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...

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.

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

Most guys didn’t get within ten feet of her. Not with the two security guards standing nearby like shadows with arms.

But William didn’t need to play by their rules.

Carmen sat by the fountain, tablet in hand, headphones on, perfectly unaware—or perhaps perfectly aware—of how many heads turned just because she was there.

William didn’t approach directly. Instead, he walked right past her and casually dropped his phone near her bench, as though it had slipped. He crouched, picking it up, and let his gaze flicker toward her—just enough to acknowledge her presence.

“Excuse me,” he said smoothly, as if she were just any other student, not a living headline. “Do you mind holding this for a second?”

Before she could answer, he placed his notebook on the marble edge beside her and adjusted his phone. Bold. Risky. It drew her attention immediately, if only because people weren’t supposed to act that familiar with her.

Her eyes lifted from her tablet, cool and assessing. “You’ve got guts,” she said flatly, removing one headphone.

“Not guts,” William replied, straightening with a small grin. “Just… efficiency. I figured I’d save us both some time. If I came up with the usual lines, you’d ignore me. So why not skip the part where I pretend not to know who you are?”

Her lips twitched with the faintest amusement.

“And who am I, exactly?”

“Carmen Frost,” William said without hesitation. “The girl who everyone wants, but no one really knows. Except maybe her bodyguards.” He flicked his gaze briefly at the men in black suits before returning to her. “But I thought maybe you’d prefer a conversation that isn’t about your father’s money, your car, or your last rejection.”

That earned him a longer stare. Green eyes, sharp and curious now.

“And what would we talk about instead?” she asked.

“Coffee,” William said, his grin widening. “I’d offer to buy you one, but truth is… my budget’s closer to instant noodles. So maybe you’ll let me pay in entertainment value instead.”

For the first time, Carmen let out a soft laugh. The sound turned a few nearby heads.

“You’re ridiculous,” she said, shaking her head.

“Ridiculous, maybe. But not forgettable.” He tapped his phone against the marble edge lightly. “And if you give me your number, I’ll prove it.”

There was a pause. Her guards shifted, clearly tense, but Carmen raised a hand to stop them. She studied William with a kind of measuring silence, then—slowly—took out her diamond-studded phone.

“To text me about what? Your instant noodles recipes?” she teased, but her curiosity was obvious.

William chuckled. “No. To show you I keep promises.”

And just like that, she handed him 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.

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 phone 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…