Chapter 1 My best friend, Jessica, and I were given a choice between two "Systems." One was a "Spend & Earn" system, the other, a "Frugal Living" syst- In my last life, she chose spending, and I chose saving. She was consumed by an endless cycle of purchases and died from exhaustion. I bec- ame a secret millionaire. At my wedding, her parents stormed in, screaming and attacking me. "You venomous witch! You murdered our daughter!" Then I opened my eyes, and I was back on the day of the choice. Jessica spoke first, her voice thick with a venomous exhaustion I knew all too well. "I choose... the Frugal Living system." A cold, mechanical voice echoed in my mind. [Host Jessica has selected the "Frugal Living" system. Binding in progress...] [Remaining system: "Spend & Earn." Bind to Host Carol?] I looked at Jessica across from me. She was skeletal, her eyes sunken deep into their sockets as if she'd just crawled out of hell itself. But those eyes burned with a frightening intensity, a twisted, vengeful glee. She thought she had just passed her death sentence on to me. She thought she had stolen my golden ticket to a perfect life. "Bind it," I said, my voice even. The triumphant smirk on Jessica's face froze before it could fully bloom. The panic, the fear, the breakdown she had been anticipating-none of it came. I was as calm as a placid lake. ["Spend & Earn" system successfully bound. Issuing Novice Mission: Host must spend $10,000 within 24 hours. Mission success: receive a $1 0,000 rebate. Mission failure: instant death.] Almost simultaneously, Jessica's own system pinged in her head. She flinched, her hands flying to her ears as a flash of pain crossed her face. ༤ ༢ ༤ I knew her novice mission. [Novice Mission: Earn one dollar through acts of saving within 24 hours. Mission success: receive a two-dollar reward. Mission failure: The system will confiscate the host's most cherished possession.] Last time, that mission had driven me to the brink of madness. But now, a confident, predatory smile spread across Jessica's lips. She rose from her chair, walked to the window, and flicked off the unneces- sary lights in the room. [Ding! Saved $0.02 on electricity.] Next, she moved to the water cooler and yanked the plug from the wall. [Ding! Saved $0.05 on electricity.] She looked at me as if I were already a corpse. "Good luck, Carol." I ignored her. I pulled out my phone, opened a food delivery app, and found the most expensive sushi restaurant in the city. Sashimi platters, sea urchin, Wagyu beef... I tapped my screen relentlessly, filling my cart until the subtotal was a breathtaking $9,888. Then, I navigated to the tip section and entered $112. Total: $10,000. Jessica watched me, a sneer twisting her lips. "A desperate last struggle. Carol, don't you get it? The rebate has to be spent in the next 24 hou- rs. You spend ten thousand today, you'll have to spend twenty tomorrow, then forty the day after! Let's see how long you last!" I said nothing, just waited quietly for my delivery. Half an hour later, a breathless delivery driver arrived, hauling several large insulated containers. I took them and met his tired eyes. "Thank you for your hard work," I said. "This... it's all for you." The driver stared, convinced he'd misheard. "Huh? Ma'am, what did you say?" "It's for you," I repeated gently. "Consider it a small thank you to everyone working late tonight." With that, I closed the door. From outside, I could hear the driver's stunned, grateful thanks. From inside, I heard Jessica's disbelieving shriek. "Are you insane?! You just gave away ten thousand dollars' worth of food!" I turned to her and smiled. She didn't understand. This system was never designed to kill the spenders. It was designed to kill the selfish. 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