The New Tycoon Conquers Every Business

Chapter 2: Let's Gamble

Marcus blinked hard, convinced he was hallucinating. Maybe the stress had finally cracked him. Maybe he had been hit by a car on the ride home and this was some dying brain's final delusion.

The glowing text remained, hovering in his vision like augmented reality without the goggles.

[LIMITLESS REBATE SYSTEM ACTIVATED]

[INITIAL DEPOSIT: $500]

[REQUIREMENT: SPEND ALL FUNDS WITHIN 24 HOURS]

[FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN SYSTEM TERMINATION]

[REBATE RATE: 200%]

[CURRENT BALANCE: $523.47]

His phone buzzed. Marcus grabbed it with trembling hands. A notification from his banking app:

>>Deposit received: $500.00 from LIMITLESS SYSTEM.<<

This wasn't possible. Scams didn't put money INTO your account. His heart hammered against his ribs as he refreshed the app three times. The money remained.

Real money.

Five hundred dollars that had appeared out of nowhere, with instructions that sounded like something from a video game. Spend it all in twenty-four hours or lose... what? Access to free money? There had to be a catch. There was always a catch.

But Marcus was too tired and too broken to care about catches.

He sat up, studying the floating interface only he could see. The text reorganized itself into something resembling a menu:

[SYSTEM RULES]

1. All spending returns as rebate at current tier percentage

2. Rebate deposits within 24 hours of purchase

3. Hoarding funds triggers penalties

4. System grows with host ambition

5. Spend boldly. Earn exponentially.

Two hundred percent rebate. If he spent $500, he'd get back $1,000? The math seemed insane, but so did the glowing text in his vision.

Marcus stood, pacing the cramped living room. If this was real—and that was a massive if—he had less than twenty-four hours to spend five hundred dollars. On what? Their rent was paid until the end of the month. Food would cost maybe fifty bucks for groceries. His mother's medication...

His mother's medication.

Marcus grabbed his jacket. It was 2:47 AM, but there was a 24-hour pharmacy six blocks away. The medication his mother needed, the real stuff cost $340 for a month's supply. Insurance covered none of it. They had been rationing her inhaler for three weeks.

The February cold bit at his face as he jogged through empty streets. The pharmacy's fluorescent lights were harsh and unwelcoming. A tired clerk with a name tag reading "Ramon" barely looked up from his phone.

"Prescription pickup for Diane Sylvester," Marcus said, breathless.

Ramon typed slowly. "That'll be $340. No insurance coverage."

Marcus's hands shook as he pulled out his debit card. This was it. The moment he'd know if he'd lost his mind or found something impossible.

He swiped the card.

APPROVED.

The receipt printed. Ramon bagged the medication with the enthusiasm of someone counting down to clock-out. Marcus walked out in a daze, clutching the bag like it contained diamonds.

The glowing interface reappeared:

[PURCHASE REGISTERED: $340.00]

[REBATE CALCULATING...]

[REBATE APPROVED: $680.00]

[DEPOSIT IN: 23:59:47]

[REMAINING REQUIRED SPENDING: $160.00]

[TIME REMAINING: 21:14:22]

It was real. Whatever this was, it was real.

Marcus stood on the street corner, his breath fogging in the cold air. Six hundred eighty dollars would be deposited into his account tomorrow. Money that hadn't existed yesterday. Money that could change everything.

But first, he had to spend another $160.

The pawn shop on Fifth Street opened at 6 AM. Marcus waited outside, watching the sunrise paint the sky in shades of pink and gold. When the owner, a grizzled man named Sal who had bought Marcus's Xbox, laptop, and high school class ring over the years unlocked the door, Marcus was the first inside.

"Little early for you, ain't it?" Sal settled behind the counter, lighting his first cigarette of the day.

"I need a laptop. Something decent."

Sal's eyebrows rose. "Decent costs more than you usually have, kid."

"I have money today."

"Today. Right." But Sal moved to the electronics section anyway. "Got a refurbished Dell here. Some college kid pawned it for drug money. Works fine. Two hundred bucks."

"One fifty."

"Kid, you're not in a position to negotiate."

"One sixty," Marcus countered. "Final offer."

Sal studied him for a long moment, then shrugged. "You got cash?"

"Card."

The transaction processed. The laptop was old but functional—better than Zoe sharing tablets at the library to do homework. Marcus carried it home as dawn broke fully over the city.

[PURCHASE REGISTERED: $160.00]

[REQUIREMENT MET: 24-HOUR SPENDING COMPLETE]

[REBATE CALCULATING...]

[REBATE APPROVED: $320.00]

[TOTAL PENDING REBATE: $1,000.00]

[DEPOSIT IN: 22:43:11]

[CONGRATULATIONS, MARCUS SYLVESTER]

[SYSTEM ADVANCEMENT UNLOCKED]

Marcus climbed the stairs to his apartment, exhaustion and adrenaline warring in his system. Inside, his mother was awake, sitting at the table with Zoe. Both looked up as he entered.

"You were out early," his mother said, her voice raspy.

Marcus set the medication on the table. The full prescription. A month's worth of breathing easier.

His mother's eyes widened. "Marcus, this costs—"

"It's handled, Mom."

"How? Where did you get—"

"I got a bonus. At work." The lie came easily. "They're paying better for overnight shifts."

Zoe picked up the laptop bag. "And this?"

"For you. Your birthday's next month, but I figured..." Marcus shrugged, too tired to finish the sentence.

His sister stared at the bag like it might explode. Then at him. Her eyes were shining. "Marcus, you didn't have to—"

"Yeah, I did."

She set the bag down carefully and hugged him. Actually hugged him, which Zoe never did anymore. "Thank you," she whispered.

Marcus collapsed onto the couch. His phone showed 7:23 AM. In less than twenty-four hours, a thousand dollars would appear in his account. Money he'd earned by spending money that had been given to him for free.

The system interface glowed into view:

[NEXT CHALLENGE PENDING]

Marcus closed his eyes and, for the first time in months, he smiled as happy thoughts flooded his mind.