Zero to Trillionaire: The Scholar’s God-Tier System

Pay the Fine in Cash

I walked through the hallways of the Administration Building like I was a different person. My hoodie was still damp from the rain, and my shoes squeaked on the polished marble floors, but I didn't duck my head when the rich kids looked at me. I didn't care about their whispers anymore.

In my right hand, I carried a heavy, black duffel bag I’d just bought from a sports store around the corner. It was heavy—real heavy. Most people don't realize that half a million dollars in hundred-dollar bills weighs about eleven pounds. It doesn't sound like much until you’re carrying it through a silent hallway while everyone stares at you.

Getting the cash had been a mission. I’d walked into the nearest branch of the Bank of Northwood, looked the teller in the eye, and asked for a withdrawal. At first, she looked at my clothes and tried to call security. Then, she swiped my card. Her face turned white, her manager came out and offered me a private office and a cup of expensive coffee, and ten minutes later, I was walking out with a bag of money.

I reached the Dean’s office and didn't bother knocking. I just pushed the heavy oak doors open.

The room was warm and smelled like expensive cigars. Dean Miller was sitting behind his massive mahogany desk. And of course, sitting in the guest chairs like they owned the place, were Bryan Montgomery and Chloe.

Bryan was mid laugh, leaning back with his feet nearly on the Dean’s desk. Chloe was smiling at something he’d said, a look of pure comfort on her face.

The laughter cut off the second they saw me.

"Vance?" the Dean barked, his face turning a dark shade of red. "I thought I told you to stay off campus while your expulsion was being processed. You’re trespassing."

"I’m here to discuss the damages to the lab," I said. My voice was flat. No emotion.

Bryan snorted and stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Discuss? With what? Are you here to offer the Dean your lunch money, Ethan? Or maybe you're going to beg for a payment plan? A dollar a week for the next five hundred years?"

Chloe sighed, looking at me with a mix of disgust and boredom. "Ethan, just go. You’re making this so much more embarrassing than it needs to be. Bryan already told the Dean he’d cover the costs if you just signed a confession. It’s over."

I looked at her. I looked at the girl I’d spent three years trying to protect. "A confession? You want me to admit to something I didn't do so Bryan can look like a hero? We both know what happened in that lab, Chloe."

"It’s not about being a hero, kid," the Dean interrupted, tapping a pen on a legal document. "It’s about accountability. The damage report says four hundred and fifty thousand dollars worth of specialized glass and chemicals were destroyed. With the legal fees and the 'distress' caused to the department, the settlement is half a million. $500,000. Since you’re a nobody with no backing, the school is being generous by letting you pay a fine instead of going to jail. But since we both know you can't pay, just sign the paper and get out of my sight."

He slid a document across the desk toward me. It was a formal confession. If I signed it, my life was over. I’d never get into another school. I’d never get a job. I’d be a criminal for the rest of my life.

"Five hundred thousand?" I asked. "That’s all?"

Bryan laughed so hard he had to lean on the chair. "That's all? Listen to him! He says it like he’s got it in his pocket. Look at your shoes, Ethan. They have holes in them. You can't even afford a bus ride home."

"I asked a question, Dean," I said, ignoring Bryan. "If I pay the $500,000 right now, is the matter settled? No lawsuit, no police, and my record stays clean?"

The Dean rolled his eyes and looked at his watch. "Yes, Ethan. If you magically produce half a million dollars in the next ten seconds, the school will drop the charges. But we all know that's—"

Thump.

I swung the duffel bag onto the Dean’s mahogany desk. The sound was heavy and solid.

The Dean jumped back. Bryan’s smirk faltered for a second.

"What is this? A bag of dirty laundry?" Bryan mocked, though his voice sounded a bit less sure.

I didn't say a word. I reached down and pulled the zipper back.

The sight of the money hit them like a physical blow. Stack after stack of hundred dollar bills, wrapped in official bank bands, packed tight inside the bag. The smell of fresh ink filled the room.

The Dean’s jaw literally dropped. He stood up so fast his chair rolled back and hit the wall. "What... where did you...?"

Chloe stood up too, her eyes wide as saucers. She looked at the money, then at me, then back at the money. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

"Five hundred thousand," I said. I grabbed one of the stacks, broke the band, and started tossing the bills onto the desk. I didn't count them carefully. I just threw them. They fluttered like leaves, landing on the Dean’s expensive pens and his fancy legal documents.

"There’s one hundred... two hundred... three..." I kept tossing the bricks until the mahogany desk was almost completely buried under green paper. "Five hundred thousand."

The office was dead silent. Bryan looked like he’d been slapped. His face went from pale to a bright, angry red. "This is fake. It has to be fake! He probably robbed a gas station or printed this in the basement!"

"Call the bank, Dean," I said, leaning over the desk. "Check the serial numbers. Or better yet, check your Departmental Donations portal. I think you'll find I just gave the Chemistry department two million dollars as well. Consider this fifty thousand a tip."

The Dean scrambled for his mouse, his hands shaking. He clicked a few times, his eyes scanning the screen. His face went from red to a ghostly white.

"Two... two million?" the Dean whispered. He looked up at me, and for the first time, there was no arrogance in his eyes. Only terror. "Mr. Vance... Ethan... I didn't realize... there must be a misunderstanding."

"There’s no misunderstanding," I said. I looked at Bryan. He was shaking. The Prince of Northwood looked like a terrified child.

"You told me to buy some dignity, Bryan," I said, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous level. "I decided to buy the whole school instead."

I turned to Chloe. She was staring at me, her hands trembling. I could see the wheels turning in her head. She was realizing exactly what she’d just thrown away. She stepped toward me, her voice suddenly sweet and shaking.

"Ethan... honey... I didn't mean those things. I was just stressed, and Bryan was forcing me to—"

"Don't," I cut her off. The word was like a knife. "Don't ever say my name again."

I looked back at the Dean, who was currently trying to stack the money I’d thrown everywhere.

"Keep the change, Miller," I said. "Use it to buy a better security system. The kind that doesn't lose footage when a Montgomery walks into a room."

I turned around and walked out of the office.

As the door swung shut, I heard the System chime in my head.

[Ding! Mission Complete: The First Slap.]

[Rating: S-Rank (Perfect Execution).]

[Reward: Master Combat Skills (Grandmaster Level) - Transmitted.]

[Reward: The 'Ghost' Luxury Sports Car - Delivered to the Northwood Parking Lot.]

[Bonus: $5,000,000.00 added to your account for the 'Aggressive Payback' bonus!]

My body suddenly felt different. My muscles tightened, and my reflexes sharpened. I felt like I could take on a hundred men at once. But more than that, I felt a deep, cold satisfaction.

Bryan was in that office right now, looking at a pile of money he couldn't explain. Chloe was realizing she was a fool.

And I? I was just getting started.

I walked out to the parking lot. Sitting in the middle of the Vance reserved spot was a car that looked like it belonged in a movie. It was matte black, low to the ground, and looked like it was made of shadows.

I got in. The engine didn't just roar, it purred like a predator. But the best part wasn't the skills or the car.

It was the sound of Bryan screaming in the office behind me as he realized his world was falling apart.