The System Forces Me to Take in a Lame, Mute Chef as My Sidekick

“From this day on, you are the king. Fail the mission, and you will be erased.”

Wang Dou was a no-account who couldn't even collect protection money on three streets in town. He owed the gambling house a mountain of debt, and on the night he hit rock bottom, this busted System shackled him. His first mission: recruit three underlings before dawn. With no other choice, he bluffed a cripple, a mute, and a chef who owed him money into joining, then turned them in to meet the quota. The second mission was even more ridiculous: claim a mountain stronghold, raise a banner, and get ten people to call him king.

He couldn't beat anyone, but he could say two sentences and make them wonder if they'd just crossed someone they shouldn't have. He passed off a ruined temple as a royal palace, called bandits his followers, and somehow drew a whole crowd of recruits from the underlings he'd casually claimed as his own. His lies grew bigger and bigger, until the real bandit chief came knocking, the county yamen took him for a demon, and his creditors chased him to the foot of the mountain.

The System coldly twisted the knife: “Stage complete. Reward: a bowl of hot soup.”

He held the bowl, his hands trembling. If he couldn't become king, he'd be erased. If he did, everyone would come after him with real blades to settle the score.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.