Will Hudson Rises To Power

Chapter 3

The next morning…

William stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his hoodie and trying not to look as nervous as he felt. He made sure to wear his best clothes today since he had an important mission to carry out and wouldn't afford to fail.

He still bore some bruises from the attack last night, but the swelling had gone down. The pain had dulled into a background reminder of humiliation, rejection, and failure.

But today wasn't about pain.

Today was about rising.

His first task was still floating in the corner of his system interface:

[Task #001 – Bronze Level: Flirt with a rich girl and get her number]

[Reward: $100,000]

William smiled as he gave the interface a sharp, lingering look.

That amount still made his heart race. He couldn't believe he would actually receive it if he completed the task.

At this point in his life, when he needed help the most, he couldn't afford to joke around with this opportunity.

"I will complete this task, no matter what," William said to himself with conviction, beating his chest repeatedly.

After getting dressed, William left his apartment and rode his bike straight to campus.

The place was already filled with students wandering toward their respective lecture halls. It was a Thursday, after all.

Fortunately, William's department had no lectures scheduled today, which made things clear for his mission.

At this point, William didn't have anyone specific in mind. For the few girls he did know, there was no way he could approach them.

He had to find someone he hadn't interacted with before, maybe that would make it easier to strike up a fresh, friendly conversation.

For quite a while, William had been trying to figure out what to say to get the number of the girl he would approach.

It wasn't like he was the kind of guy who flirted with girls all the time. In fact, Selene was the only girl he had ever dated. They had been together for almost three years—until yesterday. And he hadn't met anyone else since.

To get this done, he had to gather his courage. Better to get embarrassed and still get the number than sit back and watch the opportunity slip away.

After riding toward the center of campus, William finally spotted someone who wasn't rushing to lectures like the others.

It was a young lady with long golden hair that shimmered under the morning sun. Her smooth fair skin and alluring figure added to her beauty, but it was her smart-looking, luxurious attire that radiated a rich, distinguished aura.

William quickly recognized her from a distance... Carmen Vardis Frost, popularly known as Cammy. Though he'd never met her, he'd heard the gossip: she was the daughter of a billionaire oil magnate and often drove around in a blue McLaren.

She was always flanked by security and had rejected every guy who came near her as if they carried a contagious disease.

Now William had to ask himself: How in the world am I supposed to get her number?

"Oops... let's see…"

William already had a wild plan in mind, hopefully...

He parked his bike at a corner, making sure she didn't spot him, and approached her.

Carmen was sitting gracefully on the wide marble edge of the university's central fountain, one leg crossed over the other, holding a white tablet in her hand.

She wore headphones and seemed completely absorbed in whatever she was doing. A few feet away, two security guards stood watch.

William had to do whatever he could to avoid getting in trouble while trying to complete this damn task.

Upon reaching the fountain, William didn't hesitate.

He suddenly leaped into the fountain.

Yes… he literally jumped in.

The icy water shocked his senses. Gasps rose from the nearby crowd. Phones came out. Laughter echoed. One of Carmen's security guards began walking briskly in his direction.

But Carmen looked up, startled, and turned at once.

William was already standing, soaked and grinning.

"Excuse me!" he called out, locking eyes with her. "Can you help me? I seem to have fallen for someone out of my league."

Several students around the fountain burst into laughter.

Some clapped. Others shook their heads.

"No freaking way, man!" someone in the back yelled.

Carmen raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable.

William waded to the edge of the fountain, stepped out—dripping wet—and walked toward her with the confidence of a billionaire in rags.

"I figured if I came up to you like everyone else, I'd be forgotten. But now that I've publicly embarrassed myself in front of half the university, maybe I've earned a ten-second conversation."

William smiled.

Carmen stared at him for a moment, then removed her headphones.

"You jumped into a freezing fountain… just to talk to me?" she asked, dark glints of amusement appearing in her eyes.

William shrugged, trying not to shiver. "I call it an investment in my future."

Carmen couldn't help but smile, just a hint. But that tiny smile meant the world to William at that moment.

"And what do you expect to get from this investment, mystery man?" Carmen asked.

"Your name first," he replied, still grinning. "I'm William."

"Carmen. You can just call me Cammy," she responded warmly.

William gave a mock bow. "Carmen. The woman who turned heads without turning hers. I'd offer to buy you coffee, but I think I just blew my last fifty bucks on a stunt."

Carmen laughed. "You're insane."

William hadn't expected an actual laugh, but he was beyond glad things were going well.

"Not insane. Just desperate," he said. "Desperate to stop being invisible."

Carmen went quiet, appearing to study him. Her piercing green eyes narrowed. "Why me?"

William maintained his cool, charming smile. "Because you're the hardest challenge on campus. And I don't do easy anymore."

That silenced her... not in offense, but in thought.

William could feel the tension. The crowd was still watching. Her bodyguard took a step forward, but she raised a hand, stopping him.

Then, to everyone's amazement, she pulled out her phone.

The observing students were shocked to see William Hudson actually getting Cammy's phone number, especially those who knew him well.

"Here. Save your number," she said, holding the phone toward him. "If nothing else, I'll need to text you the hospital bill when you catch pneumonia."

William's heart skipped a beat when he saw the Stuart Hughes iPhone 4 Diamond Rose she handed him.

He took the phone, fingers trembling from both cold and nerves, and typed in his number carefully.

Afterward, he handed the phone back with a smile.

Carmen dialed his number immediately, confirming it as her curiosity grew.

William's Samsung Galaxy A35 ringtone suddenly blared from his pocket, almost embarrassing him—but Carmen didn't react. She just nodded.

"Alright. I'll give you a call. Bye," William said, waving before turning and walking away.

He quickly saved her number as "Cammy" and returned to his bike, preparing to ride off.

[Congrats, Host! Task #001 Completed]

[You have been rewarded $100,000. It has been transferred to your account.]

Ping!

As if in a dream, a notification popped up on his phone:

{Credit Alert: You just received $100,000 from XXX-XXXX-XX}

"WHOA! So this is real?!"

William didn't know whether to laugh or cry. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"A hundred freaking thousand dollars just to begin with? How much more would I get?!"

He nearly lost his mind.

>[This is just the beginning. You can become the world's richest and most powerful man.]

"Becoming that would be like asking for too much," William replied with a smirk.

.....

William decided to head home immediately, abandoning whatever plans he'd made in case the task had gone wrong.

Thankfully, things had gone perfectly... and now, William was no longer the poor boy many knew him as. While $100,000 wasn't a fortune, at least he wasn't broke anymore.

And this was only the beginning.

When William got home, he was surprised to see two familiar figures standing outside his gate.

"Devon and Selene… What the heck are they doing here?"

William hadn't forgotten the attack last night. He was sure Devon had sent those men.

He wasn't looking to pick a fight just yet—but he wasn't going to let it slide either. William had already promised himself he would make Devon and Selene pay a hundredfold.

As William approached, Selene stepped forward with a disgusted look.

"Hey, buddy. I came to return all the cheap stuff you claimed to have bought for me. I couldn't find a few things, so I figured you'd prefer cash instead."

Devon stood by his Lamborghini, waiting.

"Here," Selene said, tossing money at him. "That's five thousand dollars. I believe it covers everything... and maybe even some balance. Have a great day, William."

With that same arrogant smile, she turned and walked away.

William just smiled at all the drama as Devon waved and drove off in his Lambo with his ex-girlfriend.

Though still stung by betrayal, William remained calm. He never thought Selene could do something like this…

The Selene he once knew…

William shook his head and entered his apartment.

After completing his first task, he was in a good mood.

Just as he sat down to rest…

[Task #002 (Bronze Level): Buy the most expensive item in a luxury store. Pay for it and say "Keep the change."]

[Note: Make sure the change is large.]

[Reward: $500,000 and +2 Charisma.]

The Wealth System wasn't messing around…