Book 1 - Venture into Eternity, Reclaim the Star's Embrace
CHAPTER 4 - The Art of Business
Ken and Lean followed their adviser down the hallway, their footsteps echoing against the polished floors. Ahead, a set of double doors marked the entrance to the Business Acumen Simulation Test—a competition designed to test decision-making, financial strategy, and adaptability in a high-pressure market scenario.
Still recovering from the madness of the obstacle course, Lean groaned.
"Man, I thought we were done after that hellish fitness test. But now—math? Under pressure? Can't we proceed to the combat test instead?"
Ken smirked. "Business is just another kind of war, you know."
Lean scoffed. "What are we gonna do? Throw coins at each other?"
The adviser stopped at the doors and turned to face them. "Welcome to the Third-Year Business Acumen Simulation," she announced, her sharp voice cutting through the murmurs. "This year, the competition is more ruthless than ever. Mergers, acquisitions, takeovers, and even sabotage are now fully permitted. The objective remains the same: dominate the market and crush your competition by the end of the fourth quarter."
A few students swallowed nervously. Others smirked, eager to prove themselves.
"Remember," the adviser continued, her eyes narrowing, "this simulation mirrors the real world. Business isn't fair. Your so-called friends will stab you in the back if you give them the chance. Play to win."
As the students of Junior Class Delta gathered, the air grew tense. Unlike the action-packed combat simulations, this test would determine who had the sharpest business mind—who could thrive, adapt, and outmaneuver their rivals in a ruthless market.
For most elite students, this was the real battleground.
The adviser pushed open the doors, revealing a large, dimly lit room filled with rows of simulation pods. Screens lined the walls, displaying complex financial graphs, fluctuating stock prices, and real-time updates on simulated businesses.
At the front of the room stood a tall, sharp-eyed instructor in a sleek black suit. He had the aura of a seasoned businessman, his gaze scanning the arriving students like a predator assessing the weak from the strong.
"Welcome, students," the instructor greeted, his voice smooth but firm. "I am Mr. Calderon, the overseer of this simulation. Today, you will each take control of a business within a shared market. Your task is simple—outperform your competitors and dominate the economy."
Ken's interest piqued. A real-time, competitive business simulation? Now this was something he could sink his teeth into.
Mr. Calderon continued, "The market is dynamic and will change based on your actions. Time will be accelerated—each minute represents a day in the simulation. You will need to make precise and quick decisions to survive. The stronger businesses will grow, while the weaker ones will collapse."
He gave them a knowing smile. "And remember, in the world of business, there are no second chances."
A familiar, condescending voice cut through the air.
"Well, well. A weed among roses."
Ken turned, unsurprised, to see Darius, arms crossed, the usual smirk plastered on his face.
Ken sighed dramatically. "Darius, if we keep meeting like this, people will think we're friends."
Darius scoffed. "I just came to remind you—this test is about intellect and strategy. And your kind usually lacks both."
Ken didn't flinch. He simply tilted his head, eyes sharp, voice even. "We'll see when the results come in."
Before Darius could reply, Lean jumped in, trying to sound wise. "Yeah, don't count the chickens before they hatch… or was it, don't count the eggs if they're sunny side up? Or—wait, was it the omelets? Wait—damn it, how did that saying go?"
Darius's eye twitched. "Tch. Moron."
Ken smirked, his gaze flickering with something sharp. "Don't count your balls if you don't have any."
The room fell silent.
Lean's jaw dropped. Then, suddenly—
Lean burst into uncontrollable laughter, clutching his stomach. "OH MY GOD—HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY?!"
Darius's eye twitched dangerously. He gritted his teeth.
Before Darius could fire back, the overseer clapped his hands.
"Alright, enough chatter. Get inside and take your places. The simulation begins shortly."
Without another word, the students stepped forward—ready to clash in the battlefield of business.
Ken settled into his pod and placed the neural interface on his head. The world blurred.
Ken opened his eyes inside the simulation. The setting was starkly different from previous years. Instead of starting with an established company, he found himself in a tiny office space, the hum of old computers filling the air. On the table, a single screen displayed his starting capital:
500,000 Zenies
A list of industry selections appeared:
RetailTechnologyFood & BeverageFinanceReal Estate
Ken's lips curled into a smirk. Technology.
High risk, high reward. If I'm going to gamble, I'll go all in.
He quickly entered the Tech Industry and made his first move:
Company Name: LunarTech
Business Model: Budget-Friendly Smart Devices
Initial Product: Affordable Smartwatches & Fitness Bands
Ken's strategy was simple: target the middle-class consumers by producing low-cost, high-functionality devices. Unlike luxury brands, his products would be affordable, stylish, and packed with just enough features to disrupt the market.
As the first quarter progressed, Ken found himself struggling against the tide. His marketing campaign was weak, production costs were higher than expected, and he failed to properly secure suppliers, causing delays in product launches.
At the end of first quarter, the rankings were released:
Top 5:
1st Place - Luis – Finance Sector (Unstoppable growth through monopolization)
2nd Place - Jane – Retail & Luxury Brands (Her dominance over premium goods expanded)
3rd Place - Darius – Automobiles (Aggressive expansion in electric vehicles)
4th Place - Freya – Pharmaceuticals (Medical innovation and high-profit drugs)
5th Place - Cedric – Real Estate & Property Holdings (Buying up high-value properties)
Ken: 26th Place
Darius nearly fell out of his chair laughing when he saw Ken's ranking. "Hah! Twenty-sixth place?! That's worse than pathetic!" he barked. "Are you even trying, Ken? Or are you running a charity?"
Ken didn't react, his face calm. He had expected this. This was all part of his plan.
Lean, sitting beside him, whistled. "Man, Ken, you really got wrecked. At this rate, even I might beat you."
Ken snorted. "You're at 29th right now, Lean."
"Oh. Never mind, carry on."
Darius smirked. "Enjoy your bottom-rank status while it lasts. Try not to go bankrupt before the second quarter."
Ken sat back in his simulation pod, arms crossed, analyzing the wreckage of his first-quarter performance. Rank 26. His initial high-risk, high-reward strategy had backfired spectacularly. He had gambled on aggressive innovation, but his limited capital and lack of immediate brand recognition had made his company bleed money. If he wanted to survive, he needed a drastic shift—something bold, something disruptive.
His mind worked quickly, filtering through his past experiences. Direct-to-consumer sales weren't the way to go—not yet. His fledgling brand lacked the influence to compete with established names in the market. He needed a foothold, and that meant playing smart.
Instead of struggling to sell individual units to customers, Ken pivoted to bulk distribution. He cut deals with fitness centers, sports retailers, and healthcare providers, offering LunarTech's affordable smartwatches and fitness bands as bundled packages. By securing large contracts, he ensured steady revenue streams rather than relying on unpredictable consumer purchases.
His initial supplier was draining his funds with inflated production costs. Ken quickly outsourced manufacturing to a more cost-effective yet reliable supplier, optimizing the supply chain without sacrificing product quality. This move increased his profit margins significantly, giving him more breathing room to invest elsewhere.
A good product wasn't enough—it had to be seen. Ken leveraged social media influencers, fitness streamers, and gaming personalities to push LunarTech's brand into the spotlight. He orchestrated viral marketing campaigns, sending free products to rising online figures and turning his smartwatches into a trend rather than just a gadget.
The results were immediate.
At the end of Q2, LunarTech surged ahead. From a failing 26th place, Ken had climbed to 15th. His aggressive restructuring had turned the tides, proving that his downfall in the first quarter had only been a setup for a comeback.
Across the room, Darius scowled at his screen. Despite holding onto 3rd place, he had expected Ken to crash and burn. Instead, the commoner had clawed his way up faster than anyone anticipated.
"Tch. Lucky break," Darius muttered, his fingers gripping the edge of his desk.
Ken, as always, remained unfazed. Luck had nothing to do with it.
Just as the students were settling into their strategies, a sudden notification flashed across their screens, sending a ripple of panic through the simulation.
"ALERT: GLOBAL RECESSION SIMULATION ACTIVATED."
The virtual market crashed in an instant. Industries that had been thriving just moments ago found themselves drowning in losses. Companies that had been playing it safe, relying on slow and steady growth, began to crumble under the weight of collapsing demand and rising costs.
Panic set in.
Competitors went bankrupt as their liquidity dried up. Stock prices nosedived, wiping out carefully built investments. Loans and debts skyrocketed, trapping overleveraged businesses in a downward spiral. The simulation had forced every player into a do-or-die situation—adapt or collapse.
For most, this was a disaster.
For Ken, it was an opportunity.
He had seen it coming.
Thanks to his memories from the future, he knew that a crisis like this was inevitable. The game was designed to test adaptability under extreme economic conditions, and those who failed to prepare were being ruthlessly eliminated.
Instead of retreating into damage control like most of his peers, Ken went on the attack.
While others hesitated, LunarTech launched a full-scale takeover. Ken targeted companies that were on the brink of bankruptcy, buying them out at rock-bottom prices before they could be salvaged by competitors. He absorbed their assets, their patents, their client bases—all at a fraction of their original value.
While others scrambled to cut costs, Ken secured exclusive supplier contracts before prices could stabilize. He locked in long-term deals that would ensure his production costs remained low even as the market recovered.
While others were defensive, Ken was offensive.
As the rankings updated at the end of Q3, Darius's smirk stiffened as he saw Ken's name climb to 7th place.
"Tch. You're like a cockroach," Darius muttered, arms crossed. "Just when I think you're done for, you come crawling back up."
Ken remained unreadable, his voice calm and precise. "That's the difference between us." He adjusted his cuffs. "You fight to keep control. I fight to take it."
Darius scoffed. "Big talk for someone still behind me."
Ken finally glanced at him, his gaze cold. "Not for long."
Lean, who had been watching silently, let out a nervous chuckle. He nudged Ken, whispering, "Uh, bro, are you sure you wanna poke the tiger? Some of us still enjoy having functional limbs."
Ken didn't respond, his focus still on Darius.
Lean gulped. "Y-yeah, you know what? I'll just focus on my own ranking. Which, uh—" He checked the board and paled. "23rd. Oh, sweet mercy, I'm gonna die in poverty."
As the final quarter commenced, Ken knew this was his last chance to secure a top spot. He couldn't afford to slow down—not when victory was within reach.
He went all in.
Hostile takeovers. Smaller tech startups, struggling in the recession, were ripe for acquisition. Ken absorbed them, consolidating assets and talent under LunarTech.
Strategic partnerships. By securing deals with major retailers, LunarTech's products flooded mainstream markets. What was once a niche brand became a household name.
Stock manipulation. Ken bought shares from struggling competitors at rock-bottom prices, then resold them for massive profits once the market rebounded.
Darius, sensing Ken's rapid rise, retaliated with everything he had. The battle between them turned into a full-scale corporate war.
As Darius struggled to recover from a failed merger and Cedric and Freya hesitated to make bold moves, Ken seized the opportunity, turning the chaos to his advantage. His sudden surge wasn't just from takeovers—it was a meticulously orchestrated collapse of key competitors, leaving him one of the last players standing in the final quarter.
When the final rankings were revealed, the simulation hall fell into hushed anticipation.
1st – Luis (Finance) → The master of monopolization, he crushed the financial sector with cold precision.
2nd – Jane (Retail) → Her luxury empire expanded further, securing her spot right behind Luis.
3rd – Ken (Technology) → From 26th to 3rd, his unprecedented comeback left everyone in shock.
4th – Darius (Automobiles) → He fought fiercely but was ultimately edged out by Ken's takeover strategies.
23rd – Lean (Food & Beverage) → Bankrupted twice, somehow still survived.
Darius clenched his fists as he glared at the results. He turned to Ken, eyes sharp. "Tch. You little bastard. You actually passed me."
Ken tilted his head. "Huh. Must've been luck."
"Bullshit," Darius snapped.
Lean groaned. "Nobody told me a fast-food empire wouldn't survive a recession."
Ken smirked. "You should've read the market."
Darius scoffed. "Enjoy it while it lasts. Next time, you won't be so lucky."
Ken met his gaze. "Next time, I won't start at 26th."
Lean clutched his chest. "From rock bottom to bronze—you're the patron saint of bankrupt souls."
Ken raised a brow. "You mean yourself?"
Darius rolled his eyes. "He should declare bankruptcy on his brain cells instead."
Lean quickly stepped behind Ken. "I may be broke, but I still have survival instincts."
Mr. Calderon stepped forward, his cold gaze sweeping across the students. "And that, gentlemen and ladies, is why business isn't for the weak. One mistake, and you're ruined. One bold move, and you rise."
His eyes settled on Ken. "From 26th to 3rd place. Impressive."
Ken inclined his head slightly. "Thank you for the compliment, sir." His tone was measured—neither boastful nor self-deprecating, striking the perfect balance between humility and confidence.
The Junior Class Delta adviser then stepped forward, addressing the students. "That will be all for now. Dismissed for lunch. Be at the Martial and Military Department after."
TO BE CONTINUED…