Host: Ethan Sullivan

Physique: 90

includes strength, speed, agility, stamina, etc.

Mind: 66

includes intelligence, wisdom, IQ, EQ, memory, etc.

Skills: Street Brawling Lv1

Energy Points: 0

Lucky Draw: None

Ethan rubbed his temples, staring at the clear system panel floating in front of him, feeling a headache coming on.

This thing had suddenly latched onto him last night out of nowhere—no tutorial, no guide, not even a friendly system assistant. For something that looked so high-tech, it was seriously lacking in basic instruction.

Its name, "Supreme Energy System," hinted that it probably functioned by collecting some kind of energy.

With that in mind, Ethan had skipped breakfast and bolted out the door as soon as the sun was up.

Like a man on a mission — or just straight-up crazy — he started touching everything on the street trying to trigger a response. Trees, metal fences, fountain water, even random dirt on the ground. You name it, he tried it.

After more than two hours of this, the panel still stubbornly displayed a big fat “0.”

Meanwhile, his stomach started protesting, loud and clear.

“Well, guess breakfast comes first,” Ethan muttered, defeated, as he turned into a small breakfast joint by the street.

The moment he sat down, he hollered toward the counter, “Hey boss, I’ll take a basket of soup dumplings, two big steamed buns, two tea eggs, and some soy milk! Starving here, make it quick!”

At 6’0”, Ethan had an appetite to match his size. His dad often joked that even if college didn’t work out, he’d be fine hauling bricks at a construction site — at least he wouldn’t go hungry.

Inside the warm shop, Ethan devoured his meal like a wrecking ball.

Once his stomach was full, his gloomy mood cleared up too.

Feeling much better, he stepped back out and resumed his quest to crack the system’s secret. There had to be a trick to this energy thing.

Then he spotted someone.

Two girls were walking toward him from down the street.

Ethan’s eyes lit up mischievously as he strolled over with a grin.

“Well, well, isn’t this our lovely class belle? Heading somewhere special? Want your personal bodyguard to escort you?”

Chloe Baker’s cheeks flushed instantly, and she stammered, “N-no need, Ethan. I’m just going to Wanda with my sister.”

“Save your charm for someone who falls for it,” snapped Sophie Baker, throwing him a glare.Sophie Baker shot Ethan Sullivan a look full of disdain, then yanked Chloe by the arm to leave. But not before she scoffed, “Where do you get the nerve? You, trying to talk to my sister? Get a grip. You seriously think someone like you deserves her? Keep dreaming.”

“Come on, sis, don’t be like that. Ethan probably didn’t mean anything bad,” Chloe said gently.

“Chloe, don’t defend him.”

Her soft voice only made Sophie even more annoyed. She glanced at Ethan again, her eyes brimming with contempt.

The whole scene made Ethan’s blood boil.

His beef with Sophie had started ever since he’d given her boyfriend, James Richardson, a lesson. And from that day, she’d never missed a chance to try and ruin his life. Tattling to teachers, saying he was napping in class, or accusing him of cheating on homework—always looking for ways to get him punished.

Even when he had to stand through lectures or mop the floors, he stayed quiet. After all, she was a girl, and he didn’t want to make a scene.

But now? Throwing insults in front of everyone and calling him a toad eyeing a swan?

Sure, Ethan liked Chloe. And yeah, he knew his grades were average and his family wasn’t anything special. But was having a crush a crime now?

Pretty much every guy in the class had a soft spot for Chloe. She was top of the class, kind, graceful—who wouldn’t want to talk to her more?

He wasn’t that bad either. He was tall, over six feet, looked clean, and crushed it on the basketball court—plenty of girls liked him for that.

So what gave Sophie the right to diss him like this?

If there was one thing Ethan couldn’t stand, it was being treated like trash. His eyes narrowed as he sneered, “Even if I am a toad going after a swan, you're not worth my time. Always walking around with that sour face—what’s your problem? Do I owe your family money or something?”

Sophie was barely five-three but weighed close to 150 pounds. Her round face looked like a full moon. Honestly, Ethan couldn’t help but wonder how James managed to kiss that face without flinching.

Still, to be fair, Sophie wasn’t all bad. She came from money—word was her family had assets in the millions. Maybe that’s why James put up with her.

Ethan had also heard the sisters weren’t actually blood-related. Chloe’s mom had married Sophie’s dad, making them stepsisters.

Sophie, though heavyset, was sharp. She instantly picked up on Ethan’s mocking tone, and her face turned beet red, like it was about to explode.

Chloe, standing quietly nearby, watched as Ethan snapped back with such dry wit, and a smile tugged at her lips. He might’ve been a little blunt, but there was something about him that made it hard not to chuckle.

“Ding! Congratulations, host has gained 10 energy points from Sophie Baker.”

“Ding! Congratulations, host has gained 10 energy points from Sophie Baker.”

“Ding! Congratulations, host has gained 10 energy points from Sophie Baker.”

Right then, the system’s voice chimed in his head, three times in a row, leaving Ethan absolutely stunned.“What the heck? Where did these energy points suddenly come from? Wait... could it be ‘cause Sophie’s got... more to offer?”

Ethan Sullivan raised an eyebrow, a amused smirk creeping onto his face as he thought to himself.

“You jerk! Smiling at me like that—are you mocking me?!”

Sophie Baker let go of Chloe and stormed up to him, her finger nearly poking his nose.

Caught off guard by her flushed face and the furious energy, Ethan leaned back a little. “Hey hey, don’t get it twisted—I wasn’t laughing behind your back. I was straight-up laughing to your face. What, you can throw shade at me but I’m not allowed to clap back? Since when did you become royalty?”

“You... you little—”

Sophie was practically shaking with rage, stomping her foot as her face turned crimson.

[Corey Circuit Notification: Ding! Congratulations! 10 energy points acquired from Sophie Baker.]

A series of cheerful notification chimes followed one after another—five in total—and Ethan’s eyes lit up.

Wait a minute... was this it? Every time he pissed her off, the system responded. So… it collected human emotions? Mood swings, maybe?

After a moment’s thought, Ethan grinned. Seemed like stirring the pot wasn’t such a bad survival strategy.

“Ethan, you better apologize right now or I swear, I’ll have my dad’s guys make sure you spend the rest of your life bed-bound!”

Sophie was fuming, chest heaving, face red.

“Oh, sure. Apology coming your way.” Ethan hooked the corner of his lip into a teasing smile. “Really, Sophie, I apologize. You can’t help your looks, I get that. It’s not your fault you’ve got a face that could clear a classroom in seconds. But don’t worry—I promise I won’t bring your face up again…”

“Shut up, you bastard!”

Sophie’s hands balled into fists, her whole frame trembling with fury. That wasn’t an apology—he was clearly just twisting the knife.

[Corey Circuit Notification: Ding! 10 energy points obtained.]

…

The continuous streams of energy points had Ethan practically grinning from ear to ear on the inside. What a win. But outwardly, he put on an innocent face, eyes slightly downcast. “Sophie, that really hurts, y’know. I was being sincere, and now you’re yelling at me?”

Chloe Baker, standing off to the side, couldn’t help it—a little giggle escaped her lips when she saw Ethan playing the pitiful act so blatantly.

This guy. Such a troublemaker… and yet kinda adorably shameless.

The moment the laugh slipped, Chloe looked embarrassed, quickly covering her mouth. She shot Ethan a playful glare, like she was blaming him for making her laugh in the first place.

Seeing that expression—cute, amused, flustered—Ethan felt his heart skip a beat. It was downright dangerous how fast she was getting under his skin.