Excited for the bracelet recharge, Maluck weighed his options. Driving all the way back to Edmonton?
Absolutely not.
He had already been in the car way too much today, and while his bad luck suppression had kept everything running smoothly, there was no way in hell he was tempting fate on another long drive right before messing with his luck levels again.
Instead, he decided to spend the night in Calgary.
A quick search led him to a three-star hotel with a bland but acceptable name—The Pretty Good Western.
“Well,” Maluck muttered, “at least they’re honest.”
He checked in, got his key card, and made his way to his perfectly average hotel room.
It was exactly what you’d expect from a mid-range hotel—a queen-sized bed with questionable sheets, a TV that somehow only had two working channels, and a bathroom that smelled faintly of industrial cleaner and regret.
Tossing his bag onto the chair, Maluck plopped onto the bed and let out a long, satisfied sigh.
Then he noticed something.
His Luck Points had dropped to 9.
His eyebrow twitched.
“System, is there any way to turn off the fact that my Bad Luck Points automatically eat my Luck Points?”
[System Response] “Yes. You can toggle it on and off.”
Maluck blinked.
“…Oh.”
He had assumed this was just how things worked. Like fate taxes or something.
“Well, turn it off, then.”
[System Response] “Toggled off.”
‘Perfect.’
He wasn’t leaving his hotel room, so even if bad luck did happen, what was the worst that could go wrong?
The hotel WiFi sucked? Already expected.
The vending machine ate his money? He wasn’t getting snacks.
A power outage? Wouldn’t be the first time.
Whatever it was, he could deal with it.
Now that he had secured his luck points, Maluck let himself fully relax.
It had been one hell of a day.
He woke up with a hangover.
Discovered he had a literal System.
Risked two grand at a casino and somehow walked away with more money.
Took a long-ass drive.
Survived Calgary’s cursed road system.
Ate a burger so massive it could feed a family of four.
Tracked down a man who changed his life.
And tomorrow?
Tomorrow was going to be even better.
Because tomorrow, his bracelet was getting recharged.
Smiling to himself, Maluck kicked off his shoes, stretched out across the bed, and let sleep take him.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
***
Maluck groggily opened his eyes, blinking against the unforgiving glow of the hotel room ceiling light.
He felt groggy, stiff, and vaguely confused—which meant it was time for the most important morning ritual of all.
Checking his status screen.
Logically, he knew nothing should have changed overnight. He had just been sleeping.
But in his defense, yesterday had been his first day with a System, and part of him was low-key terrified that it had all been a really weird, hyper-realistic dream.
Or worse—he’d wake up to some “Balance Patch” message telling him that the System had been removed for fairness reasons.
He mentally pulled up his stats.
Luck Level: 1 (44/100)
Kinda Unlucky – You step in a puddle right as you leave home, but at least it’s just water. Probably.
BAD LUCK POINTS (BP): 10
Luck Points (LP): 9
“Great. I’m already in the negatives.”
It was weirdly comforting, though. Like the universe was reminding him that he was still himself.
Stats:
?Strength (Str): 1.07 – Slightly stronger than the average guy, but not enough to be impressive.
?Intelligence (Int): 1.15 – Knows a lot of trivia. Probably too much.
?Charisma (Cha): 0.95 – Not actively repelling people, but also not charming his way into free drinks.
?Health (HP): 0.99 – Surprisingly not dead.
?Dexterity (Dex): 1.05 – Can handle a game controller pretty well, but don’t expect parkour.
?Wisdom (Wis): 1.10 – Has decent instincts. Also remembers the best gas station snacks.
?Constitution (Con): 1.02 – Can eat four burger patties and only mildly regret it.
?Endurance (End): 1.05 – Won’t pass out after one flight of stairs, but two? Risky.
?Perception (Per): 1.08 – Notices weird stuff, like how hotel artwork is always unsettling.
Inventory:
?Bad Luck Bracelet – The reason he’s not completely doomed.
?The Probability Charm – 10% boost to things he wants to happen. At least the bracelet and charm were still there.
Maluck sighed in relief, stretching out in bed. “Okay, still real. No nerfs. No sudden cosmic pranks.”
And now?
It was time to get up and prepare for whatever adventures today had in store.
***
Maluck mentally pulled up the System Store.
He wasn’t expecting much—his Luck Points balance was sadder than an empty fridge at the end of the month—but checking was free, and who knew? Maybe the System would throw him a pity deal.
System Store
?(50 LP)The Luck Siphon Stone – When touched to someone, it sucks off their luck and adds it to your own.
?(300 LP) The Fortune Coin – Flip it, and you automatically win any bet, gamble, or decision. Lands on its edge when things get really weird.
?(100 LP) The Ace of Fate – A playing card that always appears in your hand when you need a perfect card. Works even outside of card games.
?(10 LP) Refresh choices? – Not happy? Try your luck.
Maluck exhaled through his nose.
“Okay. All of this looks insanely cool. And I can afford… absolutely nothing.”
The cheapest thing was the Luck Siphon Stone, and even that was five times what he had.
He thought back to yesterday, when he had dumped all his points into leveling up his Luck Level.
‘I kinda wish I hadn’t done that.’
Sure, long-term investment was probably smart, but he was now broke in the short-term, and saving up LP felt like a painfully slow grind.
At least there was no food-based System Task today.
That was a huge relief.
After what happened yesterday, he half-expected the System to hit him with something like:
[System Task]
Breakfast of Champions – Order the most calorie-dense breakfast possible. Extra points if you regret it.
But thankfully, the System remained silent.
“Alright, then. Let’s go hit up the hotel restaurant. And after that, straight to the bank. I really don’t want to be carrying around $8,000 in cash.”
He couldn’t shake the paranoia of having that much physical money on him. The last thing he needed was for bad luck to suddenly kick in, and for him to end up as one of those ‘man loses life savings in freak accident’ news headlines.
The hotel restaurant was about as middle-of-the-road as its name implied.
A basic buffet spread—eggs, bacon, sausages, toast, a waffle station that looked like it had seen things, and a fruit bowl that had definitely been refilled with the same sad pineapple chunks since 1998.
Maluck loaded up on bacon and eggs, grabbed a coffee that was technically drinkable, and sat down at a sticky table that had been wiped down but still felt questionable.
‘Alright. This is fine. Not great, not terrible. Three stars out of five. Just like the hotel.’
Halfway through his bacon, he kept glancing around—as if he expected some grand event to pop up. But no, the universe was letting him enjoy a normal meal.
He didn’t trust it.
But he appreciated it.
Breakfast done, he made his way to the nearest bank branch.
It was busy, as expected. Calgary wasn’t exactly a sleepy town. He waited in line behind a guy arguing about overdraft fees, a woman depositing way too many coins, and a senior who was clearly just here to chat with the teller.
When it was finally his turn, Maluck stepped up and slid his cash across the counter.
“I’d like to deposit this.” He handed over $5500, deciding that having a small stash of cash on hand was always a good idea.
The teller barely blinked, used to people bringing in sketchy amounts of cash.
“Anything else?”
Maluck hesitated.
“Uh… no.”
He almost asked for a roll of lucky pennies, but even he knew that was pushing it.
Within a few minutes, his money was safely in the bank.
His wallet? Significantly lighter.
His stress levels? Significantly lower.
“Alright,” he muttered as he left the bank, rolling his shoulders. “Time to prepare for the big event tonight.”
Tonight, the bracelet recharge was happening.
And he was ready.
***
