God-Level Tycoon: Rise of the Nobody

The lights were dim, the air fragrant with roses and soft violin music. Crystal chandeliers sparkled above the exclusive rooftop restaurant of the Sterling Hotel. Waiters moved with precision, dressed in black and white, while the city skyline glittered in the background.

In the center of it all—down on one knee—was Ethan Cross.

His heart pounded like a war drum in his chest. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck, but he didn’t care. Tonight was supposed to be the night everything changed. The night he went from being a nobody to having something solid. A future.

A life.

He held up a modest silver ring, the best his delivery boy salary could afford, and looked up at the woman who meant the world to him.

“Cassandra Bell,” he said, voice trembling but loud enough for the nearby tables to hear. “Will you marry me?”

Her eyes widened. She blinked. Once. Twice.

Then… she laughed.

Not a soft, emotional laugh. Not a gasp of joy.

A full, open laugh that carried through the entire rooftop.

Ethan’s heart stopped.

Gasps echoed from surrounding tables. Phones were raised. The violinists faltered.

“Are you serious, Ethan?” Cassandra's tone cut like ice. “You actually thought this—this cheap ring, this pathetic little act—would be enough?”

Ethan remained frozen, kneeling. His face burned. His throat felt dry. “I—I love you.”

She sneered. “Love? Love doesn’t pay rent. Love doesn’t buy cars, or apartments in midtown. You bring me to a hotel you clearly can’t afford, and offer me a piece of tin pretending it’s a ring?”

Her words were razor blades, each one slicing deeper than the last.

A man in a tailored navy-blue suit stepped forward. Ethan recognized him instantly. Liam Stone. CFO of NovaCorp. Cassandra’s ex from college… or so she’d said.

“Sorry, Ethan,” Liam smirked, slipping an arm around Cassandra’s waist. “She deserves better.”

Ethan’s hands trembled. “You… you said you broke up with him.”

Cassandra laughed again. “I lied.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Waiters exchanged glances. Strangers filmed the scene, smirking, whispering. One woman muttered, “Poor guy. Public proposals never end well.”

Cassandra leaned in, her voice low but dripping with venom. “You were just a stepping stone. A distraction. A charity case. And now I’m done pretending.”

With that, she took Liam’s hand and walked away—leaving Ethan still kneeling, humiliated, shattered.

He didn’t remember leaving the hotel.

The night was a blur. Flashing headlights, footsteps echoing in alleyways, the echo of Cassandra’s laugh replaying in his mind like a broken record.

His phone vibrated. A message from his boss at the delivery company.

“You’re late for the third time this week. You’re fired. Return the uniform.”

Ethan stared at the message in disbelief.

In one night, he’d lost everything. The woman he loved. His job. His dignity.

A sudden gust of wind cut through his jacket. Rain began to fall, soft at first, then heavier, like the world was crying with him.

He stumbled under a bridge, slumped against the cold, damp concrete, and pulled his knees to his chest.

“Why?” he whispered, voice breaking. “Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this?”

Lightning flashed.

And then—he heard it.

A voice. Clear. Mechanical. Male. Calm, but cold.

[System Boot Complete.][Welcome, Ethan Cross.][Mission 1 Unlocked: Earn \$1,000 in 24 Hours.] [Reward: Wealth Enhancement Trait.][Failure Consequence: System Lockout. Permanent.]

Ethan bolted upright, eyes wide. “Wha—who said that?”

No one was there. Just the sound of rain and distant traffic.

The voice spoke again, echoing inside his head.

[You have 23 hours, 59 minutes remaining.]

“Am I going crazy?” he whispered.

He opened his phone, expecting it to be a prank, an app, something. But the screen flickered, then flashed with lines of code he couldn’t read.

And then—words appeared.

MISSION: Earn \$1,000 by any legal means within the time limit.

Reward: Unlock Wealth Enhancement Trait — Level 1.

Begin?

A blinking cursor awaited his answer.

Ethan hesitated. His hands trembled. Was this a breakdown? A side effect of losing everything?

He thought of Cassandra’s laugh. Liam’s smirk. The whispers. The pitying stares.

No. He wasn’t going to sit here and let the world bury him.

He tapped YES.

And just like that, the countdown began.

19 Hours Left

Ethan scrambled to his feet, water soaking his sneakers, and ran.

First stop—his tiny apartment. He grabbed the old laptop he barely used, a cracked tablet, and his guitar.

Within two hours, he had sold them all.

Total: \$320.

He found a job listing online offering \$50 for moving furniture. He showed up, helped lift heavy couches, and ignored the back pain screaming through him.

New total: \$420.

By the afternoon, he was doing food delivery on foot, using a borrowed app account. Sprinting across streets, dodging traffic, nearly slipping on wet pavement.

Another \$150. Total: \$570.

His legs throbbed. His lungs burned. But the voice in his mind stayed calm.

[Time remaining: 10 hours.]

7 Hours Left

He saw them again—Cassandra and Liam—on the corner of 5th and Lex, stepping out of a luxury car.

She spotted him. Her face twisted into a grin.

“Well, well,” she said loudly. “Look who’s still running errands for minimum wage.”

Liam chuckled. “Try not to get our food order wrong.”

The laughter stung. But Ethan said nothing. He turned away.

[New Side Mission Detected: Do NOT retaliate. Reward: Emotional Control +1.]

He walked on. Shoulders back. Chin up.

And as the system registered his control…

[Reward Unlocked.]

[New Trait: Emotional Control +1 – Boosts decision-making under stress.]

2 Hours Left

His legs couldn’t take much more. He was \$250 short.

He sat on a bench near the river, head bowed, vision blurring from exhaustion.

“I can’t…” he whispered. “It’s not enough.”

A shadow fell over him.

“You look like someone in need of quick cash,” a deep voice said.

Ethan looked up.

A man in a black suit, eyes cold, handed him a sealed package.

“Deliver this to the address on the back. No questions. No detours. \$500.”

Ethan hesitated.

“What’s inside?” he asked.

The man smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Does it matter?”

[New Mission Override: Deliver the Package in 1 Hour. Reward: +\$500. Optional Trait Unlock.]

[Warning: Consequences unknown.]

Ethan stared at the package.

He thought of the countdown. The humiliation. The system. The way everyone looked at him like he was dirt.

His grip tightened.

He nodded. “Give me the address.”

Countdown: 58 Minutes Left

He took off running.

The rain had stopped, but the streets were slick and dangerous. A car nearly clipped him as he crossed a red light.

He ducked into alleys, cutting across streets—every minute mattered.

Halfway to the destination, he noticed two men following him. One on a bike. The other in a hoodie.

They got faster.

[System Alert: Interference Detected.]

The hoodie guy shouted, “Drop the bag!”

Ethan didn’t.

He sprinted harder. Adrenaline surged through him.

[Speed Boost Engaged. Reflex Response: +10%. Trait Unlock Progressing.]

He darted through traffic, jumped over a fence, and slammed the package onto the receptionist’s counter of a nameless gray building.

“Delivery,” he gasped.

A scanner beeped. The receptionist nodded. “Confirmed.”

Ethan collapsed on a bench outside.

[Mission Complete. Total Earnings: \$1,070.] [Reward Unlocked: Wealth Enhancement Trait – Level 1.]

[Trait Description: Increases business opportunities, improves instinct in money-making decisions.]

[Side Reward: Combat Readiness – Level 1.]

[Next Mission Unlocking…]

Ethan sat there, chest heaving, as the world around him seemed to pause.

In one night, he’d gone from being nothing… to something.

And this was only the beginning.

[Welcome to the Wealth Ascension Program.]

[Rise begins now.]