THE FIVE-FOLD FORTUNE
Fred, a disillusioned white-collar worker from Torrance, California, has his life violently upended when he is struck by a fragment of an alien meteor. The impact grants him two impossible abilities: perfect X-ray vision and the power of Item Identification, allowing him to instantaneously discern the history, composition, and true value of any object. Furthermore, his physical capabilities are steadily enhanced throughout the story, progressing from double (2x) to an ultimate five-fold (5x) peak.
Fired from his job and facing mounting debt, Fred leverages his newfound gifts. He abandons his ordinary life and, with the cynical help of his pawnshop friend, Dusky, he dives into the cutthroat world of estate sales, container auctions, and flea markets. His goal: to turn small savings into the fortune needed to hunt for legendary global treasures and perhaps, finally, impress Diana, the glamorous model he secretly loves.
His initial scores lead him to the first fragment of the ancient Mithraic Star Map, triggering a global, high-stakes hunt. As Fred's powers increase—granting him superior reflexes (3x), perfect memory (4x), and eventually cellular mastery (5x)—he draws the attention of two powerful forces: Elena, a savvy, ethical researcher who becomes his hesitant colleague, and The Syndicate, a shadowy, international organization led by the ruthless figure known only as Janus.
Janus, who is revealed to be an earlier, more powerful Aetherium-impacted individual, seeks to acquire all meteor fragments and use the Mithraic Map to trigger a second, cataclysmic impact. Fred's journey spirals into a race against annihilation, forcing him to master his 5x enhancement and the profound implications of his powers. He must risk everything—including exposing his secret and placing Diana and Dusky in extreme peril—to choose between a quiet life of unimaginable wealth and becoming the world’s last, best defender against a cosmic threat.