David didn't sleep that night.
Not because he feared anything. Not because of some impending crisis or threat.
No. He couldn't sleep because for the first time in his life, numbers meant more than they ever had.
They weren't just figures in a bank account, valuations on a screen, or abstract statistics handled by lawyers and fund managers. They were alive. Responsive. Watching. Reactive.
He shifted slightly, and the holographic interface followed his gaze without hesitation, translucent blue, hovering perfectly in front of his eyes.
[SYSTEM INTERFACE — ONLINE]
No flashing lights.
No dramatic music.
No animation or fanfare.
Just efficient, unwavering presence.
David leaned back against the headboard of his penthouse bed, gazing at the sprawling city of Aurelion Prime beyond the glass walls. This was one of the upper cities—vertical megastructures layered with aerial highways, transport corridors, and shimmering environmental shields that cut through the night haze.
Aurelion Prime wasn't the capital. It didn't have to be. This world—Earth, as its inhabitants casually called it—was immense. Seven major continents, twelve minor continents, thousands of archipelagos. Trade zones so vast that single blocs dwarfed entire nations from historical Earth.
Here, the richest didn't deal in billions—they dealt in hundreds of trillions.
The Fortune rankings weren't just numbers—they were continents in themselves, logistics empires spanning oceans, privately owned cities, research facilities hidden under mountains, political leverage wielded invisibly.
And now… David had stepped into the same game.
First Check
He raised his hand, fingers flexing lightly.
"System," he said quietly. "Show me my current status. Full."
The pause was barely perceptible, but enough to make him feel the interface acknowledging him.
[STATUS PANEL — HOST: DAVID]
Physical Stats (Human Baseline ~20):
HP: 28
Strength: 27
Stamina: 31
Agility: 26
Mental & Energy Stats:
MP: 22
Intelligence: 34
Passive Effects:
Enhanced Recovery (Minor)
Mental Clarity (Minor)
System Privileges:
Daily Sign-In: Available
Weekly Breakthrough: Locked (Cooldown: 6 Days 22 Hours)
Rebate System (10×): Active — Daily Limit Remaining: 10/10
Storage Space: Active (Categorized)
System Protection: 1 Charge Available (Cooldown: 2 Days 11 Hours)
David's eyes lingered on intelligence. Thirty-four. Not a huge number by absolute standards—but the clarity, the speed, the efficiency of thought it represented was startling.
"So… I'm smarter now," he murmured.
[SYSTEM RESPONSE:]
'Correction. You were always passably competent. Now you're just harder to ignore.'
David snorted.
"Friendly and sarcastic," he muttered. "Checks out."
Money Still Matters
He didn't rush to use the Daily Sign-In. Instead, he wandered barefoot across his penthouse. The furniture was minimalist but expensive—art, sculpted glass, metals from rare mines—but not ostentatious. This wasn't about show; it was about precision and taste.
His net worth before the System: sixty-eight million dollars, spread across equity, property, and long-term investments. Comfortable, secure, invisible to the real titans.
He stopped at the window. Below, cargo platforms crawled like luminous ants, automated trade convoys entered the city through shielded corridors, orbital lifts shuttled goods and data.
David exhaled slowly.
"This is… enormous," he whispered.
And then he remembered the System's words.
"The Rebate System only works if you spend money."
[SYSTEM RESPONSE:]
'Correct. Ten times the value of qualifying expenditure. Daily cap applies. No self-transfers, no loopholes, no charity cheats. And before you ask—buying air doesn't count.'
David smiled faintly.
"So if I spend ten million—"
[SYSTEM RESPONSE:]
'You will receive benefits worth one hundred million. Assets, cash, or equivalent value. Allocation randomized within rational parameters. No, I will not create money. The world already had it. I only make it legally yours from the start.'
David froze.
"Wait… legally mine?"
[SYSTEM RESPONSE:]
'Yes. Banks, corporations, investors, government records… memories. All subtly corrected. You were always the rightful owner, just everyone forgot to notice.'
David let out a slow breath.
This was clever. Dangerous. Brilliant.
Daily Sign-In
Returning to the bed, he finally sat and opened the interface.
[DAILY SIGN-IN — SELECT TYPE]
Company Acquisition
Building / Community
Vehicles (Cars / Supercars / Bikes / Transport)
Skills (Human Knowledge-Based)
Technology
Superpower Acquisition
Agriculture
House Acquisition
Stat Point Allocation
Miscellaneous (Locked)
He paused. One choice per day. Consequences stacking over time.
He hovered over Stat Point Allocation first. Safe. Predictable.
Then Company Acquisition. High risk—but also potential for enormous leverage.
"System," he asked, "Fortune 1000 starts at…?"
[SYSTEM RESPONSE:]
'Fortune 1000. Ascending order. Valuation tens to low hundreds of billions. Ownership legally integrated. No hostile takeovers unless initiated by you.'
David's eyes narrowed. This wasn't just money—it was corporate power, influence, intelligence, supply chains, subtle leverage.
Finally, he chose Stat Point Allocation.
The interface pulsed.
[DAILY SIGN-IN COMPLETE]
[REWARD:]
+7 Random Stat Points
Stats updated instantly:
HP: 30 (+2)
Strength: 29 (+2)
Stamina: 33 (+2)
Agility: 26
MP: 23 (+1)
Intelligence: 36 (+2)
David felt it immediately. Not dramatic, just… precise. Better posture, sharper mind, smoother movement.
"This," he whispered, "is addictive."
[SYSTEM RESPONSE:]
'Most good things are.'
Testing Reality
He didn't punch walls or leap across rooftops. He did something better.
He opened his financial terminal. Dashboards bloomed into existence, faster than his eyes could normally process—but he kept up. Patterns revealed inefficiencies, arbitrage opportunities, structural weaknesses in corporate networks.
He simulated market scenarios, adjusted assumptions, stress-tested long-term investments. Every anomaly he'd missed before now seemed obvious.
The System's enhancement wasn't just raw intelligence—it was comprehension speed and application.
First Use of the Rebate
David picked a mid-risk investment he'd monitored but never committed to. Five million dollars.
Transaction authorized. Cleared.
[REWARD TRIGGERED — REBATE SYSTEM]
[10× VALUE CONFIRMED]
A moment later:
[REBATE GRANTED:]
Asset Allocation:
30,000,000 USD (Liquid)
Equity Holdings (Estimated Value: 20,000,000 USD)
David froze. Fifty million. Clean. Instant.
No alarms. No banks questioning him. No regulators noticing anything unusual.
[SYSTEM RESPONSE:]
'You spent five million. Ten times applied. All legal. I didn't print a cent.'
David let out a slow breath.
"That's… insane."
Perspective
Leaning back, he stared at the ceiling.
This wasn't sudden power. Not instant godhood.
It was inevitable growth. With patience, discipline, and strategy, he could surpass anyone without triggering alarms. No dominance needed—just calculated flow through the world's economy, quietly, invisibly.
And this was just the modern world side.
He hadn't touched the System's other options.
Not yet.
Deliberately left unexplored. Waiting.
David smiled faintly.
"One step at a time."
Outside, Aurelion Prime glimmered in neon and shadow. Its inhabitants unaware. Unaware that a quiet penthouse had already begun shifting the balance of the future.
Not with fireworks.
Not with battle cries.
But irreversibly.
End of Chapter 2