#I legit mocked up an actual version of the EULA and started ironing it out until I realized that's insane to do for no reason

[wizardinrhyme]

Summary: Sometimes you just gotta read the End User License Agreement instead of taking the System at face value.

Just a little something for Genuary 2025 :)

“So I see here in this Agreement there is a section about point conversion. What points can I convert and how?”

[System can convert Earth’s Karma Points to B-Points. Karma Points will be lost on transfer if not converted. Convert all points? Yes/No]

“Yes. Now, I see there is a shop. How do I access it?”

[System Shop is available at Save Points. Would you like to access the Shop now?]

“Yeah, show me what you’ve got.”

A virtual store popped up, looking like a games shop with shelves of cartridges, disc cases, books, and miscellaneous tchotchkes. Shen Yuan strolled through the aisles, having no basis for what was or wasn’t a good deal.

“What’s my balance and how do I get more points?”

[Shen Yuan Account currently has 0 Protagonist Satisfaction Points and 19,836 B-Points. Points are awarded for improving Protagonist and Reader satisfaction. Further point types may be unlocked by user actions.]

Okay, that didn’t really give him any idea how easily replaced these points were, but you can never go wrong with a permanent income booster. He grabbed a cartridge marked 'B-Point Multiplier x4' off the shelf and continued shopping.

“How frequent are Save Points? Can I just save whenever? And can I reload?”

[System will auto-save before and after key story events. Saves will only be used as a backup in case of System Error.]

“So useless to me, then. What’s up with this?” He waved at an empty display marked ‘Special Offers’.

[System may offer scenario specific rewards at any time by its own discretion. Offers are nontransferable, non-refundable, and offered for a limited time only.]

“Are there rewards that are transferable or refundable?”

[Insufficient access]

“Are there other users?”

[Insufficient access]

“I see. You said my role now is to improve the original story; how much can I change?”

[Key events must occur; Protagonist must participate in key events. System will issue quests as appropriate.]

“What happens if I reject a quest?”

[Rejecting a quest may result in punishment up to and including account termination if System determines you have failed to comply with the Agreement.]

Hm. Shen Yuan had never been in danger of inheriting the family business, but he had certainly learned a few things about contracts. He leaned against the shop counter and made a few edits to the Agreement (which he had forced the System to create a physical copy of), initialing and dating each change.

“I will sign if you agree to my updates.”

[…]

[Processing…]

[Agreed]

On the signature line of Shen Yuan’s copy “SysAdmin02 (Authorized System Representative)” appeared in a stereotypical console font.

“I’ll hold you to it,” Shen Yuan promised, leafing through to make sure each edit had been initialed before adding his own signature.

Fast forward and he’s standing in front of a portal to the Endless Abyss, Luo Binghe is freaking out, and the System is threatening to send him back home.

“This goes against our Agreement.” He says, face and tone dark.

[Correct. User has failed to comply with the Agreement. Account will be terminated in- two… minutes… if not brought into compliance.]

“No, you’re the one breaking the Agreement. You stated that 10,000 points would be lost if I didn’t push the protagonist into the Abyss; I have 30,000 points which is well over enough even after you tried to double the penalty. I didn’t reject the quest and I have the means to pay the fine for not completing it. In what way have I not been compliant? You on the other hand are saying you’ll send me back to my original world- which is in clear violation of the conditions. Look under ‘Terms and Termination’. See where it says ‘previously purchased Content will remain available to You’? Now how is that going to work if I’m in another world?”

He jabbed a finger at his purchase history.

“What about this body?” He had purchased quite a few power-ups, not to mention the back-up clone waiting in stasis. “What about all of my artifacts? My custom skins (so much easier than getting ready every day)? My exclusive pets? Can you send those with me in a usable state? Would I even be able to use them after being sent back to that body?”

He was prepared to keep going, but the System beeped in protest.

[Error. This condition is not part of the Standard Agreement.]

“You agreed to my edits. You signed the updated contract,” he smiled, all teeth and no warmth. “I think you should direct your attention to the ‘Arbitration and Compensation’ section where you’ll find you owe me recompense for attempting to unjustly terminate my account.”

And that is how Shen Yuan, now Shen Qingqiu, got away with doing whatever he wanted for the next few years until the System got too frustrated and terminated the Agreement, paying a hefty fine and leaving everyone to their own devices.