"4,607 U.C.!"
"I earned 4,607 in a single day!"
Sam stared blankly at the glowing holographic panel. The previous day, he had spent a total of six hours using his special ability and recovering his exhausted rune energy. His initial raw material investment had been 3,000 U.C., making his pure net profit exactly 1,607 U.C.
"1,600 in profit in one day, which means..." He fidgeted excitedly, his azure eyes sparkling with dollar signs. "That's roughly 48,000 U.C. a month!"
Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, his thoughts quickly shifted to wealth management.
'I can't just let the money rot in a bank account. Banks only profit by leveraging their customers' stagnant money...'
'Maybe I should research some startup companies to invest in...'
'No. That's too risky without knowing their inside information.'
Sighing, Sam shrugged his shoulders. "I'll have to invest in a stable corporation."
He knew of many legal ways to generate passive income, but he simply didn't have the time to manage them. The easiest and safest route was investing in a medium-scale, stable company. It might only yield a tiny dividend, but his capital would be secure.
Then, his thoughts drifted back to the virtual market.
'Renting a VR stall charges a 3 percent tax per transaction...' he mused. 'But actually, owning a stall allows you to take a 5 percent cut from anyone else selling their goods on it, while completely waiving the tax on your own products...'
Sam licked his dry lips. This VR business model enticed him greatly. He wouldn't have to bleed taxes to other stall owners, and he could freely expand his ambitions without constantly worrying about his real-world identity being exposed.
The VR network had already scaled to a global level. It was entirely managed by an advanced AI devoted solely to maintaining the virtual ecosystem—an AI so secure that not even the corporate owners could arbitrarily access user data.
Initially, Sam had lacked confidence in the platform because it was monopolized by Wacts, an industry behemoth on par with BlueBlack. But after reading through their public documents and user privacy cases the night before, he had calmed down.
He needed to adjust his goals; he couldn't afford to be rigid or desperately cling to the common sense of his previous life.
Suddenly, Sam shook his head, snapping out of his financial daydream.
"First things first, I need to properly plan out my day."
Yesterday, some incredibly good news had reached his ears. He had officially been granted permission to take a supplementary matriculation examination.
His score would carry the exact same weight as the standard test, but with one major catch—he had to take it under the direct, scrutinizing watch of the Central Education Board's education committee.
Sam had readily agreed. He was immensely grateful to the hostel teacher who had somehow pulled the strings to manage this. How the stern man had done it, Sam didn't know; perhaps the teacher had his own hidden background.
Opening a small notebook on his desk, he let his pen dance across the paper.
Total remaining days: 20
Exam Prep (Study): 6 hours
Rune Pill Production: 6 hours (Estimated Profit: 1,600 U.C.)
Diet: Kiwi fruit [5 per day]
Even after wracking his brain, Sam could only come up with these four rows. The education committee had given him exactly ten days to prepare for the upcoming exam, and his results would be announced concurrently with the rest of the student body.
This was a massive relief; it meant no one would realize he had taken a separate test, ensuring a smooth transition into a government intermediate college.
Rune Pill Production: This would take up six hours of his day, factoring in the time needed to recover his exhausted rune energy. Interestingly, he could already feel that his internal rune energy was becoming slightly more refined after being repeatedly drained and replenished by the Merge ability. It was killing two birds with one stone: tempering his spirit while accumulating the wealth for his dreams.
Studying: This was absolutely essential. In his past life, he had been a top-tier final-year engineering student who had already secured a massive 60-lakh salary package. He knew how to study. However, absorbing the academic knowledge of this magical world was crucial, as it formed the very foundation of his survival.
Diet: His current funds only allowed him to splurge on Kiwis, which were easily available and priced at 50 U.C. apiece. His only other viable protein option was boiled eggs, but after seeing the inflated market price for monster-laid eggs, he had firmly crossed them off his list.
Having finalized his daily goals, Sam slumped forward onto the table, staring up at the ceiling as he clenched his hand into a tight fist.
"Money! Money! If I want to accomplish anything in this world, I need money."
If he had been born rich, his starting point would have been entirely different, and he wouldn't be forced to rely so heavily on the government college system. But he was also deeply thankful for the government initiatives that gave orphans a chance.
He refused to let himself drown in gloominess. He had an intact, healthy, and perfectly functioning body—something many people could only dream of.
He had spent the previous day with too much free time after finishing his Ganoderma refinement. He needed to stick strictly to this new schedule.
As he contemplated his day, a cool, soothing ray of golden sunlight filtered through the window, caressing his face. His eyes inadvertently drifted to the clock: 6:30 A.M.
It was March in this world, a refreshing and intoxicating month that carried the crisp chill of late winter blended with the creeping warmth of the upcoming summer.
'Half an hour has already passed.'
Getting up from the study table, he grabbed his exercise towel. With a click!, he opened his door and stepped out to begin his morning routine.
The body's previous owner had been dead set on spending at least thirty minutes exercising in the field every morning, and Sam wasn't about to let that hard-earned physical effort go to waste.
"My real journey starts today!"
With that declaration, Sam descended the stairs, his shadow stretching long against the wall in the golden morning glow.