By the time the second month at Ravenshade Academy had passed, my life looked like the perfect picture of normal.
I studied, laughed with friends, and spent every lunch break with Ryan and a few others. Teachers praised my grades. The bullies who once mocked me now avoided my stare.
In the eyes of everyone else, I was just Bruce Valen — a lucky boy who had found a good family and a fresh start.
But inside, the gears of my hidden empire had already begun to turn.
Every night, when the clock hit midnight, I vanished into the world only I could enter — the Supreme Space. Its endless fields, rivers, and castle had become more than a sanctuary. They were the beating heart of a new empire that existed between reality and shadow.
The core system projected glowing charts into the air, showing market fluctuations, political movement, and hidden trade links across the world.
And at the centre of it all — blinking faintly with the symbol "Target: Northwing Financial Group".
"System," I said quietly, sitting down at the throne room table. "Time to move."
[Confirming. Initiate economic infiltration plan?]
"Yes. But steady. Keep it under the radar."
[Understood.]
The map expanded, showing hundreds of small companies across the city — transport firms, local start-ups, security providers, and digital trading hubs. They were tiny compared to the Valen family's empire. To most businessmen, they were invisible dust on the global scale—but to someone who knew how power worked in silence, they were the perfect pieces.
"We'll start with these," I said, marking five points in blue. "Small, irrelevant companies. I want partial shares bought anonymously."
[Funds available. Would you like to use shadow currency channels or public accounts?
"Shadow," I replied. "We move unseen."
And just like that, Aron Tuner — the Underworld King — was alive again.
Days blended smoothly into each other.
By daylight, I solved math equations, answered teachers politely, and shared snacks with my classmates. Ryan often joked that I was "dangerously normal now."
But during nights, I monitored shifting data streams and built invisible foundations. The tiny companies I quietly acquired grew rapidly under my guidance. Using AI systems from my Supreme Space, I improved their logistics, doubled their revenue, and stabilised supply chains.
I didn't need their names. I just needed their networks.
Within weeks, I controlled over twenty small enterprises — hidden under different shells, each feeding into another like a chain too intricate for anyone to trace.
Outwardly, they looked like a cluster of average local businesses. But in truth, they were mine. The roots of a tree that would one day shake kingdoms.
The deeper I went, the more careful I had to become.
My parents often asked innocent questions. "Bruce, what makes you so tired lately?" Elena once said while adjusting my tie for school.
I smiled gently. "Just studying more, Mother."
Richard nodded in approval. "That's good. Discipline early will help you later in business."
A small, amused smile played on my lips. If only you knew, Father.
My sisters, on the other hand, weren't fooled so easily.
At dinner one evening, Seren spoke suddenly between bites of salad. "You've been quieter lately. What are you planning, little brother?"
"Me?" I blinked innocently. "Homework."
Eve leaned back in her chair, crimson eyes narrowing slightly. "You're lying again."
Luna burst into laughter. "Of course he is. That's how he hides secrets. Look at his face—it's exactly Father's when he's scheming!"
Aria sighed softly. "As long as it's not trouble."
I only smiled and said nothing.
A week later, I finally received the confirmation I'd been waiting for.
[Update: Northwing Financial Group—internal instability detected. Several private investors are withdrawing funds. Cause: manufactured market confusion was successful.]
"Good," I whispered, studying the glowing lines.
I hadn't attacked them directly—that was too obvious. Instead, I spread small rumours about their stock reliability through my underground network, paired with fake data that suggested managerial corruption.
When other traders saw the reports, they panicked. Sales dropped. Investors pulled strings. Northwing's digital skeleton began cracking.
All without knowing who caused it.
I clicked through reports calmly. "Step one: complete. Step two: take their territory."
[How should we proceed?]
"Buy the crumbling branches," I said. "But use proxy companies. Nothing can trace back to my name or the Valens."
[Confirmed.]
Bit by bit, Northwing's smaller holdings turned into golden opportunities. Disposable transport firms, small security branches, and local distributors—I picked them up quietly under new shell identities.
None of this drew the media's attention. To the world, it looked like a market chance.
But to me, it was destiny correcting its own mistakes.
At school, life went on as usual.
Between secret takeovers and quiet midnight wars, I still played soccer with Ryan, helped classmates with homework, and nodded politely to every teacher. I even joined the science club because Clara thought it would help me make more friends.
It became a strange balance — the dual existence of a king and a kid.
One lunch break, Ryan nudged me, laughing. "You're getting famous again."
I blinked. "For what this time?"
"For being… well, you!" he said. "Half the class thinks you're secretly a genius. The other half thinks you're a troublemaker hiding power levels like in anime."
I chuckled, shaking my head. "Both sound exhausting."
He grinned. "Maybe. But people look up to you, Bruce. You make them feel… safe. Like you're someone who knows what to do."
Safe.
The word touched something deep in me. Maybe that was the difference now—in my old life, people followed me out of fear. In this one, they trusted me.
And that… felt better than any crown.
That night, as the city slept, the Supreme Space pulsed with energy once again.
The castle's core chamber glowed bright as the system updated real-world assets.
[Master's total holdings: 23 enterprises. Net revenue: 312 million credits. No traceable connections detected. Risk level: minimal.]
I stared at the number for a long time before leaning back in the throne.
I wasn't building this empire for greed. I was building it for defence. So when the next storm arrived—the real enemies hiding in both light and shadow—there would be no weakness for them to strike.
[Master, would you like to initiate the next expansion phase?]
"Not yet," I said softly. "Slow and silent. We'll strike only when they think we're asleep."
The castle lights dimmed as I stood and looked out at the quiet fields of my infinite realm.
Up above, endless stars glittered—each one reflecting the world I was shaping.
In the distance, I could almost see the boy I once was—the orphan, the loner, the broken fighter.
And beside him, the man I had become—a silent guardian wrapped in new light.
I smiled faintly. "You've done enough fighting for blood. Let's fight for peace this time."
The next morning, I walked into school with the same calm face as always. Ryan waved from the courtyard, Luna called from her car window, and the world looked peaceful—just as it should.
Only I knew the truth.
Underneath the calm surface, my empire was spreading like connected roots beneath the earth, strong and invisible.
And when the time came… no one, not even the gods above, would be able to touch the people I called family.