Ethan Black bolted back to his dorm like a man possessed, slamming the door shut and whipping out his phone. No time for cafeteria tacos—this was go-time. He fired up Monthly Pay $3,000, I'm the World's Richest and dove straight into the store. There they were, the holy grail duo:
Ferrari SF90, $0.20Luxury Mansion, $0.30
A supercar and a mansion—stuff worth millions—totaling less than a vending machine soda. "This is, like, a billion times cheaper than reality," Ethan cackled. "Trillion-dollar subsidy? More like trillion-dollar steal! Move over, Jeff Bezos—I'm coming for your crown!"
He mashed the "Buy" button for the Ferrari SF90 without a second thought. But before the dopamine could hit, a pop-up crashed his party:
[Game Alert: Level Too Low. Limit: 1 Purchase Per Day. Next Purchase Available In: 11 Hours, 51 Minutes]
Ethan blinked. "Level too low? One buy a day? What is this, a freemium app scam?" He grumbled but checked his profile: Lv1 (0/100). "Okay, fine. Rookie status. Makes sense. But a day's wait? I can handle that—I've survived longer lines at the DMV."
Sure, he couldn't snag the mansion yet, but the Ferrari was locked in. This wasn't a dream—it was his ticket to the big leagues. He took a deep breath, calming his racing heart, and decided to dig into the game's guts.
First up: levels. At Lv1, he needed 100 XP to hit Lv2, unlocking two daily purchases. Lv3 meant three, and so on. "Simple math," he muttered. "Level up, buy more, live large." Then he peeked at the store's tiers. His current one-star shop was basic—three items, all "low-end."
"Low-end?!" Ethan yelped. "A Ferrari and a mansion are low-end? What's next tier, a private jet for a quarter?" He laughed, but his jaw dropped as he scrolled. A two-star store (unlocked at 50 points) offered five items, each worth ten times more. Three-star jumped to eight items, another tenfold spike. And then he saw it—a teaser image for the nine-star store:
51% Stake in TechGiant Inc., $66670% Ownership of LuxeVogue Group + CEO Title, $999
Ethan's brain short-circuited. "TechGiant? That's the trillion-dollar app empire! And LuxeVogue—the fashion kings? For less than a grand?!" He scrolled further, spotting gems like "World's Largest Hedge Fund Controller ID" and "Top-Secret BioLab Ownership," maxing out at $1,666. "Buy two of these, and I'm not just rich—I'm running the planet. No wonder it's called 'World's Richest.' Three grand a month, and I'm Elon Musk 2.0!"
His hands shook with glee. This game was a goldmine—no, a universe-mine. He had to level up, stat. The catch? Points and XP came from completing "challenges" based on real-world stuff. Finish a task, score rewards—some even came with bonus loot. "Sweet," he grinned. "Grind now, rule later."
He was about to log off for lunch when a thought hit him. "Wait a sec. Every game's got a newbie freebie, right?" He tapped the inventory tab, and bam—a shiny gift box popped up:
[Open Newbie Welcome Pack?]
"Hell yeah!"
[Congrats! You've Unlocked:]
x1000 Cashback Card (Max $5M, Expires in 4 Days, 23 Hrs, 59 Min, 59 Sec)Lv2 One-Day Trial Card (Expires in 5 Hrs, 59 Min, 59 Sec)10-Point Bonus Card
Ethan whooped. "Cashback? Spend a buck, get a grand—$5,000 turns into $5 million! That's a Powerball win without the taxes!" The Lv2 trial meant two buys today, and the points were a cherry on top. But that trial card's timer was ticking fast. "Five hours? Gotta move!"
He slammed the "Use" button on the Lv2 card. His level flipped to Lv2 (Temporary), and the store lit up. Without hesitation, he bought both the Ferrari SF90 and the mansion for a grand total of $0.50—less than a gas station coffee. Notifications flooded in:
[Congrats! Ferrari SF90 Purchased. Parked in Campus Lot. Check It Out!]
[Congrats! SkyHigh Estates, Villa #8 Purchased. Staff Will Contact You Within 24 Hrs for Contract Signing. Keep Your Phone On!]
[Note: All Purchases Are Legally Delivered. Enjoy Responsibly!]
Ethan fist-pumped so hard he nearly knocked over his lamp. "Ferrari and a mansion for fifty cents! I'm a freakin' genius!" The SF90 he knew—$600,000 of pure horsepower. But SkyHigh Estates? Sounded vaguely familiar. Curious, he Googled it.
The results hit him like a truck. "SkyHigh Estates—Westfield's elite gated community. Average villa price: $3.5 million. #8 features: 6 bedrooms, infinity pool, private theater…" Ethan's jaw dropped. "Three-point-five million? For thirty cents? I just scammed the universe!"
But as he basked in his triumph, his phone buzzed again:
[Auto-Purchase Detected: Campus Queen Water Delivery Service – Premium Edition, $0.20]
[Next Suggested Item: Armored Limo, $1.25]
[Warning: Reality's Twisting. Things Might Get… Interesting.]
Ethan's grin faded. "Premium edition? I didn't order that!" The game was at it again, buying stuff without his say-so. First Sophia's "enhanced" delivery, now this. And an armored limo? "What's next, a tank?" he muttered, a chill creeping up his spine.
He glanced out his window. In the parking lot below, a cherry-red Ferrari SF90 gleamed under the sun, drawing a crowd of gawking students. His phone rang—unknown number. Probably the villa folks. But as he reached to answer, a shadow moved outside his door. Someone knocked. Hard.
"Ethan Black?" a gruff voice called. "We need to talk."