[System Task Issued] A full stomach is a blessing—and so is sharing it.

  Pack up all of your leftovers and give them to those in need. A warm meal can bring hope, and a small act of kindness can change someone’s day.

  The more impact you make, the greater your reward. Go forth and spread some goodness.

  Maluck blinked at the message, then let out a slow exhale of relief.

  “Oh, thank God.”

  For a terrifying moment, he had fully expected the System to tell him to finish every last bite of this meat mountain like some barbarian proving his worth to the gods.

  Instead?

  It wanted him to do something good.

  That was… a first.

  Maluck didn’t realize that Charity had issued the task.

  Because of the Astral Universe rules, the Virtues and Sins operated under a strict agreement—if they wanted to influence the System, they all had to agree to its existence and none of them could reveal the truth to the host.

  Breaking that rule? Not an option.

  The penalty was so severe that even Pride, who thought rules were for lesser beings, wouldn’t dare test it.

  Maluck set down his fork and leaned back in his chair, completely stuffed and 100% incapable of movement. He looked around at the devastation on the table—massive piles of untouched ribs, brisket, sausage, and sides that had barely been touched because, well…

  Even he wasn’t that hungry.

  Time to make use of it.

  He started flagging down a waiter. “Hey, can I get all this packed up?”

  Tanya blinked, still half in a food coma. “Wait… you’re taking it home?”

  Greg snorted. “Dude, do you even have a fridge big enough for all this?”

  Maluck grinned. “Nah, I’ve got a better idea.”

  Lucas eyed him suspiciously. “Oh no. What are you about to do?”

  Maluck leaned forward, lowering his voice slightly, giving the table an air of conspiracy.

  “So, I had some pretty damn good luck at the casino yesterday, as I told you before. But I haven’t always been lucky.”

  Tanya rolled her eyes. “Yeah, we can tell. Your gambling ego is still going strong.”

  Maluck ignored her. “What I mean is, I know what it’s like to have some really, really bad luck. And I bet there are plenty of people out there right now who aren’t just unlucky at the tables, but unlucky in life. So, why don’t we take all this food and do something actually good with it?”

  Greg, who had been lazily stirring his drink, now looked intrigued. “Like what?”

  “Like taking this down to some people who could really use a hot meal. Maybe a shelter, or even just handing it out directly to folks on the street.”

  Tanya blinked. “Wait… you actually wanna do that?”

  Lucas leaned back, arms crossed, studying Maluck. “Damn. You really are riding this casino high, huh?”

  Maluck grinned. “Hey, if you’re winning at life, why not share a little?”

  For a moment, there was silence.

  Then Greg let out a low chuckle. “You know what? Screw it. I’m in.”

  Tanya sighed dramatically. “Ugh. Fine. But only because I already have food guilt.”

  Lucas rolled his eyes but stood up anyway. “Let’s do it before I change my mind.”

  [System Task Progress Updated!]

  Every act of kindness creates ripples beyond what you can see.

  The more kindness you spread, the greater your reward. Let generosity guide you, and good fortune will follow.

  Maluck grinned, cracking his knuckles.

  “Alright, BBQ squad. Let’s go make some people’s day.”

  ***

  With the trunk packed full of bags of barbecue, Maluck felt like an absolute legend.

  He wasn’t just some casino high-roller anymore—he was a man on a mission. A hero. A provider of meats.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  And he wasn’t alone.

  The BBQ Squad had all piled into Lucas’s blackout sports coupe for this philanthropic adventure.

  And just like that, the BBQ Squad’s quest for kindness had begun.

  Pulling up to Helping Hands Outreach, they all hopped out of the car, each carrying bags of still-warm BBQ like they were delivering precious cargo.

  Maluck led the way, striding inside with the swagger of a man who had just solved world hunger.

  The lady at the front desk—a kind-looking older woman with glasses and the air of someone who had seen too much nonsense for one lifetime—looked up as they approached.

  “Hi there, how can I help you?”

  Maluck flashed his most charming grin. “Hey, so, we’ve got a bunch of top-tier BBQ from Big Al’s—brisket, ribs, sausage, cornbread, the works—and we’d love to donate it to the folks here.”

  The woman smiled politely—the kind of politeness that immediately set off alarm bells.

  “Oh, that’s very sweet of you, dear, but we actually can’t accept that.”

  Maluck blinked.

  Greg paused mid-bag handoff.

  Tanya frowned.

  Lucas groaned. “Aw, come on, you’re kidding, right?”

  “Unfortunately not,” the woman said, still sounding far too patient for Maluck’s liking. “We can’t take already-prepared food unless it comes from a licensed vendor. Health regulations.”

  Maluck stared at her.

  Then at the bags of meat in his hands.

  Then back at her.

  “So you’re telling me… if I brought you a stack of frozen TV dinners from a grocery store, that’d be fine? But because this is fresh, delicious, professionally smoked barbecue, it’s illegal?”

  The woman sighed. “Yes, unfortunately, that’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

  Maluck rubbed his forehead.

  “But I literally just saw a guy eating out of a dumpster three blocks away.”

  She shrugged helplessly. “Yeah, well, I don’t make the rules, hon.”

  Greg looked personally offended. “You’re telling me this food isn’t good enough? Have you had Big Al’s brisket?”

  Tanya whispered to Maluck, “Do we… just leave it in the dumpster? Technically then they can take it.”

  Lucas snorted. “That is the most insane loophole I’ve ever heard. And there’s no way I’m letting this food come anywhere near a dumpster, that’s sacrilege.”

  [System Task Progress Updated!] Unexpected obstacles are part of the journey. Find another way to share kindness.

  Maluck squinted at the glowing text in his vision.

  “Oh, screw you.”

  The woman gave him a concerned look. “Uh… what?”

  Maluck waved her off. “Yeah, yeah, just talking to myself. You know, normal stuff.”

  He turned on his heel, bags still in hand, feeling like a complete idiot.

  Greg sighed. “Well. That was anticlimactic.”

  Tanya patted Maluck on the shoulder. “Good effort though, boss.”

  Lucas crossed his arms. “Alright, so what’s Plan B?”

  Maluck took a deep breath.

  “If we can’t give it to an organization… we give it out ourselves.”

  Tanya nodded slowly. “I like it.”

  Greg cracked his knuckles. “Alright. BBQ Squad, let’s hit the streets.”

  And just like that, their misguided but well-meaning soup kitchen mission had turned into something even better.

  Because if the rules said they couldn’t donate it?

  They’d just deliver it personally.

  ***

  The BBQ Squad rolled up to the nearest park, which, by daylight, was probably a lovely, family-friendly spot with ducks and joggers.

  At night?

  Whole different vibe.

  The moment Maluck stepped out of the car, he did a quick mental scan of his surroundings.

  ?Sketchy-looking playground equipment? ?

  ?A guy talking to a tree like it owed him money? ?

  ?A shopping cart with at least six unidentifiable objects taped to it? ?

  ?A group of dudes who were either a very chill boy band or a meth gang? ?

  Yep. This was definitely a downtown Calgary park at night.

  Greg whistled low. “So, uh… this is where we’re doing this?”

  Tanya crossed her arms. “You got a better idea?”

  Lucas shrugged. “Hey, meat’s meat. People’ll come.”

  And they did.

  Because if there’s one universal truth, it’s this:

  You don’t need a banner when you’re holding bags of still-warm barbecue.

  The homeless folks in the park—some sleeping on benches, some clustered around makeshift fire pits, some just wandering—noticed immediately.

  A few at first. Then a lot.

  Even the junkies, who had looked way too out of it to care about food, started sniffing the air like cartoon characters being lifted off the ground by an invisible scent trail.

  One guy, wearing a jacket that looked like it had seen three decades of war, shuffled up first.

  “What… uh, what’s all this?”

  Maluck grinned, holding up a bag. “Free BBQ, my guy. You hungry?”

  The man stared at him, like Maluck had just said he was giving out gold bars and not pulled pork sandwiches.

  “Wait… for real?”

  Tanya nodded. “No catch. No preaching. Just food.”

  The guy didn’t even hesitate—he grabbed a plate, sniffed it like he was verifying it wasn’t some elaborate scam, then took a bite.

  His eyes actually rolled back.

  “Oh. Oh, this is—” he took another bite, shaking his head like he was physically trying to process how good it was.

  Greg grinned. “Damn right it’s good.”

  That was all it took.

  Within minutes, the park was buzzing.

  People came from every direction—some cautious, some casually sauntering up like they’d totally been planning on running into a surprise BBQ buffet tonight.

  One guy, who looked like he had just been mid-sprint for literally no reason, skidded to a stop, pointing.

  “Yo, you guys got ribs?”

  Lucas held up a rack. “Oh, we got ribs.”

  “Ohhh shiiii—” the guy immediately sat down cross-legged like he had just discovered the meaning of life.

  Maluck, meanwhile, kept an eye on his status screen.

  [System Task Progress: Spreading Kindness in Action]

  And, sure enough, his Luck Points were ticking upward.

  +1.

  +2.

  +3

  …..

  He felt it.

  Like some cosmic force was actually rewarding him for this.

  But he also saw something else happening.

  His Bad Luck Points weren’t rising.

  For the first time since he’d gotten the System… he wasn’t generating new bad luck.

  He paused mid-handout, realization hitting him like a freight train.

  “Wait a second… is this how normal people live?”

  Tanya nudged him. “What?”

  Maluck blinked, then shook his head. “Nothing. Just… weirdly good karma right now.”

  Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, that’s usually what happens when you’re not a degenerate gambler.”

  Maluck snorted. “Oh, shut up and hand out more cornbread.”

  The night wore on, but honestly?

  This might’ve been the best thing Maluck had done all day.

  As the last of the BBQ was handed out, Maluck felt a weird sense of satisfaction settle over him.

  Not just because of the good deed, or because watching people devour brisket like it was their last meal on Earth was entertaining, but because something in his System interface flickered.

  [System Task Accomplished!]

  +26 Luck Points

  +0.01 Wisdom

  Maluck grinned. “Hell yeah.”

  Tanya tilted her head. “What?”

  Maluck snapped back to reality. “Oh, uh, just realizing that feeding people is kinda awesome.”

  Greg stretched his arms. “Yeah, and it was easier than I thought. Just show up with food and people magically appear.”

  Lucas smirked. “That’s how BBQ works, man. It’s the great equalizer.”

  Maluck felt an odd sense of peace settle over him. Maybe, doing good things actually wasn’t a bad way to repay the System.

  ***

  Atlas Back to the Present is a story about a guy who got sent back in time, two years before the portals that sucked people into the post apocalyptic wasteland occurred.

  I wrote it as someone who loves regressor novels, but I hadn’t found anything that really focused on the regression itself if somebody knew portals were coming.

  Like, how could he spread the knowledge of the portals without seeming like a total nutcase and getting locked in a padded room?

  How would he improve himself to become better? How could he prepare?

  Set in modern times in book one, Atlas has a goal of forming a kick-ass team to help him in the wasteland when it opens.

  Currently there are 4 books on KU with book 5 in editing.

  Kindle link