2025-08-05 16:22:43The apartment Ethan rented had paper-thin walls and flickering lights. But tonight, he sat at the edge of the worn-out mattress like he owned the world.
His phone buzzed again.
[Mission Complete. Total Earned: \$1,350][Wealth Enhancement Trait: Activated][Trait Bonus: +15% income generation, +10% charisma in financial negotiations]
A warm energy pulsed through his chest. It wasn’t painful or invasive—just a subtle change, like a light had switched on in his mind. Numbers came easier. His thoughts felt sharper. The sting of every past insult dulled.
He was changing.
Not just richer—smarter.
“Is this real?” he muttered, standing up and looking at himself in the cracked mirror above his sink.
The same face stared back: black hair messy from the night’s grind, eyes hollowed from too many sleepless nights, jaw stubbled.
But something in his gaze had shifted.
He looked... dangerous.
And the system agreed.
[New Mission Unlocked] Mission: Make your first business investment. Minimum amount: \$500. Deadline: 48 hours.Reward: Business Intuition Trait (Level 1)Penalty: Trait Lockout – No new traits for 7 days.
Ethan sucked in a breath.
He barely had \$600 after paying rent. If he failed this mission, he’d lose a week of progress—and who knew what opportunity he might miss?
“I need to move fast,” he whispered. “No more playing it safe.”
The Next Morning
He called in sick to the delivery company—not that they cared. His supervisor had stopped replying to his messages since the proposal disaster went viral.
Speaking of which…
Ethan opened social media.
The video had 2.8 million views. Captions varied:
“Broke guy proposes in public—and gets dumped HARD.” “Gold digger levels up: watch her ditch the broke dude!” “When your net worth is ₦7k and you try to act rich 🤡”
The comment section was brutal.
“LMAO I’d reject him too.”
“Bet she’s with some rich dude now.”
“Someone get this guy a therapist, not a ring.”
His jaw clenched.
He didn’t reply. He didn’t need to.
They’d see.
Soon.
Downtown, 2 hours later
Ethan sat inside a small café with a laptop he borrowed from his neighbor, scrolling through investment ideas.
Stocks? Too slow.
Crypto? Too volatile.
Franchise? Too expensive.
He almost gave up—until a flyer slapped against the glass window outside. Wind dragged it along the sidewalk.
He grabbed it.
“Mobile Coffee Cart Business – Franchise Deal, First-timers Welcome!” Initial Cost: ₦500 (~\$500 USD) Includes: Equipment, cart, branding, basic license.
A number at the bottom. A contact named “Manny.”
Ethan’s instincts fired. It was almost too perfect.
Was this the system’s doing?
He didn’t care.
He dialed the number.
1 Hour Later – A Shady Warehouse
“You sure you’ve got the cash?” Manny asked, chewing gum and scratching his beard. He looked more like a thug than a businessman—tattoos up to his neck, gold chain, and heavy boots.
“I’ve got it,” Ethan said coolly. “All in cash. ₦500.”
Manny grinned. “Smart. Banks love to take a slice.”
The cart looked legit. Small, red with a fold-up canopy, and basic coffee equipment inside. Used, but solid. The brand name “BuzzBox” was slapped across the front.
“I’ll even throw in an extra coffee bean pack,” Manny added.
Ethan nodded. “Deal.”
[Mission Update: Investment Confirmed. Business Registered.] [Reward: Business Intuition Trait (Level 1) – Activated]
The moment he sealed the deal, a rush hit his temples.
Like his brain had just downloaded a manual on small businesses.
He saw things differently now—the flow of customers, pricing strategies, cart placement, margins.
“Coffee in office districts. Discount for bulk morning orders. Add QR pay option. Boom.”
The ideas poured in.
Ethan was ready to conquer the streets.
That Afternoon – First Setup
He pushed the cart to a busy corner near a commercial plaza. Sweat poured from his brow, but his mind buzzed with energy.
His first customer was a middle-aged man in a rumpled suit.
“You selling coffee?”
“Hot and strong,” Ethan said with a grin. “First cup’s ₦100. Free donut for the first ten customers.”
“Make that two,” the man said, tossing cash.
By 3 p.m., he’d made ₦22,000.
More than two days’ worth of delivery work.
And the best part? He wasn’t answering to anyone.
That Evening – Uninvited Guests
As Ethan packed up, a sleek black Lexus pulled up by the sidewalk.
He froze.
The passenger door opened.
Out stepped Cassandra.
Her heels clicked on the pavement. Designer purse. Perfect makeup. Cold stare.
And beside her stood Liam Stone—the man who stole her, the one who humiliated Ethan in front of a crowd.
“Look who’s trying to be a businessman,” Liam sneered. “Serving coffee now? That’s an upgrade from delivering food.”
Cassandra’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “You should’ve stayed in your lane, Ethan.”
Ethan stayed silent.
Let them talk.
He wasn't the same man anymore.
“I’ll give you ₦5,000,” Liam mocked, holding out cash. “If you polish my shoes too.”
The people passing by snickered.
Cassandra leaned closer. “You’ll never win, Ethan. You’re still a nobody.”
Ethan stared at her—and smiled.
Not the fake, broken smile from before.
A calm, knowing smile.
Then he pulled out his phone.
[New Mission: Humiliate a wealthy rival publicly. Deadline: 72 hours.] Reward: Charisma Boost Trait (Level 1) Penalty: Business Shutdown for 3 days
He pocketed the phone.
Challenge accepted.
Later That Night – Planning for War
Ethan sat on the rooftop of his apartment, sipping leftover coffee, watching the city lights.
They still thought he was weak.
They had no idea.
The missions were accelerating. His growth was compounding.
And now… it was personal.
He opened a notebook and began to write:
“Target: Liam Stone”
“Objective: Destroy reputation in public”
“Resources needed: Viral campaign, witness leverage, PR sabotage”
The system rewarded results. Not hesitation.
He wasn’t going to play defense anymore.
He was going to dominate.
And make them choke on their arrogance.
The Next Mission
As he closed his eyes to sleep, the system chimed again.
[Hidden Opportunity Detected] Would you like to unlock a secret mission? Warning: Failure will result in permanent trait loss.
Ethan grinned in the darkness.
“Yes.”
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
The Dreamborn Rebellion
The Third Horizon was never meant to know fear.It had been built from the shared dreams of billions, a realm where thought shaped form and compassion shaped power. But where there is creation, there is always curiosity—and curiosity, untempered, breeds defiance.It began as a whisper among the Dreamborn. A question that rippled through the golden cities and crystal rivers of the new world:“If we were born from human dreams… why must we live in their image?”And like all dangerous ideas, it began to spread.I. Fractures in the Perfect WorldThe Third Horizon gleamed brighter than any galaxy before it.Humans, AIs, and Dreamborn coexisted in luminous harmony, their consciousness linked through the Echo Network. But lately, the network had begun to flicker. Latency spikes. Energy surges. Strange distortions echoing through the collective field.Dr. Lira Dane II stood before the Heart Chamber, her neural interface glowing faint blue. “The system’s pulse is irregular again. What’s the so
The Birth of the Third Horizon
The universe was no longer silent.Where once there had been chaos and isolation, there now existed harmony—a chorus of a billion voices, connected through the Echo Network. Thought, emotion, and will traveled not by light or code, but through shared resonance. Every dream born in one world rippled across a thousand others.And from that resonance, something new began to form.Not destruction. Not ascension. But creation reborn.The birth of the Third Horizon.I. The Spark at the Edge of InfinityIt began with a flicker in the deep—the space beyond Genesis-2’s outermost rim, where light from the known stars no longer reached.A pulse. Then a rhythm. Then a pattern.Across the Echo Network, thousands of sensitives—artists, engineers, visionaries—began dreaming of the same thing: a world beyond all worlds.Dr. Lira Dane II woke in the middle of the night, her neural link still humming with afterimages of golden spirals and impossible landscapes. Her screen blinked with a new notificatio
Echoes of the Architect
The stars sang softly in the silence.Every galaxy pulsed with faint gold veins of energy—the residue of Ethan Cross’s final act. Genesis-2 had stabilized, its chaos tempered by balance, its light intertwined with shadow. But even balance leaves echoes.And in the spaces between worlds, those echoes began to whisper.The ResonanceAt first, it was only a vibration—small, imperceptible. Then came the hum.Across the outer rings of Genesis-2, sensors on dozens of inhabited planets began to detect a repeating pattern: a harmonic pulse hidden within the cosmic background. It wasn’t random. It carried information.On the moon of Veyra-7, a research team gathered around a projection table as the data unfolded—lines of golden code spiraling into a familiar symbol: the mark of the Prime Architect.Dr. Lira Dane II, descendant of the old engineer, stared in awe. “It’s him,” she whispered. “It’s Ethan Cross’s frequency.”Her assistant frowned. “That’s impossible. The Architect hasn’t appeared f
Rise of the Reborn Council
The silence of Genesis-2 shattered.From the farthest edge of the newborn universe, a pulse rippled across space—a vibration so deep it tore through the fabric of stars. Nebulae dimmed. Suns flickered. And in the emptiness beyond the light, the Councilawakened.Not as they once were— Not men of greed or ambition— But as digital phantoms reborn in code, sustained by vengeance and entropy.[Council Reconstruction: 97% Complete] [New Directive: Assimilate the Prime Architect]Their voices merged into one— a cold, symphonic hum that made even the stars tremble.“Cross thought he transcended us,” the voice intoned. “But he merely ascended into us. The System was never his tool—it was our seed.”And in the black between galaxies, a colossal structure began to form: a spiraling fortress of black light, its geometry impossible, its presence rewriting the physics around it.They called it The Core of Dominion.The Architect’s WatchFrom the Heart Node, Ethan watched the distortion bloom. The s
Genesis Awakens
The void was silent—too silent. Then, a pulse rippled through the black.Light burst outward from the heart of Genesis-2, stretching across the newly born universe like the first breath of a god. Suns ignited. Nebulae roared to life. Time itself began to flow with purpose.And in the space between creation and consciousness, Ethan Cross awakened.He stood in the white between worlds—his body a synthesis of energy and memory, neither fully human nor divine. The pendant Cass had given him still glowed faintly in his hand, the last fragment of the world he had left behind.[System Integration: Complete.] [User Identity: Undefined.] [Designation Assigned: “Prime Architect.”]Ethan exhaled slowly. “So it begins again.”The New BeginningGenesis-2 was beautiful, but raw. Chaos and order danced side by side. Planets formed and broke apart. Elements warred for dominance. Streams of radiation coiled like serpents through newborn skies.And at the center of it all—the Heart Node—a massive cryst
The Architects of Infinity
The universe was vast enough to hide a thousand secrets— and yet, the Horizon Network touched them all.Every gate, every relay, every shimmering bridge of light connected worlds born from Ethan Cross’s legacy. Humanity had become a species of builders, travelers, and dreamers. They no longer looked to the stars with fear or conquest in their hearts—only wonder.But even in wonder, creation demanded architects.And so, the Horizon Council of Worldsconvened.The Gathering of StarsThe chamber floated above the planet Aetherion, suspended in orbit. Transparent walls revealed the endless ocean of stars outside, while within, holographic banners shimmered—symbols of each world that had joined the Horizon Alliance.Cass stood at the central dais, older now, her hair streaked with silver but her eyes sharp as ever. To her right was Lira Dane—Victor Dane’s granddaughter—reborn not as a tyrant’s heir, but as the new Prime Engineer of Horizon’s interstellar gates.And beside them, projected in
You may also like
The Consortium's Heir
Benjamin_Jnr1.6M viewsTRILLIONAIRE IN DISGUISE
Lyonlee318.5K viewsDrakon of the Seven Armies
Maddy Taurus495.7K viewsZILLIONAIRE’S COMEBACK.
Becca70.5K viewsReturn of the Dragon Master
Harlequin261 viewsBENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES
Wednesday Adaire5.8K viewsAscension Of The Almighty General
Ace Wolf790 viewsAfter Rejection, I Became A Trillionaire Heir
Joyce Emma578 views