Preparing.

Lukas couldn't believe what was in his hand, he was holding a stack of $100 bills. He then saw a white-colored pay stub was wrapped around it.

Lukas took a deep breath, then opened the stack, which was wrapped with the pay stub, and then checked each note thoroughly. Every note felt genuine, and the pay stub showed he paid $750 as a tax in state, local, and Medicare.

These taxes are the worst, but hey, I got more because my performance was good.

Lukas smiled and took a sniff of the money he just got from the system, although it's still unbelievable, he just had to believe now that that hard cash was in his hand.

Now then, what should I do with this money, invest or help the family? Or buying more books for the future? Why not all three of them?

Lukas then decided to give five hundred dollars to his family, five hundred to buy books for his first semester, and invest the remaining two thousand.

I'll buy clothes next time I get money. The system is very good and all, but I can't lack knowledge in this life and die a stupid death.

Lukas then stood up, cracked his neck, put the money under his pillow, went outside the room, and locked the door behind him.

"Hey, where is the dining hall?" Lukas asked a stranger who looked like he had just came from basketball training.

"Are you new? " The boy asked, he was chewing gum and looked a bit weird to Lukas.

"Yes, so where is the dining hall again?" Lukas asked politely, he learned in his life that being angry or aggressive was the worst way to go about life. Being humble and diplomatic is the correct way or may work on his life this time around.

"There is an orientation happening downstairs for the first years, so you might go there first. " The boy said with a confused look, because when he first admitted to this university, he was not in his dorm at all, he was exploring, and this new student was in his dorm all this time.

"Thanks. " Lukas, thanking the boy with a smile, walked towards the stairs and went downstairs, the sun was high in the sky, but the weather felt nice.

Lukas has black hair and brown eyes, a very normal and average face, he doesn't care about his own appearance that much. He was wearing simple blue jeans and a black T-shirt, which his mom recently bought for him.

"See here, this is the historic place.... "

Lukas then heard some teachers were explaining things to the new student-looking boys and girls, so he walked there slowly and saw they were holding on to some financial books, so he stayed with that group.

"Hey, are you also majoring in economics here? " A boy similar to Lukas's age asked suddenly, he was just beside Lukas at the end of the line.

"Yes, I am. Am I late? " Lukas asked as if he missed anything, he would know with this question.

"Nah, the teacher is boring me to death, he's showing around too much, " the boy replied with a smile.

"I am hungry, so which floor in the dorm are you in? " Lukas asked, as he was just trying to have a conversation that both of them would understand.

"Third, room number thirty-four. What about you?" the boy asked Lukas.

"Second, room number seven, " Lukas replied and followed the class from the back.

Half an hour later.

"So what's your name? My name is Jack, Jack Williams. " The boy who was talking nonstop for the last half hour with Lukas asked.

"My name is Lukas Martin. Is the teacher going to the dining hall? " Lukas was hungry, and every movement of the teacher looked like she was about to go and eat.

"Yeah, or I hope she is, she's taking us with her, let's go. " Jack smiled and held Lukas's arm to go forward, Lukas just rolled his eyes and followed along.

The dining hall was big, and there were all sorts of lines of food there, and it was all for free. Lukas and Jack immediately went to the food counter and ordered many types of food they preferred, and Jack apparently didn't like the food, but for Lukas, the food was good—not that bad.

"I am telling my dad to send me more money to get better food from those cafes outside, " Jack complained while eating food, Lukas just enjoyed what he had.

After lunch, everyone was free to do whatever they wanted, some went to clubs they were interested in, and some went to cafes to chill and relax.

Lukas went to his room, took his learner's license, which was a temporary driving license before getting the real one, the state-issued ID, the pay stub he got from the system, and the $3000.

Getting all this, he left his dormitory and walked along Nassau Street, his goal was to get to a bank and open an account in there. His choice of bank was Chase Manhattan Bank, Chase banks were still dominant in 2024.

Lukas walked slowly and enjoyed his walk, the streets were bustling, and people were laughing, some even had their phones by now and were listening to music with wired earphones.

Lukas didn't look jealous, on the contrary, he was preparing, he was preparing himself for the future.

He could easily buy himself luxury with the money he has, but he will not. He is going to get a stable income first and then think about luxury.

Lukas soon reached the bank, the account was opened in some minutes. Because he was also a student at Princeton University, they were very kind and helpful, so Lukas sent five hundred dollars to his dad's account instantly as a wire transfer.

Lukas deposited two thousand into his account and got to know his university also has an ATM booth of this bank, which was convenient.

The bank would provide the checkbook and ATM card two days later, so Lexus just left the bank after everything was done.

Lukas then walked back to his dormitory and bought six books and additional materials like notes and pens for the semester.

Lukas immersed himself in the study as soon as he got back to his dormitory, then ate dinner in the dining hall and slept peacefully for the night. The next day he woke up at five in the morning, he wore some light clothes and went to jog.

[Ding!! Mission: Jog for ten minutes. Minimum Reward: $500]

Seeing the notification, a smile crept up on Lukas's face, because after the regression, he jogged at least for an hour.