The Art of Aesthetic Begging"
[Yes, their parents died in an accident. The original parents of this body already 'logged out' from the world because they couldn't afford to pay the oxygen bills and their neighbors' installment of expectations. You are now officially the Head of the Household in this dilapidated shack, with the responsibility of one future psychopath younger brother and a savings balance of zero rupiah.]
Baskara nodded in understanding. He felt relieved because it turned out the parents of these siblings died in an accident, not because they were murdered by his new little brother. Well, at least he had to try first before giving up, right?
"System, I'm hungry, and I think my brother is hungry too," Kara said while holding his flat, empty-feeling stomach.
"Usually in novels, the system provides ridiculous mission rewards, right? Like a black card, a mansion, and then—"
[Unfortunately, no. There are only ordinary rewards and suggestions here because the system of this world is currently broke.]
"WTF!!! Broke? You mean you're dirt-poor? Since when does a system like that even exist?!" Baskara snapped sarcastically, refusing to accept that he had to get a system so vastly different from the ones he read about in novels.
[That is the reality. So, you must survive on your own in this new world. Just think of it like a game, except the difference is you can actually die for real here. Fun, isn't it?]
"Son of a b*tch, dog, pig, idiot," Baskara immediately listed the entire contents of the zoo. What did that cursed and wicked system just say? He had to survive on his own? Oh my god, in his past life, he was still just a student, and now he was being told to work and provide for someone else's kid?
[Warning! The main target is feeling hungry! You must provide him with nutritious food!]Baskara glanced at Cruel, who was already staring back at him. The corner of the boy's eyes narrowed into a cynical glare—a sign that he needed food. Kara let out a harsh sigh.
"Tem, System, is there any job for me to eat and feed my brother?"
[Please wait a moment...... Searching for a mission..... Mission found!! You must find food by means of 'aesthetic begging'.]
"What do you mean? You're telling me to beg?!"
[Not ordinary begging. You must sing the keroncong version of 'Lizards on the Wall' in front of Mrs. Fatimah's Nasi Padang food stall..... Target: leftover but edible rice.]
"Change it!!! Change the mission!! I was a former student council president in my past life, I still have self-respect, damn it!!"
[If you refuse, you will be penalized! Penalty: your stomach will make a 'cock-a-doodle-doo' sound every time you see a pretty girl. The penalty will begin.... Activating the 'Stomach Rooster' effect in... 3... 2....]
"Okay, okay!! I'll sing!!! Confound it, is this a system or a comedy show producer?!" Baskara grumbled in annoyance.
Right now, Baskara was already standing in front of the crowded Nasi Padang stall. Kara stood there with a pale face. He saw Cruel watching him from a distance while holding an empty sauce bottle, which his new little brother had prepared to throw at him if he failed to bring back food. Kara let out a helpless sigh.
'I feel like a kidnapping victim, damn it,' he thought to himself.After gathering his courage for quite a while, Kara started singing with a voice trembling from holding back sheer embarrassment.
"Lizards...... lizards on the wall..... silently wash away..... along comes a mosquito... hap... then I am the one who dies of starvation......"Kara's face turned bright red. Argh!!! He wanted to cry as loudly as possible.
After a few moments passed, a middle-aged woman stepped out of the stall and walked closer toward Kara. Yes, that woman was Mrs. Fatimah, the owner of the food stall.
"Oh my goodness, young man, you look so handsome but you're out of your mind. Here, take the rice, but please stay far away. My customers are losing their appetite hearing your voice that sounds like a broken megaphone,"
Mrs. Fatimah said while handing over a plastic bag containing leftover but edible rice wrapped in paper.Kara accepted the rice with teary eyes.
"Thank you, ma'am.... My voice is actually very expensive, that's why you have to pay me with rice..... If there's an opening for a singer later, please contact me, ma'am......"Mrs. Fatimah could only shake her head upon hearing the words of the young man in front of her.
[Congratulations! Mission accomplished!! Reward: +2 kindness points, a bar of dishwashing soap, and the passive skill 'Max Level Thick-Skinned Face'. Note: your brother, Cruel, feels ashamed to admit you as his older brother.]
Baskara then returned to the shack. As for Cruel, his younger brother had gone back to the shack first because he felt too embarrassed watching him earlier.
"El!!! Look here!! Big bro brought Nasi Padang!! Bro Kara is awesome, right?"With a proud smile, Baskara showed off the results of his street busking to his little brother, while the one being spoken to merely stared at him with a completely flat expression.
"Bro, earlier I heard a chicken sound coming from your stomach, and then you sang like someone who was on the verge of death. Next time if we're close to starving to death, just say so. I can rob the stall much faster than you can sing," Cruel remarked sarcastically, staring at Baskara intently.
'Tem, System, seriously though, can this brother be stuffed back into his mother's womb? I feel like he's way better at surviving than I am,' Kara cried in his heart.
[Suggestion: Do not give up! Remember, if he robs a store today, tomorrow he might burn down the whole world. Keep being the clown for the sake of the world's future.]
Baskara snorted. The fate of having a broke system—it only knew how to give missions, penalties, and quotes of the day. He wanted to protest, but what power did he have?
'I am just an ordinary mortal,' Kara thought.Baskara and Cruel then began to eat the leftover rice. He patiently fed the spawn of Satan—uh, I mean his little brother.
"Eat a lot so you can grow up fast."
"When I grow up, can I mince people, bro?"
"Cough cough!!" Kara reflexively spat out the food he was currently chewing.
'Damn, this kid is terrifying.'
"Dek... do you know, in this world there are many jobs and hobbies that are way more fun than committing sins by murdering people. Take big bro for example, I love helping people, I'm never toxic, I'm kind-hearted, sincere in giving charity, and sharing," Kara smiled proudly.
Well, just consider this a public relations move; his brother needed to know how good he was.
[Bad deed points -5. Reason for points: lying.]
'This system talks too much, damn it,' Kara continued putting rice into his mouth. Occasionally, he glanced at Cruel, who was eating ravenously. His little brother looked so cute, so why was his behavior like a demon?After a while, Kara finished his food.
"Finish your rice first, okay? Big bro wants to wash his hands first."Baskara stood up. He went to the back to throw away the rice wrapper. After washing his hands with well water, he came back inside.
"Tem, System, are my mission rewards really just kindness points, dishwashing soap, and a passive skill? Is there no other reward? Like money or something, a bit more expensive."
[Sigh, didn't I already tell you that the system here is dirt-poor? Where would the money come from? I myself was created using the minimum wage savings of my boss.]
"Damn, minimum wage. Tem, your boss's salary is based on the minimum wage of which region? Why are you so stingy with giving rewards?"
[We apologize, Baggage. My boss's salary gets cut for this and that, with taxes that are higher than your life expectancy. We are both victims of bureaucracy; let's not insult each other.]
"Damn right, isn't their salary enough that the citizens have to become the victims? Everything requires payment, especially when it comes to education. Back then, whenever I watched the news, I felt like crying seeing smart kids who had to drop out of school just because the fees were more expensive than the price of a commoner's life. On the other hand, there are rich people who go to school just to show off their outfits."
[That is systemic injustice. Knowledge is free, but the building, the uniform, and the administration can often only be bought by those who have privilege.]
"Seriously, this is what pisses me off the most. I saw a kid who was willing to sell newspapers just to buy a used book, while those who have complete facilities instead love to skip school and get into brawls. This world really cracks jokes that aren't funny sometimes, huh? The ones with intent get tripped up, while those who get a clear path just waste it away."
[Why are we discussing this anyway? This is a heavy topic, Baggage. If we say the wrong thing, we'll get jailed because we're labeled as traitors and defamers by the people upstairs.]
"True that. We were just talking about minimum wage, how did it turn into this? Speaking up like this, if we get caught, we'll get hit with the law on defaming lawmakers—"
[Stop it, Baggage. You almost mentioned the brand.]Baskara immediately fell silent. Right, almost. He had nearly uttered something sacred, and their conversation had expanded all the way there. Though he was just ranting a bit earlier because he was still annoyed upon hearing that he got a system that was different from the others. Well, it seemed he had to learn to accept it.
"Tem, seriously though, give me a reward that is at least a bit useful. Is it possible that you're so cool yet unable to give me a slightly expensive prize?"The system gave Baskara a cynical side-eye.
[And if there is an expensive prize, what do you want to do with it?]"Well, I want everything that can make me rich, obviously!!"
[Ting! Congratulations! You have received an additional reward. Reward: a supply of instant noodles for the next 3 days!]
"Damn it, just noodles?!" Kara barked in irritation.
Come on, why couldn't he get a system reward like the ones in novels? He was truly jealous when comparing himself to other main characters who could get private islands, black cards, etc. Meanwhile, himself? He only received a moral lesson and enlightenment.
