2026-06-23 17:21:05"Which one?" Seth muttered, his sharp eyes locked onto his laptop screen, continuously scanning the moving rows of numbers and stock charts.
He tried to dig into his memories regarding the stock market movements from ten years ago, right around 2014. He needed the perfect vehicle to multiply Max's loan money as quickly as possible.
His eyes stopped at one specific name: NovaCloud Inc. Currently, every financial analyst laughed at the tech company, predicting its bankruptcy next month due to fierce competition.
But Seth knew the truth. In less than forty-eight hours, NovaCloud would announce an exclusive data-provision contract with the Ministry of Defense. Their stock, which currently looked like absolute garbage, would skyrocket by an astronomical eight hundred percent.
Seth remembered how fast the market moved back then. In his past life, he had only been a bystander when the news broke, as his business ventures had absolutely nothing to do with the stock market.
For this life, without a single ounce of hesitation, Seth pressed the 'Buy' button. He gambled the entirety of Max's loan money into NovaCloud stock.
The capital Max lent him definitely wouldn't be enough to complete his grandfather's acquisition test. However, the profit he would reap from NovaCloud would be more than enough.
"Alright. Let's wait..."
His phone suddenly rang. Max Wagner's name flashed on the screen. Seth answered it casually, eager to see what kind of panache Max would serve him.
"Hello, Max?"
"Seth! Listen, mate," Max's voice came out in ragged pants, heavily laced with a panic he desperately tried to hide. "I... I'm having an emergency right now. Remember the loan money I just transferred to your company account? I need it back. Right now."
Of course, he needed the money. Max must be scrambling to find the capital to acquire BioCore Inc. for Alistair's test.
Seth almost burst out laughing, but he forced a highly confused tone. "What emergency? Why don't you just borrow from your own firm's treasury under your name?"
"I can't! I... I already have another loan there," Max lied quickly.
"Ah," Seth dragged out his response, pretending to realize something terrible. "Don't tell me this is to cover your gambling debts again, Max? So the casino debt collectors won't chase you down?"
Max fell silent for a second, clearly annoyed that his fake excuse was so easily 'guessed.' "Yes! Yes, let's just say that. So, can you return the money to me first? I really need the cash today. I will pay you back next month."
The deadline for Alistair's test was exactly one month. Max hoped he could complete the task and return the money to Seth as if nothing had happened.
Seth let out a long, heavy sigh, layering his voice with excessive, theatrical reluctance.
"I am truly sorry, Max. You're too late. The moment the money hit my account, I immediately invested all of it into the stock market. The funds are locked in shares now. I can't pull them out."
Seth wasn't lying. He was highly confident that he could complete Alistair's task to acquire BioCore using that bastard's own money.
A loud crash echoed from the other end of the line, followed by Max's furious breathing. "Y-you put everything into stocks?! Why are you so stupid, Seth?!"
A translucent blue screen glowed in the corner of Seth's vision.
[Target (Max Wagner) experiences extreme financial panic and high-level stress. +23 Points.]
[Total Points: 124]
Seth had to hold back his laughter again, maintaining his concerned tone as he replied.
"What do you mean 'stupid'? I used the capital exactly as I was supposed to, Max. You're the weird one. Why are you getting so angry?"
"I..." Max found himself completely at a loss for words, struggling to find a logical excuse.
"Sorry, Max, I have another emergency call coming in. I have to hang up," Seth said casually before cutting the line without waiting for a response.
There was indeed a new incoming call from Lucian. "What is it?"
"Tonight, Mr. Olympus has invited several of your cousins from the branch families who happen to be in London for a dinner party. Not the entire family, just a few representatives," Lucian informed him.
"Oh... alright." Seth agreed without asking too many questions.
After hanging up, he opened his system panel. The screen blinked, displaying his latest status.
[Current Points: 124 Points]
[Current EXP: 60/100]
Those 124 points were the accumulation of the psychological terror he had inflicted on Max and Leila.
From the hospital incident to the impossible task from Alistair—all of Max and Leila's stress and confusion continuously fed him points, even while he slept. As long as the targets felt anxious because of him, the points would keep flowing.
The number 124 seemed like a lot, yet it simultaneously felt small when Seth remembered he didn't know what kind of monsters he would face within the Olympus family tonight.
However, it shouldn't be a problem. If he had mastered dissecting an angel-faced demon like Max, his cousins would be nothing more than annoying pests.
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#136 The Trojan Awakens
Chloe sat restlessly in her swivel chair—for once, her hands remained still, and she wasn't playing the games she usually never abandoned during her free time.Chloe kept staring at her monitor, her eyes bloodshot from sleep deprivation. "Why isn't it connected yet?! Dammit."Whenever boredom set in while waiting, Chloe would curse, forcing Seth—who sat on the sofa reviewing work reports on his tablet—to look up."Be patient," Seth offered wise advice, even though his own mind grew just as restless as Chloe's.They returned to waiting in silence. But that could never last long, for Chloe could never stay calm while waiting.After fifteen minutes passed with zero signs, panic began to creep over Chloe."What if Uncle Gareth doesn't take the bait?" Chloe bit her thumbnail. "What if he doesn't copy it and hands the flash drive straight to the state? Our plan will shatter into pieces, Seth."Seth set his tablet down and looked at Chloe calmly. He felt restless waiting, but not anxious. "H
#135 A Snake's Ambition
Gareth Olympus accepted the silver flash drive from Bradford’s hand with a wide grin that revealed all his front teeth. His eyes gleamed with absolute satisfaction."Good job, Bradford," Gareth praised as he tossed the flash drive to his personal assistant. "Copy that program to my private server right now."His assistant moved swiftly, plugging the device into the laptop Gareth usually used for work—strictly for light tasks such as typing or reviewing documents.Gareth himself paid little attention to the copying process. He lacked any deep understanding of IT, using laptops only for basic daily tasks."You planned all of this brilliantly, Mr. Olympus," Bradford praised, bowing slightly with a sycophantic smile. "That loser from Delizco practically wept in the lobby when I threatened him with treason charges. And Seth Corbyn? He handed over this program like an obedient dog. He offered zero resistance, completely meek and sweet."Gareth chuckled softly, picking up a cigar from his d
#134 A Flawless Surrende
Wayne stood alone in the middle of the Delizco office lobby. He had given all the employees the day off, knowing a group of special guests would arrive today.Yet, cold sweat still drenched his back as he faced a squad of fully uniformed military officers stepping out of the elevator."Seth... where are you?" Wayne muttered, while slowly approaching the group of three officers."Good afternoon. You arrived early," Wayne greeted them with a polite smile, but the squad leader merely scowled in return."I did not arrive early. I planned to arrive exactly at this minute," the man snapped coldly."Mr..." Wayne squinted at the name tag pinned to the man's chest. "Mr. Bradford, could you wait just a little longer?"Wayne desperately tried to buy some time. He had contacted Seth ten minutes ago, but he had not yet appeared, and panic slowly gnawed at his defenses. The imposing presence of those military uniforms easily intimidated him."Did we not state clearly that we would come today after
#133 The Adopted Genius
Seth smirked and shook his head. "He is far too arrogant. He will undoubtedly copy it first. He considers your program incredibly powerful, to the point of causing all this commotion. There is zero chance he will just pass it up."Chloe bit her lip; the logic sounded sound."But the most important thing is, can you build it?" Seth asked. If Chloe could not, then the entire plan became useless."Of course! Are you underestimating my abilities?!" Chloe hissed. Despite her instability, she refused to be insulted.Seth smiled. "Good girl!""Do not call me that!" Chloe snapped. Her face was no longer pale; instead, it flushed a deep red."What? I was only praising you. Dustin always gets happy when I praise him with 'good boy'." Seth felt baffled. He didn't feel he had made a mistake that warranted being yelled at until her face turned that red."I am not Dustin!" Chloe yelled again, spinning her chair to face her computer."Okay... okay..." Seth had initially wanted to praise her to make
#132 The Only Viable Option
The call from Wayne abruptly disconnected. Seth lowered his phone, his jaw rigid. His hand continued to grip the thin device, hovering between the urge to smash it and the urge to curse loudly. But in the end, he remained silent—thinking.Kael looked at his boss patiently. Seth had stood completely frozen for several minutes without saying a word.The exclusive elevator they were riding in had actually reached the ground floor a while ago. Kael even let Seth stand quietly inside the steel box, allowing the elevator to move up and down, transporting other executives in the building.It naturally created a bizarre scene, but no one dared to ask. A few merely stared before quickly averting their gaze.But that did not mean Kael felt comfortable being stared at like that.After they traveled up and down past the same floor twice—with Seth still lost in his thoughts—Kael finally decided to break the silence."So, what is our plan, Boss?" Kael asked.Seth blinked, his consciousness returnin
#131 A National Security Threat
They walked out and entered the exclusive executive elevator. Once the steel doors sealed shut—ensuring no eavesdroppers could listen—Kael instantly dropped his professional posture. He loosened his tie the exact second the floor indicator blinked downward."Just for the record," Kael muttered, letting out a long, dramatic exhale. "The coffee downstairs tastes like filtered mud. If we actually have to buy a cup to maintain this cover, I officially request a hazard pay increase."Seth let out a dry chuckle, crossing his arms and leaning back against the polished steel wall. "Drink it and build some character, Kael. Consider the terrible taste a fitting punishment for taking a whole week just to bring me to a dead end."Kael gasped loudly, placing a hand over his chest as if Seth had physically struck him. "A dead end? Boss, I worked absolute miracles just to get this frozen trail! Do you have any idea what I had to endure?""Enlighten me," Seth replied calmly, raising a single eyebrow.
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