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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#221 Leaving To Rot
However, the squeak of the opening door answered Alastair's confusion. Someone walked in. It was Chloe.But it wasn't the Chloe that Alastair had known all this time. The girl wasn't wearing childish, oversized clothes, she wasn't carrying a doll, and the blank stare in her eyes was gone.Chloe was wearing casual, normal clothes, with a sharp, cold gaze staring straight at Alastair.Alastair's jaw dropped. His eyes widened in disbelief at the transformation. "What... what is..." his old voice trembled."We meet again... Alastair," Chloe said, her voice crystal clear and perfectly articulated. She also no longer called Alastair 'Grandpa'—this was intentional. According to Chloe, Alastair was no longer fit to be called a grandfather, and they shared no blood ties anyway.Alastair couldn't respond at all. The shock he received was too immense. The girl he had considered a broken toy for years actually possessed full awareness."You're probably wondering why," Chloe continued, stepping cl
#220 The Fake Play
Seth's footsteps echoed softly down the corridor of the maximum-security VVIP psychiatric ward. Per his request, Kael had arranged for Alastair to be admitted to an asylum affiliated with Olympus.There were no issues on that end, so Seth only came to ensure that the old tyrant locked inside wouldn't have the slightest loophole to poison the minds of the people around him.Seth knew firsthand how capable Alastair was at manipulating others. His act of playing a poor, pitiful old man would easily fool people.Just as expected, when Seth reached the garden—where Alastair was, according to the front desk nurse—he saw a familiar sight.Alastair was sitting in a wheelchair, looking at a young nurse with a pleading gaze that seemed incredibly convincing.His wrinkled hands trembled as he held the nurse's wrist. He coughed weakly as if his life were hanging by a thread."Nurse, please..." Alastair's voice sounded hoarse and shaky. "Just five minutes. Let me use the phone at the front desk. I
#219 Dustin's Whises
Seth opened his eyes with a gasp."DAD!"He felt even more disoriented when Dustin's shrill voice filled his ears, followed by a pair of small hands wrapping tightly around his waist.The owner of those small hands was sobbing, and that was what forced Seth to pull his consciousness back together. Seth gathered Dustin's small body, lifting and hugging him tightly."You're okay... you're not hurt..."Dustin just kept crying."I think he's terrified because you were passed out for too long." Seth turned and saw Kael approaching his bed.From the atmosphere and the equipment beside him, Seth easily guessed he was in a hospital."What happened?" Seth asked."You passed out after screaming in pain. Thankfully, there was no nosebleed, but it was still terrifying. So I brought you to the hospital with Dustin," Kael explained briefly."Dustin...""He's fine. Just scared." Kael quickly clarified, knowing exactly what Seth was worried about.Seth's arms tightened around Dustin—relieved and incr
#218 Goodbye, Dad
"And you're still incredibly smart. I'm relieved." Seth couldn't possibly be enraged hearing Chloe's curses; instead, he teased her with a compliment.Chloe scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting. "I don't feel smart at all. The Chloe in your timeline is truly stupid for being so easily seduced by a womanizer like you!"Seth smiled, the first genuine smile he had felt since entering this room. "Any version of Chloe will always be adorable in my eyes."Chloe's face grew even redder, holding back embarrassment and anger. "You lunatic!" She stomped her foot and finally ran out of the room again, slamming the door hard.[She's just embarrassed,] Dustin commented."I know," Seth chuckled softly. He was certainly well-versed in Chloe's behavior. Seth's gaze softened again as he looked at Dustin's screen. "At least you aren't alone now."[Yeah. I'm very grateful to Aunt Chloe. She's still willing to stay near me and take care of my physical body, even though we can only commun
#217 Dustin The Hero
[I sabotaged Ron Clarke's research. I injected someone else's DNA into his youth serum samples. Alastair's body rejected it, and he died after his body rotted from the inside out.]Satisfying, but Seth couldn't feel it—because, in the end, Dustin remained 'broken.'[Yes, that's the sad part. I found out too late when my body was already ruined. I couldn't walk because Ron kept harvesting my spinal bone marrow in absurd amounts.]Pain struck Seth's consciousness once again. Dustin had more or less experienced what he had gone through.[It's in the past; there's no need to regret it.]Dustin replied again, as the sorrow and regret echoed throughout Seth's mind—and naturally, he felt it.Dustin finally began to share a slightly more beautiful part of his life—so Seth wouldn't sink deeper into despair.[Because Alastair was so sure he would become young again, he crossed off all the other potential heirs from the list and only left me—because he thought I would die. But in the end, I outl
#216 The Boy Who Hacked Time
Seth's eyes were glued to the body on the bed.If earlier he had only felt pity—generally speaking, when seeing someone suffer—Seth now felt as if he had just been dropped from the top of a skyscraper.His body and heart were shattered. It felt as if no part of him was left, everything torn to shreds alongside Dustin's incredibly real agony right in front of him.Seth couldn't cry because his projected body didn't have tears, but every sensation in his body translated into a profound grief.His throat constricted, making it increasingly difficult for Seth to speak, and when he finally managed to open his mouth, his voice sounded incredibly fragile. "What... what actually happened to you, Dustin?"The fluctuating voice from the avatar screen answered again.[I survived after you died, Dad. After Max killed you, I lived for a long time and eventually crossed paths with Olympus.]Seth stared at the screen, then at the frail body on the bed, and finally realized one absolute truth. "This
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