Tadhanang Sakanya

The cold, marble floor of the Deguil mansion felt harder than ever under Dex’s worn-out sneakers. The air, usually filled with the scent of expensive perfume and old money, was thick with suffocating tension. Before him stood his grandfather, Don Ricardo Deguil, the patriarch of the family, his face a mask of thunderous rage. His two brothers and four cousins watched from the sidelines, their expressions a mixture of scorn and amusement. "Layas, wala kang silbi sa pamamahay na'to! Pagnanakaw na lang ang alam mong gawin!" Don Ricardo’s voice boomed, echoing through the grand foyer. He pointed a trembling finger at the door. "Pinalaki ka namin, binigyan ng bubong, at ito ang isusukli mo? Isa kang kahihiyan sa pangalan ng Deguil!" Dex clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. He didn't steal the diamond-encrusted watch. He knew it was his cousin, Marco, who had a gambling problem, but to speak up was pointless. In this house, the word of a poor mother’s son meant nothing against the true-blooded heirs. "Hindi ko po ninakaw," Dex said, his voice low but steady, meeting his grandfather's furious gaze without flinching. "Sinungaling!" Marco shouted from the side. "Nakita ko siyang papalabas sa kwarto ni Lolo kagabi!" That was the final nail in the coffin. Don Ricardo's face hardened completely. "Umalis ka na. Huwag na huwag ka nang magpapakita pa sa akin. Wala kang dadalhin na kahit ano maliban sa mga basahan mong suot na binili mo sa sarili mong pawis. You are no longer a Deguil." Without another word, Dex turned his back on the family that never truly accepted him. He walked past the smirking faces, his head held high. He had no money from them, only the few thousand pesos in his wallet he’d saved from part-time jobs. As the massive oak doors closed behind him, shutting him out of the life of luxury and deceit, a profound sadness washed over him. It was the sorrow of betrayal, of injustice, and of being utterly alone. He walked aimlessly under the scorching Manila sun, the grand gates of the Deguil property shrinking behind him. He was free, but he was also homeless and penniless. The memory of his parents, of how his father died protecting his mother from a disaster only for him to be treated like dirt by that same father's family, fueled a fire in his heart. "Balang araw lang," Dex muttered to the indifferent city noise, "babaliktarin ko 'tong kapalaran ko." As the wave of despair and determination crested within him, a calm, mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside his mind, a voice that was not his own. [ Found You Host...Binding Great System... Complete ] Dex stumbled, catching himself on a nearby lamp post. He whipped his head around, looking for the source of the voice, but the street was just a chaotic mess of cars and pedestrians. "Sino 'yan?" he whispered, his heart pounding. There was no answer. He shook his head, thinking the stress was finally making him hear things. He had read countless manhwa and webnovels about systems, but those were just stories. It couldn't be real. He continued walking, trying to clear his head, and made his way towards a crowded marketplace. As he navigated through the sea of people, more notifications popped up in his mind. [+2 Happiness Points] [+1 Sadness Point] [+1 Fear Point] [+3 Happiness Points] The system was gaining points from the emotions of the people around him within a ten-meter radius. The stronger their emotion, the more points he received. He didn’t understand it completely, but he was starting to believe. This was real. A sliver of hope, sharp and bright, cut through his despair. First, he needed food. His stomach rumbled in agreement. He found a small carinderia and ordered a simple meal of rice and adobo, costing him exactly 100 pesos. He paid with one of his few remaining bills. The moment the old lady took his money, a new message appeared. [PHP 100.00 spent. 2x return initiated. +PHP 200.00 has been deposited to the system's dimensional wallet.] [Withdraw? Yes/No] Dex’s eyes widened. He mentally commanded ‘Yes’, and a crisp 200-peso bill materialized in his empty pocket. His breath hitched. He quickly finished his meal, his mind racing with the infinite possibilities. This was it. This was the tool for his comeback. With newfound confidence, his next priority was shelter. He walked for another hour, his point total steadily increasing, until he found a decent and clean apartment for rent in a quiet neighborhood. "Magkano po ang upa dito, Manang?" he asked the landlady, a kind-faced woman in her fifties. "Three thousand five hundred sa isang buwan, hijo. Kailangan mo lang magbayad ng one month advance at one month deposit. Bale, seven thousand lahat," she explained. It was almost all the physical money he had left. Without hesitation, he agreed. He handed her the 7,000 pesos. "Salamat, hijo. Ito na ang susi mo. Room 2B," she said with a warm smile. [PHP 7,000.00 spent. 2x return initiated. +PHP 14,000.00 has been deposited to the system's dimensional wallet.] Dex felt the comforting weight of cash appear in his jacket pocket. He now had more money than when he started. Finally alone in his small, bare room, he locked the door and slid to the floor, leaning against it. He let out a long breath, a mix of relief and disbelief. The events of the day felt like a bizarre dream. "Okay," he said to the empty room. "Kung totoo ka nga... status." A transparent blue screen, visible only to him, materialized in the air. [ Name: Dex Deguil ] Age: 19 Status: Healthy, Disowned Abilities: None Mastery: None Functions: - Eye of Truth (Active) - Temporal Rewind (3 charges/month) - Expenditure Return (2x) Shop: [ Locked - Requires 1,000 Points ] Points: 347 " Grabi " Dex said as he saw what it was written in the screen, his age and name and the interference that no one could understand how it was made A slow, dangerous smile spread across Dex Deguil's face. They had kicked him out with nothing. But now, he had everything he needed to take back more than what he had lost. The game had just begun. He stared at the translucent blue screen, the numbers and letters glowing softly in the dim room. This was his new reality. He took a deep breath, his mind calming as he began to process the immense power at his fingertips. "System," he thought, focusing his intent. "Explain your functions in detail." The system responded instantly, its text appearing below the status panel. [ Eye of Truth: Can be activated mentally. Allows the host to see fundamental information about any person, object, or phenomenon. It can verify the truth or falsehood of statements made in the host's presence. No point cost for activation, but can cause minor mental fatigue with prolonged use. ] [ Temporal Rewind: The host possesses 3 charges per month. Unused charges stack for the next month. A charge can be used voluntarily to return to a point in time exactly 3 days prior. Alternatively, upon the host's death, one charge will be consumed automatically to return the host to 3 days before the fatal incident. ] [ Expenditure Return: Any monetary currency spent or gifted by the host will be returned twofold into the system's dimensional wallet. The wallet can store an infinite amount and funds can be materialized as physical cash at will. There are no limits to its usage. ] [ Shop: A marketplace for items, skills, abilities, and knowledge from various dimensions. Unlocked at 1,000 Points. ] Dex absorbed the information, a thrill running down his spine. The Eye of Truth was perfect for a world of liars like the one he just left. Temporal Rewind was a literal get-out-of-jail-free card for life itself—three of them, every month. And the Expenditure Return... that was his key to building a foundation. An infinite money glitch. He looked around the barren room. A single mattress, a tiny bathroom, and a window that overlooked a grimy alley. It was a pathetic sight compared to his silk-sheeted bed at the Deguil mansion. But the mansion was a gilded cage. This room, this empty space, was freedom. It was a blank canvas. His first step was clear. He needed more points to unlock the shop, and he needed to leverage his money-making ability. Both objectives could be accomplished in one place. "Kailangan ko ng gamit. At damit. At mas maraming pera," he murmured. (I need things. And clothes. And more money.) With a renewed sense of purpose, Dex left his new apartment and headed for the nearest, largest shopping mall. The moment he stepped through the automatic glass doors, he was assaulted by a symphony of sounds, sights, and emotions. The cool air-conditioning was a relief from the city's humidity. And his system went into overdrive. [+2 Happiness Points] [+1 Sadness Points] [+1 Madness Points] [+3 Happiness Points] [+2 Fear Points] [+1 Happiness Points]... A constant stream of notifications flooded his mind as he walked through the bustling ground floor. Teenagers laughing, a child crying for a toy, a man furious about a phone call, a couple holding hands in bliss—every single emotion was a drop of fuel for his engine. His point counter, which was at 347, began to climb rapidly. 400... 500... 650... His first stop was a men's clothing store. He ignored the flashy, logo-heavy brands his cousins favored. Instead, he sought out quality and style. He picked out several pairs of well-fitting dark trousers, a few crisp button-down shirts, some simple, high-quality t-shirts, and a stylish leather jacket. He had an innate sense of fashion, preferring an understated, clean look that exuded confidence rather than arrogance. At the counter, the total came to 28,000 pesos. He didn't even blink. He mentally commanded the system to withdraw the amount, and the crisp bills appeared neatly in his hand, which he handed to the surprised cashier. "Cash po, sir?" the young saleslady asked, slightly flustered. "Oo, cash," Dex replied calmly. [PHP 28,000.00 spent. 2x return initiated. +PHP 56,000.00 has been deposited to the system's dimensional wallet.] As she processed his payment, Dex decided to test his other function. He looked at her and activated the Eye of Truth. [ Name: Lorie Anne Pineda ] [ Status: Worker ] [ Mastery: Customer Service (Intermediate) ] He felt a slight pang of sympathy. The world was tough for everyone. He then asked, "Miss, itong jacket, matibay ba talaga 'to?" (Miss, this jacket, is it really durable?) "Yes sir, matibay po 'yan, gawa sa genuine leather. Isa sa mga best-sellers namin," she said with a practiced, friendly smile. In his vision, a small, glowing tag appeared next to her words. [ TRUTH ] The system worked perfectly. It could see through intentions and verify facts. This was an ability more valuable than any amount of money. After the clothing store, he bought a new phone, a high-end laptop, and other essentials. With each purchase, his wallet in the system swelled. He spent around 150,000 pesos in total, and his dimensional wallet now held over 300,000 pesos, on top of the physical cash he still had. It was a dizzying feeling. Just as he was about to head to the supermarket to buy groceries, a notification chimed in his mind, this one different from the rest. [Points have exceeded 1,000. Shop is now unlocked.] [Current Points: 1,024] Finally. A new menu was now available on his status screen. He was eager to check it out, but the middle of a crowded mall wasn't the place. He decided to head back. As he was walking towards the exit, his path was suddenly blocked. A group of men in sharp black suits, all wearing earpieces, were clearing a path. People around them instinctively moved aside, whispering and staring. In the center of this human shield walked a young woman. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with long, dark hair that cascaded down her back, and eyes that held a cool, intelligent light. She wore a simple but elegant white dress that made her stand out from the crowd. There was an aura of power and untouchable grace around her. She looked bored, her gaze sweeping over the common folk with a detached indifference. For a fraction of a second, her eyes met Dex's. There was no recognition, no emotion in her gaze, just a fleeting glance before she looked away. But in that instant, Dex felt a strange jolt. It wasn't infatuation, but a sense of acknowledgment—a recognition of two worlds colliding. He saw the Deguil family in her, but amplified a hundred times over. This was true, old-world power. As quickly as they appeared, the entourage swept past him and disappeared into a luxury car waiting at the entrance. "Grabe, 'di ba 'yan si Aliana Soreveño?" a girl next to him whispered to her friend. "Ang ganda niya sa personal!" "Oo nga. Ang pamilya niyan ang may-ari ng kalahati ng mga negosyo sa bansa," her friend replied in awe. Soreveño. The name echoed in Dex's mind. The Soreveño family was a titan in the country, a conglomerate whose influence dwarfed even the Deguils. He filed the name and the face away in his memory and continued on his way. Back in his apartment, the sight was completely different. Shopping bags filled the once-empty space. He unpacked his new belongings, setting up the laptop and placing his new clothes in the small wooden cabinet. He stocked the tiny fridge with food and drinks. It was starting to feel like a home. He sank onto his newly purchased mattress, the exhaustion of the day finally setting in. But it was a good kind of tired. He had been cast out, but in less than a day, he had secured a home, filled it with necessities, and earned more money than he had ever possessed in his entire life. He pulled up the system screen one last time. [ Name: Dex Deguil ] Age: 19 Status: Healthy, Stable Abilities: None Mastery: None Functions: - Eye of Truth (Active) - Temporal Rewind (3 charges/month) - Expenditure Return (2x) Shop: [ Open ] Points: 1,158 He looked at the glowing word [ Open ] next to the Shop function. This was the next step. With the abilities the shop promised, money would just be a small part of his power. Looking out his window at the endless city lights of Manila, Dex felt a profound sense of calm. The Deguil family, with their grand mansion and their petty schemes, felt a million miles away. They thought they had broken him. They didn't know they had just set him free. "This is just the beginning," he vowed to the sleeping city. He was no longer the outcast. He was the one who would rise. .