Episode 3

Hungry, thirsty, and tired—that's how Aldo felt.

The sun blazed fiercely overhead, scorching Aldo as he walked along the roadside. The hefty backpack on his shoulders grew heavier with each step of his fatigued stride.

After being kicked out of his lodging, Aldo wandered without destination until a bus stop appeared before him. Desolate and inviting, it was the perfect place to rest.

Leaning on the bench, Aldo stretched his aching legs, which felt as though they might break at any moment. He reached into his pocket, withdrawing his wallet to count his meager funds.

"79,000 rupiah, I'm pretty much broke..." Aldo muttered, inspecting the cash he carried, but thankfully he also had bank savings.

Using his cracked-screen phone, Aldo checked his account balance and managed a faint smile at the sight of the remaining three million or so.

"That should be enough to rent a room for a month," he mumbled, tucking his wallet away.

He intended to put his phone back too, but it rang, though nobody was calling.

"It's from Mom."

Aldo answered the call, adopting a more cheerful and lively tone.

"Hi, Mom, what's up? It's rare for you to call at this hour."

From the other end came the innocent voice of a woman, "Nothing special. Just wanted to see how you're doing."

After a pause, she continued, "How have you been lately? Any troubles at work? You're not involved with any bad people, are you?"

"No, Mom, everything's fine. No need to worry about me. How are you, Dad, and my sibling? Everyone okay?" Aldo replied amiably.

"We're all doing well here. By the way, do you have enough money? We've had a decent harvest and made a good sale of rice these past two days. How about I send you some money?"

Aldo patiently waited for her to finish before replying, "No need, Mom. My job here pays well enough to support me, so there's no need to send money. Just save it or buy yourself something nice."

"Okay, dear, but remember you can call me if you need money."

"Sure, sure..."

Even though Aldo was in dire need of money, he couldn't accept his parents' hard-earned cash.

As the eldest child, he wanted to lighten his parents' burden.

The two chatted for nearly ten minutes before his mother revisited the inevitable question they faced in each call.

"By the way, when are you planning to get married? Your father and I aren't getting any younger, and we'd love a grandchild. I hope you'll settle down soon with Novita."

*Who is Novita?* Aldo thought\, utterly bemused.

He'd dated over a hundred women, many whose names he had forgotten, so naturally, Aldo couldn't recall one named Novita—or how she could have possibly met his mother.

[Novita was your first girlfriend 10 years ago. She's known to your mother because you introduced her yourself.]

The System's reminder jogged Aldo's memory about his first girlfriend. Back then, he was thrilled to have a partner and even confided in his mother about her.

Unfortunately, their relationship didn't last long as Novita left without a clear explanation.

If only his mother knew that since Novita, Aldo had dated over a hundred women. But he couldn't let his parents know that.

"Is everything okay with you and Novita?"

"A- ah... Novita and I are fine, Mom. Don't worry, I'll be settling down soon enough and giving you lots of grandchildren!"

"Ha-ha, don't overdo it. Five to ten grandchildren will be more than enough to brighten our old age," she chuckled before hanging up cheerfully with a final good laugh.

Aldo didn't lower his phone yet, staring blankly as his body froze upon hearing his mother's parting words.

The System's voice soon snapped him back to reality.

[New mission triggered]

----------𝔐𝔦𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫----------

[Special Mission]

-Find Novita

-Get married promptly and have 10 children

-Make your parents proud of your virility in child-making

[Reward]

1 billion System Points

1 billion Skill Points

1 Billion Dollars

100 extra years of life

----------𝔐𝔦𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫----------

"What sort of ridiculous mission is this!" Aldo exploded with frustration, itching to strike the System for such a ludicrous assignment.

[True manhood is proven by potency; the more children you father, the more your virility is evident in satisfying your wife.]

"This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Why would you listen to my nonsensical mother?"

A mission arises from a trigger, and this time, clearly, it was from Aldo's mother.

[Do not worry, Master, as the System will always assist you.]

[Special reward from the System: the Strong Man's Pill. Consuming this will turn your babymaker as strong as a dragon.]

"What is with this reward? I don't need this weird thing at all! And what's a babymaker?"

[It is—]

"I said don't explain!" Aldo cut off the System from stating anything more on the sensitive topic.

Sitting back at the bus stop bench, Aldo was overcome with frustration, uncertain where to start with the accursed mission.

He realized the absurdity of the task, but the rewards were even more nonsensical.

Creating children seemed easy to Aldo—just a matter of "in and out,” as he'd learned from certain "educational" videos he watched for stress relief.

But parenting is the true challenge—what would he feed them when hungry? Surely not pebbles.

Hence, before having children, Aldo needed a considerable sum of money.

Alright, that much was clear. But now the question was: who would want to bear Aldo's children? His romantic endeavors always failed, so how could he possibly find the perfect woman?

Thinking of all this gave Aldo a headache as his stomach growled louder.

"Better find something to eat before I tackle the next step. After all, I can deal with the mission anytime."

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