Lucas sat alone in the dim study of the Grant family's smaller estate—a far cry from the grand mansions that the rest of the Grant bloodline flaunted. The shelves were lined with dust-covered ledgers, old stock certificates, and broken picture frames.
One frame remained upright.
It held a photo of his parents.
His chest tightened. Not with grief—Jin Long had seen more death than most men could endure—but with something heavier: unfinished duty.
"They killed you," he muttered, eyes fixed on the picture. "In both lives, they tried to erase me."
The memories of Lucas Grant's life were clearer now. His parents had died in a suspicious car crash two years ago, conveniently after his father, David Grant, refused to sell his 15% stake in Grant Industries. The rest of the family had painted it as an accident. But the way they had immediately moved to freeze his father's assets told a different story.
Lucas clenched his jaw.
In his past life, he had fought with fists, swords, and ki. In this one, his weapons were going to be intelligence, manipulation, and money.
He opened the creaking drawers one by one, searching.
Finally, behind an old copy of Forbes, he found it: a black folder labeled "Trust - LG."
Inside was a letter, sealed in red wax. He broke it open.
"Lucas, if you're reading this… I'm probably gone. I always believed you'd wake up. I left you what I could—$5,000 from an account the board doesn't know about. It's not much, but I know you'll find a way. Don't trust anyone in the family. Not even the ones who pretend to care. -Dad."
Lucas exhaled, gripping the letter tightly.
Only $5,000. Against a school where people carried watches worth ten times that.
Still, it was a start.
He booted up the old family tablet and accessed Olympus High's internal student portal. The first competition of the year stared back at him from the homepage:
Olympus High Business War Game Entry Fee: $10,000 Open Tiers: 0–2 Prize Pool: $50,000 + Tier Promotion Theme: Asset Flip Challenge—48 hours to turn your capital into maximum profit.
Lucas's lips curled into a smirk.
He didn't need to pay the full entry fee. He just had to find a loophole.
And loopholes were his specialty.
The next morning, he walked into the school's administrative annex—one of the only parts of the school open to Tier 0s—and demanded to see the student council's junior events manager.
A few minutes later, a bored-looking sophomore girl with short blue hair and a business suit jacket sat across from him.
"You're here to beg for a scholarship spot?" she asked. "Everyone does."
"No," Lucas said. "I'm here to offer a trade."
She raised an eyebrow.
"I'll promote the event across Tier 0 and Tier 1 networks. Get you 100+ viewers on your first event stream. I only want an entry slot—half down, $5,000. If I win, you get 10% of my profit. If I lose, you can blacklist me from all future school competitions."
Her interest was piqued. "That's bold. You're just a Tier 0."
"I won't stay one."
After a pause, she smiled.
"Deal."
She handed him a student contract form.
Name: Lucas Grant Tier: Entry Fee Waiver: 50% Clause: 10% profit share upon victory Status: APPROVED
Lucas left the room, heart pounding. The game was on.
Back home, he cleared his desk, opened his tablet, and stared at the timer.
48 hours.
He had one shot to flip $5,000 into something big. And this wasn't just about money. It was about proving that no matter what world he lived in, he would rise.
He glanced once more at the letter from his father.
"I won't just fight back this time," he said softly.
"I'll win."
He clicked the 'Enter Challenge' button.
The screen flashed:
WELCOME TO THE WAR GAME: ASSET FLIP CHALLENGE STARTING FUNDS: $5,000 TIMER: 48:00:00
Lucas leaned back, eyes burning with resolve.
Let the first battle begin.