The rush of the Literature class was still humming in my ears, but I wasn't interested in a pat on the back from Mr. Henderson. I had seen the potential. If my words could harvest energy, and that energy could be parlayed into cold, hard cash through the System's rewards, then the school was nothing more than a training ground. I needed to move into the real world.
I spent the afternoon tucked away in a corner of the school library, far from the prying eyes of the "fans" or the suspicious glares of Kit and Rishie. I didn't open a textbook. Instead, I pulled up a school computer and began to dive into the world of high-frequency finance.
If I was going to be a behemoth, I couldn't rely on plumbing side-gigs. I needed leverage.
[ SYSTEM INTERFACE: MARKET ANALYSIS OVERLAY ACTIVATED ]
[ CURRENT INTELLECT: 45 + (100 XP BONUS) = ANALYTIC CAPACITY INCREASED ]
As I stared at the flickering red and green candles of the Forex charts, the System began to interpret the data. It wasn't just numbers anymore; it was a heartbeat. I saw the Euro/USD pairs not as currency, but as a global manifestation of "Lust" and "Regret"—the desires of nations, the fears of central banks.
Forex, I realized, is just the world's biggest drama.
"If I can predict a student's reaction by reading their regrets," I whispered, my eyes darting across the screen, "then I can predict a market's reaction by reading its volatility."
I pulled out the $100 I had earned from the hospital mission. It was my seed capital. In the world of Forex, $100 was a joke—unless you had the leverage of a god.
[ SYSTEM SUGGESTION: HOST MAY CONVERT LUST POINTS (LP) INTO MARKET PREDICTION MULTIPLIERS. ]
[ COST: 50 LP FOR A 10-MINUTE 'PROPHET'S GAZE' AT THE CHARTS. ]
I didn't hesitate. "Do it. Invest the 50 LP."
[ TOTAL LP: 30 ]
[ SKILL ACTIVATED: PROPHET'S GAZE ]
Suddenly, the charts changed. A golden line began to trace a path through the future of the candle movements. It showed a massive spike in the Japanese Yen due to an impending announcement I hadn't even heard of yet. It was like seeing the cards in a poker game before they were dealt.
I quickly set up a high-leverage trading account. With my current status, it was risky, borderline suicidal for a normal person. But I wasn't normal. I poured the $100 into a 1:500 leverage position, betting everything on that golden line.
My heart hammered against my ribs. This was the real rush. Not the quick thrill of a girl's moan, but the tectonic shift of wealth moving into my hands.
"I'm going to own it all," I fantasized, leaning back in the uncomfortable plastic chair. I saw myself in a tailored charcoal suit, standing on a balcony overlooking Tokyo, then London, then New York. I wouldn't just be rich; I'd be the guy who could crash a currency if I felt like it.
I'd buy Rokehurst High just to turn it into a parking lot. I'd buy Kit's silence. I'd buy the integrity that Mrs. Adams had lost.
[ TRADE EXECUTED. POSITION: LONG. VIRTUAL PROFIT ACCRUING... ]
I watched the numbers tick up. $120... $200... $450...
The bell rang for the end of the day, but I didn't move. I was watching my first brick being laid in the foundation of my empire. I realized that the "Lust Fiend System" wasn't just about sex or high school drama—it was a blueprint for total domination.
"Just a plumber, right?" I sneered at my own reflection in the monitor.
The boy who had nearly drowned in a quarry was dead. In his place was an architect, and the world was about to find out how expensive his services were going to be.