The helicopter sliced through the night sky, its rotors echoing over the city's glowing skyline.
Leo Fan sat inside, calm but alert, watching the skyscrapers fade beneath the clouds.
His system interface flickered before him in faint golden light.
> [New Event: The Aegis Society — Initiation Trial]
Objective: Survive and outperform five other candidates.
Reward: Entry into Tier 1 Aegis Membership.
Penalty: System Lockout (72 Hours).
> Aria: "This isn't your typical job, Leo. The Aegis Society doesn't recruit employees. They recruit players of power."
> Leo (smirking): "Good. I'm done playing small games."
---
Arrival: The Glass Citadel
The chopper landed on a circular platform atop a tower of glass and steel—the Aegis headquarters.
Inside, everything gleamed in obsidian black and silver. Holograms displayed stock charts, global news, and hidden market data that even governments couldn't access.
Five other candidates stood waiting—each emanating confidence and danger.
Zara Lin: Crypto queen and social influencer worth ¥30 million.
Dante Cruz: Ex-military strategist with a scar across his eye.
Ren Takahiro: Japanese tech prodigy rumored to control a private AI army.
Lena Frost: CEO of a startup that secretly builds neural chips.
The Masked Rival: The same one Leo fought in Chapter 6.
Their eyes met—no words needed.
This wasn't friendship. This was survival.
---
The Test Begins
A mechanical voice boomed through the chamber.
> Aegis AI: "Welcome, candidates. Each of you has been granted a limited data fund of ¥10 million.
You will have 48 hours to multiply it by any means—investment, persuasion, or subterfuge.
The three lowest performers will be erased from the candidate list."
> Dante (grinning): "So… we get rich or die trying."
> Leo: "Sounds like my kind of game."
---
System Boost
> 🧠 Skill Unlocked: Intuitive Market Sense (Level 1)
💼 Bonus Unlocked: Phantom Account – Concealed Digital Wallet
💡 Hint: "Follow chaos, not trends."
Aria's voice whispered like silk.
> Aria: "Leo, remember — it's not about money. It's about dominance. Outthink them. Outsmart them. Outsell them."
Leo opened his Phantom Account and began scanning real-time market volatility. Stocks. Crypto. Shadow bids. Illegal data trades.
In one hour, he was already up ¥5 million.
By the third hour, ¥11.2 million.
But then—
> Alert: Unauthorized Breach Detected.
Someone was attacking his system wallet.
> Leo (muttering): "You again…"
The masked rival's digital signature appeared on his holographic feed.
---
The Shadow Duel
> Rival (through comms): "Thought you could win twice? Let's raise the stakes."
Leo's screen warped into a battlefield of code—data storms colliding, virtual firewalls exploding like plasma.
> 🧠 Skill Activated: Quantum Encryption Breaker (Lv.3)
🧠 Skill Upgraded: Adaptive Firewall → Lv.2
He countered with ruthless precision. Within minutes, he flipped the breach—draining ¥7 million from the rival's fund directly into his own.
> Rival: "What—!?"
> Leo (grinning): "Lesson one: never hack the hacker."
---
The End of the Trial
When the timer hit zero, the results flashed across the room:
Rank Name Final Balance
1 Leo Fan ¥48,700,000
2 Ren Takahiro ¥34,200,000
3 Lena Frost ¥19,600,000
4 Zara Lin ¥8,900,000
5 Dante Cruz ¥5,000,000
6 Masked Rival ¥0 (Disqualified)
The masked rival's feed cut out abruptly—his system shutting down.
> Aegis AI: "Trial complete.
Leo Fan — you are now a Tier 1 member of the Aegis Society.
Your codename: Phantom Investor."
> 🏆 Reward: ¥10,000,000 Bonus + Skill Market Manipulation (Passive)
🎖️ Title Earned: [The Phantom Investor]
---
As the other candidates congratulated him with mixed smiles and envy, Leo turned toward the giant glass window overlooking the city.
> Aria: "You've entered the highest game, Leo. But this is only the first tier."
> Leo (quietly): "Then it's time to climb."
Far below, in another skyscraper, the mysterious observer watched again—revealing herself for the first time:
a woman in a white suit, eyes glowing faint blue.
> Unknown Woman: "Phantom Investor… let's see if you can survive Tier 2."