The apartment was dark, lit only by the weak glow of a cracked phone screen. Kelly Arden sat on the worn couch, his knees drawn up, counting the last few bills in his wallet.
Hundred and twenty-seven dollars. That was all he had left after rent.
Two years had passed since the car accident. Two years since he had stood in front of two coffins, holding a check for fifty thousand dollars, the only thing left to him from parents who had already lived their lives alone in this world.
At seventeen, he had thought the money would last. But debts swallowed half of it. Tuition, food, rent—what remained drained like water from an open hand. Now, at nineteen, Kelly Arden was broke, stuck in a cheap apartment with nothing but broken dreams and the sound of neighbors fighting through thin walls.
He buried his face in his hands. What now?
Then, it happened.
A cold mechanical chime cut through the silence.
[System initializing… Synchronizing host: Kelly Arden.]
[Welcome to the Fortune-Maker System.]
Kelly froze. He looked around. The voice hadn't come from his phone or the television. It was inside his head—metallic, precise, inhuman.
"...Who's there?" His voice cracked. "What do you mean, system?"
[You have been selected. Probability of success: 69.3%.]
[Quest System Loaded. Quest Ranks: Bronze → Silver → Gold → Diamond.]
[First Task: Generate profit through micro-investment.]
Kelly blinked. "Micro-investment? I don't even have money to invest!"
[Correction: Host has $127. Eligible.]
"That's rent money! If I lose it, I'm finished."
[Opportunity comes to those who risk. Decline, and system will self-terminate.]
His hands trembled. It felt unreal—like some cruel hallucination—but the mechanical voice was unwavering. Something deep in his chest stirred. A spark. He hadn't felt it in years.
[Generating asset… Please wait.]
A pause. Then—
[Asset Created: Digital Coin.]
[Name: Ardenium (ARD).]
[Initial Value: $0.01 per coin.]
[System will mint 12,700 ARD using host's $127.]
Kelly's breath caught. "My… my own coin?"
[Quest 1 (Bronze): Increase asset value by 100% within 7 days.]
[Failure: Account balance reset to zero.]
[Success: Recive 100000$ and a a lottery chance]
[For daily use you recived 20$]
The words hammered in his head. A week. Double his money—or starve.
Kelly Arden leaned back against the couch, half terrified, half exhilarated. The fear of being poor forever pressed down on him—but alongside it came a strange, burning hope.
For the first time since his parents' deaths, he felt alive.
"Alright, System," he whispered, his lips curling into the faintest smile. "Let's make a fortune."
Kelly sat hunched over his busted laptop, staring at the glowing System panel.
[Quest 1 – Bronze Rank: Double ARD Value within 7 Days.]
[Requirement: Raise ARD value from $0.01 → $0.02.]
He dragged his hands down his face. "Double my money? With one hundred twenty-seven dollars? That's a joke."
[Failure Condition: Balance reset to zero.]
Kelly cursed under his breath. "Figures. Even my imaginary system is a bastard."
Still… it wasn't like he had a choice.
He clicked on Market Seeding and made a post in an old forum:
"Ardenium (ARD). A new digital coin. Dirt cheap now, but early adopters get the upside. DM me."
He hit "submit," then sat back, staring at the screen.
Minutes ticked by. Hours.
Nothing.
By midnight, he was ready to smash the laptop shut. "What the hell am I even doing? No one's gonna buy fake-ass penny coins from some broke kid in a dump apartment."
Just as he was about to shut it down—Ping!
"Yo Kelly, I'll take $5 worth. Just testing."
Kelly's heart leapt. He confirmed the transfer through the System Wallet.
[Transaction Confirmed.]
[Buyer #1 Secured.]
[Reward: Price Stabilization Bonus.]
[ARD Value: $0.010 → $0.011.]
He let out a half-laugh, half-sigh. "One down… nine to go."
The next few days were hell.
Kelly spammed every chat group he knew, every gaming Discord, even DM'd old classmates. Half ignored him. The other half called him names:
"Bro, stop scamming."
"LMAO, Ardenium? Sounds like diarrhea."
"Kelly, you've hit rock bottom."
Each rejection hit like a punch. His stomach growled constantly; he was living off instant noodles and tap water, but he refused to give up.
By Day 3, he had four buyers. By Day 4, he scraped up two more—one kid bought a dollar's worth just to laugh at him. Kelly took it anyway.
On Day 5, he sat staring at the screen, exhausted, broke, and humiliated. "This is bullshit. I can't do it." He slammed the table. The bowl of half-eaten noodles rattled. "I'm just some broke loser pretending to be a big shot."
The System was merciless.
[Warning: 48 Hours Remaining.]
[Progress: 7/10 Buyers Secured.]
Kelly buried his face in his arms. I can't fail. Not again. Not like this.
On the sixth day, he took one last desperate gamble. He offered to send a small amount of ARD for free to random forum users—"first taste is free, but if you want more, you pay."
People laughed, but two of them bit. Buyer 8. Buyer 9.
That left one. Just one more.
Kelly's eyes were bloodshot as he typed messages to strangers, begging them to just try a dollar. Most ignored him. One guy told him to screw off. Another sent a string of laughing emojis.
He was about to give up when a private message popped up.
"I'll take $10 worth. Not 'cause I believe in it, but you're either crazy or stubborn as hell. Respect for the grind."
Kelly's hands shook as he typed back, confirming the transfer
[Buyer #10 Secured.]
[Reward: Market Expansion Bonus.]
[ARD Value: $0.01 → $0.02 → $0.022.]
[Quest 1 Complete.]
He stared at the screen, chest heaving. His $127 was now worth almost $280. He'd actually done it.
The System's voice rang in his skull.
[Bronze Quest Cleared.]
[Silver Rank Unlocked.]
[Reward: Recive 100000$ and a a lottery chance]
[New Feature: Task Promotion – Real-world actions generate financial opportunities.]
[Next Quest: Create a profitable business in local area]
Kelly slumped back in his chair, eyes burning but lips curling into a shaky grin.
He'd begged, he'd been laughed at, he'd nearly quit—but he pulled it off.
"F***ing hell…" he whispered, laughing hoarsely. "I really did it."
For the first time since his parents' death, Kelly Arden felt like he wasn't just surviving.
He was fighting back.
And winning.
"Wish you will like and don't forget to give feedback"[1]
[1] Wish you will like it and don't forget to give feedback