The room was completely silent, except for the faint noises coming from the neighbourhood outside.
Miles sat on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The events of the afternoon were still fresh in his mind, and they kept replaying…over and over.
His aunt was finally out of his life, for good. It had happened so fast, yet it felt like a huge burden on his shoulders had been removed completely. But there was still one last quest he had left unfinished.
His boss.
The man who had overworked and underpaid him. The man who never acknowledged his efforts, belittled him in front of customers, and always reminded him that he was "lucky to even have a job." He unconsciously said aloud as he recalled the day he said that to him.
Miles clenched his fist. 'Lucky?' he thought.
That same man was now on the verge of bankruptcy, as he had heard from one of his former coworkers, while he on the other hand, now had a system designed to make him the wealthiest and most powerful businessman in the world.
If luck had anything to do with their current situations, it sure had a twisted sense of humor.
Suddenly, a familiar notification blinked before him.
[Host has one mission remaining in the assigned System Task Bundle.] The system reminded him.
"Yeah, I know," Miles said in response. "Show me the details again."
[Details: Your heartless, wicked boss is on the brink of bankruptcy]
[Action: Face-slap your boss, buy, and grow his pizza company to surpass great heights]
[Reward: $10,000 and a 12-hour limited 30× rebate on expenses.]
Miles smirked. "Face-slap him, huh? I'm starting to think you enjoy using that term."
[System has no emotions, but face-slapping remains a highly effective concept for hosts to establish dominance and superiority over adversaries.]
"So, you're saying I have to prove that I was never beneath him in the first place?"
[Affirmative.]
Miles exhaled slowly, gripping the bed sheets spread beneath him. His mind traveled back to the countless times his boss had humiliated him.
There was the time he had worked a double shift, covering for a sick coworker, only to be told the extra hours wouldn't be paid because it wasn't "officially approved."
Or the time a customer complained about a wrong order, and instead of handling it professionally, his boss had humiliated him in front of everyone, calling him "incompetent" even though it was the kitchen's mistake.
And then there were the daily insults—small jabs, dismissive remarks, the constant reminder that he was disposable at any period of time.
Miles had swallowed his pride back then because he needed the money. Now, the power dynamic had shifted completely, he no longer needed him, and he wondered how his boss would react when the tables turned.
He breathed out a heavy sigh and laid down on his back. Amidst all the harmful treatment he'd received, he didn't want revenge. That wasn't what this was about.
He had worked there for over two years, and every shift he worked had been a reminder that people like his boss thrived on keeping others down. If he let the place crumble without intervening, someone else would end up in his position…underpaid, overworked, and disrespected.
That wouldn't sit right with him.
"Status," he suddenly said.
[Generating host stats and financial profile… Completed]
[System Activated]
[Name: Miles Bennett]
[Age: 19]
[Account Balance: $11,263,171]
[EXP: 900/1000]
[System Level: 1]
[Level Daily Reward and Perk: $500 daily income bonus, $500 for every mission completed while the host is at the current level.]
_ _ _
Attributes:
[Financial Acumen: 4]
[Entrepreneurial Spirit: 5]
[Negotiation Skills: 2.5 (+0.5)]
[Strength: 3]
[Agility: 2]
[Stamina: 5]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Charisma: 1]
_ _ _
[Skill(s)]
-Financial Analysis (Basic) /Ability to read and understand basic financial statements and market trends/: 10
-Negotiation Tactics (Basic) /Minor boost to success in deal-making and persuasion/: 5.5
Miles raised an eyebrow as he noticed something different.
"Wait. Why did Negotiation Tactics go up?" He said.
[Host demonstrated persuasive influence in the negotiation with host's aunt, leading to an unintended skill increase.]
Miles raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't even thinking about that. I just wanted her gone."
[Host successfully altered the terms of an unfavorable situation to a decisive victory. The system acknowledges progress.]
"So, you're saying that as long as I keep negotiating with various people, I'll keep getting better at it?"
[Affirmative. Skill growth is influenced by practice and real-world application.]
Miles sat up straighter when he heard this. It made a lot of sense to him. If the system was truly meant to make him the best businessman possible, then his skills couldn't just stay static. They had to evolve, and so did he.
That meant the same thing would happen when he bought the pizza shop.
He wasn't just gaining money. He was gaining power.
And his former boss had no idea what was coming.
Miles sighed and rubbed his palm against his forehead. He had to do this right. His emotions needed to stay in check.
The goal wasn't to get revenge on anyone. It was progress, him developing, becoming the best version of himself, that was the real goal.
He leaned back against the bed, staring at the glowing interface before him.
"Tomorrow," he muttered. "Tomorrow, I buy a pizza shop."
But how would he approach it? Walking in and throwing cash at the problem wouldn't be enough. He needed to make a statement.
Would he walk in with full confidence, letting his former boss see firsthand how drastically the tables had turned?
No, as he thought earlier, that wasn't the goal. He had to be smart. Strategic. Buying the place wasn't just about taking control, it was about setting himself up for success.
If he handled this right, it would very much turn out to be his first major step in building his empire, as such, he had to execute it to perfection.
For now though, he let his fatigue consume him, closing his eyes as he drifted off to bed.