2025-08-05 16:23:47The cold evening air nipped at Ethan’s skin as he stepped outside, his hands still trembling slightly from the adrenaline rush of confronting the luxury store staff. He’d walked out of there not as a humiliated nobody, but as a man who made the system bow to his will. For the first time in his life, he felt in control.
The street was alive with people, lights, and noise. Yet everything around him blurred as his focus zeroed in on the single goal that burned in his mind—power. Not just money. Power that would command respect. Power that would rewrite his story.
[System Notification: Trait Activated – “Charisma Boost”]Effect: Your presence is now perceived as more confident, trustworthy, and subtly dominant. Duration: Passive (Permanent) Bonus: +20% influence in verbal interactions.
A strange warmth settled in his chest. He stood taller. His shoulders squared. And when a woman walking past glanced at him, her eyes lingered a little longer than they normally would. He wasn’t dressed differently. He hadn’t changed his face.
But something felt different. And people could sense it.
Ethan tucked his hands into his coat pockets and walked with purpose, heading toward the subway. He had a new mission to complete—and this one involved getting back the job that had dumped him like trash.
Forty Minutes Later – Crimson Express Logistics Hub
The familiar industrial compound reeked of oil and stress. Dozens of bikes and electric vans buzzed in and out, carrying parcels, takeout, and grocery deliveries. It was chaos wrapped in neon lights.
Ethan hesitated outside the rusted gates.
This place had fired him a week ago after a customer claimed he delivered food late and with an attitude. He hadn’t even been allowed to speak in his defense.
The manager had laughed when Ethan had begged to stay.
[System Mission Unlocked: Regain Employment at Crimson Express] Type: Negotiation Challenge Reward: Trait – “Street-Level Hustler” Penalty for Failure: Loss of Reputation Score Timer: 03:00:00
🧠 Street-Level Hustler?
He tapped on the glowing “i” next to the reward, and the system explained.
This trait will increase your efficiency in low-level income streams. You’ll gain a permanent 10% speed bonus and 15% delivery accuracy on all courier tasks. Also unlocks “Hustle Radar”—a passive awareness of profitable opportunities around you.
Ethan didn’t need more convincing.
He walked inside.
Inside the Office
The logistics hub's front office hadn’t changed. Same cracked tiles, same flickering fan. Behind the front desk sat Carlos, a balding, gruff man with a permanent scowl. The one who had fired Ethan.
Carlos glanced up from his screen and blinked. “No way.”
Ethan offered a casual smile. “Hello again.”
Carlos leaned back, eyeing him. “You got balls coming back here. I should call security.”
“I’m not here to beg,” Ethan said calmly. “I’m here to talk business.”
Carlos raised an eyebrow. “Business? You? You were the worst-performing rider in the last batch. No customers gave you tips. You didn’t even upgrade your license. You think I’d rehire a loser like you?”
Ethan chuckled softly. “I delivered 57 orders in one day. I only missed one.”
“And that one was from a politician's wife. I don’t need trouble like that.”
“But you do need riders, don’t you?” Ethan gestured to the delivery board flashing red. “You’ve got a 12% order delay rate, and at least three customers already posted negative reviews tonight.”
Carlos frowned.
[Charisma Boost Activated – Influence increased.]
“I’ll make you a deal,” Ethan continued. “Give me a trial run tonight. No pay unless I hit 20 deliveries in 3 hours. If I succeed, you rehire me. If I fail, I leave for good.”
Carlos narrowed his eyes. “And if you do it?”
“Then you give me access to premium client routes. The high-paying ones. And let me use a scooter instead of a bike.”
A tense silence followed.
Carlos swore under his breath. “Fine. You’re on. Fail and you’re blacklisted. Permanently.”
[System Update: Mission Accepted – 3 hours remaining]
Let the Hustle Begin
Ethan jogged to the warehouse. The familiar yellow vest slid over his shoulders like a badge of war. Only this time, he wasn’t some broke guy trying to survive.
He was a man with a mission. A system. And something to prove.
The moment his app buzzed with the first delivery, he was off.
Delivery 1: 1.2 miles – accepted. Delivery 2: Stacked – 0.5 miles from Delivery 1. [Trait Bonus: Route Optimization in Effect]
He weaved through traffic like water slipping through cracks. His phone chirped with every successful delivery.
✅ 4 deliveries – 2.5 km total – Time elapsed: 26 minutes. ✅ 8 deliveries – 5.8 km – Time: 59 minutes.
Sweat dripped down his back, but he was in a flow state.
No hesitations. No second-guessing.
At Delivery #11, a customer tried to scam him—claimed the order was missing an item.
[Mini-Event Triggered: Customer Scam Detection]Outcome: You spotted the lie. Received +1 reputation and a \$5 tip.
Even Ethan blinked at the accuracy of his instincts.
It wasn’t just speed. It was awareness. The “Hustle Radar” was real.
Final Hour – Final Stretch
As the final hour ticked in, Ethan glanced at his progress.
✅ 17 deliveries ⏳ Time left: 42 minutes Needed: 3 more
Suddenly, a system alert blinked red.
[System Notice: Sudden Event – Power Outage in Zone 3]Result: All delivery riders rerouted. Your zone is now overloaded. Bonus Opportunity: Deliver 3 urgent medical orders within 30 minutes. Bonus Reward: “Urban Adaptability” Trait
Accept Bonus Mission? Y/N
Ethan hit “Yes” without hesitation.
The new orders were farther and more urgent—medical supplies to local clinics. The streets were dim, with most streetlights down. Traffic snarled around every corner.
Ethan gritted his teeth and pushed harder.
Order 18 delivered. 19 delivered. 20 delivered… Time Left: 6 minutes.
He parked the scooter in front of Crimson Express with shaking legs.
Back at the Hub
Carlos was stunned when Ethan marched back in, soaked in sweat but wearing a quiet smirk.
He slammed the completed delivery report on the desk.
“Twenty-three deliveries. One minor delay. Zero failed drops.”
Carlos stared at the screen. “What the hell…?”
“Deal’s a deal,” Ethan said.
Carlos gave a reluctant nod. “You’re back. I’ll assign you the premium clients starting tomorrow.”
Ethan turned to leave—but paused.
“One more thing,” he said, looking over his shoulder. “Next time, don’t write people off so easily. Especially not nobodies. We tend to surprise you.”
He stepped outside just as the system chimed.
[System Mission Completed – Trait Unlocked: Street-Level Hustler] Bonus Trait Unlocked: Urban Adaptability +15% Navigation Bonus in urban environments +Improved negotiation with blue-collar NPCs
You have reached System Level: 2 New Features Unlocked: – Wealth Management Panel – Passive Trait Slot: 1 Open – Next Mission Type: Business Investment
Ethan exhaled slowly.
This was just the beginning.
And the city had no idea what was coming.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
The Final Rhythm
The Heart was quiet.Not dead—never dead—but still. The kind of stillness that comes after the last note of a song, when the air itself remembers the melody. Across the continuum, the echoes of the Dreaming God’s light drifted like petals upon a boundless ocean. Every world dreamed; every dream waited.And at the center of that sleeping vastness, Seraphina stood.The air shimmered faintly around her, thick with memory. Each breath she drew carried a thousand sensations—joy, grief, wonder, loss. They no longer weighed her down; they simply were. She was no longer fighting against the pulse of existence or surrendering to it. She had become part of it—an awareness within the dream.Solen stood a few paces behind her, his presence steady, watching as the ripples of light coiled softly around her form.“Do you feel it?” he asked quietly.Seraphina nodded. “Everything. Every dream, every heartbeat, every silence that ever was. It’s all… awake, even while it sleeps.”The horizon quivered. B
The Rise of the Living Dream
The world had not ended.It shifted.Where once there was stillness, there was breath. Where once harmony reigned, now rhythm flowed—wild, unpredictable, but alive. The continuum pulsed like a single living being, every beat echoing through stars, oceans, and the minds of all who remembered the Heart.And at the center of it all stood Sera.Her body shimmered with light that refused to settle—veins glowing in molten threads of red and silver, her eyes carrying the reflection of both dawn and dusk. The Heart beat within her chest now—not as a relic, but as something reborn.She was no longer merely a bearer of the Echo Star. She was the Living Dream.I. The Awakening of the RealmsThe transformation spread like a silent wave.Every city that had once existed in perfect balance began to stir as if waking from an ancient slumber. The rivers of Ariane’s gardens began to flow faster, twisting into new paths as though reclaiming forgotten freedom. The molten towers of Kael’s dominion burned
The Forgotten Pulse
The wind over Lyraen had changed.It still carried the warmth of harmony that had spread through the realms since the Age of Reflection began, but beneath that calm there was a tremor—a rhythm out of sync. Faint, almost imperceptible, but wrong.The city had grown vast. What began as a circle of shimmering stone and song had become a living labyrinth of light and voice. Every street hummed with the resonance of the Heart. Every citizen moved as though in tune with the very breath of the world.Except for Sera.She felt it.The pulse beneath the peace.It started as a whisper in her veins, a discordant echo that made the Echo Star crystal in her possession flicker between silver and red. The others didn’t notice. They believed the crystal was a gift—a symbol of balance, the last remnant of Liora’s transcendence.But Sera wasn’t so sure anymore.That morning, when the first light of Eiran touched the spires of Lyraen, the crystal in her hand beat once, hard enough to sting her palm. She
The Age of Reflection Begins
The world was quiet.Not the silence of endings—but the stillness that comes after a deep breath, the pause between one heartbeat and the next. For the first time since the beginning, the continuum was not tearing itself apart in conflict or remaking itself in fire. It was simply aware.The rivers moved with a gentle hum, the sky breathed in colors unseen before, and the light that touched the soil was neither harsh nor pure—it was balanced.The Heart of All Things had awakened, and through it, every being now heard a faint whisper, like a song half-remembered.“You are not alone. You are part of the dream that dreams itself.”It was the voice of Liora. Not as goddess, not as mortal—but as memory. The essence of all balance.I. The Dawn of the New AgeIn the Garden of Mirrors, Ariane stood at the edge of her lake, watching her reflection ripple with colors that did not belong to the mortal realm. Each hue shimmered with meaning—gold for will, silver for peace, crimson for courage, and
The Echo Between Gods
The world no longer slept. It remembered itself awake.The light of dawn rose not from the sky this time—but from within. Across the continents of dream, rivers shimmered with internal glow, trees whispered like living memories, and mountains trembled as if exhaling the first breath of awareness.The Garden and the Flame both stirred, bound by a pulse neither could define. The twin stars—Eiran and Solas—burned together in a single halo, their light folding into a spiral that reached across the heavens.And in the heart of the Valley of Mists, Liorastood beneath that spiral.Her hands trembled with energy too vast for flesh to contain. One eye glowed with the serenity of reflection; the other burned with the heat of will. The air around her rippled with every breath—threads of silver, gold, and crimson weaving through the fog.She could feel everything: the joy of the Garden, the fury of the Flame, the sorrow of the Witness, and the patient, aching love of the Dreaming God.It was all
The Garden and the Flame
The world no longer dreamed—it decided.The two paths that had once been one now diverged fully beneath the silent gaze of the Dreaming God. The Children of Dawn no longer gathered beneath the same stars; they gathered beneath their beliefs. The air, once filled with the hum of harmony, now carried the pulse of choice.And from choice, history began.I. The Garden of RemembranceTo the east of the world, where the light of dawn fell longest, Ariane built her refuge. It began as a circle of still water—a lake so calm that even the stars above mirrored within it perfectly, without distortion. Around its edges, she planted the first living trees, each born from a seed of memory.Their leaves shimmered faintly in tones of gold and azure. Whenever the wind passed through them, whispers filled the air—echoes of forgotten songs, laughter from the old worlds, fragments of languages no longer spoken.This was the Garden of Remembrance.Her people, the Keepers of Light, believed that peace coul
You may also like
Hidden Billionaire Son-in-law
Deliaha Shine124.3K viewsThe Ruthless Son-in-law
Bella Starr138.4K viewsThe Secretly Rich Man
Two Ears is Bodhi7.4M viewsThe Ultimate Husband
Skykissing Wolf7.7M viewsTHE EXILED WARLORD
Dlaw1.9K viewsCloaked in Shadows
Healing-Pen228 viewsThe Truculent Davien Ghys
Zuxian363 viewsHouse of Alister: The Hidden Heir
Jessica Sage189 views