A single notification popped up on the cracked screen of a cheap smartphone.
[Transaction Completed: $1 Sent to Unknown Account]
Leon Carter stared blankly at the message. One dollar. The last dollar in a near-empty bank account, gone because of a misclick.
"Are you kidding me?" Leon muttered, rubbing his temples. He was already broke, but now he had literally nothing.
The dimly lit apartment he sat in was a pathetic sight—a tiny, one-room rental with peeling wallpaper, a second-hand mattress on the floor, and a wobbly metal chair next to a table cluttered with bills, overdue notices, and rejection letters.
On the far end, the fridge hummed faintly. Leon knew it was nearly empty, save for an expired milk carton and a pack of instant noodles. The reality of poverty was suffocating.
No job. No money. No hope.
The final warning letter from the bank caught Leon's eye. His loan repayments were overdue, and the debt collectors were circling like vultures.
Worst of all? The loan wasn't even his fault.
A year ago, Leon's mother had fallen sick, and without health insurance, the hospital bills had drowned them in debt. He had taken a high-interest personal loan, hoping to buy time—but in the end, she passed away.
Now, the debt remained, and the world didn't care about his excuses.
A cold sense of despair crept into Leon's chest. His phone buzzed—another call from a loan shark. He let it go to voicemail.
"What the hell am I supposed to do now?" he whispered.
Then—
[Ding! Financial God System Activated.]
Leon froze.
A new notification had appeared, but… it wasn't from any app on his phone. Instead, a holographic blue screen floated in front of his eyes.
[Welcome to the Financial God System!]
[Mission: Earn $1,000 in 24 hours.]
[Reward: Beginner Financial Skills & Investment Ability.]
Leon's breath caught in his throat.
"A… system?"
For years, Leon had seen those online web novels where main characters awakened powerful cheat-like abilities. But those were fiction.
But the glowing holographic interface in front of his face said otherwise.
A countdown timer appeared.
[Time Left: 23 Hours 59 Minutes 50 Seconds]
Leon's heart pounded.
Was this real?
A crazy thought crossed his mind—what if he ignored it? What if it was some hallucination caused by stress?
But no. If this was real, if he had just one chance to turn his life around, he couldn't afford to hesitate.
[Mission Accepted.]
"Alright," Leon muttered. "Let's see what you can do."
The First Move
Leon's gaze swept around the tiny apartment, searching for a way to make $1,000 in a day.
His assets:
• A second-hand laptop with a dying battery.
• A cheap smartphone with a cracked screen.
• A few old clothes.
• Zero dollars in cash.
Leon frowned. "How the hell am I supposed to make money with nothing?"
Then—another notification popped up.
[New Ability Unlocked: Money Sense (Lv.1)]
[Hint: Opportunities to make money exist everywhere. Look closely.]
A sudden clarity filled Leon's mind.
It was like a new sixth sense had awakened—patterns, numbers, and market insights started making sense in a way they never had before.
He opened his laptop and instinctively went to an online reseller marketplace.
Searching for Arbitrage Deals…
A gaming headset caught his attention.
Market Price: $300
Listed Price: $50
A massive pricing error.
Leon's heartbeat quickened. Buy low, sell high.
But there was a problem. He had no money.
Then—
[System Notice: Loan Feature Unlocked.]
[Temporary Credit Granted: $500]
Leon froze.
"This thing even gives me startup capital?"
Without hesitation, Leon clicked BUY and secured all three units.
Now, he had $900 worth of products sitting in his account. But how fast could he flip them?
[New Skill: Market Manipulation (Lv.1) Unlocked.]
Another insight flooded his mind—the psychology of pricing.
Instead of listing the headsets for $300 each, he set the price at $199, making it look like a limited-time deal.
Within 10 minutes—
[Item Sold! You Earned: $597]
Leon stared at the screen.
That was $447 profit in less than 10 minutes.
This system was real.
[Mission Progress: $597 / $1,000 Earned]
[Time Left: 23 Hours 32 Minutes]
Breaking Through the First $1,000
Leon cracked his knuckles.
If one deal could net him nearly $600, then two more flips could easily push him past $1,000.
He opened more reseller platforms, using his Money Sense ability to scan for more arbitrage deals.
[Scanning… Best Deal Found!]
A rare sneaker brand was listed for $80. Market price? $400.
Leon didn't hesitate—he bought three pairs, using the remaining system credit.
Within 30 minutes, the sneakers sold out for $350 each, netting him $1,050 total revenue with a profit of $810.
[Mission Complete! You Earned: $1,260]
[Reward Unlocked: Beginner Financial Skills + Investment Ability!]
A surge of knowledge flooded Leon's brain—economic principles, investment strategies, and high-level financial manipulation techniques.
For the first time in his life, money finally made sense.
He exhaled, staring at the bank account balance on his phone.
Just this morning, he had nothing.
Now? $1,260 in cash.
[New Mission Unlocked: Earn $50,000 in One Week.]
[Rewards: Advanced Negotiation + Investment Growth Multiplier.]
Leon grinned.
He was just getting started.