According to the system's economy, 1 System Point costs $10,000. And to unlock a Core knowledge branch, Tyler needs 10,000 System Points which cost $10 million to exchange.
To unlock a Primary knowledge branch, he needs 200 System Points, which translates to $2 million.
As for the Specialised Knowledges, each costs between 15,000-25,000 System Points, which is between $15 million to $25 million.
If it wasn't for the two discount he got from the starter pack, he wouldn't had even bothered to spare a glance at the [System Store] tab after seeing after crazy expensive things there are.
Tyler smiled to himself, as he watched the two bundles of cash on the bed, completely disintegrate into motes of blue and white light.
He found the scene to be fantastical. It was the kind of thing you only see in movies.
Actually now that he thought about it, his current situation—the regression and system—feels like something out of a movie.
The next moment, Tyler's thought was disrupted by a system notification.
[Ding! Exchange Complete!]
Tyler smiled to himself, turning his attention to his status screen.
[Name: Tyler Reyes]
[Age: 16]
[Strength: 7]
[Agility: 6]
[Stamina: 5]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Stat Point(s): 2]
[System Point(s): 0—>1]
[Mission: Train Your Weak Body! (Recurring)]
[Knowledge]
[System Store]
...
Seeing that he now had 1 System Point, Tyler let out a deep breath. He looked down, toward the [System Store] and focused his attention on it.
The next moment, a new screen popped up, displaying four grayed out tabs.
[Core Knowledge Branch]
[Mathematics]
[Biology]
[Chemistry]
[Physics]
[Note: One-Time 99.9% is still in effect. Unlocking a Core knowledge branch will cost just 1 System Point.]
.....
Tyler sighed, falling into a deep thought. He was currently battling within himself which of the core knowledge branch he should unlock first.
His mind was torn between [Mathematics] and [Biology]. He thought about it deeply for a full minutes and sighed, as he finally made his decision.
"They say mathematics is the building block of everything science," he smiled, as he mentally clicked on [Mathematics].
Tyler had wanted to choose [Biology], so that he can quickly start working on the cure to that illness. But when he thought of his current deplorable financial situation, and how expensive the endeavour would be, he changed his mind to [Mathematics].
Another reason that influenced his decision, is that he remembered that in his previous life, the financial market was being carried by mathematics.
Cryptocurrency markets, derivatives, bonds and debts market, forex, commodities... As long as it has to do with numbers, it relies heavily on mathematics.
"I wonder if there's a Primary knowledge branch that focus mainly on finances..." He muttered, thinking of the things it could possibly enable him to achieve with it.
Well, he didn't have to continue thinking about it.
Focusing his thought on the [Mathematics] tab that's no longer grayed out, and now glowing a blue, he saw it expand, displaying lots or grayed out tabs.
[Pure Mathematics]
[Applied Mathematics]
[Computational Mathematics]
[Financial Mathematics]
[Statistical Mathematics]
[Discrete Mathematics]
[Mathematical Physics]
[Geometric Mathematics]
[Theoretical Computer Mathematics]
[Artificial Intelligence Mathematics]
[Chaos Theory & Nonlinear Dynamics]
[Mathematics of Information]
[Advanced Predictive Mathematics]
[Futuristic Theoretical Mathematics]
[Note: One-Time Free Unlock (Primary + Specialized Knowledges) is in effect. Choose a Primary knowledge branch to unlock and gain access to all Specialised Knowledges under it for free.]
...
"I... What?!" Tyler was shocked to say the least when he saw the Primary knowledge branches.
Who would have thought that there was actually a primary knowledge branch completely dedicated to finance?
He didn't even pay attention to the other tabs as his eyes was completely on [Financial Mathematics].
Without hesitation and or giving it a second thought, he immediately unlock it.
Tyler choose [Financial Mathematics] because it's related to finance—something he's quite familiar with.
The next moment, the [Financial Mathematics] tab expanded, displaying a long list of faintly glowing tabs.
[Quantitative Trading Strategies]
[Derivatives Pricing and Hedging]
[Stochastic Calculus for Finance]
[Portfolio Optimization Techniques]
[Risk Management and VaR Modeling]
[Financial Forecasting Models]
[Monte Carlo Simulation Methods]
[Options and Futures Analytics]
[Interest Rate Modeling]
[Asset Pricing Theory]
[Black-Scholes and Beyond]
[Financial Time Series Analysis]
[Behavioral Finance Mathematics]
[Market Microstructure Analysis]
[Algorithmic Trading Systems Design]
[High-Frequency Trading Models]
[Game Theory in Financial Markets]
[Credit Risk Modeling]
[Insurance Mathematics]
[Cryptocurrency and Digital Asset Modeling]
[Note: Absorption process can begin whenever you're ready.]
"Wow... So much!" Tyler exclaimed in shock.
He hadn't expected the Specialised Knowledges under the primary knowledge branch to be this much.
Just a little count and he had already counted more than twenty of them.
"And each of them cost between $15 million to $25 million? The system is joking, right?" He muttered to himself.
He quickly did a calculation of how much it would cost in total estimate to purchase all the Specialised Knowledges, and his jaw dropped in shock.
A whopping amount of $400 million!
It was now that Tyler finally understood just how valuable the two discounts he got are.
"Let's not focus on that. Time to absorb these Specialised Knowledges," he muttered to himself.
He pushed the bundles of cash on his bed aside, making space for himself to lay down.
He has no idea what's going to happen during the absorption process but he can already guess that it won't be comfortable.
After Tyler had made sure that he was comfortable, he asked the system to system to begin the absorption process.
The next moment, a surge of heat flooded his mind and his eyes turned white in pain. Unable to handle the pain, he lost consciousness.
...
Redwood Crest High School, Principal's office.
"What do you mean he is not in class?" asked a blonde-haired woman, gritting her teeth as she banged the desk.
"I don't know, Mrs Harvey, but he's not in class. It's also unusual as his mom didn't call to inform us that he will be absent from school today," Tyler's homeroom teacher said, with her head lowered.
"Do you think I care if it's unusual or not? That charity case touched my son! He broke his arm and I want him to pay for it! And you think I care how unusual his absence his? I will be glad if he drops dead!" The blonde-haired woman shouted.
One might think that she has had enough, but she wasn't done.
"My husband sponsors this school with tens of thousands of dollars yearly and this is how you repay him?"
Principal Walters leaned forward slowly, folding his hands on the polished mahogany desk, doing his best to maintain composure as the woman raged before him.
"Mrs. Harvey, please," he said in a calm voice, "I understand you're upset—"
"Upset?!" she snapped, spinning on her heel to face him. "My son has his arm in a cast! A cast! Because of that little thug you people allow to roam your halls like he owns the damn place! And you're asking me to calm down?!"
Tyler's homeroom teacher, Ms. Avery, flinched but didn't speak. Even though she knew that Travis was at fault as always, she knew better than to get involved when Vivian Harvey was in full swing.
"My boy is traumatized! He hasn't even eaten since yesterday. He cries at night, and for what? Because you idiots can't control one angry street rat with an attitude?"
Principal Walters pinched the bridge of his nose. "We are investigating the incident, Mrs. Harvey. We've reviewed some of the hallway footage and—"
Vivian cut him off with a sharp slap to the desk. "Don't give me that bullshit, Greg. You and I both know you'll bury this if I don't push. But I'm not going to sit here and watch some poor charity case assault my son and get away with it."
"We are not burying anything. I assure you—"
"My husband pays this school a fortune to keep standards high. Tens of thousands, every single year. And this is what we get? Trash like that putting his hands on my son and walking away without punishment?"
Ms. Avery finally raised her voice, softly but firmly. "Mrs. Harvey, with all due respect, we still don't know what led to the incident. Several students said your son—"
"Spare me," Vivian snapped, glaring at her with pure contempt. "Are you seriously trying to blame my son? I should have you reported. Maybe you're just like that boy. Defending trash."
Principal Walters quickly raised a hand. "Mrs. Harvey, please. Let's not make this more personal than it already is."
Vivian sneered but said nothing for a moment. She straightened her expensive blouse and tossed her golden curls back with a sharp flick of her head.
"So what are you going to do about it?" she asked coldly.
Walters exhaled slowly, knowing she wouldn't leave without blood. "We'll be issuing a suspension. Two weeks."
Ms. Avery's eyes widened slightly, but she stayed quiet.
Vivian's expression shifted immediately. Her lips curled into a satisfied smile, and she gave a light nod as if she'd just won a long-fought war.
"Good," she said, her tone cooling. "Make sure it's formal. I want that boy's record marked."
"It will be handled," Walters said.
Vivian stepped back from the desk, her heels clicking sharply on the floor as she turned toward the door.
"Oh, and Greg?" she added, pausing before leaving.
"Yes?"
"If he so much as breathes in my son's direction again, I'll make sure your little school never sees a cent of Harvey Foundation money again. Understood?"
Walters gave a small nod. "Understood."
With one last sharp glare at Ms. Avery, Vivian opened the door and strode out of the office like royalty, leaving tension behind in her wake.
The moment the door clicked shut, Principal Walters slumped slightly in his chair, massaging his temples.
Ms. Avery crossed her arms, frowning. "You know she's exaggerating, right? From what I heard, her son cornered Tyler and—"
"I know," Walters said with a weary sigh. "But when you're dealing with money like hers... right and wrong stops being the point."
"Still," she said quietly, "suspending him feels wrong."
"I know that too." Walters leaned back, eyes heavy. "But right now, I've got to keep this school running."
Ms Avery sighed and lowered her head in frustration. Now, she has to think on how she's going to give Tyler the news and his reaction to it.