Chapter 2: Spending A Hundred Million Years In Retirement Is Not Worth It

It took a moment before Emily noticed the dark look on Ryan’s face. A slight scowl immediately appeared on hers.

"What is the problem, Big Brother?" she asked in a weak, worried voice.

Ryan immediately restructured his expression, shrugging it off as he stepped into the apartment.

"Nothing, actually, Emily. I’m okay."

"You seem a bit... dazzled at the door," she said, approaching him slowly. "Tell me, Big Brother. Did I lose more weight? Do I look paler today?"

There was a trace of wariness in her expression as she asked.

Ryan was certain that was the only thing that could have crossed her mind.

As an asthma patient, some of the most noticeable changes in Emily had been the increasing paleness of her skin and the weight she continued to lose. At one point, it had become so bad that she lost the confidence to go outside, gradually withdrawing from social places and eventually dropping out of school.

It wasn’t as if Ryan had enough money to keep paying her school fees anyway, so dropping out had only made things easier for both of them.

Before the death of their parents three years ago, Emily had been properly taken care of. She received all the medication she needed, and despite her condition, she had always been a vibrant and cheerful girl.

Fast forward to today...

No one knew she was standing at the doorstep of death.

Ryan looked at her again, and his eyes became slightly colder.

’I have to make her live.’

’No matter what.’

’If I let her die, then what’s the point of becoming Ryan and enjoying my retirement?’

"Answer me, Big Brother!" Emily suddenly asked again. "What has happened to me now? Am I going to die?"

The question pushed Ryan into a corner.

He looked at her for a moment before giving a calm smile.

"No, Emily. Nothing is happening to you."

He stepped closer.

"You look as beautiful as you always have. And you’re not going to die, okay?"

Emily looked unconvinced at first, but eventually gave him a small nod. There was still uncertainty in her eyes, but there was also a little hope.

"Come here."

Ryan opened his arms, and Emily happened to freeze for a moment before stepping into his embrace.

"I won’t let anything happen to you, Emily. I promise."

There was sincerity in his voice.

Affection.

And beneath it all, a fear that wasn’t entirely his own.

Ryan didn’t hate those emotions.

In fact, he knew he would need them.

They reminded him of one of his previous lives.

During his thirteenth transmigration, he had lost his sister, Evanna, in a war that had claimed countless lives across an entire continent. She had been the only family he had in that world, yet he had allowed himself to become consumed by the interests of the nation rather than those of his family.

By the time he realized his mistake, it was already too late.

He had regretted it deeply.

Perhaps those emotions and decisions had been influenced by the original owners of the bodies he transmigrated into, but the consequences had always belonged to him.

He was the one who had to live with them.

That was why, after hundreds of lives, Ryan had learned something important.

He could inherit a body’s memories.

He could inherit its emotions.

But he would never allow the original owner of a body to dictate his choices.

He would dominate every new life.

And perhaps...

This was simply another opportunity to prove it.

Meanwhile, Emily remained in his arms, quietly processing what had just happened.

’I can’t remember the last time Big Brother hugged me.’

’He always comes home from the restaurant exhausted. Every evening, he looks at me with pity, and sometimes he tells me that I’ve gotten paler.’

’But today, he came home early, hugged me, and told me he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.’

’He’s never said that before.’

’Not even though he’s been working so hard just to afford my medication.’

’What happened to Big Brother today?’

Emily really had never been this happy.

Ryan usually came home complaining about the stress at the restaurant and how his boss had yelled at him for being slow or careless.

But today was different.

Something about him was different.

When they finally separated, Emily was about to ask why he had returned so early when...

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

The aggressive knocking shook the door.

Ryan and Emily exchanged glances, and they didn’t need to say anything because they already knew.

The memories that had flooded Ryan’s mind were enough to identify the visitor.

"It’s him," Emily muttered.

"The landlord." Ryan nodded.

He stood and walked toward the door.

When he opened it, the answer was immediately obvious.

Standing outside was a thickset middle-aged man with a round face, thinning hair, and a stomach that pushed aggressively against his faded shirt. His forehead was already creased with anger, and the vein on his temple pulsed as though it were preparing to burst.

This was Mr. Broke.

Their landlord.

And judging by his expression, he had not come to wish them a pleasant evening.

Ryan’s mouth hadn’t even moved before the man stormed inside.

"Tell me, Ryan!" Mr. Broke shouted. "Is it a mere hundred and fifty dollars that you can’t pay after eighteen months?!"

Ryan furrowed his brows.

He quickly gathered the situation in his mind, but had immediately understood that the landlord was justified.

Eighteen months of unpaid rent was far beyond what could be excused.

The original Ryan had already promised to pay countless times, and judging from the memories he had received, most of those promises had been made without the slightest idea of how he would actually keep them.

"I’m sorry, Mr. Broke," Ryan said, forcing an innocent expression onto his face. "I promise I’ll pay up soon."

The landlord stared at him. ℯℯ𝑙.

But it was clear that he wasn’t buying it.

"Enough of your empty promises!" He roared. "This is exactly the eighth time you’ve promised to pay me this month! I’m not listening to your excuses anymore!"

Mr. Broke was practically vibrating as he spoke, like a man who would rather die than take back his words.

Ryan remained silent, as the landlord went further with his actions, pointing towards the door.

"I’m giving you three hours."

His voice became colder.

"You and your sister. By the time I come back, both of you better be out of my house!"

That was the last thing he said before turning around and storming out.

He didn’t give Ryan a chance to argue, nor did he give Emily the chance to cry and make him feel pity.

The door slammed behind him, and silence followed.

Then...

Emily burst into tears.

Her eyes watered almost instantly, and she collapsed onto the old mattress as a series of painful coughs escaped her throat.

Ryan immediately walked over to her.

He had seen enough for someone who was already struggling with her health.

Now she had to worry about losing the only place she could call home.

It was time for him to step up.

"It’s okay, Emily." Ryan crouched beside her.

"You don’t have to worry. I’ll find a way to pay him before he comes back. Trust me."

"How?"

Emily suddenly raised her head, her eyes were glinting red.

"How are you going to pay him? We can barely afford enough medication to treat my asthma, and now you think you can get a hundred and fifty dollars out of nowhere?"

Ryan didn’t answer immediately.

That was the reality they were living in.

They weren’t simply poor.

They were trapped.

They were in the trenches.

"Tell me, Big Brother..." Emily’s voice trembled. "Why did you come back from work so early?"

Ryan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"You got into another argument with your boss, didn’t you?"

She swallowed with a straight face and shook her head.

"And he fired you again?"

Ryan remained silent, knowing how crazy it was that she was guessing right.

"How do we know it isn’t final this time?"

This was the final assumption she made, and in the end her tears began dripping again.

The words this time caught Ryan’s attention. This wasn’t the first time the original Ryan had been fired after an argument at the restaurant.

In fact, judging from his memories, it had happened several times.

Emily’s fear was justified.

She simply didn’t know that the Ryan standing before her wasn’t exactly the same person anymore.

He was still her Big Brother.

But...

He was her new Big Brother now.

"Like I said, Emily..."

Ryan stood.

"Everything will be fine."

He stood up and walked toward the door just after patting her shoulders.

"Where are you going?" Emily asked.

"To figure out a way out of this."

"Please be careful, Big Brother," Emily hesitated before responding to that, given that there was no way out other than just trying.

She wiped her tears.

"Don’t get into trouble."

Ryan nodded, giving her a reassuring smile.

"I won’t," he said and stepped out of the apartment.

The moment he reached the stairs, his expression changed. The worries of the original Ryan were gone. The desperation was gone. There was only calmness.

He descended the stairs and left the building.

Then he called out to the only companion who could possibly help him.

"Soly."

There was no response at first as Ryan frowned.

"Soly?"

A few seconds passed.

Then he asked the question that had been sitting in his mind since his arrival.

"How do I excel in this world?"

A familiar voice finally answered.

[There’s a monster in this world called money.]

Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Money?"

[Make money.]

[Make money...]

[Make more money.]

Ryan couldn’t help but smile.

"And how exactly do I do that?"

[There are several ways.]

[But we’re going to choose the most interesting one.]

The voice became slightly more serious.

[The people of this world are weak.]

[They celebrate eighty years as a long life.]

[Show them that they can have more.]

Ryan’s footsteps slowed.

And Soly continued...

[Sell them the thing they desire most...]

[Time.]

Ryan stopped completely.

"..."

He stared at the people passing around him.

’Time.’

The countdowns above their heads suddenly seemed different.

"You mean selling them time means adding to their lifespan?"

[Correct.]

Ryan’s eyes narrowed with interest.

"But how do I do that?"

[Good question.]

[You possess more than a hundred million years of remaining lifespan after settling down for retirement.]

[In this world, you could live through generation after generation and still not come remotely close to the end of your life.]

Ryan remained silent and listened attentively.

[These people are fragile.]

[They are always hoping to live a little longer.]

[Grant them their wishes.]

[And receive a suitable price for every year you spare.]

[Because to them...]

[One year of life can be worth more than gold.]

Ryan slowly smiled.

"So I’m going to sell my years to them."

He looked toward the sky.

"Interesting."

A faint grin appeared on his face.

"But if that’s the case..."

"I’ll do it with pleasure."

Soly’s voice suddenly carried a strange sense of amusement.

[If that’s the case, Brother...]

[Planet Earth isn’t ready for your domination.]

Ryan chuckled in anticipation, a relaxed smile on his face.

Soly had always been the one to figure out a way to excel in every world, and he has never failed. And now, here again... He doesn’t think he would.

Then...

A familiar notification appeared before his eyes.

[Host’s Remaining Lifespan:]

[103 Million Years, 8 Months, 3 Weeks, 4 Days, 12 Hours, 43 Minutes, 45 Seconds...]

Ryan stared at the enormous number.

One hundred and three million years.

Even after all those worlds...

He still had an absurd amount of time remaining.

He looked back at the people walking through the streets.

’If they can truly cherish a single year more than gold...’

His smile widened.

"This could be fun."

Soly’s voice followed immediately.

[Happy Retirement, Brother.]