Ice Age Apocalypse: I Level Up by Causing Trouble

On Christmas Eve, my uncle, Garrett Wayne, takes a sip from the fancy whiskey I bought. Then, he points at me while grinning.

"Well well well… I've been watching you since you were a kid, Flint. You were a bed-wetter when you were a little boy, and now that you're all grown up, you stay cooped in your parents' shop while running that social media account of yours. You don't have any skills at all.

"My Ronnie, on the other hand, has an amazing job that will continue paying him and keeping him around no matter how hard times get. Small businesses like your family's will definitely crumble as soon as the tiniest change happens in the global economy!"

All of my relatives roar in laughter at Garrett's quip. My cousin, Ronnie Wayne, pretends to be playing on his phone, though his grin has already become ear-splitting.

Mom and Dad can only laugh along as well even though deep down they are very uneasy and anxious.

I just gaze at Garrett coldly.

In six hours, the blizzard apocalypse will descend onto this world. At the same time, a zombie outbreak will occur across the globe.

In my previous life, Garrett, who had looked down on my family and me, didn't hesitate to push us into the upcoming zombie horde just to take over my parents' grocery store.

In this lifetime, I swear that I will never let him off the hook!

I'm about to pick up a plate of food and smash it onto Garrett's head when I hear a mechanical voice chiming in my head.

"Ding! You have been bound with the Rage System! You may talk back and retort to others to your liking in exchange for supplies. The more arrogant you sound, the better supplies you'll receive!"

As I look at Garrett's insufferable face, I let out a chuckle.

"Oh yeah, I'm not skilled at all. But I suddenly remember this funny little thing. Uncle Garrett, you claimed that you had gone on a business trip to Brimstone eight years ago. But the truth is, you got arrested by the vice squad, right?

"Does Aunt Cassia know about this?"

The flush on my uncle, Garrett Wayne's face instantly vanished as he slapped his spoon onto the table with a sharp clack.

I turned to my aunt, Cassia Adams, and offered her a half-smile as she'd been about to help herself to some food.

"Back then, it was a 5,000 dollar fine, plus five days in detention.

"Uncle Garrett dared not ask you for money, so he lied to my dad, said he needed urgent cash for the inventory, and borrowed 5,000 dollars to pay the fine.

"Oh, and you still haven't paid that back, have you?"

Cassia slammed her spoon onto the table with a loud bang before whipping around and locking her eyes on Garrett.

"Garrett! When you went to Brimstone eight years ago, you said you were in the factory with no signal and even swore on it that you weren't lying!

"But it turns out you were doing something so shameful! I wondered why you came home missing two pairs of underwear!"

Garrett immediately sobered up. He slammed the table, jumped to his feet, and pointed at me with a roar. "Bullshit! What nonsense are you spouting, you brat?

"You read trash novels in middle school, slept through class in high school, and now you're making things up about your elders on Christmas Eve!"

"Believe it or not, I'll knock your teeth out for that nasty character of yours!"

It was the same old, boring lines again. Putting aside the fact that reading novels barely had anything to do with character, Garrett had jumped at every chance to pick on me since I was a kid.

When I was younger, I used to wonder why he was so harsh to me, and if I really was a bad kid. But later, I learned that he resented the fact that, though he was the eldest son, Grandpa had only paid for Dad's education.

In other words, he couldn't accept that he wasn't smart enough to stay in school and felt bitter, so he decided to take it out on me. That was really classy of him to pick on a kid just to feel better about himself.

I pulled out my phone and calmly scrolled through it. "Making things up? I have a screenshot of the electronic receipt from back then. It's a little blurry, but the name 'Garrett Wayne' is clear as day. Would you like to take a look?

"Oh, and I heard that the lady was 20 years younger than you, Uncle Garrett. You're quite the vibrant old man, aren't you?"

I never had a screenshot. Everything I'd said was based on a drunken boast Garrett had let slip in my past life, but all it took was a bluff to deal with a guilty man like him.

"Milton Wayne, is this how you raised your son to run his mouth at such a young age? Has he no shame?"

"You're the one with no shame!" Cassia's shout cut right through his attempt to shift the topic.

"You're old enough to be her father, and yet I can't believe you did that! Jerk! I'll kill you!"

She flipped the bowl of scalding hot soup right in front of her, drenching the chicken and mushrooms all over his face and body.

"It's boiling! You're crazy!"

Garrett hopped onto his feet and screamed with a mushroom stuck to his face, looking like a pathetic, ridiculous clown.

A chime came from the system.

"Uncle Garrett's extreme rage detected! Aunt Cassia's resentment points level off the charts! +200 rage points!

"Rewards include an apocalypse safehouse upgrade card with instant door and window reinforcement unlocked. 100 fast food family meals added to the system inventory!"

That was so generous. With the supplies, I could keep my parents safe for a long time, even if the apocalypse hit.

Crossing my legs, I leaned back and checked my loot in the inventory while enjoying the chaos in the living room.

Cassia had left three bloody scratch marks on Garrett's face, while my cousin, Ronnie Wayne, cursed as he tried to break up the fight, only to end up getting splashed with grease himself. It was such a beautiful sight.

Ten minutes later, their family of three stood at the door, looking like a total wreck.

Covering his face, Garrett glared at my parents and me. "Well, well. Look at the son you've raised, Milton. He throws filth at his elders on Christmas Eve!"