Rain hammered the cracked pavement.
Ethan Cross stood under a flickering streetlamp, his cheap suit clinging to his skin, his hair plastered to his forehead. In his hand was a small velvet box. Inside it rested a ring—simple, silver, and modest. He had worked double shifts for two years to buy it.
Across the street, through the fogged restaurant window, he saw her. Lila. His girlfriend of five years. The woman who once promised to stay with him through anything.
She was laughing. Not just laughing—leaning into another man's embrace, a man in a tailored suit whose wristwatch alone probably cost more than Ethan made in a year. Ethan recognized him immediately: David Langford, his boss.
Ethan's chest tightened. He took a step forward, but stopped. His breath hitched as he watched them kiss.
The velvet box slipped from his trembling fingers and hit the wet ground.
She said she loved me. Said she didn't care about money.
The door to the restaurant opened. Lila stepped out, heels clicking on the wet sidewalk. She didn't look guilty. She looked irritated.
"Ethan," she said flatly, "you shouldn't be here."
He stared at her, speechless. "You… you're with him?"
She crossed her arms. "I told you already. I'm tired of waiting around for your dreams to happen. You're still working the same dead-end job, still struggling to pay rent, still—pathetic."
Ethan flinched. "Lila, I was going to propose—"
She actually laughed. "Propose? With what? That toy ring you saved up for? Look at him." She gestured to the luxury car waiting behind her. "This is my future. You? You'll always be nothing."
Those words didn't just cut him—they hollowed him out.
Then headlights flared.
"Lila—?" Ethan turned, too late.
A black SUV roared out of nowhere. Tires screeched. Metal slammed into flesh.
[System Booting…]
[Initializing Techno-Finance System…]
[Host detected: Ethan Cross.]
[Vital signs critical. Beginning emergency integration.]
Ethan's consciousness returned with a jolt. He wasn't on the street anymore. He was lying in a room that looked like a high-tech control center. Walls glowed with streams of data, numbers, and digital graphs floating midair.
"What… is this?" he muttered, clutching his head.
A voice—not human—echoed:
[Welcome, Host. You have been chosen by the Techno-Finance System.]
[Primary Objective: Build wealth. Dominate technology. Reshape the world.]
Ethan blinked. "A… system? Like in those novels?"
[Affirmative. The world is your market. Money is your weapon.]
Before he could question further, panels appeared:
[Starting Funds: $100]
[Rule #1: Every transaction can generate power.]
[Rule #2: Skills are purchased with Profit Points.]
[Rule #3: If your net worth drops to zero, you die.]
Ethan's heart pounded. "I'm… dreaming. I have to be."
[This is not a dream.]
A new screen materialized:
[Skill Shop Unlocked.]
[Investment App Activated: Every dollar spent will manifest technological assets in reality.]
Ethan hesitated. "…Technological assets?"
A smartphone appeared in his hand, already unlocked with an unfamiliar interface. The first option blinked:
[Buy: 1 share of SolarTech Inc. – $10]
"Fine. Let's see what happens." He tapped it.
His bank balance dropped by $10.
Immediately, a small drone shimmered into existence in front of him, hovering, its blades humming softly.
Ethan's eyes widened. "No way…"
He reached out, touching the drone. It was solid. Real. Responding to his gestures.
A second notification appeared:
[Investment successful. +1 Power Point earned.]
[New Function Unlocked: Remote Surveillance.]
Ethan's lips slowly curled into a smile—a cold, sharp smile he had never worn before.
"Lila… David… you wanted power? Fine. I'll show you what true power looks like."