[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-idle-tycoon-system":3,"chapter-idle-tycoon-system-idle-tycoon-system-chapter-5":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Idle Tycoon System",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1828001,2431,"Chapter 5: Coward","idle-tycoon-system-chapter-5",5,"\u003Cp>Arriving at his apartment building, Noah immediately ducked behind a car as he watched three men leaving, with their hands in their pockets. The tallest one—a bald guy with a neck tattoo Noah recognized as \"Rex\"—slammed his fist against the building's brick wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Waste of time. Carter's not home,\" Rex growled, flexing his knuckles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe he's hiding inside,\" suggested the shorter one with a leather jacket. \"Should've kicked the door down.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And have the neighbors call the cops? Use your brain, Mick.\" The third man—well-dressed with a trimmed beard—checked his gold watch. \"We'll catch him eventually. Interest keeps ticking up either way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mick spat on the sidewalk. \"Boss ain't gonna be happy. Third time we've missed him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boss should've let me break his fingers last time,\" Rex said, cracking his knuckles. \"Teach him what happens when you miss payments.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He's got till Friday,\" Gold Watch reminded them. \"After that, we don't just collect money.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noah pressed himself against the car, heart hammering. The $500 payment he'd made earlier was civil because it was another loan shark, a legal one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, these ones weren't.. And \"till Friday\" meant he had less than 24 hours before things got ugly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three men piled into a black sedan parked across the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they were gone, he sprinted to his apartment, barely breathing until he was safely inside with the door locked and chained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"System,\" he gasped, leaning against the door. \"I need to make money faster. A lot faster.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Current Daily Revenue: $300. Additional revenue sources can be unlocked through shop expansions or simply selling the products.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I already know that. I meant like...you...know..\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Host, what do you want?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noah sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know..like...a loan?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Host...you want me to loan you money, to escape from loansharks ?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noah nodded his head vigorously without any shame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[No.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"WHY!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Stop being lazy and go sell some bread.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tsk, it was worth a try.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in his shop, Noah paced frantically, running his hands through his hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clock was ticking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Twenty-four hours,\" he muttered, calculating furiously. \"That's all I've got before those guys come back to break more than just my door.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snapped his fingers as the math clicked into place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One loaf every two hours... I already have two ready, which means by tomorrow—\" His eyes lit up. \"Fourteen loaves total. If I sell just half of them, that's $2,100!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noah slapped the counter, a wild grin spreading across his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Add my daily $300 income... $2,400 total. Not enough to clear the whole debt, but enough to keep those goons off my back for now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seven loaves. That's all I need to sell.\" He nodded firmly, as if convincing himself. \"Seven magical healing bread loaves, and I might just keep my kneecaps.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The simplicity of the plan was almost laughable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few hours crawled by with no sign of Valeria. Noah checked his non-existent watch for the fifth time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where is this guild master? Did she get eaten by a dragon or something?\" He drummed his fingers on the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Host. You are allowed to go look for customers. You don't need to wait for a customer to enter.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noah's eyes darted to the door. The mysterious outside world beckoned, full of potential customers... and who knew what else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go outside? Me?\" He clutched his chest dramatically. \"Into a world potentially filled with demons, dragons, and god knows what.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That silence speaks volumes, System.\" Noah folded his arms. \"What if I step outside and a demon appears right in front of me? Who's paying for my emotional therapy then? Not you, that's for sure.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The System remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hah! Speechless because I'm right!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Host... I didn't respond, not because you convinced me. I'm just... stunned at your unprecedented levels of shamelessness.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Excuse me?\" Noah placed his hands on his hips. \"You are meant to say 'Host, you are wise' \"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he complained, Noah still opened the door and peeked through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Squinting at the medieval street scene. A chicken ran by, chased by what looked like a very small goblin with a fork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noah slowly backed away from the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah, I think I'll wait for Valeria. Customer service is about quality, not quantity.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Coward.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Strategic business planning!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Chicken.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's poultry slander and I won't stand for it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",721,"2026-06-09T06:05:14.055Z",1,"novelbin.me","420f033a004779af68cffd92aeadb2df47ccfb6a81b9c0157521e784f19ac4c9","idle-tycoon-system-chapter-6","idle-tycoon-system-chapter-4",438,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fidle-tycoon-system-cover.jpg"]