Suddenly, I Am Rich

The numbers on the screen seemed to blur for a second as Gray stared at his phone in disbelief.

+4.6%+7.9%+15.4%

It was still going—without any signs of stopping.

"Holy shit…" Gray muttered, eyes wide, gripping his phone like it might disappear if he blinked.

Velmora Tech's stock was skyrocketing right before his eyes. The green arrows on the chart kept climbing higher and higher with every refresh. It had already blasted past the resistance line he remembered seeing in that tutorial video, and now it was shooting upward like a rocket with no brakes.

"Damn, this is unbelievable."

His heart thudded in his chest, fast and loud. He swallowed, then tapped into his portfolio with a shaky thumb.

The $7,000 he had put in just five days ago?

It was now $8,078.

Gray froze for a second, blinking at the number like his brain needed a minute to catch up.

"That's… more than a grand up," he whispered.

A slow grin spread across his face. Then, in the next second, he jumped to his feet.

"Let's go!" Gray fist-pumped the air and let out a small laugh. "What do you mean I just made a thousand dollars sitting on my couch?! This is insane!"

He ran a hand through his hair, pacing a little across the living room. It was hard to sit still with the adrenaline rushing through his body.

"This is life. Damn, this is really it." He couldn't stop smiling. His cheeks hurt, but he didn't care.

This wasn't just dumb luck—it was Chloe's tip. Her offhand comment that had sounded casual, but clearly had more weight behind it than she let on. She knew what she was doing.

Gray chuckled, almost in disbelief. "Damn, Chloe… you really weren't kidding."

Just then, a soft chime rang in his ears.

He was used to the sound now.

[Mission Cleared!]

[+1 Power Gained]

[+$2,000 has been added to your wealth]

"Huh?" Gray blinked again, and a translucent blue screen appeared in front of him.

- - -

Name: Gray Adams

Age: 20

Status: Struggling (4%)

Wealth: $12,014.93 (+$8,928)

Power: 2

Influence: 4

Skills:

- Basic Negotiation (Passive): Slightly improves chances of earning more through bargains.

- Hard Labor (Active): Increases strength and endurance in physical work.

- Giga Confidence (Passive): You are no longer easily shaken by insults, mockery, or pressure. Instead, you find them funny, as if it were just a big joke.

- - -

Gray's eyes darted over the new stats, especially the part that showed his wealth had jumped over $12,000.

But then his brow furrowed slightly.

"Wait… what's with the (+$8,928) next to my wealth?" he muttered.

As if reading his mind, the system's calm voice returned.

[The value in parentheses reflects the money you currently have as liquidity or saved wealth. All your investments are counted there, Host.]

[Since this is your first time investing, all of this money is from your shares in Velmora Tech.]

Gray slowly nodded. "Ohhh… okay, that makes sense."

He opened the stock app again. Velmora Tech was still climbing—now at +17.1%. His grin widened again.

Then another screen popped up.

[Would you like to pull out your investment now, Host?]

Gray frowned. He hesitated. It was tempting. A thousand-dollar profit wasn't small. But something in his gut told him to wait.

He was sure the price would keep climbing. It was the Lancasters, after all. When Chloe said something was going to move, it moved.

Gray tapped <No> without hesitation. "Let's see how high this thing can go."

[Understood, Host.]

[Investment remains active.]

[The System will continue to monitor progress.]

He sat back down on the couch, breathing out a long sigh, still smiling like an idiot.

He felt good. Like he had just unlocked something important in his life.

But then the screen flashed again.

[New Mission Available!]

[MISSION UNLOCKED – Basic Investor Path]

[Objective:]

- Make 5 investment (1/5)

- Accumulate $100,000 in wealth.

[Reward: +1 Influence | +1 Power | Golden Fingers (Passive) – A rare investor-type skill that passively enhances all future investments for the Host. Even with no special insight or timing, your investments will begin to perform better than average, consistently growing over time.]

Gray blinked. Then sat up straighter.

"A… new skill?"

His eyes moved quickly across the floating text, reading every line twice, then three times.

Golden Fingers.

The name alone gave him goosebumps.

[Yes, Host. As you progress, this skill will also evolve and strengthen. The Basic Investor has three tiers:]

[Tier 1:]

Basic Investor (On-Going)

Average Investor (Locked): Requires 10 separate investments and $500,000 in total profit. Unlocking this tier increases your returns and improves your ability to spot bigger opportunities.

Master Investor (Locked): Requires $1,000,000 in total investment profit. Grants high-return instincts, early trend recognition, and a near-legendary track record in all ventures.

[Would you like to accept this mission?]

[Yes] [No]

Gray's jaw dropped slightly.

He wasn't just going to earn a little money anymore.

"…Are you kidding me?" he muttered in disbelief, his voice low. "A passive skill that makes all my investments do better over time? Automatically?"

He ran a hand through his hair, stunned.

Gray stared at the screen for a few seconds. His heartbeat picked up again, this time from excitement.

All future investments doing better? Passive skill that makes money grow over time?

That was power.

That was real power.

"…Shit," he whispered with a slow grin, "If I'm going to play this game… I might as well go all in."

He grinned and pressed the button in front of him confidently.

"Yeah. I'll accept this."

[Bonus Mission: Basic Investor Path – Activated ✅]

[Progress: 1/5 Investments | $9,814 / $100,000]

[Good luck, Host.]

Gray leaned back, his arms resting across the top of the couch. His grin hadn't faded.

For the first time in a long while, he felt like things were finally starting to change.

He looked up at the ceiling with fire in his eyes.

"Let's make some damn money."

=====

A/N: I just want to share that the novel has already been contracted!

I will be mass-releasing 3 chapters by Sunday.

Thank you for all your support.