2026-09-16 20:25:28Lucian woke up feeling like a runaway carriage had rolled over him.
His head throbbed, his legs felt like lead, and he could barely lift his arm. Yesterday's S-Rank magic blast had completely fried his small body's physical energy, even if his mana core was humming with raw power.
"Barnaby..." Lucian groaned, rubbing his tired eyes as he curled deeper into his giant goose-feather blanket. "Why do my legs feel like jelly?"
Barnaby floated into the bedroom, looking down at the boy with a mix of sympathy and caution. "That is the price of wielding grandmaster magic in a ten-year-old frame, young master. Your mana core is top-tier, but your muscles are still... well, little boy muscles."
Before Lucian could reply, the floating blue system window snapped open right above his nose. Instead of its usual blue, the screen was flashing a harsh, bloody red.
[WARNING: Daily Yield Unspent!]
[Unspent Balance: 100,000 Gold.]
[Time Remaining to Spend: 3 Hours.]
[Penalty: Physical Health Drain Activated (Current Stamina: 15% \rightarrow Decreasing).]
Lucian gasped as a wave of icy coldness swept through his chest, the heavy, sluggish feeling in his limbs instantly doubled.
"Barnaby!" Lucian squeaked, his voice cracking in panic. "The box is hurting my stomach! It says I have to spend a hundred thousand gold right now or I'm going to get sicker!"
Barnaby's spectral eyebrows shot up. "Ah. The Decadence Clause! The System demands continuous flow. If you hoard the money, it turns into poison. You must spend every single copper of today's yield before the clock runs out!"
"I can't even get out of bed!" Lucian whimpered, tears of exhaustion welling in his eyes. "How am I supposed to go down to the markets and buy buildings when I can't walk?!"
To make matters worse, loud shouting echoed from the courtyard below.
Lucian's personal butler rushed into the bedroom, pale and out of breath. "Young Master Lucian! Commander Vane has blocked the main gates with royal guards! He says since you bought the military iron foundries, no supply wagons are allowed to leave the Vance estate until a royal investigation is finished!"
"They're trying to starve us out," Barnaby growled, his eyes narrowing. "They know you can't ship physical goods, so they think your new business is frozen."
Lucian squeezed his wooden dragon,
His head hurt, his body was burning up from the System's health drain, and royal guards were blocking his front door.
'I don't need to leave the house to buy things,' Lucian thought, his child-logic kicking in through the fog of his headache. 'If I can't go to the market... I'll just bring the market to me.'
With shaking fingers, Lucian pulled the flashing red screen closer. He tapped the System's local delivery tab and pointed it straight at the city's most expensive luxury bakery and candy house the Imperial Sugar Guild.
"If Commander Vane wants to stand outside in the cold all day," Lucian muttered, his voice weak but defiant, "he can watch me eat cake."
[Target Identified: Imperial Sugar Guild — Entire Daily Inventory & Master Chefs.]
[Execute Direct System Purchase?]
[Cost: 100,000 Gold.]
Lucian slammed his thumb on the screen. "Buy all the candy in the city!"
[Purchase Confirmed: 100,000 Gold Spent.]
[Health Drain STOPPED. Stamina Restored: 100%.]
[Acquired: 100% Ownership of Imperial Sugar & Confectionery Guild.]
[Reward Unlocked: Passive Trait — Sweet Tooth Alchemy (Consuming sugar restores mana 2x faster).]
Instantly, the icy pain in Lucian's chest vanished. Warmth flooded back into his arms and legs, and his exhaustion wiped clean away.
Outside the gate, Commander Vane was standing in the freezing rain, waiting for the young heir to surrender, suddenly, the sky above the manor turned golden.
POP!
A massive, enchanted magic portal opened directly over the Vance courtyard, down tumbled three hundred wooden crates filled with rare honeyed pastries, chocolate dragons, crystal sugar plums, and five terrified master chefs wearing tall white hats.
The smell of warm sugar and vanilla blew right past the royal guards' noses.
Lucian threw off his blankets, jumped out of bed completely healed, and ran to the window. He leaned out, holding a giant chocolate dragon in one hand, and looked down at Commander Vane standing drenched in the mud.
"Hey, Commander!" Lucian yelled down, taking a huge, noisy bite of the chocolate dragon. "You want a pastry? They cost ten gold each for royal guards!"
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Snack Break & The Genius
The floating velvet armchair glided smoothly out of the forest, bringing Lucian to a quiet, shady grassy hill near the center of the maze. While hundreds of older candidates were off in the distance shouting and fighting mechanical beasts, this little corner was completely peaceful.Lucian hopped down from his hovering chair, sitting cross-legged on a blanket near a clear stream to take a rest. Fluffy flopped down beside him, letting out a heavy dog-sigh.Above Lucian's head, his blue status screen hovered quietly.[Daily Yield Unspent Balance: 150,000 Gold.][Time Remaining: 15 Hours 20 Minutes.][System Restriction Active: Fair Economic Value Required for All Purchases.]Lucian reached into his coat and pulled out a box of fruit pastries, but before he could take a bite, a soft, polite voice spoke from behind a nearby oak tree."Um... excuse me, is that a real Shadow Fenrir?"Lucian turned around, standing near the tree was an eleven-year-old girl with big blue eyes and dark braided
The Wilderness Maze
The second trial took place in a massive, enclosed forest known as the Verdant Trial Maze. High stone walls surrounded the trees, and glowing barrier runes floated in the sky above. Over a thousand candidates stood at the entrance gates, listening to the instructors explain the rules.Proctor Vance stood on a raised wooden platform, holding a glowing brass megaphone."The rules of Trial Two are simple!" Proctor Vance shouted. "You have six hours to navigate the maze and reach the exit on the other side. Scattered inside are mechanical beasts holding silver mana-tokens. You must collect at least three tokens to pass. Additionally, you will find System Supply Shrines along the path to purchase basic maps and stamina potions."The crowd of candidates began murmuring nervously, six hours in a dense, monster-filled forest was a long time.Lucian stood near the front gate, adjusting his small travel coat. Fluffy trotted beside him, sniffing the cool forest air.Above Lucian's head, his blue
The Resonance Pillar
The Grand Testing Hall was a cavernous amphitheater of grey marble, its stepped seating packed with nervous candidates. At the center of the arena stood five colossal obsidian monoliths, the ancient Resonance Pillars each wrapped in glowing silver runes designed to measure a candidate's raw mana capacity.Proctor Vance, a stern senior instructor with a scar across his brow, adjusted his pince-nez and barked across the arena. "Next group! Step up to your assigned pillar and channel your maximum spell output into the stone!"Lucian stood in Line 3, clutching his wooden dragon in his pocket. Beside him, Fluffy sat obediently, his dark wolf-tail sweeping the floor.Above Lucian's head, the floating blue window hummed softly.[Daily Yield Deposited: 350,000 Gold.][Unspent Balance: 350,000 Gold.][Time Remaining: 18 Hours 05 Minutes.][System Restriction Active: Fair Economic Value Required for All Purchases.]"Remember, young master," Barnaby whispered, floating near his ear. "Your S-Rank
The Sovereign’s Orientation
Lucian sat up in his massive velvet bed at the top of the Wayward Dragon Resort, rubbing his eyes while yawning softly. Fluffy was already wide awake, resting his chin on the edge of the mattress.The familiar blue system screen popped open above Lucian's pillow, but the numbers inside made his jaw drop.[Daily Yield Deposited: 350,000 Gold.][Unspent Balance: 350,000 Gold.][Time Remaining: 23 Hours 50 Minutes.][System Restriction Active: Fair Economic Value Required for All Purchases.]"Barnaby!" Lucian squeaked, pulling the blanket over his nose. "Why is the box so big today?! Yesterday it was two hundred thousand! Did I do something wrong?"Barnaby floated down from the ceiling, chuckling warmly as he adjusted his ghostly spectacles."Not at all, young master," Barnaby explained, floating over to a translucent ledger. "You see, the System is not a bottomless well of magic, it is an engine. Yesterday, you bought the entire Wayward Dragon resort chain, the capital's transport netwo
The Wayward Dragon Inn
The journey to the Central Province was long, but Lucian spent most of it curled up in a plush leather seat inside a private carriage, clutching his wooden dragon and taking a quiet nap.By late afternoon, the carriage pulled up to the Wayward Dragon Inn & Resort, a massive, three-story stone estate nestled at the base of the mountains just miles from the Royal Academy's border. It was the premier resting hub where incoming noble students, prodigies, and wealthy heirs gathered before orientation week.Inside the grand hall, the air smelled of roasted meats, spiced cider, and expensive perfumes. Dozens of older students mostly fifteen to seventeen years old sat at long oak tables, showing off their spellcraft, discussing high-tier guilds, and boasting about their family lineages.Lucian walked through the heavy front doors, swinging his arms while Fluffy, his giant S-Rank Shadow Fenrir, shrunk down into a sleek black hound to fit inside the foyer. Barnaby floated invisibly beside Lucia
The King’s Invitation
The morning sun filtered through the high stained-glass windows of the Vance Guild Manor, casting quiet golden light across the dining hall, Fluffy, the massive S-Rank Shadow Fenrir, lay sprawled near the fireplace like a giant velvet rug, letting out low, rhythmic snores that vibrated the floorboards.Lucian sat at the head of the long table, swinging his legs back and forth while dipping a buttered roll into hot soup.Above his head, the blue system screen hummed quietly, showing a relaxed 24-hour countdown.[Daily Yield Deposited: 200,000 Gold.][Unspent Balance: 200,000 Gold.][Time Remaining: 15 Hours 42 Minutes.][System Rule: Fair Economic Value Required for All Purchases.]"It's nice having time to eat," Lucian murmured, taking a happy bite. "No rushing, no tummy aches.""Do not get too comfortable, young master," Barnaby said, floating through a decorative armor stand to check the window. "A full day is plenty of time, but the Fair Value Rule means you cannot simply dump two
You may also like
Reincarnation Of The Bullied
Udoka Okoh117.3K viewsThe God of War Calen Storm
Cindy Chen34.9K viewsLegend Of The Immortal
KidOO18.0K viewsGlad He Hate All ~Gladiator~
Zuxian17.4K viewsThe God Of Death
Anakin Detour154 viewsThe Dungeon Architect: Urban Renewal
Insani EA453 viewsI WAS THE VILLAIN IN THE APOCALYPSE
Vya Kim161 viewsThe Sword Mage Without A Path
The Young Author 131 views