Crypto Lord: The Digital Dominion System

Chapter 5: First Blood in the Market

Ethan Cross sat hunched over a dimly lit screen inside the dingy corner of a rundown internet café. His heart pounded so loudly that it drowned out the sound of old computers and the faint smell of burnt coffee in the air. His stomach growled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten since yesterday, but he shoved the hunger aside.

The Digital Dominion System’s notification still glowed in his mind like a firebrand,

“Mission: Turn $1 into $1,000 within 24 hours.

Penalty: Permanent ban from all trading systems.

Reward: Beginner AI Bot – Scalper-X.”

Twenty-four hours with only one chance and no safety net.

“This is insane,” Ethan muttered, gripping his hair. “One wrong move and I’m finished… but if I pull this off that means I am made.” He glanced at the glowing words again. “I’ll prove I’m not a failure to my father and to everyone.”

The countdown timer ticked mercilessly, “23:41:16.”

Ethan inhaled deeply, steadying his shaking hands as he scanned the exchanges. The system’s tutorials had been blasted into his mind like a lightning storm. All the strategies, the tools needed, the charts, and the methods that professionals would take years to master.

And there it was, a thin and glimmering thread of opportunity that could change a life. 

On one platform, BitEx, the coin ETH was priced at $1,000. On another, CoinBridge, the same coin sold for $1,005. A $5 arbitrage gap per coin.

To anyone else, it was a meaningless sliver. To Ethan, it was salvation.

The system whispered into his mind with a sharp precision.

“Arbitrage Opportunity Detected. Risk: Medium. Potential ROI: 12% in 3 hours.”

His pulse quickened. “Buy on BitEx, sell on CoinBridge. Simple in theory but deadly in execution.”

He funneled his measly $1 system balance and instantly boosted it by leverage tools the system unlocked. Charts expanded, glowing with real-time signals only he could see.

“Alright,” Ethan breathed, “let’s do this.”

Ethan clicked buy and the order was executed.

He clicked it to transfer.  And the transfer was initiated.

He clicked the sell order.

Ethan’s eyes darted between progress bars and the seconds felt like hours.

A warning flashed, “Network congestion detected. Gas f*e: +$0.80.”

His jaw tightened. “You have got to be kidding me. My profit margin…”

Another message flipped in before he could even finish muttering, “Funds delayed. Estimated transfer time: 90 seconds.”

Ethan’s fists clenched. In crypto, ninety seconds was an eternity. Prices could crash, spike, or evaporate in that window. His whole mission could be over before it even began.

He whispered to himself, “Hold… just hold…”

The transfer completed and the sell was executed.

“Profit: $3.75.”

It was tiny, almost laughable. But Ethan stared at the number with fire in his eyes.

“That’s not just profit,” he said. “That’s blood. My first blood in the market.”

Hours blurred into one another as Ethan chained trades, jumping between exchanges in an exact calculation. Sweat dripped down his face, soaking his thin shirt. His vision swam, but he refused to stop.

Each transaction brought him closer to the goal, yet the system’s countdown loomed larger.

“17:22:01 remaining. Balance: $372.45.”

“Damn it,” he cursed, slamming the desk. “Not fast enough! At this pace, I’ll miss the deadline.”

His stomach growled again, louder and angrier. Hunger gnawed at his insides like a beast, but he ignored it. His whole body shook with adrenaline.

The system flickered, “Warning: Fatigue levels critical. Cognitive decline is imminent.”

Ethan barked a hollow laugh. “Fatigue? Cognitive decline? Try being broke and hunted by loan sharks. I don’t get to collapse.”

He pushed harder. At the 12-hour mark, disaster struck.

He had just executed a $200 position when BitEx froze.

The screen went white and the loading symbol  blinked error.

“No, no, no! don’t you dare crash on me now!” Ethan hammered the keyboard.

The system pinged sharply in his skull, “External interference detected. Probability of manipulation: 78%.”

His blood ran cold. “They’re onto me already?!”

He thought of his father’s golden protégé who had mocked him endlessly. Could Damien’s allies already be trying to sabotage his trades?

The time slowed. Ethan clenched his fists, refusing to give in.

“System,” he whispered, “override the lag and force the execution.”

“Affirmative.” The system gave that reply. 

A surge of digital light shot across his vision. The frozen screen snapped back into motion, and the sell executed just before the market dipped.

“Profit: $87.62.”

Ethan slumped back, trembling. “That was too close.”

By the 20-hour mark, his balance had surged to $876.92.

His heart thundered like drums. Just $124 left to go.

The countdown screamed at him, “03:12:47 remaining.”

But the markets had shifted. Volatility had spiked and every chart bled red candles. Whales were manipulating the flow and dumping assets in massive chunks.

“This… this is suicide territory,” Ethan muttered, staring at the flashing carnage.

The system spoke coldly, “Final opportunity detected. Arbitrage gap: 14%. Risk: High. Estimated profit: $140.”

Exactly what he needed. Exactly enough.

His fingers hovered over the mouse, trembling. If he failed this trade, he would be locked out of trading forever. His dream would end here.

He remembered his mother’s voice, soft and warm, echoing in his mind: “One day you’ll change the world, Ethan.”

His vision sharpened. His doubt evaporated.

“I can’t fail her. I won’t fail her.” He slammed the button.

“Buy order locked. Transfer in progress.”

The bar crawled across the screen like a snail.

“Network delay: 30 seconds.” 

“Faster, damn you!” Ethan shouted.

The market wavered, dipping dangerously. His profits threatened to slip through his fingers.

“Twenty seconds…. Ten seconds… Five seconds.” The sell executed.

“Balance: $1,012.46.”

The system roared to life in his head,

“Quest Complete. Reward Unlocked: Scalper-X.”

Ethan’s chair nearly tipped over as he threw his hands up, shouting and gasping in disbelief. “I… I did it. I actually did it!”

A glowing hologram unfolded before him, shimmering with code and energy.

“Scalper-X AI Bot Activated.”

A low voice echoed in his skull, “Greetings, Host Ethan Cross. I am Scalper-X, your first weapon in the conquest of the global crypto sphere.”

Ethan stared at the glowing screen, chest heaving. His whole body shook.

“This… this is real,” he whispered. “My rise begins now.”