The Hurdles Before Getting the Money

He rubbed his eyes again, making sure that he isn't hallucinating or anything.

Total Ad Revenue (Since Launch): $148,271.03

Equivalent in Pesos: ₱6,800,000.

It remained the same. Inigo couldn't feel his heart beating from the excitement. Even though it is insignificant compared to his net worth in his previous life, in this world, that 6.8 million will make a lot of difference. 

And it also meant one thing.

That this could work. By recreating the games that were massively popular in his previous world, and in this era, he would also be able to recreate the success that they had made. He only has to play by the book, and everything will go well.

With 6.8 million, he could finally buy himself a good computer setup and softwares that would allow him to make more games, and also helped in the household. 

The question now is, could he withdraw it now?

Inigo took a deep breath, steadying his trembling hands. He had to focus. He clicked on the Payouts tab in the Google AdMob dashboard, his eyes scanning the page for any withdrawal restrictions.

Next Scheduled Payout: November 21, 2010

Minimum Threshold: $100.00

Payment Method: Bank Transfer (Pending Setup)

His stomach clenched.

Right. He had set up the AdMob account just weeks ago, and Google had a standard policy—payouts were made on a NET-30 basis, meaning revenue earned this month would only be processed the following month. And since it was currently October 31, 2010, that meant he'd have to wait at least three more weeks before seeing a single cent in his hands.

Damn it.

Inigo exhaled, running a hand through his hair. He wasn't broke anymore, but the money might as well be sitting behind an unbreakable glass wall. He couldn't touch it yet.

But still… $148,000 in earnings. 6.8 million pesos.

That was more money than this original Inigo had ever seen in this life. 

Very well, I will have to wait.

***

Turning off his laptop, and folding it, Inigo went to the living room where he saw his little sister, Leila, watching afternoon drama series, which was quite the popular pastime in this age.

Leila noticed him and called. 

"Good afternoon brother!" 

Inigo simply nodded, he wasn't used to having a little sister in his previous life as he doesn't have one. However, the feeling of love towards her felt genuine in his, after all, he had merged with the original Inigo in this world.

"I remembered that you have homework, and yet instead of working on them you are watching television," Inigo said as he sat next to her.

"That was because I was waiting for you, because I need your help. There is this subject that I struggle the most." 

Without another word, Leila grabbed her Barbie-themed bag, and by a glance, Inigo noticed that it was worn-down. He sighed subtly, he knew the feelings of children when their things aren't as good as their peers, there will be comparison, which results to insecurities, and sometimes even bullying.

Inigo made a mental note to buy her a new bag once he could access his money.

Leila plopped her notebook onto the table and flipped to a page filled with barely legible handwriting. 

"It's Math, Kuya. I don't get it," she said with a frustrated huff.

Inigo glanced at the equations. Basic arithmetic—addition, subtraction, a bit of multiplication. Nothing difficult for him, but he could see why a child might struggle.

He smirked. "So, what part don't you understand?"

Leila tapped her pencil against a problem. "This one. I don't get how to borrow numbers when subtracting."

Inigo took the pencil from her and started breaking it down step by step. He explained it in the simplest way possible, using small drawings to help illustrate. He knew that just rattling off the rules wouldn't help—she needed to see it in a way that made sense to her.

To his surprise, Leila caught on quickly. "Ohhh, so that's how it works!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "You make the number bigger before you take away!"

"Exactly," Inigo said with a nod. "Now, try this one."

She grabbed the pencil and scribbled furiously, working through another problem. She got it right.

Leila pumped her fist in the air. "I did it!"

Inigo chuckled, ruffling her hair. "See? You're not bad at Math. You just needed a better explanation."

Leila beamed at him. "Thanks, Kuya!"

For a moment, Inigo just watched her. In his past life, he had never experienced something like this. He had no siblings, no one to look up to him like this. It was… oddly fulfilling.

"Alright," he said, standing up and stretching. "Finish the rest of your homework. I'm gonna go out for a bit."

Leila pouted. "Where?"

"I need to take care of something important."

"Will you bring me back something?" she asked, batting her eyes.

Inigo smirked. "We'll see."

She grinned, already satisfied with that answer.

Inigo stepped out of the house and made his way towards the nearest BDO branch. If he was going to receive his money, he needed a US dollar account—his regular savings account wouldn't cut it.

The walk to the bank was short, and when he stepped inside, the cool air-conditioning was a welcome relief from the heat outside.

He approached the receptionist. "Good afternoon. I'd like to open a dollar account."

The woman behind the counter gave him a polite smile. "Of course, sir. Do you have two valid IDs?"

Inigo's expression barely changed, but his stomach dropped.

…Two valid IDs?

Shit.

Inigo only had one—his university ID. And he was pretty sure that wouldn't be enough.

"Is there any other way?" he asked.

The receptionist shook her head. "I'm afraid you need two government-issued IDs, sir. If you don't have them yet, you can apply for a postal ID or a passport."

Inigo sighed. More delays.

"Alright. Thank you," he said before stepping out of the bank.

So, before he could even think about touching his money, he needed to get another valid ID.

He exhaled. Looks like he had more errands to run tomorrow.

But it didn't matter.

He was rich.

He just needed to be patient.

***

November 8, 2010.

Inigo visited the branch of BDO again, this time, armed with two valid ID's that he had spent the past week securing—a freshly issued postal ID and his university ID. It had taken some effort, but he had gone through the process without a hitch.

He approached the same receptionist from last time. She recognized him and gave a professional smile.

"Good afternoon, sir. Back for the dollar account application?" she asked.

"Yeah," Inigo nodded and pulled out his documents. "I have two valid IDs now."

She took them, giving a brief inspection, then nodded. "Everything looks good. Please fill out this form, and we'll process your request."

Inigo took the form and sat at the waiting area, quickly filling in the details. Name. Address. Contact Number. Expected Transactions.

When he got to "Source of Funds," he hesitated for a second before writing:

"Online Business (Mobile Application Development)."

It was vague enough that he wouldn't have to explain in detail.

After double-checking everything, he returned the form.

The receptionist gave it a glance, then nodded. "Everything seems in order, Mr. Reyes. Please wait while we verify and process your account."

Inigo sat back and watched as the process unfolded. The receptionist handed his application to one of the bank officers, who reviewed his details and approved the account creation.

Thirty minutes later, she returned with a folder.

"Your US Dollar Savings Account has been successfully opened. Here's your passbook and account details. You can start receiving international remittances once your account is fully activated in one business day."

"Thank you, much appreciated." 

After that, he left the bank and head straight to the house where he would link his newly opened US Dollar account to his Google AdMob payment settings.

The moment Inigo got home, he wasted no time. He booted up his laptop, inserted his Globe Tattoo USB stick, and opened his browser. His connection was painfully slow, but it didn't matter.

He navigated to Google AdMob and clicked on the Payment Settings tab.

Payment Method: Not Yet Linked

He exhaled and quickly inputted his newly issued BDO US Dollar Savings Account details.

Account Holder Name: Inigo Pascual

Bank Name: Banco de Oro (BDO)

Account Number: xxxxxxxxx

SWIFT Code: BNORPHMM

Click.

A loading icon spun on the screen.

Then—

Your payment method has been successfully updated.

A slow grin spread across Inigo's face.

It was done.

Now, all that was left was waiting for November 21st—his first-ever payout. 

But first, he checked how much he could make? The last time he had checked, his total ad revenue had already reached ₱6.8 million.

The page loaded sluggishly, each second stretching endlessly. Then, the numbers appeared.

Total Ad Revenue (Since Launch):

$436,482.50

Equivalent in Pesos:

₱20,000,000

Inigo froze.

Twenty. Million. Pesos.

His fingers gripped the edges of his desk. His pulse hammered against his temples.

And it was still growing.

He clicked on the real-time statistics, his breath hitching as he scrolled through the data.

Total Downloads: 13,950,432

Active Users: 12,872,100