I bound a System that claimed it could open a space-time gate.
I wanted to travel back to ancient times and trade antiques. I stepped through the door...
A deserted island.
The other world was short on everything. I could go back to the modern world to stock up, but I didn't have enough money.
So I came up with a "game."
A group of players thought it was a full-dive online game. They hauled bricks, chopped trees, and fought the barbarian tribes, all eager to work.
They could revive after dying, but had to pick up their own gear.
The harder they worked, the more I earned.
Player: "Can we cash out?"
Me: "Sure. Get to work first."
I thought I was just milking the players.
Until I discovered that this System, which had let me count money until my hands went numb, had narrowly escaped after a god's fall.
Deep in the starfield, the hunt was still on.
