2026-08-18 06:49:50Ethan swallowed hard.
The floating cards remained suspended before him, their golden symbols glowing faintly against the darkness of the room.
One card could bring wealth.
Another could bring power.
Another could bring wisdom.
And another could bring sickness, disaster, or even death.
Ethan had no idea what waited behind the card he was about to choose.
His hand slowly rose.
His fingers trembled as he reached toward the floating deck.
Then he stopped.
What if he chose death?
What if the card gave him some incurable disease that would destroy his body within weeks? What if he drew a fortune that made his already miserable life even worse?
His hand began to pull back.
Then the memories came.
His wife's cold expression.
The day he discovered her betrayal.
The way she had stood beside another man without even looking ashamed.
His mother crying quietly after the Hawthorn family humiliated them.
His father struggling to breathe while Ethan desperately searched for enough money to afford better treatment.
The laughter of his in-laws whenever he entered their mansion wearing his work uniform.
The countless times he had stood silently while people who were supposed to be family treated him like an unwanted servant.
Three years of humiliation.
Three years of swallowing his anger.
Three years of watching his life fall apart while having no power to stop it.
Ethan slowly lowered his gaze.
His hand stopped shaking.
Something inside him hardened.
Whatever happened next, he couldn't keep living the way he had been living.
“I have nothing left,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Then he reached forward.
His fingers closed around one of the black cards.
The moment he touched it, a strange coldness shot through his hand and traveled up his arm.
Ethan's eyes widened.
He almost let go.
But he forced his fingers to tighten.
Then he pulled.
The card slid free.
The instant it left the deck, every other floating card dropped onto the table at once.
THUD!
Ethan flinched.
The sudden sound echoed through the room.
The candles flickered violently before settling again.
Ethan stood completely still, staring at the card between his fingers.
His heart was pounding.
Slowly, he turned it over.
His breath caught.
Two golden words appeared across the black surface.
INSTANT WEALTH
Ethan stared at them.
He didn't blink.
He didn't move.
For several seconds, his mind simply refused to understand what he was seeing.
Then a strange laugh escaped his throat.
It was quiet at first.
Nervous.
Almost disbelieving.
“That's supposed to be my fortune?” Ethan asked, staring at the card as though it might suddenly change.
The old man smiled faintly. “Yes.”
Ethan looked up at him. “How does that even work?”
The old man opened his mouth to answer.
Ethan's phone vibrated.
BZZZT!
He glanced toward his pocket.
Another vibration followed almost immediately.
BZZZT!
Then another.
BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT!
Ethan frowned.
The sound kept coming.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
The screen was filled with notifications.
He opened the first one.
His eyes froze.
BANK ALERT: ACCOUNT CREDITED $500,000.00
Ethan stared at the screen.
He blinked once.
Then twice.
The number didn't change.
His thumb hovered over the notification.
“That's impossible,” he whispered.
Before he could open the message, another alert appeared.
BANK ALERT: ACCOUNT CREDITED $2,000,000.00
Ethan's eyebrows shot upward.
“What?”
Another vibration.
BANK ALERT: ACCOUNT CREDITED $10,000,000.00
His breathing stopped.
Another.
BANK ALERT: ACCOUNT CREDITED $50,000,000.00
Ethan's entire body went rigid.
The old man watched him silently.
The phone vibrated again.
BZZZT!
BANK ALERT: ACCOUNT CREDITED $100,000,000.00
Ethan stared at the screen in disbelief.
Then another notification appeared.
BANK ALERT: ACCOUNT CREDITED $250,000,000.00
His fingers began trembling.
“What the hell is happening?”
Another vibration.
BZZZT!
BANK ALERT: ACCOUNT CREDITED $500,000,000.00
Ethan's mouth fell open.
Half a billion dollars.
One transfer.
He stared at the number as if looking at it long enough might make it disappear.
It didn't.
Then another notification arrived.
BANK ALERT: ACCOUNT CREDITED $1,000,000,000.00
Ethan stopped breathing.
His heart slammed against his ribs.
One billion dollars.
His phone vibrated again.
BZZZT!
BANK ALERT: ACCOUNT CREDITED $2,500,000,000.00
Ethan's knees nearly buckled.
He grabbed the edge of the table with his free hand.
“What...?”
The notifications continued.
They came faster now, one after another, filling the screen so quickly that Ethan could barely read them.
BANK ALERT: ACCOUNT CREDITED $5,000,000,000.00
BANK ALERT: ACCOUNT CREDITED $10,000,000,000.00
BANK ALERT: ACCOUNT CREDITED $25,000,000,000.00
BANK ALERT: ACCOUNT CREDITED $50,000,000,000.00
Ethan's hands were shaking violently.
Money was pouring into his accounts.
Not one transfer.
Not two.
Dozens.
His phone vibrated so continuously that it almost sounded like a small machine trapped inside his hand.
BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT!
Ethan could barely keep his eyes open.
He opened his banking application.
The loading screen appeared.
He waited.
One second.
Two.
Three.
The balance finally appeared.
Ethan stared at it.
His brain stopped functioning.
The number was so enormous that his eyes struggled to follow all the digits.
$187,450,000,000.00
One hundred and eighty-seven billion, four hundred and fifty million dollars.
Ethan's face went completely blank.
He refreshed the application.
The screen loaded again.
The number remained.
He refreshed it a second time.
Still there.
A third time.
Still there.
His breathing became shallow.
His fingers went numb.
He slowly lowered the phone and stared at it as though it belonged to someone else.
One hundred and eighty-seven billion dollars.
He had never seen that kind of money in his entire life.
Not in a bank account.
Not in a business.
Not even in his wildest dreams.
His monthly income had once been measured in thousands.
There had been days when eight dollars felt like a fortune.
He had counted coins to buy groceries.
He had skipped meals so his parents could eat.
He had spent nights staring at unpaid bills and wondering which one he could afford to ignore.
And now his account contained more money than he could comprehend.
His phone vibrated again.
Ethan looked down.
Another bank notification appeared.
Then another.
And another.
He suddenly remembered something.
He had more than one account.
With shaking fingers, Ethan opened another banking application.
The balance loaded.
His eyes widened.
$94,700,000,000.00
His mouth slowly opened.
“No...”
He checked another account.
$61,300,000,000.00
Another.
$28,950,000,000.00
Another.
$17,600,000,000.00
Ethan's entire body went numb.
Every account was receiving money.
His savings account.
His checking account.
His investment account.
Even an old account he had barely used in years.
The alerts kept arriving.
ACCOUNT CREDITED.
ACCOUNT CREDITED.
ACCOUNT CREDITED.
Money was appearing everywhere.
The amount kept climbing.
His phone vibrated again.
Then again.
Then again.
Ethan stared at the screen, completely overwhelmed.
The man who had struggled to find eight dollars for a stranger was suddenly watching billions of dollars flood into his accounts.
The irony was almost too cruel to be real.
“Ethan.”
He barely heard the old man's voice.
He slowly lifted his head.
The old man was watching him calmly.
Ethan's lips parted.
“What did you do?” he asked, his voice trembling with disbelief.
The old man slowly shook his head. “Nothing.”
“My account...” Ethan looked down at his phone again, his voice breaking. “There's billions in my accounts.”
“The first card has completed its fortune,” the old man replied calmly.
Ethan looked back at him. “Completed?”
The old man nodded. “Instant wealth.”
Ethan stared at him.
Then he looked down at the black card still clutched between his fingers.
The golden words remained unchanged.
INSTANT WEALTH
His eyes slowly moved back to his phone.
The number on the screen seemed to mock everything he had suffered through during the past three years.
The garbage truck.
The insults.
The humiliation.
The unpaid bills.
The empty wallet.
The cheap groceries.
The nights he had gone to bed hungry because his parents needed the food more than he did.
All of it suddenly felt impossibly far away.
Ethan slowly lowered his phone. His eyes were still fixed on the screen, but he didn't smile. He couldn't. The amount was simply too much.
“But... but won't my banks flag these transactions and freeze my accounts?” Ethan asked, his voice tightening as he stared at the impossible numbers on his phone.
His voice grew more serious as he continued, “Banks don't just accept billions of dollars appearing out of nowhere. They'll investigate. They'll ask where the money came from. They'll freeze everything before I can even touch it.”
The old man shook his head calmly. “No, they won't,” he replied, his voice carrying absolute certainty.
Ethan looked up sharply. “Why?”
The old man reached for his coffee and took a slow sip before answering. “Because the Cards of Fortune do not simply give you a fortune. They rewrite reality to make that fortune possible.”
Ethan stared at him.
The old man continued, his expression becoming more serious. “The card has already changed the world around you. The money in your accounts is not considered stolen, fraudulent, or unexplained by the systems that govern this world. Every transaction has a legitimate origin. Every account recognizes the funds. Every financial record supports their existence.”
Ethan's eyebrows drew together.
“So, you mean...” He glanced at his phone again, struggling to put the pieces together. “The banks believe I've always had this money?”
“Not exactly,” the old man replied.
Ethan looked back at him.
“The banks believe the money is legitimate,” the old man explained patiently. “Your records have been adjusted. Your financial history has been adjusted. The necessary documentation exists. The transfers have valid sources. If a bank investigates the money tomorrow, it will find an explanation that satisfies its systems.”
Ethan's mouth fell slightly open.
“So you're telling me the card didn't just put billions into my accounts.”
“No.”
“It changed the records too?”
“Yes.”
“My tax records?”
“Yes.”
“My account history?”
“Yes.”
“Investment records?”
“Yes.”
Ethan stared at him in disbelief.
“And if someone checks where the money came from?”
The old man gave a faint smile. “They will find what they are supposed to find.”
Ethan slowly lowered his phone.
That was far more frightening than simply receiving money. He had initially thought the card had somehow transferred billions into his accounts.
Now he understood.
It had done something much bigger.
It had altered reality itself.
Ethan looked down at the phone again.
The balance was still there.
$187,450,000,000.00
The number no longer looked like a bank balance.
It looked like a warning.
He swallowed.
“So this is real?”
The old man nodded. “Every cent.”
Ethan's fingers tightened around the phone. “And I can actually spend it?”
“You can spend it, transfer it, invest it, donate it, or use it however you wish.”
Ethan stared at him. “Without anyone stopping me?”
“Within the normal laws of the world, you are free to use your fortune.”
Ethan slowly looked at the remaining cards.
A few minutes ago, he had been worried about whether he could afford his father's medicine.
Now he had more money than he could spend in several lifetimes.
He should have been celebrating.
Instead, a strange uneasiness settled in his chest.
He had been so lucky to receive exactly what he had wanted.
Money.
Enough money to solve every financial problem he had ever faced.
Enough money to move his parents somewhere safe.
Enough money to pay every medical bill.
Enough money to walk away from the Hawthorn family forever.
Enough money to make everyone who had looked down on him regret it.
Ethan slowly raised his eyes. “Can I stop here?”
The old man nodded. “You can.”
Ethan's eyebrows lifted in surprise.“I don't have to draw the other two?”
“No,” the man replied, his head shaking in disagreement.
“Then why did you tell me I could choose three?”
“Because you came here with nothing,” the old man replied quietly. “Now you have everything most people spend their entire lives chasing.”
Ethan looked at the black cards.
For a moment, the sensible thing seemed obvious.
Take the money.
Go home.
Forget the cards.
Forget the old man.
Forget this strange night ever happened.
But another thought slowly surfaced.
If one card could give him nearly two hundred billion dollars, what could the other two do?
It could give him power, health or something even greater.
Ethan's heartbeat began to quicken, slowly he placed his phone on the table. Then he looked at the old man.
“I'll take the second card.”
The old man's eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you certain? The remaining two cards could bring you bad fortune.”
Ethan stared at the remaining deck, and this time, there was no fear in his expression.
“I'm certain,” he replied, his voice filled with confidence.
The old man gently pushed the deck toward him.
“Choose carefully,” he said, his voice low and serious. “The first card gave you wealth.”
His finger rested on the black deck.
“But the next two may give you something money cannot buy.”
The old man gently pushed the deck toward him.
"Now," he said, his voice low and strangely calm, "open the second."
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 10: The Card Keeper
Ethan stood frozen, his lips parting slightly as he struggled to understand what he was seeing.“What...?” he whispered.He took a cautious step forward, his eyes searching the empty space again. Maybe he was looking in the wrong place. Maybe the darkness was playing tricks on him. Maybe the house was hidden behind something.But there was nothing there.Ethan slowly raised both hands and rubbed his eyes. He squeezed them shut for several seconds before opening them again.Still nothing.His breathing became shallow as he looked around the street, then back at the empty space. The house had not been abandoned. It had not collapsed. It had simply ceased to exist.Ethan slowly turned around. The Guardian was standing several feet behind him, watching him with the same calm expression he had worn throughout the night.Ethan stared at him, disbelief written clearly across his face. “Am I hallucinating right now?” he asked, his voice barely above a breath. “Because I'm pretty sure we just
Chapter 9: Mysteries
Ethan remained silent for a while after the call ended. The weight of everything that had happened tonight seemed to settle over him at once.His parents had been thrown out, and Clara had been there.The Hawthorn family had crossed a line that Ethan could no longer ignore.And somehow, in the middle of all of it, his entire life had changed.He slowly glanced down at his phone.The screen lit up.12:47 A.M.It was well past midnight.Ethan stared at the time for a moment, and a bitter smile touched his lips.“Funny,” he murmured, shaking his head slightly. “I should have been home hours ago.”If he had not stopped at that little grocery store... if he had simply walked past the old man... If he had not noticed the man's groceries... If he had not spent the last of his money helping him pay for them... none of this would have happened. He would probably be at home right now, thrown out into the cold night with his parents.Instead, one strange encounter had changed everything.Ethan s
Chapter 8: The Beginning Of His New Life
For several seconds, Ethan did not move. He simply stood there, staring at the silver-haired being as though his mind had forgotten how to process words.The ultimate fortune.The highest fortune in the universe.The most impossible fortune to obtain.And somehow, he had received it.Ethan swallowed slowly, but his throat felt strangely dry as his thoughts collided with one another.What does that even mean?Who is this man?What exactly did the Cards of Fortune give me?And how powerful must he be if beings across the entire universe spent millions of years trying to obtain him?The more Ethan thought about it, the more questions appeared.He glanced at the old man who was standing a few feet away from him with his head lowered. For the last few minutes, the old man had not moved. He had not spoken. He did not even seem surprised by anything the silver-haired being had said, and that alone told Ethan something.Whatever this being was, the old man already knew.Ethan slowly narrowed
Chapter 7: The Most Fortunate Man In The Universe
Ethan's confusion deepened."What...?" he whispered, his eyes moving between the two men.The silver-haired being remained perfectly still, while the old man stayed bowed before him, his hands pressed against the floor.Ethan swallowed hard."What is going on?" he finally asked, his voice filled with disbelief. "Old man, why are you kneeling?"The old man did not answer. He remained completely motionless, his head lowered so deeply that Ethan could not even see his face."Hey," Ethan called again, taking a cautious step toward him. "I'm talking to you."The old man still gave no response, making the silence become increasingly uncomfortable.Ethan looked at the silver-haired man.The stranger was still kneeling before him, waiting patiently.That only made the situation more bizarre.Ethan had no idea what kind of world he had stepped into. A few minutes ago, he had been sitting at the table, wondering what kind of fortune the third card contained. Now a supernatural being with golden
Chapter 6: The Third Card Of Fortune
Ethan stared at the third card in his hand, but for several seconds, he could not bring himself to turn it over. After everything that had happened tonight, he had learned one thing: the cards were never as simple as they looked.His thumb slowly brushed across the smooth surface as an uneasy feeling settled in his chest. What kind of fortune was waiting for him on the other side? He took a deep breath and forced himself to stop imagining the worst. Whatever was going to happen would happen.With deliberate care, Ethan turned the card over.The moment he saw the front, his breath caught.Golden words shimmered against the dark surface of the card, glowing softly as though they had been written with liquid gold.ETERNAL DIVINE GUARDIAN.Ethan stared at the words, expecting something to happen, but nothing happened. His eyes moved from the card to the old man sitting across the table. The old man remained completely silent, his expression impossible to read.Ethan frowned. "That's it?"
Chapter 5: The Second Card Of Fortune
Ethan's heart began racing, his gaze fixed on the remaining cards scattered across the table. Only a few minutes ago, he had wanted nothing more than money. He had been desperate enough to gamble his future on a mysterious deck of cards because he had nothing left to lose.Now he wasn't so sure.The first card had been real. The money in his accounts was real. The billions sitting behind his name were real. Which meant everything the old man had told him was real too.The cards could grant fortunes.They could change lives.They could bring sickness.They could bring death.And if the old man was telling the truth, there was no guarantee that the next card would be kind to him.Ethan stared at the pile of cards, wondering which one he should choose. He let out a quiet breath as his fingers slowly moved toward one of them.Then he stopped.Hesitation filled his mind, and he quickly pulled his hand back.What if this card took away everything the first card had given him?What if wealt
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