worrying about money.

He already checked if crypto was a thing but it wasn't yet. Weirdly enough Virtual Reality was a thing already. Not the ready player one kind but the one he was familiar with.

Jack wondered a little bit if he could actually make a real virtual capsule. Considering the system is something that is very similar and shows the possibility?

[It is possible. But the amount of time that would be consumed to gain the adequate knowledge you would need in computer science, science in general, biology, and psychology would clearly eat away a lot of it. Not to mention the experimentation phases.]

'Yeah, go figure. I better invest my time in things i actually like. Though since I am doing my major in computer science I could very well make a few popular games to milk the market.'

That simple thought festered inside his head like some virus. Making a game is time-consuming but it doesn't really need to be. He could just make a very story-heavy game. Things that got viral in later years through the sheer power of people's curiosity.

Leah saw him being somewhat deep in his thoughts so she stood up and cleared the empty plates.

"It's already late. I need to finish up and then go to work. I presume you can manage on your own?"

"Huh?" Jack was brought back to reality. "Oh, I'm fine. Should I come along and help out?"

"Already?" His aunt was surprised by his volunteering straight from the start. "Wouldn't you rather like to relax and stay?"

"It's okay. I will need the distraction. Otherwise, I will be sitting here brooding all day long. And it doesn't sit too well in my book getting money without anything in return."

Leah chuckled now. "Aren't you a sweet one? Alright, then we will leave in a few minutes."

"Got it." Jack smiled at her. He could at least be useful.

----

Later when they were in the mall and Leah was opening the door to the shop Jack had his attention to another thing.

"Is that...a special toy shop? I haven't paid much attention yesterday it seems..." Jack looked at the pink-colored logo of the shop next door and clearly got a certain vibe from it. Well, it's obviously a sex toy shop with those stripping ladies on the window and the big ass kiss on the front door.

Hearing her nephew's question she could only sigh. "Yeah, that is exactly what you think it is. Do you know what they said when I tried to get another place for my shop? -But miss, isn't it clearly fitting? You are selling flowers and romantic gifts while that shop is for the lustful. Love comes in many variations-. A whole bulk of nonsense."

Jack laughed now hearing that. "I can why they would be trying to convince you. So, what did you get in return for taking this spot?"

Leah smirked triumphantly. "Less rent to be paid. And something unexpected, a lot of customers that visit that shop also end up buying flowers and gifts from me. So a win-win situation."

"Looks like you came to terms with your neighbor."

"Yes, the woman running the toy shop is also a kind soul. Maybe a little bit of the special kind, but still a nice person. Anyway, the shop is now open. Let's get to work."

"Aye-aye, captain." Jack nodded and followed her inside.

Just a short moment later he was wearing a florist apron und moving some real heavy wooden boxes.

"Holy crap. No wonder you needed help. What is even inside these?" Jack asked her after putting his third box down in a corner.

"Just open them and you can see.", answered Leah while rearranging the flowers. That started to wilt.

Shrugging his shoulders he did just that and saw orange big fellas staring at him back.

"Pumpkins?" Jack asked with a raised brow.

"Exactly, it doesn't take long now for the Halloween Festivities. It's October already. Just place them on the pedestal in the corner. Oh, and cut some creepy faces on two of them."

"I'm not sure that would end up well but alright."

"Don't tell me you never cut pumpkins?"

"That's not the issue here. I may be artistically challenged...At least with things like drawing, sculpting, and stuff."

Leah laughed softly. "There is always a start to something. Don't worry, even if you mess it up there are enough for me to still make it myself. The heavy lifting alone was already a big help."

Jack just sighed and proceeded to do his task.

While doing so he wondered who the hell was the one that grew these. They were like monsters. And there were about 10 crates or so with them in the storage area.

Unbeknownst to him he kinda managed to make some cool pumpkin faces even with his bad skill.

[Skills Sculpting and Drawing gained.]

'Seriously? Status please.'

---

Jack Frost - Male - 18 Years Old

Level 1 - Exp 0/10

- Attributes -

Strength: 8 (+5)

Agility: 10 (+2)

Endurance: 8 (+4)

Intelligence: 9 (+5)

Looks: 17 (+5)

Charisma: 13 (+2)

- Traits -

Herculean: +5 Strength, +2 Endurance, 2+ Agility

Beautiful: +5 Looks, +2 Charisma

Genius: +5 Intelligence

Fecund: +50% Fertility, +2 Endurance

- Skills -

Sculpting - 1/50

Drawing - 1/50

Attribute Points: 0

Skill Points: 0

---

'I see how that works now. What is the threshold in those, KISS?'

[1-10 is average, 10-20 is expert, 20-30 is masterful, 30-40 is extraordinary and 40-50 is unique. The higher you climb your skills, the harder it will be to improve them. I would even say from the 30ish mark it will be advised to consider investing skill points.]

'Huh, good. That will really help me see where I was standing at. I got a lot of things to think about later.'