Kael Virell was just another nobody on campus—an orphan, a loser, and an easy target. Life at Elmridge University was a cruel hierarchy, and Kael occupied the lowest rung. Bullies mocked him, professors overlooked him, and girls pretended he didn't exist. Even the janitor forgot his name.
He lived alone in a cramped dorm room that reeked of cheap ramen and stale dreams. All he had was a worn-out laptop, a broken-down phone, and a part-time job delivering fast food.
But he kept his head down. That was Kael's rule.
Until the day everything shattered.
---
Birthday Unveiled
Kael's twentieth birthday arrived without celebration. No cake, no messages, no calls. He didn't expect any.
But that night, as the clock struck midnight, his vision blurred. His chest burned with searing heat. He collapsed on the floor, gasping.
A voice echoed in his mind.
[Initializing… Echelon Protocol Activated]
[System Binding Complete – Welcome, Kael Virell]
Blue panels materialized in front of him:
[System Name: Throne Ascension Protocol]
[Level: 1]
[Talent: Locked]
[Store: Locked]
[Passive Skill: Fortune Bloom – Your actions generate wealth passively.]
"What… the hell?"
The system pulsed like a heartbeat. His body surged with energy. He could feel it—something ancient, buried in his blood, waking up.
---
The Stranger
The next morning, a man in a midnight-black suit stood outside Kael's dorm. He had gold-trimmed gloves and eyes that shimmered unnaturally.
"Kael Virell?"
"Who wants to know?"
The man bowed. "My name is Ascalon. I serve the Virell lineage. And you, my lord, are its last scion."
Kael froze.
"You're mistaken. I'm an orphan—"
"You were hidden, not abandoned. Your family is one of the Ten Sovereign Houses—each ruling a domain of reality with systems passed down through blood. On their twentieth birthday, each heir awakens their unique system. Yours… was sealed until now."
Ascalon opened a scroll.
"If you wish to return to your true place in the world, you must complete two trials:
1. Build a company worth one trillion dollars.
2. Reach System Level 40.
Only then will the Gate of Legacy open."
Kael stared, disbelieving. "You're insane."
"No," Ascalon said. "You are destined."
---
The System Begins
Kael's system now had a store—one that offered everything from real estate to talents, abilities, and mystical relics. He could earn skill points, buy knowledge, summon assistants, and manipulate information.
[Quest Accepted: Path of Dominion – Build a Company Worth $1,000,000,000,000]
[Quest Accepted: Rise of the Heir – Reach Level 40]
He also discovered a hidden trait:
[Future Skill (Lv. 10): Arcane Sync – Learn and master abilities from others upon contact.]
He stared at the interface, heart pounding.
This was no game.
This was real.
And he was done being the loser.
---
End of Chapter 1