The evening was cold and gray, just like every other in the slums of Westbridge City. A dying sun filtered through torn curtains and cracked windows, casting a golden hue over peeling walls and worn furniture. In a small one-room apartment on the third floor of a decaying building, Zayn Carter, seventeen, sat motionless on the edge of a thin mattress, his eyes blank, his mind numb.
Rain pattered against the glass.
The room was silent, except for the soft hum of a leaking pipe and the faint breathing of a little girl curled up on a couch covered in a patched sheet. Emily, Zayn's twelve-year-old sister, slept soundly despite the cold, her tiny hands clutching a teddy bear that had lost one eye.
Zayn's stomach growled. It had been two days since they last ate anything decent. All that remained was a half-eaten slice of stale bread hidden in his coat pocket—he'd saved it for Emily.
He looked down at his trembling hands.
"I can't do this anymore."
His voice broke the silence. Not loud. Not angry. Just broken. The world had taken everything from him—his parents, who died in a fire when he was ten… his home, which was repossessed a year later… his education, abandoned to work part-time jobs that barely paid enough for one meal a day.
His uncle—who promised to care for them—turned abusive. A drunk, a gambler, and worse… Zayn bore bruises for years, enduring everything just to protect Emily. And when they finally ran away at sixteen, they'd lived on the streets, then in shelters, until they found this room for $150 a month.
And now even that was overdue.
"Three days," the landlord had said this morning. "If I don't get my money, you're both out on the street."
Zayn buried his face in his hands. Tears pricked his eyes, but he forced them down.
He was tired.
Tired of fighting.
Tired of surviving.
Tired of pretending everything would be okay.
His gaze slowly shifted to the small drawer under the sink. Inside it, he knew, was a knife.
No.
Not yet.
He looked at Emily again, watched her chest rise and fall peacefully. She deserved more. She deserved warmth, school, love—a chance to live.
But he had nothing left to give her.
The city didn't care. The world didn't care. And even God… seemed silent.
Zayn stood up and walked to the broken balcony. Rain poured harder now. The city stretched below him—distant car horns, flashing lights, indifferent people moving about their lives.
He climbed up on the ledge.
The wind lashed against his face.
He closed his eyes.
"One step," he whispered. "Just one… and it'll be over."
System Activation: [Ruthless Tycoon System]
DING!
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Binding Host: Zayn Carter
Status: Terminal Despair Detected
Reason: Suicidal State + Desire to Protect Dependent
System Type: Wealth Accumulation + Power Ascension
Primary Goal: Become the Richest Man on Earth
Secondary Goals: Protect Emily | Crush Enemies | Build Empire
Initializing...
Initial Funds Granted: $10,000
Starter Pack: Basic Investment Guide | Digital Wallet | One-Time Crisis Tool
Welcome, Zayn Carter, to your Rebirth.
Zayn's eyes snapped open.
"What the...?"
A transparent screen floated in front of him, shimmering softly in the rain. He stumbled back from the ledge, falling on the balcony floor with a hard thud.
His heart pounded in disbelief.
"Am I… hallucinating?"
[No.]
[Your desperation triggered your rebirth.]
[You now possess the Ruthless Tycoon System.]
[Would you like to open your Starter Pack?]
Zayn blinked. His soaked clothes clung to him. Cold wind whipped his face. But none of it mattered now.
Was this a dream?
Was he dead?
He slowly whispered, "Open Starter Pack."
[Opening…]
- $10,000 transferred to your System Wallet.
- Investment Tutorial unlocked.
- One-time use "Instant Exit" card added (Removes you from immediate life-threatening danger).
Next Task: Find your first investment within 24 hours.
A New Spark
Zayn ran inside, dripping water on the cracked tile floor. He didn't care anymore.
He tapped the screen that floated beside him. Sure enough, a new tab opened. His name, age, and stats appeared.
Name: Zayn Carter
Age: 17
Level: 1
Wealth: $10,000
Title: Orphaned Survivor
Dependent: Emily Carter (Linked)
Next Upgrade: Earn $20,000 in net assets
His mind raced. This wasn't just a hallucination.
Something had changed.
He wasn't powerless anymore.
A surge of energy ran through him. For the first time in years, Zayn felt something he'd long forgotten—hope.
He looked back at Emily. She stirred, her eyes fluttering open. "Zay?"
"I'm here, Em," he whispered. "Everything's going to be okay now."
Her sleepy eyes blinked. "Did something happen?"
Zayn smiled faintly. "Yeah… something incredible."
11:57 p.m. – A Plan Begins
That night, Zayn stayed awake while Emily slept, scrolling through business opportunities, reading investment advice from the tutorial, and learning the system mechanics.
He could access basic data analytics. He could track trends. The system even had a financial advisor AI that made suggestions based on location and market gaps.
The first opportunity came when he noticed a popular mobile accessories kiosk near the slums was up for sale.
Tomorrow, he'd visit it.
Tomorrow, everything would change.
For now, Zayn leaned back against the wall, his arm wrapped around his sister, and whispered, "Thank you… whoever you are."
And for the first time in a long, long time, he slept peacefully.
The sun crept over the horizon, casting a hazy glow through the cracked window of the small room. Zayn woke to the warmth of its touch against his skin. His eyes opened slowly, the memories of last night flickering to the surface of his mind like a surreal dream.
But it wasn't a dream.
The transparent screen was still there, hovering softly in the air before his eyes.
[Good morning, Host Zayn Carter. You have 23 hours and 14 minutes to complete your first investment task. Current Balance: $10,500. Status: Alert and Stable. Dependent: Emily Carter – Resting.]
Zayn sat up and exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. He glanced toward Emily, still asleep with her arms wrapped around her frayed teddy bear. The System had given him a new chance at life—and he wasn't going to waste it.
Zayn moved to the rusted sink and splashed water on his face. He opened the "Investment Guide" within the System and began reading as quickly as possible.
The Market Hunt
Later that morning, after giving Emily her share of the bread and walking her to school, Zayn boarded a battered city bus to central Westbridge. Using the System's in-built GPS and analytics overlay, he located the mobile kiosk he'd seen last night—"FlashCart Mobile Accessories."
The shop was a tiny, rundown booth in a commercial mall on the edge of a crowded transit hub. The owner, an overweight man in his fifties, sat slumped in a chair, smoking.
"Looking to buy something?" the man asked, not lifting his eyes from his phone.
"I'm looking to buy this kiosk," Zayn said.
The man raised an eyebrow. "You? Kid, don't waste my time."
Zayn transferred $1,000 to the man's phone in real-time. "That's a deposit. Let's talk."
An hour later, the deal was struck.
[Congratulations, Host. You have acquired your first asset: FlashCart Mobile Accessories – Tier 0. Value: $8,000. Reputation: Low. Daily income potential: $50–$150. Time to breakeven: 3 months.]
Zayn reviewed the contract signed digitally and scanned through the System's startup recommendations: change branding, stock high-margin items, utilize data insights for product placement.
He took over operations immediately.
Hustle Begins
Zayn worked from sunrise to sunset, cleaning, rearranging, and personally greeting every customer. The System's interface highlighted optimal sales language, helped with pricing suggestions, and even rated customer satisfaction in real-time.
By evening, he'd made $173.
His heart nearly burst. He hadn't seen that much money in one day in years.
[Quest Completed: First Investment]
[Reward: $2,000 bonus + System Feature Unlock – Basic Marketing Suite]
The Ruthless Awakens
Zayn hired a local flyer distributor to circulate promotional discounts. He bought a budget smartphone and paid $150 to a struggling software freelancer to develop a flashy brand logo: "ZC Tech Stop."
He printed banners with his new name and had the kiosk rebranded within two days.
Sales tripled.
He invested another $1,000 in bulk chargers and Bluetooth devices, utilizing the System's pricing predictions to corner a small but profitable niche.
[Level Up! Host has reached Level 2. Wealth: $13,780. New Ability: "Negotiator's Edge" – Boosts business negotiations by 20%.]
Sparks of Attention
By the end of the week, Zayn's success caught the attention of nearby vendors. One in particular—a cocky college-aged man named Reed Weston—mocked Zayn's sudden rise.
"Don't get comfortable, street rat," Reed spat as he passed Zayn's kiosk.
Zayn smirked. "Thanks for the reminder. I was getting too comfortable counting today's $500."
Reed's face twitched.
[New Quest Available: "Business Rivalry – Suppress Reed Weston's Stall"]
[Reward: +$2,000, New Talent Unlock: "Brand Reputation"]
A Glimpse of Luxury
That night, Zayn treated Emily to dinner at a humble noodle house.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the full plate before her. "Zayn… is this all for us?"
He nodded. "From now on, you eat until you're full every day. I promise."
Emily's eyes sparkled.
As she slurped the noodles happily, Zayn checked his System screen.
[Current Funds: $13,780. Net Worth (including assets): $21,780. Upgrade Threshold Achieved.]
[Next Upgrade Available: Level 3 – Passive Income Network. Condition: Own 3 Revenue-Generating Assets.]
He leaned back in his seat, watching his sister smile.
They'd escaped death.
Now, they would rewrite fate.
And this… was only the beginning.