Darren's eyes snapped open.
'Wait, this is... odd.'
He had just been struck by a speeding bus. If somehow he was alive, then he would be in tremendous pain.
However, there was no pain.
Maybe he was in a hospital and had been given an anesthetic, but Darren didn't exactly feel numb. In fact, he felt healthy, refreshed!
There was no sound of ambulance sirens or the cold pavement beneath him. Something strange was happening.
Successfully waking up completely, he looked around and saw that he was in a bed — his bed, but it was one he hadn't seen in years.
'Is this a dream?' he thought. 'If it is, what kind of sick dream is this?'
He looked around. This room he was in, this bed. It was all made to resemble his room from when he was ten years younger.
All the old posters, the books, the music box and the PlayStation 3. 'Is this heaven? Or is this just what happens when a person dies?'
Ringggggg!!
Slam!
Darren froze. His alarm on the nightstand beside him had just buzzed and he had instinctively reached out and smacked the button to silence it.
A wave of nostalgia struck him. That instant response was ingrained into him when he was twenty-one; slamming the alarm quiet because of how much he hated the noise.
Darren's eyes widened. 'No way. It can't be possible.'
He grabbed the clock, heart racing, then pressed a button to show date rather than time.
The date then flashed on the small screen:
July 29, 2010.
Darren's breath hitched. This wasn't possible.
He scrambled out of bed and rushed to the mirror. When he reached it, he suddenly froze, filled with shock once again.
In the mirror, the face staring back at him wasn't his 31 year old face, it was ten years younger, free of the lines and wear of his future self.
'Did I actually just regress?' he thought in disbelief, touching his face. 'I just did. I just regressed ten years into the past!'
» » » « « «
Darren laid down on his bed, arms stretched, staring at the ceiling of his room from 10 years ago. He had started to accept his reality now. He died.
And then he regressed.
But first... he died. He actually died. Tyler Mooney killed him, and then laughed at his dying body.
Darren clenched his fists. What kind of idiot had he been in his past life? Why had he been so weak and simpish? Why did he allow people to just walk over him?
First was Gareth Smithers. When Darren got the job as a financial intern, he thought his life was going to skyrocket from there. Working as an intern for the Smithers Group was a true pride for any business and finance graduate.
When he successfully got the job as financial assistant, it was certain he was bound for greatness after that. But no matter whatever he did, all the breakthroughs he made, Gareth Smithers never promoted him.
'It's all because of him. Of course. Of course, this is all Gareth's doing,' Darren thought bitterly.
'That man never wanted me around. Always looked at me like I was dirt beneath his shoes. And now I get it — this was the plan all along. He didn't just fire me to get rid of me.'
'No, he used me first. He saw how knowledgeable I was in the finance business. And so he took every financial strategy I built, my calculations, every bit of advice I gave. He took it all without giving me a shred of credit. Not a damn thing!'
Memories flashed in his head. 'Tyler Mooney always wanted Lily. Gareth wanted to secure a partnership with Moon Enterprise, and at the same time, he wanted to get rid of me.'
'Yes, yes. It all worked out for them. They all got what they wanted from the deal. The only loser here is me.'
His eyes flashed with redness and hate. 'Is that why fate has done this? Is that why I've regressed to ten years in the past just weeks into the start of my internship with Smithers Group?'
He sat up, sinking his face into his hands. 'I shouldn't ask questions. Fate has chosen me for whatever reason, I don't care. But I'm going to use this opportunity. I won't make the mistakes I made before, and I will take down the Smithers Group and destroy Tyler Mooney, even if it's the last thing I do!'
'I will— !'
┏1/3 Goals have been identified┛
┏System Activated┛
┏Analyzing Host Profile...┛
┏Compiling Current State...┛
Darren jerked his head back and froze. 'I'm seeing things... There's a floating screen in my vision.'
He tried to reach for it but his hands went right through. 'What? It's holographic.'
┏Welcome Host, to the Investor System┛
┏Host Profile has been activated┛
'Is this really a system?' Darren blinked rapidly as lines of data and graphs flickered into view, assembling into an organized display on the translucent purple interface.
-------------------------------------------------
┏Host Profile: Darren Steele┛
┏Age: 21┛
┏Assets:
— Cash: $232.47 (Checking)
— Personal Belongings: $900┛
┏Liabilities:
— Student Loan: $3500
— Debt Owed to Co-worker: $100┛
┏Net Worth: (Assets Minus Liabilities)
— $1132.47 - $3600 = -$2267.53┛
-------------------------------------------------
┏Active Investments: None┛
┏Business Owned: None┛
┏Portfolio Summary:
— Stocks: 0
— Cryptocurrency: 0
— Physical Assets: 0┛
-------------------------------------------------
┏Expenditure Log┛
┏Monthly Expenditure:
— Money Gained: $579.31
— Money Spent: $609. 73┛
-------------------------------------------------
┏Reputation Tracker┛
┏Public Reception: Unknown┛
┏Rivals' Fear: No Business Rivals┛
┏Allies' Loyalty: No Business Allies┛
-------------------------------------------------
┏Financial Milestones┛
┏First $1M Net Worth: Locked┛
┏First Profitable Investment: Locked┛
┏First Business Acquisition: Locked┛
-------------------------------------------------
┏Legacy Counter┛
┏Jobs Created: 0┛
┏Companies Disrupted:0┛
┏Rivals Defeated:0┛
-------------------------------------------------
┏Quests┛
┏Weekly Quest:
— Early Investor: Make your first investment┛
┏Monthly Quest:
—No Debt, No Stress: Pay Student Loan and other Debts
— Build a Foundation: Save $500 this month┛
-------------------------------------------------
┏Congratulations, you have Unlocked an Achievement!┛
┏Achievement Unlocked: Rock Bottom
—You've hit the lowest point in your life. There's nowhere to go but up!┛
-------------------------------------------------
Darren stared wide-eyed at the floating screen before him. 'What the hell is this? Why is this stuff showing me my dire circumstances with brutal honesty?'
He looked at the Expenditure Log, seeing how much he had gained this month and how much he had spent. Then his eyes drifted to his loans and student debt, and then his net worth.
"My net wor—" His eyes widened. "My net worth is in the negative?! What!"
Darren scratched the back of his head. 'Was this how deep in the trenches I was back then? Although this regression is a good way to start anew, this reality I've been pushed back to is a really harsh one. I was barely making ends meet during this time.'
He looked at the supposed Achievement he unlocked, and frowned bitterly. 'And what kind of backhanded achievement is this?'
┏Rock Bottom: You've hit the lowest point in your life. There's nowhere to go but up!┛
"Yeah well, thanks for the motivation," Darren muttered distastefully.
He scrolled lower and then his gaze hardened as he examined the Financial Milestones and Legacy Counter.
'It seems the aim of this system is actually to mould me into some kind of Business Tycoon. Is the system here because I regressed? Or did I regress because of the system?'
He placed a hand on his chin. "Is this all to give me a shot at a second chance? There's a counter for Companies disrupted, Rivals defeated. It knows I want to take down Smithers Group and Moon Enterprise. It knows I want to be a successful businessman.'
Darren studied the interface for a longer time. 'The Investor System. Is that the theme here? Do I get richer by making investments?'
A new interface appeared before him, asking him one single question;
┏Do you accept the Investor System?┛
┏Note: Refusing the System results in return to your original state which is instant death and the wiping of this timeline┛
"Ehh?" Darren lifted his brows. 'Of course I accept. I'll do anything for a second chance, and now that I have it, I'm not letting it slip through my fingers for whatever reason!'
He quickly selected ┏Yes┛. The interface disappeared and reappeared with a new message:
┏Investor System has been successfully downloaded and activated┛
┏The Investor System grants the host, Darren Steele, the power to make wealth through investments┛
┏All criteria have been met. Regression was successful, host was a perfect choice and possesses vast knowledge of the business and finance world┛
┏With your knowledge from the future of what investments are sure to be a success, you are bound never to make an unprofitable investment┛
┏You've regressed to invest. Build your empire in the finance world and take down your enemies with the Investor System by your side!┛
Darren's mind felt like it had broken open and he suddenly realized what was happening. He checked one of the Weekly Quests and saw the one that caught his interest:
┏Early Investor: Make your first investment┛
Darren tapped it and a list of potential investments was laid out before him:
Aparagon (APG), Facebook (Meta), Doxercoin (DXC), Wesla Cars (WSLA), Bitcoin (BTC), Silver (XAG), and Esper (Proga).
Eyes wide, Darren hurriedly tapped Bitcoin to check the price. If his calculations were correct, if his memory served him right, if he wasn't just being hopeful from excitement, in the year 2010, the price of one Bitcoin was...
The system displayed the answer:
$0.08.
Darren stared at the interface for seconds.
"I'm going to be a freaking billionaire."