Universal System Hack! Becoming The Ultimate Cheat In A World Filled With Cheat Systems

A young man who seemed to be in his early twenties with an average build and tired-looking eyes was trudging through the crowded streets of a modern-looking city with steady steps. His office clothes looked a bit worn down. The faux leather exterior of his messenger bag was chapped in some places. All in all, he looked very much like the poster boy for weary corporate slaves the world over.

This young man's name is Grigio Speir. Incidentally, he's a bona fide transmigrator whose soul came from 21st century Earth. Three years ago, he suddenly found himself waking up to an unfamiliar body in an equally unfamiliar world.

No, perhaps it wasn't all that unfamiliar after all. It had all the modern conveniences commonly known to people in the world he previously lived in – stuff like internet, multimedia devices such as smartphones, modern transportation and the like. Even the world map was largely similar. But the entire societal and governmental structure can't be any more different.

The greatest departure came from the fact that this world had entirely done away with the concept of independent countries. The whole world was now governed by an all-encompassing political body called the Unified World Government. This came about due to a mysterious major event in this alternate reality which almost wiped out the entirety of humanity's civilization and history. No records of what caused it or what the calamity even was currently existed. What followed was an era of stagnation, confusion, and fear.

This dark period – now aptly called "The Great Blank" – persisted indefinitely, until the collective efforts of several like-minded individuals who hailed from across the globe managed to unearth a backup database of all acc.u.mulated knowledge and technology before the calamity took place. They used it to gradually regain the world's current prosperity. They founded the organization which eventually came to be known as the U.W.G., gathered up the scattered remnants of a once-thriving civilization, pooled all available resources and manpower and led humanity towards the thorny path to recovery.

Judging from the world's current state, it seemed they've been quite successful in the endeavor.

The various continents are now divided into multiple areas called Civilization Spheres – which were places redeveloped and governed by the U.W.G. – and vast swathes of uncharted land collectively called the Neo Frontier.

Grigio was very distraught when he first woke up to such a world. It took weeks for it all to properly sink in.

At first, he thought up crazy theories regarding the bizarre situation he found himself in – the kind which would be right at home as plot devices in some mediocre fictional web novel. But as it turned out, nothing overly extraordinary or exciting ever happened to him since transmigrating to this alternate reality. He wasn't born into a wealthy family as a prodigal son, nor was he a super soldier or secret cultivator returning to the big city. He couldn't use his foreknowledge to instantly succeed in life because he didn't have any – he was a transmigrator and not a reincarnator to the past. Heck, he didn't even have any system cheat!

Instead, he was the child of an estranged couple. He went with his dad to the city when the said couple got divorced. Now, both of his parents were dead and he took it upon himself to take care of his teenage sister, who was the only family he had left. He felt it was quite novel since he was an only child in his previous life. He eventually got a job as an agent in a mid-sized real estate company and made enough to scr.a.p.e by while covering for his little sister's schooling at the same time.

All in all, Grigio felt content with how his present life turned out. Sure, it wasn't perfect. But it wasn't all that bad either. Some may say it was mind-numbingly ordinary. But Grigio found himself quite satisfied with that fact. He realized he wasn't overly fond of surprises after all.

Being suddenly transmigrated to an alternate world was enough of a surprise for him.

Grigio continued to traverse the main thoroughfare and passed by several shop fronts and office buildings until he reached what seemed to be a typical downtown shopping district. The words "Shangri-la Lane" were embossed on a large wooden signboard placed on top of a tall, crimson-colored arch that stood at its entrance.

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he walked inside the place. "Looks as tacky as always," he jokingly muttered as his gaze roamed around the bustling streetscape. A chaotic assortment of various shops and commercial establishments lined the enclosed street, resulting in a particular atmosphere that strangely seemed both flashy and tasteful at the same time.

He went straight to a specific shop – a peculiar restaurant named Gourmet Heaven. It prided itself on being able to serve anything. And when they said anything, they meant it – literally.

Grigio was quite skeptical at first. But when he tried ordering the most obscure dishes he could think of in an attempt to stump the chefs of the restaurant, they instead managed to serve it all with absolutely no trouble. They even managed to serve manga meat – or at least something which looked very similar! It was absolutely mouth-watering too! He had no idea how they pulled it off, but it sure left him feeling impressed. Now he was a faithful regular and often came to have his evening meal at the place.

He was immediately met with a lively welcome from a fresh-faced young woman with oriental features. She wore her glossy black hair in a side-tail and sported a predominantly pink waitress uniform. Her outfit was patterned after a modified maid uniform and had a relatively short skirt, which served to expose her slender white legs. Needless to say, it was very popular with the male customers – Grigio included.

She was the restaurant's poster girl, Rhyssia Aurum. She was one of the very first acquaintances Grigio made when he first transmigrated and they got along pretty well.

"Hey, Rhyss. Looks like this place is as busy as usual huh?" Grigio greeted.

Rhyssia cheerfully smiled in response as she led Grigio to an open table. "It's all thanks to regulars like you Grig. You're having the usual right?"

"Yeah." Grigio nodded.

After taking his order, Rhyssia moved on to greet the other regulars and took theirs as well. Seeing her cheerfully go about her work never fails to put a smile on Grigio's face. She was a natural mood maker and was quite popular not only in the restaurant but the entire Shangri-la Lane as a result. Her entire being was just oozing with positivity. Grigio honestly found it quite amazing since his personality was the complete opposite.

It didn't take long for Rhyssia to return with plates of freshly cooked food. "Here you go Grig. It's your usual bowl of pork sinigang with white rice. Here are your fish sauce and cayenne peppers. You're fine with plain water right?"

"Yup. Thanks, Rhyss."

Grigio bit into the tender pork meat drizzled with some spicy fish sauce, followed by a spoonful of rice. Next, he sipped some warm and savory sweet-sour soup straight from the bowl. It was bad table manners, but he didn't care. He couldn't help but tear up a little afterward. "Damn. Gets me every time." he inwardly lamented. It was the taste of home – a home he probably wouldn't be able to return to in his current lifetime.

He quickly finished his meal, paid his bill and proceeded to head back home. Rhyssia's gaze was fixed upon his retreating figure until he finally went out of the restaurant doors.

"Any change in aether levels?" a voice asked her from a psionic earpiece disguised as an earring.

"No. Readings are still negative. Are you sure we got the right observation target chief? It's been years and we haven't seen even the slightest hint of Activation. He seems just like your average nice guy to me," she replied telepathically.

"Just continue monitoring the subject," came the curt response. Rhyssia inwardly shrugged and continued to go about her rounds in her standard cheerful manner.