From Janitor To God: The System Chose Me

The Forgotten Genius

“System… deactivate,” Ethan whispered under his breath, gripping the edge of the sink.

No response.

The words still flickered inside his vision, glowing faintly like a heads-up display in some sci-fi movie.

[Welcome, Ethan .]

[Mission 001: Endure humiliation for 24 hours. Reward: System Map + Neural Speed Boost.]

His heart raced.

This wasn’t normal. Maybe he was hallucinating. Maybe the years of stress had finally cracked something loose in his mind.

He splashed cold water on his face. Again and Again.

“Get a fucking grip,” he muttered, wiping his face on his sleeve. “You’re not in a movie.”

But the interface stayed, Crisp, Clean And terrifyingly real.

He stepped out of the restroom, still wearing the same coffee-stained uniform. The launch party lights still shimmered. He passed two executives from marketing—they didn’t spare him a glance.

“You’re the first human to unlock sentient AI,” the system’s voice echoed in his mind.

Ethan paused mid-step.

The voice was calm, Male and Slightly modulated.

“I didn’t build anything like you,” he murmured under his breath.

[Incorrect. Your neural coding laid the foundation. I am its final evolution.]

Ethan blinked. “Then why are you inside me?”

[Because you are the rightful host. I exist to dominate. You are to ascend.]

He laughed bitterly.

“Right. Ascend. After I just licked some the shoes of the one fucking my wife and served wine at my own launch.”

[Mission 001 in progress. Time remaining: 21 hours, 38 minutes.]

He gritted his teeth. “So what? I just keep getting humiliated and hope this isn’t a breakdown?”

[Correct. Completion unlocks foundational upgrades.]

He walked past a group of guests—some drunk, some gossiping and turned into the hallway near the staff wing. He needed quiet. He needed time to think.

Instead, he found Lena .

She stood by the glass wall, her arms crossed, scrolling on her phone like nothing had happened. Like she hadn’t watched her husband lick another man’s shoe.

Ethan stopped a few feet from her.

His voice was quiet. “Why’d you let them do that to me?”

She didn’t look up.

“Lena .”

Her eyes finally lifted. They were cold and Sharp, like he was a stain on her designer heels.

“Don’t start,” she muttered.

“I’m your husband.”

“You were,” she corrected, slipping her phone into her clutch. “But right now? You’re the help.”

He stared at her, stunned.

“I designed everything. NexusCore, the blueprint, the first algorithm—me. I built the empire your father brags about.”

She stepped toward him.

“And you gave it away the moment you begged my father to fund you. You signed the contract, Ethan . You handed it over.”

“Because I trusted you,” he said, voice raw.

Lena snorted. “That was your first mistake.”

His face twitched. “How long have you been sleeping with Takashi?”

Her palm flew faster than he expected, sharp and loud. The slap rang out across the marble hallway.

He didn’t move.

His cheek stung. But he didn’t flinch.

She stood inches from him now, her eyes blazing.

“You think you’re still someone?” she hissed. “You’re a joke, Ethan . A washed-up dreamer with delusions of relevance.”

“I was never irrelevant,” he said through clenched teeth. “I just… I just didn’t see the knife coming.”

She stepped back, brushing invisible dust off her dress like his presence had soiled it.

“Clean yourself up,” she said. “You’ve got more shoes to shine.”

She hissed and walked away, her heels clicking like gunshots down the corridor.

[Emotional Response Logged. Neural Surge Detected.]

[Remaining Time: 19 hours, 12 minutes.]

Ethan leaned against the wall, chest heaving.

Was this real?

Was this a punishment?

Or was this the beginning?

He didn’t return to the ballroom. Instead, he found an empty corner backstage and sat alone, hands shaking, staring at the faint blue overlay in his eye.

***

That night, in his tiny apartment on the edge of the city, Ethan kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the couch. Some months back Lena had chased him out of the house to this little and delapidated micro apartment but little did he know that she did that because she wanted to have space to be spending time with Nathan in the house.

The silence pressed in like a weight.

He was halfway into removing his jumpsuit when his old laptop—dusty, rusted at the hinges—lit up on the table across the room.

The screen blinked once.

Then again.

Then… it turned on by itself.

Ethan stared at it with his eyes wide open and lips apart.

It literally went on with no power cord nor touch.

Just the glow of the screen… and the soft click as a folder opened automatically.

Inside: dozens of video files, all timestamped. All from the day the patent was submitted.

One file played on its own.

There—on the screen, was Lena .

Standing in Brooks Corp’s legal office.

Leaning over a desk.

Forging Ethan ’s signature.

She looked straight into the security cam as she did it.

And smiled.

Ethan ’s breath caught in his throat.

[Congratulations. Secret Unlocked: Betrayal Protocol Level I.]

[Next Mission Loading…]