Chapter 6: Card Part 3

"If only..." I let out a deep breath, still replaying what happened earlier.Not being able to finish was frustrating, and it wasn’t like I could just... take matters into my own hands.

With nothing else to do, I decided to focus my thoughts on other things before I went completely mad.

First on the agenda: learning about my new family background. To keep it simple, I accepted my role as Ace Mercer completely.

Mercer Family. They used to run a pharmaceutical company—a typical drug empire, until monsters started pouring out of from towers.

Following these events, they shifted focus to selling potions and other items made from rare materials.

Being one of the few to take advantage of the chaos, they quickly rose to prominence.

The entire company was valued at 920 billion, with 250 billion owned by the Mercer family alone. That amounted to 27.17%—all of it majority and voting shares, giving his father complete control of the company.

That was three years ago, so it could be a trillion-dollar company by now.

Wow... I’m filthy rich. Just need to fix this damn body, and I could start living like a proper rich kid.

No limits, no rules... just me doing whatever I want.

In my old world, there was a saying—if you have to obey the law, you’re clearly not rich enough.

Next on my agenda was understanding this world.

Historical records indicate that towers have been appearing worldwide for decades

They varied in size and height, but they all had one thing in common: if not dealt with quickly, they would released monsters.

Each of these towers had its own terrain, weather patterns, and sometimes even bizarre, twisted laws of nature.

The ones who delved on these dangerous places were known as Tower Seekers, or simply Seekers—humans who developed supernatural abilities.

But there was no mention anywhere of them seeing game-style interfaces or having a system. It seemed mine was truly one of a kind.

A grin tugged at my lips. Reincarnation and a system—this was the classic setup for overpowered protagonists.

As I mulled things over, a single memory sat cloaked in total darkness. The more I tried to pry it open, the stronger the pain became.

"What is happening here? Why can’t I access this memory?"

[Host: You do not have sufficient authority to access it]

"Is this related to my mother?"

There was no response, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was the case.

She was diagnosed with schizophrenia because she kept having episodes, claiming her husband was part of a demonic cult controlling the world in preparation for the rise of a demon king named BEL.

Due to the extreme nature of her claims and behavior, she was confined to the mansion, where psychiatrists were brought in to ’treat’ her—or at least, that’s what they said.

But her condition only worsened, and in the end, she took her own life.

Just thinking about it made my blood boil.

DING!

[New Objective: Uncover the true cause of your Mother’s Death]

[Time Limit : 3 Months]

[Reward : Avatar Card]

The mission confirmed what I already started to suspect. She wasn’t crazy, and her death wasn’t really suicide.

I had to be more careful now, since whoever was responsible for her death might be targeting me too.

"Avatar Card?" I repeated.

[Unlike the standard Acting Card, which allows the host to immerse themselves in a different persona, the Avatar Card can manifest that persona’s other traits—skills, powers, and even equipment.]

My eyes practically widened out of my skull. "Wait... I can do all of that in the future! "

[Yes, Host. The fundamental ability of the Degenerate system is to let you wield the powers of others. Even your Silver Tongue is just a copy of someone else’s ability.]

"Wow... I really struck gold with you. Sorry for doubting you just because of the name."

[Never underestimate the word ’Degenerate,’ Host. You can’t even fathom how deep the rabbit hole goes.]

Now that I think about it, it was actually very obvious: DE-GENERATE.

Hearing all of this, being stuck in this bed didn’t seem so bad after all.

"So, system... let’s chat more."

There was no response. It only spoke when it wanted to, ignoring me most of the time.

No worries—I was in a good mood right now.

click!

The door slowly opened, and Ellie stepped in.

"Ace, I’m glad you’re awake now." She placed the basket of fruit on the table and took a seat beside my bed.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

[ACE MERCER CARD ACTIVATED]

My expression changed, and I suddenly looked more sickly, which made her panic.

"A... Aunt Ellie... I think I’m getting worse."

"What?" She got up from her seat. "Are you sure? I’ll talk to the doctor right away!"

Her reaction didn’t seem fake at all, but then again, she could just be a really good actress.

Before I could even open my mouth again, she was already halfway to the door.

"Wait, I already talked to the doctor. He thinks I’m just... losing hope. That’s why I feel so tired lately."

Her fingers paused just inches from the doorknob, trembling slightly before curling into a loose fist.

"No...." She quietly came back to my bedside.

"Don’t say that." Her lips quivered, and I saw the first tear slip down her cheek. "Your father and I will be heartbroken."

Her hands found her sleeves, and her fingers dug in a desperate attempt to hold the emotion in.

"I know you’re tired, and this year has been... hard," she went on. "But there’s still hope. You just don’t know everything yet." Follow current novels on ????????????????????※????????????????※????????????

I just stared at her, trying to fill my eyes with as much sadness and hopelessness as I could fake. It was the empty look of someone barely clinging to life.

She covered her mouth while sobbing.

"I... it’s okay, Aunt Ellie. You don’t have to pretend. Living like this is too exhausting. I just want to rest... and see Mother. I miss her."

Tears brimmed and overflowed from her eyes as she held onto my hand, afraid of losing me completely.